WWE NXT UK Review - December 12, 2018 (Part 2)

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Gallus def. Ashton Smith and Ligero

It looks like Joe Coffey will be focusing on the singles ranks while the other two members of Gallus will be more of a force in the tag team division, which is smart given tag titles are being introduced soon. Similar to Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan, Smith and Ligero are a fun tandem together and hopefully they'll be permanent partners from here on out. This was a very entertaining opener that saw the right team go over.

Joseph Conners def. Jack Starz

I'm sorry, but I just can't get behind Conners whatsoever. Eddie Dennis is infinitely better in the brooding/menacing role than Conners. Rather, he simply bores me to tears. This was a perfectly fine showing from him and he looked dominant, but thankfully, it didn't last longer than it did. I can think of a bunch of people I'd prefer to see pushed over Conners, so here's hoping he isn't featured too prominently on the program going forward.

Jinny def. Xia Brookside

I realize Isla Dawn is getting a shot at Rhea Ripley's NXT UK Women's Championship next week, but I'd much rather see Jinny challenging for the gold. Maybe Dawn is a filler feud for Ripley? At any rate, this was a nice little match between two of the brighter prospects in the NXT UK women's division. Brookside is super young, yet has plenty of potential, while Jinny is well on her way to becoming the complete package.

Zack Gibson and James Drake Staked Their Claim at the NXT UK Tag Team championship

Gibson and Drake are quickly growing on me as a pairing, and as I mentioned in my last review of NXT UK, they're among my top choices to become the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions. This was a simple segment with Gibson and Drake officially establishing their alliance and staking their claim at the twin titles. I'm still curious as to how the first-ever champions are going to be decided, because it feels like it's too soon to do another tournament.

"Bomber" Dave Mastiff def. Eddie Dennis

Mastiff and Dennis were undefeated in one-on-one action up to this point and have been built up very well. Thus, this had a big fight feel to it and could have gone either way. I wasn't sure how much chemistry they'd have together given the clash of styles and the size difference between the two, but it ended up being a real treat of a main event. Mastiff remains unbeaten, but Dennis lost very little (if any) in defeat. Who will step up to Mastiff next?

Overall Show

Mastiff vs. Dennis was hyped up as an important outing throughout the night and it paid off with an above-average main event. It's also obvious that the NXT UK Tag Team Championship is on its way based off how many tag team matches we've been getting lately and all of them are enjoyable. The women are firing on all cylinders at the moment as well, though the only thing I didn't care too much for on this episode was Conners' showcase. Even that was kept brief, so I have no complaints about this edition of NXT UK and found it to be solid.