WWE NXT UK Review - December 5, 2018 (Part 1)

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Moustache Mountain Saved Travis Banks From Gallus

It looks like the trio of Wolfgang and The Coffey Brothers will be going by the name of Gallus from here on out, which isn't bad. They addressed The British Strong Style in this segment only to be interrupted by Banks, who they put on the shelf not too long ago. Moustache Mountain then came to the aid of Banks, seemingly setting up a six-man tag team match for an upcoming episode. I assume British Strong Style vs. Gallus is in the works for another time as well.

Fabian Aichner def. Mark Andrews

I've been incredibly impressed by Aichner since his arrival in NXT over a year ago. The guy is a great athlete and NXT UK might be the perfect place for him to showcase his skills considering how stacked NXT is at the moment. He worked wonderfully with Andrews here and both guys shined. It was a very entertaining encounter, especially down the stretch with all the close nearfalls. Aichner was the right choice to go over here, and as the perennial underdog, Andrews can always bounce back with a win at some point.

Isla Dawn def. Nina Samuels

Dawn appears to be the latest recipient of a push in the women's division if the video package that aired for her before this bout was any indication. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet, though. She seems to be a perfectly sound wrestler and she had a solid showing here, but nothing she did in this match wowed me at all. She just doesn't have that same star presence as Toni Storm, Rhea Ripley or even Jinny. I'll give her more time, but the jury is still out.

Eddie Dennis def. Tucker

Dennis has been built up quite well since his debut on the NXT UK brand last month and I like how his matches are gradually getting more and more competitive. There was no doubt Dennis was winning here, mind you, but it was a fun little match while it lasted and Tucker sold well for Dennis' offense. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dennis contending for the WWE United Kingdom Championship before long.

Jordan Devlin def. Flash Morgan Webster

Devlin is coming off a breakout performance versus Pete Dunne from two episodes ago and this was an opportunity for him to maintain that momentum with an equally exceptional outing against Webster. Sure enough, they did not disappoint and it was a top-notch main event. The crowd wasn't as into this as I expected them to be, but I thought they told a great story throughout and the slower pace at certain points was calculated and made sense. Despite Webster's resiliency, it wasn't enough to put Devlin away.

Overall Show

After establishing a slew of stars in the first month and a half worth of shows, NXT UK is starting to focus on some other competitors as well, which is appreciated. Aichner, Dawn and Dennis were all showcased on this edition of NXT TV, while the Gallus vs. British Strong Style feud was furthered and Devlin got back on track by beating Webster. Thus, it was an effective hour of wrestling on the whole. On a side note, it was also announced on this episode that Sid Scala will be serving as the assistant to general manager Johnny Saint going forward.