WWE NXT UK Review - February 13, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Aoife Valkyrie def. Amale

Valkyrie's NXT UK debut has been heavily touted in recent weeks and I've heard only good things about her. Ultimately, I thought she lived up to the hype. This was a short and sweet squash match that showcased her in-ring abilities nicely. Better yet, her entrance is absolutely amazing. That alone made me take notice of her. She's a welcome addition to a women's division that could use her, especially if Toni Storm is on her way out.

"Bomber" Dave Mastiff def. Saxon Huxley

Mastiff is as dominant as they come and he was able to prove that once again with this outing. I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching him destroy dudes and Huxley was no exception as he never stood a chance. They're clearly building to Mastiff challenging WALTER for the NXT UK Championship if what the commentators were saying was any indication. That should be a hell of a hoss fight.

Grizzled Young Veterans Addressed the Audience

I loved the run Grizzled Young Veterans had in the most recent Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and I'm glad they got that chance to show the NXT audience what they're all about. The NXT UK tag team division has enough talent that I wouldn't mind them making a move to NXT proper full-time in the near future. They generated great heat for their promo here, but it left me wondering what's next for them aside from a possible match with The Hunt who they took shots.

Joe Coffey def. Amir Jordan

I'm surprised Jordan was used in an enhancement role here, if only because he typically teams with Kenny Williams. However, it didn't bother me too much and he sold well for Coffey's offense. This probably would have been more effective if the first two matches on this show weren't also squashes. Post-match, Coffey addressed Ilja Dragunov and boasted about Gallus' dominance, which segued nicely into the main event.

NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus def. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch (Non-Title)

I would have saved this match for when it meant more and put the titles on the line, as opposed to giving it away as a throwaway television main event. It was enjoyable, but it felt like they were holding back a bit. I also wish it was longer than 10 minutes. Dragnuov emerged afterward and got laid out by Gallus, so if it wasn't already apparent enough, Gallus officially has no love lost for him despite their short-lived alliance a few months ago. Coffey and Dragunov will square off on next week's episode.

Overall Show

I can usually count on NXT UK for being an entertaining hour of wrestling, and while this episode was far from a waste, it consisted largely of squashes and a promo from a team that is obviously in a holding pattern at the moment. In fact, this whole show was basically filler before Coffey vs. Dragunov and Tyler Bate vs. Joseph Conners next week as well as WALTER vs. Mastiff and Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm at some point. You aren't missing anything if you skip over this edition of NXT UK.