WWE NXT UK Review - February 18, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid def. Sha Samuels

I understand the rounds aren't for everyone (and they definitely hurt the flow of some of these matches), but this was one of the better Heritage Cup Championship matches I've seen. That's impressive considering Samuels is still just getting started in NXT UK, but he's already doing great work and having fun matches with a variety of opponents. This was an enjoyable affair and Samuels looked credible in defeat. A-Kid is really rolling as Heritage Cup Champion.

Ben Carter def. Josh Morrell

​This looked like it would be an enhancement match for Carter on paper, but Morrell ended up getting more offense than I thought he would before eating defeat. Carter has settled into the underdog role nicely and he plays it well. He's also amazingly skilled to boot and is bound to go far in NXT UK if he can continue to build momentum. He's off to a strong start on the brand and wins such as this one will only help his cause.

Dani Luna def. Aleah James

Luna got the video package treatment last week, so it looks like NXT UK is in the process of pushing her or at the very least showcasing her a bit more than they have been. She's still relatively new to the NXT UK brand and hasn't had a chance to shine just yet, so I'm all for it. This was a solid squash match and she certainly has a presence about her that helps her stand out. I'm looking forward to seeing her develop further.

Rampage Brown def. Joe Coffey

This bout has been built up for a while and it met my expectations as a highly physical, very entertaining, hard-hitting affair. I wasn't overly familiar with Brown before he came to NXT UK, so I loved the video package that played earlier in the episode documenting his history with Coffey in PROGRESS as it made this match that much more meaningful. They beat the crap out of each other and it made for a hell of a main event. This was easily Brown's biggest win to date in NXT. Could he be the one to eventually dethrone WALTER as NXT United Kingdom Champion?

Overall Show

There was also a press conference with Kay Lee Ray and Meiko Satomura (which was a nice touch) where it was announced that they will fight for the NXT UK Women's Championship in two weeks. I would say save that for the next NXT UK TakeOver special, but I'm not sure if even they know when that's going to be. Before then, we have Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship to look forward to on next week's episode. This was another quality edition of NXT UK with strong opening and closing matches, a solid middle, and effective video packages promoting several feuds and upcoming matchups.