WWE NXT UK Review - February 25, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Xia Brookside def. Nina Samuels

The stipulation stated that the loser must serve as the servant for the winner for the next month. Brookside asked for this rematch after Samuels cheated to win their last match, but it was Samuels who asked for the stipulation because she's been obsessed with bringing her luggage to ringside with her lately. I don't know how this compared to their previous encounters, but it was decent. More importantly, Brookside continues to improve and her winning the feud was the right full. It's nice to see her winning some meaningful matches for a change.

Tyler Bate def. Bailey Matthews

No, Matthews isn't a relative of mine, but he is the real-life son of William Regal (hence why his last name is Matthews, and for those unaware, that's actually the inspiration behind my penname). I figured Bate would straight up squash Matthews here given he asked for a "real" opponent beforehand, so I was pleasantly surprised this ended up being as competitive as it was for as long as it lasted. Matthews showed signs of potential and Bate remains one of my favorite performers in NXT UK. Bate vs. Dave Mastiff in two weeks should be a blast.

Aoife Valkyrie def. Lana Austin

I'm pretty sure Valkyrie has been undefeated in NXT UK since arriving almost a year ago. It's high time she entered a real rivalry or at least started beating women on the actual roster because these squashes aren't accomplishing much at this point beyond giving her additional experience. That said, it was interesting the commentators teased how she was off her game and not focused during this match, so we'll see where that goes even though it doesn't make a ton of sense on the surface considering she has yet to lose.

Pretty Deadly def. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) to Win the NXT UK Tag Team Championship

Gallus have been champions since late 2019, so it was about damn time they lost the titles, especially since their reign was never exciting in my opinion. They're very good wrestlers, but they've bored me in the champion role. I just never would have expected Pretty Deadly being the team to take the titles from them, but to NXT UK's credit, they've been built up fairly well over the past few months and have been protected. They don't come off as babyfaces, so this had a weird dynamic, but it was a fun match, nonetheless. I'm willing to give them a chance as champions since they're at least fresh faces and can go in the ring.

Overall Show

NXT UK has followed a formula recently of delivering an above-average main event with a solid undercard, this week's being better than usual. The NXT UK Tag Team Championship clash wasn't amazing from start to finish, but it was entertaining enough and the title changing hands was obviously a huge deal given Gallus were the longest-reigning tag champs of all-time. The other three matches served a purpose and the vignettes and video packages continue to be excellent. Plus, multiple matches were announced for the coming weeks, including Kay Lee Ray vs. Meiko Satomura for the NXT UK Women's Championship next week.