WWE NXT UK Review - February 6, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Piper Niven def. Dani Luna

Luna has appeared on NXT UK before, but this was her first time wrestling as an officially contracted member of the brand. She has a great presence about her, but she didn't have enough time her to really have a standout showing. Rather, this was designed to be a showcase for Niven, so it was fine for the time given. Niven fell short of winning the NXT UK Women's Championship at TakeOver: Blackpool II, but she was able to bounce back with a win here.

Tyler Bate def. A-Kid

It was said as soon as A-Kid debuted in NXT UK that Bate helped train him, so you had to know that a match between the two of them was inevitable. It was only five minutes long, which was slightly disappointing, but at least they made the most of the time they had and produced a fun little matchup. Joseph Conners has been pushed fairly aggressively lately, so I can't say I was surprised to see him target Bate afterward. Hopefully Bate beats him decisively and sends him back to the undercard. Conners has almost always bored me.

Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith def. Pretty Deadly

I'm glad Carter has finally found something that works for him after his debut last year was hyped up for weeks and weeks only for him to become the brand's resident jobber. He and Smith have quality chemistry as a team, but this wasn't the most exciting affair. Pretty Deadly are another pair of individuals who we've seen on NXT UK before but hadn't been signed before recently. With Pretty Deadly attacking Carter and Smith post-match, it's clear this feud will continue.

Toni Storm Confronted NXT UK Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray

Despite failing to regain the NXT UK Women's Championship at TakeOver, Storm remains obsessed with being champion again. I love how Ray has noticed that and is using it to her advantage. In fact, Ray proposed an "I Quit" rematch where if Storm loses, she can never again challenge for the championship. That sounds like a way to write her off NXT UK to pave the way for her joining NXT U.S. full-time. This was a very good verbal exchange and I've been digging the storytelling in this feud.

Trent Seven def. Eddie Dennis in a Steel Corners Street Fight

This was an interesting stipulation and I wasn't sure what to expect from it going in, but they ended up having an excellent main event. They brought the fight to each other and pulled off some cool spots, especially once they left the ring. I liked that they didn't overdo the stuff with the exposed turnbuckle and instead saved it for the finish. Seven redeemed himself from his loss at TakeOver and Dennis doesn't lose much (if anything) in defeat. Unfortunately, Dennis was apparently injured again when Seven hit him with the burner hammer off the commentary table, so hopefully he isn't out for as long as he was before.

Overall Show

NXT UK is in the process of establishing a few new faces in Luna and Pretty Deadly (among others), so expect to see more of them on upcoming episodes. Bate and Seven remain the pillars of the brand and both of them had entertaining matches on this show that are worth checking out. I also enjoyed the exchange between Storm and Ray, though I don't believe it was ever announced when their rematch will take place. In the meantime, we have Gallus vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch as well as Aoife Valkyrie's debut to look forward to next week.