WWE NXT UK Review - January 2, 2019 (Part 1)

​By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Travis Banks def. Jamie Ahmed

Banks definitely has all the tools necessary to be a big time player on the NXT UK brand, especially once stars such as Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and Pete Dunne eventually move on. He's a blast to watch in the ring and is an excellent babyface, never ceasing to get the crowd behind him. Ahmed, on the other hand, was perfectly fine and effectively put over Banks in this squash. Jordan Devlin went off on Banks afterward, so apparently he was who Devlin was talking about recently. That should be a fun feud.

Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel def. Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan

It looks like Aichner and Barthel are the latest duo to throw their names into the hat for the growing NXT UK tag team division. I am all for that after the chemistry they showed here, and it's probably the perfect place for Barthel considering I doubt he'd be doing much of note on his own. Williams and Jordan have been together for much longer, mind you, but I can't recall a single match they've won. Thus, the outcome was never in doubt, but it was an entertaining affair nonetheless with strong showings from everyone involved.

Jinny def. Candy Floss

I still don't know whether to love or hate Floss' happy-go-lucky gimmick. She plays the role remarkably well and the fans seem to enjoy her, but it's definitely difficult to take her seriously. She isn't a bad hand in the ring, but I was surprised she scored more offense here than Jinny. This should have served as a showcase for Jinny, but ended up being more one-sided in favor of Floss than it needed to be.

Moustache Mountain def. Gallus in an NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal Match

I could have sworn this was being saved for TakeOver: Blackpool, but apparently not. At any rate, this has been built up for weeks, and I loved the last-minute video package for it that aired earlier in the evening. Moustache Mountain must be recognized as one of the best tandems in all of wrestling today because of performances like this, where their storytelling is top-notch and the atmosphere is always electric. This whole outing was excellent, but the second half in particular was tremendous. Dunne distracting Joe Coffey from the stage and allowing Moustache Mountain to go over. The post-match brawl between the two factions set the stage for the announcement from Dunne that it will be him and Joe Coffey for the WWE United Kingdom Championship at TakeOver.

Overall Show

NXT UK's first-ever live special is quickly approaching and the card is coming together nicely. We now know one team that will be vying for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship in Blackpool, and the main event on this show is must-see stuff. Jinny vs. Floss was decent albeit a bit flawed, Banks's victory versus Ahmed gave him a minor momentum boost, and the tag team matchup was a blast. All in all, it was an pretty good hour of wrestling. "Bomber" Dave Mastiff and Eddie Dennis will go one-on-one again next week.