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

​By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Toni Storm def. Deonna Purrazzo

Storm vs. Rhea Ripley for the NXT UK Women's Championship was already set in stone for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, but this merely served as a warm-up for Storm beforehand. Purrazzo is an exceptional in-ring talent and it was cool to see her given a chance to shine (she hasn't been given nearly as many opportunities on NXT recently). They contested a very well-wrestled match with a great pace. This was awesome all around and I hope this means Purrazzo will be a regular in the NXT UK women's division going forward.

"Wild Boar" Mike Hitchman def. Josh Morrell

A video package played for Hitchman beforehand, so it looks like he might be on the verge of a renewed push in singles competition. Honestly, I can't say I care. He doesn't stand out as special to me in the slightest and nothing he did here impressed me, either. It was a perfectly serviceable squash and he went over in dominant fashion, but so far I'm not sold on him.

"Bomber" Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis Ended in a Double Disqualification

Mastiff and Dennis have been at odds for weeks now, so it made sense for them to waste no time in taking the fight to each other as soon as the bell rang. I loved the hard-hitting nature of this bout and how you could feel the bad blood between them. Thus, the double disqualification finish was logical, leading to the post-match announcement from Johnny Saint that these two will meet in a No Disqualification matchup at TakeOver: Blackpool.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne and Joe Coffey Signed the Contract for Their Match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool

I couldn't think of a better bout to headline NXT UK's premiere TakeOver than Dunne vs. Coffey based off how both men have been handled since the launch of the brand. They're also very talented on the mic, so I expected this to be a strong segment and they definitely delivered. My hype level for their upcoming encounter is through the roof and they did a wonderful job of getting everyone else as excited for it as I am through their talking and subsequent brawl.

Overall Show

I believe this marked the first time we've ever had a contract signing on NXT UK and it was easily the best thing on the entire show, but that isn't to say the rest of the episode was below-average. In fact, it was another enjoyable edition of NXT UK with the women killing it in the opener and Mastiff and Dennis taking their rivalry to new heights (plus, there was a new addition to the TakeOver card). Only Hitchman's match fell flat for me. Next week, Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster will take on Zack Gibson and James Drake in an NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament semifinal match and British Strong Strong will collide with Gallus.