WWE NXT UK Review - June 5, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Hunt def. Tyson T-Bone and Saxon Huxley

As I've said before, I've been impressed with The Hunt and enjoy their intensity in the ring. They've looked good any time I've seen them and this was another nice short and sweet squash for them. Unfortunately, their win didn't end up mattering much once they were attacked by Gallus afterward. I suppose that'll led to a match between the two teams, but it's an odd dynamic with both tandems being heels.

Kay Lee Ray def. Kasey Owens

Ray has been on an absolute roll since arriving in NXT UK and it's smart for her to be showcased as dominantly as she has been up to this point. She made quick work of Owens here and went over in decisive fashion. I'm looking forward to when she eventually challenges Toni Storm for the NXT UK Women's Championship, because I feel that match could be a show-stealer.

NXT UK Tag Team Champions The Grizzled Young Veterans Addressed the Audience

It feels like we see Zack Gibson and James Drake in more promo segments than we do in matches, but considering Gibson is a talented talker and never ceases to turn the crowd against him, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Per usual, Gibson talked trash to the audience and demanded respect from the fans. They were especially not happy about having to defend their twin titles at the Download Festival coming up, so this succeeded in getting more heat on the duo.

Travis Banks def. Jordan Devlin, "Bomber" Dave Mastiff and Joe Coffey in a WWE United Kingdom Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

I was a big fan of how this bout was built up to feel like a big deal. Since everyone had an equal chance of winning, the nearfalls were suspenseful and the action on the whole was very entertaining. Everyone had their time to shine and the outcome was the right one, especially with Banks pinning the man he could never beat (and took him out of his first TakeOver earlier this year), Jordan Devlin. My only nitpick of this is that it didn't receive more time, but it was fun while it lasted.

Overall Show

The main event was the only match worth watching on this show, but as is always the case with NXT UK, everything served a purpose and made sense. The first two matches were effective for what they were designed to accomplish and the promo from the tag champs hyped up their title defense at Download. There was also build for next week's marquee main event with British Strong Style taking on the new Imperium faction.