WWE NXT UK Review - March 25, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trent Seven Confronted Noam Dar and Sha Samuels on Supernova Sessions

Dar's match with Tyler Bate with the winner becoming the number one contender to the NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship had already been confirmed for the Prelude show in two weeks, so I wasn't sure what this was supposed to set up until Samuels came out. It looks like Seven will be in Bate's corner while Samuels will be in Dar's corner. This was a solid segment, but these installments of Supernova Sessions tend to be very hit or miss even though I think Dar works well in the host role.

Joseph Conners def. Jack Starz

Starz pinned Conners in that tag team match that also involved Piper Niven and Jinny two weeks ago, so this was Conners' chance at revenge. Part of me was hoping Starz would pull out another upset victory (if only because I care so little about Conners), but no such luck. Instead, Conners mostly dominated Starz and put him away for the win. Conners continues to do nothing for me, but at least he's linked with someone who's actually interesting in Jinny.

The Hunt def. Josh Morrell and Danny Jones

I honestly had no idea that Wild Boar was replaced in The Hunt by T-Bone. I guess the change happened a few weeks ago, but I completely missed it. Did Eddie Dennis blame Boar for The Hunt's shortcomings against Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster? Is he hurt or something? I liked the original incarnation of The Hunt, but T-Bone is a fine replacement and this was an effective way of re-establishing them as a dominant duo.

Isla Dawn def. Aleah James

This new character for Dawn is definitely something. I don't know if I like it or not, but at least it gives her something to do because she was beyond boring with whatever she was doing previously. James has potential and had a good showing here, but this was all about Dawn. Based on their interaction backstage, I really hope Dawn isn't being built up to be the one to take the NXT UK Women's Championship from Kay Lee Ray because that would be extremely underwhelming.

Ilja Dragunov def. Sam Gradwell by Referee Stoppage in a No Disqualification Match

Gradwell went from someone who screamed create-a-wrestler to one of a guilty pleasure of mine for all the trash-talking he does. Kudos to him for that, as all of the television time he's gotten in recent months has paid off. The story they've told with him and Dragunov has made sense with Gradwell trying to get under the skin of Dragunov and getting his ass kicked for his troubles. This was an entertaining brawl and Dragunov's intensity was the highlight. He clearly can't be controlled and I love that his loss to WALTER last October is the reason why he's gone off the deep end. I'm very intrigued to see where this leads.

Overall Show

This was the definition of a one-match show, and even that one match paled in comparison to other main events we've gotten on NXT UK in recent months. I enjoyed it, but I never once thought Gradwell had a legitimate shot of beating Dragunov. It told a strong story, but the rest of this show just sort of existed it felt like. Conners and Dawn don't do anything for me, the opening segment was fine, and The Hunt look to get back on track. At least next week's episode will feature an NXT UK Tag Team Championship defense from Pretty Deadly against Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan before the Prelude edition in two weeks.