WWE NXT UK Review - March 4, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ilja Dragunov def. Sam Gradwell by Referee Stoppage

I've loved what they've been doing with Dragunov since his loss to WALTER back in October. He's been destroying dudes left and right and can't control himself afterward. That was once again the case here. The outcome was never in doubt, mind you, but this served its purpose in establishing that Dragunov is falling deeper and deeper into madness. I didn't care about Gradwell for the longest time, but he's starting to grow on me with his recent work. He just won't stop running his mouth even though he has yet to win a single match in NXT UK. There's something both amusing and respectable about that.

Noam Dar Hosted Supernova Sessions with Tyler Bate

I've enjoyed most editions of Supernova Sessions up to this point and Dar typically does well in the host role, but this was not funny and honestly a complete waste of time. The thing is, I've actually been intrigued by Bate's recent character work. He was obviously affected by his loss to A-Kid a few months ago, which he keeps mentioning. However, him resorting to "Zen" or whatever the hell it is, is stupid. The back-and-forth they had here felt like it dragged on forever. On the bright side, I am looking forward to Bate's match against Dave Mastiff next week.

Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams def. Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith

Jordan and Williams have been around I believe since the start of NXT and they've never done anything for me, personally. They were always two happy-to-be-here guys with minimal character development, so I'm perfectly fine with them going their separate ways with Williams being the one to turn heel. It didn't happen here, but he teased it by cheating to help Jordan win unbeknownst to him. I hope we get the turn soon because it feels like it's been going on for months. The match itself was decent.

NXT UK Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray def. Meiko Satomura

I don't think I was the only one who thought this would be a slam-dunk win for Satomura. After all, Ray has been champion for over a year-and-a-half. Satomura is the biggest threat she's faced so far and only recently arrived on the brand, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be. I'm not complaining, especially since I would assume they have a plan in place as far as who will be the one to ultimately take the title from her (Aoifie Valkyrie, maybe?), but I was still shocked. That said, this was a hell of a match that would have been even hotter in front of one of the usual NXT UK crowds. Satomura showed why she's one of the best in the world while Ray showed she was on her level. The big fight feel on top of it all was a terrific touch. I realize Ray didn't have to defend her title for a solid six months last year due to the pandemic, but she's still had an impressive reign, nonetheless.

Overall Show

This wasn't as strong of a show on the whole as other episodes have been lately, but the main event is absolutely worth seeking out. The undercard on these shows tend to be hit or miss, but the main events never cease to deliver. The video packages highlighting certain talent continue to be top-notch and a welcome change of pace compared to how NXT UK used to do things. This edition of NXT UK is worthy of a thumbs-up for that wonderful NXT UK Women's Championship match alone. Just stellar stuff.