WWE NXT UK Review - November 21, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trent Seven def. Kona Reeves

We were spared of a Kona Reeves match on Wednesday's NXT, but no such luck on NXT UK. Reeves ran down Seven in a pre-match promo that generated pretty good heat, but I still can't bring myself to care about the dude. He scored some offense, but this was basically a glorified squash match for Seven to allow him to keep his momentum rolling. I appreciated that this kept short and sweet. Eddie Dennis returned in the crowd afterward and grabbed a hold of Seven's hand. I like that as Dennis' first feud back.

A-Kid def. Jack Starz

A-Kid is a hell of an athlete from what I've seen and should be an exciting addition to the NXT UK brand. This is should have been his official debut as he hit his signature spots, showcased his skills and went over in decisive fashion. Props to Starz for selling his stuff as well as he did. Jordan Devlin issued a challenge to A-Kid later in the night, so I assume that match will take place next week.

The Grizzled Young Veterans Demanded an NXT UK Tag Team Championship Opportunity

Zack Gibson and James Drake took exception to their NXT UK Tag Team Championship defense at TakeOver: Cardiff being being a Triple Threat and cited that as the reason why they lost the titles. Gibson also brought up how they were screwed out of an opportunity to wrestle for them again when their recent number one contender's match with Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster was interrupted by Imperium, which is true. I assume this is building to them getting another shot at the straps at TakeOver: Blackpool II.

Ridge Holland def. Oliver Carter

I've heard a lot about Holland, who signed with NXT last year. I believe he actually wrestled Matt Riddle in his debut for NXT in October 2018. He's incredibly impressive and is a perfect fit for NXT UK. His entrance attire is a bit campy, but in the ring, he has real potential. The crowd was behind him throughout, which helped. As for Carter, I've accepted he's essentially another Jack Starz in that he's only there to make others look good. I assume Ashton Smith will be Holland's next opponent based off their brief face-off afterward.

Alexander Wolfe def. Ilja Dragunov

Wolfe and Dragunov have been teasing bad blood for a while now and their match lived up to the hype. Wolfe is much better than I ever gave him credit for, while it's well established that Dragunov is excellent. I loved the intensity they brought to this outing and the sense of urgency they worked with. Although Wolfe emerged victorious, Dragunov and his allies in Gallus stood tall over Imperium in the end. They'll clash in a huge eight-man tag team matchup next week.

Overall Show

While I'd argue last week's edition of NXT UK was better on the whole, this was still a solid show in its own right. The brand has boasted a bunch of top-notch main events lately with Dragunov vs. Wolfe being no exception, so definitely make time to check it out. Meanwhile, Holland had a successful debut, matches were made official for next week, and the build to TakeOver: Blackpool II officially kicked off.