WWE NXT UK Review - November 28, 2018 (Part 2)

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tyler Bate def. Joe Coffey by Disqualification

Coffey was originally supposed to do battle with Sid Scala, but Scala claimed he had an injury and chose Bate as his replacement. Wolfgang and The Coffey Brothers attacked Bate a few weeks ago, so I liked that Bate wasted no time in taking the fight to Coffey. It was a hard-hitting affair with a great pace and the crowd was into the action. NXT UK doesn't do disqualifications often, so I was fine with the non-finish because it protected both guys and led to the post-match angle with British Strong Style reuniting to rival the heel trio.

Ligero def. Dan Moloney

Moloney is a perfectly solid hand in the ring, but it appears his role for the foreseeable future will be as an enhancement talent. He didn't score a ton of offense, but he had a fine showing and fared well for himself. However, this match was all about Ligero, allowing him to showcase his skills and get back on track following a recent loss. As I've noted before, he is definitely different from everyone else on the roster and I always look forward to seeing him in action.

Zack Gibson and James Drake def. Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan

As soon as Gibson and Drake formed their alliance, I said it was a great idea because it will give Drake someone relevant to latch on to and learn from in the process. He screams "generic" to me, so hopefully this pairing will help him with his progress in the character department. Williams and Jordan, on the other hand, are a very fun tandem. Gibson's heat segment lasted longer than it should have, but otherwise, this was an enjoyable tag team affair with the heels reigning supreme and staking their claim at the pending NXT UK Tag Team Championship.

Rhea Ripley def. Toni Storm to Become the Inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion

First and foremost, I absolutely loved the presentation of this and how it was treated like such a historic happening. From Johnny Saint introducing the title belt to the in-ring introductions to the post-match celebration, everything about it felt important. Both of these women are total stars, so it was no surprise that they worked wonderfully together and had an excellent match. It had plenty of drama, storytelling, intensity and excitement and the atmosphere was awesome as well. Ripley winning seemed to take the crowd by surprise, but I'm a big fan of her becoming the inaugural champ. Storm was already established and has the Mae Young Classic crown to her credit, so Ripley can run this division, stay dominant and build a name for herself.

Overall Show

Similar to the previous episode, this edition of NXT UK is spotlighted by the above-average main event and is obviously made newsworthy by the title change, so seek that out when you have a chance. The rest of the show held up nicely as well. The tag team bout was good, Ligero had an entertaining outing, and Bate vs. Coffey furthered that feud and set up an eventual six-man tag team matchup.