WWE NXT UK Review - October 17, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Joe Coffey def. Mark Andrews

The Coffey brothers had plenty of momentum coming out of that NXT UK Championship special earlier this year, so I was happy to see them still hated heels here. Coffey had the perfect opponent to work with in Andrews, who is such a likable babyface as well as a blast to watch in the ring. They had terrific chemistry together and produced an entertaining opener. The post-match angle with Flash Morgan Webster saving Andrews from an attack at the hands of the Coffey brothers also set up a future tag team match between them.

Moustache Mountain Addressed the Audience

Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, along with Pete Dunne, are more responsible for making this UK brand a reality for WWE than anyone else, so it was fitting that they were included on the inaugural episode. They cut a very good promo about winning the NXT Tag Team Championship at the NXT UK Championship special back in June, and although they're no longer the champions, they're proud to be a part of the brand. They also acknowledged how there is a lack of tandems on the show, so hopefully that changes soon.

Dave Mastiff def. Sid Scala

I had no clue who the hell Scala was, but I have to give him credit for bumping so well for Mastiff's offense and making him look like an unstoppable force in the process. Although this wasn't much more than your typical squash match, it was everything it needed to be and Mastiff emerged as a star to watch in the weeks ahead. The only issue with this is that if they're trying to make Mastiff out to be a heel, it might not work because he was beloved here.

Toni Storm def. Nina Samuels

Samuels was another one who I wasn't familiar with whatsoever prior to this show, but she impressed me with the outing she had against the established Storm. Speaking of Storm, I've said on countless occasions in the past how big of a star she is and how much potential she has to be a real difference-maker on the main roster one day. This was a nice little match with the right woman going over.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne def. Noam Dar

I think it's easy for fans to sleep on Dar, just because he hasn't been showcased a ton on 205 Live in the two years he's been on the show, at least not as much as he could be. That said, he had a spectacular showing here against Dunne and the story they told was tremendous with Dar pulling everything out of his arsenal in order to take the title, ultimately to no avail. I don't think there was much doubt surrounding the outcome, but Dar gained a ton in defeat and this was an excellent main event for the first episode.

Overall Show

With NXT UK airing every Wednesday here in the United States, there is going to be a boatload of wrestling on Wednesdays, so if you can't get enough of it, then Wednesdays will be your new favorite day of the week. As for this premiere edition of NXT UK, it was strong and definitely feels like it has Triple H's fingerprints all over it. The main event is above-average and everything else was enjoyable. It was also smart to feature some of the more recognizable names (Dunne, Bate, Seven, Storm, etc) on Night 1 to get fans familiar with the newer ones. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the roster shakes out on future episodes.