WWE NXT UK Review - October 24, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Gallus Interrupted Imperium

Imperium has been boasting about their dominance over NXT UK for months, so I should have assumed that it was only inevitable before Gallus had something to say about it. This was a solid segment with the two factions having a decent exchange on the mic. Even with the NXT Tag Team Championship, Gallus is far inferior to Imperium in my opinion, but it should be cool to see them clash, nonetheless.

The Grizzled Young Veterans def. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter

I thought Carter might be more successful than he was on his own now that he has a tag team partner in Smith, but apparently not. He lost once again, but at least they worked well together before eating defeat. More importantly, this was a very good match. Grizzled Young Veterans are so great and I'm glad they've returned to their winning ways. Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster fending them off afterward seemed to signal a future number one contender's matchup between the two teams.

Ligero vs. Travis Banks Ended in a Draw

Although both Banks and Ligero are babyfaces and thus the crowd didn't have much of an incentive to cheer for one guy over the other, this was a really fun match. They wrestled at a terrific pace, kept things interesting throughout and got the crowd invested in the action. Neither guy has a ton of momentum at the moment, so this was crucial in getting them back on track. Draws are such a rarity in WWE these days that I didn't mind the non-finish, especially since it sets up the need for a future rematch.

Trent Seven def. Noam Dar

I figured the initial encounter these two had was so tame because they were planning on going all out the next time they faced off. Sure enough, this was exactly what I was hoping for them and they delivered big time. What I loved most about it was how it fit their feud perfectly with Dar constantly targeting Seven's injured knee and attempting to humiliate him to no avail. Both of them were remarkable in their respective roles and it may have been the best singles match I've seen from either guy so far in NXT UK. Seven paying homage to Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne before finishing Dar off was an excellent touch, too.

Overall Show

This was easily the strongest edition of NXT UK in some time. The product seemed to peak with its outstanding TakeOver: Cardiff special two months ago, but this episode was proof that they can produce an above-average show when they want to. The main event alone is worth seeking out, but everything else either held my interest and/or was entertaining. Better yet, we have Bate vs. A-Kid and "Bomber" Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin coming up next week and those bouts are sure to be bangers as well.