WWE NXT UK Review - September 24, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT UK Champion WALTER def. Saxon Huxley

Even before the pandemic happened, I couldn't tell you the last time I saw Huxley in action. I believe he's been a part of the brand since the start, but he's never done anything for me. He has size on his side, but he bores me to tears and has nothing about him that stands out as special. That's why I was so surprised to see him take WALTER to the limit and get so much offense in. I wanted to watch WALTER straight-up kiss someone, not have a competitive match with someone who had been previously established as a stepping stone. I assume this isn't the end of Huxley's push as he teased a confrontation with Jack Starz afterward backstage.

Pete Dunne Presided Over the Heritage Cup Drawing

Much like the ROH Pure Championship Tournament going on right now in Ring of Honor, I'm really looking to this tourney playing out in the coming weeks on NXT UK and the unique rules that come along with it. The combatants are Trent Seven, Alexander Wolfe, A-Kid, Noam Dar, Flash Morgan Webster, Joseph Conners, Dave Mastiff and a wild card competitor. I thought it might be Dunne, but he'll be serving as the special guest referee for Dar vs. Wolfe next week instead. It's nice to have Dunne back in NXT UK as long as he can't appear in NXT due to the current travel restrictions. This segment served to set up each of the matches that will be a part of the Heritage Cup and formally introduce everyone who will be taking part in it.

Pretty Deadly def. The Hunt

Much like Saxon Huxley, Pretty Deadly have never been anything but losers on NXT UK for the last year. They were signed to contracts at the beginning of 2020 I believe, so I assume they won here to begin building some credibility for themselves. The issue is, while they're pretty good in the ring, their gimmick is terribly bland. They look like two create-a-wrestlers. I enjoy The Hunt, but they weren't enough to make this match interesting. I was intrigued by whatever Eddie Dennis said to Pretty Deadly post-match, though. I'm glad Dennis is back after suffering another injury back in February.

NXT UK Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray def. Piper Niven

These two were having an excellent feud when the pandemic hit, so it's a shame that momentum got interrupted. Despite that, this was a strong main event. The in-ring action was enjoyable, but I especially liked the emphasis on the storytelling. I thought Ray was going to reveal that she was feigning the knee injury, but that never happened. Rather, she won with the hurt knee (as well as with a little help from an exposed turnbuckle post). That makes her a babyface in my book. In all seriousness, the finish wisely protected Piper in defeat to presumably keep the rivalry alive.

Overall Show

This edition of NXT UK was a lot like last week's in that the main event carried it. The Heritage Cup segment was well done and I'm excited for the tournament, but the segment itself wasn't must-see. Meanwhile, WALTER vs. Huxley was a hard-hitting affair yet not what I was hoping for and The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly lacked urgency. I know the brand is in the process of making new stars after all the departures, but as terrific as the main events have been these past two weeks, the undercard has largely felt lifeless.