NXT UK results: Cruiserweight title on the line

By Markus Gronemann
Published: 26 Mar 2020, 15:33

Taped at Coventry Skydome in Coventry, England on March 7, 2020

Quick results —

Imperium defeated Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith in a fun opener.
Aoife Valkyrie pinned Nina Samuels.
Piper Niven talked about teaming with Dani Luna next week to take on Kay Lee Ray & Jinny.
Noam Dar beat A-Kid in a very good match after a low blow and the Nova Roller.
Jordan Devlin defended his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Travis Banks in a fantastic main event. Devlin retained after a roll-up while grabbing the ropes, which the referee missed.
A number of NXT UK wrestlers vowed to win the 20-man battle royal for a shot at WALTER’s NXT UK Championship next week. This was fun and reminded me of the old Royal Rumble promos in the 90s — it made the battle royal feel special, rather than just something being put on for the hell of it.

Full rundown —

The show opened with a recap of Jordan Devlin winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide and looked ahead to his upcoming match with Travis Banks in tonight’s main event.

Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) defeated Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter when Aichner pinned Carter after a European Bomb (8:32)

Barthel and Carter started out with Barthel quickly tying Carter up on the mat. Carter came back with a superkick, but Aichner blind-tagged in to crush his momentum.

Carter managed to tag Smith and we got a brief battle of agile powerhouses. Carter tagged back in and they hit a unique move where Carter somersaulted over the top rope onto Smith’s back on the apron, with Smith launching him back in a sort of rope-assisted moonsault splash. Imperium came back from that creative offense with pure brutality though.

Carter and Smith ran roughshod on Imperium, but Smith got thrown to the outside as Imperium set up for the European Bomb on Carter. Smith pushed Barthel off the ropes and Carter scored a narrow near fall. Seconds later, Imperium thwarted their advantage once more and finally hit the European Bomb on Carter for the win.

– A video with Gallus playing cards at a table talking about NXT UK being their kingdom aired.

– Tyler Bate and Trent Seven talked about the upcoming NXT UK title number one contender’s battle royal. Seven told Bate that “may the best boi win.”

– Alexander Wolfe then also discussed the battle royal, vowing to win to secure the interests of Imperium and keeping the mat sacred.

– Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith got interviewed after their loss to Imperium. Pretty Deadly was there, making fun of them. Smith calmed down Carter and told him to concentrate on the battle royal: They concluded by saying ready and forward — always forward.

Aoife Valkyrie pinned Nina Samuels after Peripeteia (4:48)

Valkyrie locked in a side-headlock, but Samuels initially escaped before being taken down again. Samuels locked in a headscissors, but Valkyrie neck-bridge backflipped and kipped up out of the move. Samuels then was back on offense and transitioned with a modified Indian deathlock into a surfboard submission.

Valkyrie came back with an arm drag off a reverse electric chair, then went to the top rope, but Samuels escaped to ringside. Valkyrie hit a running dropkick through the ropes to take Samuels out. Samuels came back with a launching splash off the apron into the ring. Samuels slapped Valkyrie, which fired her up as she hit a spinning kick and followed up with Peripeteia (a guillotine leg drop off the top rope) for the win.

– A recap of Kay Lee Ray attacking Dani Luna after their match and Piper Niven making the save from last week aired. Niven then was interviewed and asked why she decided to come to the aid of Luna last week. She said Luna was big and strong enough to fight for her own, but she didn’t know how devious KLR could be. Niven said she and Luna would face Kay Lee Ray and Jinny next week and she would finally get her hands on KLR.

– A video recapped the backstage attack on Mark Andrews before the six-man tag last week. Flash Morgan Webster said Andrews was still undergoing tests but vowed to find out who attacked him. He said Andrews told him to concentrate on the battle royal and he would for the sake of South West Subculture.

Noam Dar pinned A-Kid after the Nova Roller (6:38)

Dar took A-Kid down, but he quickly found himself on the receiving end of some punishment as A-Kid escaped and turned the tables on him. They went back and forth on the mat until Dar shoved A-Kid off and he replied with a spin kick that missed.

A-Kid went for an octopus hold but transitioned into a kick as Dar escaped. They traded quick falls for one counts until A-Kid scored a close near fall off a crucifix. Dar hit a spinning elbow that rocked A-Kid and saw him crumble on the mat. Dar set up for a draping DDT but just let A-Kid fall to the mat and kicked him.

A-Kid hit some quick moves in succession and sent Dar to the outside. He went for a springboard moonsault to the outside, but when Dar got back in the ring, A-Kid transitioned into an aerial attack to the inside. Dar caught him off the move and locked in a shoulder bar that A-Kid escaped from. Dar then hit a low blow behind the referee’s back and hit the Nova Roller for the win.

After the match, Dar talked about the battle royal and said he would win and become the next NXT UK Champion.

– A highlight video on WALTER aired.

– Dave Mastiff, Kassius Ohno, and Ilja Dragunov all talked about the battle royal next week, vowing they would win.

WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship match: Jordan Devlin retained against Travis Banks after a roll-up while grabbing the ropes (14:57)

They took each other down early with neither man getting the advantage. Banks scored a number of quick near falls before Devlin escaped to ringside. Banks looked to pull him back inside but Devlin snapped his neck on the top rope.

Devlin looked to go for the uranage, but Banks escaped and threw him to the outside once more. He went for a running dive, but Devlin moved and used Banks’ momentum to push him hard into the barricades shoulder-first. Devlin followed up with a high-angle back suplex and then locked in a shoulder bar. Banks staged a brief comeback but got wiped out from a standing Spanish Fly by Devlin for a near fall. Devlin stayed in control until Banks came back with hard chops.

Devlin stopped him with a nosebreaker, then grabbed Banks’ arm and hit a few Kawada kicks, but Banks wanted more. Devlin hit the uranage, but Banks got his knees up on Devlin’s moonsault.

Banks hit a few clotheslines, a running cannonball into the corner, and followed with a German suplex for another near fall. Banks hit a running knee to the face of Devlin, then followed with a rolling elbow kick and a dive as Devlin stumbled outside. Banks hit a double stomp off the top on a standing Devlin for another two count.

Devlin evaded a Slice of Heaven, but Banks also escaped a Devlin Side. They traded hard shots until both collapsed to loud “NXT” chants from the crowd. Banks punched Devlin as he was up on the top rope, then hit a double foot stomp onto Devlin when he was stuck in a tree of woe.

They battled on the top rope until Devlin hit a springboard cutter off the apron onto Banks as he was stuck on the second turnbuckle. Banks came back with a Slice of Heaven, then went to hit the Kiwi Crusher, but Devlin escaped, rolled up Banks, bridged on his head, and also grabbed the bottom rope for leverage to score the pinfall victory and successfully defend his title.

Next week —

The 20-man battle royal for a shot at WALTER’s NXT UK Championship takes place. It will feature, among others, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Alexander Wolfe, Ashton Smith, Oliver Carter, Flash Morgan Webster, Noam Dar, Dave Mastiff, Kassius Ohno, Ilja Dragunov, and Jordan Devlin.

Also, Piper Niven teams with Dani Luna to take on Kay Lee Ray & Jinny.