NXT UK results: WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov title match
Quick results–
- Aoife Valkyire beat Dani Luna
- Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster got attacked by The Hunt, who aligned with Eddie Dennis
- Still billed as the NXT Cruiserweight champion, Jordan Devlin made his return, making quick work of newcomer Levi Muir
- Sam Gradwell is back on NXT UK and will team with Pretty Deadly to take on Gallus next week
- Rampage Brown is coming
- in a match of the year candidate, WALTER successfully defended his NXT UK championship against Ilja Dragunov in a brutal war
Report —
A video highlighted today’s NXT UK title match of WALTER defending against Ilja Dragunov
Aoife Valkyrie pinned Dani Luna after a top rope legdrop (06:06)
Valkyrie is still undefeated in NXT UK while Luna is looking to prove herself.
Valkyrie showed her quickness and agility while Luna used power moves. Luna at one point hit a wheelbarrow slam on the outside, slamming Valkyrie face-first onto the apron. She also hit a number of impressive suplexes.
Valkyrie eventually won with her legdrop off the top rope.
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— A split-screen showed WALTER and Ilja Dragunov warming up for their match
— A video recapped the four first-round matches of the Heritage Cup;
— A video introduced Rampage Brown, a veteran of the UK scene, who will make his NXT UK debut soon
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Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster/Eddie Dennis in-ring segment
A segment recapped previous attacks on Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster.
They were in the ring talking about the attacks when Eddie Dennis came out. Dennis accused Andrews of being a narcissist and using him on the independent scene.
Dennis suggested that Andrews had been the one attacking Webster, because he was afraid of what would happen in Webster broke out as a singles star. He said Andrews would profit if Webster was out and said “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
Webster looked unsure, but they told Dennis that they knew he would play this card. Pretty Deadly came out to stand by Dennis’ side. Webster said that they also had friends and The Hunt appeared in the ring by their side.
Dennis laughed and repeated his quote from earlier, when The Hunt suddenly turned on Webster and Andrews and viciously beat them down.
Pretty Deadly looked confused and left as Dennis joined The Hunt in the ring.
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— Piper Niven was asked about her future plans in NXT UK. She reiterated that Kay Lee Ray was still her main priority.
— Jordan Devlin returns tonight
— Sid Scala was asked about Eddie Dennis when Pretty Deadly walked up and he asked them about the situation.
Suddenly, Sam Gradwell walked up and said he was back in NXT UK.
Gallus also appeared and asked Scala if he planned to do something about the situation with Pretty Deadly or if they needed to do something about it. He said they would be in the ring next week
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— A segment hyped WALTER and Ilja Dragunov
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Jordan Devlin submitted Levi Muir with a Texas Cloverleaf (04:49)
Muir is a recent NXT UK signee and former powerlifter who has also competed in PROGRESS before. Devlin was still announced as the NXT Cruiserweight champion. Devlin also looked physically bigger and more bulky than before.
This was basically a squash and a Jordan Devlin showcase. Muir only got one small package in and at one point caught Devlin and lifted him up for a military press, which Devlin turned into a crucifix attempt.
Devlin hit all his signature moves, including the uranage/moonsault combo and Devlinside. He won by submission with a Texas Cloverleaf.
Devlin cut a short promo afterwards, talking about how he was the champion and would take on all comers.
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— Next week, Gallus, including the returning Joe Coffey will take on Pretty Deadly & Sam Gradwell
— Also next week, Noam Dar takes on A-Kid in the Heritage Cup semifinals
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— A video recapped last week’s contract signing and subsequent brawl between WALTER and Ilja Dragunov. Clips of both competitors talking about each other were interspersed between highlights from the brawl
NXT UK Championship: WALTER (c) beat Ilja Dragunov by referee stoppage when Dragunov passed out in a rear naked choke (25:10)
Those two had a number of brutal and legendary matches in wXw and PROGRESS over the past few years and this match more than kept up the promise of those previous encounters. This was an absolute war, the best match in the history of the NXT UK television show and on par or even better than the WALTER vs. Tyler Bate NXT UK TakeOver match from last year in Cardiff.
Words cannot do this match justice and you should go out of your way to see it. They showed a level of physicality almost never seen in WWE matches these days and this was something you would usually see in NJPW in an Ishii, Ibushi or Suzuki match.
They started out at full speed right away and brutalized each other. Dragunov went for Torpedo Moscow less than 90 seconds into the match, but WALTER caught him with a sleeper and hit a sleeper suplex. Dragunov got his neck whiplashed into the ropes seconds later and was stunned at ringside. This neck injury would play into the rest of the match.
They slapped and chopped the hell out of one another. Dragunov later hit three impressive German suplexes on WALTER before they killed each other some more. Dragunov hit a Gotch-style suplex on the champion. Dragunov hit the Konstantin Special for a very close near fall, then went for Torpedo Moscow once more but got slapped out of mid-air.
WALTER took Dragunov’s head off with a lariat, then hit the power bomb for a close near fall of his own. WALTER transitioned from a sleeper into a dragon sleeper, but Dragunov made the ropes. Dragunov hit a big top-rope shotgun dropkick for another near fall. Dragunov hit Torpedo Moscow to the back of WALTER’s neck as the champion was on his knees, but was unable to make the pin because of his neck. He tried another one, but collapsed as basically his neck gave out.
WALTER threw him to the outside and hit a sleeper suplex at ringside, followed by a power bomb on the apron. After a powerbomb in the ring and a big splash off the top. Dragunov somehow still kicked out at 2.99.
WALTER finally hit some stiff elbows and forearms from the mount, then pulled Dragunov up by then neck in a rear naked choke and locked in the body scissors. Dragunov gurgled and moaned, blood dripping from his mouth as he passed out and the referee stopped the match.
This was unreal and it’s a shame NXT UK basically flies under the radar, as this was one of the best matches of the year.
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Dragunov lay on the mat without moving for a long time and WALTER lay next to him, exhausted and even looked a bit concerned.
A ton of referees and other officials, among them John Moss came out and checked on Ilja, finally helping him to his feet as the show went off the air.
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Next week —
- Noam Dar vs. A-Kid in a Heritage Cup semifinals match
- Gallus vs. Sam Gradwell & Pretty Deadly