NXT UK results: Mark Andrews vs. Wolfgang

Episode 4 show recap:

We got a graphic announcing Travis Banks vs. Wolfgang for our main event.

Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defeated Sam Gradwell & Saxon Huxley in 6:02 after a Lariat/Snap Dragon Suplex combo

We were told that Gradwell and Huxley decided to form a team on WWE.com, so now we have mini-angles on the website for this show too. However, as of this writing, there wasn’t a trace of it on either the website or YouTube. On a trivia note, Gradwell beat Huxley back at the WWE UK title tournament in 2017.

Bate and Huxley started so this was a mini-rematch from the previous episode. Huxley learned something as Bate’s faint chop into a DDT didn’t work this time around. Gradwell attacked Seven at ringside, tagged in, and Seven was in peril for a while. Seven managed to throw both bigger guys out and tagged in Bate, who went crazy with a plancha on both men, worked them over back in the ring and even caught a corner charge by Huxley in mid-air and turned it into an exploder. He is one Big Strong Boi. He followed up with a running Shooting Star just for good measure.

Seven tagged back in and was caught in an assisted backstabber by the mean guys and got his leg twisted into a single leg Boston by Gradwell. Bate went for the save, but Huxley stopped him and got rammed into his partner for the trouble, breaking the hold. Bate blind tagged back in as Seven locked a full nelson on Gradwell and Bate hit his neck-and-shoulders springboard lariat into a snapdragon suplex by Seven for the victory.

***

Backstage, we saw Banks down among some chairs, apparently injured as Johnny Saint stormed in, demanding to know what happened. In storyline, it looked like an attack, but Banks actually suffered a shoulder injury days before this taping, prompting WWE to tell their UK wrestlers “no matches for one week before our tapings”. Vic and Nigel wondered if the main event might be in jeopardy now.

We got a video package on Isla Dawn, emphasizing on her strikes, followed by a SmackDown in the UK promo. Next was another Jinny video, promising to intimidate us.

Saint was being interviewed about the status of the main event, when Mark Andrews stormed in and claimed he knew that the attack had been facilitated by the Coffey Brothers. He asked Saint to put him in the main event against Wolfgang instead.

Isla Dawn defeated Nina Samuels in 3:22 with a suplex into a slam

Dawn, 24, from Glasgow, Scotland, started out in late 2013 and was trained by Damian O’Connor (aka Killian Dain) who saw her in a play and asked her if she had interest in becoming a wrestler), Mikey Whiplash, and Tommy End (Aleister Black, who she also dated for a few years). She has a kickboxing background and considers herself a modern day witch and a modern feminist and wrestled in Scotland, for ICW and the Scottish Wrestling Alliance, before going on her first tour of Japan for Stardom in 2016.

She also competed for End’s farewell show in wXw in 2016 and had matches for Pro Wrestling EVE the same year and in PROGRESS in 2017. Starting in 2016, she also wrestled for some indies in the U.S., the most prominent being SHINE, CZW, WSU, and Queens of Combat. She actually already has an appearance on the main roster under her belt, quickly losing to Asuka on RAW on November 6, 2017, before joining NXT UK in June of this year, first appearing at the Download Festival, the 2018 UK Championship tournament, and the Mae Young Classic. She is also close friends with fellow NXT UK superstar Killer Kelly.

Samuels had the early strength advantage, but Dawn showed off some of her kicks early. Samuels escaped to ringside but not before snapping Isla’s neck on the top rope. She came back with a suplex for a near fall and then twice brutally rammed Dawn’s head into the turnbuckle, the second time on a reversal off a corner whip-in. Dawn countered a suplex attempt into a small package for a near fall, dodged a kick by Samuels, and hit a head kick to the back of the head before hitting a suplex into a slam for the pin.

***

Nigel and Vic throw it to a sitdown interview that Radzi Chinyanganya conducted with UK Champion Pete Dunne. He said that he was on top and no one had been successful on taking his belt away. When asked how prepared he was for Danny Burch, he said not to worry about how prepared he was but how prepared Burch would be and that he has been the champion for over a year, so let’s see if Burch can step up. Radzi asked if Burch’s experience intimidates him: “No. He might have invented British Strong Style, but I perfected it, I put the UK on the map.”

When asked what the Bruiserweight would do to retain, he said that Burch asked for his attention and now he was going to get it, that he would beat him up, hurt him, snap his fingers, and walk out the UK champion. This was a very good and effective interview that made me more interested in seeing this match.

***

We got confirmation that Mark Andrews would replace Travis Banks against Wolfgang tonight.

We got a Jordan Devlin video where he asked if we saw what he could do and that he has the power of a nation behind him.

This was followed by a WWE 2K19 ad and another Eddie Dennis video package. He said that the last time, he asked how we thought seeing Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews succeed made him feel. He said he had to do something about it, that he was the youngest principal in the UK, but decided to quit his job to wrestle. We saw some newspaper articles about him. He said when he dedicates himself to something, he can accomplish great things. Four months into his career, he had his first WWE tryout. 10 months in, he got signed to a contract, even though he was injured for most of that time. He said his friends laid the foundation, but the brand gets built around him. He’s Eddie Dennis, he got everything to prove and he debuts next week.

***

Jordan Devlin defeated Tucker in 4:10 with a fireman’s carry into a Falcon Arrow

Devlin was trained by Finn Bálor and Paul Tracy, starting originally at age 12. He made his debut at NWA Pro Wrestling ZERO1 of Ireland in 2006 and stayed with ZERO1 in Japan in 2011 and 2012. He wrestled for ICW and RevPro in 2013 before joining the newly formed OTT promotion in his native Ireland in 2014, winning the OTT No Limits title and eventually the OTT World title, which he defended against the likes of Angelico, Zack Sabre Jr. and Mark Haskins before losing it to WALTER. In 2018, he became a regular for ICW, PROGRESS and RevPro, among others. He made his debut at the inaugural WWE UK title tournament in early 2017.

Tucker started strong and hit a step up enzuigiri, but Devlin kicked out at one. Devlin hit a high uranage and a standing moonsault, followed by a quick dropkick to show of his athletic ability. Tucker hit a beautiful spinning flatliner through the ropes from the outside for a near fall. Devlin worked over Tucker’s left arm which he sold when going to the top for a double foot stomp, causing him to be a tad slow and miss when Devlin got his knees up. Devlin picked him up on his shoulders like for a Go To Sleep or F5, but transitioned into a Falcon Arrow for the win. Both looked good here, Devlin in particular.

***

We got a graphic for Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai in two weeks, followed by a Crown Jewel video (which still had Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles but already had Roman Reigns and John Cena out and Lashley in).

We had another sit-down interview with Radzi Chinyanganya and Danny Burch. Burch asked the audience if they ever tried hard for something, like applying to a sports team, and being told “you’re not good enough”, then tried out again and being told the same thing? That was basically the story of his career. He said some people would have walked away, but not him; he was ready to be on NXT UK. When asked how he prepared for Dunne, he said Dunne was an interesting animal, flawless at anything he did, all he himself could do was be the best he could and make sure Dunne didn’t get a head start at going to the things he’s good at.

When asked what it would mean to become WWE UK champion, he said, “Come talk to me in two weeks when I got the UK title around my waist.” This was another effective interview that told the story of the grizzled veteran trying to beat the young upstart.

Mark Andrews defeated Wolfgang in 8:40 after a Shooting Star Press

Wolfgang howled and pushed Andrews into a corner, using his size, strength, and weight advantage. Andrews used some lucha to escape and countered Wolfgang’s offense into an arm drag. He hit a dropkick that sent Wolfgang staggering into the corner, followed by an enzuigiri from the apron and a huricanrana from the top rope, sending Wolfgang to ringside. A topé attempt got caught effortlessly by Wolfgang though and he picked the smaller Andrews up, press slammed him and threw him into the apron.

Back in the ring, Wolfgang tried for another press slam to throw Andrews back out, but Andrews escaped and eventually hit a 619 against Wolfgang’s back. Andrews flipped over Wolfgang’s back in the corner and then hit his Stomp 182 and a standing twisting moonsault for a near fall. A reverse cross body by Andrews off the middle rope missed its target as Wolfgang countered it into a big gut buster and followed with a brutal gore for a near fall.

Wolfgang went up for a middle rope moonsault, which looked impressive, but missed. Andrews hit one of his own, which got caught, but Andrews managed to turn it into a DDT. Andrews went for another DDT but Wolfgang tried to turn it into a suplex only for Andrews to counter it into the Stuntdog Millionaire. Andrews hit a beautiful, very high Shooting Star Press for the victory.

Post match, Andrews offered his hand which Wolfgang shook after some consideration. As he left the ring, the Coffey Bros. ran out and beat down Andrews. Wolfgang watched on, unsure what to do, when Flash Morgan Webster ran in for the save, but he also got overpowered. Wolfgang finally had seen enough and hit the ring, sending the brothers packing. Wolfgang helped up Webster, but then killed him with a lariat. The Coffeys slid back in, picked up Andrews, and whipped him into Wolfgang who hit a powerslam on the smaller man.

As the credits roll, we witnessed the formation of a new powerful faction in NXT UK.