BRM Reviews the 10/31/2018 NXT UK (the second one)

[Big Red Machine]

Yeah, for some reason there were two episode of NXT UK uploaded to the WWE Network today.

MOUSTACHE MOUNTAIN vs. SAXTON HUXLEY & SAM GRADWELL- 6.75/10
Seven’s knee got worked over but Mustache Mountain was able to get the win. Seven’s selling was quite great.

TRAVIS BANKS HAS BEEN LAID OUT BACKSTAGE- His spot in the main event against Wolfgang is now in jeopardy.

ISLA DAWN VIDEO PACKAGE- They made her look a lot less goofy than in the Mae Young Classic when the video package was all about how she is a witch. Although I will admit that not focusing on the witch thing means that this video package made it much easier for me to confuse her with Christine O’Donnell, who would like us all to know that she is not a witch.

JINNY VIDEO PACKAGE- good

MARK ANDREWS TELLS JOHNNY SAINT HE THINKS HE KNOWS WHO ATTACKED TRAVIS BANKS- He says he’s pretty sure it was those mean Coffey Brothers, and thus he thinks that Johnny Saint should teach them a lesson by putting Andrews, who is also one of their enemies, in the main event in Banks’ place. Yeah… that’s a little suspicious.
Also, does anyone know what the interviewer’s name is? I don’t think they’ve mentioned it or put it on the screen once.

NINA SAMUELS vs. ISLA DAWN- 4/10
Yeah, I hate to be that person insisting on traditional dress, but if you’re going to tell me that you’re a “modern day witch, then you had damn well better be coming to the ring wearing a big, pointy black hat. For this reason, I chose to root for Nina Samuels in this match. Unfortunately for both Nina and myself, her work on Dawn’s shoulder was not enough to bring her the victory. This match was short, but it was certainly enough to make me want to see a rematch that gets significantly more time.

PETE DUNNE SIT-DOWN INTERVIEW- Meh. He’s defending the WWE UK Championship against Danny Burch next week.

They announced that Andrews has been given Banks’ spot in the main event.

JORDAN DEVLIN VIDEO PACKAGE- meh

EDDIE DENNIS VIDEO- great. And he debuts next week. After a few weeks of these, I’m actually excited for this. Compare that to Jordan Devlin’s debut, which is up next. When Vic Joseph said that “the wait is finally over,” I shouted “What wait? It hasn’t even been five minutes!” at my TV.

JORDAN DEVLIN vs. TUCKER- 3.5/10

They announced Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai for two weeks from now.

DANNY BURCH SIT-DOWN INTERVIEW- Good built for his title shot against Dunne next week. I found this so much more compelling than Dunne’s.

MARK ANDREWS vs. WOLFGANG- 7/10
Great big-man vs. little-man story.

POST-MATCH SEGMENT- fine
The Coffey Brothers attacked Andrews after the match, but “Flash” Morgan Webster came out to make the save. Wolfgang then decided to join up with the Coffee Brothers so when Webster offered him a handshake, he turned it into a short-arm clothesline and beat him up. All three heels then beat up the babyfaces together.

This was a pretty good episode of NXT UK… but after four weeks of TV, I honestly don’t care that much. There are way too many “introductory” matches and not enough actually going on. There is this “Large Scottish Men vs. Smaller Mostly Welsh Men” angle, and then there is the fact that Dunne is the champion and everyone wants a shot at him… and while that all sounds good, the problem is that instead of building up two or maybe three guys at a time, they seem to be trying to build up eight different guys for title shots all at the same time and thus all in small, mostly-even increments. Meanwhile, they’re doing basically the same thing with the women in terms of giving us these little “introductory matches,” except they’re not actually building them up for anything because we don’t have a champion yet. Why am I watching Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, Killer, Kelly, Nina Samuels, Isla Dawn, etc. in random, pointless singles matches (and also watching Jinny’s video packages) when we could be watching them in matches that are part of a tournament to crown a champion?
Compare this to RevPro, whose TV show is the same hour (actually shorter because they have to deal with commercials while WWE is really just plugging their own stuff in, plus WWE can go over an hour if they want, like the third episode did)) and has only been going on for two shows, and yet they have already established:
1) Chris Brookes is a dick heel who turned on the legendary Jushin "Thunder" Liger
2) Chris Ridgeway is an up-and-coming Jr. Heavyweight babyface
3) El Phantasmo is our top babyface Jr. Heavyweight
4) Jr. Heavyweight Champion David Starr is a whiny heel punk
5) Sha Samuels is a bitter former champion heel bully looking to recapture the belt
5) Colt Cabana is a beloved former champion, who has a deep connection to British Wrestling and its fans even though he is an American, and is looking to recapture the belt
6) There is a tag team #1 contendership tournament going on
7) Great O-Kharn is a heel squash-monster, with a goofy heel manager in Lord Gideon Grey. When one episode of RevPro ends, I can’t wait for next week’s show. After watching two straight hours of WWE UK, I want to go do something else. I don’t even want to watch NXT or 205 Live right now. I just feel completely burnt out on wrestling, and these two shows are the only wrestling I have watched so far today.

[DHRainmaker]

ISLA DAWN VIDEO PACKAGE- They made her look a lot less goofy than in the Mae Young Classic when the video package was all about how she is a witch. Although I will admit that not focusing on the witch thing means that this video package made it much easier for me to confuse her with Christine O’Donnell, who would like us all to know that she is not a witch.

I have no idea who Christine O'Donnell is can you please explain the reference to me?

[Big Red Machine]

ISLA DAWN VIDEO PACKAGE- They made her look a lot less goofy than in the Mae Young Classic when the video package was all about how she is a witch. Although I will admit that not focusing on the witch thing means that this video package made it much easier for me to confuse her with Christine O’Donnell, who would like us all to know that she is not a witch.

I have no idea who Christine O'Donnell is can you please explain the reference to me?

She was a politician who ran for US Senate in Delaware. She had several embarrassing incidents (like not knowing basic freedoms guaranteed in the US Constitution), but is probably best known for the fact that during her 2010 campaign, Bill Maher pulled out a clip of her on his show in 1999 in which she said

I dabbled into witchcraft – I never joined a coven. ... I hung around people who were doing these things... We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar. And I didn't know it.

O'Donnell responded to this by airing a campaign ad in which she emphatically stated "I am not a witch." The ad was then mocked far and wide for the utter ridiculousness of such a thing being said in a senate race.

[DHRainmaker]

ISLA DAWN VIDEO PACKAGE- They made her look a lot less goofy than in the Mae Young Classic when the video package was all about how she is a witch. Although I will admit that not focusing on the witch thing means that this video package made it much easier for me to confuse her with Christine O’Donnell, who would like us all to know that she is not a witch.

I have no idea who Christine O'Donnell is can you please explain the reference to me?

She was a politician who ran for US Senate in Delaware. She had several embarrassing incidents (like not knowing basic freedoms guaranteed in the US Constitution), but is probably best known for the fact that during her 2010 campaign, Bill Maher pulled out a clip of her on his show in 1999 in which she said

I dabbled into witchcraft – I never joined a coven. ... I hung around people who were doing these things... We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar. And I didn't know it.

O'Donnell responded to this by airing a campaign ad in which she emphatically stated "I am not a witch." The ad was then mocked far and wide for the utter ridiculousness of such a thing being said in a senate race.

O ok I'm 21 and I didn't pay attention to politics at all until I was 18 so I didn't get the reference because of that. But now that I know that I think that's f*cking hilarious