BRM Reviews the 4/7/2022 NXT UK

[Big Red Machine]

IF WILD BOAR WINS, HE GETS A MATCH AGAINST EDDIE DENNIS: Wild Boar vs. Primate (w/Eddie Dennis & T-Bone)- 4.25/10
Primate won a relatively short match after Dennis hit Boar in the head with a steel chair. A nice twist on the usual.

POST-MATCH SEGMENT- even better
The chain Dennis used was from one of the collars that his guys wear, so after the match they locked Boar in the collar and Dennis whipped him with the chain until Mark Andrew came out to make the save. This all works together to set up for the eventually Boar vs. Dennis match to be a Chain match or Dog Collar match, which not only fits the now-established motif, but is also a match type in which Dennis can’t run away from Boar, as he did last week. WONDERFUL!

EARLIER THIS WEEK, SAM GRADWELL’S INTERVIEW ENDED WHEN HE DISCOVERED THAT SOMEONE (ALMOST CERTAINLY KENNY WILLIAMS) PUT MAGGOTS IN HIS BAG- This is pro wrestling. When I think of something gross in someone’s bag, maggots is getting off lightly.

DIE FAMILIE VIDEO- whatever
The atmosphere here is good, but why is it being filmed and show to us?
Teoman says that he will beat A-Kid because “A-Kid’s focus is elsewhere.”

EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE COFFEY BROTHERS GOT INTO AN ARGUMENT WITH JACK STARZ & DAVE MASTIFF IN THE GYM- dull
Mastiff thinks Joe isn’t being nice to Mark because one time he didn’t have fait in Mark wining a singles title. Mastiff says he thinks he and Starz are closer pals than the Coffey Brothers.

WOLFGANG vs. CHARLIE DEMPSEY (w/Rohan Raja)- 5.5/10
This was slow and uninteresting. Dempsey doesn’t match up well against larger guys who aren’t too capable on the mat. He won after Teoman’s symbol appeared on the screen to help distract Wolfgang, which was also dumb. We were told that he wasn’t even in the building, so either we’re supposed to think that he paid off someone in the truck, or that he has magical powers. Andy Sheppard also wondered if things would have gone differently if the Coffeys were at ringside for Wolfgang. It feels like the promotion is trying to push the idea of a Gallus break-up along multiple lines, but nothing they have done to push it feels authentic.

MEIKO SATOMURA INTERVIEW- Isla Dawn stole her title last week, so this week she invites Isla Dawn to the ring to “speak” next week.

KENNY WILLIAMS HAD ANOTHER NOTE LEFT ON HIS LOCKER, SO HE GOES OFF TO LOOK FOR SAM GRADWELL- This has already gotten old.

XIA BROOKSIDE & ELIZA ALEXANDER INTERVIEW- meh
Eliza Alexander was her friend who interfered last week. I’m pretty sure Eliza said “someone’s gonna battered” when she makes her debut next week, but her Scottish accent is REALLY thick, so I’m not certain.

OLIVER SMITH, ASHTON CARTER, & MOUSTACHE MOUNTAIN IN SID SCALA’S OFFICE- good
They’re having a two-out-of-three falls match for the titles. The teams argued, instigated by Trent Seven.

BACKSTAGE, WOLFGANG WANTS TO KNOW WHY THE COFFEYS WEREN’T AT RINGSIDE FOR HIM- They don’t have a good answer, but insist that it won’t happen again.

NXT UK TITLE MATCH: Ilja Dragunov(c) vs. Roderick Strong- 8.25/10
There was some good limb-work here and it was certainly the battle of wills and pain thresholds you’d have expected, but it wasn’t the big, crazy, strike-fest that I was expecting. It was also a lot shorter than I expected (about sixteen minutes). It kind of felt like they were holding back for a bigger match, but I assume Roddy is only in the UK temporarily, and Ilja won clean here so that doesn’t seem to be the case. It was awesome, but I guess I was expecting something like Dragon vs. Roddy from ROH Vendetta or an Ilja vs. WALTER match and didn’t get it.


A good show from NXT UK. I am beginning to worry about some of the booking on the undercard, though.