WWE has announced that the NXT UK brand has signed several new Superstars. Jazzy Gabert, Kay Lee Ray, Ilja Rukober, Oliver Sauter and Jay Melrose have been confirmed for the UK developmental brand.
Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Rukober is also known as popular independent star Ilja Dragunov. The newly named Rukober recently appeared at the NXT UK tapings in Coventry, England. Ilja defeated Ashton Smith in a dark match. WWE promoted Ilja in a press release saying that he had “unbridled intensity inside the ring.” Dragunov is probably the most high profile of the recent signings, along with Kay Lee Ray.
Kay Lee Ray and Jazzy Gabert
Kay Lee Ray also worked the same tapings. The former WoS Women’s Champion appeared on camera at the Takeover: Blackpool event and was expected to sign imminently. Jazzy Gabert also appear at Takeover alongside KLR, she also appeared at the first Mae Young Classic in 2017.
Jay Melrose
Melrose is known on the UK independent scene as Primate. The former DEFIANT star has made a career working in the Northern promotions in England and he now has the opportunity to ply his trade in WWE. Jay teamed with Wild Boar at this past weekend’s TV tapings to face Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley.
Press Release
WWE sent out the following press release for the new Superstars:
NXT UK signs five new Superstars
“Five new Superstars from throughout Europe. Ilja Rukober, Kay Lee Ray, Jazzy Gabert, Oliver Sauter and Jay Melrose have joined the NXT UK roster. The group will join other NXT UK Superstars in training at WWE’s United Kingdom Performance Center in North London.
The 25-year-old Rukober, who competes around the world under the ring name Ilja Dragunov, was born in Russia and raised in Germany, where his career in sports-entertainment took root. Often described as “Unbesiegbar” (the German word for “invincible”), Rukober is feared for his unbridled intensity inside the ring. He turned heads at a WWE tryout in Cologne last November.
Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, the 5-foot-8 Ray has racked up numerous championship reigns over her 10-year career, including three stints as Insane Championship Wrestling’s women’s titleholder. Known for throwing caution to the wind, the Scottish daredevil recently appeared on NXT UK on WWE Network and promised to “go straight to the top” of the Women’s division.
Mae Young Classic
Widely regarded as one of the strongest women in sports-entertainment, the burly Berliner Gabert stands 6-foot-1 and has won wrestling titles in Germany, Japan and Switzerland.
Sauter comes to NXT UK from Dietikon, Switzerland. The 24-year-old was a soccer standout before training for the ring. Fast-moving and hard-hitting, Sauter wrestled throughout Europe under the professional alias of Oliver Carter. Like Rukober, he attended last year’s tryout in Cologne.
NXT UK fans, meanwhile, have already grown familiar with “Primate” Jay Melrose. The ape-mask-wearing Superstar who debuted on the brand in December. Hailing from Newcastle, England, the 220-pound Melrose served in the British army for six years. This including as a member of the British Household Cavalry, which provides direct protection for the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace.
Keep your eyes peeled for the newest signees when NXT UK streams every Wednesday at 3 ET/8 GMT on the award-winning WWE Network.”
Last week saw four of NXT’s top Superstars make their main roster debuts. The quartet was comprised of Tomasso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, and Ricochet. They would wrestle on both Monday Night RAW and Tuesday Night SmackDown. All would come away with victories during their experiences on the red and blue brand.
At a recent NXT Live Event, which took place on Saturday, Aleister Black took the opportunity to say goodbye to the NXT fans.
He reflected on the “crazy” week that he’s just had, commenting that it is definitely one of the “craziest I’ve ever had.” He would go on to admit that the “work is far from done” before listing out the two things that always make him feel great. The first is the sport of professional wrestling, the second is coming home to NXT, which he referred to as a family.
“Believe me, I am so, so proud I get to be a part of this family. Because this family, no matter where I go after this, will always be my home. It truly is.”
Aleister Black is advertised for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live. He is scheduled to team up with Ricochet to take on Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura in tag team action.
NXT UK Superstar Wolfgang recently spoke to the UK’s Mirror and suggested that he would like to see some WWE Superstars on the UK brand.
The newspaper asked the Gallus member about the upcoming ‘Superstar Shakeup.’ Wolfgang mentioned what he would like to see happen for the UK brand. The Scottish Superstar stated “It would be great to see new faces, but also some established ones coming over to NXT UK. Just like Noam Dar did recently.”
The Gallus stable member gave some specific names, saying “it would be great to see Jack Gallagher, Drew McIntyre and some of the heavyweights come across.” Wolfgang also mentioned that “people like Sheamus would be good. I know these guys are megastars now, but given where they came from, it would be good to see them back.”
Finally Wolfgang also mentioned “Killian Dain, get him back here if not permanently, but at least for a few episodes. I’m not sure he’s getting the platform he would wish for right now and I think he would jump at the chance.”
NXT UK recently taped their latest batch of episodes for the WWE Network. You can check out the full results for the taping here.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament is returning in two weeks. This will be the fourth installment of WWE NXT’s tag team tournament honoring the late American Dream.
This year’s Dusty Classic will feature teams. The winners will be awarded the Dusty Rhodes Classic Cup trophy, which are modeled after Dusty’s signature cowboy wrestling boots.
The first four teams in this year’s tournament include:
Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)
The Forgotten Sons
Aichner & Barthel
The Street Profits
The remaining four teams will be announced in the coming weeks.
The finals of the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be held at NXT Takeover: New York at the Barclays Center during WrestleMania 35 weekend.
Past winners of the Dusty Classic include Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, The Authors of Pain and The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reily).
Check out: The Rhodes Family unveils the Dusty Rhodes Classic Cup
Last night on NXT programming, Velveteen Dream defeated Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American Championship. News concerning title changes on taped shows tends to be reported in the media but NXT found a unique way to combat this at the last set of tapings.
The match between Gargano and Velveteen was taped on January 30th from Full Sail and aired last night. NXT is said to have taped two different endings to the match, however, to prevent news of the title change from leaking. First, Velveteen was filmed winning the title and then later they restarted the match and had Gargano win. Last night, they only aired the version with Dream winning clean.
“At the 1/30 tapings, they decided to get cute and tape two different endings for the Johnny Gargano vs. Dream match, with each winning clean,” wrote Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer. “So fans wouldn’t know who won the match until it aired.”
Most websites covering the spoilers from the tapings reported that Dream won the title, however.
Velveteen Dream is already the 4th person to win the title in its just 10 months of existence. Adam Cole won the inaugural championship and then lost it 4 months later to Ricochet. Gargano then won the title at Takeover: Phoenix before dropping it to the Dream last night on NXT programming.
While WWE had taped multiple endings to throw the fans off, they finally decided to go the way the original reports suggested and switched the North American title to new hands.
The main event of this week’s episode of NXT saw the North American Champion Johnny Gargano defending his title against Velveteen Dream in a one on one match.
After his victory at the Worlds Collide Tournament and getting the pin in a highly praised halftime heat match, Dream continued his momentum. He went on to win the bout and take the title from Gargano:
This win makes him the fourth ever NXT North American Champion. It’s worth mentioning that Johnny Gargano himself had only earned the title at last month’s NXT Takeover: Phoenix event from Ricochet.
While a number of NXT stars have made their way to the main roster in recent weeks, Velveteen Dream is a name which looks to be sticking around the Black and Yellow Brand. So it is likely that he will hold on to the title for a while.
Though it will still be interesting to see what the company has in store for him and the North American Championship and who turns out to be the first challenger for the newly crowned champion.
Aleister Black battled Roderick Strong on this week’s episode of NXT. Strong controlled the match early and sent Black to the outside of the ring. Roderick hit a Backbreaker on the steel steps and then brought Aleister back inside the ring.
Strong applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Aleister. Black battled to his feet and sent Strong into the turnbuckle. Strong connected with another Dropkick and then stomped on Aleister’s midsection. Roderick perched Black on the top rope and went for a Superplex but Aleister blocked it. Black went for a Powerbomb but Strong broke free and connected with a Backbreaker for a near fall.
Roderick lifted Aleister up for a Suplex but Black countered with a knee strike to Strong’s face. Black followed it up with a Springboard Moonsault and then a Brainbuster for a near fall. Strong hit a Gutbuster and then lifted Black up in a Torture Rack on the ring apron. Roderick launched Aleister into the turnbuckle and then went for the cover back in the ring but Black kicked out at two. Strong went for a Suplex but Aleister escaped and hit Black Mass out of nowhere for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Undisputed Era rushed the ring and attacked Aleister Black. Ricochet came down to the ring for the save and knocked Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly out of the ring.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Will Return In Two Weeks
Undisputed Era, Aichner & Barthel, Forgotten Sons, and the Street Profits were the first four teams announced for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The tournament will return to NXT in two weeks and the remaining four teams will be announced on next week’s episode. The winner of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will face War Raiders for the Tag Team Championships at NXT TakeOver: New York.
The #DustyClassic is returning, and the first four teams have been revealed!
Mia Yim faced Xia Li tonight on NXT. Yim was able to avoid a flurry of kicks from Li to start off the match and retreated to the corner of the ring. The two Superstars locked up and Mia shoved her to the canvas.
Yim connected with a spinning back fist and followed it up with the Protect Ya Neck for the pinfall victory. After the match, Baszler, Duke, and Shafir attacked Yim and Li. Yim got in some shots on Shayna but Duke and Shafir sent her to the corner. Shayna then kneed Mia Yim in the face as the crowd booed.
Velveteen Dream Captured The North American Championship
Johnny Gargano defended his North American Championship against Velveteen Dream tonight on NXT. Backstage before the match, Candice LeRae and Gargano had a brief conversation before they were interrupted by NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.
Tommaso told Gargano that he will be there to help him tonight if he needs it. Gargano refused and said that he won the title on his own. Gargano stated that he is going to be Johnny Wrestling tonight and retain his title. After Johnny walked away, Ciampa muttered “I’ll be watching” to himself.
Gargano wrestled Dream to the canvas to start off the bout. Dream stretched out Johnny’s arm as the two Superstars battled to their feet. Johnny brought Velveteen back down to the mat and rolled him up for a two count.
Dream applied a Wrist Lock as Ciampa was shown backstage watching the match. Dream connected with a slap that sent spit flying out Gargano’s mouth. Dream posed in the ring as Gargano rolled out of the ring to try and regroup.
The crowd chanted “Johnny!” as Gargano slowly made his way back into the ring. Velveteen applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring and brought Gargano down to the mat. Gargano broke free but Dream quickly leveled him with a shoulder tackle.
Dream taunted Johnny and slid out of the ring. Dream connected with a punch to the face as Gargano was on the apron and followed it up with a Dropkick back inside the ring. Gargano battled back with a series of chops in the corner and then slammed Velveteen to the mat.
Johnny followed it up with a Dropkick to the back of Dream’s head for a two count. Gargano hit a Neckbreaker for another near fall and then booted Dream in the face. Johnny went to work on Velveteen’s right arm again and bent it all the way back as Dream screamed in agony.
Dream battled back and beat Gargano down in the corner. Gargano shrugged it off and sent Dream flying over the top rope and to the floor outside the ring. Gargano posed in the ring to a mixed reaction from the NXT crowd.
Gargano went after Dream outside the ring as dueling “Johnny Champion!” and “Velveteen!” chants broke out. Johnny shoved Dream to the barricade and hit him with a few chops to the chest before rolling him back inside the ring.
Johnny continued to pose for the crowd, which allowed Dream a few seconds to regroup. Gargano locked in the Abdominal Stretch in the middle of the ring but Dream broke free with a couple of punches to Johnny’s face. Dream slammed Gargano to the mat with a Spinebuster as a “Velveteen!” chant broke out.
Velveteen Dream leveled Gargano with a Clothesline and followed it up with another Clothesline that sent Johnny out of the ring. Dream climbed to the top rope and hit Gargano with a Double Axehandle before the action returned to the ring.
Dream hit a Fameasser and went for the cover but Gargano kicked out at the last moment as Tommaso was shown backstage once again. Both Superstars battled on the top rope and Dream got the upper hand. Dream went for a Dream Valley Driver but Gargano escaped to the canvas.
Gargano hit a Superkick then slammed Dream to the mat for another near fall. Johnny and Velveteen traded shots which sent both Superstars down to the canvas. Gargano connected with another Superkick on the ring apron and went for the Slingshot DDT but Dream countered with a punch to the face.
Dream went for the Dream Valley Driver on the ring apron but Johnny blocked it and hit Velveteen with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Dream connected with a DDT but Gargano kicked out at two. Velveteen quickly climbed to the top rope and went for the Purple Rainmaker but Johnny got out of the way.
Johnny hit another Superkick and went for the cover but Velveteen somehow kicked out as the crowd chanted “NXT!”. Gargano climbed to the top rope but Dream caught him with a jab to the face. Velveteen lifted Johnny up onto his shoulders as Gargano desperately tried to escape. Velveteen hit an Avalanche Dream Valley Driver off the second rope and went for the cover but Gargano was able to kick out as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Dream climbed to the top rope but Johnny rolled out of the ring.
Dream leaped at Johnny off the top rope but Johnny countered with a Superkick. Gargano followed it up with a Suplex on the steel entrance ramp and rolled Dream back into the ring. Johnny hit the Slingshot DDT but Dream kicked out once again. Velveteen connected with a Superkick but Gargano bounced off the ropes and hit a Clothesline.
Gargano hit another Superkick but Dream shrugged it off and hit a Dream Valley Driver. Velveteen hit a second Dream Valley Driver and followed it up with the Purple Rainmaker for the pinfall victory. Velveteen Dream is the new NXT North American Champion. Ciampa was shown backstage laughing as Dream posed with the title. Johnny crawled up the entrance ramp as Ciampa was shown walking away backstage.
WWE’s UK division will be airing its latest show tonight on WWE Network. The brand has been on a roll since the Takeover: Blackpool show and this week’s show is set to be another gem.
Toni Storm will be defending her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley in the main event. Ripley was the inaugural NXT UK Champion and Storm took her Championship at the recent Takeover: Blackpool event. This highly anticipated rematch could see the belt change hands once again.
Mark Andrews and ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster will also be taking on Gallus’ Joe & Mark Coffey. The Coffey Brothers have been engaged in a feud with WALTER alongside their Gallus stablemate Wolfgang. Andrews and Webster have been used sparingly on the show so far, this could be their opportunity to show the NXT UK fans what they can do.
NXT UK Tag Team Champions Zack Gibson & James Drake will also address the WWE Universe in Phoenix. This week’s show took place at the Royal Rumble Axxess shows back in January.
PROGRESS ATLAS Champion Trent Seven will also be stepping into singles competition against the debuting Shane Thorne. Seven is one of the biggest Superstars on the NXT UK brand alongside Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne of British Strong Style.
WWE has announced that NXT UK will be heading to the Download Festival later this year. The UK brand will be heading to Donnington on June 14th to 16th. NXT UK will be taping episodes for the WWE Network show at the annual metal festival.
Superstars currently announced for the weekend shows include WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm, NXT UK Tag Team Champions James Drake and Zack Gibson, WALTER, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Jinny, Jordan Devlin, Rhea Ripley, Travis Banks and Gallus.
The Download shows are part of the next NXT UK tour. WWE announced that “NXT UK will visit Scotland for the first time ever with two nights of tapings on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at the Braehead Arena, beginning at 7:30 p.m. GMT. Tickets for the Glasgow shows will be available Friday, Feb. 22, at 10 a.m. GMT”
NXT UK also announced that the brand “returns to the Plymouth Pavilions for two nights of action on Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, beginning at 7:30 p.m. GMT. Tickets for the Plymouth shows will be available beginning Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 10 a.m. GMT at www.theticketstore.co.uk/.”
NXT UK returns this Wednesday on the WWE Network. The main event will see NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm defend against Rhea Ripley.
Last night saw the main roster debuts for a number of NXT’s top Superstars including Tomasso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Aleister Black.
Ciampa and Gargano — officially teaming up again for the first time since their initial split as DIY — would wrestle and defeat the current RAW tag team champions, The Revival. This was a non-title matchup.
NXT Superstars coming in and beating main roster champions may have surprised a number of the WWE Universe. It didn’t, however, surprise Ciampa.
Catching up with Cathy Kelley backstage, the two discussed their main roster debut, with Ciampa claiming that the fans will “remember us forever.”
“I don’t know, it’s a weird feeling,” Gargano admitted. “I don’t know really how to feel [about debuting]. I don’t think any of it has set in yet. I’m one of those types of people that kind of takes things as they come. This has all been such a whirlwind — I don’t know, I’m numb right now. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’m incredibly numb. Yeah, I don’t know…”
Ciampa then took the reigns and stated that “This is not a surprise. We’re the two best performers in all of WWE. We turned NXT into the A-Show. We walked into Monday Night RAW and we beat the tag team champions on our first night. This isn’t happenstance. I’m the greatest sports entertainer of all time. He’s Johnny Wrestling. Whether you call us DIY or not doesn’t matter. You will call us champions, you will call us legends, you will remember us forever.”
Do you agree? What’s next for the NXT champions? Will they become a mainstay on the red brand?
WWE’s UK division aired its latest show earlier this week on WWE Network. The brand has been on a roll since the Takeover: Blackpool show and this week’s show was set to be big.
The main event saw WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne take on Wolfgang in a non-title match. Jinny was also in action against Mia Yim and Noam Dar took on Jordan Devlin earlier in the programme.
Here’s the results from NXT UK (02/13):
NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm appeared in ring. The Champion talked about beating Rhea Ripley for the title at Takeover: Blackpool and that she would beat her again. Ripley then appeared and the two brawled after trading words
Noam Dar b. Jordan Devlin – Dar took the win in 10:17 with a roll-up
A graphic aired showing that WALTER will face NXT’s Kassius Ohno in two weeks. Storm will defend her title against Rhea Ripley next week
Jinny b. Mia Yim – Jinny had her feet on the rope in 7:57 after hitting a kick to the face
The Coffey Brothers will be taking on ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews next week
WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne b. Wolfgang – Dunne made Wolfgang submit with an armbar in 10:43
Dominik Dijakovic battled Shane Thorne tonight on NXT. Dominik drove Thorne to the corner to start off the match. Thorne escaped through the ropes and fell to the floor. Back in the ring, Thorne drove Dijakovic’s shoulder into the turnbuckle and connected with a Dropkick.
Shane booted Dijakovic in the back several times and then stretched out Dominik’s injured shoulder. Dijakovic battled back with a chop that echoed throughout the arena and then a massive Clothesline. Dominik followed that up with a Suplex and then grabbed Thorne by the throat.
Thorne broke free with an uppercut and planted Dominik with a Suplex. Both Superstars battled on the top rope. Dijakovic went for a Superplex but Thore attacked the injured arm. Dominik flipped off the turnbuckle and landed on his feet in the ring.
Dominik hit Thorne with a Superkick that sent Shane tumbling to the floor. Dijakovic showed off his insane athleticism by hitting a springboard Corkscrew onto Thorne on the outside. Dominik brought Thorne back into the ring and hit Feast Your Eyes for the pinfall victory.
Keith Lee Leveled Ohno & Street Profits Got Back On Track
Humberto Carillo & Stacey Ervin Jr. made their way down to the ring but were interrupted by Kassius Ohno. Kassius said that he was sitting in the back watching the camera pan across the NXT Universe. Ohno stated that the crowd at Full Sail makes him sick and he despises all of them. Kassius claimed that he was out of here and then turned around into a rolling elbow from Keith Lee.
Keith grabbed the microphone from Ohno’s limp hands as the crowd chanted “bask in the glory!”. Lee joked that this could have been so much worse and he could have hit Ohno in the “dangly bits”. Keith then told Ohno not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out of here.
Street Profits then squared off against Carillo and Ervin Jr. Ford and Carillo started off the bout and locked up in the middle of the ring. Carillo applied a Headlock but Montez quickly broke free. Both Superstars went for a Dropkick at the same time and then immediately hopped back to their feet as the crowd cheered them on.
Ford and Carillo shook hands but Montez got in a cheap shot before tagging Angelo Dawkins into the match. Dawkins hit Humberto with a couple of elbows before tagging Ford back in. Humber flipped across the ring and planted Ford with two Arm Drags before locking in an Arm Bar.
Montez battled to his feet and tagged in Dawkins. Angelo leveled Carillo with a shoulder tackle but Humberto shrugged it off and connected with an Enziguri. Stacey Ervin Jr. tagged in and hit Dawkins with a Standing Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Dawkins got back up and connected with a Spear before tagging Montez back into the match.
Ford stomped on Ervin Jr. and went for the cover but Stacey kicked out at two. Ford applied a Headlock and then planted Ervin with a German Suplex for a near fall. Ervin leaped across the ring to tag in Carillo. Humberto decked Dawkins with handspring elbow to the face and made his way to the top rope. Carillo hit Dawkins with an awesome Dropkick off the top rope and then a Standing Moonsault for a two count.
Stacey tagged in and climbed to the top rope. Ervin hit a ridiculous Moonsault off the top rope on Dawkins for a two count. Dawkins lifted Ervin up in the Electric Chair as Ford made his way to the top rope. Montez connected with a Super Blockbuster on Ervin for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Street Profits cut a promo in the ring. Ford and Dawkins stated that they want a piece of the action and the NXT crowd broke out in a “you deserve it!” chant. Street Profits said that they are ready to go to war and called out the War Raiders. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel interrupted and claimed that they deserved an opportunity at the War Raiders.
Aichner and Barthel got into the ring and told the Street Profits to stand aside. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burtch got into the ring and started trash-talking with everyone. NXT Tag Team Champions War Raiders joined the party and came down to the entrance ramp. Rowe said that there was a lot of talking about their titles and no fighting. Hanson challenged the teams to make a move and the War Raiders started walking down the entrance ramp.
Undisputed Era sprinted from backstage and attacked War Raiders from behind. A brawl then broke out as Undisputed Era retreated to the back. War Raiders took everyone out and were the last team standing after the brawl.
Taynara Conti battled Aliyah on this week’s episode of WWE NXT. Aliyah grabbed Conti by the hair and started taunting her. Conti countered into an Arm Bar but Aliyah was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Vanessa Borne then showed up at ringside as Aliyah took control of the match.
Aliyah booted Taynara in the back several times for a one count. Aliyah missed with a kick and Conti sent her face first into the middle turnbuckle. Conti went to work on Aliyah’s right arm and then booted her in the face. Conti climbed to the second rope but Aliyah got up. Conti locked in Arm Bar while on the ropes and broke the hold before the referee counted to five.
Borne grabbed Conti’s leg while she was climbing up the turnbuckle. Aliyah capitalized and dragged Conti to the canvas. Aliyah then applied an Arm Bar for the submission victory. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler marched down to the ring as Aliyah and Borne tried to retreat up the ramp. Duke and Shafir attacked them from behind as Shayna beat down Conti. Baszler demanded the microphone and shouted that nobody should get in their way or piss them off.
Ricochet faced Adam Cole in the main event of this week’s show. Cole and Ricochet locked up to start off the match. Ricochet and Cole then trade shots until Ricochet knocked Adam out of the ring with a Dropkick. Ricochet followed it up with a Suicide Dive and then a few punches on the entrance ramp.
Back in the ring, Ricochet perched Cole up on the top turnbuckle. Cole escaped and went for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb but Ricochet held onto the ropes. Cole booted Ricochet and Ricochet fell down but got his foot caught in the turnbuckle. Adam seized the opportunity to target Ricochet’s knee and slammed it off the steel ring post.
Cole wrapped Ricochet’s injured knee around the ropes and booted it. Adam followed that up with a Dragon Screw as dueling “Undisputed!” and “Ricochet!” chants broke out in the crowd. Cole continued to target Ricochet’s knee for the next couple minutes of the match and locked in a Knee Bar in the middle of the ring.
Ricochet desperately broke free with a boot to the face and hobbled to his feet. Cole sent him right back down to the canvas with a Dropkick to the injured knee. Ricochet battled through the pain and connected with a Clothesline. The crowd got behind Ricochet as he pulled himself up on the ropes.
Ricochet sent Cole to the corner and booted Cole in the face. Ricochet hit a diving uppercut off the top rope and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Ricochet fired himself up by slapping his injured knee several times. Ricochet tried to lift Cole up in the Fireman’s Carry but his knee gave out.
Cole capitalized with another boot to Ricochet’s knee and sent him to the corner of the ring. Cole perched Ricochet up on the top turnbuckle and hit him with an Enziguri. Cole followed it up with an Ushigoroshi and went for the cover but Ricochet somehow was able to kick out at the last moment.
Adam set up for a Suplex but Ricochet fell to the canvas. Cole went for a kick but Ricochet ducked under it and hit a Northern Lights Suplex. Ricochet went for another one but his knee gave out once again. Cole hit a 2nd Ushigoroshi for another near fall. Adam shouted at Ricochet to stay down and then pulled down his knee pad.
Cole went for the Last Shot with his exposed knee but Ricochet countered into a roll-up for a two count. Ricochet hit a Reverse Hurricanrana and both Superstars fell to the mat. Ricochet hobbled his way towards the ring apron and hit a Springboard Moonsault off of one leg and barely hit Cole for a two count.
Ricochet lifted Cole up in the Fireman’s Carry but Cole escaped and the two Superstars traded punches in the middle of the ring. Cole went after Ricochet’s knee and then delivered a Superkick for a near fall as the crowd chanted “NXT!”. Cole brought Ricochet to the corner and perched him up on the top turnbuckle once again.
Adam joined him up there and hit a couple of jabs to Ricochet’s face. Ricochet escaped through Cole’s legs but Cole dropped him with an elbow. Ricochet connected with a Frankensteiner off the top rope and followed it up with an Axe Kick. Ricochet hit the Northern Lights Suplex and followed it up with Vertigo for the pinfall victory.
Undisputed Era rushed the ring and attacked Ricochet. Aleister Black came down to the ring for the save but Undisputed Era took him out too. Cole shouted “nobody can touch us!” and then posed with O’Reilly, Strong, and Bobby Fish as NXT went off the air.
WWE’s UK division will be airing its latest show tonight on WWE Network. The brand has been on a roll since the Takeover: Blackpool show and this week’s show is set to be big.
Pete Dunne will be taking on Wolfgang in the main event. The WWE United Kingdom Champion has been seeing off all comers since the Takeover show. Wolfgang of Gallus will be looking to get the team back to winning ways after Mark Coffey lost to WALTER last week. Dunne was clearly paying close attention to the main event last week, WALTER is being portrayed as a top Superstar in the UK brand and a match with Dunne is all but inevitable.
NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm will also be in action. The Mae Young Classic 2 winner will be opening the show. Storm is one of the top Superstars from the UK scene. The Australian Superstar is being touted for a move to the main roster within the next year, such is her appeal and ability.
Noam Dar will also be taking on Jordan Devlin. Devlin is one of the most underrated performers on the UK scene and has been building his brand for the OTT promotion in his native Ireland. Jinny will also be locking horns with NXT’s Mia Yim
Not for the first time, The Velveteen Dream has managed to lash out at WWE via social media. Dream responded to WWE’s Instagram post asking the WWE Universe which WWE Hall Of Famer should return to the ring. Options included Goldberg, Bret “Hitman” Hart, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to name a few.
Velveteen Dream, however, took issue with WWE’s question, firing back with the following tweet:
“N O
They Had Their Time
It’s Past Their Prime
If I wanna see these guys I’ll spend $9.99 on the NETWORK
Use What U Got b/c
We’re More Than A Generation of Dreamers
The NXT Superstar has previously courted attention from WWE’s executives, sporting tights telling Vince to call him up to the main roster. He has also harnessed social media to great effect in the past — most recently addressing his ‘worth’ prior to NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.
“I Know My Worth. The past year I’ve created a special atmosphere at NXTTAKEOVER. Until WE* can come 2 an agreement as 2 what MY WORTH actually is, there won’t be any appearances or performances from “The Velveteen DREAM” or my likeness.”
Do you agree with Velveteen Dream’s issue? Should the WWE stop looking to the past and focus on upcoming and current talent? Is the Dream overreacting?
Ricochet and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa took to Twitter to confirm that Halftime Heat was ‘the most watched NXT match in history.’ Former North American Champion Ricochet stated “It’s official, #HalftimeHeat is the most watched match in @WWENXT history. We out here showing the world why #NXT is the best in the game!”
NXT Champion Ciampa wrote “#HalftimeHeat was the most watched match in NXT history. The Champ and Goldy are best for business. The Greatest Title Reign in NXT History continues this weekend. Day 196, Day 197, Day 198, Day 199.”
NXT aired their Superbowl Halftime show on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The combined The viewership between those three platforms was 86,190 when the special ended. The match peaked at 71,090 live viewers on YouTube, 10,100 live viewers on Facebook, and 5,000 on Twitter.
*Credit to WrestlingINC for the numbers
The Halftime Heat match saw Ricochet, Aleister Black and The Velveteen Dream defeat NXT Champion Ciampa, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole. The short show aired from the NXT Performance Center In Orlando. Vic Joesph and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels were on commentary for the bout.
With the success of the special and the seemingly cheap production cost this may well become a regular event.
WWE’s NXT UK brand continued its weekly show this past Wednesday. This week saw the second bout of WALTER in the main event against Mark Coffey. Xia Brookside would also be making her return and Ligero would be facing off with Mark Andrews.
Here’s the full results for NXT UK from 02/06:
Ligero b. Mark Andrews – Ligero took the win in 9:04 after hitting a C4
Pete Dunne was interviewed. The United Kingdom Champion said he was ‘impressed’ by WALTER and would eventually face him in ring.
Xia Brookside b. Candy Floss – Brookside took the win in 4:31 after hitting the Brooksie Bomb
Jordan Devlin appeared in a pre-taped segment, vowing to beat Noam Dar at the Phoenix tapings
Joseph Conners b. “Wild Boar” Mike Hitchman – Conners took the win in 5:28 after hitting Don’t Look Down
Jinny appeared in a backstage interview, she stated that Toni Storm is constantly getting in her way to the NXT UK Women’s Championship
Joe Coffey b. Ashton Smith – Coffey took the win in 6:17 after hitting a Discus Lariat
WALTER b. Mark Coffey – WALTER took the win in 6:31 after hitting a Powerbomb.
Next week will see the show head to Phoenix. NXT UK pre-taped shows as part of the Royal Rumble Axxess weekender.
Drew McIntyre has been a force to be reckoned with since returning to WWE. Once referred to as “The Chosen One” by Vince McMahon, McIntyre would leave WWE in 2014 only to return a different man in 2017.
Despite finding new success for himself as “The Scottish Psychopath,” McIntyre is still keeping an eye on the entire WWE roster, including those in NXT and NXT UK.
In an interview with Wrestling Inc., McIntyre highlighted one talent in particular that he believes is primed for great things. When asked which Superstar the WWE Universe should be following as one to watch, McIntyre had one name ready: Pete Dunne.
“It’s hard not to say that Pete Dunne’s not the best considering he’s had the title for a number of years,” McIntyre said. “But there’s so many good guys and I’ve worked with the majority of them so I know how good they actually are.”
He would go on to admit that the prominent style in WWE NXT UK is his favorite style to watch and utilize.
“Everyone’s very physical in the ring and that’s my favorite style — the British style.”
Would you like to see a main roster feud between McIntyre and Dunne? Who do you think would come out on top?
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano kicked off NXT to dueling chants of “Johnny Champion!” and “Johnny sucks!”. Gargano stated that Johnny Champion has a nice ring to it and told the crowd that we were validated when he captured the title at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.
Johnny added that he is proud to say that Johnny Wrestling is back. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp. Ciampa said that he wasn’t out here to take away from Johnny’s moment, he was out here to celebrate his moment.
Tommaso stated that Gargano followed his lead and said that they own the world. Ciampa claimed that this is our moment and Gargano shut it down. Johnny claimed that he will never need Tommaso Ciampa.
Velveteen Dream came down to the entrance ramp and claimed that he stole NXT TakeOver: Phoenix by simply just showing up. Dream boasted about winning the World’s Collide tournament and that he has earned a shot at an NXT title of his choosing.
Dream told Ciampa that he was over him and got inside the ring with Gargano. Velveteen challenged Gargano as the crowd chanted “take his title!”. Johnny bragged about putting on a match of the year at NXT TakeOver while Dream was sitting in the crowd. Dream called Gargano “Johnny Jackass” and got in his face. Gargano backed down and retreated up the entrance ramp. It was later announced that Gargano will defend his title against Velveteen Dream in two weeks.
Mansoor faced Jaxson Ryker from The Forgotten Sons tonight on NXT. Cutler and Blake were ringside for the match. Ryker dominated the match and connected with a Chokeslam Powerbomb for the quick pinfall victory. After the match, Ryker hit Monsoor with a second Chokeslam Powerbomb.
Eric Bugenhagen Made His Debut, Riddle Defeated Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak squared off against Eric Bugenhagen. Eric played the air guitar for a bit and showed off his majestic singing voice before Gulak leveled him with a Dropkick. Bugenhagen applied the Abdominal Stretch and pretended to play the guitar on Gulak. Gulak broke the hold and planted Bugenhagen with a Suplex. Drew applied the Gulock for the submission victory.
After the match, Gulak called himself the best submission specialist in WWE. Gulak called Bugenhagen “Ben Stiller from Dodgeball” and said he wants a real challenge. Matt Riddle interrupted and Gulak told Riddle to take his flipflops off and make his day.
Riddle and Gulak went back and forth start off the match. Drew hit Riddle with a Dropkick and applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Riddle broke free and planted Gulak with a Suplex. The chanted “let’s go bro!” as Riddle slowly made his way back to his feet.
Matt tried to kick Gulak but Drew caught him and sent him to the canvas with a Dragon Screw. Riddle got up and hit a German Suplex but Gulak immediately locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Riddle broke free and traded shots with Gulak. Riddle deadlifted Gulak and planted him with a Powerbomb for a near fall. Riddle followed it up with the Bromission for the submission victory. After the match, Gulak and Riddle shook hands in the ring.
Bianca Belair, Kairi Sane & Io Shirai battled Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir in the main event of this week’s NXT. Baszler and Belair started off the match. Shayna quickly tagged in Duke and Bianca slammed her to the mat.
Belair tagged in Sane and lifted Kairi above her head. Bianca dropped Sane on top for Duke for a near fall. Jessamyn battled back and drove Kairi to the corner. Shafir tagged in and Sane beat her down with a flurry of strikes.
Shafir took back control and tagged in Duke. Jessamyn taunted Kairi as she beat her down int he corner of the ring. Shayna tagged back in and taunted Belair before hitting Sane with an elbow to her back.
Marina tagged in as the crowd got behind Sane. Duke tagged in again and Kairi sent her out of the ring. Sane finally was able to tag in Io Shirai. Io hit Baszler with a Dropkick and then punched Shafir in the face. Io followed that up with Double Knees to Baszler and Shafir.
Io connected with a springboard Dropkick on Shayna for a two count. Sane tagged back in and climbed to the top rope. Kairi connected with the Insane Elbow on Baszler and went for the cover but Marina broke it up at two.
Bianca tagged herself in and went right after Shayna. Belair hit Baszler with the K.O.D. but Duke and Shafir broke up the cover. Io knocked them both out of the ring and Sane took them out with a Crossbody off the top rope. Io tagged in and hit Baszler with a springboard Moonsault for the pinfall victory. After the match, Bianca Belair forced a smile and celebrated with her teammates.
The United Kingdom recently received the first WWE Performance Center outside of the United States. The announcement was made days prior to the NXT UK’s TakeOver debut, which took place in Blackpool.
WWE’s plans for global NXT expansion doesn’t end there, however. The end goal, it seems, is to curate a worldwide development system for WWE, with Performance Centers available across the planet. Each one would then create talent for that regions NXT brand, with potential crossover opportunities then available worldwide.
Speaking with The National in Abu Dhabi, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, Triple H, divulged a few locations WWE are keen to expand into.
“I can tell you there will be a performance center in India,” he shared. “There will be a performance center in the Middle East. There will, more than likely, be a performance center in Latin America. We will be replicating this process around the globe, all over.”
“I see that, as you said, the product is very big there [in the Middle East], very successful there, there’s a lot of people that have a very strong interest in it,” Triple said. “If we go in the Middle East and we start to recruit there and we see that all of a sudden there’s this massive interest, there’s [a] massive depth of people that we feel have the ability to succeed, then we would go there first, or quicker.”
What do you make of this? Will this feeder system eventually provide new talent for RAW and SmackDown Live? Will these NXT variations instead exist within their own bubble?
At NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, Johnny Gargano would defeat Ricochet to become the third North American champion. At the close of the show, he would be joined by former friend-turned-rival, and current NXT Heavyweight champion, Tomasso Ciampa. Together, they would raise their titles over their heads, wallowing in their victories.
In an interview with OrlandoSentinel.com, Johnny Gargano looked back at that night, and how he felt winning the North American championship.
“When I’m in the ring, I can hear the reactions and know the people are enjoying themselves. They’re emoting in some way, so we’re doing something, right. Do I realize, ‘Oh, this is going to be universally praised?’ No. I came back through the curtain that night, and most nights, with very low energy, because that’s just how I am. I didn’t realize how good people thought the match was until after the fact. For me, it was exciting to win my first [singles] title in NXT. That’s validation for the hard work I put in.”
“People Will Be Talking About It For Years To Come”
Gargano commented that, despite knowing each other for so long and travelling the world together, he and others in the locker room will often remark their disbelief:
“I don’t know how many times we’ve all been in the locker room and said we can’t believe we’re all here doing this thing,” Gargano said. “We’ve all supported one another; some of us have known each other for 10 years and been around the world together. In a sense, we’ve grown up together, and to be a part of the NXT team together is truly special.”
“We’ve been able to make this a movie, a comic book come to life,” he said. “People have been very invested in the twists and turns and we want to keep them guessing. When it’s said and done, people will be talking about it for years to come, and all of us involved in telling that story are very proud of that. We’ve taken people on a great ride.”
Given the long-form storytelling of the Gargano/Ciampa friendship, rivalry, and newly forged alliance, it’s hard to argue.
WWE Halftime Heat took place on February 3 on the night of the Super Bowl LIII at the WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The event was brought back in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of WWE’s inaugural Super Bowl counterprogramming.
The card included a six-man tag team match between the team of Aleister Black, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream against the team of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
The show was available everywhere, from WWE.com to YouTube to Facebook and Twitter.
Shawn Michaels was also the guest commentator for the show.
The match went back and forth but the villainous team looked strong with the upper hand, with giving Meet in the Middle finishers and what-not.
Gargano and Cole both ate the Black Mass from Aleister Black after a series of superkicks being given out to each other from all the wrestlers.
In the end, Adam Cole took a Dream Valley Driver and a 450 splash from Ricochet, and the match ended when Dream pinned Cole after using the Purple Rainmaker.
WINNERS: Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, and Aleister Black
You can check out the highlight clips from the show below:
NXT Superstar Ricochet recently spoke to the UK’s Mirror on a variety of subjects. The ‘One and Only’ spoke about his high flying style, perfecting moves and more. Here’s some of the highlights:
Ricochet was asked if his high flying, risk taking style has taken a toll on his body. The NXT Superstar replied “Oh I’m broken! [laughs]. But I think the love of it overtakes the struggles that we have to go through, and not just me, because a lot of the guys here have been doing it for like 12, 15-plus years. There’s wear and tear on every single one of us.”
The NXT Superstar also discussed his time on the independents, saying “For 14 years before coming here, I just never took care of my body.” Ricochet elaborated further, stating “since I’ve been here in NXT, they’re so keen on us taking care of ourselves, and that’s why there’s such a great medical staff to say ‘you should take care of this, or that.’
Ricochet also discussed some of the incredible moves he performs in ring. When asked how long it takes to perfect a new move he replied “I don’t do any new moves! I just do the same stuff that I’ve been doing for 15 years but have kind of perfected. I just kind of try to find different ways.”
NXT UK held their latest episode this past Wednesday. The UK brand had been slow to start but following a stellar Takeover: Blackpool event there is a lot more buzz surrounding the product.
Two matches have already been confirmed for next week’s show. The first will see Ligero taking on Mark Andrews. Both men are highly regarded light heavyweight talents in the UK, both men are former PROGRESS World Champions and have been performing for independent promotions across the UK/Europe over the past decade.
Xia Brookside has also been confirmed for a return next week. The female Superstar is an impressive performer in her own right but also has wrestling in her blood. Xia’s father is NXT Performance Center trainer and UK wrestling legend Robbie Brookside.
In the main event WALTER will be taking on Mark Coffey. The Gallus member ran into WALTER during this week’s episode and now the Austrian behemoth will get his hands on the ICW star. When WALTER appeared at NXT UK’s Takeover event it completely changed the landscape of the brand. WALTER is a top performer in the European scene and he looks set to continue his independent dates as PROGRESS World Champion, he is also being scheduled for the wXw 16 Carat Gold tournament later this year.
WWE’s NXT UK brand continued its weekly show this past Wednesday. The debut of WALTER was the big feature of the programme and the Austrian destroyed his opponent quickly.
Here’s the full results for NXT UK from 01/30:
“Bomber” Dave Mastiff b. “Primate” Jay Melrose – Mastiff took the win in 5 minutes after hitting his running cannonball senton into the corner
A Highlight video played hyping the return of Xia Brookside. She returns to NXT UK next week
James Drake and Zack Gibson appeared for their Championship celebration. Gibson confirmed that the team was officially the Grizzled Young Veterans on NXT UK. Sid Scala appeared and confirmed that the team would defend the titles against Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch “soon.”
WALTER b. Jack Starz – WALTER took the win in 2:35 after a hitting a Powerbomb. This was WALTER’s debut match for the company
A video aired of Jinny beating Isla Dawn two weeks ago
Marcel Barthel and WALTER met backstage, Barthel spoke to WALTER in German, then asked if WALTER wanted ‘friends’ in his new surroundings. Both men were part of the Ringkampf stable in wXw
Jinny b. Kasey Owens – Jinny took the win in 5:09 after hitting the Makeover
Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) b. Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel – Seven and Bate took the win in 13:08 when Seven pinned Barthel. This followed a dragon suplex/springboard lariat combination
This week’s episode of NXT was the first episode following TakeOver: Phoenix. The majority of tonight’s show was spent recapping the PPV this past Saturday night. If you missed NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, click here for a full breakdown of the show.
Io Shirai & Kairi Sane Defeated Duke & Shafir
Kairi Sane & Io Shirai squared off against Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir on this week’s episode of NXT. Shafir and Shirai started off the match. Io connected with a Dropkick and flipped across the ring to a great reaction from the crowd.
Sane and Duke tagged in as the crowd loudly chanted “Kairi!”. Duke and Sane went back and forth for a bit before Kairi rolled up Duke for a two count. Io tagged in and teamed up with Sane for a double Dropkick on Duke.
Shirai followed that up with Double Knees that sent Jessamyn tumbling to the floor outside the ring. Shafir distracted Io and Duke capitalized with a boot to the face. Shafir tagged in and slammed Sharai to the canvas for a near fall.
Jessamyn got back in the match and dragged Io down to the mat. Io battled to her feet but Duke took her down with a Butterfly Suplex for a two count. Shafir and Sane tagged in and Kairi took Marina down with a Blockbuster.
Sane followed it up with the Interceptor Spear and then march to the corner. Kairi hit the sliding elbow as Shirai Dropkicked Duke to the floor outside the ring. Kairi made her way to the top rope as Io hit Jessamyn with a Suicide Dive. Kairi connected with the Insane Elbow on Shafir for the pinfall victory.
Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake) battled Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) tonight on NXT. Jaxson Ryker was ringside for the match and in the Forgotten Son’s corner.
The match started out in a brawl with all four Superstars trading shots in the ring. Ford knocked Cutler out of the ring and Dawkins launched Blake on top of him via a Back Body Drop.
Back in the ring, the Forgotten Sons isolated Montez Ford in the corner of the ring. Cutler planted Ford with a Backbreaker as the crowd chanted “we forgot you!”. Blake tagged in and hit a double Backbreaker with Cutler for a near fall.
Cutler tagged in and hit a Powerbomb into Blake’s knees in the corner. Cutler followed it up with another Backbreaker to Ford and went for the cover but Dawkins broke it up. Ford finally battled back and launched both Forgotten Sons out of the ring.
Blake climbed to the top and went for a Splash but Ford got out of the way and Wesley splatted on the canvas. Dawkins tagged in and cleaned house by launching Blake and Cutler around the ring. Dawkins hit Blake with a Running Bulldog as Ford Moonsaulted onto Cutler outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Ford tagged in as Dawkins lifted Blake up in the Electric Chair. Montez leaped off the top rope and hit a Neckbreaker for a near fall. Cutler dragged Dawkins out of the ring as Ryker took out Ford ringside. Dawkins got distracted by Ryker and Blake took him out with a Suicide Dive. Blake and Cutler then slammed Dawkins to the canvas for the pinfall victory.
