BRM Reviews the 5/8/2019 NXT UK

[Big Red Machine]

SID SCALA HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE- In four weeks there will be a Fatal Four-Way #1 contendership match to determine who will challenge the winner of Dunne vs. WALTER. In the interim, eight hand-picked wrestlers will be in qualifier matches.

MOUSTACHE MOUNTAIN vs. THE HUNT (Wild Boar & Primate)- 6.75/10

AMIR JORDAN HAS BEEN FOUND INJURED BACKSTAGE- We can presume he was attacked by the Grizzled Young Veterans, but perhaps someone else was behind it due to jealously.

#1 CONTENDERSHIP QUALIFIER: Joe Coffey vs. “Flash” Morgan Webster- 6.75/10
We’re in Scotland, so Coffey is getting treated like the babyface. He got the clean win here.

GALLUS PROMO- They tried to heel on the crowd but the crowd wouldn’t have it. Wolfgang got carried away cutting a promo about his match with Wolfgang next week but Joe Coffey told him that they have to focus on winning the #1 contendership match… and while he said this, he pointed to himself. That could get interesting if they manage to make me care about Wolfgang.

PETE DUNNE TRAINING VIDEO PACKAGE- meh

ILJA DRAGUNOV VIDEO PACKAGE meh

NINA SAMUELS vs. KASEY OWENS- squash

RADZIE INTERVIEWS NINA SAMUELS- She claims that Toni Storm abandoned her family so that she could chase her dreams. Angles like this do nothing for me. While I understand why the babyface would be upset by it, it’s just not visceral for me because Nina is talking about characters who we have never seen or even heard of before, and we know Toni Storm well enough that we can assume it’s not true, so Nina is just flinging this obscure but also clearly not true insult at Toni.

DAVE MASTIFF INTERVIEW- fine
He faces Wolfgang next week in a qualifier.

KAY LEE RAY INTERVIEW- bad
She warned Nina Samuels about… something. She says she will make sure no one will ever forget her name. I don’t see what the point of this was other than to tease a run-in, which is really something I don’t want to see.

Next week’s qualifiers are Dave Mastiff vs. Wolfgang and Jordan Devlin vs. El Ligero.

GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS PROMO- GYV cut a promo telling us that there would be no title match because Amir Jordan is injured. Kenny Williams came out and said that while Jordan is injured, he has found another partner, so instead we’re getting…

NXT UK TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Grizzled Young Veterans(c) vs. Kenny Williams & Noam Dar- 7.75/10
GYZ won after working over Dar’s knee and then pinning Williams. I was not fond of the substitution of Dar for Jordan because this was the second time they have done this sort of thing when they go out of their usual area for a big show/taping (they also did it at TakeOver: Blackpool subbing Balor in for Travis banks against Jordan Devlin) just to get the surprise pop of a bigger name being on the show and to extend a feud in a way it really didn’t need to be extended.

A great episode of NXT UK in the ring, but outside of the ring this show reminded me why I am having so much trouble caring about what goes on in this promotion. There is way too much going on for a one-hour weekly show, and with a cast of characters who almost all feel half-developed.