BRM Reviews the 1/20/2022 NXT UK

[Big Red Machine]

SAM GRADWELL CAN’T FIND A TAG TEAM PARTNER VIDEO PACKAGE- bad
This had way too much comedy.

PRETTY DEADLY vs. SAM GRADWELL & SAXON HUXLEY- 6/10
Uch. I’d rather see Gradwell wrestle on his own than be subjected to Saxon Huxley. Kenny Williams, who has had negative interactions with both Huxley and Gradwell, came out and distracted Huxley, helping Pretty Deadly win. I really wish they hadn’t needed the help, as they are an established team, and I don’t want to see Gradwell and Hixley become one because that would mean having to see Saxon Huxley on TV more often, and his gimmick is just terrible.

JINNY VIDEO PACKAGE/PROMO ON AMELE- great
She says Amele’s life story of hardship is similar to her own, but unlike Amele, Jinny doesn’t exploit hers because doing so is pathetic. She says that the fans like Amele because they are pathetic, just like her.

GALLUS VS. DIE FAMILIE VIDEO PACKAGE/PROMOS- great
They face off next week in a six-man tag.

BLAIR DAVENPORT VIDEO PACKAGE- okay
She’s a Davenport, and thus sees all non-Davenports as enemies, because that’s what her family does, and has done for generations. I don’t see this “enemies of the heir: beware” catchphrase getting over.

EARLIER THIS WEEK, ISLA DAWN HAUNTED MILLIE MCKENZIE- What good fortune that there just happened to be a camera around to catch this.
I LOVED that Millie just didn’t give a sh*t. Isla can make the lights go off and on? So what? This is pro wrestling. A bunch of people can do that. All Isla has done to people is petty acts of theft (apparently the thing she took from Millie back in August was her watch).

EMILIA MCKENZIE vs. ISLA DAWN- 6.25/10
This was GREAT for the time it got. Isla won clean again, then returned the stole trinket, just like she did to Aleah James.

AMELE PROMO- She’s upset with Jinny. I just can’t buy this babyface version of Amele. It completely contrasts with the heel I have known in both wXw and NXT UK for the past few years, and there was no storyline explanation of the turn. It feels like the company just decided to reframe her.
She insisted that “hope never dies,” which is kind of weird when your finisher is called the “Hope-Breaker.”

ILJA DRAGUNOV VS. JORDAN DEVLIN VIDEO PACKAGE- AWESOME!
Under the guise of “this way it will really be one on one,” Devlin wants their match next week to be an Empty Arena match so that Ilja won’t have the support of the fans. This felt a little odd, I guess it makes sense.

NXT UK HERITAGE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Noam Dar(c) (w/Sha Samuels) vs. A-Kid- 6.75/10
To play into their stupid gambling storyline with Dar and Samuels, they had Dar go up 1-0 in the third round to set up a bunch of false finishes in round four, which was went Samuels had bet on Dar winning. Instead, of course, A-Kid pinned Dar in the fourth round, drawing the falls even.
Dar retained via a draw when time expired as A-Kid had him locked in his finisher. This match really didn’t click for me. It felt like a scramble the whole time, but not in a good way like if they were fighting the clock. It just felt like them doing random moves for nearfalls.



This was an okay episode of NXT UK. The storyline stuff was pretty good, but the wrestling wasn’t up to the usual level.