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NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II took place last night at and carried on the momentum of the first show which took place at a similar date last year.
The Empress Ballroom was set to witness some of the best British and international wrestlers in history, and none of the competitors involved disappointed the fans at any stage of the event.
Joe Coffey was set to main event the night on his quest to defeat WALTER for the NXT United Kingdom Championship. A Fatal 4-Way clash was also scheduled to crown the NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
The women of NXT came out to show what they’ve got as Kay Lee Ray defended her NXT UK Women’s Championship against former Champion Toni Storm and newcomer Piper Niven in a great clash.
Apart from all the gold on the line, Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin and Trent Seven vs. Eddie Dennis were the two non-title matches that fans were looking forward to.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things NXT UK got right on the first major WWE event of 2020.
#5 A Ladder Match for the ages
The NXT UK Tag Team Championships were on the line as four teams battled in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match with the two belts hanging high above the ring.
While fans are used to watching plenty of Tag Team Ladder matches, this was no ordinary match as it involved four of the best tag teams in WWE today, namely Gallus, Imperium, Grizzled Young Veterans, and Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan-Webster.
All four teams had their eyes set on the prize and whenever one team seemed to be gaining momentum, another would interfere to ensure that they wouldn’t get their hands on the titles.
Andrews & Webster were outstanding in particular and delivered some great spots during the match, while Imperium was at their heelish best.
Gallus saw the titles slipping away from their hands as The Grizzled Young Veterans took control of the match, but the carnage allowed them to go over once again and retain the title to make a huge impact.
The match had everything one could ask for, from Spears through ladders to the use of Kendo Sticks. Allowing Gallus to retain the titles was the right thing to do as they need to hold the title for longer to gain more credibility and not just seem like transitional Champions.
#4 Kay Lee Ray stole the win
NXT UK’s female roster is one of the best budding rosters in the business today. The brand has already given us Champions such as Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley who are ready to take WWE by storm in the years to come.
On Sunday Night, NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray defended her title against Piper Niven and Toni Storm. While the match was a big one for all three women involved, Niven, in particular, was getting one of the biggest chances of her life.
All three women put on a good show and Storm and Niven’s friendship as put to the test as Storm considered hitting Niven with a steel chair. The two then continued to team up against Ray who tried her best to take advantage of the two women’s differences.
To end the match, Storm hit a great frog splash on Niven but KLR stole the pin over Niven taking advantage of Storm’s move to retain the title.
This was a great way for NXT to book the match and allow both Ray and Storm to come out looking strong.
Storm will now challenge Rhea Ripley at Worlds Collide, while Lee Ray has laid down a huge challenge for RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch during her talk with Gary Cassidy.
#3 WALTER’s dominance
If you’re looking for a Championship match with everything, then look no further.
NXT UK Champion WALTER met his match in Joe Coffey on Sunday in a match that will be remembered for a long time.
Two of the biggest men in NXT UK nearly destroyed each other with thunderous chops and claps which could have taken any other Superstar out in the blink of an eye.
Coffey was impressive throughout the bout and delivered a great moonsault to get the momentum going. It was impressive to watch him lift the nearly 320-pound WALTER for a suplex which left the audience in awe.
At a time when Coffey seemed to have everything under control, the referee was taken out by WALTER. The passage allowed Alexander Wolfe to come to the ring and aide WALTER but Ilja Dragunov hit the ring to even the odds.
The match continued without a referee and Coffey seemed to have WALTER pinned but there was no one there to count the pin. In the end, a Referee made it to the ring but things weren’t over just yet.
WALTER then did everything in his power to take out Coffey’s leg and make him tap out to retain his title and stand tall on a day where Imperium failed to win the Tag Team gold.
Coffey’s resistance showed the NXT Universe that WALTER may be dominant, but he still has a few people in line who can take him out on a good day.
#2 Match of the Year
Match of the Year.
Those were the four words Jordan Devlin uttered when Gary Cassidy asked him what fans could expect from his match against the former NXT United Kingdom Champion, Tyler Bate.
On Sunday, the two men stood face to face in the ring and di everything in their power to outdo one another and pick up the victory. While Bate came into the match as the bigger and more accomplished Superstar, fans know exactly what Devlin is capable of doing inside the ring. Devlin did a great job at showcasing his wrestling skills and built on his character as the egoistic Superstar who can’t stand a loss.
The highlight of the match for me was Bate’s elongated Airplane Spin leading to the point where both men kicked out of each other’s finishing moves.
Devlin finally fell prey to a Twisting Corkscrew Splash, handing Bate the victory. Everyone in the arena, including Triple H and William Regal, was up on their feet and clapping for the future of WWE.
Chants such as “Fight Forever” clearly displayed how good the match really was and proved that Devlin did not lie to Gary Cassidy.
This was, in fact, an early contender for the Match of the Year award.
#1 BOOM!
If you were looking for some chaos to end another NXT pay-per-view, then you’d be glad to tune into TakeOver: Blackpool.
As soon as the main event was over and Imperium stood tall with their NXT UK Champion WALTER, The Undisputed Era hit the ring out of nowhere.
The premier faction of WWE showed once again why they are Gold-standard, as they took out all four members of Imperium to make the show all about them again.
While we expected at least two of the four members of The Undisputed Era to appear and make a statement, it was a pleasant surprise to watch Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong stand tall at the end of an NXT UK event.
They sent the right message to the entire WWE Universe and did a great job at building towards their next event, Worlds Collide.
At Worlds Collide, we will witness a battle between two of the best heel factions in WWE, as Undisputed Era will look to prove that they are second to none as they’ll take on Imperium in a clash no one will ever forget.
While we aren’t sure who’ll walk out of Worlds Collide as the top faction of NXT, Undisputed Era did well to get one-up over Imperium on Sunday.
