NXT UK Takeover Blackpool 1/12/19!

As I commented earlier this week in a previous post, I wasn't 100% sure I was going to do a post about NXT UK Takeover Blackpool, but when I considered how great UK events have been in the past, and just all the important matches, how could I say no? I do have to preface this before I continue that in case this is the first time you've read one of my blogs, I am not a regular watcher of NXT UK. I'm certainly familiar with a lot of the names involved, but there's been an ocean of content to sift through since the show started and I just haven't found the time to do it all. But I have a feeling that after watching Takeover Blackpool, I just might start finding that time.

The show began with the finals for the inaugural UK Tag Team titles with Moustache Mountain vs James Drake and Liverpool's #1 Zack Gibson. There are a few things I want to get out of the way quickly: first, I do not like Vic Joseph on commentary. I just don't think he has it, and it can sometimes interfere with my enjoyment of the match. Hell, I might prefer David Otunga. Second, I fucking love the UK crowds. I very rarely understand what they're chanting, but the energy that they bring to these matches is infectious as hell and I love them. So let's get into the match. I've been a fan of Tyler Bate since he won the first UK title and his match at Takeover Chicago against Pete Dunne in 2017 very much solidified my love for him as a performer. And Trent Seven really rocks the Dad bod well. Zack Gibson is fun to watch, and it's even more fun when the crowd just hates his character. Drake wasn't someone I really cared about one way or the other, but god damn, this was a slam-bang bout to start off the show. I did get pretty concerned about Seven's head getting busted open from that elbow shot from Drake, but he didn't really seem to mind too much and it worked into the intensity of the competition. And every time I watch him, I'm always in awe of Bate's feats of strength. Just his neck strength alone is amazing. These four had fantastic chemistry together and it really kept you in suspense all the way through. That final spot with Drake hitting a suicide dive on Bate and then Drake coming up with the big spot again as he dropkicked a suicide dive attempt from Seven solidified his status as the unsung hero of this match as Gibson and Drake brought Seven back in for the Ticket to Mayhem finisher and became the first NXT UK Tag Team champs. Just a super-solid match all around, and I'm always concerned when they throw a few people together and call them a tag team, but Gibson and Drake looked like they've been tagging for years together out there.

Then came a video package of The Irish Ace Jordan Devlin attacking his rival Travis Banks before the show, injuring his leg, and when Devlin made his appearance on the entrance ramp, Banks went right after him. You could tell that Banks was still working the kayfabe injury, and that caused Devlin to get the upper hand as he stomped Banks' leg repeatedly into the steel steps. It seemed to be a No Contest for the match as Devlin declared himself "the best Irish wrestler in the world", and then Commissioner Johnny Saint and GM Sid Scala told Devlin that they had a back-up plan for this match. The lights went out, the smoke came up, and it was time to catch my breath as Finn Balor appeared ready and raring to go, getting the biggest pop of the night. Of course, Balor and Devlin are both from the same town (Bray, County Wicklow) and Balor was Devlin's trainer so it was time to have the student face the master. And as this match went on, I saw the Finn Balor that I've been missing since his time on the main roster (because NXT just books better) as he pulled out moves I haven't seen in ages. Like when was the last time you saw Finn hit a 1916? Well, he hit two of them in the course of this match. He also pulled the running apron Penalty Kick back out, and he did a fucking abdominal stretch! Yes, Finn has submissions! Devlin had a really good showing here, but this was all about Finn coming back to his roots, so to speak, and he would hit the shotgun dropkick into the Coup de Grace for the win. Was it the greatest match of the night? No, but this is the best match that Balor has had probably since his match at TLC in 2017 against A.J. Styles, and that's certainly one of his high points on the main roster.

Then we got a grudge match between Eddie Dennis and Dave Mastiff with a No DQ stipulation. This was another really fun match as they pulled out all the stops on each other, and watching Dennis lifting the 300-lb Mastiff and hitting a few power moves (particularly the one on the steel steps) was mighty impressive. Eventually Mastiff got the momentum back and hit a cannonball that put Dennis through a table that got him the win, keeping Mastiff undefeated. This didn't rock my world or anything, but again, it was just a lot of fun to watch.

Then came the UK Women's title match between rivals Toni Storm and champ Rhea Ripley. To be fair, I love both of these competitors. I love Storm's infectious but never grating enthusiasm in contrast to Rhea's badass dominating heel, and that really worked to this match's advantage. Again, that's more Booking 101 that comes through so clearly in NXT. And this was a fantastic match from bell to bell. Every move was crisp, and every moment hit you hard, particularly a pair of fantastic false finishes that really amped up the suspense of who was going to come out on top. And holy shit, did these women take each other to the limit and beyond. Ultimately, Toni would hit Storm Zero a second time and keep Ripley down for the three-count and we have a new UK Women's champion in Toni Storm. This was absolutely the best women's match since Becky and Charlotte at Evolution, and I can't wait to see what Storm does with her title run. It made more sense to have Ripley get it in the beginning because it gave Storm something to chase, and that made her victory today all the sweeter.

Then we had our main event with Joe Coffey vs champ Pete Dunne for the UK title. And before I go into the match, I need to talk about Dunne for a few moments. When I did my Favorite Wrestlers of 2018 column, I was remiss to not find a way to put Dunne in there somewhere. Dunne as of today had been UK champ for 603 days, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Not to mention that Dunne has the uncanny ability to put on almost as many consistently great matches as any of my favorites, so yeah, I would certainly count Dunne as one of my absolute favorites right now. In retrospect, I think that the reason that Dunne didn't make my list was because I just hadn't been watching NXT UK. I know he was at Takeover Wargames this year, but he wasn't really the guy I was paying the most attention to. Anyway, today's match. This wasn't just a match; this was a fucking war. I know that I said the same thing about the Wrestle Kingdom 13 match with Jericho vs Naito, but it was as true for this match as it was for that one. This match was 30-odd minutes of unrestrained contempt, and sweet baby Jesus, did it tear the fucking house down. Transitions, counters, and a series of false finishes just killed me. I think one of the reasons that I loved this match so much was because it was reminiscent of a New Japan match; it was just exhausting to watch, but in the best possible way. It didn't have the ultra-athletic momentum of Dunne vs Bate at Takeover Chicago 2017, but you just couldn't say that these guys didn't leave it all out there. I know that's a very over-used statement in the world of wrestling commentary hyperbole, but with this match, it really felt like that. Hell, Dunne hit The Bitter End on Coffey three times and he kicked out of it each time, until Dunne finally transitioned into a submission with Coffey's fingers in the wishbone and Coffey just had to tap. There were two spots that saw both competitors go out of the ring from the top turnbuckle and the second time they did it, I felt comfortable in thinking that both of them were dead. It was that badass. And Coffey, who I haven't seen a whole lot of, really impressed the hell out of me in this match for his ability to go, and how well he hung with Dunne throughout. This was a stunner of a match, and may be one of those overlooked MOTY candidates as we go through the months.

So yeah, NXT UK is certainly a legit brand and their very first Takeover event solidified them as being just as strong and solid as NXT itself, and this was more than worth the watch. I'm really looking forward to seeing what NXT UK has in store for us as they move forward.

Now it's just two weeks to go for the Royal Rumble and Takeover Phoenix, so we have a really interesting two weeks ahead to see how they build to these events, and I can't fucking wait, so I'll be back on late Tuesday night with a recap of Raw and Smackdown as usual and NXT on late Wednesday night.

Until next time, kids...

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