NXT UK Takeover Cardiff: Honest Thoughts

Last night fans witnessed only the second-ever NXT UK Takeover event and what a night it was! With dream matches, an appearance from WWE Superstar Cesaro and several championship bouts the show was a sure success with plenty for fans to enjoy. Taking over Cardiff and the NXT Universe the stars of NXT UK have left us all talking but what were the best moments and why should have tuned in?

A Strong opener

The night kick-started with a must-see between Noam Dar and Travis Banks. Two future champions, the pair are underdogs over on the NXT UK Roster sure to go on to great things if booked correctly, their encounter last night highlighted this very fact and proved they have plenty to bring to the table! The match was kept shorter than it should have been, I really do believe the pair would have benefited far more from a longer bout but with the time they did have Dar and Banks put on an intense and fast-paced match up kicking things off on a high note. Noam did walk away with the victory which came as no surprise, however, Banks has a great showing and I cannot wait to see more from the pair going forward!

Are You Watching Vince McMahon?

With news breaking that Cesaro would be featuring on the NXT UK Takeover card in Cardiff this weekend many wondered just what the Swiss superman would be getting up to, however, no one could quite predict the sheer excellence that he and opponent Ilja Dragunov put on last night. With excellent chemistry and such skilled move sets, fans were treated to a true highlight match up with intense action from the get-go. The hard hits, insane crowd reactions and close calls left everyone on the edge of their seats while these two incredibly talented superstars sent a huge message to the name’s backstage. While Cesaro continues to go as one of the most underutilised stars in the company he proved yet again to be a man with championship material written all over him while Dragunov left everyone believing he sure is a future champion.  

The Home Crowd Feel

Boy did we get a special showing of the NXT UK Tag team scene last night! With Gibson and Drake defending their titles against Wolfgang and Mark Coffey and Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews, this was sure to be an exciting match! From the get-go, there was plenty to keep fans glued to their screens and everyone most certainly had their standout moments! The real highlight element of this match was the heart and passion from the hometown boys Mark Andres and Flash Morgan. The pair took a real beating throughout this match and in the process showed the world exactly why they are two incredibly talented stars more than worthy of being champions! The title change did come as a surprise, but the end result was so well done and felt so right it cannot be faulted! Whether we see a lengthy title reign from the new champs is another thing but what we can take away from this match is simply how strong the tag team division is and the fact this right here was a major standout not only of the night but of the year. 

Last Man Standing

Now, this match was right up my street! Literally from the get-go, this bout was simply brutal! The baric spots, the table spots, the turnbuckle breaking, the sheer intensity, this match was something completely different to everything else on the card this weekend. Unlike the top wrestling bouts, we got throughout the night this last Man standing match provided fans with a hardcore style encounter full of charisma, personality and entertainment. We saw a true collision of two absolute monsters that went down as a major highlight of the night also! Again, this was very different to the rest of the card and while it was Coffey who walked away with the win Dave Mastiff had an excellent showing here and worked a match fans will be talking about for months to come! 

A New Women’s Champ is Crowned

I mentioned over on twitter that one of the matches Ii was most looking forward to this weekend on the NXT UK Takeover card was the women’s championship bout between Kay Lee Ray and Toni Storm. As two of the driving forces in the women’s division, this was a big-time draw contest with loads of backstory behind it. This was another match I was hoping was longer than it was and we didn’t get to see the very best of what they could do but the pair had excellent chemistry, a story was told throughout and we had some solid spots from the get-go. Now, as a huge Kay Lee Ray fan this was the match I was waiting to see from her from the moment she was signed and her huge win is the start of great things to come! Ray is an incredibly skilled and experienced star sure to bring so much excitement to the NXT UK Women’s championship and I look forward to a rematch between these two hopeful coming up soon in the future. 

The Fight of Tyler Bate

And then we, of course, had the main event which saw WALTER defend his United Kingdom championship against the first-ever titleholder, Tyler Bate. The huge size difference here was a major fact and obvious point from the get-go. With WALTER towering over the challenger and standing at over a hundred pounds heavier this was bound to be a tough challenge for Bate. What also came as no surprise here was the fight in Tyler. The first-ever United Kingdom champion showed all the heart and passion you could ask for with his strength and cardiovascular on clear show!  This was a very lengthy match providing fans with everything you could ask for and while it was no surprise to see the title remain on the shoulder of WALTER Bate sent a huge message proving he really is the future of the company. As for the champ, WALTER looked dominant throughout. His power, intense strikes and intimidating aura makes him one heck of a champion with an old-school feel, the collision of styles here made for an epic encounter.

To conclude, NXT Takeover UK Cardiff was a great show! While the women’s division failed to make an impact despite the title change the rest of the night was strong. Fans were left with a few surprises, title changes, and breakout performances for several stars. We got a real shift in the feeling of the night thanks to the Last Man Standing contest and the main event tugged on the heartstrings of everyone watching. Moving forward, there is evidently work to be done over in NXT UK but this was a solid show with some truly brilliant wrestling content!

RECENT BLOG POSTS:

6 IMPORTANT FACTORS THE WWE MUST CONSIDER FOR BRAY WYATT

WHY THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN ORTON AND THE REVIVAL IS PERFECT

5 NXT STARS WHO MUST BECOME CHAMPION WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR

5 THINGS WWE MUST DO WHEN NXT MOVES TO USA NETWORK