This was the very first Takeover for the NXT UK brand and it was a very good show. That's not to say it was perfect, but we've only just scratched the surface. The main problem NXT UK has is that WWE taped the shows way back in August and September and then decided to run two a week on Wednesdays months later, leading into Takeover. That's a lot of content to catch up on and try to get into the brand. Fans, at least American fans, need a little time to get to know these wrestlers. For instance, though WWE will tout November as the day Rhea Ripley became the first NXT UK Women's Champion, she actually won it way back in August. I will say this, though; the UK fans were rowdy and I loved it. There wasn't a silent moment throughout the entire show.
NXT UK Tag Team Titles - Mustache Mountain vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
I couldn't think of a better match to start the show! We already know what to expect from any match involving Mustache Mountain. Trent Seven and Tyler Bate are tremendous stars and they showed exactly why yesterday. I also must give credit to their opponents. The Grizzled Young veterans are made up of UK Championship tournament standout James Drake and 2018 UK Championship Tournament winner Zack Gibson, Liverpool's # 1. While I expected the big strong boys to win, it kind of makes more sense for Drake and Gibson to get the win. The fans will really get behind Mustache Mountain even more. The wrestling itself was outstanding and the story telling was fantastic. Tyler Bate is incredibly strong, as he was able to pull off an airplane spin with both opponents on his shoulders. I loved how Mustache Mountain's outfits were very reminiscent of the British Bulldogs. In fact, they pulled off some old school British Bulldogs double team moves as Trent Seven hit a Davey Boy Smith-like vertical suplex, while Tyler Bate came off the top rope with a head butt much like the Dynamite Kid. The best move of the night was the suicide dive into a Doomsday Device on the outside. In the end, James Drake and Zack Gibson are the very first NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
Jordan Devlin vs. Finn Balor
That's right, you read that correctly! I said Finn Balor! The match was advertised as Jordan Devlin vs. "The Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks. However, a storyline injury made other plans. Based on how good the opening contest was and the fact that it was the first Takeover for the brand, they needed to do something to keep the momentum going. Earlier in the day, the Irish Ace attacked Banks backstage. Before the match got underway, Banks made a B line to the ring and went right after Devlin. Unfortunately, the injury was just too much for Banks and he was taken out. UK General Manager Johnny Saint and Sid Scala said they had a plan B in case Devlin tried something like this, just after Devlin referred to himself as the greatest Irish wrestler in the world. The lights went out, a cloud of smoke arose, and out walked Finn Balor himself. It was now the teacher vs. the student. This chain of events made Devlin look good in a losing fashion, gave Balor a much needed showcase, and extended the Devlin/Banks feud. Everybody is a winner in this scenario. It was a good match as well, with Balor besting his former pupil with a "Coup de Grace" for the win.
No Disqualification Match - Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis
When Mastiff had enough of Dennis bullying people, he confronted him. Mastiff won their first encounter and their second one ended in a no contest, leading to their No DQ match here. Mastiff is a 320 pound wrecking ball of a man. To see a man his size and so agile is amazing. He almost looks like a smaller version of Vader. Eddie Dennis, while tall, doesn't come off very imposing. He's pretty generic actually. There were some cool spots here and in the end, the Bomber did a cannonball onto Dennis through a table in the corner for the win. It was the perfect match to put in the middle for a slight down turn.
NXT UK Women's Title - Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm
The women's division in NXT UK is very good but these two are head and shoulders above the rest. Ripley turned completely around in character from one year to the next during the Mae Young Classic. Toni Storm has certainly taken the world by storm and the hearts of NXT UK fans. Going into this, I thought for sure Ripley would retain, as to most fans, she just won the Title in November. However, if there was one person, even above Pete Dunne that is the face of the NXT UK brand, it's Toni Storm. Last night, the 2018 Mae Young Classic winner took her star to a new level by winning the NXT UK Women's Championship. It's Toni time!
UK Championship - Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey
The only thing that took away from this match, at least going in, was that there was no one on the NXT UK roster that was in the position to take the Title from the Bruiserweight. The same goes for Joe Coffey, though he put up a good fight and was still a worthy challenger. This match came to be through the feud between British Strong Style and Gallus, consisting of Joe Coffey, brother Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang. In the end, Coffey just couldn't get the job done and Pete Dunne continues his 600-plus day reign as UK Champion. You'll notice that in the first sentence in this paragraph, I mentioned that there was no one credible enough to take the Title from Pete Dunne. Until now! Just as the credits were about to roll, Dvorak's Symphony # 9 IV came on the loudspeaker and out walked WALTER! Walter is a stand out in the UK independent scene and is a monster of a man. Just as Walter made his way to the ring to confront Dunne, Coffey got to his feat to ruin the moment, only to be met with a big boot from Walter for his troubles. The night ended with a stare down between Walter and Dunne, a sight to behold.
Between the awesome matches, surprise appearance by Finn Balor, and Walter's debut, I'd say NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool was a success. The only thing missing was Blackpool native William Regal. What a great way to start what I'm sure is to be more Takeovers from here!
If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments. Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport. For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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