The Number One Contender for the United Kingdom Title is on the line. In a 20 Man Number One Contender Battle Royal Tonight. With WALTER appearing nigh unstoppable in his reign as Champion, getting through 19 men is only the beginning in the journey for whomever is next in line for a shot at the gold.
Nigel McGuinness and Andy Shepard welcome us to another edition of NXT UK from Coventry England.
The opening match of tonight’s card is a Women’s Tag Team bout.
Kay Lee Ray and Jinny vs. Dani Luna and Piper Niven
Despite being a relative newcomer to the scene, the real story of this match was the resilience of Dani Luna against the much more seasoned team of Ray and “The Fashionista” Jinny.
Ultimately though, the Reigning UK Women’s Champion displayed why she holds the belt by hitting The Gory Bomb on Luna, earning “The Scary Queen of Scots” the victory for her team.
Winners: Kay Lee Ray and Jinny
As the broadcast switches back to McGuinness and Shepard, the two earnest announces inform us of a special to air next week on the WWE Network in place of a traditional episode of the show; focusing on the rise of NXT UK. While not outright said, this is in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the UK offshoot being unable to tape any new matches due to the strict lockdown rules in place.
As Joe Coffey is set to enter the Battle Royal tonight, a hype video showcasing Gallus is shown.
Xia Brookside vs. Amale
Experience and Legacy was on display as Brookside, daughter of UK legend Robbie Brookside, defeated Amale with Broken Wings to earn a pinfall.
A video package is aired showing the ongoing rivalry between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair leading into this weekend’s Wrestlemania. For the first time, the NXT Women’s Title will be defended on The Grandest Stage of Them All when Ripley defends against “The Queen”
Winner: Xia Brookside
Number One Contender Battle Royal
Moustache Mountain members Trent Seven and Tyler Bate are out first, followed by Gallus’s Joe Coffey.
Eliminations begin almost as soon as the bell rings. The action is fast and furious, and after a while, it comes down to 5 men left in the ring.
Tyler Bate, Noam Dar, Joe Coffey, Alexander Wolfe, and Ilja Dragunov are the Final Five
Eventually, Tyler Bate and Ilja Dragunov remain. Back and forth action between Bate and Dragunov, with several nail-biting moments where it looks like either man could be sent flying over the top. Ultimately, while the inaugural UK Champion put up a good fight, “The Mad Russian” was able to hit Tornado Moscow while Bate was hanging onto the ropes from outside the ring, sending him to the floor for the elimination.
Winner and NEW Number One Contender for the United Kingdom Champion: Ilja Dragunov
An emotional Dragunov celebrates in the ring, visibly delighted that he is the last man standing and has had his ticket punched for the biggest opportunity of this career.
While it is unknown when “The Mad Russian” will meet WALTER. They will stand across from one another the ring for the Championship. It will undoubtedly be a hard hitting affair!
