NXT UK brings about a British classic!

To prove he is truly THE BEST at British Style Wrestling, Kassius Ohno agrees to a British Rounds Match in a rematch with Sid Scala!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Travis Banks VS Tyson T-Bone; Banks wins.
• Rhea Ripley VS Debbie Keitel; Ripley wins.
• Joseph Conners VS Kenny Williams; Conners wins.
• British Rounds Match: Kassius Ohno VS Sid Scala; Ohno wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

The Wrestling Genius wanted a match, and Sid Scala stepped up!

But try as he might, Sid was not enough to take down the larger and stronger Kassius Ohno. However, now they’ll face off in a true chess game. Sid is ready to go another round with Ohno, in NXT UK’s first ever British Rounds Match! Will this prove Ohno he’s not the best at the British style?

Travis Banks VS Tyson T-Bone!

The Kiwi Buzzsaw didn’t quite succeed in Cardiff, but that won’t slow him down! Will he carve a new path through the NXT UK roster? Or will the King of Travelers be a roadblock for Banks?

The bell rings and Banks ties up with T-Bone. T-Bone puts Banks in a corner but backs off. Banks dodges the punch to throw punches of his own! And stomps! Banks lets up at 4, but T-Bone comes back. Banks sweeps T-Bone’s legs and runs side-to-side to hit a big forearm smash! Banks keeps going to hit T-Bone with a knee! And then a third for a basement dropkick! Fans fire up for Banks but T-Bone hits back with a hard body shot! T-Bone whips Banks to a corner, then scoops him for a tilt-o-whirl snake eyes! T-Bone runs to crossbody Banks down! Cover, TWO! T-Bone keeps on Banks with knees to the back and elbows to the head. T-Bone stomps the ribs and Banks is sputtering. Fans rally up as T-Bone throws more hands. T-Bone focuses on those ribs, but Banks gets to the ropes. T-Bone brings Banks up and scoops for a slam! Cover, TWO!

Fans still rally for Banks as T-Bone wraps in him a half straitjacket. Banks fights against the modified neck wrench, but T-Bone gets him with fists first. Banks comes back with kicks, but T-Bone blocks for a kidney shot! And then a slingshot suplex! Banks ends up in a corner but dodges T-Bone. Banks blocks the kick and throws T-Bone down, basement knee sends T-Bone out of the ring. Fans fire up as Banks builds speed and DIVES! The Low-pe hits T-Bone, Banks gets T-Bone in the ring. Springboard dumdum stomps! Cover, TWO! Banks grits his teeth from both pain and frustration, but fans rally back behind him. Banks tries again but T-Bone clobbers him! T-Bone throws Banks with a modified Half ‘n’ Half! Cover, TWO!! Banks barely survives, but T-Bone still keeps focus. Fans rally again as T-Bone looms over him. Banks resists the lift but T-Bone clubs away. T-Bone suplexes but Banks cradle counters! Banks wins!!

Winner: Travis Banks, by pinfall

The Buzzsaw beats T-Bone by the skin of his teeth! Will Banks be able to rest those ribs and get back on track?

Radzy has a report on Toni Storm.

There has still been no sighting of the former NXT UK Women’s Champion, but Gallus interrupts. “We hate to be the ones to inform you, but Toni Time is over.” It doesn’t matter where she’s gone, does it? No, it doesn’t. At TakeOver: Cardiff, Gallus wasn’t pinned in the Triple Threat for the tag titles. Therefore, everyone saw that Gallus are still contenders. They’re coming for what’s theirs, because this is still THEIR Kingdom. Will Mark Coffey and Wolfgang take the titles off the Welsh rockstars? And when will NXT UK finally see Toni Storm again?

Rhea Ripley VS Debbie Keitel!

The Mosh Pit Kid didn’t beat NXT USA’s Queen of Spades quite the way she wanted to, but she’ll shrug that off to keep strong in NXT UK. Will Rhea rip her way back to the title she first held? Or will this #BeautifulButDangerous debuting superstar be a Debbie Downer?

The bell rings, and Rhea doesn’t take Debbie that seriously. Fans know “Rhea’s gonna kill~ you~!” as she and Debbie tie up. Rhea puts Debbie in the corner, but backs off at the ref’s count. She dares Debbie to come back and Debbie sneers. Debbie waistlocks but can’t lift Rhea. Rhea just tosses Debbie off, but Debbie tries for a takedown. Rhea powers Debbie off again with a gut wrench! “You wanna be in NXT UK, huh!?” Rhea whips but Debbie breaks free and SLAPS Rhea! And again! Rhea stops the third slap to BOOT Debbie down! Pump handle, RIPTIDE! Cover, Rhea wins!

Winner: Rhea Ripley, by pinfall

Debbie Downer goes down, and Rhea remains dominant as ever. But Rhea has something to say and takes to the mic. Fans cheer Rhea on as she drums the mic. “I figured it’s about time that I get my NXT UK Women’s Championship back!” Fans cheer that idea! Rhea says there is no one that can break her mentally, compete with her physically, and no one in NXT UK-

Wait, is that Jinny? “Rhea, Rhea, Rhea.” Jinny wants Rhea to understand the greasy hair and rusty chains are just too ’90s. But that sums Rhea up. She looks like she’s from the past, and her achievements are the past, so she belongs in the past. Now look at the future. Jinny vows to be the next NXT UK Women’s Champion. But that’s the future. Presently, she has a bigger problem for Rhea. And that’s Jazzy Gabert. Jazzy stands face to face with Rhea, but Rhea just roundhouse kicks Jazzy down! Rhea dares Jazzy to fight, but Jinny says now’s not the time. Battle lines have been drawn, but will Rhea’s brutality be enough to take down the Alpha Female?

Trent Seven enters the arena, as Noam Dar makes an “announcement.”

According to Mr. Supernova 11, Trent Seven “is a dafty.” Dar trolls Seven with the megaphone’s alarm, but Seven tells him to stop being a child. Who hides in a parking garage with a megaphone. But Dar won’t leave it alone as he says, “RIP BSS.” In other words, rest in peace British Strong Style. Seven has had it, but other NXT UK staff are there to stop this from becoming a parking lot brawl! Seven leaves it at this, for now. But will Dar continue to poke Seven’s buttons until he explodes?

Joseph Conners VS Kenny Williams!

The Righteous Killer still wants to prove who belongs in NXT UK and who doesn’t, but he hasn’t had the easiest time with the “shiny new toys.” At the same time, the Lucky-Yin hasn’t had the best luck on his own end. Which man earns their place when they go head-to-head tonight?

The bell rings and Conners ties up with Williams. Conners knees hard then stomps Williams down. He puts Williams in the corner and throws big hands, then reels Williams in for a clothesline! Cover, TWO! Conners stalks Williams as he crawls, and brings him up by the ear. Williams breaks free and throws big body shots! Williams whips but Conners reverses. Williams jumps over Conners to sunset flip on the rebound, TWO! Williams waistlocks, redirects and back elbows Conners down! Fans fire up as Williams runs again, and he bulldogs Conners into buckles! William springboards but Conners trips him up! Conners seethes as he drags Williams up for a gourd buster! Then a snap chancery! Cover, TWO! Fans rally for Williams but Conners grows frustrated. Conners drags Williams up, whips and headbutts low! Williams sputters to a corner but Conners is on him with big body shots.

Conners clubs Williams hard then brings him around for more. Conners taunts the fans but the fans boo and jeer. Williams throws hands back but Conners scoop slams fast! Cover, TWO! Conners drives a knee into Williams’ back and pulls back on the arms. Fans rally as Williams endures. Conners trash talks but Williams fights up. Conners knees low then puts Williams in a standing abdominal stretch. Williams endures and pops out but Conners throws more hands. Conners whips but Williams reverses to a jawbreaker. Conners shoves but Williams yo-yos in the ropes to a Slingblade! Cover, TWO! Conners throws hands but Williams counter punches and CHOPS! Forearm, CHOP, and repeat! But Conners whips Williams, but Williams springboards for the back elbow!

Conners flounders to a corner but he puts Williams on the apron. Williams kicks Conners back, then springboards, and fakes Conners out! Conners runs in but gets bumped on buckles and kicked away! Williams springboards for real, and hits a flying back elbow! Conners staggers up, wheelbarrow facebsuter! Cover, ROPEBREAK! Williams is frustrated for giving Conners such an opening. Conners slingshots the ropes at Williams, then slingshots in to shout, “DON’T LOOK DOWN!” The facebuster hits, cover, Conners wins!

Winner: Joseph Conners, by pinfall

Finally on a roll, Conners talks to that imaginary friend, “Told you! I told you!” But will Conners keep climbing to go after the shiniest toy of all in the WWE United Kingdom Championship?

NXT UK looks back to the surprise epic that was Cesaro VS Dragunov.

The Swiss Cyborg and the Moscow Madman tore it down in an open challenge answered in Cardiff, and it would be Cesaro that was victorious. But in an interview after, Cesaro showed Ilja Dragunov further respect. Ilja has Cesaro’s seal of approval, will this lead to even bigger things for him?

Oliver Carter speaks.

We saw his debut not go quite how he wanted, but he’s coming back for another go! Will the Predator Slayer get that critical first victory?

NXT UK Media catches up with Kay Lee Ray.

KLR called out Tegan Nox and Tegan dared her to go any time, anywhere. But the NXT UK Women’s Champion is 100%. Tegan was just the hometown girl with two broken knees. KLR puts it back on Tegan to say when and where. But it’s Johnny Saint who says this happens in two weeks! Will the girl with the Shiniest Wizard show KLR that knees mean nothing compared to heart?

British Rounds Match: Kassius Ohno VS Sid Scala!

To review the rules of this iconic UK match type, it will consist of 6 rounds of 3 minutes each, with 30 second breaks in-between. That means this match will last no longer than 20-and-a-half minutes. To win, you must either: win two rounds by pinfall or submission; earn a knockout; or have the lead in falls by the end of the final round. With that said, will Ohno be able to calculate a victory and prove he IS a Wrestling Genius? Or will Sid Scala show the world by surviving all six rounds?

Fans are on Sid’s side already as the referee does a check on the gear. The referee calls for them to shake hands, and Ohno is first to offer it. Sid accepts, but the break isn’t very polite. The bell rings and the first round begins!

The clock is ticking and fans are already rallying for Sid. They tie up and Ohno wrenches Side to a keylock and a takedown. Ohno wrenches Sid more but Sid spins through. Sid reverses the wrench onto Ohno, but Ohno spins around to headlock Sid. Ohno pops out of Sid’s grip and has Sid for a headlock takedown. Sid works his way up and fans build to a rally. Sid pops out the back to get the armlock on Ohno. Ohno stands up and works against the hammerlock. Ohno has a waistlock, then a half nelson. Ohno spins Sid to a cravat and cranks on it hard! He snapmares Sid down and Sid endures. Fans still rally as we approach the last minute of this round. Sid uses his own leg to bait Ohno in and gets the armlock! A move out of Johnny Saint’s book!

Ohno puts Sid on the ropes and the ref calls for the break. The two go again as we reach the last 30 seconds. Ohno has Sid’s arm and a takedown with the leg. Ohno cranks the foot in a toehold, but Sid endures. Sid works on an escape, pops up and around but less than 10 seconds! Sid has his own toehold, but time is up for round 1!

Round 1 – Ohno: 0; Scala: 0

Corner men step up for each man, and we have our first 30 second break between rounds. Ohno and Sid do refresh themselves, taking sips of water and wiping sweat away. Sid and Ohno are ready, and we begin round 2!

A new three minutes, and the two men approach. Sid and Ohno tie up, and Sid has the headlock. Sid shifts to a cravat but Ohno only looks annoyed. Ohno rolls but Sid holds on! Sid cranks Ohno harder now that Ohno is on the mat. Ohno works his way back up and pops out to a full nelson. He reels Sid out to wring out but Sid cartwheels through! Ohno just goes at Sid and whips, to then back drop, but Sid sunset flips! Ohno pops right out to high stack Sid, but Sid rolls through and crawls out from under! Ohno is annoyed again but the fans are cheering. Sid and Ohno go again with a knuckle lock. Ohno uses his foot to bring Sid down, and he stands on one hand while torturing the other. But we’ve already reached the last minute as Ohno puts on the standing surfboard.

Sid fights his way up but Ohno uses his weight to keep Sid down. Ohno puts a foot in Sid’s back, but Sid endures. Sid works against the hold, turns it around, but Ohno whips Sid to a corner. Sid goes up and under and baits Ohno in to roll him up! TWO, with 15 seconds left! Ohno whips Sid but Sid reverses! Ohno goes up but can’t get under! Cover, TWO!, and time’s up again! The ref has to pull Ohno off Sid and fans boo the overtime. Both men back off again for the 30 second break.

Round 2 – Ohno: 0; Scala: 0

Ohno cools off in his corner, but he starts staring down with Sid from across the way. Both men are ready, we begin round 3!

Ohno and Sid approach again and tie up. Ohno headlocks, and throws punches while he has Sid’s head trapped! Sid endures the grind but Ohno keeps hold of him with a one-handed chinbar! Ohno throat punches Sid but the ref couldn’t see it! Sid sputters and scrambles to ropes, but he comes back with body shots! And forearms! And back elbows! Sid even uses a European Uppercut and a big knee! Sid wrenches Ohno’s arm but Ohno CHOPS Sid off his feet! Sid sputters again but he’s back up. Ohno has a headlock but Sid breaks free to dropkick over and over! Sid runs, into a rolling elbow! Cover, Ohno has the first fall!

Round 3 – Ohno: 1; Scala: 0

A fast round right there, and Ohno smiles as he’s on the board. Now it’s all on Sid to try and get even with him. Ohno goes to his corner as Sid is in a daze. Ohno puts his hair back while Sid manages to get up and have a drink. The break is over before Sid’s ready, and Ohno is right on him for round 4!

Ohno has Sid with another CHOP, and Sid sputters again. Ohno stalks Sid as Sid slowly stands, and just clubs him back down. Sid gets to ropes but Ohno is on him with another smothering facelock. Fans rally for Sid but Ohno scoops and slams him hard! Ohno taunts Sid now, wanting to see what fight he has left. Sid gets up but Ohno is on him with a cravat. Ohno taunts fans, “How is Sid gonna kill me with a broken body!?” Ohno snapmares and drops a knee on Sid! Fans sing for Sid as Sid gets up before the 10 count. Ohno is on Sid with another facelock to crank that neck. Sid fights with body shots, and he’s free! He keeps throwing shots, and even a headbutt, but Ohno DECKS him with a right! Ohno watches Sid drag himself up again as we’re at 45 seconds. Ohno wrenches Sid with a modified cravat. Sid endures as the seconds tick away. Fans rally and Sid fights his way up, but Ohno cranks hard on his inverted neck wrench. Sid breaks the hold but Ohno headbutts him down! The last 10 seconds drain away, Sid gets a CHOP! But Sid survives and this match continues.

Round 4 – Ohno: 1; Scala: 0

Another 30 second break, but Sid is having a hell of a time just getting back to his corner. Sid sips as fast as he can in the last 15 seconds but Ohno is taking it easy. The fifth round begins now!

Ohno mocks Sid’s fighting spirit, but fans are still rallying. Sid throws hands but Ohno just grabs his head with one arm. Ohno steps through to club away on Sid’s ribs. Then he steps in to get the abdominal stretch, and clubs more. Ohno dares Sid to “kill” him now. But Sid works against the hold, only for Ohno to make it part straitjacket. Ohno spins Sid around for a cobra clutch, but fans are rallying. Ohno reels Sid out to ram shoulders! Sid stays up, but Ohno spins him back around into a cobra clutch. Sid works against the hold, but Ohno reels him out again. Sid hits a headbutt! And big knees! Sid clubs Ohno but Ohno headbutts back. Ohno throws Sid out of the ring, but Sid stays on the apron! Sid gets up with a minute left.

Ohno goes to the other side and drags Sid through the ropes. The referee reprimands Ohno so Ohno listens to him. But Sid is climbing! Sid leaps over, crossbody! Cover, TWO!! Sid almost tied hits up! Ohno snapmares, and drops a knee! But it misses as Sid dodges! Ohno tries an elbow but Sid dodges again! Ohno snapmares and tries a senton, but Sid gets his knees up! But 15 seconds left! Sid fires off and runs, clothesline after clothesline, but the time runs out!

Round 5 – Ohno: 1; Scala: 0

Sid was so close yet so far! One last 30 second break, and one last chance for Sid to keep in this. He still wants at Ohno but Ohno takes it easy in his corner. Sid recharges with another drink of water, and he is pacing like a caged animal. The sixth and final round begins, and Sid jumps right on Ohno!

Sid will not let up on Ohno with only three minutes left! Fans are fired up as Ohno just tries to get away! Sid won’t let up so the ref has to pull him off. Ohno scoops and rolling sentons! Cover, TWO!! Sid still lives and fans are still cheering! Sid wills himself up but Ohno is up first. Ohno stalks Sid to ropes but the ref keeps him back. Ohno still CLUBS Sid down to the mat. Sid drags himself up again, but Ohno is on him with a rear chinlock. Sid pries at that hold, powering up! Fans are cheering but Ohno grinds his chin in, and CLOBBERS Sid from behind! Sid is down but the ref keeps Ohno off him. Sid slowly gets up but we reach a minute left! Sid is up before 10, but Ohno has him on his shoulders in an Electric Chair! But Sid pops around to victory roll! Cover, TWO!! Sid spins around to crucifix, and just gets Ohno down! TWO!!! DISCUS BOOT! Only 20 seconds left, Ohno doesn’t even have to do anything. But Sid backslides!! BUT TIME RUNS OUT!!

Winner: Kassius Ohno, score of 1-0

Sid would’ve had Ohno, if only he had a few more seconds! But the rules are the rules, this is still Ohno’s victory. But with as close as that was, can Ohno really say he’s the best at British wrestling? Or is a win a win that will lead Ohno to bigger and better?

My Thoughts:

A really fun NXT UK to be amid all the changes in the other brands. We get a fairly good bunch of matches, though the matches themselves are somewhat filler. Banks beats T-Bone to stay strong in the midcard, as does Joseph Conners. I wonder if Banks and Conners will collide on the way to the imaginary midcard championship since there isn’t a real one yet. Banks VS Conners could actually make for a great match since they both love hitting hard. Rhea obviously puts Debbie Keitel away, but this seems to point to Rhea doing double duty between UK and US NXT brands. Rhea looks to be a Tweener or aggressive Face on both brands now that she’s going against Jazzy Gabert and Jinny here and Shayna Baszler on NXT USA. While Tegan has a match with KLR, there’s a number of ways KLR wins and then Toni Storm shocks us with a return to get a rematch. Rhea’s story with Jazzy might go Jazzy’s way while Rhea is more busy with Shayna and winning there.

It’s good to see that interview from Cesaro where he gives praise Dragunov, because that really was the sleeper hit of the TakeOver: Cardiff show. This could be part of the scenic route for Dragunov to the WWE UK Championship, which is good. As great as Dragunov is in the ring and how that already clicks for fans, give him a minute to build story-based momentum so he and Walter will be able to have an epic match that parallels Walter VS Bate. Gallus wants after Andrews & Webster, that will be some fun stuff. Then Dar VS Seven is happening, and with some good character work. If Dar isn’t just trolling Seven the entire time, it won’t quite work towards the story they’re building.

And then for the WWE’s first British Rounds Match, and the first British Rounds Match I’ve seen, this was really well plotted out. I said before that Jack Gallagher was probably meant for this, but Sid Scala did great in substituting in. Fans were so strongly behind Sid in this, and as far as keeping Heel heat on Ohno, it was great for him to win by time running out. He can brag about this for weeks now, until Johnny Saint decides perhaps the originally planned match with Gallagher, maybe even in British Rounds style. Also, there are very few behemoths in NXT UK, certainly Face monsters. Mastiff still has a lot to do with Gallus and Joe Coffey, so I’m not sure who Ohno could be put against that he’d feel worried about. But maybe that works for story, where it’s always an underdog that beats him, to the shock of Ohno most of all.

My Score: 8.2/10