NXT Minus 6: Bloody Brilliant

This week, NXT UK steals the show. 

6. If you aren’t watching NXT UK, you’re missing some of the finest character work anywhere. Ilja Dragunov is a deeply tortured soul on the edge of madness. If I took a bazillion chops from WALTER, it would probably shatter my brain bananas too. Dragunov is on another level. His battle to overcome the WALTER demon should be the talk of the wrestling world. 

5. Dragunov’s match this week with my man Thunderstorm Sam Gradwell was a-freaking-mazing. 4.6 stars. It started with solid grappling and broke down to a savage brawl. Post-match, Gradwell is laughing because he got knocked out and Dragunov is attacking a ref. Insane drama. This was as good as a mid-week match could be without a title or something bigger involved. But it wasn’t even the best match of the night. 

4a. Kay Lee Ray versus Meiko Satomura was bloody brilliant. 4.8 stars. Near flawless. Oh how these two deserved a live crowd. I was worried because the build was rushed and forced. Silly me. After 25 years of bumps, Satomura is still quick as a blink. I can only imagine what she looked like in her prime. I’ll be honest. The post-match show of respect from KLR was so genuine, I shed a tear. Icing on the cake. 

4b. By the way, the backdrop graphic they use in NXT UK is so damn cool. They should use that across all of NXT.

3. I want to issue a formal apology to Kay Lee Ray. I called her 2019 Takeover match with Toni Storm the worst match of the year. I thought she was reckless and it was a matter of time before she crippled herself or her opponent. I was 100% wrong. KLR is world class and would be in the title picture in any women’s division anywhere. They desperately need to bring more worthy talent to NXT UK to challenge her. Right now she’s not just a big fish in a small pond. She’s a whale in an inflatable kid’s pool.

2. If it doesn’t end in a Wrestlemania rematch, then Dakota Kai-Raquel Gonzalez versus Nia Jax-Shayna Baszler was absolute ass trash. Why was the Raw GM there with a Raw referee? And why does the WWE think we’re too stupid to ask why the RAW GM and a Raw referee were backstage? There are a million ways to end a match dirty. This was possibly the worst. Even if they did still lose, Kai and Gonzalez deserve so much more. Speaking of…

1. This week’s That’s Why I Love Wrestling goes to…Raquel Gonzalez. Specifically, her pre-match pose. Shotzi Blackheart can jump around like a kid on a candy high. Doomsday Saito can have his veeeeeeery long low budget horror movie intro. Gonzalez’ pose is simple yet effective. She spreads those traps and without saying a word, she is telling you that she is a woman ready to kick all the asses. Less is more and right now Gonzalez is the most.