NXT UK 148

May 13, 2021 – Newham, London

Noam Dar def. Nathan Frazer {Heritage Cup Rules Match}
I keep wanting to call him Nelson Frazier; it’s like a visceral response I’m having to his name. I would guess that this stipulation would make it hard for Frazer to play to his strengths, but we shall see. The first round is mostly posturing and then Dar hitting a cheap shot after the bell. Frazer wins the first fall 59 seconds into the second round with a roll up. At Dar’s request, Sha Samuels comes to ringside. Dar gets the upper hand, and a distraction from Samuels keeps Frazer from hitting a move off the top before the round ends. The fourth round is crazy fast, ending in 1:15 when Dar puts on the Champagne Super Kneebar. Another distraction from Samuels gets Dar the win with the Nova Roller at 1:51 of the fifth round. This was as fast as you like, and Frazer definitely got to show off a bit. I don’t really understand why it was a Heritage Cup Rules match, as it’s Tyler Bate getting the shot at the Heritage Cup next week. ***

We see the setup for Rampage Brown vs. Wolfgang again and add nothing. What the actual hell? That makes me so angry. Yes boy, Pretty Deadly tries to calm me down with a video of their reign so far. Then, Sam Gradwell chides Trent Seven at the Performance Center. Seven slaps him. 

Mark Andrews def. Levi Muir
New entrance for Andrews here, which includes Dani Luna & Flash Morgan Webster and is a nice little refresh. I wonder if Luna’s entrance later will look the same. This was super squishy, but Muir’s stature makes him an impressive looking jobber for someone of Andrews’ size. Andrews hits a Shooting Star Press to the back for the win at 4:33. **¼ 

Amale wants to take the injured Xia Brookside’s spot in the main event. Sid Scala says he won’t reward her for attacking Brookside, but he does book her in a match against Brookside when she’s recovered. Then, we see Amir Jordan cry a lot after his loss last week. Will we ever see him again? Not sure I care. Then, Bate and A-Kid have a face-to-face interview. It’s all very calm, but both guys think they’ll win next week. It’s pretty good. Next week, Ilja Dragunov will be on the Supernova Sessions. 

Meiko Satomura def. Emilia McKenzie, Jinny, Isla Dawn and Dani Luna {Number One Contender Gauntlet Match}
Dawn and McKenzie start. McKenzie dominates, which started to feel like a bad omen. And indeed, Dawn comes back with a half nelson suplex to eliminate McKenzie at 3:31. That’s a real bummer. Luna comes out next without her male compatriots, but with the black and white entrance. Luna also dominates Dawn, but misses a charge and gets rolled up and eliminated at 1:50. Stop trying to make Dawn happen! Satomura is the surprise entrant. I’d so much rather see Satomura vs. McKenzie or Luna than Dawn or Jinny. I’ll admit though that Dawn getting near falls on Satomura was very dramatic as I’d be gutted if NXT UK let her beat the Final Boss in a three-minute match. After a couple close calls, Satomura puts Dawn in an armbar and then rolls her up tight to eliminate her at 3:33. So either way, Kay Lee Ray will be facing someone she’s already defended against. Jinny slows things down for the final stretch of the match, something that I find completely unwelcome in a match full of short segments. I’d be more forgiving of it, but Jinny just isn’t interesting or good. Satomura kicks Joseph Conners off of the apron and puts Jinny away with the Scorpion Kick at 6:22. That’s a relief, and a great overall result. This was alright, but nothing you need to go out of your way to see. KLR lays out Satomura after the match. **¾