The first ever NXT UK TakeOver is in the history books as the brand returned to Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. The night saw many shocks and surprises, including two new champions being crowned at the WWE Network event.
Moustache Mountain and The Grizzled Young Veterans battled in the show’s opening match to crown the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions, a match that set the night off in grand style. The entire bout had everyone sat on the edge of their seats as at any given moment, it could’ve been game over for either team.
https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bate/status/1084200105715134466
Trent Seven and Tyler Bate paid tribute to The British Bulldogs as they wore similar gear, and almost won the titles with their trademark running powerslam/diving headbutt combo. In the end though, Zack Gibson and James Drake become the first champions after downing Seven with their Ticket to Mayhem finish.
No longer “soon” to be.
Now…the FIRST EVER @NXTUK Tag Team Champions… @JamesDrake_GYT @ZackGibson01#NXTUKTagTitles #WeAreNXTUK pic.twitter.com/3hVPlsJL0u— Triple H (@TripleH) January 12, 2019
In the second championship match of the evening, 2018 Mae Young Classic winner Toni Storm faced Rhea Ripley for the latter’s NXT UK Women’s Championship. The bout was another fiercely contested one, with both champion and challenger utilising some stiff strikes to wear each other down. Eventually, Storm was able to escape both an inverted cloverleaf and a Riptide to execute her signature Storm Zero for the victory and crown herself the new NXT UK Women’s Championship.
Winner of the 2018 #WWEMYC and now the NEW @NXTUK Women’s Champion… #ToniStorm. #ToniTime #NXTUKTakeOver: Blackpool @WWEUK @WWENetwork #WeAreNXTUK pic.twitter.com/gE4TNGZrUZ
— Triple H (@TripleH) January 12, 2019
The only champion who retained their gold was Pete Dunne, who successfully defended the WWE United Kingdom Championship against Gallus‘ Joe Coffey. This was without a shadow of a doubt one of the best WWE-promoted matches in history, with both men giving it their absolute best to walk away from the history-making night as the champion. It took several Bitter Ends and a finger-contorting submission hold before Coffey finally gave up, continuing his reign into the foreseeable future. It would appear he’s already found his next challenger though, as the debuting WALTER made his presence felt at the culmination of the event.
Other notable happenings from the show include Finn Bálor showing up to replace Travis Banks against Jordan Devlin, while Kay Lee Ray, Jazzy Gabert, and Luke Menzies were shown in the crowd to confirm their allegiance to the NXT UK roster. The last of those names had previously been appearing in regular NXT.
