An American Watches NXT UK Takeover Blackpool

I don't know much about U.K. wrestling, but I know enough U.K. wrestling fans to gather that it's supposed to be pretty fun to watch. So, I decided to put my $9.99 a month to good use and watch NXT UK Takeover Blackpool!

To be clear, there are definitely spoilers in here, but I don't go into tremendous detail, so if knowing the outcome doesn't bother you, you should be fine.

Moustache Mountain vs James Drake & Zack Gibson - NXTUKTagTitles

image source: WWE

This match was flat-out fun, and a lot of that was due to the electric atmosphere the crowd was supplying!

Being from the U.S., my impressions of U.K. wrestling have always included strong mat-based storytelling; and this match lived up to that.

The crowd also appreciated the performance, at one point chanting "this is wrestling".

The crowd didn't appreciate the outcome as Gibson & Drake would hit a Ticket To Mayhem to secure a pinfall victory and become the first-ever NXT U.K. Tag Team Champions.

Travis Banks vs Jordan Devlin

image source: WWE

These two couldn't even wait for this match to start, something we learned from footage of Devlin attacking Banks earlier in the day, as he arrived to the venue.

Turns out; they WOULDN'T have a match, as Devlin attacked Banks again, this time on his way to the ring.

Banks would be unable to compete and Devlin began to brag, but was interrupted by Johnny Saint and Sid Scala who informed Devlin that they anticipated his actions, and they secured a solid backup plan.

Finn Balor vs Jordan Devlin

image source: WrestlingNews.co

The announcers are quick to tell us that Devlin was actually trained by Balor.

As you may expect, the crowd was going nuts.

The student would have an excellent match with the teacher, but ultimately the first-ever WWE Universal Champion would be too much for this former pupil; hitting a Coup de Grace to get the pinfall win.

Eddie Dennis vs Dave Mastiff

image source: Big Gold Belt

The announcers billed this match as a human demolition derby, and they were correct!

If you like smashmouth hardcore wrestling, mixed with power moves; then you should definitely watch this match.

The battle of the behemoths ended as Mastiff rammed Dennis through a table with a cannonball, giving him an easy pinfall victory.

Toni Storm vs Rhea Ripley - #UKWomensTitle

image source: Wrestling Inc

I was excited to watch this match; I've heard a lot of positive things about both of these performers.

This felt like a big time title match; the look and feel of the whole performance reminded me of Shawn Michaels vs Diesel.

Both of these wrestlers would be an improvement to any roster, including the WWE main rosters.

Toni Storm would be crowned the new NXT UK Womens Champion after hitting Ripley with a Storm Zero to get the pin.

Joe Coffey vs Pete Dunne - #UKChampionship

image source: Bleacher Report

The Bruiserweight is a badass and I have yet to see a match with him on it that i didn't enjoy. This title match was no different.

What I was not expecting, was how impressed I would be with Joe Coffey; this guy is an aggressive, confident alpha-male fighter that helped give this match an extra punch.

Dunne would get Coffey to submit, by nearly breaking his fingers; ending a brutal match that rivals anything I've seen recently for overall quality.

image source: WrestlingNews.co

Then, as if this exciting show hadn't entertained you enough, we get the debut of a name I've seen making headlines; Walter.
I don't know much, but I do know that people love Walter and it was big news that he signed with WWE/NXT UK.
There was a nice staring match in the ring that the crowd seemed to love, and then Walter left, with this story clearly to-be-continued.

As the show was ending, I realized there was nothing I thought was bad about this show. The NXT Train keeps rolling along, putting out great pro-wrestling.
This time, that train is rolling through the United Kingdom, and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
If you haven't watched this show yet, then you need to finish this article and immediately turn it on and watch it!