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The Preview: NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool

By Benjamin A. Richardson

Sunday May 27, 2018

One month has now passed since the inaugural pay-per-view of the season, the CWC. That event had set high standards for the rest to come in the off-season, but also the main season starting in August. With that though we head over to England, Blackpool specifically, for our next major event, NXT UK's TakeOver: Blackpool. With the match card building up over the last eight or so weeks, NXT UK need to take advantage of having an extra month for story buildups, as well as having two extra championships as well. For now though, let's look into the matches of this next big PPV, and what happened to cause them.

1) Kassius Ohno vs Oney Lorcan

Lorcan had begun his season as strong as anyone could imagine, already picking up a PPV win over Ariya Daivari before coming back to NXT UK issuing an open challenge. Kassius Ohno would come out telling Lorcan his win was a one hit wonder and he would prove him wrong in the main event, where Ohno viciously attacked Lorcan before the match, setting up an easy victory for the KO artist. In the following weeks both men would continue to feud with each other inferring in each other's matches, as Ohno again beat down Lorcan in week 2, before Lorcan giving Ohno a taste of his own medicine in week 3. Last Wednesday, the two met face to face with microphones in hand in the ring, as Lorcan said he would never back down from a good challenge, before an all out brawl started, with security having to separate the two vicious rivals.

2) SAnitY vs Heavy Machinery for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship

The first two months of weekly programming would be hostile in all three divisions, but it was most seen in the tag team division. With four teams vying for two spots in the championship match, tensions were high. On Wednesday though, it was announced that SanitY and Heavy Machinery would face off to crown the inaugural NXT UK Tag Champions.

3) Lars Sullivan vs TM-61

Week after week, NXT UK GM Johhny Saint seemed to stack the odds up against big man Lars Sullivan. Continually set up in handicap or multi-man matches, Sullivan voiced his displeasure towards Saint on the final week of June tapings, with the GM giving him one last challenge. Beat TM-61 and you get a title match, if you lose though, you will be as far away from the main event picture as possible.

4) Dakota Kai vs Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay for the NXT UK Women's Championship

It always seemed obvious that Kai would be placed against one or both of the IIconics and as Royce and Kay refused to wrestle each other, the pair decided it was best if only one of them would be in the title match. They decided on Royce, as Kay would be ringside to cheer him partner on and give her the advantage, with the odds stacked against Dakota to become the inaugural NXT UK Women's champion.

5) Aiden English vs Sheamus

In what has been, by far, the most exciting rivalry over the last two months on either brand, NXT UK is bringing an unusual matchup to the tables. This would all begin in the second week of May, as both men would match up in a one on one contest, where English would eventually walk out and give Sheamus the win by count out, stating in a later interview he didn't care to face the Irishman. Not wanting to compete, the week after he began to talk about how he is the future of NXT UK, warning his biggest and best wins are yet to come, promising to be back next week to finish his story. English continued his trash talking the next week but at the beginning of June, GM Saint had enough of English, saying he can run his mouth all he wants, but he needs to back it up in the ring. English was matched up against big man Lars Sullivan and looked to somehow have an upper hand via dirty moves before Sheamus would come out to distract him, giving Sullivan the win. The pair were matched up the next week, but as the bell rang English once again walked out. English tried his cowardly tactics once again, getting EC3 to replace him against Sheamus. On Wednesday, the two had finally been forced into the ring and as English went to run off once again, Sheamus chased him down and delivered a Brogue Kick, promising there was going to be nowhere to hide on Sunday.

6) Roderick Strong w/ The Undisputed Era vs Tyler Bate for the WWE United Kingdom Championship

The storytelling is key here at NXT UK, as it shows here with another great rivalry between Strong and Bate. The pair began their back and forth shots in May after Strong would come to the ring to brag about being the best superstar in the entire NXT UK roster, demanding a title match at TakeOver: Blackpool. Bate would come out to interrupt stating he would have to get through him before he had any chance of naming himself the best of the brand. The two would face off at the beginning of this month, with Strong fooling Bate into a handshake, before pulling away and attacking him. Strong would then convince Alexander Wolfe to take his place against Bate the following week, with Johnny Saint stepping in and announcing Strong, just like English, was a coward and has had enough of them running away, forcing the two to lock horns the next week. The match would never begin as an all out brawl took place with Bate standing tall to end the show. On Wednesday, Bate would once again win, this time against EC3. After the match Strong approached the ring before Bate came after him starting another brawl, with the two then matched up for the championship, announced by Saint after the show.

We are only a couple of hours away from our second, and NXT UK's first, pay-per-view of the year. Tensions are high as a lot of these matches include huge rivalries that are about to boil over. I hope everyone enjoys the event tonight and I look forward to next months' preview of Worlds Collide, as we head even closer to the start of the season. I'll see you then!

All of the weekly shows from May are now available to rewatch on the WWE Network and tune in later on the Network or ESPN to catch the second PPV of the season, NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, live.

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