On Saturday, January 12, WWE presented the first-ever NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool , and it was quite an incredible show. There were five total matches on the card and every single one of them delivered in huge fashion. Not only were two new champions crowned during the event, but there was also a major debut which fans have been hoping to see soon, and Vince McMahon watched every single “awesome” minute.
Earlier this week, Triple H announced the opening of the WWE UK Performance Center, so, it’s been a huge week over in the United Kingdom. Wrestling is huge all over the world, but WWE knows just how much the fans love it in Europe and they’re making sure to stay on top of it all.
Saturday made things even better as the first true live event for NXT UK took place with TakeOver: Blackpool and the superstars gave the fans everything they had as recapped by the official website of WWE .
Zack Gibson & James Drake defeated Moustache Mountain to become the first-ever NXT UK Tag Team Champions
This was a great opener which could have gone either way, but Gibson and Drake eventually walked away with the brand new belts. The ending saw some insane back-and-forth action before Trent Seven was hit with the Ticket To Mayhem and pinned for the finish.
#MustacheMountain crumbles to @JamesDrake_GYT & @ZackGibson01. #NXTUKTakeOver #NXTUKTagTitles #NXTUK #AndNew pic.twitter.com/xZFNukDB2k
— NXT UK (@NXTUK) January 12, 2019
Fin Balor defeated Jordan Devlin
Jordan Devlin was set to face Travis Banks, but a pre-match brawl saw the latter unable to fight due to an injured knee. Devlin needed an opponent, though, and it ended up being Raw superstar Finn Balor who picked up the win with the Coup de Grace.
Dave Mastiff defeated Eddie Dennis in a No Disqualification Match
If you want to see a truly brutal fight between two men that just wanted to beat one another down, watch the replay of this one. Both superstars brought in and used things such as kendo sticks, chairs, tables, and even the ring steps.
The ending came when Mastiff nailed Dennis with a vicious Cannonball for the win.
Toni Storm defeated Rhea Ripley to become the new NXT UK Women’s Champion
Either woman could have picked up the victory here, and the fans had no idea who would walk out with the title. Toni Storm somehow became the first person to ever kick out of the Riptide which led to Ripley kicking out of Storm Zero.
Eventually, Storm got the upper-hand once more and won the title with another Storm Zero.
Pete Dunne defeated Joe Coffey to retain the WWE UK Championship
The evening of the first-ever NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool ended with Pete Dunne continuing his monstrous run with the WWE UK Championship. The BruiserWeight had to keep going back to the well to deliver more punishment, but eventually, he forced Coffey to submit.
Both the fans in attendance and Vince McMahon realized that greatness should be recognized.
Yes, I watched #NXTUKTakeOver . Yes, it was awesome. pic.twitter.com/bk9uQ2ObGh
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) January 12, 2019
Everyone thought that might have been the end of the big night, but there was one big surprise waiting for Pete Dunne. As he was celebrating his title victory, one of the biggest international independent wrestlers in the world made his NXT UK debut.
WALTER had officially arrived.
Can ANYONE beat @PeteDunneYxB …
What about THIS GUY? @WalterAUT #NXTUK #UKChampionship #NXTUKTakeOver pic.twitter.com/q3RDglSu5M
— WWE (@WWE) January 12, 2019
The #BruiserWeight @PeteDunneYxB isn’t backing down to the imposing @WalterAUT ! #UKChampionship #NXTUKTakeOver #NXTUK pic.twitter.com/AzQ4pxaN1Q
— WWE (@WWE) January 12, 2019
Pete Dunne retained his title. Toni Storm captured the NXT UK Women’s Championship. The first-ever NXT UK Tag Team Champions were crowned. WALTER made his official WWE debut by facing off with Dunne in the center of the ring. It was a great evening for the company and the full results of NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool will certainly have wrestling fans talking for a long time.
