By Ross Casey
Here we go then WSBF fans - it's the next episode of NXT UK from the Download Festival! We begin in the trainers room where #1 contender Travis Banks is taping his wrists and warning WALTER that he better be prepared for tonight's NXT UK Championship match.
MARK ANDREWS v JOSEPH CONNERS
No jacket for Conners tonight and new trousers - which look a bit 1997 era Brian Christopher. Anyhow let's get to the match at hand, eh?
Aiden English says that Conners is here to suck the fun out of Andrews. He is the anti WSBF wrestler! Conners takes control through some grappling before Andrews' pace allows him to evade Conners and land an arm drag into an armbar.
Conners pulls the hair to turn the tide and lands a nice looking rolling neck snap. I have been praising Conners' improved moveset of late and this was further proof of that. The crowd get behind Andrews, but Conners is keeping the pace at his level and grounding White Lightning.
A slight miscommunication where Andrews doesn't fall down for the hop over DDT and both kind of sell their injuries. They carry on professionally and Andrews hits the knee slide enziguri! Love that he hit that at Download!
The pace quickens and Andrews flattens Conners with a tope to the outside to rapturous applause from the crowd. Back in the ring though, Conners hits his flipping buckle bomb into the corner and an amazing move I don't know the name of. Taking James' gimmick there.
Conners goes for DON'T LOOK DOWN once and gets cradled for a two count. He tries a second time and Andrews hits Stundog Millionaire! YOU DON'T SUPLEX ANDREWS.
He follows up with the Shooting Star Press and gets the pinfall victory! I know I'm probably the only person going to bat for him, but I honestly think Conners is good in his role as heel on NXT UK. His matches have been far from boring and he works at a faster pace now with a decent moveset. Andrews remains a genuine fan favourite.
WINNER - MARK ANDREWS
THE HUNT BACKSTAGE
After their attack at the hands of Gallus last week, The Hunt are backstage at Download. They're screaming and shouting, hitting whatever they can find. Dave Mastiff turns up in his wellies and says it seems they have the same problem.
Will they let The Hunt become the hunted? He rallies the troops and it appears we are getting a six man tag between these lot! The sight of The Hunt and Dave Mastiff in wellington boots screaming into each-others faces is something you will only see on NXT UK and I bloody love it.
GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS PROMO
OK, so we are getting a Zack Gibson promo at the Download Festival. I need some time to brace myself for how good this is going to be... before I notice both he and Drake are wearing Tesco carrier bags over their shoes.
HAHAHAHHA. What a brand.
Gibson says they are champions and locker room leaders but GM Johnny Saint thinks it is funny to make them travel to Download to perform in front of dirty, sweaty goths. First pop! A bunch of punters willing to spend hundreds of pounds on a ticket but not two quid on deodorant. Second pop!
He carries on saying that Download is supposed to be a music festival but he hasn't heard a single song yet where he can decipher any instrument. They don't wish to be here any longer than they need to be, so they will be
Until they face Moustache Mountain they are going to head back to their 5* hotel, pop some Ben Howard on and relax, away from this cesspool. Third pop!
What a promo. What a guy.
RHEA RIPLEY v PIPER NIVEN PROMO
We get a pretty cool package showing how Rhea was the dominant woman on the brand until Piper Niven turned up. The Scot has vowed to give the Aussie a taste of her own medicine and we get that match next week! HYPE!
XIA BROOKSIDE v KILLER KELLY
This match came about a few weeks ago, when Killer Kelly left Xia to the brutal hands of Jazzy Gabert alone, walking out of the ring not willing to put up a fight.
For someone who was put in that situation, Xia does the right thing by going hell for leather at the bell, desperate to gain a measure of revenge. Xia lands a headscissors and a dropkick, but gets caught by the superior strength of Kelly and eats a bridging Cyclone suplex - don't see them much these days! (You can still find 'em.)
Kelly stands on Xia's hair and works the wrist... yeah she's a heel now! BLOODY HELL, she nearly gouges Xia's eyes out with the camera work alarmingly good on that shot. Ewww.
The assault continues, with Kelly pounding away with strikes on the much smaller Brookside. Mid match Jinny and Jazzy Gabert appear on the stage. It distracts Xia, who gets clobbered from behind by Kelly - who then gives a beaming smile to the heels on the ramp!
Kelly rolls her up, but Xia kicks out at two, hits a codebreaker and wins! Blimey, that was out of nowhere. Xia continues her impressive streak, whilst they seem to be teasing that Kelly is joining the House of Couture 2.0.
WINNER - XIA BROOKSIDE
TONI STORM BACKSTAGE PROMO
Toni is asked about Kay Lee Ray winning the battle royal and therefore a title shot. She says that she hasn't said when she wants a crack at shiny, shiny and that is a shame as Toni didn't have KLR down as all talk...
She adds that she will just have to be ready all the time - which is OK because it's Toni Time All The Time!
NOAM DAR v LIGERO
I saw this match live as part of the TNA tryout at the York Hall. That match was mad good. Hoping for something similar tonight!
Noam Dar takes off his jacket and waves it at Ligero, like a bullfighter to a bull. He is a premium prick and I love booing him. Dar backs Ligero into a corner to begin and basically wanks off his horns before bailing out of the ring and mocking him. Noam for Prime Minister.
Back in the ring he slaps a sleeper on and plays with the horns again, before tripping Ligero up and bailing from the ring once more. The ultimate wind up artist!
Ligero takes advantage of the situation and mocks Dar this time, who DOES NOT find that funny. He gets Ligs in another sleeper and when he gets pushed off, he again holds onto the horns. When you watch Okada you watch for wrist control - when you watch Ligero, you watch for horn control...
Kenny Williams arrives with a chair. Are we going to see him getting under Noam Dar's wing tonight? He's currently watching his friend trying to tear off Ligero's horns whilst he has him in a submission.
Ligero fights out and tries to land his C4L Tornado DDT, but Dar ducks and synches in an ankle lock. Ligero fights out but eats a Fishermans Buster! We then get a series of strikes and both men are down - which the crowd come alive for!
Dar is first up and attempts to land a move off the top but lands feet first and then feigns an injury like his hero Luis Suarez. Whilst the ref is stopping Ligero from proceeding with his back turned, Dar asks Williams for his chair...
Williams gets up to hand it to Dar but then doesn't release the chair to him and walks away, showing he is not ready for Noam's wing just yet... he will though, right?
Back in the ring Ligero rolls up Dar for three! Post match Dar looks upset at Williams, whilst Kenny laughs at him.
WINNER - LIGERO
MAIN EVENT - NXT UK CHAMPIONSHIP WALTER (C) v TRAVIS BANKS
Travis Banks goes for leg kicks to begin with, aiming to chop down the oak. WALTER takes them without much hassle and lobs him to the other side of the ring.
Unfazed, the Kiwi continues his strategy once back on his feet and it goes well until he eats a horrible looking back elbow. WALTER then picks him up places him over the buckle and slaps his chest, before choking him out with his boot off the turnbuckle, onto the apron and then all the way to the floor.
WALTER stands in the middle of the ring with his Imperium pose, soaking in the boos and is seemingly happy with taking the countout win. What happened to this guy? BOOO.
Banks battles into the ring but EATS a big boot from Big Daddy! He eventually gets into the match by chopping down WALTER's legs with kicks. WALTER then misses his big missile dropkick, allowing Banks to hit the double stomp off the top for a close 3.
Banks then goes for the Slice of Heaven, but WALTER catches him and locks in a boston crab. Banks takes out the knee, this time, hits slice of heaven and WALTER rolls to the apron. Banks follows with kicks, dropkicks him to the floor and follows with a suicide dive.
Back in and WALTER cuts him off with a big boot to the floor. WALTER follows with GRIM chops, and an apron bomb. Back in and WALTER hits another powerbomb for the win. A sprint but an effective one. These two can do much better, given more time.
However, that was a clean win without assistance - back of the line you go, Travis!
WINNER - WALTER
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