NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool - Ranking the matches

NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool had a lot to prove. Could the upstart brand possibly live up to its older brother and the critically acclaimed NXT: TakeOver series? Well, not quite, but the first ever event under the NXT UK banner performed admirably, delivering more than was expected given a card that some people referred to as weak. There was also a huge surprise at the end that showed us what the future has in store for the brand.

Given everything that happened, I would say that NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool was a success, but not a smashing one. It was still some solid hours of content, though, which was a nice way to spend a cold January afternoon over here in the US.

Five matches were on the card, as per usual with a TakeOver. If you didn't catch the event live, which ones should you watch later? I'll answer that question for you.

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#5 Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis

Dave Mastiff proved himself the UK's resident monster.

No TakeOver match is ever bad. This one just happened to be the weakest on the night. It was a battle of monsters between Dave Mastiff and Eddie Dennis, with a no disqualification stipulation. Dennis had his undefeated streak broken by Mastiff, so he vowed that he was going to do the same in Blackpool.

However, the match didn't quite live up to some of the no DQ matches that we've seen elsewhere. Mastiff and Dennis worked the match a bit slow, and while there were some big spots, such as the former's cannonball through a table in order to put away his opponent, there wasn't anything special or innovative about this match today. It never got into higher gear, in other words.

It was solid but unspectacular.

#4 Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

The last laugh?

Like many of Toni Storm's matches, I was somewhat underwhelmed by this. It was a fine match, but something about it just didn't quite connect to make it into a classic. It went to the well of a couple of finisher kickouts from both parties. Your mileage may vary, but I generally dislike matches that need to rely on those to build suspense.

The strongest aspect of the match was Ripley's character work. She bullied Storm for most of the match, using her size and power to advantage, but she isn't the finished item yet. As a result, the beatdown didn't get quite to the level that it could have. It was an inferior encounter compared to Ripley's match with Io Shirai in the Mae Young Classic semi-final.

Still, it was a solid contest, with a result that most of you would probably have predicted.

#3 Finn Balor vs. Jordan Devlin

Surprise!

Well, wasn't this a surprise! Originally scheduled to take on the "Kiwi Buzzsaw," Travis Banks, Jordan Devlin took him out before the match started. This left him without an opponent, so one of the big guns came in. To help put this show over the top, Finn Balor made a surprise appearance.

It was a contest of the student vs. the mentor, and the mentor prevailed, showing that he was still the best to come out of Ireland. Devlin's arrogance wasn't going to be able to be enough to get one over on a real major league player.

The match itself was a good, solid wrestling match between two talented opponents. There was nothing classic about it, but it was a fast-paced, fun way to keep the show coming after a big, crowd-pleasing surprise.

More interbrand competition, please! Anyone else looking forward to the Worlds Collide tournament?

#2 Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey

Would Dunne's 600-day reign come to an end?

This was a strange match. It was suspenseful, and at the same time, it dragged on far too long. It went to the well with finisher kickouts one too many times and had a strange ending, but at the same time, it made you actually believe more than once that Pete Dunne's record-breaking reign as United Kingdom Champion was going to come to an end.

At the end of the day, it's hard to say yes or no to this match! If you're looking for a calibre of matches that you've seen Dunne have against the likes of Tyler Bate or Ricochet, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for some suspense, you'll probably like it.

The big story coming out of this match was after it was over, when WALTER finally made his maiden WWE appearance. Dunne might want to count down the days...

#1 Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson and James Drake

Double tap?!

The opening match was the match of the night and an early match of the year contender. If you're going to watch a match on this show, watch this one.

This was something of a spotfest rather than a deep story (although it did have some great tag team awareness to it), but it was a high-paced, adrenaline-filled spotfest, with innovative spots that had the crowd dropping their collective jaws. One of these was an electric chair suicide dive to the outside. Just watch it.

And by the way, please refer to Tyler Bate as "Strong Boy" now. After his insane Airplane Spin, he deserves the moniker that the Blackpool crowd was giving to him.

It's always important to begin a card strongly. This opening match amped everyone up. It will amp you up as well. I guarantee it.