As NXT UK’s debut year comes to a close, let’s take a look at the performers who have made the biggest impact.
Ever since it’s debut in Cambridge of October last year, NXT UK has risen quickly to become of the most exciting hours of wrestling broadcasting around. But who has stood out in those twelve months?
5. Rhea Ripley
After ploughing her way through and winning the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Championship Tournament and beating the odds-on favourite Toni Storm in the final, Ripley’s rise has been astronomical. Fresh off the back of Tegan Nox’ injury in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, Rhea went on to build a strong foundation for the NXT UK women’s division in her 139-day reign as NXT UK Women’s Champion, defeating the likes of Isla Dawn and Deonna Purrazzo before her eventual loss to Toni Storm at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. The sheer strength in Ripley’s character created the perfect hurdle in Storm’s rise, and the charisma she bled in promo segments particularly in the weeks leading into TakeOver: Blaclpool made for a gripping story.
After bowing out of NXT UK at the most recent tapings, I am sure that she will look back at her run fondly as she continues to make waves over in the United States.
4. Noam Dar
Noam Dar’s story in NXT UK is an interesting one. Some people might have forgotten about his first run where he became the #1 contender for the WWE UK Title at the Royal Albert Hall then subsequently lost to Pete Dunne in the main event of the pilot episode. After another loss a couple of weeks later to Zack Gibson, Dar would not be seen on NXT UK TV until January of 2019 when he relocated back home to Scotland. The move home was a big reset for Dar as a new lease of life was added to his character as he entered an excellent feud with Mark Andrews where after their first match in Coventry ending in a double-injury, Dar scored his first win in NXT UK on home turf as he defeated Andrews in Glasgow. Since then, not only would he go on to have a show-stealing match against Kenny Williams in June, but would cap his Summer off by defeating Travis Banks at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.
In more recent times, Dar has found himself playing mind games with Trent Seven in a rivalry that has sparked an uncharacteristically-aggressive edge from Seven, which has been a very intriguing change of character for the pillar of NXT UK.
3. Kassius Ohno
For years, fans have expressed disappointment at the utilisation of Kassius Ohno on NXT’s flagship brand in America, which is understandable considering the incredible matches he has had on the independent scene. A move to NXT UK in February 2019, however, gave Ohno the platform to showcase his world-class wrestling psychology on a WWE stage.
It didn’t take long for him to impress. In the first half of 2019 alone, he had excellent matches with WALTER, Travis Banks, Ligero and Jack Gallagher. It seems to me that he has well and truly thrown himself into NXT UK with great commitment, and his contributions to the growth of the brand are plentiful. He isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, either. Ohno’s second half of 2019 is proving to be just as strong as the first. Not only did he have a very unique British ‘rounds’ match with Sid Scala, but his matches against Tyler Bate and A-Kid from the recent tapings in Brentwood were fantastic and I cannot wait to be able to watch them back. Based on Ohno’s track record this year, who knows what could be in store for him next?
2. Marcel Barthel
Since signing with WWE and moving to Orlando back in early 2017, the man formerly known as Axel Dieter Jr. might have disappeared from some’s radars as he mostly wrestled non-televised NXT live events in Florida. In October 2018, however, Barthel’s career saw a rapid incline after debuting on NXT UK in Plymouth. After establishing his character as a singles performer, Barthel’s success came mainly after aligning with Fabian Aichner whose WWE story happens to be very similar.
The ‘European Union’ tag team formed the foundation for NXT UK’s most dominant stable – Imperium. Consisting of WALTER, Barthel, Aichner and later Alexander Wolfe, Imperium is WWE’s take on RingKampf; a faction of wrestlers who hold respect for wrestling and see it as a serious sport. To my surprise, Imperium’s most prominent voice is not that of the faction’s leader WALTER. Most of the talking is instead done by Marcel Barthel whom throughout 2019 has shown excellent promo skills as he controls the crowds and delivers his messages clearly and coherently. Add this to his impressive list of matches, and it very clear why Barthel is destined for great things as he appears to make waves over in the United States.
1. Jordan Devlin
It didn’t take long for Jordan Devlin to prove why he is the best wrestler in the world. Sure, he had been known on the British and Irish independent scenes for a good while before NXT UK came around, but a WWE UK Championship match against Pete Dunne from the second NXT UK taping showed a wider audience just how good Devlin is. Though I couldn’t list as many big matches as I could for Kassius Ohno, Devlin has consistently been a very strong character throughout NXT UK’s debut year whilst simultaneously having excellent matches against the likes of Noam Dar, WALTER and the incredible trilogy with Travis Banks.
Whilst a WWE UK Title reign might not come Devlin’s way any time soon, his extraordinary talent certainly cannot be denied and I’m sure he will be on top of NXT UK at some point in the brand’s second year.
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You can find the author of this article on @DeiOwen. Thanks for reading!