NXT UK Recap for July 24, 2019: Download Crashed

NO TOUCHING!

Last week Kay Lee Ray — proud owner of an NXT UK Women’s title shot whenever she wants — officially announced her challenge to Toni Storm for NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff. She also vowed to make the champion’s life a living hell. Apparently, her plan for doing this is to never allow Storm to touch her. Ever.

In NXT UK’s first-ever six-woman tag team match, Ray teamed up with Jinny and Jazzy Gabert to take on Storm, Xia Brookside and Piper Niven. Given the glut of multi-person tag matches that occur on the main roster — matches that are usually un-inspired methods of advancing multiple stories at once so Shane McMahon can get more screen time or whatever — it felt pretty odd that NXT UK would expect us to get excited over the FIRST-EVER six-woman tag team match in the brand’s history. Like, oh great, you all ran out of ideas, now we can finally see some mostly inconsequential action.

https://twitter.com/XiaBrooksideWWE/status/1154109445334544395

However, it does end up being a very enjoyable match. Ray’s constant avoidance of Storm is an effective way of playing up her head-games, and that heel dynamic of “I decide when we fight, even when we’re in a match together.” Also, it’s pretty funny when she consciously gets out the way of a Storm dive, but is perfectly fine being in the line of fire for Niven and Brookside aerial moves seconds later. That’s how committed she is.

Let’s not forget the other players either. After what seemed like maybe the end of their feud last week, Brookside and Jinny get to square off again, with Jazzy Gabert once again being a major factor. Niven’s addition is also a nice wrinkle, if only because it gives the “most dominant woman in NXT UK” something to do coming off her big defeat of Rhea Ripley. Why not put her up against another woman who has done nothing but dominate since debuting?

Sadly, their interactions are limited, but it’s certainly a matchup to look forward to in the future. Especially if they end up giving Piper and Xia a little tag team run against Jinny and Jazzy. Never previously teaming together, those two get in some tandem offense with Niven wheelbarrow slamming Xia onto Jinny, before hitting an elbow drop herself. Put them in that Women’s Tag Team division that’s supposed to exist. Why not?

Unfortunately, no matter the punishment Jinny has to endure, she still has Gabert on the payroll. With Brookside on the top rope perhaps poised to finish off Jinny, Gabert pulled the would-be assailant down, sending her to the middle turnbuckle, saving her employer yet again. This opening allowed Jinny to hit a facebuster, with Xia still perched on the middle turnbuckle, and to pin her underdog adversary for the third time.

Hiring Gabert has perhaps been the headiest upper management investment made in the last decade. Plus, it allowed Ray to get a win over Storm without having to actually do anything to her. A classic Jinny-esque victory. Jinny may be the greatest mind professional wrestling has ever seen, she’s really onto some ingenious things.