NXT UK recap for August 7, 2019: Accelerating gently towards Cardiff

Fly-a (into an un-ending nightmare!) with Xia

You ever have a recurring nightmare as a kid? Like one where — even if the other 99 percent of the dream seems completely different — by the end you always wind up in the same horrifying situation and wake up screaming? That’s kind of what Xia Brookside’s entire existence has been in this feud with Jinny. Things seem like they’re going great for Xia, she’s got Jinny on the ropes and then suddenly, oh no, Xia is getting body slammed again.

Not even a team-up with Piper Niven can save poor Xia. Though of course, things might have gone better had Rhea Ripley not shown up.

After some back-and-forth — and another tragically too-short-but-fun-while-it-lasted sequence between Niven and Jazzy Gabert — Brookside is sent to the floor. Unprompted, Ripley emerges from backstage, causing Niven to abandon her corner to fight her. Niven just hates Ripley too much to allow her to show her face during a match she’s not involved in. The hate is so strong, Niven opts to fight Ripley all the way to the back — and then presumably into the parking lot and throughout the entire United Kingdom — leaving Brookside without a tag team partner in this, a tag team match.

Credit to Brookside for wanting to continue to fight in what becomes a glorified handicap match, but you can tell where this is going. Wouldn’t you know it, Xia seems to have Jinny on the ropes when Jazzy Gabert inserts herself into things. Having hit a series of moves on her rival, Brookside has Jinny up on her shoulders, only for Gabert to tag herself in. She’s tag team savvy too, what an investment for Jinny!

But yeah, of all the size discrepancies on the NXT UK roster, none is perhaps more apparent than Brookside and Gabert’s. Despite her valiant effort, Xia’s getting body slammed again. Well, Dominator-ed really, as Gabert hits her finishing move for another victory. Jinny’s business acumen continues to be rivaled only by Jazzy Gabert’s dominance and smokey eye.

Also, hey, does this mean we’re going to actually get Piper and Rhea on the TakeOver card too?