NXT UK recap, August 21: Face-to-Face

What’s the rent like in Toni Storm’s head?

Getting in some needed action before her championship match at Cardiff, Kay Lee Ray easily defeated Shax. Keeping that “I will make Toni Storm’s life a living hell” mindset alive, Ray was vicious in how she went after Shax, hardly giving the NXT UK newcomer any opportunities.

After kicking Shax in the face as she leapt from the ropes, Ray hit the Widow’s Peak/Gory Bomb to end it. The only other thing of note from this match is that Shax came to the ring wearing a tiny hat, kind of like Storm used to do, which felt kind of almost significant.

Kicking Shax again, this time out of the ring as if she were a member of Imperium, Ray gets a mic. She starts going into how Storm is actually a very weak and fragile individual, not this big star worthy of our admiration. At Cardiff, Ray promises to take away the one thing that means the most to her former best friend, duh, the NXT UK Women’s Championship.

Opting to not wait a week to voice her opinions on everything we just heard in a promo of her own, Storm comes down to the ring. Unwavering in her previously mentioned mindset however, Ray does not stop insulting Storm for one second. Ray says that she, a cool person, has lots of friends who always want to hang out with her. On the other side of things, Toni, a loser, only has her championship to keep her company.

If you think that’s cold, Ray continues to escalate the issue, stating that Storm is the reason the two of them aren’t friends anymore, that none of her friends or family call her anymore, that all of her ex-boyfriends are ex-boyfriends.

Realizing she’s cracked open Storm’s head and slithered in there, Ray caps off her parade of insults by saying Toni’s father abandoned her family because he realized how worthless and pathetic his daughter was. Well, she almost finishes saying that, but then Storm smacks her hard across the face.

Catharsis for the moment for Storm, but it’s clear that Ray has rattled her. Storm is looking as vulnerable as ever heading into Cardiff.