NXT UK recap, October 10: The Frenemy Zone

Your recap of the October 10, 2019 edition of NXT UK, featuring Piper Niven and Jazzy Gabert meeting in the main event.

Of late, we’ve been talking here about NXT UK taking the proverbial next step in its development as a brand. TakeOver: Cardiff was such a high. But while the episodes since have had good entertaining acton in them, the matches have felt inconsequential for the most part. Well, put a pin in that sentiment, because it seems some sort of next step has materialized.

With Vic Joseph being demoted to Rusev cuckold storyline reaction duty as play-by-play man on popular,  long-running television program Monday Night Raw, a hole has opened at the NXT UK commentary desk. Vic’s woes combined with Michael Cole returning to his roots on SmackDown has aligned the stars for Tom Phillips to become the new play-by-play man alongside Nigel McGuiness. Tom Phillips! The “double-triple crown winning announcer” joins NXT UK completes the Infinity Gauntlet of WWE announcing gigs. This is what you call a paradigm shift.

Oh, but what about the next step for the actual wrestling on the wrestling show you say? Wow, AEW airs two episodes of a weekly television show and all of a sudden you’re clamoring for wrestling in your wrestling? Alright then, let’s consider wrestlers wrestling by jumping into the October 10 edition of NXT UK:

The enemy of my enemies if my frenemy

For a hyped main event featuring two of the more physically-imposing wrestlers in NXT UK, Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert is remarkably short on physically imposing wrestling. It’s more hoss scuffle than it is hoss fight. Yet, it still manages to dovetail into a very intriguing storyline development for all involved. You just can’t predict wrestling.

https://twitter.com/NXTUK/status/1182381325656788992

Much is made of Niven’s back problems, dating back to her loss to Rhea Ripley a handful of weeks ago. Accordingly, Jazzy Gabert goes right after said back. Niven has the momentum off the bat, but Jinny is distracting the ref soon after, allowing Gabert to strike from behind (again).

Gabert treats Niven’s back like a punching bag with various strikes. She slams Niven to the ground and steps on her back, grabbing her arms and wrenching them for even more torque and damage. Niven rallies though, and hits a couple of head butts and a crossbody splash.

https://twitter.com/viperpiperniven/status/1182651785741262851

Of course, Jinny gets involved with the distractions again as danger presents itself. This time however, she gets dragged into the ring by Niven who gifts her a head butt as well. While all this is going on and the ref is audibly telling a dazed-by-skull-to-skull-damage Jinny she has to get the hell out of the ring, Gabert is regrouping on the outside.

Unfortunately for Gabert and the breath she’s trying to catch, Rhea Ripley (!) comes out of nowhere to kick her directly in the face (lest we forget that Jinny and Jazzy tried to intimidate Ripley a couple of weeks ago to no avail). Ripley rolls Gabert back in the ring where Niven lands a senton and grabs the three-count. Uhh, whaaaaaaa?

The unlikely allies stand on the outside and crack smiles at each other as Ripley heads to the back. Ripley injured Niven’s back, but now she has her back? YOU JUST CAN’T PREDICT WRESTLING.