WWE NXT Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, And Grades For September 13
Pete Dunne gets ready to defend his UK Title against Wolfgang on WWE NXT. Credit: WWE.com
Pete Dunne vs. Wolfgang
Result: Pete Dunne wins with The Bitter End
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Two former allies will square off on NXT’s main event tonight, with Pete Dunne defending his sought-after United Kingdom Championship against Wolfgang. Before the match, Wolfgang says he’s never been more ready for a match in his life and announces that he will take the UK Title tonight, noting that he just defeated Tyler Bate (the first UK champion). Meanwhile, Dunne says nothing in his interview, simply gripping the title in his mouth. Perfect.
Dunne enters the ring to a rousing pop with the title in his mouth, and “The Bruiserweight” feels like one of the biggest stars in the world when he makes an entrance.
To star the match, Dunne does his customary manipulation of the hand, but Wolfgang has none of it, slamming Dunne to the ground to display his size advantage. Dunne continues to work Wolfgang’s hands, pulling his fingers back, and this pressure is constant. At every chance he gets, Dunne attacks Wolfgang’s fingers.
The trading of holds and reversals are wonderfully done, and the attention to detail is apparent. The match starts to heat up when Dunne hits Wolfgang with a hard right, but Wolfgang starts to show off his strength with another slam, followed closely by a gutwrench.
Wofgang’s power advantage is short-lasted, as “The Bruiserweight” violently snaps his challenger’s fingers back before hitting him with a smooth DDT onto the apron.
After the break, we see Dunne working Wolfgang’s shoulder with a bodyscissors hold that is broken out of with a wonderful suplex as the announce team continues to harp on the power vs. technique story.
Dunne delivers an enziguri into the corner, but Wolfgang gets his heat back, sending Dunne outside the ring before hitting a gorgeous tope con hilo followed by a picture-perfect moonsault for a nearfall that gets the crowd bickering.
Just when he looks to be in trouble, Dunne hits Wolfgang with his vertical suplex, but Wolfgang one-ups him with a sick delayed superplex. He goes for one more big move with a senton bomb from the top rope, but Dunne counters it intelligently into a crossarmbreaker. Wolfgang and Dunne trade strikes and counters in an excellent sequence finished off by Wolfgang hitting Dunne with a pop-up powerslam. But Dunne kicks out.
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Dunne hits “The Bitter End to score the victory after more great moves and counters are displayed. This was a great short-but-sweet match that gives fans a glimpse at how good Wolfgang is, and it’s a reminder that the 23-year-old Dunne is one of the best wrestlers in the world. This was a fun main event, and I’d recommend it to any fan of the product.
The Undisputed Era begins, because after the match, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish enter the ring with Dunne alone. Dunne tries to fight all of them but is quickly overwhelmed. Wolfgang comes to Dunne’s aid, but Dunne leaves the ring. Cole then hits Wolfgang with a Shining Wizard, as the trio yells that they are “The Undisputed”. Cole yells, “This is our NXT!”
The show ends as Trent Seven and Tyler Bate enter the ring with Wolfgang beaten up in the center of it, and we’ll have to see how Regal address all of this.