WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool Highlights, Grades, and Analysis

Credit: WWE.com

NXT UK Tag Team Championship Match: Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake

NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool got off to a hot start with a tag team contest to crown the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions. A four-team tournament was created to crown the first pair of champions, and both these teams had strong competition on their way to Blackpool.

Moustache Mountain qualified with a big win over Mark Coffey and Wolfgang of Gallus, while Gibson and Drake qualified by defeating Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews. It’s led to this spectacular clash worthy of crowning the first set of champions.

Right off the bat, the crowd in the Empress Ballroom is already losing their minds. Not only is the crowd extremely supportive of Tyler Bate of Moustache Mountain, but they’re happy to berate Zack Gibson with their disdain for the Liverpudlian with a chant of “If you hate Gibson, shoes off!”

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Tyler Bate and Zack Gibson opened with some back and forth action, but neither man got a clear advantage. Things swapped out with Drake and Seven in the ring, but the two men remained evenly matched.

After some more work by both teams trying to get an advantage, Trent Seven finally started to dictate the pace over James Drake. A blind tag by Zack Gibson helped the team known elsewhere as Grizzled Young Veterans take control, much to the dismay of the crowd.

As an aside, Moustache Mountain are channeling The British Bulldogs with their gear, but all I keep doing is looking at their bright red thighs and thinking they’ve got some sort of nuclear sunburn. However, gear choices didn’t prevent Trent Seven from fighting through a barrage at the hands of Gibson and Drake.

Trent Seven wasn’t slowing down, but the damage was clear as a stray forearm by James Drake busted open the back of Trent’s head. As the match continued and Gibson wore him down, Seven’s blondie hair began to change shades and show just what these men are willing to do to become champions.

Finally, Trent Seven found his way to the proper corner and got a red hot tag to Tyler Bate. With the crowd behind him, Bate rolled in and cleared house before taking Drake for an airplane spin. Amazingly, Bate followed it up by lifting both Gibson and Drake on his shoulders for a huge double airplane spin!

With Moustache Mountain back in control, Seven planted Gibson with a Burning Hammer that looked like it would be enough for the win, but Drake managed to break things up. Bate and Seven were looking to finish off Drake, but a well-timed Ticket to Ride by Gibson stopped it.

Gibson put Seven into the mat with Helter Skelter and James Drake hit a picture perfect 450 Splash, but somehow Trent Seven kicked out! The crowd is fired up, and this match is already setting the bar high for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.

Gibson managed to get Seven into Shankly Gates and was looking for the submission victory, but an all-heart effort by Tyler Bate managed to break it up before Seven had to tap out. Both teams are feeling the exhaustion of things, and looking for an advantage to try and pick up the win.

Tyler Bate rebounded off the ropes and hit his huge clothesline while Seven simultaneously planted Drake with a momentum-assisted dragon suplex, but Drake still kicked out. Zack Gibson got Bate on his shoulders on the outside, and Drake came flying with a suicide dive for a modified doomsday device taking Bate out of the equation!

Back in the ring, Gibson and Drake finally nailed Trent Seven with Ticket to Mayhem. Tyler Bate was still down on the outside and unable to break things up as the referee counted the pinfall crowning Zack Gibson and James Drake the new NXT UK Tag Team Champions!

Grade: A, a blistering opener that really helped hype the crowd up and established Drake and Gibson as a top-tier tag team by defeating former NXT Tag Champions Moustache Mountain.