Ilja Dragunov relinquished the NXT after suffering a severe ankle injury against Wolfgang
Sporting crutches, a button-down shirt, a walking boot on his left leg and the NXT UK Championship around his waist, Ilja Dragunov still found a way to pull himself up the steel steps and into the ring to the adoring cheers from the NXT UK Universe.
An emotional Dragunov revealed that he suffered a severe ankle injury very early in his title bout with Wolfgang before explaining that “this brand has had only fighting champions” and that the medical team will not clear him.
Saying that “he sees bits of himself laying around the canvas” and telling everyone that they can endure any pain and still win, Dragunov vowed to come back as a better man and promised that he would be obsessed with getting it back.
With that, Dragunov left the title in the middle of the squared circle and received a standing ovation as he took his leave. General Manager Johnny Saint and Assistant to the General Manager Sid Scala later revealed that a new champion would be determined in an eight-Superstar tournament!
Oliver Carter def. Rohan Raja
Even though his friend and tag team partner Ashton Smith is on the shelf with an injury and Oliver Carter has been left without backup, Carter stuck by his principles and refused to join Die Familie, a trio with a questionable moral code.
Carter brought the fight to Rohan Raja by blitzing him with several right hands at the opening bell, seemingly catching his opponent by surprise with his aggressiveness.
Having to deal with near constant interference from Teoman and Charlie Dempsey, Raja nevertheless obliterated each of Rohan’s cohorts with a crossbody to ringside, then scored the win by cracking Raja with a spinning heel kick in the corner.
And in a scene that has become all too familiar, Die Familie issued a savage post-match beatdown to Carter, punctuated by Dempsey ensnaring him in a half Boston Crab until officials finally intervened.
Sha Samuels def. Bodhi Hayward
Though Bodhi Hayward clearly had good intentions when he approached Sha Samuels outside the NXT UK Performance Center, the down-on-his-luck Samuels still blew up at the Chase University student when Hayward attempted to give him a pep talk and encourage him to apply to Chase University.
Samuels was in no better of a mood when he hit the ring to battle Hayward, as the disheveled Superstar begged for change from the fans before competing in a tattered and stained tank top.
Hayward seemed to be closing in on victory when he caught his airborne opponent and planted him into the mat with a powerslam, some chop blocks and a standing splash. Samuels, however, evaded a hard-charging Hayward and blasted him with the decisive spinebuster, and the suddenly exuberant competitor even hugged the official after the three-count.
Blair Davenport vs. Isla Dawn ended in a No Contest; Davenport, Dawn, Amale and Eliza Alexander brawled to conclude NXT UK
An enraged Blair Davenport hit the squared circle ranting about how she would be NXT UK Women’s Champion if she didn’t suffer an ankle injury, vowing to continue to cause chaos if she didn’t immediately receive a title match.
Davenport mostly ignored Sid Scala when he attempted to reason with her, but she was quickly joined by Amale, Eliza Alexander and Isla Dawn, who all staked their claim to a championship bout. Scala then ruled that Dawn and Davenport would immediately have a match and that the winner would be the new No. 1 Contender.
A spirited slugfest ensued, but Alexander yanked Dawn out of the ring when The White Witch covered Davenport, sparking a wild brawl between Davenport, Amale, Dawn and Alexander.
Officials did their best to separate the four frenzied competitors, but NXT UK concluded without a new No. 1 Contender to the NXT UK Women’s Championship.