4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE NXT UK (Nov 14)
1. Bate Your B*llocks In
James Drake is just another angry hard heel on a roster full of them at the moment, but the heat he garnered for daring to step to one of the show's hometown heroes was legitimately impressive and anchored what may have otherwise only been a middling match.
One mourns slightly for the year of two halves Tyler Bate had in 2017 and the disjointed one it created for him in 2018. The crown jewel of the project initially, his match-of-the-year-candidate loss to Pete Dunne at TakeOver: Chicago transferred his early success directly on to the 'Bruiserweight'. Jobbing to Enzo Amore on 205 Live later in the year never got it back.
This show could be the perfect place for Bate to be the best again. If NXT or the main roster won't ever make the most of the former and first UK Champion, let his original WWE home be the permanent one. James Drake was a beneficiary here, how many other opponents could feasibly take their careers to the next step on the wrong end of a Tyler Driver '97?