4 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE NXT UK (20 May)

2. Fighting Without My Family

Around one in ten confrontations at the UK Performance Center fail to land. Ashton Smith and Teoman found this out first-hand, as their interaction last night was dire. When something in professional wrestling, be it a match, video package, or promo, is incapable of establishing anything, you’ve got a problem.

Here, Ashton was congratulated by a reporter for becoming a new father. When Teoman approached him and did the exact same, Smith noted it was a year ago it happened. The former Lucky Kid cut a bland promo on how family is everything, before asking him where Oliver Carter is. You see, he’s supposed to be Ashton’s family, too.

On the plus side, it’s good to see Teoman is moving up the card a bit by getting involved with mid-card talent rather than quintessential jobbers. If this is what we have to look forward to, though, it’s perhaps a step in the wrong direction. The German native is a cracking promo, but even he couldn’t help this.

It’s presumably now going to lead to a singles bout where Teoman wins, attacks Smith post-match, and witnesses the return of Carter. It’s basic booking, and in wrestling, basic rarely means effective.