Dave Mastiff's squash was the standout highlight from a mixed bag in Week One of NXT UK, so it's been criminal we've been made to wait so long to see more of the former World Of Sport monster.
In defence of WWE's booking of these particular shows, Mastiff still stood out on a far better episode, and the knackered Cambridge crowd were still loud for all of his impressive offense.
Mastiff was once the type of heel that only went down well at Butlins shows - wrestling was full of monsters far bigger than him, so his place was a relegated spot as a big fish in a tiny pond. The pond's got bigger since, but the smaller fish have taken it back. Big Dave looks the type that would drag his a*se more than this laboured aqueous metaphor - the shock of his supreme athleticism yet again made one of the biggest splashes.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
