6 Ups And 2 Downs From NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool

4. Balor Club Takes Over TakeOver

finn balor jordan devlin
WWE.com

You could try to make the argument that NXT should have advertised Finn Balor’s appearance, but his arrival Saturday provided a huge jolt to the live audience and made the WWE Network event more of a “must-see” affair.

Jordan Devlin took out his opponent, Travis Banks, before the match, aggravating an injury he caused earlier in the day. Devlin took the mic and started bragging that he was the greatest Irish wrestler alive, which never works out well.

Cue Balor, who actually trained Devlin, to have an impromptu matchup, which was more competitive that you might have thought it would have been. Jordan mocked his teacher and tried to gain the upper-hand, but to no avail. Balor naturally toppled Devlin after a few near-falls.

Just like that, the UK TakeOver got a shot of star power and a memorable moment for its debut show.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.