7 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Feb 14)

by Andy H Murray

1. Strong Vs. Dunne Delivers

Pete Dunne Roderick Strong
WWE.com

Though hampered by a slightly muted crowd in the early stages (you're watching two of the best wrestlers in the company, guys. Wake up!), Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong's United Kingdom Championship bout was predictably excellent, continuing NXT's recent run of featuring at least one high-quality match every single week.

The set-up was simple: Strong had defeated Tyler Bate to earn this opponent, and last night, he faced the man who took the gold from the Moustache Mountain man in the first place. There was no deep, underlying story, but it didn't matter. Dunne and Roddy are too good not to have a great match together, and they kicked the show off in epic fashion.

Few wrestlers pace their matches better than Strong. Every clash unfolds in a smart, logical way, and last night was no different, with him and 'The Bruiserweight' working a believable escalation of violence. They gradually worked the crowd into it, too, with Roddy's fighting spirit and heart a great contrast with Pete's overt dickishness.

Pete's arm, hand, and finger-based assault paid off. He worked out of the Stronghold by pulling back Roddy's digits, then slipping out, and eventually finishing him off with The Bitter End. Another successful defence for him, and another fun match for NXT.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.