First NXT UK Tag Team Champions crowned at TakeOver: Blackpool
NXT UK’s first TakeOver special also featured the crowning of the brand’s inaugural Tag Team Champions.
Zack Gibson & James Drake defeated Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) in the opener of UK TakeOver: Blackpool to become the first NXT UK Tag Team Champions. Gibson and Drake won with their Ticket to Mayhem double-team finisher (Drake lifting Seven in position for a tombstone and Gibson then hitting a codebreaker).
There was a spot leading into the finish where Bate was on Gibson’s shoulders on the outside and Drake took Bate out with a spear after ducking a lariat from Seven and diving through the ropes.
On-screen authority figures Johnny Saint and Sid Scala came out to the stage after the match to applaud and raise Gibson and Drake’s hands.
Moustache Mountain wore British Bulldogs-inspired gear during the match. In an homage to Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid, Seven hit a running powerslam and Bate then hit a diving headbutt for a near fall at one point.
Gibson & Drake defeated Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews to advance to the finals of the Tag Team tournament, while Moustache Mountain defeated Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang). Gibson & Drake had already been a team before tagging together in NXT UK, with them known as the Grizzled Young Veterans outside of WWE.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
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