WWE NXT UK: Jan. 20, 2022: Dar retains Heritage Cup after hard-fought draw with A-Kid

Pretty Deadly def. Sam Gradwell & Saxon Huxley

After a few backstage dustups with Pretty Deadly and an extensive search to find a tag team partner for his bout against Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley, Sam Gradwell finally found his man: the unhinged Saxon Huxley.

Pairing with arguably the only Superstar in NXT UK that talks more than Gradwell himself certainly had its advantages for The Thunderstorm, as “The Berserker” never once took his foot off the gas, darting around the ring like a man possessed and bouncing off the ropes several times before finally driving his elbow into Stoker’s heart.

When a fresh Gradwell tagged back into the match, Kenny Williams, who recently got into a heated backstage altercation with The Thunderstorm, suddenly hopped the barricade and launched a brutal sneak attack on Huxley. With no one in his corner to tag, Gradwell was easy pickings for Spilt Milk and the decisive three-count.

Isla Dawn def. Emilia McKenzie

Arguably the most mysterious Superstar in WWE, Isla Dawn turned to mind games the second she entered the arena, holding a small box containing some of her treasures – including McKenzie’s watch – above her head.

McKenzie, who seemed skeptical of The White Witch’s “powers” during an odd backstage encounter earlier this week, caught fire late in the bout, landing a sunset flip, enzuigiri, belly-to-back suplex and a spear for a long two-count.

When McKenzie whiffed on a splash from the top rope, however, that was all Dawn needed to drive McKenzie back-first into the canvas to earn the victory.

After the bell, a seemingly frantic Dawn began talking to her box of treasures, held McKenzie’s watch up to her ear and slid it back over to her vanquished foe, all while cackling and smiling from ear to ear.

Noam Dar and A-Kid fought to a 1-1 draw in an NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship Match

In his bid to become the first two-time NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion, A-Kid came about as close to accomplishing the feat as humanly possible without actually doing so.

After a spirited yet scoreless first two rounds, Dar unleashed a nasty kick to A-Kid’s knee and followed up with the Nova Roller for the three-count and a 1-0 lead at the end of Round 3.

Dar nearly ended the match when he attempted a pinfall with a handful of tights in Round 4 and again when A-Kid narrowly beat the official’s 10-count, but The Spanish Sensation landed an incredible backflip DDT from the top rope for a pinfall that knotted the title fight at one fall apiece.

In Round 6, Dar blasted A-Kid with a reverse elbow and rolled him up, only for the former champion to kick out at two and immediately start raining down clubbing blows on Dar’s back. With eight seconds left, A-Kid snared Dar in an excruciating submission hold, using his leg to bend The Scottish Supernova’s arm behind his back.

The titleholder resisted the urge to submit, and the clock expired with the competitors tied at one decision apiece, allowing Dar to retain his trophy.