WWE NXT UK: March 3, 2022: Dragunov topples Frazer in edge-of-your-seat title bout

Mark Coffey def. Sha Samuels

Following last week’s heated exchange between the Gallus boys and the duo of Noam Dar and Sha Samuels inside the office of Assistant to the General Manager Sid Scala, Mark Coffey and Samuels hit the ring in a vicious slugfest.

In a match packed with trash talk and fisticuffs, Samuels seemed to be closing in on victory when he planted his foe with his variation of the Michinoku Driver.

When Samuels whiffed on an elbow drop from the middle rope, however, Coffey blitzed him with several stinging forearm strikes and a bulldog from the second turnbuckle. After a double clothesline, Coffey blasted Samuels with a full-nelson slam and followed up with a running elbow to the face to earn the pinfall.

Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff def. Pretty Deadly

After enduring Dave Mastiff’s grueling and unique training regimens in recent weeks, Jack Starz earned his first victory of the night before he even reached the ring, as Mastiff bestowed the fired-up competitor with one of his trademark leather vests prior to their match against Pretty Deadly.

And unlike previous matches, Mastiff had no qualms about tagging Starz into the match. Mastiff even allowed him to remain the legal man for extended periods, and Starz capitalized by launching himself over the top rope and hitting Sam Stoker with a splash.

Stoker eventually recovered but made a critical mistake when he donned the new leather jacket that belonged to Starz and mocked his smaller foe. He paid for his transgression when Mastiff leveled him with a German suplex and once again chose to tag Starz into the matchup. The incensed Superstar took back his jacket, blistered Stoker and Howley with several meaning strikes, and sealed the win with a ring-rattling powerbomb to Howley, as Mastiff watched from his corner in stunned silence.

NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov def. Nathan Frazer

For anyone who believed that Ilja Dragunov would have nothing left after taking the NXT UK Title from Gunther in a savage fight five months ago, look no further than his instant classic against Nathan Frazer.

Dragunov has risen to the occasion each time his title has been on the line, though he was pushed to the limit by his upstart challenger in what was arguably his most difficult title retention to date. 

Frazer, who seems to be sporting a newfound confidence ever since going toe-to-toe with Gunther in The Ring General’s final NXT UK match, turned in a spirited effort in the biggest match of his career, shaking off a pair of German suplexes and landing a picture-perfect hurricanrana for a two-count.

After champion and challenger exchanged menacing forearm strikes in the center of the ring, Frazer hit another hurricanrana from the top rope and followed up with a breathtaking corkscrew from the opposite corner that drew the longest of two-counts.

With his arm dangling at his side and clearly causing him great pain, the titleholder dug deep to counter a third hurricanrana into a powerbomb and soon followed up by building a hull head of steam and driving his head into the chest of the challenger to seal the victory.

After the bout, Dragunov helped Frazer back to his feet, appeared to offer words of encouragement and shook his hand as NXT UK concluded.