As Worlds Collide draws ever closer, I continue to reflect on some of the top moments in NXT UK history. Thus far, I’ve mostly been looking at matches but let’s mix things up by looking at a pivotal debut in the brand’s history.
Meiko Satomura.
The Final Boss and current (and I guess, technically last?) NXT UK Women’s Champion.
Satomura’s career has spanned decades, even WWE audiences may recognise her from her WCW days but closer to her debut in NXT, she was a competitor in the second Mae Young Classic. Satomura would make it to the semi-finals and losing to the eventual winner, Toni Storm.
Fun Fact: In both WCW Title Tournaments and the Mae Young Classic, Satomura was eliminated in all three by the eventual winners of those respective tournaments.
A report had circulated in October 2020 that Satomura had signed with WWE but neither side had confirmed the reports until January 28th 2021. the below aired on NXT UK.
This news was met with excitement across the entire WWE and it was clear that Satomura was on a collision course with then NXT UK Women’s Champion, Kay Lee Ray.
Ray had enjoyed over 500 days as champion and had even begun referring to herself as the Forever Champion. After yet another successful title defense against Jinny, Ray insisted that she wanted to face ‘the best in the world’. Enter Meiko.
Under the watchful eye of Ray, Satomura would make her debut on the February 11 episode of NXT UK and defeat Isla Dawn, a competitor she would come to know very well over time, in an impressive display of her skills and just one week later, the match was made official.
Meiko Satomura brings legitimacy to everything that she does and the NXT UK brand treated her as a main event talent from the minute she debuted, she truly is the Final Boss, the one to beat and the one to overcome.
On the day of her first attempt at the NXT UK Women’s championship, promos aired throughout the show with comments from Bayley, Mercedes Martinez, Rhea Ripley and Sasha Banks, another ‘Boss’ of WWE, referencing the sheer legacy and power of Meiko. The match was, rightfully so, the main event of the episode and other members of the division would appear on screen as watching the bout closely. Aoife Valkyrie would appear in the arena, watching from a distance.
Satomura would not win this bout but the loss did nothing to deter her momentum and the impact she would come to have on the NXT UK Women’s Division. This Sunday, Satomura will face Blair Davenport and NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose in a Title Unification match and just like every moment she was a part of in NXT UK, Satomura’s presence brings an air of prestige and importance to a match of already major implications.
Wherever Satomura ends up after Worlds Collide, champion or not, she will continue to raise the bar and I can already tell from the comments surrounding the Unification match that the WWE Universe is excited for what’s next for Meiko Satomura.
Top 5 Moments of NXT UK:
Number Five – A Champion is Crowned
Number Four – The Final Takeover
Number Three – The Final Boss Arrives
Number Two – Coming 1st September!
Number One – Coming 2nd September!
Tell me your favorite Satomura matches from NXT UK and your predictions for this Sunday! Tune in tomorrow for Moment Number 2!
