Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Your host is Andy Shepherd.
This week we will take a look at the rivalry between Kay Lee Ray, Piper Niven, and Toni Storm.
Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic. Toni would go on to beat Rhea Ripley to become the NXT UK Women’s Championship.
One of Toni’s first challengers was Jinny and they continued their feud that had come from other companies in the UK, including Progress Wrestling.
We go to the April 12, 2019 episode of NXT UK for this match.
Match Number One: Toni Storm versus Jinny for the NXT UK Women’s Championship
The bell rings and they exchange punches. Jinny with strikes but Toni fires back and hits a back heel kick. Storm with a drop kick and a near fall. Storm goes for a single leg crab and applies it. Storm changes things up and turns it into an STF. Jinny gets to the ropes and Storm releases but kicks Jinny. Jinny gets a boot up when Storm charges into the corner. Storm goes for a power bomb but Jinny escapes.
Jinny with a Dragon Screw and she applies a rocking chair. Jinny with a wrist lock to keep Storm from getting to the ropes. Jinny with a camel clutch. Storm with a rocking chair of her own. Jinny gets to the ropes and Jinny sends Storm into the turnbuckles and then Jinny with a head scissors take down. Storm avoids a charge from Jinny but Jinny with a Flatliner for a near fall.
Jinny with an axe kick to the back followed by a forearm to the lower back. Jinny with another forearm to the kidneys. Jinny goes for a third one but Storm with an elbow. Jinny with a back breaker for a near fall. Jinny with an axe kick for a near fall. Jinny with a chin lock and her knee in Storm’s back. Storm with an Irish whip but Jinny with a Japanese arm drag into the turnbuckles for a near fall.
Jinny with a boot to the head and she puts Storm in a reverse chin lock. Storm tries to get to the ropes but Jinny keeps Storm in the center of the ring and adds a body scissors. Jinny slaps Storm a few times. Storm with a German suplex and she holds on for a second one and hits it. Storm goes for a third German suplex but Jinny blocks it. Storm is able to hit the third German suplex. Storm with a running hip into the corner and goes for Storm Zero but Jinny blocks it and sends Storm into the turnbuckles.
Jinny puts Storm in the ropes and hits an X Factor for a near fall when Storm gets his foot on the ropes. Jinny sets for her own version of Storm Zero but Storm blocks it and hits a head butt for a near fall. Storm with a forearm and Jinny fires back. They go back and forth. Storm with a chop but she has a kick blocked and Jinny sends Storm into her knee. Storm with a waist lock and Jinny with a standing switch. Storm with an elbow and power bomb followed by Storm Zero for the three count.
Winner: Toni Storm (Retains Championship)
We go to commercial.
We are back and we saw the emergence of Kay Lee Ray as the next to challenge Toni Storm for the title. Rhea Ripley was feuding with Piper Niven as well on NXT UK.
We go to the July 3, 2019 episode of NXT UK for the next match.
Rhea tells Piper Niven they have been going back and forth for weeks and she is sick and tired of Piper thinking she is the most dominant woman in NXT UK. Instead of waiting for later tonight, let’s settle this right now.
Match Number Two: Rhea Ripley versus Piper Niven
They go face to face and Piper slaps Rhea and connects with forearms. Rhea with a kick and forearms to Piper as she gets Piper to her knees. Rhea backs Piper into the corner and Rhea with kicks. Niven with a cross body out of the corner followed by a clothesline that sends Rhea over the top rope to the floor. Piper waits for Rhea to get back into the ring and then Piper goes to the apron to pull Ripley back up and Ripley drops Piper on the top rope and Piper is pulled to the floor.
Rhea runs Piper back first into the apron. Rhea gets back into the ring to break the count and returns to the floor. Rhea with a forearm and Piper with a forearm of her own. Piper picks up Rhea but Rhea gets to her feet and Rhea sends Piper into the ring post. They go back into the ring before the ten count and Rhea gets a near fall. Rhea with a kick to Piper followed by a forearm and kick to the back. Rhea sends Piper into the corner and kicks Piper.
Rhea kicks Piper in the corner. Piper with punches and a rollup for a near fall. Rhea with a clothesline and a body scissors. Rhea with forearms to the back of the head. Piper with elbows to try to get out of the hold and Piper succeeds. Rhea with a drop kick that sends Piper into the turnbuckles. Piper with a drop kick to send Rhea into the turnbuckles. Piper goes to the turnbuckles but Rhea recovers and pulls Niven off and Niven hits the top turnbuckle before hitting the mat. Rhea gets a near fall. Rhea with boots to the midsection.
Rhea goes for the reverse Cloverleaf but Niven keeps Rhea from fully applying the hold. Niven gets to the ropes and Rhea releases the hold. Rhea has some words for Niven and she slaps Piper in the face. Niven refuses to be Irish whipped and Niven with a Saito suplex and both women are down. Niven with a short arm clothesline and Rhea fires back. They continue to go back and forth with short arm clotheslines until Ripley with a kick and she goes for Riptide but Niven blocks it and hits a head butt that sends both of them to the mat.
Niven misses a splash into the corner but Rhea misses a shoulder into the corner and hits the ring post. Niven with a splash to the back followed by a Michinoku Driver for the three count.
Winner: Piper Niven
Kay Lee Ray earned a title match and then went on to try to get inside Toni Storm’s head.
They would meet at Takeover in Cardiff and Kay Lee Ray defeated Toni Storm to become the new NXT UK Women’s Champion.
We go to commercial.
We are back and next week, we will see more Hidden Gems.
Piper Niven says that her and Kay Lee Ray were united in what they did Wherever you go, I go. Whether it was working for companies or not working for companies. They both got the call to come to NXT UK. In the beginning it was great. Toni was there too and the three of them bonded over that. It was great to be together again. Over the months, she noticed the difference. Whether it was someone had to be the alpha. The friends got further apart from each other.
Toni Storm says Piper has been one of her best friends for years. She has been like a sister and really helped her. So was Kay Lee Ray. Who can you trust? Can she trust Piper because she could not trust Kay Lee. Everyone is the same.
Piper says she should be happy because it is her first Takeover and she is in the ring with her two friends, but are they her friends? She does not know who they are. She is going to be in the ring with two strangers. They are not her friends.
Nigel McGuinness wonders where is Toni Storm’s head. Nigel suggests that Toni lost the title because Kay Lee Ray got into her head.
Piper says that Kay Lee Ray knows what she has to do to hurt them and she has become manipulative.
Kay Lee Ray says she found the way to get what she wants and it is not to look out for any of you.
Toni says being NXT UK Women’s Champion means everything to her and it was taken by someone she thought she could trust.
Piper says Toni has changed since she lost the title.
Kay Lee Ray says she doesn’t have to do anything. They are falling apart on their own.
Toni says she doesn’t have anything else and the title defines her. They don’t need this as much as she does. Nobody needs this as much as she does.
Piper says when you devote yourself to something, you will have to go through hardships and sacrifices. The real test is how much do you want it. There are plenty of days when she doesn’t want to do it and you feel like you want to quit. When she has the down days, she thinks of her best friend Adrian who passed away. She says he was like a brother to her and he looked after her. They pushed each other. She says she thinks about how much he wanted to be here and Piper says she is living his dream and she can go on.
Kay Lee Ray says the name plates don’t say Toni Storm, they say Kay Lee Ray. They will never say Piper Niven as long as she is around. She will retain her championship and she will cement her legacy.
We go to commercial.
We go to NXT UK Takeover Blackpool from January 12, 2020 for the next match.
[Kay Lee Ray says the day after War Games, seven weeks before Takeover, she had ankle surgery. She knew if she was going to go to Takeover and defend her title, she had to be at 100 percent]
Match Number Three: WWE NXT UK Women’s Championship Match: Kay Lee Ray versus Toni Storm versus Piper Niven
[Toni Storm says that she was not wasting any time. She was not going to be waiting around. Everything that Kay Lee Ray had put her through, it was about more than getting a title back. It was personal and it was real. She says she is going straight for Kay Lee Ray]
Storm attacks Ray before the bell rings and then the referee starts the match. Ray sends Storm into the ringside barrier and then Niven with a suicide dive onto Ray. Niven with a cannonball to Storm against the ringside barrier and then to Ray against the ring steps. Storm is sent into the ring and then Ray keeps Niven from returning. Storm with a double leg take down to Ray and Niven with a back senton onto both women and Niven gets a near fall on Ray.
[Piper Niven says when Toni attacked Kay Lee before the match started, it made her angry. She felt like she was being pushed aside. They were like children playing with a toy. She says this was her match too and her opportunity. She was not going to let anyone underestimate her]
Ray backs Niven into the turnbuckles and Ray with a punch. Storm hits Ray from behind when Ray poses. Storm kicks Ray and then she punches Niven. Storm with a punch to Ray. Storm goes for Storm Zero to Ray but Niven with a cross body to Storm.
Ray with a super kick to Niven and then Ray kicks and chokes Storm. Storm with a German suplex to Ray. Ray with a scorpion kick and a DDT. Ray gets a near fall on Storm. Ray kicks Niven and chokes Storm in the corner. Ray with a chop and Niven with a punch to Ray. Ray with a forearm to the back. Ray sets for the Gory Bomb but Niven counters. Ray sends Niven into Storm and Niven with a palm strike to Ray. Ray with a super kick to Niven and Storm with a German suplex to Niven. Ray with a gourdbuster to Storm. Niven with a Saito suplex to Ray and all three women are down.
Niven and Storm go back and forth with forearms and Ray pushes Niven into Storm. Ray with a kick to Storm and she chokes Storm in the corner.
[Kay Lee Ray says she is not naive. She knew there were no disqualifications so anyone could have gotten away with anything. Neither of them knew what she was willing to do to retain the championship]
Ray goes to the floor and looks under the ring. Ray gets a chair and brings it into the ring. Ray kicks Storm and then puts the chair against the throat. Ray does the same to Niven. Ray kicks Storm and then puts the chair on Storm's throat and then Niven with a POUNCE to knock Ray off Storm.
[Piper Niven says in the ring everything is fair in love and war. You know what you signed up for. When I saw the chair around Toni’s neck, I knew I had to do something and I couldn’t let that happen to my friend. Maybe I wasn’t prepared for this match. If I had let Kay Lee use the chair on Toni, things could have ended up differently. Maybe I would be champion. What kind of champion would I be if I had to stand on my friend’s neck]
[Toni Storm says she had the chair in her hands standing face to face with the person who might have saved my career. I couldn’t do it and we had this moment where Kay Lee Ray pops up in the middle of us. We had a moment between us where we realized that Kay Lee Ray was the real problem here]
Storm grabs the chair and then falls to her knees. Storm holds the chair and looks at Niven. Niven tells Storm to hit her while Ray watches from the apron. Storm drops the chair and she kicks Ray. Niven brings Ray into the ring and then Storm with a suicide dive onto Ray.
Niven goes to the apron and hits a cannonball onto Ray.
[Kay Lee Ray watching this back, this was the scariest moment of the match because of her injury. She walked in at 100 percent and she did not think it fased her. She saw her leg hit that barrier and wondered what kind of damage it could have done seven weeks after surgery]
Storm sends Ray into the ring and Niven keeps Storm from getting back into the ring. Ray goes up top and hits a swanton onto Niven and Storm and Ray's leg hits the ringside barrier. Storm is sent back into the ring and Ray goes up top. Storm with a head butt to stop Ray and she follows with a forearm. Storm sets for a superplex but Niven comes under for a sit out power bomb on Storm. Ray with a swanton to break up the cover. Niven blocks a rana and hits a power bomb on Ray. Niven with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Ray tries to get to the floor but Niven pulls Ray back into the center of the ring. Ray escapes a slam attempt and Ray with the Gory Bomb but Storm stops the referee from making the three count by grabbing the hand.
[Toni Storm says Kay Lee Ray hit the Gory Bomb and she knew Piper wasn’t kicking out of it. Toni says she was in the worst place to be because she was outside the ring. She hustled back into the ring to stop the referee’s count]
[Kay Lee Ray says after Piper hits the Destroyer and then Toni hits the Driver, everyone was on their feet. She knew everyone wanted her to lose. It was not about retaining the title, it was about spiting everyone who wanted her to lose]
Ray with a suicide dive to Storm. Niven with a Destroyer and Storm kicks Niven. Storm with Storm Zero but Niven breaks up the cover. Storm punches Niven and then she sets for Storm Zero on Ray and drops Ray onto Niven. Storm sets for Storm Zero on Niven but Niven blocks it and Storm counters into a Pedigree for a near fall. Storm goes up top and hits a frog splash. Ray with a super kick to Storm and Ray pins Niven.
Winner: Kay Lee Ray
[Piper Niven says she didn’t realize how high the stakes were going into this match. She says she thought she could win the championship and then Toni and Kay Lee could see some sense and go back to being friends. That didn’t happen. She lost the match and she lost her two friends. She says she does not think they will be friends again]
[Kay Lee Ray says she came into the match as the champion and not only did she retain, she crushed the dream of Toni Storm, Piper Niven, and anyone who had the audacity to leave their seat that night]
We go to credits.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
