IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 26, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix

We’re past Takeover: XXX and that means it’s time to get back to a little more normal around here. Karrion Kross is the new NXT Champion, Keith Lee is gone and Tommaso Ciampa is back so…maybe the normal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This could be an interesting show, including a Tag Team Title match. Let’s get to it.

Here is Takeover if you need a recap.

Takeover recap.

Here are Scarlett and Karrion Kross, with his arm in a sling, to open things up. Kross told us that he would become NXT Champion and that on the way there, everyone would suffer. That’s what he did at Takeover but when you go to war, you expect casualties. Hence his separated shoulder, which is going to prevent him from defending the NXT Title.

There are obstacles on the path, but to him, the obstacles are the path. Kross lays the title down and Scarlett puts the hourglass next to it. Kross says this changes nothing because everyone pays the toll. Tick tock. Well dang. This could get interesting in a hurry. That’s horrible to hear for Kross though as no one deserves that kind of an injury just after they reach the peak (so far) of their career.

Tag Team Titles: Imperium vs. Breezango

Breezango is challenging and jump the champs during the entrances. We get the opening bell with Breezango cleaning house until Barthel armbars Breeze down. That earns him a dropkick though and we take an early break. Back with Fandango fighting out of a chinlock but getting double teamed back down. That doesn’t last long as Fandango gets over for the hot tag to Breeze as the pace picks up.

A jumping knee rocks Barthel but Breeze has to avoid running into the referee. The delay lets Barthel hit a suplex, only to dive into the Beauty Shot for two. Aichner makes the save and comes in to pound away as he is known to do. Breeze knees him down though and Fandango tags himself in for the guillotine legdrop to Aichner. Barthel pulls him to the floor though, meaning Fandango hits a dive. That earns him a hard suplex on the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Fandango still in trouble as Aichner hits the middle rope moonsault for two. Breeze makes the save but gets uppercutted out to the floor as Barrett mentions wrestling with Breeze all the way back in FCW. Aichner and Barthel’s double team hits each other though and Breeze superkicks them both. Fandango comes in with the double Last Dance for the pin and the titles at 15:17.

Rating: C. They had to do something like this at some point as Breezango have lost and lost over the years. Throw in the fact that Imperium have been pretty worthless champions since they won the belts. It isn’t that they’re bad in the ring or anything close, but they haven’t been interesting and they have been downright forgetful at times. This was a necessary change and they picked a good night to do it.

The new champs dance on the announcers’ desk.

Damian Priest says the after party is still going. Cue Timothy Thatcher who seems to want a title shot.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jake Atlas

Ciampa jumps him at the bell and unloads on him in the corner. Willow’s Bell finishes at 52 seconds.

Post match Ciampa destroys Atlas even more, including sending him knees first into the steps a few times. Ciampa even catapults him throat first into the bottom of the ring, meaning we need a stretcher job as the fans chant for Ciampa anyway. Since he’s extra evil, Ciampa pulls Atlas off the stretcher with another Willow’s Bell on the floor.

Candice LeRae talks about her friendship with Tegan Nox over the years, including going to a castle in Wales. Now Nox doesn’t get her anymore though, as Nox wasn’t there when Candice needed her. LeRae is going down the right path now and LeRae can do things the Gargano Way too. If she doesn’t want to though, just stay out of LeRae’s way. Has LeRae always been able to talk like this?

Bronson Reed thinks he should get the first NXT Title shot since he has beaten Damien Priest. Cue the returning Austin Theory to say Reed is taking some steps in the right direction and maybe he can have a title shot by the time he’s about fifty five. Reed slaps the taste out of his mouth.

Mia Yim vs. Mercedes Martinez

Hang on though as here are Robert Stone and Aliyah to say not so fast. Mercedes isn’t getting in the ring after that powerbomb from Rhea Ripley last week…and here’s Shotzi Blackheart to run Stone over with the tank again. We have a replacement.

Mia Yim vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Shotzi takes her down to start and hits Welcome To The Ball Pit but Yim is right back with a running hurricanrana. Mia rolls her up for two and they both catch kicks to the ribs. They set them down so Yim gets in a cheap shot and hammers away in the corner. A dragon screw legwhip out of the corner has Shotzi in more trouble with the knee banged up. Yim grabs a bow and arrow but Blackheart is back up with a discus forearm. That earns her a quick suplex as Yim throws her down again. Yim goes up but gets pulled down, setting up a backsplash to the back. A top rope backsplash finishes Yim at 4:31.

Rating: C-. The more I see of Shotzi, the more I like her. She has gone from looking like another strange wrestler with weird hair to being one of the more charismatic women in the division. I can’t imagine that she is going to be near the top of the division anytime soon, but there is nothing wrong with having a star in the making. Not the greatest match, but it’s a big win for Blackheart and that’s a good sign.

William Regal has a decision on the NXT Title.

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez say they’re a team but Kai promises to become NXT Women’s Champion. As for tonight, Gonzalez is ready to settle things with Rhea Ripley.

Here’s Regal to announce a solution to the NXT Title. It is a shame that Kross had to vacate the title and Regal wishes him the best on his long recovery. As for the title though, there will be a four way match next week (on Tuesday) to crown a new champion. The four of them can all claim to be the best ever in NXT and they could all claim to be the face of NXT. Those four are Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Finn Balor and Adam Cole. Oh and for a bonus: it’s a four way, sixty minute Iron Man match.

Barrett is so excited that he will be back next week to call the match.

Cruiserweight Title: Isaiah Scott vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar is defending and is on his own this week. Scott wastes no time in hurricanranaing him out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Escobar working a headlock but getting reversed into something like a Gory Stretch. That’s broken up so Scott goes for the short armscissors which sends Escobar to the floor. Escobar catches him with a toss from the apron into the Plexiglas though and Scott is in trouble.

A drop onto the steps gives Escobar two back inside and the pace slows down a bit. Scott manages to grab a knuckle lock and they both go to the middle rope. That means an attempt at a jumping hurricanrana from Scott but Escobar reverses into a super sitout powerbomb for another near fall as we take another break. Back with Escobar hammering away against the ropes but Scott reverses and unloads in the corner. A backbreaker sends Escobar outside again and the Fosbury Flop takes him down.

Back in and the rolling Downward Spiral gives Scott two more but here is the rest of Legado for the distraction. A jumping superkick gives Escobar two so here is Breezango to take out Legado. Scott’s jumping knee to the face gets two and a bridging German suplex is good for the same. The House Call gives Scott another two and a flipping slam out of the corner gets yet another near fall. Escobar bails to the floor and puts on a mask, which seems to be loaded. A headbutt knocks Scott silly to retain the title at 16:45.

Rating: B-. They did a nice job here and the false finish off the Legado interference was well done. Escobar cheating on his own to retain gives him another way to keep the title and that’s a good thing for him. You can have the goons if you want but at some point you have to win on your own, which he did here (cheating included). Scott could get a rematch and that’s a good thing, mainly because I’m not sure who else there is to go after the title.

Johnny Gargano is ready to go after the title and remind everyone who he is. He has been the Iron Man for years and next Tuesday, he’ll have the title to prove it.

Finn Balor says he’ll rise to the occasion. Next week the four cornerstones are ready to fight but he’ll prove that he is the centerpiece.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Drake Maverick

Fallout from the Undisputed Era interrupting Maverick’s match and Bobby Fish/Roderick Strong are here too. Maverick unloads on him to start and dropkicks the knee to send O’Reilly outside. The big flip dive from the top takes out the rest of the Era but O’Reilly is back with the strikes inside. Maverick’s comeback is cut off with a whip into the corner and the striking continues. A quick Underdog attempt is countered though and O’Reilly rolls into an Achilles Lock. Maverick hammers away but can’t get out, forcing the tap at 3:27.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t bad while it lasted and that’s a good sign for Maverick. Even when he’s losing (in other words, every time he isn’t on 205 Live), he has a lot of energy going in the ring and that’s something you can always go for. The match was more about O’Reilly than anything else, but Maverick looked good in defeat.

Post match the beatdown is on but O’Reilly tries to call off the troops. Cue Killian Dain (who Maverick was facing when the Era interfered two weeks ago) for the save. Maverick pulls himself up but Dain beats him up as well.

We look back at the Women’s Title match at Takeover.

Rhea Ripley is ready for Raquel Gonzalez.

Adam Cole is glad to be done with Pat McAfee and is ready to get his title back. He is the Iron Man and that is undisputed.

Io Shirai/Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez

Ripley throws Kai aside to start and gets the big lockup with Gonzalez. A headbutt rocks Gonzalez so she shoves Ripley into the corner, where Shirai tags herself in. The middle rope hurricanrana sends Gonzalez outside and we take a break. Back with Ripley swinging away at Kai but getting pulled to the floor by Gonzalez. That means a ram into various things and they head back inside to keep up the beating.

Kai grabs a rollup for two and slaps on a seated abdominal stretch. Gonzalez comes back in but gets kicked in the head by Rhea, allowing the hot tag to Shirai. Everything breaks down and Shirai hits the running knees in the corner to Gonzalez, followed by a 619 to Kai. A scorpion kick gets Kai out of trouble but Shirai blocks the Kairopractor. Shirai’s German suplex gets two but Gonzalez takes her back into the corner.

Shirai tries to dive over for the hot tag but the referee doesn’t see it, meaning she is taken back over to keep up the beating. Cue Mercedes Martinez to pull Ripley off the apron and Gonzalez plants Kai with a spinning powerslam for two. Ripley is back up to take the tag but she trips on her way in and gets kicked in the face. Gonzalez’s powerbomb finishes Ripley at 10:03.

Rating: C. Things are getting interesting in this division as they have multiple stories going on but they are starting to tie together at the same time. Gonzalez pinning Ripley, even with some cheating, is going to be a good deal as she and Kai continue the Diesel/Shawn formula. Throw in Kai and the title plus Martinez and you might have some good things going on in a hurry.

Overall Rating: B-. So last week’s show was rather slow paced and didn’t have much going on. This was the polar opposite and that is a great thing, because they hit the ground running coming out of Takeover. Now that being said, it is a shame to see this happen after Kross’ injury because that is never a good thing to see. Almost everything else worked well though with a title match, a return, and the announcement of a huge match for next week. Solid, energized show here and if the in-ring product was better, they could have had a great one.

Results

Breezango b. Imperium – Last Dance to Aichner

Tommaso Ciampa b. Jake Atlas – Willow’s Bell

Shotzi Blackheart b. Mia Yim – Top rope backsplash

Santos Escobar b. Isaiah Scott – Headbutt with a loaded mask

Kyle O’Reilly b. Drake Maverick – Achilles lock

Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez b. Rhea Ripley/Io Shirai – Pumphandle powerbomb to Ripley

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: XXX
Date: August 22, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix

It’s time for the milestone edition of the show and this time around it’s not exactly feeling like that important of an entry. Maybe it’s the rushed build to the show or the lack of star power, but there is something missing here. The main event should be a heck of a hoss fight between Keith Lee and Karrion Kross for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Breezango vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

For the #1 contendership. Fandango jumps Mendoza to start and goes to the apron with Oney. Oney is knocked to the floor and Fandango hits a heck of a clothesline to Mendoza. Burch comes back in and gets small packaged for two, meaning it’s time for the showdown with Lorcan. Fandango gyrates while Lorcan glares but Mendoza gets up to run the corner and hits a springboard corkscrew dive.

Back in and Lorcan DDTs Breeze while Mendoza neckbreakers Lorcan for two each. The hot tag (yes there are tags in this) brings in Burch to clean house, including the German suplexes. Something that looked like a Doomsday Device is broken up as Wilde slips out of the electric chair. Lorcan’s uppercut gets two on Wilde as everything breaks down again. A Spanish Fly into the 450 gives Mendoza two with Burch and Lorcan making the save. Back up and Breeze hits a quick superkick for the pin on Lorcan at 6:56.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much to do here and I can’t say I’m surprised at the winners. That being said, Breezango vs. Imperium isn’t all that interesting, though it’s not like anyone else is getting much out of Imperium these days. They need to do something with the titles and if that means Breezango as transitional champions, so be it. Good enough choice for an opener though.

The opening video looks at the history of Takeover before going into your traditional look at all of the matches.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Finn Balor

Grudge match after Thatcher cost Balor a spots in the North American Title ladder match. Balor charges at him in the corner to start but gets taken to the mat which isn’t likely to go well. They go to the grappling with Balor working on the arm but getting caught in a front facelock for his efforts. Balor gets up and strikes Balor against the ropes before taking it back down to the mat to crank on the leg.

Thatcher hits him in the face and puts on a bow and arrow hold as Balor can’t get away from the holds. Balor flips over into a cover for two but Thatcher is right back with a Kimura. The arm is pinned back and Thatcher puts on something like an abdominal stretch on the mat. They get back up but Balor can’t get away from the grip, instead having to backdrop Thatcher into a cover for two. The hold still isn’t broken but Balor rolls into a basement dropkick for the much needed break.

They slug it out with Thatcher getting the better of it until Balor drops him with a Pele for the double knockdown. Balor gets in a double stomp and tries 1916 but has to slip out of a fireman’s carry. This time it’s Thatcher getting caught in the abdominal stretch with Balor planting him again. The Coup de Grace misses though and Balor bangs up his knee again. The half crab goes on but Balor slips out.

That’s fine with Thatcher, who kicks him in the back but Balor switches places and gets in a kick to the ribs. Thatcher gets in a shot to the face but gets rolled into the abdominal stretch again. The next reversal lets Thatcher grab an ankle lock so Balor rolls out and hits a double stomp. Another double stomp sets up the Coup de Grace but the knee means there can’t be a cover. 1916 connects to give Balor the clean pin at 14:16.

Rating: B-. It was a good grappling match but the ending was a little flat. Balor just started hitting his moves and then won with his finishers. I didn’t think Thatcher was going to win (though maybe he should have) but I was hoping for something a little better than that. What we got was good though and I’ll take that over something completely flat.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are here.

Video on the North American Title ladder match, including everyone qualifying.

North American Title: Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Bronson Reed

Ladder match for the vacant title. It’s a brawl to start (duh) until Reed (in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear) and Priest are left alone. Dream comes back in to break it up with a DDT as Grimes pulls out the first ladder….which is about three feet tall. He isn’t pleased but gets knocked down by Priest, only to come back with a big kick to the chest. Gargano pulls in his own full sized ladder and Grimes brings in a second. It’s Grimes going up, only to get caught with a leg on each ladder as they are spread apart, leaving Grimes in the splits.

Reed comes back in and cleans house, including dropping a backsplash onto a ladder onto Dream’s chest. More house is cleaned as Reed sets up a ladder but he has to shoves Gargano up as he tries to climb the standing ladder. Gargano’s next attempt to go up is countered into a powerbomb attempt from Reed but Dream takes out Reed’s knee. Gargano wants Grimes and Dream to help him but goes up, only to get caught. Johnny: “I had to try it!”

It’s Grimes in trouble this time around until Gargano crotches Dream on top. Priest crushes Grimes into a ladder into Dream’s head but it’s Reed cleaning house to take over. The massive Tower of Doom is broken up and Gargano is the only one left standing. Reed takes care of him and Grimes is sent off the ladder and into the rope. Priest is all alone on top of the ladder but Dream makes the save. That means kicks to Gargano and Dream’s heads so Gargano hits the slingshot DDT to the ladder around Reed’s neck.

Gargano heads outside but gets caught with the standing flip belly to belly from Grimes. Reed dives onto them but Grimes is up first to load up the ladder inside. For some reason he sets it up next to the ropes and Priest runs up the bridged ladder to take out everyone with a flip dive. Grimes goes up but Candice LeRae runs in for the save. Corey: “Maybe Candice just wants directions to the moon.”

Candice tries a headscissors but Gargano goes with a ladder to Grimes’ head for a more effective move. Gargano goes up so Reed knocks him off, only to have Candice climb onto his back. Reed dives off onto Gargano for the big triple splash (Corey: “The Wednesday night’s been squashed!” Since Gargano is mostly dead, Reed goes up but Priest is waiting on him. Grimes has his own bigger ladder as Reed is knocked down. Reed sends Grimes off the big ladder onto the regular one but Dream makes a save, only to get his leg tied into the falling ladder.

Dream is back up to bridge a ladder from the middle rope into the standing one before going up. The title is swinging away so Dream can’t get it, allowing Priest to shove him down. Priest drops down and knocks Reed down, only to have Grimes hit the Cave In. Grimes climbs until Gargano hits a powerbomb to send him into the bridged ladder. Instead of climbing, Gargano fires off superkicks but the One Final Beat is countered by Dream into a Dream Valley Driver onto Priest onto a ladder.

It’s Dream climbing this time but Reed shoves the ladder over, sending Dream bouncing off the top rope and over the barricade for the huge crash of the match. Grimes is up on the ladder for the title with Gargano making the save this time. Priest and Gargano go up and the title is unhooked, with Priest knocking Gargano down to win the title at 21:16.

Rating: B+. This was long and chaotic, which is exactly what you want out of something like a five way ladder match. I had Grimes winning but Priest is the second best choice as Gargano doesn’t need the title, Reed isn’t ready, and Dream probably shouldn’t be near….well anything at the moment. That Dream spot was great and there’s something special about seeing him in extreme pain at the moment. Good, long match here and I liked it more than I expected.

We recap Pat McAfee vs. Adam Cole. McAfee mocked Cole for being small on his podcast and for thinking that he’s the king of NXT. Then McAfee invaded NXT and punted Cole in the face for a big knockout. McAfee went on to have some of the best promos in NXT and the match was made for tonight. As has been the case throughout: McAfee has been a great heel, but that doesn’t make me want to cheer for Cole, which is holding things back a bit.

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

Cole comes to the ring but we cut to the back where McAfee, with his football players, says he’s got this and promises to destroy Cole once and for all. The other players come out with McAfee, though Cole is on his own. Well that’s somewhat noble. Cole grabs a headlock to start and McAfee can’t do much here. That means Cole can send him into the corner and tease a kick of his own so McAfee asks for a timeout.

Back up and the threat of a superkick sends McAfee outside for some trash talk. Cole follows so the players get in his way, which draws out the rest of the Era. McAfee uses the distraction to go up for the big dive onto everyone, meaning the trash talk is back on. Back in and McAfee slugs away in the corner as commentary starts being amazed by every single thing McAfee does. A slam, with squats, gets two on Cole and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up after longer than you might expect and Cole gets fired up in the corner.

They slug it out with Cole pulling the shirt over McAfee’s head and slugging away before kicking McAfee in the head for two. The shock at the kickout sends Cole up top but Cole shoves him down…with McAfee landing on his feet. Cole is STUNNED and it’s even worse when McAfee runs the corner for a top rope superplex into a near fall. Cole’s head is hung over the apron so McAfee loads up the punt, which only hits the steps.

Back in and Cole grabs the Figure Four, sending McAfee over to the ropes for the break. Cole goes after him in the corner but a quick low blow puts Cole down. Now the Punt connects for two, sending McAfee up top. That takes too long though (It could have been the MCAFEE BAY BAY!) and Cole superkicks him out of the air, setting up the Panama City Sunrise for the pin at 16:20.

Rating: B-. It isn’t really shocking that McAfee was impressive, but I’m not sure people were expecting him to be this athletic. This was a good effort from both and Cole winning is the right call so they didn’t go too far. They had a pretty quick feud and while Cole is far from a face so far, it went about as well as could be expected.

Post match Cole looks at McAfee in the corner before turning to the camera to pose.

Drew McIntyre is here and picks Keith Lee to win the main event.

We recap Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai for Shirai’s Women’s Title. Kai has been extra evil as of late and is ready to beat Shirai, because she is in her head. That and having the monster Raquel Gonalez in her corner.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai

Kai is challenging and has Gonzalez with her. Shirai goes with the double leg and starts kicking at Kai’s leg, including a dragon screw leg whip on the mat. A Gonzalez distraction lets Kai go after the arm though and wraps it around the arm. Shirai kicks her in the arm sets up an arm trap choke over the ropes and then stomps her down a bit. The armbar goes on, followed by one with Kai’s legs.

Shirai gets out and hits a kick to the face, followed by the 619 into a missile dropkick for two. Another armbar is broken up with a kick to the head but Kai breaks up a German suplex and sends her hard into the corner. Shirai is right back up with the running knees in the corner but the moonsault takes too long. Kai gets shoved down though and a double stomp gives Shirai two. The Kairopractor gives Kai two though and we hit the armbar, with Shirai having to get over to the ropes for the break.

Shirai is sat on top for a fireman’s carry into a kick to the head for two more with a foot on the ropes saving the title. Kai kicks the referee down by mistake so Gonzalez comes in to plant Shirai, giving Kai two. The Crossface goes on but Gonzalez makes the save. That means a moonsault to the floor to take both of them out, followed by the regular version for the pin to retain the title at 16:12.

Rating: B. Good showing here with both women looking awesome. Gonzalez added a lot here as there is only so much that you can do with Shirai vs. Kai on their own. Shirai is a monster who can destroy Kai on her own but the monster makes things that much more interesting. That turned this into a solid back and forth match and I had a good time with it, which was more than I expected.

Post match Gonzalez goes after Shirai again but Rhea Ripley runs in for the save. The staredown is on but Kai and Gonzalez run.

Damien Priest jumps in a hot tub with some women to celebrate.

NXT UK is back on September 17.

Tommaso Ciampa is back on Wednesday.

We recap Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross for the NXT Title. Lee won the title at the Great American Bash and Kross didn’t seem happy. Kross then choked out Lee’s friend Dominick Dijakovic so Lee wanted revenge. That resulted in a fireball to Lee’s face to get us slightly away from the Rocky IV theme. Now it’s about revenge and the title.

NXT Title: Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee

Kross, with Scarlett, is challenging and we get the big intro. Lee knocks him straight back to start and unloads with right hands in the corner to put Kross in early trouble. They head to the floor with Kross hammering away but Lee’s right hand busts up the Plexiglas by mistake. Lee’s arm gets caught on another swing though and the champ is hurt early on. Back in and Kross cranks on the arm (as he should) before putting him down for two. The armbar goes on again but this time Lee powers up.

That’s fine with Kross, as he sends the arm into the buckle to put Lee down again. It’s a hammerlock to put Lee down on the mat again and Kross cranks on it even harder. With that not working, Kross tries a cross armbreaker so Lee latches his hands together for the block. Lee hits a running splash in the corner and muscles him up for a spinning powerslam into the near fall. Back up and Lee misses a charge in the corner but Kross can’t Saito him. Kross can hit a DDT for two but Lee blocks the Saito again.

Lee hits a suplex of his own for a slightly delayed two of his own and they get back up. After what looked to be a little miscommunication, Kross hits a hard clothesline for two more. They slug it out until Lee is knocked to his knee, only to come back with a heck of a clothesline. Kross kicks him in the face and Lee isn’t happy. The Grizzly Magnum is blocked though and now the Saito connects for two.

Scarlett is furious about the kickout so the Crossjacket goes on, with Lee’s arm almost hitting the mat. A groggy Lee gets over to his stomach and finally makes the rope for the save. Back up and Lee headbutts him in the chest, setting up the Spirit Bomb for two. Lee goes up but Kross catches him with a shot to the arm. The super Doomsday Saito gives Kross the pin and the title at 21:56.

Rating: B+. This started slowly but they wound up going with what was the best possible choice. Kross would have been dead in the water if he had lost here and Lee is someone who can bounce back from a big loss. They didn’t quite go with the hoss battle the whole way but they got it working by the end, which is what matters here. Kross should have won, and I have no idea where Lee goes next. As for who is next for Kross….that Takeover machine Finn Balor sounds like a smart choice no?

Overall Rating: A-. As I’ve said about Dynamite before, if this is their bad show, they’re going to be fine. This wasn’t even close to what Takeover can do but it was still a rather good show with nothing resembling a bad match. There were some memorable moments and you can see where some things are going, but it was lacking that show stealer and it stuck out pretty badly.

In addition, there are some things here that make it clear the times have changed. One thing that NXT made look easy was having each match feel different. While they were different matches, there was something off about the last two matches being built around the champion’s arm being hurt. It feels like NXT should know better, but maybe that’s just the past talking. Still though, very good show, but not up to the old standards.

Results

Finn Balor b. Timothy Thatcher – 1916

Damian Priest won a ladder match – Priest pulled down the title

Adam Cole b. Pat McAfee – Panama City Sunrise

Io Shirai b. Dakota Kai – Moonsault

Karrion Kross b. Keith Lee – Super Doomsday Saito

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 20, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

We’re back to something a lot more interesting than Greatest Hits here as we have Superstar Picks. In other words, it’s time to crack open the WWE video vault and see what we can find involving UK wrestlers. This is what they have been needing to do for a long time now as they are long past the point of good stuff for Greatest Hits from NXT UK. Let’s get to it.

Andy has finally changed rooms. He can still throw it to someone to pick a match though, with Ridge Holland getting the first honor.

From Prime Time Wrestling, October 8, 1985.

Bret Hart vs. Dynamite Kid

It’s the rare blue and black Hitman attire here. Bret wants Dynamite’s boots checked and then hides in the ropes to start. Dynamite shoves him down and Bret chills on the floor for a bit. Back in and we get a catapult to send Bret chest first into the buckle. That means another breather on the floor but this time Bret comes back in and is promptly atomic dropped. There’s the snap suplex for Dynamite and we hit the chinlock. They fight over a hammerlock until Bret is sent outside to break it up, much to the fans’ delight.

Back in again and Dynamite spins out of a wristlock but gets pulled down by the hair. Bret grabs the hair again and slams him down, setting up the middle rope elbow. The headbutt hurts Bret’s own head so he throws Dynamite outside for a change. A slam on the floor and a backbreaker give Bret two back inside but Dynamite’s sunset flip gets the same. Dynamite grabs a backbreaker of his own but can’t follow up, allowing Bret to tie him in the ropes.

The charge only hits said ropes though and they’re both down again. Dynamite gets in a headbutt and hair slam to the mat of his own (nice little callbacks) and a knee drop gets two. A middle rope knee gets two more but Bret trips him face first into the ropes. Another trip sends Dynamite through the ropes (another callback) but this time he comes back in with an O’Connor Roll for the pin at 12:30.

Rating: B-. They were telling a nice story here as Bret had to find a way to slow Dynamite down and started smothering him. He couldn’t control the energy eventually though and Dynamite got to make the comeback, including doing the same things that Bret did to him earlier for a nice bonus. These two probably wrestled each other 500 times in some combination and you can see it here.

Post match Jim Neidhart runs out to complain about Dynamite pulling the tights but Davey Boy Smith runs in for the save.

Video on the NXT UK women’s division, including showing how many countries are represented.

Piper Niven sends us to the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

Second Round: Serena Deeb vs. Piper Niven

Niven powers her into the corner to start and falls on Deeb in a slam attempt. Well to be fair that was just kind of dumb. A hard belly to back suplex breaks up Serena’s headlock and there’s a splash for two more. With the holds not working, Deeb opts for just punching her in the face for a change. A middle rope Codebreaker (or maybe something like a monkey flip) drops Niven and a neckbreaker gets two.

Deeb is right back up with a modified Diamond Cutter for two more as the fans are split again. A charge misses in the corner though and Niven drops a Vader Bomb….for two. Dang I would have bet on that one. Niven heads up top (uh oh) and misses a splash, only to grab the Michinoku Driver to put Deeb away at 7:12.

Rating: C. What in the world was that ending? Niven missed the splash to seemingly give Deeb a hope spot but she was up less than five seconds later and hit the finish for the pin. I looked away for a second and my head swung back because I thought the video had skipped. They were trying to get into the Sting vs. Vader formula here but that ending REALLY knocked them back.

Dave Mastiff sends us to….Uncensored 1996???? I just stopped having the flashbacks to this show!

Belfast Bruiser vs. Lord Steven Regal

That would be Fit Finlay and William Regal (with Butler Jeeves, as played by Bill Dundee) of course. Jeeves it’s dumb enough to stick around for this and bails to the back as Finlay jumps Regal to start. Regal grabs a hiptoss for one (with the forearm going into Finlay’s face) and hits an uppercut so Finlay knees him in the face. A hard clothesline gives Finlay two as they are beating the heck out of each other here. Regal gets in a kick of his own and we hit the cravate on the mat.

Dusty Rhodes uses terms like stomping a mudhole and Bobby Heenan is incredibly confused, though that could just be from trying to understand anything Dusty said. Finlay knees him in the face and takes it to the floor, where Regal is dropped face first onto the barricade. Regal’s arm is pulled into the post and we hit an armbar back inside. That’s broken up and Regal kicks him in the face as we hear about Pedro Morales doing Spanish commentary. Dusty is VERY pleased with this, calling Morales “the greatest athlete to ever put on a pair of tights.” I’m going to assume that’s some kind of a rib and move on.

Regal’s dropkick gets two but Finlay is right back with another crank of the arm. That’s broken up and Regal punches him down again, allowing for the choke with the leg while arguing with the referee (always a great one). Finlay headbutts him down and we hit the chinlock. Even that’s rough as Finlay hits him in the face at the same time. Regal glares up at him while getting choked but fights up, earning one heck of a clothesline to give Finlay two more.

Finlay drives him face first into the apron but Regal manages a suplex over the apron and down onto the floor. An elbow off the apron crushes Finlay again and we hit a headlock back inside. As Bobby and Dusty argue over United Kingdom geography, Finlay kicks him hard in the back so Regal distracts the ref and gets a good low blow. Finlay isn’t about to be sunset flipped so he puts his knee on the back of Regal’s head and drives him face first into the mat instead.

Regal is back with an armbar, with a knee on Finlay’s face of course. That’s broken up and Finlay hits a kind of backdrop but Regal counters a Boston crab attempt and sends Finlay face first into the apron (Heenan: “Right in the corned beef and cabbage.”). Finlay punches him in the face and that looks like a broken nose (apparently with a broken cheek for a bonus). Back in and Regal kicks him over the top as commentary tries to explain that the fans are too worn down to cheer. Regal runs him up the aisle for a ram into the Doomsday Cage and here are the Bluebloods (Regal’s friends) to pound on Finlay for the DQ at 17:30.

Rating: B. I’ve seen this match several dozen times (had the VHS and watched it over and over as a kid) but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in a long time. This was a blast as they beat the heck out of each other for a LONG time (probably a bit too long actually) and it was a very different and much more physical match than you would expect from 1996 WCW. It’s Finlay’s element but Regal was right there with him the whole time. If you like physical, hard hitting stuff, make sure you check on this one.

Post match Regal gets in a heck of a slap as Finlay is held back.

Overall Rating: B-. Now this is the kind of show that I’ve been wanting to see from this series and I’m hoping that we get a lot more of it. NXT UK hasn’t been around all that long and they have already gone through a lot of their matches. It’s ok to crack open the vault every now and then and I would love to see them do it for a long time to come. Give us something different every now and then. It isn’t going to hurt all that much.

Results

Dynamite Kid b. Bret Hart – O’Connor Roll

Piper Niven b. Serena Deeb – Michinoku Driver

Fit Finlay b. Lord Steven Regal via DQ when the Bluebloods interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 19, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

It’s the go home show for Takeover and really, I’m not sure I could remember half of the card at this point. This show has felt slapped together and while I have confidence in NXT to be able to pull it off, it doesn’t exactly make me want to watch the show. Hopefully they do something better here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland

Candice LeRae is here with Johnny. Holland starts fast and knocks him outside but Gargano manages a kick from the apron and a stomp to the hand to take over. Back in and Holland knocks him down with straight power again before a forearm to the face makes it even worse. Gargano pulls him down by the leg but a crank on said leg is broken up with some kicks to the face. Holland misses a running knee in the corner and Gargano takes him down with the suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with both guys down and everyone panicking after Gargano got dropped on his head after a botched spinning powerslam attempt. That looked HORRIBLE but Gargano is fine enough to hit a superkick. Holland grabs him in a front facelock and swings him around, which is probably not advisable after he got dropped on his head. Gargano flips out of an over the shoulder backbreaker but gets Pounced out to the floor. LeRae grabs the foot on the way back in though and Gargano kicks the rope for a low blow. One Final Beat finishes Holland at 8:10.

Rating: C+. The match was a nice power vs. speed fight but that drop on the head was absolutely terrifying as Gargano came straight down. I’m a little surprised that they didn’t edit that out of this as the show is taped and it could have allowed for a lot less cringing. Gargano winning was the only call here as Holland isn’t ready to beat him one on one and you already have Reed in the match as the young power guy.

Dakota Kai vs. Jessi Kamea

Kai sends her hard into the corner to start and yells about being #1 contender. Some running boots to the face in the corner set up a Facewash for two. Kai’s double arm choke is broken up and Kamea hits a kick of her own, followed by a sliding kick to the chest in the corner. A spinebuster gives Kamea two more but Kai is back with the GTK for the pin at 2:58. That was a lot of offense for a #1 contender to give up two days before a title shot.

Post match Kai grabs the mic and says she isn’t scared of Shirai. Io is so focused on Kai’s past but she’s focused on the future, which means taking the title from her. Kai promises to kick her in the face over and over but here’s Kai to beat her up. They fight up to the ramp and it’s the returning Raquel Gonzalez to take Shirai out. It makes the title match more intriguing, but Kai’s promo had very little fire and sounded scripted in a bad way.

Tegan Nox doesn’t like how Candice LeRae has been and needs to fix it. Maybe over a glass of wine like old time. She’s ready to talk.

Finn Balor knows Velveteen Dream has talent but tonight, no one is getting in the way of Balor getting his North American Title back. Tonight is the same as always: Finn over.

Breezango/Isaiah Scott vs. Legado del Fantasma

Fandango’s arm is still taped. It’s a brawl at the bell with Fandango being left in the ring with Mendoza for a running clothesline. Wilde comes in and gets draped over the top, setting up a double kick to the face. Fandango comes back in but gets sent outside, with Scott having to hit a slingshot dropkick through the ropes to Mendoza. Escobar’s dive is cut off with a kick to the head and Breezango’s double superkicks put the rest of Legado down.

Back from a break with Fandango being shoved off the top and out to the floor to bang up the arm again. Mendoza comes in and helps with a springboard moonsault from Mendoza. Apparently the tag just doesn’t matter as Mendoza stays in and kicks at Fandango’s arm some more. Another kick sends Fandango into the corner but he gets in a double backdrop to the floor.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Scott for the house cleaning, including the jumping Downward Spiral on Escobar. A Wilde distraction lets Escobar knee him out of the air though and it’s Scott in trouble this time. Wilde’s springboard missile dropkick hits Escobar by mistake and Scott is knocked into the corner, knocking Breeze off the apron. Scott comes back out and hits the JML Driver on Escobar but Scott running into Breeze counted as a tag (What else was it supposed to be?). Breeze comes in to slug away but walks into the Phantom Driver for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C-. This was a messy match and the ending felt a little more complicated than it seemed to be. The idea was to have Scott ready to pin Escobar but Scott not realizing that touching your partner on the apron was a tag was a weird moment. They tried to put in a little more than they should have and it didn’t work out that well. Scott vs. Escobar should work, but the Breezango stuff is making it seem a lot less serious than it should be.

Here’s the Undisputed Era to go face to face with Pat McAfee. Cue McAfee, complete with a bunch of NFL players, through the side entrance. He knows Adam Cole goes nowhere without the rest of his team so he brought a team of his own. Everyone else drops to the floor and McAfee talks about how the last time they were in this arena together, Shawn Michaels was checking Cole’s vitals. Then the next week, Cole went on a rant about how McAfee isn’t special enough to be here.

Cole has wrestled all over the world and even called himself the King of NXT. Yeah Cole was undefeated for 400 days or whatever it was but it took McAfee one kick to knock Cole out. McAfee has made a million dollars in seven different professions and he could make wrestling #8 if he wanted to. Cole gave him two weeks to get ready for this match and HHH talked about how he can make McAfee famous.

On Saturday, Cole is getting knocked out with another kick to the head and all anyone will hear is BOOM. Cole comes at him and beats up the referees before saying he’s making McAfee his b**** at Takeover. McAfee’s promo was one of the best celebrity talks I’ve ever heard but I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to cheer for Cole, who has been the top heel for a year plus, after a guy called him out and knocked him cold.

Mercedes Martinez/Aliyah vs. Shotzi Blackheart/Rhea Ripley

Robert Stone is here too. After Beth gets done with a horribly obvious read off a script to recap the feud (not her fault as I’m sure she was told to sound that way), commentary immediately starts ignoring the women to talk about Cole vs. McAfee. Ripley goes right after Martinez to start but Aliyah makes a quick save. That earns Aliyah a trip into the corner for a beating from Ripley and Shotzi comes in for the WELCOME TO THE BALL PIT. Aliyah gets in a shot to the face though and Martinez comes in to grab a chinlock as we take a break.

Back with Aliyah grabbing a neckbreaker on Blackheart and Martinez coming back in for a knee to the face. Blackheart gets dragged back into the corner and Martinez grabs a seated abdominal stretch. The double underhook suplex gives Martinez two but the fisherman’s buster is blocked.

Blackheart grabs a jumping DDT and the diving tag brings in Rhea to clean house. A basement dropkick rocks Aliyah and an electric chair faceplant gets two with Martinez making the save. Riptide plants Aliyah but a Stone distraction lets Martinez crotch Shotzi on top. Ripley manages to powerbomb Martinez over the barricade for a big old crash and the top rope backsplash finishes Aliyah at 9:55.

Rating: C. That ending made up for some of the weaker parts of the match as Ripley vs. Martinez could be one of the best hoss fights the women’s division has seen in a long time. Aliyah is great as someone who can take a fall for the team and Blackheart has the charisma. I liked this more than I would have bet on and that’s a rather nice surprise.

Long video on Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee. Kross was watching Lee win the NXT Title and made it clear that he wanted the next shot. Then Kross choked out Lee’s friend Dominick Dijakovic and burned Lee’s eyes. This awakened the monster in Lee, which could make for one heck of a showdown at Takeover in a big hoss fight.

Takeover rundown.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream

Dream is in a red shirt and jeans for a weird look. Balor headlocks him over and then sends Dream outside, where the concern in Dream’s face takes us to a break. Back with Dream fighting out of a chinlock and running Balor over, setting up the Thesz press. Dream sends him into the corner and rakes the back. Balor makes another quick comeback and they hit the mat, with Balor cranking on the legs.

The knee gets cranked around the ropes and Balor stomps away, with the referee having to make sure Dram can continue. Dream manages to crank on a cross armbreaker for a bit until Balor kicks his way to freedom. Back up and Dream’s side kick gets two, followed by some right hands in the corner. After Dream gets annoyed at the lack of counting from the fans, Balor dropkicks him to the floor. Cue Cameron Grimes to talk a lot of trash and we take another break.

Back again with Grimes sitting on the ladder and holding the North American Title as Dream hits a backbreaker. Dream hits the Rick Rude hip swivel but Balor rolls through a sunset flip and hits a basement dropkick. Balor stomps away in the corner but stops to chase Grimes up the ladder, allowing Dream to hot shot him onto the apron. Back in and the Dream DDT is countered so Dream tries the Dream Valley Driver. That’s broken up as well and Balor hits the shotgun dropkick into the corner.

Balor looks to go up but a Grimes distraction lets Dream run the corner for the superplex. Cue Johnny Gargano to shove the ladder over, sending Grimes into the referee. Grimes gets up and is taken down by Balor, setting up a Fameasser from Dream. Balor hits Dream with the Sling Blade, only to charge into a superkick for the double knockdown. Gargano grabs the title so here are Bronson Reed and Damian Priest to surround him.

That means a quick knockdown as Priest takes the title and kicks Reed in the face. Dream kicks Priest in the face and the monsters are knocked to the floor. Balor is back up to clothesline Dream to the floor and hits a big flip dive. Cue Timothy Thatcher to drop Balor, setting up the Dream Valley Driver to Balor. The Purple Rainmaker sends Dream to Takeover at 20:26.

Rating: C. This felt like a main roster match and that’s not a good thing. Ignoring everything involving Dream, there was WAY too much going on here and it took away a lot from what was a pretty nice back and forth match. Thatcher vs. Balor should be a good fight (probably next week on TV) and Dream going on to Takeover makes sense, assuming you ignore a lot of stuff happening elsewhere.

Post match we get the usual parade of shots to the face, capped off with Reed holding the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. For the first time in longer than I can remember, I really didn’t care for this week’s NXT. There was nothing on here worth seeing and Takeover feels ice cold. I can’t say I’m surprised by the North American Title qualifying matches not being interesting, as they almost never are. The wrestling hasn’t been all that great in recent weeks and there isn’t much on the line anyway. Takeover should be good as it always has been, but dang they need something fresh on television in a hurry.

Results

Johnny Gargano b. Ridge Holland – One Final Beat

Dakota Kai b. Jessi Kamea – GTK

Legado del Fantasma b. Breezango/Isaiah Scott – Phantom Driver to Breeze

Rhea Ripley/Shotzi Blackheart b. Mercedes Martinez/Aliyah – Top rope backsplash to Aliyah

Velveteen Dream b. Finn Balor – Purple Rainmaker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 12, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

We’re coming up on Takeover and that means most of the card is either set or more or less set. We still need to figure out what the heck is going on with the ladder match as last week saw a change to the lineup. Other than that, we have the build towards Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee in the big hoss fight. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Karrion Kross vs. Danny Burch

We get the full entrance for Kross as he continues to look like the biggest star in the world. Burch says ring the bell and goes right at Kross with a dropkick. A clothesline puts Kross on the floor but Kross pulls him outside and hits a two handed chokeslam. Back in and Kross talks trash while slowly hammering away, as should be the case with him. There’s the exploder but Burch manages an enziguri out of the corner.

Burch hits the missile dropkick out of the corner into a German suplex. A second German suplex sets up the Crossface but Kross rolls….well right into the middle of the ring without breaking the hold. That’s countered into a pair of Doomsday Saitos, followed by the Krossjacket for the win at 4:59.

Rating: C. Burch got in some offense here but the point was to make Kross look like a killer in the end, which is exactly what they did. They’re setting up a good main event for Takeover as it’s hard to imagine either Kross or Keith Lee actually losing a match. That’s what you’re supposed to do and if the hoss fight is that good, they’ll be more than fine.

Post match here’s Keith Lee with a contract in hand. His name is already signed and William Regal has approved, so Kross needs to sign sot hey can fight at Takeover. Scarlett takes the contract and Kross signs, with Scarlett kissing the contract and handing it back to Lee, who slowly picks it up. Lee opens the contract….and a fireball comes out to burn his face. Medics immediately hit the ring to take care of Lee and get him outside. Lee: “WHERE IS KROSS???” Lee keeps shouting to get him Kross as he is taken to the back and we get ready for the next match.

Drake Maverick vs. Killian Dain

We take a break just after the bell and come back to the Undisputed Era arriving in the parking lot. Back in the ring, Dain gets taken down with a big flip dive to the floor and Maverick heads up top. Maverick hits the top rope elbow but the Era comes in for the no contest (or double DQ) at 5:12. Not enough shown to rate and it was just a way to set up the Era’s promo anyway.

Post match Adam Cole gets rather serious and says he isn’t taking what Pat McAfee did to him last week because McAfee is in over his head. That’s why he wants McAfee here next week to see him face to face where the beating will be undisputed.

Video on Legado del Fantasma beating down Breezango last week.

Video on Kushida, who wants to be North American Champion.

Santos Escobar vs. Tyler Breeze

Non-title and Escobar sends his goons to the back. Escobar chops him down to start and kicks away at the chest. More kicks have Breeze down so Escobar can pose, allowing Breeze to hit a dropkick to the floor. Breeze makes the mistake of following him and gets his leg taken off, setting up a drop down onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Breeze fighting out of a chinlock but walking into an atomic drop (you don’t see that one very often these days). A running knee to the face drops Breeze again but the Phantom Driver is countered. Breeze hits some running forearms in the corner and the Supermodel Kick, which draws out the rest of Legado del Fantasma. The distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 7:51.

Rating: C. I’ve always liked Breeze and Escobar is the first interesting thing to happen to the cruiserweight division in a long time. Or maybe it’s that he’s the first thing that they have treated as important in a long time. I’m curious to see who they build someone up to take the title from him and that’s going to be an interesting road to travel.

Post match the beatdown is on but Fandango limps to the ring with a stick for the save. That earns him another beatdown but Isaiah Scott comes down for the real save.

Video on Dakota Kai, who knows how to defeat Io Shirai. Kai is in Shirai’s head and knows how to outsmart her She’s coming to Takeover and leaving with the title.

Video on Ridge Holland.

Mia Yim vs. Indi Hartwell

Before she comes to the ring, Mia says she’s ready despite what happened to Lee. Hartwell shoulders her down to start but Mia knocks the knee out and hits a basement dropkick. There’s the Cannonball in the corner for two but Hartwell is back with a side slam for two. We hit a pretty weak looking chinlock (crank a bit Hartwell) and Hartwell pulls her down into it a second time.

A backpack Stunner gets Mia out of trouble but Hartwell grabs it for a third time. This time Mia shrugs her off so Hartwell elbows her in the face. Mia sweeps the legs and hammers away before muscling her up for a German suplex. With her patience running out, Mia grabs her by the arm and pulls her into something like a reverse cross armbreaker for the tap at 4:37.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t a great match but they had an idea there with Mia being distracted. It’s a relationship that you don’t need to have portrayed on screen but it makes sense here and it can add a dimension to Lee. I don’t need it to be a major moment, but it worked out well enough here as a reason to care about the match.

Finn Balor is ready to face whoever is left out of tonight’s triple threat because he’s getting the North American Title.

Video on Pat McAfee vs. Adam Cole, complete with a lot of the ESPN media coverage.

McAfee will be here next week.

Damian Priest vs. Bronson Reed

They glare at each other to start until Priest grabs him by the wrist. Reed gets in his own wristlock but Priest pulls him into an armbar with a crossface. Back up and Reed tells him to run the ropes, so Priest kicks him in the leg and then does just that. Reed knocks him down though and it’s time to slug it out. Priest leapfrogs him and this a jumping back elbow to the face as we’re in hoss fight mode.

Some discus forearms rock Reed but he catches Priest’s jumping elbow in the corner. A DDT plants Priest and sends him outside for a needed breather. We take a break and come back with Reed fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a splash in the corner. Priest is back with a bell clap but Reed throws him down with a twisting fall away slam. The backsplash gives Reed two so Priest comes back with a bunch of shots to the face.

A springboard flipping attack puts Reed down again and now the running elbow connects in the corner. Priest manages the Broken Arrow for two so Reed evens things up with a suplex. Back up and Priest hits a spinning kick to the head to win the slugout but his springboard is powerbombed out of the air. Reed goes up for the top rope splash but Priest rolls over (not away, as Reed mostly landed on Priest’s back). Back up and Priest loads up the Reckoning, only to have Reed sweep the legs and grab a jackknife cover for the pin at 11:28.

Rating: B. This is one of those match types that is always fun and that worked rather well here. I know I’m probably getting my hopes up for Reed but they’re giving him a chance here and that’s one of the best things that could happen to him. I’m really surprised by the win here, but what matters for Reed is what happens after the ladder match.

Priest is STUNNED.

Video on Io Shirai, who knows what Kai has been doing as of late. Kai has been smart and taking people out, but Kai is no match for her. Kai has ticked her off and that isn’t going to end well.

Video on Cameron Grimes, who is ready for the North American Title.

Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter vs. Mercedes Martinez/Aliyah

Robert Stone is here with Martinez and Aliyah and offers Kacy a spot on the team. That earns Stone a slap to the face and Kacy hurricanranas Martinez out to the floor to start. A slingshot hilo gets two on Aliyah and a double basement superkick gets the same. Martinez is back up and tags herself in for a wheelbarrow into a cutter from Aliyah (cool) for two. We take a break and come back with Martinez coming in to hammers on Carter in the corner. Aliyah drops a leg for a few near falls but Carter kicks her in the head to bring in Kacy. Everything breaks down and Martinez grabs a quick Air Raid Crash to finish Kacy at 7:50.

Rating: C-. This was a fine way to help establish the Robert Stone Brand as a team who actually works well together, but at the same time, I’m not sure how much more proof you need for that. Martinez is destined for the big showdown with Rhea Ripley at Takeover and that could be a heck of a fight. Martinez is awesome and as annoying as it is that it took her this long to get here, it’s great to have her around.

Post match it’s Rhea Ripley coming out for the brawl but the numbers game gets the better of her. Cue Shotzi Blackheart for the save and the Stone Brand runs off.

We go to the Gargano house where Johnny is climbing a ladder while Candice reads a book to their dog. This turns into a rant about how Tegan Nox needs to be destroyed (with the camera being from the dog’s perspective). Johnny: “What kind of book are you reading?” Anyway, Johnny knows there are going to be talented people in the ladder match, but he has to be there too.

How can you have a Takeover without Johnny Takeover? He has a real qualifying match with Ridge Holland next week and he’ll go on to the ladder match he should have been in since the beginning. Gargano climbs the ladder and fixes a light before the two of them, both in POWER COUPLE suits, retire for the night.

Timothy Thatcher demonstrates an ankle lock at Thatch As Thatch Can school.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Kushida vs. Cameron Grimes vs. ???

We have a mystery entrant and….hokey smoke it’s Velveteen Dream. I’m actually stunned to see him as he was facing some of the most serious allegations in all of WWE. Unless I’ve missed it, WWE hasn’t said much of anything about him and he just disappeared from TV about two months ago. I’m going to assume that WWE hasn’t lost their freaking minds and have one heck of a pile of evidence proving his complete innocence, because there is no way that they are stupid enough to put him anywhere near a WWE logo without having a completely airtight answer to every single accusation against him.

Yes I said even WWE couldn’t be stupid enough to do something, because this would be about as dumb as you could get. Dream is facing accusations of some rather serious illegal activity and while it is possible he is innocent, there were quite a few people accusing him of doing similar things. If WWE has some been satisfied as to his innocence, they might want to make that public, because otherwise they are looking completely insane.

One way or another, WWE is going to have to explain something about this because a lot of people are going to going to be wanting some answers. I can’t imagine WWE is just going to let this go without making some kind of a statement as they all but have to on this. Maybe Dream is innocent and has proven it to WWE, but they might want to let others know, because otherwise it looks like they’re allowing him back on TV after giving him a two month vacation.

Oh yeah we have a match too.

Dream, with his blond goatee, gets knocked to the floor to start and Kushida arm wrings Grimes down hard onto his head. It’s Dream coming back in with a top rope ax handle to Kushida’s head for two but a tornado DDT plants Dream on the apron. Grimes crotches Kushida though and we take a break. Back with Kushida hitting a basement dropkick to Grimes and following it up with a running elbow in the corner. Dream comes back in but can’t hit the Dream Valley Driver on Kushida.

Instead everyone punches each other in the face and everyone is down. It’s Dream back up with a running clothesline to put Grimes on the floor, setting up a big dive to take him down again. Back in and the Dream Valley Driver connects on Kushida but Grimes pulls Dream out to the floor. The two fight outside until Kushida hits a big flip dive off the top onto Dream. Back in and Kushida pulls Grimes off the top and into the cross armbreaker but has to let go to catch Dream coming off the top. The Hoverboard Lock goes on Dream, who stands up, allowing Grimes to Cave In both of them and pin Kushida at 8:55.

Rating: C+. I’m still trying to get over the fact that Dream is back on TV as I wasn’t expecting to see him on WWE TV for a LONG time (if ever actually). Ignoring all of the allegations against him, Dream is an incredible talent and can be a player around here, but he isn’t exactly the same since the crowds went away. Grimes is a good choice to win, but Dream making the ladder match as well wouldn’t surprise me.

Post match Dream beats up Kushida, seemingly going heel again. Finn Balor, who will face Dream next week, comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This could have been worse, though there isn’t anything you need to see on the show. The best thing they did here was make the North American Title feel like a big deal, just by having a lot of people talk about how they wanted to win the title. The Lee angle worked (partially because commentary stayed completely quiet until the fire hit Lee) and I’m more interested in Takeover than I was before. My head is still kind of spinning off Dream though and I’m really interested in seeing the reaction to his return. Not a great show, but it was the moving forward to Takeover week.

Results

Karrion Kross b. Danny Burch – Krossjacket

Drake Maverick vs. Killian Dain went to a no contest when Undisputed Era interfered

Santos Escobar b. Tyler Breeze – Phantom Driver

Mia Yim b. Indi Hartwell – Reverse cross armbreaker

Bronson Reed b. Damian Priest – Top rope splash

Mercedes Martinez/Aliyah b. Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter – Air Raid Crash to Catanzaro

Cameron Grimes b. Velveteen Dream and Kushida – Cave In to Kushida

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 6, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

It’s more of the same around here as the vault stays wide open. That usually doesn’t mean much with this show as they have to be running out of interesting things to show. I’m not sure if WWE is ever going to do anything about that as this show isn’t very high on their list of priorities, but it is still working well enough at the moment. Let’s get to it.

Andy does his usual welcome.

Kenny Williams takes us back to NXT UK, July 24, 2019.

Kenny Williams vs. Noam Dar

Grudge match after a few weeks of issues. Feeling out process to start with Dar taking him down by the arm and grabbing a front facelock. That’s escaped in a hurry for a standoff and some nice applause. They grapple a bit more until Dar tries a school boy, only to have Williams be ready for it and ruffle his hair. Dar bails to the floor and catches Williams with a shot to the head to take over for real this time.

Vic thinks punching Williams in the face to take over was the turning point of the match as we hit the chinlock. Williams gets back up and hits a superkick to start the comeback. Dar is sent outside for the suicide dive and a top rope back elbow to the face keeps Dar in trouble. The springboard spinning crossbody misses though and Dar grabs a fisherman’s buster for two.

The ankle lock is broken up and Williams nails a rebound lariat for a double knockdown. Williams tries to hit the ropes but gets pulled down into the kneebar. That’s broken up as well in a bit of a surprise and Williams loses his shoe. With the referee getting rid of it, Dar kicks him low and nails the Nova Roller for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to as Williams looks to have the skills to go somewhere and Dar feels like a star. This was a good way to continue the feud and I wouldn’t complain about seeing them fight again. If nothing else, this was a good way to have a story going without a title, which the smaller shows tend to be a lot better at than the major shows.

Kay Lee Ray talks about her reign becoming even longer during the lockdown. Her record will continue when things are back to normal and she will prove herself again.

Toni Storm talks about her history with Dakota Kai and sends us to NXT UK, November 7, 2018.

Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai

They lock up to start with Kai driving her into the corner for a clean break. A handshake seems to suggest that things are ok but they both try kicks to the ribs, both of which are caught. Kai kicks her down for two but Storm is right back with an uppercut as we hear about Storm’s time in Japan. An STF goes on for a long time until Kai makes the rope and gets back up for another slugout.

Stereo headbutts give us a double knockdown but Kai is there with two more kicks. A snap German suplex sends Kai into the corner but she runs to the other corner for a kick to the head. The bicycle kick rocks Storm, who shrugs it off for some running knees in the corner. Storm Zero finishes Kai at 7:17.

Rating: C. The ending wasn’t exactly in doubt as Kai never wins anything and Storm is likely to be one of the big stars of the division. Storm has some of the best star power I’ve seen in a good while and it makes sense to have her win in the first match. Just get her some competition though, as it’s not like there isn’t a full tournament roster to pick from.

They shake hands post match.

Sam Gradwell says you might not remember him because he has been gone with knee injuries but he’s back. The storm is coming to NXT UK.

The Grizzled Young Veterans talk about returning to Zack Gibson’s home in Liverpool and moving to the top of the division. Here they are dealing with potential spoilers from NXT UK, January 9, 2019.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson

The winners get Moustache Mountain on Saturday. Drake and Andrews start things off but it’s quickly off to Gibson to knock Webster off the top. A Doomsday Device gets two on Andrews and we’re only about 45 seconds in. That’s followed by a middle rope elbow/backbreaker combination on the floor as Andrews is still in serious trouble. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a heck of a chinlock from Drake.

Gibson grabs another chinlock but Andrews finally kicks the villains into each other, allowing the hot tag to Webster. That brings the fans right back into it and Webster clotheslines Drake down to hammer away. A running flip dive drops Gibson on the floor, followed by the Baba O’Reilly Buster for two on Drake. Gibson counters a monkey flip with an armbar but Webster knocks him outside without much effort.

An assisted standing 450 gives Andrews two on Gibson but Webster gets pulled to the floor. Ticket to Ride is good for two on Andrews, who hurricanranas Drake into Gibson for a breather. Webster comes in with a Swanton to both guys and a reverse hurricanrana gets two on Drake. That puts everyone down and the fans are very pleased. Gibson heads outside and catches Andrews’ dive, reversing it into Helter Skelter on the ramp. Back in and another Ticket to Ride finishes Webster at 8:19.

Rating: B. This was looking pretty boring to start but my goodness it picked up steam as they got going. I was expecting Webster and Andrews to just be the spunky challengers who were little more than a roadblock for Drake and Gibson but they turned it into a rather good match with everyone working hard and giving us the obvious ending, but not before a great effort.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was mostly good but you can feel the level of importance going further and further down every week. There has to be something else they can dip into other than the same rapidly depleting bag of matches, but for now they can keep going with this for the time being. If nothing else just have Gibson talk about how great he is for the entire show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 5, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

We’re coming up on Takeover and that means it is time to continue with the series of triple threat matches on the way to the North American Title match. Tonight it’s Ridge Holland vs. Damian Priest and Oney Lorcan. We probably need to set up some more stuff for the card and we might get there tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley

The winner gets Io Shirai for the Women’s Title at Takeover. Ripley starts fast with a dropkick into the corner and the big shoulders to the ribs. A wheelbarrow faceplant puts Kai down again and Ripley pounds her down in the corner again. Ripley grabs a bodyscissors for a bit before blasting her with a clothesline for two. They head outside with Ripley electric chair dropping Kai face first onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Kai hitting a pump kick to the face for her own two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on but Ripley fights up and knocks her to the floor.

An electric chair drop sends Kai face first onto the apron but Kai is back with a scorpion kick. Ripley tosses her into the air for a big faceplant though and the yelling ensues. Riptide is countered into a hard DDT for two though and Ripley is stunned. The Kairopractor is blocked and Ripley grabs the Prism Trap. That’s broken up with a roll into the corner and Kai hits her running boot to the face. The referee yells at Kai and here’s Mercedes Martinez to kick Ripley in the face. Kai hits the GTK for the pin at 15:26.

Rating: B-. That’s how this should have gone as Kai has not exactly established herself as the next big thing in the women’s division. She needed something to get her built up and a win over Ripley, even a cheating one, is a good step to get there. Couple that with setting up Ripley vs. Martinez and everything went well here.

Post match Martinez takes Ripley out again.

Earlier today, Pat McAfee talked with Shawn Michaels.

Bronson Reed vs. Shane Thorne

The much bigger Reed shoves him around to start so Thorne hits him in the face a few times. Reed hits him with a heck of a forearm of his own so Thorne tells him to bring it. A dropkick puts Reed on the floor and there’s the suicide dive. Reed shrugs that off and full nelson slams him onto the apron. Back in and Reed gets crotched on top, setting up a running dropkick to hang him upside down.

The running Cannonball hits Reed’s back and there’s a Shining Wizard for two. Reed gets back up and runs him over with pure power, setting up the running backsplash for two of his own. Thorne kicks him in the head so Reed turns him inside out with a clothesline. The Death Valley Driver sets up the top rope splash to crush Thorne at 4:29.

Rating: C-. Reed is someone who might not have the most complicated character in the world but man alive he is getting good at this kind of match. He’s a big man who can move well enough and that splash looks awesome. Thorne belongs in NXT still and he moves well enough to keep him around. Not too bad here, as Reed is fun to watch.

Earlier today, Legado del Fantasma jumped in the parking lot and kidnapped Fandango.

Videos on Ridge Holland, Oney Lorcan and Damian Priest.

The Robert Stone Brand says Rhea Ripley may be done with them but they aren’t done with her.

We look at the end of last week’s qualifying match with Dexter Lumis winning and Finn Balor laying out Timothy Thatcher after the match.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ridge Holland

Holland has a jaunty hat and a club to go with the nice coat. They trade strikes to the head with Priest getting the better of things and hitting a running elbow to Lorcan in the corner. Holland follows with a splash and then kicks Priest to the floor. Lorcan knocks Holland outside as well and hits his own big running flip dive. Back in and Holland sends Lorcan flying with a suplex, headbutts Priest, and suplexes him as well. A clothesline puts Priest on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Priest and Holland slugging it out until Lorcan flip dives in from the top to take both of them down. Lorcan hits running elbows in the corner to both, followed by a running double Blockbuster. The half crab has Priest in trouble and the running uppercut gives Lorcan two. Holland is back up to run Lorcan over and hits an exploder suplex for two.

Priest can’t hit the Reckoning on Holland, who muscles him up for a gutwrench powerbomb for two more. Lorcan and Holland slug it out and certainly seem to enjoy themselves until Lorcan’s running uppercuts take him down. Priest can’t hit the chokeslam as Lorcan slips out and chops him in the back. A hard running clothesline puts Lorcan down and now Priest can chokeslam Holland. The Reckoning to Lorcan sends Priest to Takeover at 10:16.

Rating: B. These guys beat the fire out of each other and Holland looked like a star in the making. Lorcan was there to take the fall though and they need someone a little more established like Priest in the ladder match. Good, hard hitting brawl here with everyone getting in some good shots, and Holland showcasing himself very well in his big chance.

Adam Cole and Pat McAfee are all cool after their blowup on McAfee’s show.

Cameron Grimes vs. Keith Lee

Non-title. Lee takes the vest off and glares at Lee before stalking him into the corner for a hard stare. Grimes bails to the floor and Lee is smart enough to not follow him. Back in and they do the same thing again with Grimes telling Lee to not mess with him. Back in again and Grimes goes for the leg, which works as well as you would expect. Grimes forearms away so Lee grabs him by the sides of the head and throws him down. A shoulder drops Grimes again and Lee stays serious.

This time Lee knocks him over the top and follows, with Grimes kicking the knee out. Lee it sent knee first into the steps and the middle rope moonsault connects as we take a break. Back with Lee getting mad again and hammering Grimes down without much trouble. The Spirit Bomb is escaped and the Big Bang Catastrophe is countered into a small package for two. Grimes’ rollup with feet on the ropes gets the same and there’s an enziguri.

A middle rope crossbody is calmly pulled out of the air so Grimes hits his spinning crossbody slam for two more. The Cave In doesn’t work and the Grizzly Magnum puts Grimes down again. Grimes slugs away and gets Grizzly Magnumed again, setting up a hard clothesline. Lee doesn’t let go of his hand though and hits even more clotheslines, setting up the Spirit Bomb for the pin at 12:28.

Rating: B-. I liked this as Lee was completely focused on Kross and destroyed Grimes with no emotion on his face as a result. What matters here though is Lee getting to show how dominant he is, which makes Kross feel like something even bigger for getting under Lee’s skin. Or maybe it’s Lee not liking that Grimes abandoned the Lee name.

Post match we hear Scarlett’s voice and see Kross, who says he needs to do something to make this happen. Several bodies are seen out cold on the floor as Kross walks away.

General Manager William Regal announces that Dexter Lumis has an ankle injury and is out of Takeover. Therefore, Johnny Gargano, Finn Balor, Ridge Holland and whomever is not pinned in next week’s match facing off in two singles matches. The winners will go on to the ladder match.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for a chat and they carry Fandango out with him. Escobar talks about how they come out here every week and try to explain that they are just better because lucha libre is not a gimmick. Fandango is thrown over the barricade and then inside, with Escobar talking about Breezango playing dress up. They spit in the face of Escobar and the disrespect stops right now. The rest of the team goes after Fandango and cut off an invading Tyler Breeze as well. Escobar says anyone who speaks his name again will face the same future.

Video on the Undisputed Era’s dominance of the tag team division and their issues with Imperium.

Damian Priest is ready for Takeover and knows the risks. Bronson Reed pops up to say he’ll see Priest at Takeover. Priest says Takeover won’t be another fluke so the match is made for later.

Pat McAfee sits in on commentary.

Tegan Nox vs. Indi Hartwell

They yell at each other to start until Nox forearms her in the head. A chop in the corner has Hartwell screaming but she drops Nox face first onto the buckle. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a hard shot to keep Nox down. We hit the chinlock for a second time but Nox fights up again. This time Hartwell kicks her in the face for two, only to have Nox start the comeback. Nox hits the Shiniest Wizard for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C-. Just a quick way to keep Nox around in a good way as she is someone who could be a big star in the future. She has a good look and a ton of charisma, plus the in-ring abilities. What more could you need from someone in this spot? The match was quick too and it’s not like Hartwell was knocked that far down by the loss.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Imperium vs. Undisputed Era

Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, with Adam Cole, are challenging for the Era here and McAfee is still on commentary. The rest of the Era is here too and it’s O’Reilly slugging it out with Aichner to start. Kyle strikes away in the corner but the crossbody is countered into a hard backbreaker. The armbar doesn’t last long as it’s off to Fish, who is armbarred b Barthel.

O’Reilly comes in for the double kicks to put Barthel down as Beth is arguing with McAfee over his comments on his show. Barthel kicks Fish down and we take a break. Back with Fish backdropping Aichner out to the floor as Cole is glaring at McAfee. A backdrop gets Fish out of trouble and it’s O’Reilly coming in to pick up the pace. O’Reilly beats up both champs at once, including a dragon screw legwhip to mess with Barthel’s knee.

The top rope knee drop sets up the kneebar on Barthel, sending him over to the ropes. Fish drops a top rope elbow to keep Barthel down but Aichner springboard moonsaults in for the save. Cole finally goes over to McAfee, saying he can hear him from 20 feet away. McAfee says he’s just talking trash and Cole throws water on him. Referees and HHH come out for the save until we cut back to the ring, with the European Bomb hitting Fish to retain the titles at 10:45.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t the point here as the whole thing wound up being a backdrop for the angle with McAfee. What we had was fine because the teams involved are going to be able to do some good stuff, but there isn’t much you can do with so much of the limited time they had being spent on something else.

Post match McAfee is told to leave but goes after Cole again, as Shawn Michaels and HHH keep trying to separate them. McAfee says Cole will always be a tiny b**** so Cole charges, earning himself a punt from the former NFL kicker. Cole is out cold and McAfee leaves, calling this place unprofessional. Shawn checks on Cole to end the show. I’ll put this one in the “if we have to” category as I’d like to see something better for Cole coming off his title loss. McAfee is a guy I only know in passing from Kickoff Shows and now he is doing this?

Overall Rating: B. Another solid show here with good action throughout and some stories being pushed forward for Takeover. I’m not interested in Cole vs. McAfee so far, but it was smart to have him use his football skill in something like this. The North American Title situation is interesting as they could have someone sneak into the ladder match and there are some nice possibilities. Overall, it was a solid night and they moved stuff forward for Takeover, so well done.

Results

Dakota Kai b. Rhea Ripley – GTK

Bronson Reed b. Shane Thorne – Top rope splash

Damian Priest b. Ridge Holland and Oney Lorcan – Reckoning to Lorcan

Keith Lee b. Cameron Grimes – Spirit Bomb

Tegan Nox b. Indi Hartwell – Shiniest Wizard

Imperium b. Undisputed Era – European Bomb to Fish

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: July 30, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

The barrel scraping continues as we look for some more content to fill in time until they can do some fresh tapings. I’m not sure more they can do in this situation but it might be time to look at some other NXT content, or even content from somewhere else. Hopefully we get something good here so let’s get to it.

Joseph Conners sends us to the Download Festival on June 26, 2019.

Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners

Andrews rolls out of a wristlock to start and takes him down with an armdrag. The fans are VERY appreciative of an armbar but Conners cuts them off by bending Andrews’ neck around the ropes. A running clothesline gets two and a suplex is good for the same as they’re keeping the offense simple so far. Some choking on the apron and a neck snap across the rope somehow wake Andrews up so he can slug away.

The knee slide into the enziguri sets up a suicide dive to the floor to rock Conners again. He’s right back with a sunset bomb into the corner though and a belly to back faceplant gets two. The fans are all over Conners, showing that the Download Festival has bad taste in heels. Andrews can’t get a backslide but can get a Stundog Millionaire. Fall To Pieces finishes Conners at 6:09.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and nothing that hasn’t been done better before. What makes me feel better though is that it seems Conners is falling down the card, which means we don’t have to listen to him anymore. Andrews is still easy to cheer for and that’s a good piece to have around on any show.

So Conners picked a match where he lost. I knew he was kind of dense.

A Kid is ready to come back because he has been studying everyone in NXT UK.

Isla Dawn wants to clip Xia Brookside’s wings. From NXT UK, January 9, 2019.

Isla Dawn vs. Xia Brookside

We actually get a handshake to start as the fans aren’t sure who they like more here. A wristlock gives us a standoff so Dawn takes her down into a quickly broken armbar. Dawn slips out of a headscissors and works on the legs, which just seems to annoy Brookside. Back up and Brookside dances out of a crossarm choke to put Dawn in one of her own. Dawn reverses into the same thing before it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls each. Brookside tries a victory roll but Dawn uses the Owen Hart counter by sitting down on it for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere but Brookside continues to be all kinds of charming and adorable while Dawn is the kind of person who could be built back up into something bigger down the line. They’re going to need some fresh challengers after Takeover and while Dawn has already lost a shot, it’s not like they have any better options at the moment.

Dani Luna is ready to show us another side of herself.

Noam Dar is waiting on his birthday wishes and has a present for us. From NXT UK, October 17, 2018.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Noam Dar

Dar is challenging and General Manager Johnny Saint is in the ring for the introductions. Dunne gets a hero’s welcome, as you had to expect. Feeling out process to start but hang on because the fans need to sing Happy Birthday to Dar. That’s not cool with Dunne so he blasts Dar with a clothesline, which is fine with the fans as well. Dar sends him outside for a hard soccer kick to the arm and Dunne in in some sudden trouble.

Back in and Dunne hits a quick X Plex for a breather and unloads in the corner. Dar kicks him with the face so Dunne flips out of a German suplex and gets two off a powerbomb. A northern lights suplex gives Dar the same so Dunne goes for the fingers like a true villain who the fans cheer anyway. Dar is right back with a release fisherman’s suplex onto the apron and they’re both down. Stereo dives beat the count at nine as the fans declare this awesome.

Dunne goes to the fingers again so Dar spins around into an elbow to the face. A leglock is reversed into a cross armbreaker but Dar reverses that into an ankle lock. Dunne staggers him with an enziguri so Dar forearms him in the back of the head for the double knockdown. Dar kicks the leg out but the Nova Roller is forearmed out of the air. The Bitter End is reversed into a kneebar with Dunne having to dive for the rope. That’s enough for Dunne, who bends the fingers back again and stomps on the arm, setting up the Bitter End to retain at 11:35.

Rating: B. This didn’t have the drama or the emotion (or the time) that a lot of Dunne’s matches have but Dar more than showcased himself here. They’re doing a very good job of having Dunne get closer and closer to losing the title but surviving in the end. Whoever eventually figures out the puzzle is going to look like a star and that’s the point of such a long title reign. Good first main event here.

Post match Dunne offers a handshake but the injured Dar sticks his pinkie up, which Dunne seems fine with as he returns the gesture and smiles.

Overall Rating: C. I was getting flashbacks to the old days of the show here and not just because they had so many older matches. This felt like a show from their formative days, with two nothing matches and then a good main event to bail it out. I’m getting worried about how bad things are going to get, if nothing else due to having the Best Of be people picking matches where they lose. They don’t have anything better than that?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 29, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

We have another Takeover coming up and that means we need to find out who is going to be involved in some of the big matches. You can see a lot of the card from here and when you add in series of triple threat matches to set up the ladder match, we should be in for some good stuff on the way there. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video, set to The End, looks at Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee.

Candice LeRae/Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox/Io Shirai

Kai jumps Shirai from behind before the bell until we settle down to LeRae vs. Nox to start. An elbow in the corner into a snapmare gives LeRae two and it’s off to Shirai to knee Kai in the face. Shirai picks up the pace and nips up, only to get monkey flipped into the ropes. Kai kicks her in the face for two but Shirai gets in a flapjack for a breather. A Lotus Lock goes on with LeRae coming in for the save. It’s off to Nox, who is taken outside and sent hard into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Nox and LeRae ramming heads, allowing the double tag back to Shirai and Kai. A palm strike sets up the springboard missile dropkick for two on Kai but she breaks up the moonsault. Kai catches her on top with an Alberto double stomp for two and Nox Shiniest Wizards LeRae. The moonsault finishes LeRae at 13:00.

Rating: C. Not too bad here but Kai vs. Shirai feels like little more than a filler feud until we get to someone bigger. LeRae vs. Nox isn’t much better, but it worked well enough for an opener. Kai vs. Shirai sounds like we should be in for a big match at Takeover and should be fine, though I’m not sure if there would be much drama.

We look at Adam Cole erupting on the Pat McAfee Show. HHH showed up earlier this week and said things are going to be smoothed over.

Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong

Fallout from last week’s triple threat. They go to the mat to start with a battle over the front facelocks. Strong can’t get much off an armbar and has to roll out of an early Gargano Escape attempt. That means an early standoff until Strong takes him to the mat again. Gargano reverses into a Rings of Saturn but has to switch into a headlock instead. Back up and Gargano snaps off a hurricanrana to send things outside. Gargano takes Strong down by the arm on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Strong hitting a backbreaker and chopping away in the corner. A release front suplex drops Gargano again and One Final Beat is countered into a backbreaker for two more. Strong puts Gargano on top but gets caught in a jumping Downward Spiral to give Johnny his own near fall.

The Gargano Escape attempt is countered into a failed Stronghold attempt as Gargano kicks him in the head. Back up and they chop it out until Gargano knees him in the head. What looked to be a GTS is countered into a headscissors from Gargano to send Strong outside. Strong gets posted hard and the shoulder is banged up even more. There are some rams into the Plexiglas, followed by the One Final Beat to finish Strong at 12:55.

Rating: B. Good match here, even with the heel vs. heel setup. Strong was wrestling a little more like a face here, at least out of the two, and that could be a hint at the Era not being as strong as it was before. It was a good back and forth match though and that’s something that will always have a spot on any given show.

Dakota Kai says she is not a team player and is done with triple threats and tag matches and battle royals. She is the #1 contender and she wants her shot at Io Shirai. Rhea Ripley comes in and says not so fast because that’s her title shot.

Timothy Thatcher isn’t worried about Finn Balor or Dexter Lumis in the triple threat match.

The Undisputed Era isn’t happy with what has been going on. Kyle O’Reilly says they need to remember who they are and get back to changing the business.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez

Robert Stone and Aliyah are in Martinez’s corner. Shotzi goes right at her to start but gets shoved away. A Stone distraction lets Martinez send Shotzi into the steps, followed by a drop down onto the apron. Back in and Shotzi slips out of a fisherman’s buster, setting up a dropkick to send Martinez into the corner. A sunset bomb does the same and there’s the reverse Sling Blade to put Martinez down again. Shotzi kicks her down for two but Martinez grabs a spinebuster for the same. A release German superplex sends Shotzi flying and something between White Noise and a Death Valley Driver gives Mercedes the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C-. Quick match here and a good way to establish Martinez as the killer that she can be. If nothing else it helps by giving Stone a win over Blackheart, which is something that they needed to do at some point. I’m not sure what Martinez is going to do next, but I can’t imagine they have more than one match left for these two to go.

NXT UK star Ridge Holland is coming next week.

Here’s a serious Keith Lee for a chat. He wants to get something straight: Dominik Dijakovic is going to be just fine. On the other hand, this other man thinks the sound of sand is the sound of a clock. Kross has made it clear that he wants the NXT Title and has done so much extra bull****. All of that means nothing when Kross can’t come see him face to face so he is officially calling Kross out.

Cue Cameron Grimes instead and he isn’t happy that Lee gave up the North American Title before Grimes could win both belts. Lee just stares ahead until Grimes gets in the ring and then pulls him over the top by the throat. There’s a running splash in the corner but Scarlett appears on the stage. Grimes jumps Lee again and gets Spirit Bombed for his efforts.

Kross appears on the screen and asks what kind of a man Lee was to stand by and let his friend suffer. Lee can take the easy way and give Kross his NXT Title shot or take the hard way when everyone suffers. Tick tock. Lee says pick the time and place so he can whip that a**. This was serious Lee and while he doesn’t bring it out very often, he felt like a monster here and that’s something I could go for a lot more of later.

Video on the three entrants in tonight’s triple threat match.

Imperium vs. Ever Rise

Non-title. Barthel armbars Martel to start and yes commentary does chuckle at the similar sounding names. It’s off to Parker in a hurry for a few cheap shots but Barthel is right back to hit him in the face. Aichner comes in for a spinebuster and the European Bomb is good for the pin at 2:17. That’s how it should have gone.

Post match Imperium says they want a challenge and here’s the Undisputed Era to take them out without much effort. The Era leaves the champs laying, which hopefully doesn’t mean another Tag Team Title reign.

Video on Bronson Reed, who has done so many things to get here and made a big splash in his NXT debut. Some people make it happen and while he was the underdog last week, he came away with the win. At Takeover, the dream comes true.

William Regal says Kross needs to earn an NXT Title match. This isn’t going to end well.

Isaiah Scott vs. Jake Atlas

Scott snaps off an early headscissors into the corner and they circle each other a bit. Atlas flips away from him but Scott avoids a standing moonsault. That’s fine with Atlas who scores with a dropkick to get us back to a standoff. Scott kicks him out to the apron in a heap and we take a break. Back with Atlas hitting a springboard Blockbuster for two and firing off elbows to the face.

Scott grabs a rollup for two and muscles him over with a German suplex. The rolling Downward Spiral gets two more and it’s time to head up top. They slug it out on the corner until Atlas hits a super spinning Angle Slam for no cover. The cartwheel DDT is broken up though and a kick to the face leaves Atlas hanging upside down by his toes. Scott nails the House Call and the JML Driver gives Scott the pin at 9:53.

Rating: B-. I’m rather pleased by seeing Scott’s push actually continue for once as they have a bad tendency to pull the rug out from under him. Beating Atlas isn’t a game changer for his career but it is a great sign that he is actually going somewhere. I have no idea if that is going to be a good ending, but at least it’s better than nothing.

Damian Priest is ready to win next week’s qualifying match.

Next week: the Undisputed Era gets their Tag Team Title shot, Ripley vs. Kai in a #1 contenders match and another qualifying match between Oney Lorcan, Damian Priest and Ridge Holland.

North American Title Qualifying Match: Dexter Lumis vs. Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher

Balor kicks Thatcher in the face to start and then pulls him to the floor as Lumis watches on. Back in and Lumis uppercuts away before throwing them both outside. Lumis flips over the top and lands on his feet before throwing Thatcher inside. Balor comes back in and Lumis knocks both of them down as Lumis….still doesn’t do much other than slowly stare at people and punch.

Thatcher gets sent outside so Balor can kick away at Lumis. Balor and Thatcher switch places with Thatcher hitting a belly to belly suplex for two. An armbar is broken up by Balor but Lumis is back up with a hot shot to Thatcher. Balor kicks Lumis down but gets knocked off the top to put everyone down as we take a break.

Back with Thatcher uppercutting Balor and choking him on the rope. Lumis, with a bad ankle, gets knocked off the apron and Thatcher pounds Balor back down. There’s another shot to knock Lumis outside again and it’s Balor coming back on Thatcher. The third time works for Lumis as he gets back inside for a bulldog on Balor. Thatcher gets back up and it’s a Sling Blade to Lumis.

The shotgun dropkick is broken up as Thatcher crotches Balor against the post. Balor’s leg is wrapped around the post and Thatcher cranks away until Lumis makes a save, even though Thatcher was on the floor and there was no danger of a fall. Back in and Lumis hits a spinebuster on Thatcher but can’t hit the Silencer. Thatcher twists the leg down again but walks into the Silencer. Balor breaks it up with the Coup de Grace with Thatcher making the save this time. Thatcher grabs the ankle lock on Balor but Lumis does his crawl over and Silences Thatcher for the title shot at 12:16.

Rating: C. I….I just don’t get it. There are wrestlers that I don’t like but I can get their appeal. That isn’t the case with Lumis, who is supposed to be this creepy guy or some tortured artist but he comes off as a guy who just stands there and stares a lot. There is a world of difference between getting a title shot and winning the title and they do seem to be setting up new people in the match, but dang I don’t get it with Lumis.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t as strong this week but there was enough to balance that out and bring it up a little higher. The Lee promo in particular was great stuff and I want to see more of that side of him. They have a target in sight for Takeover and I’m curious to see what they are going to do with everything at the card. Good show here, but far from a must see week.

Results

Io Shirai/Tegan Nox b. Candice LeRae/Dakota Kai – Moonsault to LeRae

Johnny Gargano b. Roderick Strong – One Final Beat

Mercedes Martinez b. Shotzi Blackheart – Death Valley Driver

Imperium b. Ever Rise – European Bomb to Parker

Isaiah Scott b. Jake Atlas – JML Driver

Dexter Lumis b. Finn Balor and Timothy Thatcher – Silencer to Thatcher

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: July 23, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

Every week I wonder how much longer this Greatest Hits deal can continue around here. The show hasn’t been around all that long and it isn’t like they have the longest string of classics to pick from. They can switch things up if necessary in the future, but I’m not sure if it can be exclusively NXT UK that much longer. Let’s get to it.

Andy throws us to our first introduction.

Mark Andrews is enjoying some ice cream and sends us to NXT UK, December 5, 2018.

Fabian Aichner vs. Mark Andrews

They shake hands to start and Andrews has to slip out of an early gorilla press. Andrews spins around his head into a headscissors to send Aichner outside, followed by a suicide dive. Back in and a backbreaker plants Andrews, which isn’t the most surprising strategy given how big Aichner is.

Back up and Andrews slides on his knees to duck a clothesline and nails an enziguri. A standing Whisper in the Wind splash gets two, followed by Andrews flipping out of a suplex into a hurricanrana (cool) for two more. Andrews scores with a 619 to the ribs and a victory roll gets two. That’s enough for Aichner so he clotheslines the heck out of Andrews, only to get caught with the Stundog Millionaire.

Aichner catches a Blockbuster and reverses it into a brainbuster (that’s some impressive power) for two but takes too long setting up a double springboard moonsault (which someone his size can just do). A very twisting DDT drops Aichner for another near fall but he moves before the shooting star can connect. They head outside with Aichner crushing Andrews’ head against the steps with a running knee for nine. Andrews is done so Aichner hits a helicopter bomb for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: B. Aichner is one of those guys with all the natural tools and Andrews has more than enough charisma and underdog status to make something like this work. He’s very good at making you believe that he can beat someone like Aichner, even as he comes up short in the end. Aichner could be a big star just with his natural look and skills alone so give him some kind of a character and he’ll be fine.

Xia Brookside promises us that we will get through all of this. NXT UK is trying its hardest to get back.

Piper Niven wants to be Women’s Champion and also wants to go to NXT UK, November 28, 2019.

Jinny vs. Piper Niven

Jazzy Gabbert is here with Jinny. Niven starts with the big shoves and Jinny can’t do much against the size and power. A missed charge into the corner gives Jinny a break though and Jinny gets two off a slingshot hilo. The Iron Octopus sends Piper down to one knee before powering out. Jazzy trips her up though and that’s good for an ejection.

Niven drops a big elbow for two as Nigel is wondering how Jinny can survive without her best friend. A headbutt knocks them both down but it’s Piper up first to snap off a belly to back suplex. Jinny gets caught on top and it’s an electric chair faceplant to give Piper two. Piper gets kicked in the face for two so she dropkicks Jinny hard into the corner. The Cannonball sets up the Michinoku Driver for the pin on Jinny at 7:28.

Rating: D+. The size difference caused some problems here as there are only so many ways you have have a monster like Niven as the face in a match like this. Jinny doesn’t have the most in the ring either and it made for a bit of a difficult situation. The match could have been worse, but this didn’t work all that well.

Saxon Huxley shouts about seeing things in his head and finally being unlocked.

Dave Mastiff wraps us up with this from NXT UK, December 12, 2018.

Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff takes him into the corner to start but they’re both tentative early on. Dennis’ shoulder has no effect and a second does even less. Instead it’s Mastiff hitting a heavy forearm to take over and some elbows to the head keep Dennis in trouble. The running dropkick looks to set up the backsplash but Dennis avoids the bad case of pain. A boot sends Mastiff outside and two more keep him in trouble.

Back in and Mastiff misses a charge in the corner, setting up….the cravate. Well it’s better than another armbar. Mastiff gets up and scores with a headbutt, followed by a big superplex to put them both down. A Regal Roll into a backsplash gives Mastiff two, followed by a bridging German suplex for the same.

Dennis is right back with a swinging sitout powerslam (and he held Mastiff up) for his own near fall. The Severn Bridge is blocked twice (even with Dennis holding him up in the Razor’s Edge position) so Dennis nails a clothesline for two instead. Mastiff has had it and throws him into the corner for the Cannonball and the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C. This was the hoss battle that it should have been and the more I think about it, the more I can go with Mastiff winning here. I’ve been saying for months that they have to do something around here to make more stars and Mastiff seems to be one of them at the moment. It’s a fun match, even if Dennis lost to my annoyance.

Overall Rating: C-. Yeah I’m not sure what else they’re going to be able to do around here, as these shows just aren’t working all that well anymore. The wrestling is acceptable enough at times, but there are only so many things that you can do with the limited selection they have available. There are all kinds of things you can do on this show, but sticking with just NXT UK is not going to work that well in the long run.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6