IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: 31
Date: October 4, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph

It’s already time for another Takeover after less than two months away. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but they haven’t exactly had a ton of time to set things up. That being said, this is Takeover and if anyone can make something like this work, they are absolutely the best option. Hopefully they can live up to the hype, which isn’t that strong this time. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, complete with some clips of the old Washington DC show from the 50s/60s. That switches into the Capitol Wrestling center….which is basically Full Sail with cages instead of Plexiglas and the Thunderdome virtual fans. I’d rather just watch more of the old footage.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending and the threat of the kick to the face sends Gargano bailing. Back in and another big boot misses so Priest goes for the spinwheel kick to take Gargano down. It’s too early for the Reckoning so Priest kicks Gargano in the chest to send him into the corner. Priest tries an Old School rope walk but gets knocked down and kicked in the knee. Gargano flips him from the apron to the floor and there’s a suicide dive into the fence. A ram into the steps makes it worse.

Back in and Gargano kicks away at the legs but has to slip out of a Razor’s Edge attempt. More kicks at the legs have Gargano down but Priest is back up for the slugout. An exchange of kicks to the head sets up a springboard punch to Gargano’s face to stagger him again. Gargano sends him shoulder first into the post and it’s time to head outside. Priest counters the suicide dive but Gargano slips out of South of Heaven.

The toss Razor’s Edge onto the apron gives Priest two and frustration is setting in. They slug it out until Gargano heads to the apron. One Final Beat is countered into South of Heaven for two so Priest heads up top. Gargano rolls to the floor so Priest loads up the running flip dive, with Gargano pulling security in the way to take them out instead. The referee calls out help and Gargano gets in a low blow.

The low superkick gives Gargano two and it’s time for the Gargano Escape. That’s broken up so Gargano puts it on again with the legs tied for a bonus but Priest makes the rope again. Priest heads to the apron and Gargano tries to knock him onto the steps at ringside. That’s broken up but Gargano superkicks him out of the air. One Final Beat onto the steps is countered into a hanging Reckoning to retain the title at 16:42.

Rating: B. They had me wondering who was going to win here and they went with the right choice as Priest needs this win way more than Gargano. This was a good back and forth match as Gargano was trying to pick him apart but there was too much size and power from Priest to make the plan work. Really good stuff here though and Priest got the big win that he has been needing.

We recap Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream. Kushida was brought in as the big signing and then he beat Velveteen Dream in a North American Title qualifying match. Dream attacked Kushida, so Kushida went full angry mode and went after Dream’s arm. It’s time for a showdown.

Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream

Kushida jumps him during the long form entrance so Dream, still favoring the arm and looking like he is covered in dust, grabs a chair to wreck some stuff. The referee says ring the bell anyway and Kushida goes straight for the armbar. A hard slap to the face connects and a kick to the ribs staggers Dream again. The running Tajiri handspring kick to the face puts Dream on the floor again, followed by a nasty arm wrench back inside.

Dream manages to knock him outside for a change and a top rope shot to the face drops Kushida again. Dream tells him to COME ON MARTY before bringing it back inside for an uppercut for two. The sleeper of all things goes on and Kushida is in more trouble. That’s broken up so Kushida spears him down and hammers away. A cartwheel into a basement dropkick (with Dream not quite in place) keeps Dream down and Kushida stomps at the back and chest.

Dream’s shoulder is sent into the post and he screams that he’s sorry. Kushida sends it in again but walks into a superkick to put both of them down. The Purple Rainmaker is countered into the cross armbreaker but Dream grabs a powerbomb. Kushida puts on another armbar so Dream escapes again counters with the Dream Valley Driver…but Kushida hangs on for the Hoverboard Lock and the tap at 13:10.

Rating: C+. They got the ending right again, but this time it didn’t hit that next level. Kushida as the aggressive guy attacking Dream for the sake of injuring him was a little weird, but given how nothing he has been so far in NXT, this is an upgrade. Hopefully we get more of him, and I can go for seeing Dream getting hurt anytime now. What we got was good, but they didn’t quite convey their hatred of each other very well.

Post match Kushida isn’t done and grabs another armbar until referees have to come out for the save. Kushida goes after the arm AGAIN and tears at it some more to really make Dream scream. That might be a way to get rid of him for a bit.

HALLOWEEN HAVOC is back on October 28. It only took twenty years.

We recap Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah Scott for the Cruiserweight Title. Escobar won the tournament to crown the new champion but Scott beat him during the tournament. Scott got a shot at the title but lost to a loaded headbutt, setting up the rematch.

Cruiserweight Title: Isaiah Scott vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar is defending and gets taken down by an early anklescissors. A standoff doesn’t last long as Scott sends him outside for a moonsault, followed by a middle rope corkscrew dive to take the champ down again. Scott isn’t done as he hits a big Fosbury Flop to take him down again. Escpbar’s arm is bent around the post on the floor for two back inside but Escobar snaps the neck across the top rope to get his first breather.

The suicide dive drives Scott into the barricade and it’s time to slowly stomp away back inside. That includes some SPANISH TRASH TALKING (so you know he’s serious) until Scott pops him in the jaw. Scott sends him outside for a bit, followed by the rolling Downward Spiral for two back inside. A DDT out of the corner gives Scott two more but here’s Legado del Fantasma for the distraction. Escobar grabs a shoulderbreaker (might have been a botched something else) for two and they head to the apron.

A springboard hurricanrana sends Escobar into the other two and here’s Ashante Adonis to take care of Legado. Back in and Escobar hits a jumping superkick into the Phantom Driver for a rather close two. Escobar hits Three Amigos but the frog splash is blocked. Scott snaps the arm and the House Call connects, setting up a 450 for two more. They go to the apron with Escobar knocking him head first into the post to knock Scott silly, setting up a double underhook facebuster to retain at 14:22.

Rating: B. They had me believing that the title would change here (and I wanted it to as I like Scott a good deal) but Escobar winning is the right call after he only won the title a few months ago. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him, but they had a very solid back and forth match here. Having Adonis get rid of Legado make it more interesting so well done on a nice swerve before the ending.

We recap Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai for the Women’s Title. Shirai won the title earlier in the year and LeRae got sick of losing all the time. That means a heel turn to follow the Gargano Way and now it’s time for her to go evil and try for the title again.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae

Candice is challenging and gets dropkicked outside early on. Back in and Shirai sticks the landing on a monkey flip attempt before the threat of a shot to the face sends LeRae outside again. The Asai moonsault takes LeRae down for two more LeRae catches her with a Backstabber out of the corner for the same. A clothesline gives LeRae two more and there’s Hennig necksnap to make it worse.

The armbar goes on, followed by a backbreaker for two more on the champ. A suplex gives LeRae some more near falls but the senton misses, allowing Shirai to double stomp the ribs for her own two. Shirai hits a good looking springboard missile dropkick for two more and the Meteora keeps LeRae in trouble. They trade German suplexes with LeRae following up with a Backstabber into a Lionsault for another near fall. Shirai snaps on a Crossface, which is reversed into the Gargano Escape to crank on the champ’s shoulder.

The rope is grabbed but LeRae hits the referee by mistake. Shirai’s Air Raid Crash connects but the moonsault hits knees, bumping the referee again. LeRae’s Wicked Stepsister gets no count so here’s Johnny Gargano, in a referee shirt, to count two. Gargano grabs the title and drops it to LeRae as the referee gets up. The distraction lets LeRae hit a belt shot for two so she takes Shirai up top. That earns her a super Spanish Fly from Shirai, setting up the moonsault (which connects almost perfectly for a change) for the pin to retain at 16:40.

Rating: B-. Again I like the result, though the Gargano referee deal was a little weird. LeRae looks more comfortable as a heel though and Shirai can be awesome when she gets rolling. She needs some fresh challengers though and that could be an issue as there aren’t a ton of top level people to challenge for the title (or at least ones they would put against her at the moment).

Post match Toni Storm pops up on screen to say she’s back in NXT and coming for the title.

With Shirai still in the ring, the mystery person arrives. The helmet comes off and it’s….Ember Moon. Two new challengers in a row is something different, but I’m glad Moon is back as her career was looking like it was in danger for awhile there.

We recap the main event. Finn Balor won the vacant NXT Title by defeating Adam Cole and then Kyle O’Reilly won the first ever Gauntlet Eliminator to become the new #1 contender. This has been built up as a near dream match for the title, with Balor getting in the line of “if this was against anyone else, you would leave with the title”.

The Undisputed Era wishes O’Reilly luck.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Balor is defending and we get the always cool long walk from the back. They fight over arm control to start before rolling to a standoff. A headlock takeover puts O’Reilly down but he pulls Balor into a cross armbreaker to send Balor over to the ropes. O’Reilly grabs a DDT onto the arm to drive Balor down and it’s time for some shots to the ribs. The armbar keeps Balor in trouble until he slips out for a basement dropkick to the face.

Balor gets in his own armbar and throws in some air guitar on the arm for the salt rubbing. O’Reilly fights out of the hammerlock and hits a running knee to the ribs. The rush of strikes put Balor down as things are starting to pick up. O’Reilly rolls some butterfly suplexes into a double arm DDT for two more but Balor kicks him square in the ribs for a knockdown. Balor gets in a hard whip into the corner and it’s time to kick O’Reilly down again.

A Reverse chinlock goes on but O’Reilly fights up to hit a running knee. The Regal Plex gives O’Reilly two and they’re both down. Balor loads up the running dropkick but gets his own leg dropkicked out. It’s Balor up first with an abdominal stretch to say on O’Reilly’s midsection but the 1916 is countered into a kneebar. Balor reverses that into a Sharpshooter, sending O’Reilly to the ropes.

O’Reilly fights up and they trade big shots for the double knockdown. 1916 is countered again and O’Reilly hits a brainbuster, followed by a cross armbreaker. That’s reversed as well and Balor pulls him up into 1916 for a rather near fall. O’Reilly bends the knee around the rope and a top rope kick to the chest has the champ down again. A top rope knee to Balor’s knee sets up the heel hook and Balor is in big trouble.

The very long crawl is on though and Balor finally makes the rope. Balor’s knee is good enough to hit the double stomp to the chest but O’Reilly hits a German suplex…right into another stomp from Balor, who can’t follow up. O’Reilly is mostly done though and the Coup de Grace connects to give Balor the pin to retain at 28:32.

Rating: A-. Match of the night here and it felt rather different than your usual NXT main event. These guys beat each other up and tried to pick the other apart until one of them just couldn’t get up again. They had you believing that O’Reilly could pull off the big upset and that’s a tough move to pull off. O’Reilly looked like a star, but Balor feels like the ace around here, and he likely will be for a long time. Very good match here, though it never quite hit that top gear.

Post match respect is shown…but here’s Ridge Holland, carrying an unconscious Adam Cole and dropping him at ringside. The Undisputed Era runs out to chase him off and check on Cole to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. And that puts it in the lower tier of Takeovers, because that’s how high the bar has been set with this series. This was another awesome show but it wasn’t really even close to what they’ve done before. I’d put that on the lack of time to really set things up, which is where NXT tends to make things shine. Very good show though, with nothing close to bad and an excellent main event, but give them more time for the next one.

Results

Damian Priest b. Johnny Gargano – Hanging Reckoning

Kushida b. Velveteen Dream – Hoverboard Lock

Santos Escobar b. Isaiah Scott – Double underhook facebuster

Io Shirai b. Candice LeRae – Moonsault

Finn Balor b. Kyle O’Reilly – Coup de Grace

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: October 1, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s tournament time as we are starting up the Heritage Cup. This is a special one as we are going to be seeing a tribute to the old British rounds system. That could go multiple ways and we’re going to have Pete Dunne as a special guest referee. Other than that, we are continuing to build up the United Kingdom Title match between Walter and Ilja Dragunov. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup Qualifying Match: Kenny Williams vs. Ashton Smith vs. Amir Jordan

The winner gets the Wild Card spot. Williams and Jordan seem surprised to see each other. Smith misses a double clothesline and the regular partners dropkick him down. That leaves Jordan and Williams to shake hands and then go to the grappling, with Jordan popping up for a pose. It doesn’t work out that well though as Smith comes back in with a double clothesline to take them both down.

They trade rollups for two each before it’s time to double team Smith again. That doesn’t work overly well as Smith suplexes Jordan down but Williams dropkicks Smith to the floor. Smith pulls his dive out of the air so Jordan hits his own dive to take Smith down. Back in and Smith can’t hit a superplex on Jordan, allowing him to try a sunset bomb. Jordan can’t get him down, so Williams comes in off the top with a back elbow to finally put Smith down.

Smith is back up again to slug away at both before ducking a clothesline so that Jordan hits Williams. Jordan knocks Smith out to the floor and grabs a rolling Downward Spiral on Williams for another near fall. With Smith down, Williams and Jordan slug it out until Jordan is knocked outside. A hurricanrana drops Smith for two and Jordan adds a Swanton for the same. Smith gets knocked down and it’s Williams running in for a tornado DDT to pin Smith at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They did something interesting here by not having the monster Smith winning here and going with half of the tag team instead. I liked what we got here too as Smith and Williams looked very good while Jordan’s dancing was kept to a minimum. It was a rather nice match and Williams gets a push, as he probably should have a good while ago.

Video on Jinny.

Eddie Dennis is ready to be our teacher.

We look at Mark Andrews being attacked.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are ready for Webster to win the Heritage Cup. Andrews doesn’t get to say much.

Jinny vs. Xia Brookside

Jinny grabs a headlock to start and gets taken down into an armbar. Back up and Jinny grabs a wristlock so Brookside does her rope grab flip. That earns her a hard toss into the corner but Xia comes out with a hurricanrana and La Majistral gets two. Brookside grabs a leglock but Jinny breaks it up and palm strikes away. That earns her a hurricanrana and Xia puts her on the top, only to have Jinny snap her throat across the top. Jinny grabs a cross between an STF and a crossface chickenwing for the tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on the fashionista deal but Jinny is growing on me. There is something about her that makes her seem evil and that’s not something every heel has. Brookside might be the most adorable person in WWE today and it’s hard not to like her. Now move one of them closer to the title picture and we might get somewhere.

Post match Jinny says no one has seen her best side yet. Just wait to see how ruthless she can be.

Video on A Kid.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules:

• Six three minute rounds
• 20 seconds break between rounds
• Each match is 2/3 falls
• You can win a fall by pinfall, submission or countout
• The round ends on a fall
• DQ/Knockout ends the match
• Whoever leads after six rounds wins

Heritage Cup First Round: Alexander Wolfe vs. Noam Dar

Pete Dunne is guest referee and Wolfe has a modified version of the Imperium theme. They go to the mat to start with Wolfe scaring him into the corner. The grappling goes to Dar as he takes Wolfe down by the arm. Back up and it’s Wolfe grabbing his own armbar while pulling at Dar’s face at the same time. They get up again and Dar bails into the corner as the first round ends.

The second round begins with Dar trying for something like a Crossface to no avail. Wolfe tries a test of strength to keep Dar’s shoulders down but he’s right back up. That earns him a headlock takeover before Dark grabs a very spinning backslide for two more. With that broken up, Dar grabs a rollup and lays on Wolfe’s legs to win the round at 2:49 (8:13 total, counting breaks.

Round three begins with Wolfe taking him straight down but Dar starts pulling at the leg. Wolfe reverses into some kicks to the face and suplexes him down for another two. Dar cranks on both arms at once before it’s time to slug it out. Neither gives an inch as the round ends, though Wolfe does get in a cheap shot to knock Dar down between rounds.

Dar is still getting up as round four begins but manages a kick to the face and a running clothesline to the back of the head. The Nova Roller misses though and Wolfe kicks him in the face, setting up a bridging German suplex to tie it up at 58 seconds of the fourth round (10:59 total).

Round five begins with Dar trying a rollup but Wolfe knocks him down again. Some more kicks to the head from the mat rock Wolfe though and Dar pulls on a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up as well and they strike it out until Dar gets another armbar. Wolfe fights up again and grabs a kneebar until Dar snaps the finger. Dunne is checking on Wolfe and Dar hits the Nova Roller for the winning pin at 2:56 of round five (14:20 total).

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this as it’s so different than what you are used to seeing. They did something interesting here and it was a big change of pace, mainly in a good way….I think. It was not boring and the system was easy enough to understand. I had to look back at the rules a few times to make sure I was understanding everything but nothing was too complicated. It’s just a system I’m going to need to see more of to get used to, but I do want to see more of it so they’re off to a nice enough start.

Post match Wolfe blames Dunne for the loss and gets destroyed. Cue Walter before the Bitter End can hit though and you know Dunne is down for that. Wolfe sneaks in for the cheap shot and feeds Dunne to Walter for the powerbomb. Ilja Dragunov runs in for the save before Dunne gets planted though and Imperium bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was a good enough show overall and the Heritage Cup is off to a nice start. Again though, this whole show changes when Walter comes out there. He was in workout gear here and even then you could feel things getting bigger. They’re setting things up well enough here and I want to see more of the tournament style matches. It was a really fast watch here too so they’re doing something right.

Results

Kenny Williams b. Ashton Smith and Amir Jordan – Tornado DDT to Smith

Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Crossface chickenwing with a leg trap

Noam Dar b. Alexander Wolfe 2 – 1

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: September 30, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

It’s the go home show for Takeover, though I’m not sure you would realize that the show is coming up so soon based on the last few weeks. That has been a combination of the last of time before the show and the Coronavirus outbreak, neither of which are exactly good things. I’m not sure what that means for Sunday but NXT knows how to do a last minute build. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Dakota Kai vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai. Shotzi doesn’t care for the trash talk to start and takes her down for some early hammering. Back up and Kai misses a kick to the chest, allowing Shotzi to roll her up for two. WELCOME TO THE BALL PIT has Kai in trouble and Shotzi hits a Codebreaker to the arm for two more. Shotzi takes her down by the leg and puts on….I guess you would say a Gory Stretch with the legs tied up on the mat.

Kai is face first on the mat so Shotzi pops up to drop down onto her back for a pretty unique hold. Back up and Kai knocks her into the corner as the pace slows down a bit. A faceplant gives Kai two of her own and it’s time for some choking on the ropes. Kai misses a charge and gets sent into the ropes though, only to have Gonzalez offer a distraction. A backbreaker plants Blackheart and we take a break.

Back with Shotzi hitting a dropkick into the corner and scoring with a reverse Sling Blade. The reverse Cannonball against the ropes hits Kai’s back again but she gets up some knees in the corner. They head to the apron for a slugout with Shotzi scoring with a kick to the head. Sliced Bread onto the apron drops Kai, though Shotzi landing on her own head didn’t help things. Thankfully she’s ok so Gonzalez trips her down, drawing out Rhea Ripley to jump Gonzalez from behind. Back in and Shotzi avoids the running kick in the corner, setting up a rollup to pin Kai at 13:33.

Rating: C. That landing was rather scary but Shotzi got back up so it was all fine. The more I see of Shotzi, the more I like her and this was one of the bigger wins of her career. Above all else, she looks and seems different, which is going to help more than anything else. Kai continues to be rather good as well, making this a nice match which was brought down by having a bit too much going on with the interference.

We get a sitdown interview between Santos Escobar and Isaiah Scott. Isaiah talks about how he’s the only person to beat Escobar in NXT and he’ll win the title on Sunday. Escobar calls Scott a loose end that he’ll tie up at Takeover. The match will be fair, but Scott doesn’t seem convinced. Why does Escobar always have the bag of tricks or Legado del Fantasma? Escobar calls those excuses but Scott says he’s ready to showcase what he is really capable of. It’s time to reveal Escobar as a fraud, but Escobar says he’ll expose Scott as a failure. This got me a little more interested in the title match so it did what it was supposed to do.

We get a new video from the mystery person, this time riding a motorcycle and then looking at a flier for Takeover. They put that in their pocket and we cut to the scene from last week with the titles. We’ll find out who it is at Takeover.

It’s time for a Prime Target on Kyle O’Reilly, who took to wrestling like a fish takes to water. He loves NXT but he would be doing this for $5 every other weekend if that’s all he could do. The Undisputed Era is the best thing that ever happened to him and we get comments from Adam Cole, who is so proud of Kyle for trying to become champion. O’Reilly talks about how everything has been building to this Sunday. This is just a second wave of the Golden Prophecy and that is undisputed.

Tegan Nox has torn her ACL again. I’m not convinced she is ever wrestling again and that’s horrible.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano aren’t sad about Nox’s injury (Gargano: “She broke our TV, you tore her ACL. It’s even.”), but they are focused on achieving destiny on Sunday. It starts tonight with their mixed tag and they insult the interviewer after she leaves.

Here’s Cameron Grimes to say he had all of the chances last week but it was all taken away in a Gauntlet Eliminator. That couldn’t have been William Regal’s idea because Regal would come up with a better idea. So tonight it’s time for the Cameron Grimes Stepping Stone To The Moon match. Here’s our first opponent.

Cameron Grimes vs. Joey Pistachio

Pistachio apparently was in the 85 pound NCAA weight class and gets Caved In at 9 seconds. I think that’s MLW’s Ariel Dominguez, and given that his vest said Ariel Dominguez, I might be onto something here.

Grimes has another opponent but Ridge Holland jumps him from behind and takes his place.

Cameron Grimes vs. Ridge Holland

Ridge throws him around with a suplex and unloads with stomps, eventually getting DQ’d at 33 seconds. That worked, as Holland looked like a monster.

Austin Theory isn’t happy because he should have been in the Gauntlet Eliminator last week. He was 22 at Wrestlemania and Kyle O’Reilly is just now getting his NXT Title shot. Maybe O’Reilly should be catching up to him.

Kushida talks about how hard it was to move everything to America, including his family, but now the setup is complete and he can concentrate on the ring. Velveteen Dream will be his stepping stone at Takeover because the new Kushida is vicious.

Kushida vs. Tony Nese

Nese poses to start so Kushida kicks him in the face but Nese snaps the throat across the top. Back in and Kushida kicks him in the face, only to get caught in the pumphandle powerslam. That’s countered into an armbar, with Kushida bulldogging the arm down. A bunch of stomps set up the Hoverboard Lock to make Nese tap at 2:13.

Post match here’s Velveteen Dream on the screen. He thinks the spotlight will be too bright for Kushida on Sunday, but that’s where Dream puts on his best performances.

Cameron Grimes wants to know where William Regal is but runs into Dexter Lumis, who he calls a freak. Great, more Lumis.

Here’s Adam Cole to talk about how dominant Undisputed Era has been but what matters is people knew that if you crossed the team, you would pay. Then they lost those titles, but nothing has changed. They are the same Undisputed Era who won the first WarGames match in WWE history and they have dominated NXT like no one other. Austin Theory wants to talk trash about Kyle O’Reilly, so come say it to his face. Cue Theory, with Cole saying he can come face him right now or wait there so Cole can come face him.

Adam Cole vs. Austin Theory

Cole chops away to start and then stomps Theory down in the corner. A neckbreaker puts Theory down but the threat of a pump kick puts him on the floor. Cole follows him outside to hit the pump kick and then sends Theory hard into the steps. Back in and Cole scores with another kick to the face, setting up a neckbreaker for two. There’s a suplex and Cole really doesn’t seem impressed.

A dropkick to the leg in the ropes sets up a chinlock, with Theory trying to fight up, as he should. An elbow to the jaw cuts Theory down again but he gets to the apron for the rolling dropkick. We take a break and come back with Theory stomping away in the corner and grabbing a chinlock. A standing moonsault gets two on Cole but he makes the comeback with some shots to the face.

Another kick to the head rocks Theory again and the Backstabber gets two. Cole kicks him in the face again and hits the fireman’s carry backbreaker for another near fall. The Panama Sunrise is blocked and Theory hits the spinning torture rack powerbomb for his own two. Theory starts the trash talk as they slug it out from their knees. Cole superkicks him to the apron and then nails another one. The Last Shot finishes Theory at 13:09.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to really move towards Cole’s face run. It had started earlier on but this was about as clear cut as you can get, which is a smart way to go. There is nothing left for the Undisputed Era to accomplish as a team so having them work more on their own but being able to come together when they can is a good idea. It’s better than having them go to the main roster and see whatever kind of nonsense WWE can come up with for them. Theory looked good here too, and it’s a rather smart move to have him in there with one of the best in NXT.

Post match Cole says O’Reilly is ready for the title.

Damian Priest and Io Shirai laugh off the idea that Johnny Gargano and Candace LeRae are the power couple of NXT. Tonight is a preview of Takeover because they’re keeping their titles on Sunday and winning tonight. Io agrees that they are the rockstars. Priest: “That’s cool as h***.” Shirai: “He’s not bad.”

Kayden Carter vs. Xia Li

They go straight to a pinfall reversal sequence and it’s an early standoff. Carter gets two more off a rollup and hits a springboard spinning dropkick to put Li on the floor. Li pulls her out for a big crash and it’s time for some aggressive stomping back inside. The kickout draws some yelling and Carter comes back with a basement superkick for two. They go into another pinfall reversal sequence with Carter getting the pin off a sunset flip at 3:22.

Rating: C. Just a match here as they continue to build up the women’s midcard. I can always go for more of Carter and Catanzaro so it’s working out well enough in a short match. They packed a nice bit of action into the match and Carter might be a nice little something in the future.

Shawn Michaels emcees a sitdown interview with Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly. They shake hands and Finn offers some respect for Kyle becoming #1 contender. Shawn knows Balor is great but he might be facing the best kept secret in wrestling. Balor talks about how Kyle might only be a secret to the fringe wrestling fans but he knows exactly who O’Reilly is. Kyle calls Balor a fighting champion, even when he is facing certain defeat, like he is at Takeover.

Finn brings up the Undisputed Era and Kyle says he’s coming alone because it’s about him and not the team. Shawn sticks with the Undisputed Era idea and says there is no power struggle between himself and Adam Cole. Kyle wants the Prince at Takeover and Balor says there is going to be no room for luck on Sunday.

Things get more serious as Balor says there is a difference between a one night win and a win that changes your life. Kyle thinks it’s BS to consider him the underdog and he’s ready to blow up Balor’s kneecaps. Balor gets the last word, saying Kyle could be champion if he was facing anyone else. Good here as usual, though I’m not sure how much bigger it made things.

Takeover rundown.

Candice LeRae/Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest/Io Shirai

Priest and Shirai clear the ring before the bell until the men start things off. Gargano makes him miss to start until Priest hits a big boot. There’s a big side slam to put Johnny down again and it’s off to the women. A flapjack puts LeRae down so Gargano gets in Shirai’s face. That brings Priest in to kick him in the head, meaning Shirai can hit the double knees in the corner. Shirai climbs onto Priest’s shoulders to dive onto LeRae and we take a break.

Back with LeRae cranking on the neck and cockily kicking her in the head. Shirai snaps off a German suplex and brings in Priest to clean house. The running elbow in the corner gives Priest two but Gargano slips out of a Razor’s Edge. Priest and Gargano exchange kicks to the head with Priest being knocked into the corner for the tag back to Shirai. A springboard missile dropkick hits LeRae and we hit the Crossface.

Gargano makes the save and LeRae hits a quick backsplash to Shirai. The butterfly backbreaker drops LeRae but Gargano breaks up the moonsault. Instead Priest puts Gargano down and Shirai moonsaults him for…no count because the referee is good at his job. LeRae breaks up the Reckoning with a low blow and Gargano adds One Final Beat for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here and Gargano pinning Priest is as good of an ending as they had here. That seems to be the less secure of the two title changes and Gargano needed the win a bit more. The match was good stuff too with Shirai and Priest getting to showcase themselves rather well.

Post match Gargano grabs both titles and hands one to LeRae to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a hard task in front of it and yet they still managed to pull it off for the most part. They had to manage to give a hard sell to a show that isn’t exactly thrilling and has almost no time to be set up in the first place. It went well enough, but they had a hard climb starting in loose rocks. That is going to be the case on Sunday as well, and this show only did so much to get there. It wasn’t a great show, but it had a lot to pull off and they did it well enough.

Results

Shotzi Blackheart b. Dakota Kai – Rollup

Cameron Grimes b. Joey Pistachio – Cave In

Cameron Grimes b. Ridge Holland via DQ when Holland would not stop attacking

Kushida b. Tony Nese – Hoverboard Lock

Adam Cole b. Austin Theory – Last Shot

Kayden Carter b. Xia Li – Sunset flip

Johnny Gargano/Candice LeRae b. Damian Priest/Io Shirai – One Final Beat to Priest

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: September 24, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the second week of the restart and it’s time to fight over a title. In this case that would be the NXT UK Women’s Title as Kay Lee Ray defends against Piper Niven in a match several months in the making. Other than that, we get the brackets for the Heritage Cup. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap/preview.

Opening sequence.

Earlier today, the Heritage Cup participants almost came to blows in the back.

Andy runs down the card.

Walter vs. Saxon Huxley

Non-title and dang does that Walter silhouette still work. Huxley charges at him but has to fight out of an early sleeper. Some shots in the corner just annoy Walter so he sends Huxley outside early on. Huxley comes back in with right hands and a big boot, plus a powerslam. The top rope clothesline gives Huxley two as commentary is stunned at the offense. They head outside with Huxley hitting a Thesz press but making sure to break up the count.

Walter gets sent into the steps but Huxley breaks up the count again, even though he would have had the countout. Some chops cut Huxley off though and he gets dropped onto the barricade. The powerbomb onto the apron is good for a nine count before Huxley dives back in. Walter sleepers him into a German suplex into a butterfly superplex as Huxley is in big trouble. The powerbomb gives Walter the pin at 6:09.

Rating: C+. I’m not a Huxley fan whatsoever but he was looking awesome there for a bit. That being said, there was no reason to believe he was going to beat Walter and I didn’t come close to believing the upset was coming. What we got from Walter was good here though, as he absorbed all of that from Huxley and still won. It made him look like the monster that he is and that was exactly the point in a good opener.

Post break, Huxley runs into Jack Starz, who says he’ll get it next time. Huxley shouts NEXT TIME a lot.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules.

The seven Heritage Cup participants and Sid Scala are in the ring. Scala brings out Pete Dunne for the official drawing and we get a few words about how important the tournament is. It’s all about honoring those who paved the way, which Dunne has always tried to do. On to the matchups! We get the following:

Joseph Conners vs. Dave Mastiff

Wildcard vs. Trent Seven

Flash Morgan Webster vs. A Kid

Noam Dar vs. Alexander Wolfe

Dar runs his mouth so Dunne snaps his fingers as he is known to do. The tournament starts next week.

The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly

Great I have to try and remember who is who on Pretty Deadly. Boar suplexes Howley down to start and it’s off to Primate to crank on the arm. Howley gets a knee up to stop a charging Primate but a hiptoss brings him back down. Boar gets taken into the corner to start the double teaming and we’re already off to the chinlock. A powerbomb doesn’t get Boar very far as Howley is right back in for a bunch of knee drops.

It’s time to crank on Boar’s arm and a running elbow cuts him off again. Stoker dives into a raised boot (as tends to be the case) and Boar rolls over for the hot tag to Primate. House is cleaned in a hurry and a running crossbody takes Howley to the floor. Boar’s top rope headbutt hits Stoker for two in a good near fall as Primate is sent into the barricade. Howley’s distraction means there is no count off a rollup so Stoker rolls Boar up for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what it is but there is something about Pretty Deadly that makes me want to like them. Maybe it’s the matching pants, but there is something so annoying about them, though it’s annoying in a charming way. It’s nice to see a new team being built up, even if I still can’t remember which is which.

Post match Eddie Dennis comes out for a chat with Pretty Deadly.

Post break the Hunt runs into Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews, who tell them to keep their chin up. The Hunt isn’t impressed.

Sid Scala can’t figure out how to keep things straight next week between Alexander Wolfe and Noam Dar. Pete Dunne volunteers to be guest referee.

Next week: a triple threat match to determine the Heritage Cup Wildcard.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven

Niven is challenging and shoves the champ outside without much effort to start. Back in and Ray starts in on the arm, including sending it into the corner. The armbar is broken up with more power and there’s a shoulder to drop Kay again. A headbutt keeps Ray in trouble and we hit a cobra clutch with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up so Ray finally wakes up and goes after the leg.

Something like an STF goes on for all of a few seconds before it’s time to just crank on the leg again. Niven fights up and sends her outside, where Ray gets in a superkick into a tornado DDT off the apron. Ray’s running knee hits the steps and they’re both in trouble. The referee checks on Ray and it’s time for the medics. Niven is frustrated at the turn of events and beats up the barricade as referees take Ray out.

Ray slaps Niven in the face so Niven throws it back inside and unloads with rights and lefts. A half crab sends Ray to the ropes but she’s back with a superkick into a Swanton for two more. Back up and Ray tries another superkick but the knee gives out again. Niven pulls her into the middle for the half crab, with Ray pulling the turnbuckle pad off in the process. The Niven Driver connects but Ray gets her foot on the rope. The Vader Bomb hits raised knees (not the smartest idea for Ray) and the Cannonball hits the exposed buckle, allowing Ray to get the pin to retain at 14:23.

Rating: C+. The leg work was a fine way to go and it was a bit of a twist to have it not be a fake injury for a change. Ray being willing to slap Niven in the face and be all aggressive while Niven hard a hart was a good plot as well. It wasn’t a classic and I can picture a rematch, but for now I’m a bit surprised by the result and a rematch seems likely.

Jinny is looking on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Pretty good show overall, though the Pete Dunne cameo could have been cut without losing anything. What we had here worked out well enough though and it was smart to get a title defended. When nothing has happened for six months now, it makes sense to get the champion in there and have a title on the line. Throw in Walter having a pretty hard hitting match and it’s an easy enough watch.

Results

Walter b. Saxon Huxley – Powerbomb

Pretty Deadly b. The Hunt – Rollup to Wild Boar

Kay Lee Ray b. Piper Niven – Pin after a missed Cannonball into an exposed turnbuckle

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: September 23, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

NXT has their backs up against the wall at the moment as we are less than two weeks away from Takeover, there is one match announced so far, and apparently the company has been rocked by the Coronavirus. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but we are getting two #1 contenders crowned tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Road Warrior Animal.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Shotzi Blackheart, Candice LeRae, Xia Li, Kacy Catanzaro, Raquel Gonzalez, Dakota Kai, Kayden Carter, Rhea Ripley, Aliyah, Gia, Marina Shafir, Catalina, Raven, Ellie, Adrian, Rita, Emily, Indi Hartwell

The winner gets a shot at Io Shirai at Takeover. There is no Tegan Nox as Candice LeRae attacked her knee earlier today. I know I’m not going to be able to get everyone listed here as Gonzalez and Ripley have a staredown at the bell. That goes nowhere as everyone starts brawling everywhere else. Ripley tosses Gia without much trouble as commentary talks about William Regal trying to expand the competition for this match.

Raven gets tossed out and Ellie (I don’t know who these people are either) is gone as well. Ripley eliminates Shafir and Gonzalez gets rid of Adrian. Gonzalez isn’t done and eliminates a woman whose name we don’t hear. There goes Rita at Gonzalez’s hands as well and Rhea kicks Emily (they’re just getting single names here so it isn’t like you should know who these people are) out too. Gonzalez tosses Catalina but can’t get rid of Hartwell.

Aliyah sends Catanzaro to the floor but the feet don’t touch, allowing Catanzaro to do a Kofi Kingston style save, involving a backflip, walking on her hands, and pulling herself up by her feet. Back from a break with Kacy having to save herself again but Hartwell kicks her off the steps…and onto the barricade. Carter tries to help but gets eliminated, so Catanzaro stands on Carter’s shoulders for the save and gets back in. Ripley and Gonzalez gets in the big slugout but eliminate each other, leaving Kai panicking over her lack of an insurance policy.

We’re down to LeRae, Blackheart, Catanzaro, Hartwell and Kai, with Catanzaro swinging around the post to save herself again. A hurricanrana gets rid of Hartwell to get us down to four. Candice and Kai get together to finally get rid of Catanzaro and it’s time to double team Blackheart. Shotzi gets rid of Kai in a hurry and sends LeRae to the apron. LeRae gets back in so it’s a step up enziguri, only to have Blackheart miss the running charge into the ropes.

A neckbreaker drops Shotzi and LeRae sends her to the apron. Shotzi hits a kick to the head to get back in and goes up top but LeRae is right there again. They both go over the top and wind up on the apron, with Shotzi kicking her down onto the steps. LeRae manages a monkey flip to send Shotzi to the floor for the win at 15:06.

Rating: C-. It got some time and that isn’t the best idea in this case. The problem here was they had a bunch of people included to increase the numbers (probably indy wrestlers or Performance Center students), but it didn’t matter for the most part. Rhea and Raquel threw them out in a hurry to build them up and then just went out together, which didn’t make for the most exciting conclusion. Candice was the fairly obvious winner once we got near the end, though at least the ending was good.

Damian Priest is ready to beat Johnny Gargano at Takeover and he’ll warm up against Austin Theory tonight. Sarah Schriber is invited to the after party too.

Fandango, in a deerstalker hat, is in front of a dry erase board with a bunch of tag wrestlers around when William Regal comes up. After a warning from Regal about bad British accents, Fandango gives us his idea: we team up members of four teams (as in one member from four teams) in a tag match and the winning members’ teams face off to become #1 contenders for the Tag Team Titles.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jake Atlas

Fallout from Ciampa attacking Atlas a few weeks back. The threat of an early Willow’s Bell sends them outside with Atlas getting in some shots against the steps. Atlas pulls the ring skirt back and tries the catapult into the ring but Ciampa gets away in a hurry. Back in and Ciampa hits a hard clothesline but Atlas comes back and hammers away with right hands.

Ciampa is knocked outside for a middle rope moonsault, followed by a Blockbuster back inside. The cartwheel DDT misses though and Willow’s Bell gives Ciampa the…one count as he pulls off. Ciampa yells a lot before finishing with the Fairy Tale Ending (now spinning Atlas around to land on his back instead of his face) at 4:48.

Rating: C. This was all about making Ciampa look like a killer and that’s what they accomplished. Ciampa could be put into almost any level on the card and look good so I’m not sure why they are having him waste time with Atlas over a few different weeks. This should be it though and Ciampa can move on to something bigger and better.

Video on Ridge Holland, who is rather strong and rough.

Video on tonight’s Gauntlet Eliminator, set to a new Corey Taylor (of Slipknot) song, with all five participants saying they are ready to win.

Danny Burch/Roderick Strong vs. Fabian Aichner/Raul Mendoza

The winning team will then meet off in another tag match with their usual partners for a future Tag Team Title shot. Aichner throws Strong down to start and then brings in Mendoza, who is taken into the corner for the tag to Burch. The beating continues but Aichner’s distraction lets Mendoza pull Burch off the middle rope. Back from a break with Burch fighting out of Aichner’s chinlock but getting suplexed down hard. Mendoza stomps away in the corner and we hit the cobra clutch on the mat.

Aichner breaks up a sunset flip on Mendoza and even knocks Strong off the apron in a smart move. Therefore there is no one for Burch to tag so Aichner blasts him with a clothesline. The hot tag brings in Strong anyway and it’s time to start picking up the pace. An Angle Slam gives Strong two on Aichner but Mendoza gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Aichner hits a spinebuster for two but Strong kicks him in the face. Burch hits the Tower of London out of the corner to finish Mendoza at 8:49.

Rating: C-. This was a messy match, but that was kind of the point given that they aren’t regular partners. I’m a bit surprised to see Legado del Fantasma losing here as they seemed to be the next challengers, though maybe we are going to see Breezango win a big match before dropping them. Or I’m still really bad at fantasy booking, as I have been for years. Either way, this feels like a match thrown together because some partners might be missing due to illness.

Austin Theory is ready for Damian Priest but Johnny Gargano comes up to give him a bit of a pep talk anyway. Maybe Gargano will throw him a bone if Theory softens him up for Takeover.

Austin Theory vs. Damian Priest

Non-title. Priest works on the arm to start and then shoves Theory away without much effort. Theory seems to know he’s in a fight and then definitely knows he’s in a headlock. Back up and Priest goes up top for Old School before jumping down with a high crossbody to change things up. Theory is right back with a belly to back suplex into a standing moonsault for two as the pace slows a bit. Priest gets knocked outside in a heap and we take a break.

Back with Priest hitting the running elbow in the corner and the toss Falcon Arrow gets two. Priest misses the spinning kick to the head and Theory grabs a spinning torture rack slam (not a Blue Thunder Bomb Tom) for his own two. They head outside with Theory slipping out of a chokeslam onto the apron. The spinning kick connects this time though and there’s the powerbomb onto the apron to rock Theory. Back in and the Reckoning finishes Theory at 11:06.

Rating: C+. I like both guys and they both looked good here, as they should. Priest is infinitely better as a face than a heel. Just let him go out there and show off all of his cool stuff where we are supposed to cheer for it this time. That being said, the Reckoning isn’t exactly the most suitable finish for a monster of his size and athleticism. He can do something cooler looking, so maybe he should switch it up.

Post match Johnny Gargano runs in and superkicks Priest to set up their title match a bit more.

We get a night vision video with a distorted voice talking about titles. Someone wipes the dust off of a case holding some NXT Titles. The voice talks about coming back for what belongs to them and the person breaks the case to pick up one of the titles. The date of Takeover ends the show. Karrion Kross already? That seems a little optimistic but not impossible.

Video on Isaiah Scott.

Ridge Holland vs. Antonio de Luca

The much bigger Holland knocks him down to start but ducks his head to get kicked in the face. A Pounce sends de Luca flying though and an overhead belly to belly does the same. Holland headbutts him over and over in the corner (that was brutal) and Northern Grit finishes de Luca at 1:33. That worked.

Io Shirai is ready for Candice LeRae, who comes in to interrupt. Candice doesn’t think much of Shirai and Johnny Gargano comes in to yell as well. Damian Priest comes in and decks Gargano, likely setting up a mixed tag next week.

Next week: Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai.

Gauntlet Eliminator

This is a hybrid of a Royal Rumble and a gauntlet match. There are five entrants and two start. Another comes in every four minutes and it’s pinfall/submission only for eliminations. The winner faces Finn Balor for the NXT Title at Takeover. Kyle O’Reilly is in at #1 and Kushida is in at #2, though neither get entrances. O’Reilly takes him to the mat to start and it’s time to hit the grappling. Kushida goes for the arm but O’Reilly gets in a bodyscissors until it’s a standoff to give them a breather from the grappling exchange. Kushida goes for the arm again but gets his legs tied up and they head to the rope.

Back up and Kushida gets in a hiptoss into the basement dropkick before cranking on the arm on the mat. That’s broken up as well so Kushida kicks away at the arm to mix things up a bit. They slug it out until it’s Bronson Reed in at #3. Reed wastes no time in throwing Kushida at O’Reilly and then fireman’s carries both of them at once. That’s broken up so Kushida kicks Reed in the ribs and then in the head.

O’Reilly goes for a cross armbreaker on Kushida but lets go to take Reed down by the leg. For some reason Kushida breaks that up for the Hoverboard Lock on O’Reilly until Reed breaks that up with a suplex to Kushida. Reed knocks Kushida outside and goes up top, only to be forearmed in the head by O’Reilly. Kushida knocks O’Reilly outside but here’s Velveteen Dream with a Dream Valley Driver to take Kushida down. Reed adds the Tsunami to get rid of Kushida at 7:48.

Timothy Thatcher is in at #4 and gets knocked off the apron as we take a break. Back with all three slugging away, with Thatcher going for Reed’s arm. Reed suplexes Thatcher down and it’s Cameron Grimes in at #5 to complete the field. Thatcher blocks Grimes’ kick to the face and goes for his arm but Reed knocks them both down. Everyone is down for a bit with Thatcher and O’Reilly being the first up for a slugout on the apron. O’Reilly knocks Thatcher off the apron and hits a running knee, with Reed catapulting Grimes onto the two of them.

Back in and Reed hits a Death Valley Driver for two on Thatcher and a powerbomb gets the same on O’Reilly. Grimes comes back in and gets sent down in a hurry, followed by a suicide dive onto everyone else. We take another break and come back with Thatcher and Grimes double teaming Reed. O’Reilly gets back in as Reed knocks the other two down. A Rock Bottom sends Thatcher onto Grimes for two and Reed goes up top. The Tsunami “misses” Thatcher (read as it hit Thatcher’s legs as he rolled away) so O’Reilly adds a top rope knee to Reed’s back for the pin at 21:37.

Thatcher and O’Reilly exchange ankle locks until Thatcher suplexes him down. Thatcher isn’t done and grabs Grimes’ leg before belly to bellying him down as well. O’Reilly goes for Thatcher’s arm but gets caught in a sleeper. That’s fine with O’Reilly, who ankle locks Grimes at the same time. That’s broken up by the sleeper so O’Reilly kicks off of Grimes to backflip onto Thatcher for two. O’Reilly strikes away at Thatcher and gets two off a backslide, followed by a rollup for the pin to get rid of Thatcher at 25:24.

We’re down to Grimes vs. O’Reilly with Grimes hitting a quick Cave In For two. Grimes yells about O’Reilly not being the star of the Undisputed Era and hits the flipping powerslam for two. O’Reilly is right back with a leg crank but Grimes kicks him in the face. Another Cave In misses and the knee seems to go out. O’Reilly grabs a heel look for the tap at 27:49.

Rating: B-. There was a lot to unpack here but what matters is they managed to make a new singles star, even if it is only in the short term, in O’Reilly. They needed someone fresh to go after the title and that’s what we got. That could be a heck of a match and O’Reilly has been on the big stage elsewhere before.

The problem here though is he didn’t exactly beat the biggest stars. The best illustration I heard about this match is that it felt like a North American Title #1 contenders match. Maybe that’s due to Coronavirus or maybe it’s due to trying someone new, but they might need O’Reilly to get one more big win next week. What we got was fine, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to carry it to the main event of a Takeover.

Post match Adam Cole and Roderick Strong come out to celebrate so here’s Finn Balor for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The big, long main event helped here as they are trying to slap things together as well as they can because their backs have never been this far up against a wall. What we could wind up seeing should work because it’s NXT, but dang they are stretching with some of these things. O’Reilly vs. Balor has my attention though and they could absolutely tear the house down. Couple that with a mystery return story and they could be fine. That’s a lot of could’s though, and that scares me.

Results

Candice LeRae won a battle royal last eliminating Shotzi Blackheart

Tommaso Ciampa b. Jake Atlas – Fairy Tale Ending

Danny Burch/Roderick Strong b. Fabian Aichner/Raul Mendoza – Tower of London to Mendoza

Damian Priest b. Austin Theory – Reckoning

Ridge Holland b. Antonio de Luca – Northern Grit

Kyle O’Reilly won the Gauntlet Eliminator last eliminating Cameron Grimes

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: September 17, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepard, Nigel McGuinness

We are FINALLY back with the first new show in over five months. There are no fans in attendance but that is going to be the case throughout WWE for a long time to come. I’m not sure what to expect here, but we have some big matches to set up over the coming weeks. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the move over to BT Studios in London and some of the bigger names in the promotion. Makes sense for a way to bring people back in.

Opening sequence.

The arena looks rather cool.

Sid Scala is in the ring but here’s Ilja Dragunov to cut him off in a hurry. The rather intense Dragunov says he has waited for six months for a fight but here’s Noam Dar to say Dragunov needs anger management. The fight is on in a hurry with the 6 1 Line taking Dar down. Referees break it up but Scala makes Dar vs. Dragunov tonight.

Gallus vs. Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan

Non-title and hopefully Jordan isn’t as annoying as he was before. Coffey shoulders Jordan down to start but Jordan is up with a dropkick. Williams comes in for a headlock and an armbar but it’s quickly off to Wolfgang for his own armbar. A heck of a clothesline drops Jordan and Coffey runs him over for a bonus. The armbar goes on again to keep Jordan on the mat and it’s off to the cravate.

Jordan gets sent into the corner and then flipped back out but manages an enziguri, allowing the hot tag to Williams. A slingshot hurricanrana sends Wolfgang into the corner and a running dropkick puts Coffey on the floor. Some more kicks to the face drop Wolfgang for two but he plants Williams for a suplex. Williams gets in a shot of his own to Coffey and Jordan comes back in with a Swanton for two. That’s enough for Coffey though as he runs over both guys and hands it back to Wolfgang. The enziguri into the powerslam finishes Jordan at 10:53.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if this was the best way to bring things back to life around here. Jordan and Williams are fine for a low to mid level team but they aren’t exactly major threats to a team like Gallus. The match was far from bad, but this wasn’t exactly a great restart for the show.

Post match most of the tag team division comes out to stare Gallus down. Imperium is shown watching on a monitor.

Saxon Huxley is going to be back next week to destroy things.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray for a chat. It’s time for the longest reigning NXT UK Women’s Champion to be back in the ring and she is going to be defending the title. She and Piper Niven defined women’s wrestling in the UK but here’s Niven to interrupt. If Ray likes to talk so much, why not talk about how many times Niven has beaten her in Japan and in the UK? Next week Ray gets to show how great she is and Niven should know better. Ray takes a swing but winds up bailing.

Video on Isla Dawn and Aoife Valkyrie.

Isla Dawn vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Valkyrie grabs a headlock to start but gets shoved away for an early standoff. Back up and a spinwheel kick puts Dawn down and it’s right back to the headlock. This time Dawn escapes with a belly to back suplex and it’s off to a double arm crank. Dawn unloads on her in the corner and puts on the arm cranking again, only to have Valkyrie fight up with a spinning kick to the face. A running Blockbuster gets two and a spinning kick to the head drops Dawn again. The top rope ax kick gives Valkyrie the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. This was a bit better with Valkyrie beating Dawn down and finishing her with the devastating big move at the end. Dawn is someone who can put anyone over and still be fine so the result worked out well. Valkyrie seems to be someone who they want to push as a big deal in the division and getting her out here like this makes sense.

Video on the Heritage Cup, including a quick bio on everyone involved, or at least the seven entrants we know of so far.

Pete Dunne will be here to draw the brackets for the tournament. That’s rather interesting.

Noam Dar vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov takes him down and hammers away before dropping him with a right hand. Some knees to the ribs set up a running shoulder to put Dar down and Dragunov hits a running backsplash. Dar bails to the floor to cut off the beating before heading up top on the way back in.

Dragunov gets his knee kicked out and Dar’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two. There’s an elbow to the head and a snapmare into the ropes keeps Dragunov in trouble. Some shots to the face just annoy Dragunov and he muscles Dar up with a suplex. One heck of a clothesline takes Dar’s head off but he tries to pull Dragunov into an armbar. That’s broken up though and Dragunov stomps him down.

Now the 6 1 Line gets two but Dar breaks up a second one. A running dropkick puts Dragunov on the floor but he comes back in to knock Dar silly again. Dar elbows him in the head but Dragunov wins a slugout with quite a bit of effort. Cue Alexander Wolfe for a distraction but Dragunov sends Dar into him. Torpedo Moscow gives Dragunov the pin at 11:49.

Rating: B-. This was designed to showcase Dragunov as a machine and that’s what they did rather well. He plays the part as perfectly as can be done with the insane eyes and unique movements so I don’t know how much complaining can be done when he is beating up Dar. Dragunov vs. Walter sounds amazing and the sooner we get to it, the better.

Post match here’s Walter for the showdown with a fired up Dragunov to end the show. It’s amazing to see how much the show picks up when he is involved.

Overall Rating: C+. They had a bit of a rocky start here with the tag match not being the most thrilling but it picked up a bit after that when we got into the showcases. I want to see both singles title matches and the tournament could be interesting assuming Pete Dunne is the final entrant. NXT works best with its top level star power and having Walter appear was the best thing they could have done in that regard. This wasn’t the best, but it got better as the show went on.

Results

Gallus b. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams – Powerslam to Jordan

Aoife Valkyrie b. Isla Dawn – Top rope ax kick

Ilja Dragunov b. Noam Dar – Torpedo Moscow

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: September 16, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

Things are back to normal around here as the show is back on Wednesday after heading over to Tuesday for a few weeks due to the NHL Playoffs. They aren’t wasting time either as we have two title matches tonight with Damian Priest defending the North American Title against Timothy Thatcher and Imperium getting their rematch for Breezango’s Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s outstanding show.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Io Shirai

Non-title. Feeling out to start with Shirai missing a running big boot and Shotzi getting away from a monkey flip. Blackheart grabs a jackknife rollup for two and starts in on the arm. An armbar sends Shirai over to the ropes for the break and she knocks Shotzi outside. That means a Lionsault can take Shirai down and it’s back inside for a delayed two. We take a break and come back with Shotzi sending her into the corner and hitting a running knee.

They slug it out until Shirai pulls her down into a Crossface but Blackheart makes the rope this time. The running backsplash against the ropes connects and a tiger suplex gives Shotzi two. Blackheart keeps the grip and flips forward into Cattle Mutilation, which is broken in a hurry as well.

Shirai hits a flapjack into the 619, followed by the missile dropkick for two. Back up and Blackheart runs the corner to hit a super hurricanrana for two more but Shirai crotches her on top. A German suplex onto the apron knocks Blackheart mostly silly so Shirai hits the moonsault (with the legs only hitting Shotzi) to put her out of her misery at 14:21.

Rating: B-. The more I see of Blackheart the more I like her and she was getting to hang with the champ in along match here. They’re pushing her as something special and it wouldn’t shock me to see her get a pretty big time title match one day. They were beating each other up here and it was a heck of a match all around, especially with the time helping them out.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa destroying Jake Atlas.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Desmond Troy

Troy is formerly known as Desmond DeJournette. Ciampa takes him down with ease to start and hits a running corner clothesline. The stomping is on and there’s the catapult face first into the bottom buckle. Willow’s Bell finishes at 1:52.

Post match Ciampa grabs a chair but here’s Jake Atlas for the challenge for next week. Ciampa smiles.

Drake Maverick arrived earlier today and is ready to team up with Killian Dain against the Undisputed Era. They are a TEAM, even though Dain hasn’t talked to him all week and punched him in the face a few times. Maverick: “Do you have his number?”

Finn Balor talks about winning the NXT Title four years after losing it. People are asking how this reign will be different than the last. The first reign was all about building the brand and being the brand. Now the brand needs him because it is not the most important title in the game. We see shots of Walter, Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre, with Balor saying the line starts here. You better look both ways before you cross the Prince.

Here’s Austin Theory for a chat. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer and last week against Bronson Reed was just a fluke. For now though, he has another match on his hands.

Kushida vs. Austin Theory

Kushida goes straight for the arm to start but Theory takes him down and pounds away. Kushida is back up with a kick to the arm and it’s a hiptoss into a basement dropkick. A kick to the head sends Theory to the floor, where he forearms the post by mistake. Back in and Kushida hammers away, setting up the Hoverboard Lock makes Theory tap at 3:28.

Rating: C. Well that was surprising as Kushida seems to be the kind of guy who is there to put people over rather than get a clean win like this. That being said, Kushida was my favorite New Japan guy so I can certainly go for seeing more of him like this. I’ve been hoping to see him get a push and this is better than nothing.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae complain about having to sit in the guest room because Tegan Nox broke their TV. Candice calms things down and talks about a #1 contenders battle royal next week, which she can win to get a Women’s Title shot at Takeover. Gargano looks up a new TV, deciding on a 100 inch plasma screen 3D model. Candice: “O….k.”

Tag Team Titles: Breezango vs. Imperium

Imperium is challenging and jump the champs before the bell. We officially start with Aichner slamming Fandango down and bringing Barthel in to send him into the corner. An uppercut keeps Fandango in trouble and Barthel jawbreaks him for good measure. Aichner comes in with a belly to back suplex and a hard clothesline gets two. Barthel’s butterfly suplex gets two and the double running dropkicks in the corner have Fandango mostly done as we take a break.

Back with Fandango elbowing Barthel in the face and finally bringing Breeze in to start cleaning house. Running forearms abound and Breeze grabs a half crab. Barthel tries to interfere but gets sent to the floor, leaving Aichner to hit a Regal Roll on Breeze. Back up and Breeze catches Aichner with a Cheeky Nandos kick for two with Barthel making a save. Aichner catches Breeze coming off the ropes and muscles him over with a suplex.

Fandango makes the save though and is smart enough to drag Breeze over for the tag. Everything breaks down and Fandango saves Breeze from another suplex on the floor. Back to back superkicks put Imperium down but the Last Dance misses. Aichner German suplexes Fandango for two but he’s back with a tornado DDT. It’s back to Breeze, who is quickly caught in the European Bomb. Fandango breaks it up though and a hurricanrana finishes Aichner to retain at 14:28.

Rating: C+. The match had good action but sweet goodness the tag division has fallen a long way. Breezango aren’t exactly feeling like the next big thing and Imperium is so nothing without Walter around. They need to find some new people around here soon and it’s rather boring to watch at the moment.

Jessi Kamea/Xia Li vs. Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro

Carter takes Li down with an armbar to start and it’s Kacy coming in with a slingshot hilo for two. Li takes Kacy into the corner and kicks away though, allowing Jessi to come in with a running corner clothesline. Kacy fights up without much trouble though and it’s Carter coming in to clean house. It’s quickly back to Kacy for a bicycle kick into a crucifix into a jackknife cover to pin Li at 3:55.

Rating: C-. The point here was to push Carter and Kacy as good friends who work well together, with commentary even mentioning a possible Women’s Tag Team Title shot in the future. Oddly enough, this reminded me of Bobby Heenan in WCW, where he would hype up anyone he could, even if it didn’t seem possible. It at least shows some effort, and I’ll take that over commentary ignoring the match to talk about anything but the stuff in front of them.

Post match respect is shown but Li walks away instead.

Drake Maverick finds Killian Dain, who isn’t interested in teaming together.

Tegan Nox says if Candice wants to believe that she (Tegan) is the one who changed, so be it. It’s better than listening to Gargano complain about a $200 TV that he broke so he can watch himself lose every week. Nox is going to win the battle royal and next time, it’s going to be different with Shirai.

Undisputed Era vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick

It’s Bobby Fish/Roderick Strong for the Era. And there’s no Dain, leaving Maverick on his own. Maverick gets driven into the corner to start but gets a boot up in the corner. The middle rope dropkick gets two on Fish but Maverick gets cut off with a backbreaker. We see Dain watching from backstage as Strong hits another backbreaker for two more.

A third backbreaker connects as Dain is still watching in the back. William Regal comes up to Dain and says that’s his partner out there. Cue Dain in the arena as Maverick is thrown outside….and he throws Maverick back in and goes to leave again. Strong yells at him so Dain gets inside and cleans house. Fish brings in a chair for the DQ at 9:42.

Rating: C-. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and that’s fine, though they had kind of made the point a good bit before they started doing anything to get to the ending. Maverick vs. Dain is an interesting deal, though I’d lean more towards Maverick earning Dain’s respect and turning into an actual team. As mentioned earlier, the show needs some more teams so why not these two?

Post match the Era leaves so Maverick yells at Dain, saying they’re a team. Dain knocks him out again.

Tommaso Ciampa jumps Jake Atlas in the parking lot and Kyle O’Reilly of all people gets in Ciampa’s face to get rid of him.

William Regal says we need a new #1 contender so next week, it’s the first ever Gauntlet Eliminator. Five unnamed men will be involved with two starting. Every four minutes, another name will enter and it is elimination rules with pinfall or submission only for eliminations. Whoever wins gets the title shot at Takeover.

North American Title: Damian Priest vs. Timothy Thatcher

Thatcher is challenging and goes straight to the arm to slow Priest down. Priest fights up but gets headlocked to the mat. That’s broken up as well so Thatcher headbutts him in the arm to make Priest clutch at the arm a bit. Priest tries to kick away but another shot tot he arm puts him on the floor. Thatcher follows him and fights out of a powerbomb attempt, allowing him to send Priest into the steps. A suplex on the floor makes it worse for Priest and we take a break.

Back with Thatcher hitting the uppercut so Priest slug away until a chop cuts him off again. The toss Falcon Arrow gives Priest two and he kicks Thatcher in the head to put him in trouble. The springboard flip dive misses so Thatcher goes after the armbar again. This time Priest fights up but Thatcher kicks the leg out and gets the half crab. That’s broken up so Thatcher goes with the Fujiwara armbar, with Priest using the legs to make the rope. The arm is fine enough to hit a Flatliner into the South of Heaven chokeslam for two. Priest has had it and goes up top for a super spinwheel kick, setting up the Reckoning to retain at 12:48.

Rating: B-. This was all about Priest getting his first achievement as champion and it worked out well. Thatcher gets to get his feet wet at a somewhat higher level and he did just fine in the role. Both guys have a nice future ahead of them, but Priest’s future is a lot closer than Thatcher’s at the moment. Good match, though the spinwheel kick should have been the pin.

Overall Rating: B-. Another good show here as you kind of have to expect from NXT, but nothing compared to last week’s instant classic. To be fair though, this was a much more laid back edition by design as last week’s was supposed to be the huge edition. NXT is starting to roll again, but dang that is a fast turnaround in between Takeovers. I’m curious as to what we are going to see on the card, because nothing has been specifically announced so far. Anyway, another win this week.

Results

Io Shirai b. Shotzi Blackheart – Moonsault

Tommaso Ciampa b. Desmond Troy – Willow’s Bell

Breezango b. Imperium – Hurricanrana to Aichner

Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro b. Xia Li/Jessi Kamea – Jackknife cover to Li

Killian Dain/Drake Maverick b. Undisputed Era via DQ when Fish used a chair

Damian Priest b. Timothy Thatcher – Reckoning

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com 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: September 10, 2020
Host: Andy Shepherd

It’s the final show before things are back to normal around here and that could make for some interesting changes. This time around we are getting some special announcements which will most likely start off next week. I’m not sure what to expect here but we should be in for a lot of recapping. Let’s get to it.

Andy takes us right to the point by sending us to Sid Scala for an announcement.

Sid announces the NXT Heritage Cup Tournament with eight men competing to crown the first cup winner.

And now, here’s William Regal with the rest of the story.

The tournament will take place under the British Rounds System, meaning six three minute rounds with twenty seconds in between rounds. Each match will be 2/3 falls and a pin, submission or countout ends a round. A DQ or Knockout ends the match immediately. If the rounds end, whomever is ahead advances.

We get three of the eight entrants, with each getting a quick highlight reel and soundbyte about why they are going to win.

Flash Morgan Webster

Noam Dar

Alexander Wolfe

More entrants later.

In two weeks, Kay Lee Ray defends the Women’s Title against Piper Niven.

Niven talks about knowing Ray for years now, including footage from ICW Fight Club. She was overconfident back then but then she started getting all the more nervous. Having Ray around made things that much easier but then things got a little more complicated because they started getting competitive. Ray did not make it as far in the Mae Young Classic as Niven but Ray won the Women’s Title first. Now Ray is the longest reigning Women’s Champion, which was always the plan.

From NXT UK, February 27, 2020.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Tony Storm

Storm is challenging in an I Quit match. They slug it out to start and head outside with Storm sending her into various things. Back in and Storm Zero is blocked so Storm goes with something like an STF instead. Ray makes the rope but since that means nothing, she keeps crawling until Storm has to let it go. Ray bends Storm’s neck around the ropes and pulls the hair, setting up a Gory Special for a smart change of pace from her norm.

That’s broken up so Storm takes it to the floor and loads up a table. It takes Storm too long to go up top though and Ray catches her on the ropes. Not that it matters as Storm knocks her off and hits a splash through the table (nearly covering before catching herself). Storm Zero on the apron is broken up and a hanging DDT off the apron plants Storm again, this time with a heck of a thud.

Ray busts out the athletic tape and ties Storm’s hands behind her back so the beating can really begin. It’s chair time with Storm’s head being put through the open chair for a superkick. Ray drives the chair into Storm’s neck but she still won’t quit, meaning it’s time to wrap the chair around her neck. Instead of stomping though, Ray stands on the chair. Sid Scala and Piper Niven come out as Ray PILLMANIZES HER NECK. That’s not enough so Ray goes up again, which is enough to make Storm give up at 12:51.

Rating: B. This was an interesting one but it’s more about the future than anything else. Ray beat her up pretty decisively here and the loss should get Storm off of television for the time being. She can move on to the regular NXT (or maybe even higher) as there is nothing left for her to do around here. Let her go away for the time being so she can rebuild herself a bit and then do something bigger in the future.

We see a Network Exclusive where Niven helps Storm to the back.

Ray talks about Niven’s big heart being easy to use against her.

Niven talks about being made to feel like less of a person because of her size and that’s not happening.

Gallus is ready to get back in the ring so next week, we’ll see which team wants to come get it.

We get a four way Zoom chat with Andy Shepherd, William Regal, Robbie Brookside and Drew McIntyre talking about how much they like the tournament format. McIntyre grew up in modern British wrestling but loved the round format when he got the chance. Regal and Brookside talk about how different it is and how the matches will be like watching chess. The participants can’t prepare enough because they have to start again every single round.

McIntyre advises tapping if you have to and points at his own head. Maybe he would like to win that cup one day too, suggesting that it will be defended. Everyone gets in one more piece of advice, with McIntyre and Brookside saying be ready and Regal quoting Karl Gotch by saying that conditioning is your best weapon.

Four more entrants:

A-Kid

Dave Mastiff

Joseph Connors

Trent Seven

Next week: Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams vs. Gallus in a non-title match.

From NXT UK, July 24, 2019.

Trent Seven vs. Walter

Non-title. Trent dives on him to start and sends Walter into the barricade before the bell. They get inside for the first time to officially start but Trent sends him right back out for a baseball slide. Walter is back up and tries the powerbomb but gets backdropped on the floor instead.

Back in and Seven hammers away until Walter snaps off a German suplex. Seven’s chop to the chest just annoys Walter, who slams Seven right back down. The half crab sends Seven bailing to the rope as Walter is looking disgusted at him for not quitting. A missed big boot in the corner lets Seven chop him in the back of the neck, followed by a heck of a clothesline.

More chops annoy Walter, so he knocks Seven down again. Seven is all but out on his feet but manages a backfist to the face to put Walter on the floor. Walter tries to come back in on the top so Seven chops him even more, setting up a top rope superplex for two. They head outside again with Walter hitting a big boot and this time the apron powerbomb connects.

Seven is done so Walter powerbombs him again for no cover. There’s another powerbomb and cue the rest of Imperium to stare at the stage. Walter hits yet another powerbomb and the referee tells him to finish the match. The fourth and fifth powerbombs connect until the referee FINALLY stops it at 14:14.

Rating: B. This was a rather good storytelling device along with a hard hitting fight. They’re setting up Bate as the last hope to fight Walter and that’s going to be an incredible match, especially when he hits the Tyler Driver. Seven made Walter look like an absolute monster here and it was a rather good piece of business. As usual, Seven is a valuable asset and I’m sure he’ll be back.

We get a video on the big matches coming up when NXT UK returns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was designed to make me want to see what is coming up and it worked out rather well. They focused on the Women’s Title and the Heritage Cup here and that was all it needed to be. I’m not sure I can imagine Ray holding the title past the Niven title defense and the tournament could work out well too. They have my interest up and I could go for seeing the show start back up next week as the table has been set up rather well.

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: September 8, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

It’s time for the sequel to last week’s four way Iron Man match with Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole for the NXT Title. This could be a classic if they’re given the time and actually have a finish instead of setting up something for Clash Of Champions. I’ll give NXT the benefit of the doubt not to do that twice in a row though and hope for the best. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick recap of last week’s Iron Man match.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole

The title is vacant coming in and they’re not wasting time tonight. After the Big Match Intros, it’s a battle over a headlock to get things going. Cole takes him down into an armbar but Balor reverses into one of his own and slaps on a headscissors on the mat. That’s broken up and Cole hits a basement dropkick, followed by some chops against the ropes. The fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two on Balor and we take a break.

Back with Balor working on a chinlock and then slamming him into an elbow drop for two. Balor knocks him into the corner and hits his own basement dropkick for another near fall. Cole is back with some shots to the face and a pump kick to put Balor down. A Backstabber gives Cole two of his own and a Shining Wizard cuts off Balor’s shotgun dropkick. The Last Shot misses though and Balor hits a double stomp to the ribs to take over again.

Some hard stomping puts Cole on the floor but he’s back up with a superkick for the double knockdown. Back from another break with Cole grabbing a Figure Four to work on the knee. Balor finally escapes and hits the shotgun dropkick. The Coup de Grace connects for a delayed two (because of the bad knee) and commentary LOSES IT at the kickout to really sell the impact.

Cole goes back to the Figure Four but this time Balor makes the rope. A superkick into the Last Shot gives Cole two and there’s the shocked face that Cole does so well. Back up and Balor drives him into the corner for the reverse 1916. Cole crotches him on top and it’s a super 1916 to give Balor the pin and the title at 23:16.

Rating: A-. That’s the right call as we just got done with a year plus Cole reign and Balor has been needing a big win to get himself back on track in NXT. I would have bet on him being the next big challenger to Karrion Kross anyway so this makes a lot of sense. It was also a heck of a match which got some time and had the knee injury working as a story throughout. Nice job here and thank you for not having any kind of a surprise twist.

Rhea Ripley is ready for Mercedes Martinez and grabs the cage.

William Regal congratulates Balor for the win and Cole shakes his hand as well. The face turn continues.

Robert Stone finds Shotzi Blackheart’s tank and is ready to hit it with a pipe. Cue Shotzi to hit him in the face but Aliyah pops up to knock Shotzi through a curtain…and right into Io Shirai. Aliyah panics and the fight heads into the arena where the beatdown is on. Stone tries to come off the top but gets punched out of the air. Shirai hits the moonsault to Aliyah and Shotzi hits the top rope backsplash to Stone….but picks up the Women’s Title, which Shirai doesn’t like.

We go to the Gargano House where Candice LeRae is nervous about dinner with Tegan Nox. Johnny Gargano says it’s cool but the nerves are still there. Nox shows up and Johnny puts on his good face before letting her in. He teases being annoyed at her but says it’s just a joke before bringing Nox inside. LeRae hugs her and Nox is nervous as the two stare at her.

Timothy Thatcher has a film study on Damien Priest, who mistakenly thinks life is a party. It’s time to do some work.

Velveteen Dream vs. Ashante Adonis

Dream doesn’t seem worried to start and strikes away but Adonis pops back up and hits a DDT into a nipup. Adonis hammers away but Dream gets serious and pounds him down. The Dream Valley Driver is good for the pin at 1:35.

Post match Dream grabs the microphone but Kushida, who Dream attacked a few weeks ago, runs in to jump him before Dream can say a word. Referees try to break it up but Kushida manages to pull him shoulder first into the post. A cross armbreaker in the corner makes Dream tap, because that’s what you do in a brawl.

Video on Breezango winning the Tag Team Titles but getting jumped by Imperium last week. Breezango took the only nice accessories they had so Imperium want the titles back next week.

Back at the Gargano House, Johnny realizes he’s making this weird and leaves the two women alone. Candice thinks Nox should admit to her mistakes but Nox isn’t sure what those are. Nox asks what she’s talking about so Candice explains the Gargano Way and thinks Nox is jealous. That’s not what’s going on but Candice offers to show her the way.

Bronson Reed vs. Austin Theory

Reed works on a headlock to start before sending Theory flying with a shoulder. A bottom rope springboard elbow gets two and Reed flips him back in from the apron. We hit the big chinlock until Theory fights up and tries a sunset flip. Reed sits down on his chest for two and sends Theory outside, meaning it’s a cannonball off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Reed fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the Jagged Edge for two. Reed sends him into the corner but Reed hits a forearm into a rolling Blockbuster for two of his own. Theory tries the TKO but collapses under the weight. Reed adds the top rope splash to the back for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C+. This might have been a bit longer than it needed to be but they both looked good, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Reed has come out of nowhere and turned into something rather good while Theory looks to have all the tools in the world minus experience. I could go for more of both of them and that’s a good sign for the future.

Cole says Balor was the better man and they went through the same Iron Man match. Balor better be ready though because if Cole gets another shot, he’s taking the title. Total face promo from Cole here.

Mercedes Martinez wants to be locked in a cage with Rhea Ripley so she can show who the real animal is.

Roderick Strong vs. Killian Dain

Fallout from Dain saving Drake Maverick from the Undisputed Era and Bobby Fish is in Strong’s corner. Strong goes after Dain to start and the monster doesn’t like that. He knocks Strong around the ring and hammers away in the corner until a leg lariat puts Dain on the apron.

A Rock Bottom from the apron takes Strong down but Fish kicks the ankle out and we take a break. Back with Reed throwing him across the ring and hitting the running crossbody for two. Fish pulls Strong out of the way of the Vader Bomb so Dain drops Fish from the apron. The distraction is enough for Strong to hit a jumping knee to the face for the pin at 7;35.

Rating: C. Dain is someone else who should be an easy layup and they’re finally starting to get the hang of him. It’s better late than never, but it’s weird to see a monster like him getting beaten like this. It’s interesting to see the Undisputed Era showing some differences and that could go in several different directions, which is always a good option.

Post match the beatdown is on until Drake Maverick makes the save with a pipe. Maverick is beaten down as well but Dain gets the pipe to chase the Era off. Maverick slowly gets up and offers a handshake but Dain punches him out.

Back at the dinner, the ladies toast a new beginning until Candice throws a salad at her. Nox eats some lettuce and throws a drink at Candice, so here’s Johnny to interrupt. That earns him a bowl of spaghetti over the head so Candice throws something at Nox, only to hit and break the TV instead. Nox bails and Candice chases after her as Johnny looks at the broken screen.

Damien Priest thinks Timothy Thatcher is ugly and his game plan is pretty easy: hit Thatcher in the face and make him uglier than he already is. Priest promises a sweet Reckoning for Thatcher before the celebration can continue. Of course the interviewer is invited to join in.

Next week: Thatcher vs. Priest for the North American Title, Imperium challenges Breezango for the Tag Team Titles and Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart in a non-title match.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Rhea Ripley

In a cage with Robert Stone at ringside. Martinez goes for some weapons to start but Rhea is right there to jump her from behind. A table and some chairs go inside the cage with them and Ripley closes the door herself. Martinez sends her into the steel but Ripley does the same and then sends her in again for a bonus. The fisherman’s suplex gets Martinez out of trouble and she powerbomb Rhea out of the corner as we take a break.

Back with Ripley throwing a chair at Martinez’s face to catch her on top. The running dropkick sends Martinez into the cage and her HEAD gets caught between the cage walls. Rhea pulls her out (without ripping off an ear) and hits a top rope superplex for a delayed two. Martinez is back with a spinebuster and they’re both down again.

It’s Rhea up first and she grabs the Prism Trap until Martinez grabs the kendo stick to break it up. Stone tries to interfere but gets caught climbing, allowing Ripley to beat him up on top of the cage. Martinez catches her up top though and grabs a super neckbreaker to put both of them down again. The table is set up in the middle of the ring and Ripley loads up a fisherman’s superplex. That’s countered into a super Riptide (dang) through the table to finish Martinez at 14:21.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and a lot of that has to do with the atmosphere. You had two big, strong women beating the heck out of each other for a good while in a hard hitting fight. That’s what they advertised this as being and Ripley looked like the star that she most often does. The big spots all worked and the ending looked great. I’m not sure what more you could ask for here, aside from maybe no Stone interference as he felt out of place, but other than that, this was a heck of a fight and felt like a main event.

Overall Rating: A-. To coin a phrase, this was NXT. This felt like the old days of the classic shows with the big matches delivering (to put it mildly) and the undercard working as well. What mattered the most about the undercard stuff was not only did they build things for the future, but they built reasons for these people to dislike each other for the future.

You had Thatcher’s film session, the Gargano House dinner, Breezango and Imperium’s dueling promos and the Shirai/Blackheart staredown. Those are different (enough) ways to set up feuds for the future and they made me want to see some of the matches. This was the tightest show NXT has put together in a long time and if this is what they can do unopposed, load up the moving truck and get the directions to every Tuesday night.

Oh and one more thing that helps a bit here: the evolution of Damien Priest. He has turned into this guy who is all about the party and the celebration, but there was no big moment and announcement of the change. Instead, you just saw him starting to act differently and NXT didn’t treat you like a moron who needed every tiny detail explained to you. That’s just who Priest is now and people are going with it because it was an acceptable evolution of where he went. Commentary isn’t beating you over the head with it and he’s rolling along with the change. Little things like that make a show so much easier to watch.

Results

Finn Balor b. Adam Cole – Super 1916

Velveteen Dream b. Ashante Adonis – Dream Valley Driver

Bronson Reed b. Austin Theory – Top rope splash

Roderick Strong b. Killian Dain – Jumping knee

Rhea Ripley b. Mercedes Martinez – Super Riptide through a table

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: September 3, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

We are two weeks away from everything being back to normal around here and that is a good thing, assuming you haven’t been liking all of the different material this show has had. That means it is time to start setting up what is planned in the future, meaning today we are looking at Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov. Let’s get to it.

Andy welcomes us to the show and sends us to March 7, 2020, for a match from the most recent NXT UK TV tapings.

Walter vs. Ridge Holland

Non-title. They trade shots to the chest and running shoulders to start with no one going anywhere. Ridge slams him to the floor though and Walter looks shaken up. Back in and Walter grabs a top wristlock to take him down before stomping on the neck to keep Holland on the mat. A twist of the neck has him in more trouble and Walter gets in his own slam, setting up the pose.

Walter goes back to the arm and throws in some chops but Holland gets in a clothesline to put Walter down for a change. The sleeper goes on again but Holland muscles him up into a torture rack (dang), only to have the arm give out. There’s an overhead belly to belly for two but Walter slips out of Northern Grit twice in a row.

A powerbomb out of the corner gives Holland two and Northern Grit (with commentary not even calling it) gets the same. Walter grabs a swinging Rock Bottom for two and it’s time for some forearms to the chest. Holland reverses into some of his own but here is Alexander Wolfe for the distraction. That’s enough for Walter to get in a kick and the big clothesline for the pin at 9:02.

Rating: B-. Now that’s more like it as Holland looked like a threat out there. Walter gave him A LOT too and sold hard to make Holland look a lot better than he would have otherwise. Holland has a long way to go but this was far better than he looked over in regular NXT. As usual, Walter can do some amazing stuff in the ring.

Commentary talks about how Walter needed help to win. Nice job of building Holland up there too. Now if that had been the kind of debut he had in NXT, it would have worked far better.

Various people talk about how much of an impression Walter makes, plus how hard those chops are. Drew McIntyre doesn’t know who can stop Walter.

Video on the tag team division, including some looks at several of the teams on the roster. Mentioning where they are from is a nice touch.

Video on Ilja Dragunov. He and his family moved from Russia to Germany when he was five years old and his mother’s Russian teaching degree didn’t mean anything in Germany. His mother worked hard and went to school to become a teacher all over again while working to feed his family. That makes her his biggest role model because no one has worked that hard.

They were very poor growing up and didn’t have anything but he found some Pringles in a trashcan and it was the first taste of a better life. When he was ten, a bunch of teenagers beat him up for speaking Russian and told him to get out of their country or his family would be next. He had never felt so weak and promised to never feel like that again. Over the years he wanted to find a way to express himself and finally found that in wrestling. All of the uniqueness came out in the ring and it is real madness. His success is a celebration of everyone who doesn’t fit into the system.

This was GREAT and sold me on Dragunov in a way that I haven’t been with someone in a good while. NXT/NXT UK know how to do these things better than anyone right now and I have no idea why such a thing is never used on the main shows. They would do wonders for a lot of the wrestlers up there because, as it always has been, wrestling works better when you have a connection to the people you are watching.

Next week: a huge announcement and a look at the Women’s Title.

Walter knows that Dragunov has the same passion that he has for this sport. It will be the greatest fight of Dragunov’s career and Walter will destroy him.

From April 2.

Battle Royal

Ashton Smith, Ridge Holland, Kassius Ohno, Alexander Wolfe, Dave Mastiff, Oliver Carter, Travis Banks, Ligero, Saxton Huxley, Joe Coffey, Jordan Devlin, Ilja Dragunov, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Noam Dar, Kenny Williams, Tyson T-Bone, A-Kid, Amir Jordan, Flash Morgan Webster

The winner gets a UK Title shot at some point in the future. Ohno backs away from Holland and Mastiff to start and is promptly ganged for the early elimination. Huxley throws out Williams and it’s Webster and Kid throwing each other to the apron for no avail. Coffey gets rid of Webster and Jordan headscissors Huxley out. Kid is thrown onto Huxley’s back but chokes him out and climbs back in for a clever save.

T-Bone is out next and Coffey seems to be favoring his leg. A chokebomb plants Banks and Mastiff gets rid of him, meaning it’s time for everyone to fight near the ropes. Mastiff gets rid of Jordan (Nigel: “Jordan with a mere ten minutes in the match!”), followed by Holland powering out Carter (with a huge overhead belly to belly) and Smith back to back. Ligero is thrown onto the two of them, leaving Mastiff vs. Holland. As usual, Dar messes things up by interrupting the showdown but here’s Joseph Conners to distract Holland so Coffey and Dragunov can get rid of him as well.

Coffey and Dragunov have the big slugout for a double knockdown, leaving Moustache Mountain to hit stereo airplane spins on Dar and Kid. Seven drops Bate (with love of course) but Coffey tosses Seven from behind. Bate manages to get Mastiff on his shoulders but can’t keep him up so it’s time for everyone to pair off. Kid hits a springboard clothesline on Coffey but gets headbutted out by Devlin. A Rock Bottom puts Dragunov onto Coffey and Devlin moonsaults onto both of them, only to have Dar throw Devlin out.

Mastiff is waiting on Dar though and it’s a big backsplash to crush him hard. Everyone gets together to get rid of Mastiff though and we’re down to Coffey, Dar, Bate, Dragunov and Wolfe. Bate gets rid of Dar (the fans sound VERY pleased) and everyone takes a corner. Coffey swings Dragunov for a long time before crushing Bate in the corner. A running tackle crushes Bate and Dragunov at the same time but Wolfe sends him to the apron. Wolfe kicks Coffey out and we’re down to three.

Bate and Dragunov double team Wolfe but some heel miscommunication lets him take them both down, including a heck of a German suplex to drop Bate on his head. Bate staggers Wolfe though and Dragunov clotheslines him out, leaving Bate vs. Dragunov. They tease some eliminations until Bop and Bang drops Dragunov in a heap. A suplex plants Dragunov again but Bate walks into a hard clothesline.

The 6 1 Line plants Bate again and they’re both down for a bit. Bate unloads with rights and lefts until an enziguri takes him down again. They both go over the top and out to the apron so Bate loads up a rather illogical superplex. Dragunov throws him back in and hits a top rope backsplash but can’t hit Torpedo Moscow. Bate gets sent over the top but holds on with one hand, allowing Dragunov to hit Torpedo Moscow for the win at 28:40.

Rating: C+. The length was a bit of a problem but they kept things energized for a good chunk of the time. The ending was the best part and Dragunov is the best choice for the title shot. Odds are that was set for Dublin and they can go back to it whenever things are back to normal. A lot of people looked good in this though and that’s what matters in a match like this.

Overall Rating: B. This show did an excellent job of making me care not only about the title match but about Dragunov in particular. Ignoring the big layoff, there has not been a reason to care about him yet other than he has the crazy eyes. They let him tell his story and that made me want to see him in the ring, which is all you can ask for. Very well done here and the Holland match was a nice bonus.

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