NXT – November 13, 2019: The Riddle Of The Little Putz

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 13, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

We’re still on the way to Survivor Series and hopefully things can get back to where they were last week. At the same time though, things are starting to move towards Takeover, so we’re going to be seeing a ladder match for the advantage in the women’s WarGames. The lineups still need to be locked in though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, which also seems to serve as the opening sequence.

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending. They start running the ropes in a hurry with neither being able to hit anything, meaning it’s a pair of flips to land on a knee each. Garza bails to the floor and goes into the crowd, where HE TAKES OFF HIS PANTS right in front of Rush’s family. That means the crazy fast suicide dive but another one is countered into a powerslam so Garza can smile as we take a break.

Back with Garza hitting a hard knee to the face but Rush is fine enough to escape the Wing Clipper. The springboard Stunner is blocked with a dropkick to the back to give Garza two more. Rush grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two of his own but gets caught on top. That means a super moonsault powerslam for a close two and the frustration makes Garza hammer away.

Rush counters a charge into Rush Hour before kicking Garza upside the head. Now the springboard Stunner can connect but Rush tries a second, only to get reversed into the Wing Clipper for two. Garza loads it up again but climbs up, allowing Rush to headbutt his way to freedom. Rush flips him down and hits the Final hour for a slightly delayed two. With nothing else working, Rush waits for Garza to start getting up and hits another Final Hour to retain at 12:55. Garza’s foot looked like it was in the ropes for a bit.

Rating: B. They didn’t bother wasting time with any slow paced stuff here and just went straight to a game of can you top this. Sometimes it’s nice to drop any pretense that you are doing anything but a spotfest and that is what they did here. It seems to be where they are both most comfortable though and the match was really entertaining while feeling half as long as it was.

Tegan Nox and Rhea Ripley have been attacked.

Video on Shayna Baszler invading the main roster.

Xia Li vs. Aliyah

Xia starts with the kicks so Aliyah gets in a neck snap across the top for a breather. A northern lights suplex gives Aliyah two and she kicks Xia in the back, only to get kicked in the chest. Xia hits a superkick and a cartwheel forearm in the corner, followed by a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 2:07.

Aliyah’s face is busted up and the medic comes in to check on her.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Killian Dain. They meet tonight.

Here’s Finn Balor for a chat. He isn’t sure what happened around here because he was the heart and soul of this place. Now you have a bunch of people crying on social media and looking for sympathy when they get hurt. Since Johnny Gargano is out for Survivor Series weekend, he wants someone to come take Gargano’s place. Cue Matt Riddle to jump Balor and the fight is on until Balor bails. Riddle: “Come back here you little putz!”

Cue the Undisputed Era to surround the ring with Cole saying it’s the wrong place at the wrong time. Now it’s Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee coming out for the save. The Era talks about how they dominated Raw and Smackdown but Lee isn’t impressed. The challenge is on with Lee wanting to face Cole right now. Strong says he has this though.

Keith Lee vs. Roderick Strong

Non-title. Joined in progress with everyone else gone and Lee hitting a tossup faceplant for two. Some chops have Strong in even more trouble and he has to elbow his way out of a slam attempt. He can’t elbow enough though and Lee plants him with ease. Strong kicks at the legs for some more success and a running shoulder to a kneeling Lee. This goes badly for Strong, who bounces off of Lee a few times.

Lee gets up and smiles at him, setting up another big chop to cut Strong down. Strong comes back with a knee strike though and we take a break. Back with Lee getting dropkicked outside and a wrecking ball dropkick putting him down on the floor. The Sick Kick gives Strong two back inside and the reverse chinlock goes on. As usual, that just wakes Lee up and he shoves Strong around, followed by some elbows to the back for two.

Lee gets caught on top and, after some strikes, Strong manages a heck of a superplex for….one. The Stronghold isn’t happening so they slug it out until Lee turns him inside out with a clothesline. Cue the Era again though, followed by Ciampa and Riddle to cut them off. Finn Balor shows up with a Sling Blade to Riddle though, followed by a dropkick to send him into the steps. The distraction lets Strong hit an Angle Slam for two but Lee is right back up with the Supernova for the pin at 17:27.

Rating: B. Another solid match and the interference didn’t even cause the fall. I’m not a big fan of a champion losing like this but it isn’t done nearly as often around here, which means that it can be more forgivable. Lee is likely to get a title shot after Takeover and that is what you need to do with people like him.

Post match the beatdown is on but Dominick Dijakovic coming in for the save. With the Era dispatched, Dijakovic offers his services and Ciampa shakes his hand. Dijakovic runs into Lee, but it’s another handshake. Remember that Riddle is likely going to fight Balor so they still need another member.

Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke and Candice LeRae have been taken out. The yet to debut Scarlett Bordeaux is checking on LeRae.

Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed

They trade short wristlocks to start until Reed runs him over with the size and power. There’s a headbutt to make it worse and a rather large headlock ensues. Reed goes with the simple style by sitting on Scott’s back and cannonballing down onto it before just throwing him outside. That earns him a posting though and we take a break. Back with Scott hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the neck and getting two off a Flatliner.

One heck of a clothesline into a backsplash crushes Scott but the top rope splash is broken up. Scott goes up with him but has to fight out of a super Tombstone (geez), allowing him to hit a hanging DDT for two on Reed. Back up and Reed grabs a belly to back sitout piledriver for his own two. Scott gets to the apron and tries a slingshot hurricanrana but has to settle for a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well but Scott knocks him down and hits the House Call (Swerve Kick) for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: C+. Scott is someone I like more and more every time I see him. The good thing is that WWE seems to be getting the idea as well with a nice little winning streak. He can have a good match with anyone and that’s the kind of style that can keep you around for a long time. Reed is good too and makes the size work for him.

Respect is shown post match.

It isn’t clear who is behind the attacks, but we do know one thing for TakeOver: Balor vs. Riddle is confirmed and Dijakovic is taking Riddle’s place in WarGames, meaning Ciampa needs a fourth.

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne

Hang on though as Damien Priest jumps Dain on the ramp, meaning it’s Dunne running to the floor to get in on the fight. Everyone brawls and security breaks it up, only to have Priest powerbomb a guard over the top. He isn’t done yet as he adds a big running flip dive to take out Dunne and Dain again. Works for me as a triple threat at Takeover. No match here.

Mia Yim says if someone wants to come out them, it can be from any angle. Dakota Kai comes in and says there are no hard feelings after last week’s decision. She has Mia’s back tonight.

Next week: Cole vs. Dijakovic in a ladder match for the men’s WarGames advantage.

Mia Yim vs. Io Shirai

Ladder match for the advantage in the women’s WarGames match. They both want the ladder early but Shirai takes her down with a suicide dive instead. Mia is right back up and knocks her down, allowing the ladder to be thrown in. Shirai gets dropped onto a ladder, which is bridged between the apron and barricade. A superkick to the ladder knocks it into Mia’s face, though she’s fine enough to get in a ladder shot to Shirai’s hand.

Shirai uses the good hand to try a running ladder shot but only hits ring. Yim gets kicked away and they finally get back inside, only to fight over a suplex. It’s Shirai getting dropped back first onto the ladder and we take a break. Back with Shirai forearming away and hitting the 619, followed by a flapjack to keep Mia down. Mia isn’t about to let her climb though and it’s an overhead belly to belly into….well at least close to, the edge of the ladder.

That lets Mia set up the ladder but Shirai sends her into it and the ladder goes down again. Mia gets crushed in the ladder so Shirai pulls out a fresh one. That one has to be dropkicked into Mia so Shirai can climb, or at least she would if she has two good hands. Shirai takes too long going up and gets pulled down, though she’s right back up with a German suplex off the ladder. Shirai’s moonsault is broken up but she headbutts Mia to the floor.

Cue Dakota Kai to check on Mia but Shirai moonsaults onto both of them. Shirai goes up but Kai powerbombs her down, only to have NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray run in and shove the ladder down, sending Mia through the bridged ladder in a GREAT looking crash as I had forgotten about the other ladder. Ray helps Shirai up the ladder for the win at 19:58.

Rating: B+. This was very good stuff with the two of them beating the heck out of each other with some adult sized bumps. Ray as the fourth member of the team is interesting and could be the wild card that the match needs. I’m not a big Yim fan but she looked awesome here and they had a great match.

Post match Shirai, Ray and Bianca Belair pose in the ring as Shayna Baszler comes out, seemingly approving of the new team. It’s Bayley attacking her from behind though, presumably revealing herself as the attacking. Baszler gets planted face first onto the stage, drawing her team up to chase Bayley off to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This is the kind of NXT show that works well: good action up and down the card, a lot of stuff being set up for the future and a card that makes me want to see Takeover. They moved things forward here and helped advance their own card, which has almost been lost in the Survivor Series shuffle. We’re up to three (mostly complete) matches now and you can pretty much guess the fourth, though a card with no title matches is going to be rather weird. Anyway, very strong show this week as we get a good step towards Takeover.

Results

Lio Rush b. Angel Garza – Final Hour

Xia Li b. Aliyah – Spinning kick to the face

Keith Lee b. Roderick Strong – Supernova

Isaiah Scott b. Bronson Reed – House Call

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Shirai pulled down the briefcase

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

NXT UK – November 7, 2019: That Special Feeling

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 7, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

I’m not sure what is going on here but things have felt rather flat lately. Maybe it is the lack of Walter and the top title, but they have gone about as far as they can without the champ showing up anytime in recent weeks. The rest of the stuff has been running out of steam for a good while now and they need to come up with something else. Maybe they can do that tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joe Coffey vs. Tyson T-Bone

Coffey goes right after him and it’s a slugout to start. You don’t try to punch with someone named T-Bone and of course he gets the better of it, only to have Coffey knee him in the ribs. Coffey muscles him up for a backbreaker and a hard clothesline gets two. The armbar goes on for a good while until T-Bone hiptosses his way to freedom. A suplex gets two on Coffey but he’s right back with a spinning middle rope crossbody. All The Best For The Bells finishes T-Bone at 4:52.

Rating: C-. It was a scrappy win but Coffey gets some momentum back after being out of the ring for a long time. That’s a good idea as Gallus seems primed for a big push, perhaps as faces. Coffey won clean here and he still has a heck of a finisher to go with the awesome name. T-Bone is good in rolls like this and the match would have been even better without the long armbar.

Xia Brookside isn’t worried about Kay Lee Ray because she has been training hard.

Ridge Holland, who wears shoes and walks through puddles, is coming. You may remember him as Luke Menzies.

Video on Piper Niven, who started watching during the Attitude Era and then thought she could do that. More on this next week.

Killer Kelly vs. Isla Dawn

This is Kelly’s first match since May due to a knee injury. Dawn takes her down by the arm to start and goes for the knee, sending Kelly straight to the ropes. Kelly slugs away and gets two off a clothesline but Dawn is back with some uppercuts. A Saito suplex is blocked so Dawn gets two off a belly to back instead. Kelly is back up with a running dropkick into the corner and another in the corner for a bonus. Not that it matters as Dawn grabs a bridging half and half suplex for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. Kelly has never quite done it for me and Dawn is someone whose gimmick gets my attention but it never quite clicks. The other problem is that there really isn’t any room at the top of the division and I’m not sure where Dawn would fit. We’ve been here before, and I don’t see the result going any differently.

Kassius Ohno doesn’t think much of British Strong Style because they just took an idea from Japan because it sounded cool. Now he’ll have to teach Tyler Bate a lesson at the hands of the wrestling genius.

Next week: Ray vs. Brookside and Banks vs. Ligero II.

Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Webster and Gibson get things going with Gibson throwing him down to start without much effort. That earns him a headlock takeover as the first gear continues. Drake comes in and gets sunset flipped for two so it’s off to Andrews, which sends Drake bailing to the floor. After a breather, Drake comes back in but can’t backslide Andrews. The opposite can happen for a near fall though and it’s Andrews hitting a basement dropkick for two more.

An armdrag keeps Drake in trouble as Gibson offers some loud advice: “DRAKE! STOP HIM!” Everything breaks down again and stereo dropkicks put the Veterans on the floor. Back in and Webster drops Gibson for two but it’s Drake coming in off a blind tag to kick him in the leg. Another dropkick knocks Andrews off the apron and Nigel is on his feet in love of Gibson.

The kneeling backbreaker/slingshot elbow to the chest crushes Webster on the floor as the momentum has completely changed in a hurry. A hard elbow to the jaw gives Drake two and the chinlock goes on. Gibson comes in for a harder chinlock, followed by Drake’s spinwheel kick to the head. A suplex sets up another chinlock but Webster finally fights up with some forearms. The Blue Boy Block puts Drake down but Gibson is right there to pull Andrews to the floor.

A kick to the chest is enough to get rid of Drake though and Andrews comes in to clean house. Andrews’ tornado DDT and assisted 450 get two on Gibson but Webster gets sent outside. A superkick/neckbreaker combination gets two on Andrews but he’s fine enough to catch Drake in a sitout powerbomb. There’s a slingshot hurricanrana to put Gibson down on the floor so Webster can slingshot onto Drake for two.

Back in and Webster gets out of the Shankley Gates but takes a running dropkick in the corner. Double knees to the chest give Drake two and the fans are rather impressed. A Doomsday Device misses and Webster rolls Gibson up for two and Andrews hits a reverse hurricanrana on Gibson for the four way knockdown. Cue Imperium and Gallus on the stage for a staredown, with Gallus running in to jump the Veterans for the DQ at 19:27.

Rating: B. This took its time but started rocking by the end and I’m glad they went with the ending instead of someone taking a fall. It’s a good match with two talented teams, as Andrews and Webster have done more than I was expecting from them. The action was hot and it didn’t feel as long as it was so well done on all counts.

Post match the double beatdown is on and it’s another Gallus vs. Imperium staredown. Alexander Wolfe and Joe Coffey come out to make it three on three. Cue Walter and Gallus is in trouble….so it’s Ilja Dragunov to even things up again and it’s the big staredown into the big brawl to end the show with the crowd WAY into things.

Overall Rating: B-. The ending segment was quite good and it’s amazing how much better the show feels just because Walter is there. I know it was all of a minute and a half but he gets your attention and you know that something important is happening. The main event and the post match angle carried this after a just ok first half. A revamped (and apparently face) Gallus vs. Imperium works for me, as you can only rely on British Strong Style for so long. Not a great start but a very strong ending and that’s more important.

Results

Joe Coffey b. Tyson T-Bone – All The Best For The Bells

Isla Dawn b. Killer Kelly – Bridging half and half suplex

Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews b. Grizzled Young Veterans via DQ when Gallus interfered

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

NXT – November 6, 2019: Cracking Good Fun

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 6, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

Things have changed in a hurry with this show as it is suddenly a show being treated like it belongs on the main roster. NXT has invaded Monday Night Raw and Smackdown and the question now is will those shows wind up here. It’s a nice feeling to not know what’s coming, though we also have to set up this month’s Takeover. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back with the OC attacking the Undisputed Era.

The OC comes into the arena with AJ Styles not being so impressed with NXT. They’re taking over NXT tonight and that is undisputed. Cue Tommaso Ciampa (Fans: “DADDY’S HOME!”) to say he’s been asked about being promoted tot he main roster for years. Instead, he welcomes the OC to the main roster. Ciampa doesn’t like them being in his ring but AJ points out that he’s here all alone. Cue Matt Riddle and Keith Lee with the challenge being made and accepted. Nigel says we could have a cracking main event. Yes cracking.

Pete Dunne vs. Damian Priest

Rematch from two weeks ago when Priest cheated to win. Neither can hit their finisher or a kick to the face to start and we take a break. Back with Priest striking away and hitting a Falcon Arrow for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Dunne fights up with the X Plex. Dunne starts striking away including a dropkick to the knees but he can’t hit a German suplex.

Neither can Priest though as Dunne flips out and kicks him in the head. The moonsault to the floor hits Priest as well and they’re both down. Priest is back up with a chokeslam onto the apron, though Dunne is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb for two back inside. The Bitter End is broken up though and Priest kicks him in the head.

Dunne heads outside and it’s a big flip dive from Priest as we take another break. Back again with stereo kicks to the head giving us a double knockdown. South of Heaven is broken up so Priest settles for a Razor’s Edge toss powerbomb for two more. Dunne gets tired of getting beaten up though and cranks on the fingers, setting up a cross armbreaker with more finger cranking for the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B-. The two commercials hurt things a bit here though having both of them getting to show off made up for a lot of it. Dunne evens things up and there is a good chance that we’ll be seeing a third match. Priest has already gotten his big win out of the thing and that is what matters most here. Dunne is going to be a big deal so giving him the win to at least even it up for now gives me a good reason to believe his time is coming.

Post match Killian Dain runs out and beats up Dunne, including knocking Priest to the floor. Priest goes after Dain as well but gets sent into the steps, setting up the Cannonball to crush him again.

We look at the WarGames teams, with Rhea Ripley picking Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae and Shayna Baszler picking Bianca Belair and Io Shirai.

Dakota Kai is ready to stand up to Shayna Baszler tonight because she isn’t scared anymore. She’s going to prove why she belongs in WarGames.

Santana Garrett vs. Taynara

This is something of an audition for the final WarGames spots. Taynara takes her down by the arm to start but Garrett is right back with some armdrags into a Russian legsweep for two. A hard running knee to the face gives Taynara two and it’s time to kick Garrett in the face. Taynara starts cranking on the arm but Garrett gets up and hits a few forearms. Garrett misses the handspring moonsault and it’s a hard kick to the face to put her away at 4:07.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go very far but it was the standard veteran gets to beat a plucky rookie, which is an acceptable way to go. Taynara is someone who has enough capital that you can buy her winning and it’s not like Garrett got squashed in any way. Good enough debut from Garrett here, who has the experience and look to keep her relevant for a long time.

Video on Tony Nese.

Video on Angel Garza.

Survivor Series rundown, which looks pretty decent.

Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler

Non-title and the rest of the Horsewomen are here with Baszler. Kai shoves her in the face and teases a kick before stopping for a quick mocking. Now the kick to the face sets up an armdrag and a flying mare of all things. A running kick to the face puts Baszler outside but she catches a charge to send Kai crashing into the post.

Back in and Baszler starts in on the braced knee, including a bunch of stomps to send us to a break. We come back with Kai hitting a double stomp to the chest out for he corner but hurting her leg again. A pump kick rocks Baszler again and a running knee to the face gets two. Kai goes up top but gets gutwrench superplexed back down for a crash and near fall.

A headbutt rocks Baszler and the running kick in the corner puts them both down. The Kawada kicks put Baszler in more trouble but she’s fine enough to hit a good looking jumping knee to the face. The Kirifuda Clutch is broken up but the second attempt goes on and the arm is trapped to make Kai tap at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Kai looked completely different than her earlier matches with Baszler here and that’s what they were going for. The history here is something that played well into the rebuilt Kai, who I wanted to be the one to come back and take the title from Baszler. Either way, Kai has a good future going at this point and I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Post match the Horsewomen are in for the beatdown but it’s Team Ripley for the save. Io Shirai cuts off Candice LeRae though and the rest of Team Baszler is down for the beatdown. Cue Mia Yim with the kendo stick for the save though, including some shots to Baszler.

We recap NXT invading Smackdown and Raw.

Tommaso Ciampa isn’t worried about finding a fourth member for his WarGames team (I don’t remember that being confirmed before) against the Undisputed Era. As for tonight, if anyone wants to come after them, the front door is open.

Video on Isaiah Swerve Scott, who says Swerve is confidence.

Tony Nese vs. Angel Garza

The winner gets a Cruiserweight Title shot at some point in the future. Garza goes after the arm to start but it’s an early standoff. With that not working it’s time to start on the leg but Nese manages to get on top for a fast two and it’s another standoff. This time Nese takes him down by the arm for all of a few seconds, meaning it’s Garza snapping off a running hurricanrana.

That means it’s time for GARZA TO TAKE….a chop to the chest to prevent his disrobing. Garza puts him on the top and hits an enziguri, only to have Nese try a sunset bomb. That’s blocked and NESE TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS! Garza gets in a kick to the face and we take a break. Back with Garza hitting another kick to set up the moonsault to the floor. Nigel: “A thing of beauty from the most beautiful man in the world!”

Nese’s sitout pumphandle powerslam gives him his own two but Garza is back up with a reverse Project Ciampa. It’s Nese’s turn to knock him down and this time it’s a 450 for two with Garza getting a foot on the rope. They chop it out again until Garza flips around into a sitout powerbomb for his own near fall. A double underhook drop down (think a Bubba Bomb but with Nese turned the other way and with a butterfly instead of a full nelson) called the Wing Clipper finishes Nese at 11:19.

Rating: C. Garza winning is the right call and it makes more sense to push the NXT guys over the 205 Live guys. Point blank, most of the people on 205 Live are there for a reason and while Nese is good, he doesn’t feel like someone who would be a star around here. I’m still not sure how much longer 205 Live can last, but I’ve been saying that for two years now so what do I know.

Post match Lio Rush comes out and Garza slaps him in the face. Their title match is next week.

Rhea Ripley picks Mia Yim for the fourth spot on her team. She tells Dakota Kai that she just didn’t make the cut. Kai walks away in near tears.

Takeover rundown, which is just WarGames at the moment. Both Baszler and Ciampa’s teams still need fourths, and that previous segment seems like a clue.

Dominick Dijakovic vs. Isaiah Scott

This could be interesting. Scott starts dodging early on but jumps into a fireman’s carry. It’s too early for Feast Your Eyes so Dijakovic hits some standing knees to the back before tossing him to the side. The toss suplex gets two on Scott and a backbreaker lets Dijakovic hit a falling middle rope splash for two more. Scott gets in a quick Downward Spiral and a Release German suplex offers a surprise power display.

A DDT out of the corner gives Scott his own two and it’s time to go up, only to have Dijakovic nail a superkick. Feast Your Eyes is broken up though and Scott hits an enziguri to a kneeling Dijakovic. The cyclone boot staggers Scott though and a chokebomb gets two. Scott is fine enough to come back with a reverse hurricanrana to send Dijakovic to the apron for the big top rope double stomp. A big kick to the face gives Scott two more so he tries the rolling cutter but Dijakovic counters into Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 7:16.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and a great way to showcase the different styles. Scott can work with anyone and Dijakovic is such a freak that he can as well, despite his huge size. Really good stuff here and Dijakovic seems ready to move up to the next level at any given time. Scott needs to win a bigger match at some point, but he’s far from losing steam otherwise.

Next week: the Cruiserweight Title match plus Yim vs. Shirai in a ladder match for the WarGames advantage.

OC vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Matt Riddle/Keith Lee

The brawl is on before the bell until it’s AJ vs. Ciampa to get us going. Ciampa is knocked outside early on and the slingshot forearm hits Riddle on the floor. Back in and Willow’s Bell gives Ciampa two and it’s off to Lee vs. Gallows. A hard shoulder rocks Gallows and a pretty slow motion Pounce puts him on the floor.

Back in and Gallows kicks him in the ribs, as does the now legal Anderson. Lee goes simple with a crossbody and we take a break. We come back to Ciampa in AJ’s chinlock and Gallows driving in elbows to the neck. Ciampa fights up but Gallows is smart enough to knock Lee off the apron in advance. Anderson dives into a jumping knee to the face and the hot tag brings in Riddle.

Jumping knees and shoulders abound, followed by the string of Brotons. The Final Flash into the Bro To Sleep into a bridging German suplex gets two with Anderson making the save. Ciampa breaks up the Magic Killer to Lee, who curls Gallows just to show off. AJ’s tornado DDT plants Lee (Mauro: “Like a palm tree!”) and a brainbuster gets two on Riddle. There’s the Pounce to AJ but it takes out the referee at the same time.

Riddle tries a running flip dive but gets caught in the ropes and nearly lands on the apron for a bad crash. Ciampa loads up the Fairy Tale Ending but here’s Finn Balor. That’s enough for AJ to hit the Pele on Ciampa and 1916 plants Riddle on the floor. AJ throws up Too Sweet to Balor, who points the finger guns back at him. Cue Adam Cole to break up the Styles Clash to Ciampa and hit the Last Shot on Ciampa. Cole stares Balor down to end the show, meaning we’ll say it was a no contest at 13:25.

Rating: B. I’m not sure where this is going but it was enough good action and more importantly, the NXT guys were going step for step with the WWE talent and no one took a fall at the end. The match was entertaining and they gave enough of an ending to make me want to watch next week. I’m not sure where they’re going with WarGames and that makes for an interesting ending, especially when you tie in the invasion stuff.

Overall Rating: B. Heck of a show here again as they set up/advanced the big matches at Takeover and tied in the Survivor Series invasion stuff at the same time. I’m not sure what else they are going to have for the rest of the card, but we could be in for a shorter show due to two matches taking up sixteen people. There is still room for a lot of stuff though and under the right circumstances, we could be in for another classic, depending on how the WarGames matches go.

Results

Pete Dunne b. Damian Priest – Cross armbreaker

Taynara b. Santana Garrett – Kick to the face

Shayna Baszler b. Dakota Kai – Kirifuda Clutch

Angel Garza b. Tony Nese – Wing Clipper

Dominick Dijakovic b. Isaiah Scott – Feast Your Eyes

OC vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Keith Lee/Matt Riddle went to a no contest

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

NXT UK – October 31, 2019: Wave At Him

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 31, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

This is one of those shows that might be in a weird place as it comes on the same day as a huge afternoon which also included Crown Jewel. There is a fairly stacked card for a show not featuring the main eventers, as we’ll be seeing Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin and the debut of A-Kid. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert vs. Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley

Jinny and Piper start things off and an early Jazzy distraction completely backfires with Piper knocking Jinny down with ease. Rhea comes in to a massive reaction and sends Jinny outside, where she is caught between Rhea and Piper for a scary visual. Back in and Rhea nails a running basement dropkick to Jinny’s head but a second Jazzy interference works a bit better as Rhea gets taken down.

Jazzy blasts Rhea down and hands it back to Jinny for something close to the Black Widow. That’s broken up with raw power and it’s time for Piper to run into Gabbert really hard. A backsplash crushes Gabbert and Jinny at the same time but Gabbert is right back up with a spear for two. Piper comes back in for the save and the villains are sent to the floor for the big flip dive from Ripley. Back in and Niven Michinoku Drivers Gabbert for the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. Ripley looks more and more like a superstar every second she’s out there that Toni Storm is gone. She’s a complete star and someone who seems ready for the main roster today (she isn’t there yet, but that’s how it feels a lot of the time). Her move over to NXT is overdue as she needs better competition, and that was on full display here.

A-Kid vs. Kassius Ohno

The fans are behind the Kid here and the much bigger Ohno takes him down by the arm to start, only to let him go in a hurry. That seems like a bit of a waste of time as Ohno grabs another armbar on the mat a second later, only to get rolled up for two instead. Kid’s headlock is countered into a rather hard headscissors but Kid is out again. An armdrag out of the corner into a dropkick has Ohno in trouble so he hits Kid in the throat.

Ohno grabs a chinlock and drops a backsplash for two but can’t keep Kid down on the mat with a test of strength. Kid gets up and snaps off a springboard hurricanrana but Ohno powers out of a cross armbreaker. A catapult sends Kid throat first into the middle rope and they stagger around outside. The slugout is on but Kid hits a 619 underneath the bottom rope (apparently not breaking the count) for the countout at 6:36.

Rating: C+. Kid definitely has some potential, which was on display in the few times I’ve see him before here too. The match got just enough time to go somewhere and Ohno is the kind of guy who can easily bounce back from a loss like this. You can all but guarantee a rematch too, which would be just fine.

Post match Ohno beats him down but Tyler Bate, who endorsed Kid before he got here, runs in for the save.

Killer Kelly is medically cleared and is off to demand a match.

Joseph Conners vs. Roy Johnson

Johnson is a friend of a friend so this is a cool moment. The fans certainly seem to like Johnson (Big Wavy you see) so he dances a bit and hits a right hand, only to get caught with a clothesline. Johnson goes head first into the buckle and gets his ribs bent around the post for a bonus. Conners shouts about this being his so Johnson makes the comeback with a series of forearms and elbows. A backbreaker connects and the straps come down, only to be sent face first into the buckle. A reverse Hennig neck snap sets up Don’t Look Down to give Conners the pin at 4:06.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray to talk about how great it is to have Toni Storm gone. What matters now though is the fact that she has Xia Brookside saying that she wants a title shot. Xia tries to claim that Ray cost her a title shot but all Ray did was win a battle royal. Now, she stands here as your champion.

Gallus says as long as they’re around, Imperium doesn’t hold all the gold. Joe Coffey is coming for the UK Title.

Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin goes right at him but is smart enough to bail to the floor when he feels the power. Back in and Mastiff throws him around again, followed by a hard shot to the face. A choke takes Devlin to the top rope but he takes Mastiff’s arm down across said rope to take over. The arm goes around the rope again and Devlin stands on Mastiff’s head. The short armscissors goes on and some of those slaps to the leg look like taps. Anyway Devlin backflips away and muscles Devlin up for the break.

Back up and an overhead belly to belly sends Devlin flying but has to slap his own arm. Devlin tries the Devil Inside for as much success as you would have expected. A hard whip puts Devlin on the floor and there’s a Regal Roll to crush him even worse. Back in and Devlin hits a slingshot cutter into a moonsault for two, only to try it again and hit raised boots. Into the Void connects but Devlin collapses to the floor. Mastiff pulls him back in and goes up for some reason, allowing Devil to hit an enziguri. A super Devil Inside finishes Mastiff at 12:03.

Rating: B-. Devlin is looking more and more like a main eventer every single day and Mastiff does things that a giant should not be able to pull off. That gave us a rather entertaining match with Mastiff’s power and freaky athleticism being enough to hold Devlin down, but in the end it was one creative move that stopped him. That made for a rather strong story in a match where you wouldn’t have expected it.

In the back, Alexander Wolfe gives Ilja Dragunov another sales pitch to join Imperium but Dragunov isn’t convinced to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It felt like they were in a bit better groove this time and I liked the show as a result. What mattered the most through was the main event, which came off better than I would have bet on. A-Kid looks good and Ripley is still a star. That being said, the lack of Walter is starting to hurt as it feels like this is all the second stringers because he’s so dominant on top of the roster. Good enough show here though, and an improvement over most recent weeks.

Results

Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley b. Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert – Michinoku Driver to Gabbert

A-Kid b. Kassius Ohno via countout

Joseph Conners b. Roy Johnson – Don’t Look Down

Jordan Devlin b. Dave Mastiff – Super Devil Inside

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

NXT – October 30, 2019: Antebellum

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 30, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

Things changed in a big way last week as Finn Balor turned on Johnny Gargano, likely setting up a heck of a showdown in Chicago. Other than that, it’s time to start setting up Takeover, which means it’s time to start setting up WarGames. They have a lot of ways to get there and I’m curious to see which they pick. Let’s get to it.

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

Poppy performs live to open things up with a recap video from last week playing on the screen. As a bonus, they play Io Shirai to the ring.

Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae

Candice knocks her outside to start but gets caught with a 619 on the apron. A heck of a suicide dive drops Candice but Io throws her in for the same dive from Candice. Back in and a hard clothesline gives Candice two but Shirai runs her over. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Candice snaps off a headscissors into a kick to the face. With her nose bleeding, Candice takes her to the apron to fight over a suplex attempt.

Shirai shoves her off the top and out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Candice hitting a tornado DDT to bang up Shirai’s neck. Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride is broken up but Shirai’s moonsault hits raised knees. A headscissor choke goes on and Candice has to get a boot on the rope for the break. Shirai grabs a chair so Candice rolls her up for two and hits a full nelson swinging faceplant for two. Candice’s Lionsault hits chair though and Shirai gets the pin at 12:56.

Rating: C+. Evil Shirai is more than working and Candice is as easy of a face to cheer as there is outside of Team Fly Kicks. This should finish the story between the two of them though and there is nothing wrong with that, as Shirai is someone who can be even further established as a monster. Then you have Candice, who can smile her way through any loss you give her.

Finn Balor talks about how it felt good to kick Johnny Gargano in the head last week. This is the real Balor, who is glad to be back on NXT. Raw and Smackdown are Hollywood, where you can hide behind a bunch of things. NXT is Broadway, with no place to hide. The Prince is back.

Here’s Balor for a chat. Balor talks about how the hottest thing in the business is a guy who put a mask on but now he’s taken his mask off and now he’s the hottest thing in the business. Everyone has their opinions, including those tough guys on social media. The problem is there are so many fans in the locker room when they should be out there with the people. Balor does not watch the business because the business watches him. That brings him to Johnny Gargano, the so called heart and soul of NXT. Gargano is out of the hospital but if he comes after Balor, he’ll be Johnny Watches Wrestling, as he should be.

Video on the Kabuki Warriors and the two of them furthering their heel status by misting Paige on Raw.

Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed

Thorne dropkicks him into the corner at the bell but gets taken down by a clothesline. The running backsplash gives Reed two and it’s time to chop it out. A kick to the head sets up a belly to back suplex for two on Reed and it’s time to fire off the kicks. Reed is right back with some clotheslines and an over the back piledriver for two of his own. Thorne catches him on top and tries a super hurricanrana but gets shoved down. A top rope splash crushes Thorne for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C+. Oh that worked, if nothing else for the splash alone. Thorne hit at Reed with everything he had but just couldn’t overcome the size and power advantages. They’re 1-1 now and even if it was just a short match that didn’t get a lot of time, I could go for a third one from them, which isn’t usually the case with a match like this.

Team Fly Kicks is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Video on Mia Yim.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Team Fly Kicks

The Warriors are defending and Asuka gets a heck of a WELCOME BACK chant. Asuka goes straight for Nox’s knee to start so it’s off to Sane for a hard chop. Everything breaks down for a bit and the champs are dropkicked to the floor. That’s fine with them as they easily win a brawl as we take a break.

Back with Nox hitting the running backsplash in the corner and Kai snapmaring Asuka down for a kick to the chest. Asuka goes crazy evil with a dragon screw legwhip onto the ropes to crank Kai’s recently repaired knee. The leglock is on inside and they take turns kicking at each other in a painful looking exchange. Sane comes back in to Walk The Plank for a rather cocky near fall.

The Brock Lock has Nox in even more trouble and it’s Asuka coming back in for a leg trapped chinlock. Sane grabs a Figure Four neck lock, followed by a kick from Asuka for two. It’s back to the leglock and we take a second break. Back again with Kai still in trouble as Asuka puts on another leglock. Kai gets up and fights out of the corner before nailing a scorpion kick to knock Sane down. The hot tag brings in Nox so house can be cleaned, including a chokeslam to Sane and running elbows in the corner.

The Shiniest Wizard is blocked though and Asuka grabs a kneebar in the middle of the ring. Nox reverses into a cross armbreaker with Sane making the save this time around. A series of suplexes and kicks puts everyone down and the fans are pleased. Kai gets back in with the running kick to Asuka in the corner but walks into the mist. The Insane Elbow to the back finishes Kai (with Sane covering Kai’s face to avoids the DQ) to retain the titles at 24:06.

Rating: B. This was more long than great, though it was still quite the match. Kai and Nox are a rather awesome team (the matching gear helps a lot) and they’re going to be a big deal at some point in the future, either together or on their own. It’s great to see what can actually be done when these titles are given some time and a crowd that cares, which is so often the case around here.

Post match here are Shayna Baszler and the Horsewomen for what is likely to be painful. Nox tries to fight them off but the numbers get the better of her. Baszler loads up the arm but Rhea Ripley runs out for the save. Shirai jumps her from behind though and the fight is on outside. Bianca Belair runs out to beat down Ripley as well, which draws out Candice LeRae for a failed save attempt.

Rhea gets up and takes everyone out before staring Shayna back. The fight is on with everyone getting in the ring and I think you know where this is going. William Regal comes out and orders security to break it up and the WARGAMES chants are on. That’s exactly what Regal gives them too, though Rhea and company need a fifth. Rhea kicks a guard away and goes after Shayna again but gets held back.

Tyler Bate vs. Cameron Grimes

Bate goes for the leg to start and flips away from Grimes’ attempted escape. An armdrag into an arm crank has Grimes down and his nip up only keeps him out of trouble for a few moments. The airplane spin has Grimes in more trouble and a dropkick puts him on the floor. Back in and Grimes counters a charge into a spinning sitout Side Effect for two as we take a break.

We come back with Grimes hitting his crazy cool backflip into a German suplex for two more. Grimes cranks on the arm even more but Bate fights up and throws him down with a t-bone suplex. The running shooting star gives Bate two and he reverses Grimes’ powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana for the same.

Bate can’t hit the Tyler Driver 97 so they hit each other in the face until Grimes hits the spinning powerslam for two more. Back up and the rebound lariat gives Bate two, setting up the rolling Liger kick to send Grimes outside. The big no hands dive crushes Grimes again but here’s Killian Dain to distract Bate, meaning it’s the Cave In to finish Bate at 13:11.

Rating: B. Bate is one of those guys who can do something good against anyone in there and that’s what he did here. Then again, Grimes is more than capable of holding his own and the Cave In is one of the better finishers at the moment. I could go for Bate/Dunne vs. Dain/Grimes soon and that appears to be where we’re going. If nothing else, watching Bate throwing Dain around could be awesome. But yeah, another rather good match here.

Post match Dain drives Bate into the steps and crushes him with the Cannonball against the steps.

Video on Angel Garza.

Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley are officially the team captains for WarGames.

Undisputed Era vs. Matt Riddle/Keith Lee

Non-title. The champs go after Lee to start and are easily pulled into each other, allowing Lee to leapfrog both of them at once, setting up a double crossbody to put them down again. The Era’s low bridge attempt is blocked as well and that means it’s time for a breather on the floor. Riddle isn’t cool with that and kicks them down as the dominance continues.

O’Reilly gets chopped to the floor and Riddle Jackhammers Fish for two. Back from a break with Riddle suplexing O’Reilly until Fish runs him over with a shoulder. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Riddle powers up without much trouble. O’Reilly kicks Fish in the face by mistake but is smart enough to grab Riddle in a leglock before he’s anywhere close to a tag. That’s broken up but Fish uses the delay to kick Lee off the apron.

Riddle kicks and knees both of them, only to get kicked right back. Chasing the Dragon is enough to bring Lee in for the save but he doesn’t drag Riddle to the corner. Riddle flips out of a suplex though and the hot tag brings in Lee for the big elbows to the face. Lee clotheslines and backdrops them down but a legsweep cuts him down.

O’Reilly goes for the triangle choke but Lee curls him up with ease to shot off even more. The powerbomb breaks it up though and it’s back to Riddle for the strikes and suplexes. Cue Strong and Cole for the distraction though, only to have Riddle send everyone to the floor for a springboard Floating Bro. Lee Pounces Cole into Strong but it’s the High Low to finish Riddle at 14:22.

Rating: B-. Another good match here that seems to be setting up something big for Takeover (I wonder what it could be) and that’s a good way to go. Having Riddle and Lee in the main event scene is a good idea and if you get someone else in there, say Ciampa and one other person, against the Era, should be a rather good idea. That’s almost a guarantee at this point and I can more than go for the idea.

Post match the beatdown is on but it’s Tommaso Ciampa running in for the save with the crutch. Cole is left alone with Ciampa but an O’Reilly distraction lets Cole escape. O’Reilly gets beaten down and Lee throws him onto the rest of the team. Ciampa grabs the mic and says hold on a bit Goldy, because Daddy is going to war.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling, awesome promo from Balor and two WarGames matches being set up. This was a heck of a show and they picked up the steam for Takeover and that is what this show needed to do. You can see the card from here and it seems that this is going to be a show focusing on the feuds instead of the titles. Unless they tie the titles into WarGames, though I’m not sure how smart that would be. Anyway, rather good show here and NXT is back on a roll.

Results

Io Shirai b. Candice LeRae – Lionsault to a chair

Bronson Reed b. Shane Thorne – Top rope splash

Kabuki Warriors b. Team Fly Kicks – Insane Elbow to Kai

Cameron Grimes b. Tyler Bate – Cave In

Undisputed Era b. Keith Lee/Matt Riddle – High/Low to Riddle

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

NXT UK – October 24, 2019: This One’s For The Strong

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 24, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a grudge match week around here with Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar in the main event. That’s the kind of match that may not sound like much on paper but hopefully they can pull off something good around here. There are good parts to the show and under the right circumstances we could be in for a solid night. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Imperium in full to get things going. Marcel Barthel talks about how they are the most dominant force on the brand, including the most dominant champion who wishes to address his kingdom. Walter says no one can compete with Imperium….so here’s Gallus to interrupt. Joe Coffey makes fun of the track suits and says Imperium isn’t even on the top level of NXT UK. Every since big Jolly Wally came around here, it has been Gallus’ kingdom and Imperium is just living in it. You’re either Gallus or you’re against us. These teams had to fight at some point so this makes sense.

Xia Brookside talks about beating Nina Samuels last week before talking about Kay Lee Ray denying her a shot at the Women’s Title. One day Xia will get the shot and it will be the ultimate revenge.

Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Smith and Drake start things off with the feeling out process as neither can get anywhere on the arm. A dropkick puts Drake down and a suplex gives Smith two, allowing the tag off to Carter. That means a kick to the head into a fireman’s carry backbreaker but Gibson offers himself as a shield before a kick to the head can connect in the corner. Gibson is even smart enough to take Drake over to the corner so he can make an easier tag. Carter can’t stay on Gibson’s arm so Drake tags himself in and takes over.

It’s Carter being put on the floor for a slingshot elbow/backbreaker combination, followed by the chinlock back inside. Drake comes back in but Carter hits a quick middle rope moonsault, allowing the hot tag to Smith. House is cleaned in a hurry, including the double dive to the floor onto the Veterans. Back in and a very spinning Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Drake but Gibson comes back in. A cheap shot knocks Carter off the apron and it’s a surprise clothesline to the back of Smith’s head. Ticket To Mayhem finishes Smith at 7:55.

Rating: C. The Veterans win a fine enough match here with Carter continuing to be someone with hype but without any success. Smith on the other hand looks very athletic and like the kind of performer who you can beat a lot while still having some impact because he looks good enough in the ring. The Veterans will be doing something in the future I’m sure, so going with the easy win here made sense.

Post match the Veterans beat down Smith until Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews make the save.

Tyler Bate says he is just doing his thing in NXT UK and that includes going after Jordan Devlin.

The Veterans say they’re coming for the titles. Gallus comes in to say bring it.

Ligero vs. Travis Banks

They trade rollups into one counts each to start and that means the early standoff. The fight over a test of strength doesn’t go to either of them so Ligero armdrags him down into a headlock. That’s broken up and it’s another trade of rollups for two each into another standoff. Banks’ armbar has Ligero going over to the ropes to flip out, only to get armdragged down. Ligero’s suplex attempt is countered into a small package for two more as neither can get an advantage.

Banks finally gets smart by hitting some running knees and Ligero is in trouble for the first time. Some chops connect but Ligero tells him to bring it on. That means a slugout, which goes to Banks until Ligero kicks him in the head for a double knockdown. Banks is up first but misses the Slice of Heaven, allowing Ligero to twist into another rollup for two. An exchange of backslides gets two each so they fight over another until they both wind up on their shoulders for a double pin at 7:49. The fans chant for a replay as the referee explains the draw.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I expected to with neither being able to get the advantage and one rollup after another getting two each. I’m surprised at the booking though as Banks comes up short again while Ligero seems to completely overachieve. He seems to be someone who should just be a mask and little more but they’re treating him like someone who matters. It’s not like it’s completely out of left field so I’ll call this one a positive surprise.

Video on Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin.

Next week: NXT UK is on at 11am because of Crown Jewel. That show continues to be more and more annoying for fans every day. Next week’s show will include A-Kid’s debut and Mastiff vs. Devlin.

Noam Dar vs. Trent Seven

They’ve been annoying each other for weeks. Dar’s towel says RIP STRONG STYLE. Dar jumps him on the floor during Seven’s long entrance and uses the towel to tie Seven to the post. That means a dropkick to drive the arm into the post as we’re still waiting on the opening bell. Seven gets in and insists that he can go so Dar charges at him, right into a hard lariat for two. A legdrop gives Seven two but Dar slips out of a Burning Hammer and snaps Seven’s bad arm across the top rope.

The arm is fine enough to snap off a Rock Bottom out of the corner but Dar kicks him off the top. The crash makes Seven scream in pain and a fisherman’s suplex gives Dar two. A snapmare into the ropes gives Dar two and it’s time to start stomping at the leg. With the fans chanting something about Alicia Fox, Dar grabs something like an STF with a bend of the fingers and a shout about how much he loves Pete Dunne.

Back up and Seven blocks a Tyler Driver 97 but gets his leg kicked out again. Something close to a snap dragon suplex sends Dar outside for a change and Seven nails the suicide dive. The spinning moonsault misses though (partially due to the knee being banged up) but Seven’s Michinoku Driver gets two instead. Dar is right back with the ankle lock, sending Seven rolling over to the rope.

They fight to the apron with Seven getting in a DDT to drop Dar on his head. That’s only good for two as well so Seven dedicates this one to Tyler, setting up the Seven Star Lariat for two more. Seven is fired up but Dar kicks the knee out and hits a top rope double stomp to the leg.

The ankle lock with the grapevine goes on so Seven has to flail a lot, eventually making it over to the rope. Dar grabs the towel before kicking Seven in the head, ala Pete Dunne, for two more. The trash talk goes on so Seven bends the finger back, gets in the punch to the face and hits the Birminghammer (if that’s not what Tom said, it should be) for the pin at 13:10.

Rating: B. Yeah that worked. This is the kind of match that Seven hasn’t had very often so giving him the fighting from behind win, which also tying in the stuff with the rest of British Strong Style, worked very well. Dar is very easy to dislike and it’s even better watching Seven literally hit him in the face and drop him on his head for the win. This felt like a definitive win and a statement win for Trent, which was exactly what he needed to do.

Overall Rating: B-. The opening segment and the main event were both good but the stuff in the middle felt like you could skip it entirely. NXT has some trouble making their stuff feel important but they did it well here at least half of the time. I enjoyed the show well enough and it certainly wasn’t bad, but it rarely feels like a show you need to watch most of the time. The main event told a good story, though it still feels like a show you can miss.

Results

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter – Ticket To Mayhem to Smith

Ligero vs. Travis Banks went to a double pin

Trent Seven b. Noam Dar – Birminghammer

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

NXT – October 23, 2019: Dang. Ok.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 23, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

Things should be interesting this week as the show is in a bad ratings fight against Dynamite, though this time around isn’t going to matter that much as the World Series is going to massacre both shows. The big match tonight is Roderick Strong defending the North American Title against Keith Lee and Dominick Dijakovic. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley

For the #1 contendership. They go to the test of strength to start but Belair sends her into the corner for the running shoulders to the ribs. Ripley gets up some boots in the corner though and a kick to the chest has Belair in trouble for a change. They fight over a suplex with Ripley finally hitting one to frustrated Belair even more.

Ripley goes up and tries what looks like a deadlift superplex to the floor. Since that would kill her, Belair slams her down instead and starts stomping away. We hit the seated full nelson before it’s an abdominal stretch to keep Ripley in trouble. That’s broken up and it’s a double hair takedown to send us to a break.

Back with Rhea hitting a nasty big boot to kick Belair out of the air and getting two off a basement dropkick. The standing Cloverleaf goes on but Belair goes straight to the ropes in a smart move. Cue Io Shirai to kick Ripley in the head behind the referee’s back though and Belair hits a spear for two. Candice LeRae comes out to take care of Shirai and it’s Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. Ripley looks more and more like a star every time she’s out there and it’s always nice to see Belair get beaten up. Ripley vs. Baszler should be a blast and SURELY this is where Baszler loses the title right? I know I’ve said that for about six months now but it has to happen someday.

We look back at the Undisputed Era taking out Velveteen Dream last week.

Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne arrive, with Dunne saying he doesn’t care about Killian Dain.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa coming back from his neck surgery. He’s back to get the NXT Title again. That “Daddy’s home” line was great.

Tyler Bate is in the front row.

Matt Riddle vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes goes straight for the jumping stomp to start but Riddle ducks away and takes it too the mat. It’s too early for the Bromission so Riddle misses the standing moonsault, only to hit the Broton for two instead. Riddle gets two off a Jackhammer and there are the GOLDBERG chants.

An armbar doesn’t work so Riddle kicks him in the face instead. Another kick is countered into a rollup so Grimes backflips over him into a bridging German suplex as we take a break. Back with the Bro To Sleep into the bridging German suplex for two more. Bro Derek is countered into a swinging sitout Rock Bottom to give Grimes his own two.

A superplex plants Grimes but his knees are up to block the Floating Bro. The Final Flash rocks Grimes but he catches the charging Riddle in the spinning powerslam for two more. The standing double stomp (dubbed the Cave-In) is countered into another Final Flash and the Bro Derek finishes Grimes at 11:24.

Rating: B-. Riddle getting the win is fine and it’s not like Grimes went down to some nobody. They were smart to protect the Cave-In, which has become a pretty sweet finisher in a short amount of time. Riddle can turn it up in the blink of an eye and we got a really solid match throughout. Good stuff here and I could go for more of both guys.

Post match Riddle offers a fist bump but gets shoved away. Grimes goes after Tyler Bate, who knocks him out with one punch.

William Regal makes Dakota Kai/Tegan Nox vs. the Four Horsewomen for a future Women’s Tag Team Title shot later tonight.

Breezango/??? vs. Forgotten Sons

This time, Breezango are in Top Gun mode so Beth asked if they could teach her to fly a plane. Beth: “They said the key was to keep your hand on the throttle but if it’s too big, use two hands.” Mauro: “You should be a limbo dancer because everything goes over your head.” Breezango has Isaiah Swerve Scott as their partner to replace the injured Kushida.

Breeze can’t do much against the monster Ryker to start so Scott comes in for a change. That goes just as well so Fandango takes his shirt off and gets shouldered down with ease. Cutler comes in but gets legdropped down, with Beth calling Fandango a real maverick in there. Back from a break with Blake grabbing a hard chinlock on Breeze to calm the crowd down again.

Ryker loads up a superplex to the floor but Scott slips out, steps on Ryker’s chest, and moonsaults onto the other two Sons in a big crash. Stereo superkicks give Fandango two on Ryker and everyone is down again. Fandango and Ryker fight to the floor so Cutler throws Scott onto the two of them. Back in and Scott hits the jumping kick to the back of Cutler’s head for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B-. Another solid match here, though it could have had a few minutes cut out to drop a few of the moments where the match just kept going for some reason. The Sons continue to fall through the cracks as they just aren’t all that interesting in the first place. Scott on the other hand is awesome and has all the star power that he needs around here. Good match, but needed to be a bit shorter.

Post match the winners dance.

Roderick Strong is ready for the monsters but he sounds more like his ROH self here, which isn’t a good thing.

Killian Dain wraps his fingers while standing in front of a fire and sounding menacing about Pete Dunne.

Angel Garza vs. Jack Gallagher

Lio Rush is on commentary. Gallagher spins out of a wristlock and grabs a headlock. The crucifix gives Gallagher two and he holds onto the thing despite three attempts to roll away. Hold on though as…..GALLAGHER TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS!!! Gallagher gets to show off a very delayed vertical suplex so Garza has to go to the ropes to escape an armbreaker attempt. A backdrop puts Gallagher on the floor and Garza hits a running slap to the back. That earns him the big headbutt into the running corner dropkick but Garza steps aside and slams him down. The middle rope moonsault finishes Gallagher at 5:04.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given episode of 205 Live but at least they had a match where the crowd actually cared for a change. You don’t get that around 205 Live most of the time so having something like this is a good idea. That being said, it also doesn’t mean anything good for the future of 205 Live.

Garza wants the title so Rush holds it up.

Tegan Nox/Dakota Kai vs. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

The winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title match next week. Duke goes straight for Kai to start and it’s the Horsewomen taking over early on. Shafir comes in and plants Kai, who gets kneed in the ribs for two. A right hand and a kick to the face allow the hot tag off to Nox to clean house. The reverse Cannonball hits Duke in the corner and a high crossbody gets two. A headbutt sets up the Shiniest Wizard to finish Duke at 3:19.

Rating: D+. It’s not a good sign when I was relieved that they kept Shafir and Duke this short as they could have had a disaster otherwise. They’re just not that good, while Kai and Nox are the easiest team to cheer for in years. If nothing else, it means Asuka is back in NXT, where she probably should have been a long time ago.

Post match the Kabuki Warriors pop up to say Nox and Kai have no chance.

Keith Lee has been hunting a title for a long time and tonight he gets it.

In addition to the title match, next week will see Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae and Cameron Grimes vs. Tyler Bate.

North American Title: Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic vs. Roderick Strong

Strong is defending and bails to the floor at the bell as you probably expected him to. The monsters surround him but Lee beats up Dijakovic instead. A heck of a shoulder sends Strong outside and Lee gets in a second one as we take a break. Back with Lee splashing Dijakovic in the corner but Strong shoves Lee outside in the big heap. Strong’s superplex gets two on Dijakovic and it’s time to rip at Dijakovic’s face.

Lee comes back in and breaks up a DDT, only to get superkicked by Dijakovic. Strong is down so Dijakovic suplexes Lee onto him for two. That sends Lee outside and Dijakovic tries a running flip dive….which is countered into a powerbomb attempt but Strong dives onto the two of them to break it up in a smart move.

Well it would be if Dijakovic went down as well so the superplex is loaded up again, only to have Lee catch him in the Tower of Doom (with Dijakovic holding Strong for a bit in something that could have gone very wrong). Back from another break with Lee suplexing both of them at once for the double knockdown. Strong sends Dijakovic to the floor and hits the running forearms as Lee is tied in the ropes.

The Angle Slam gets two on Lee but Dijakovic has to be knocked down again. That means the big double chop from Lee to Strong and they all fight to the floor. Feast Your Eyes and the Pounce DESTROY Strong at once so it’s Lee vs. Dijakovic one on one for the title. The fans really, REALLY like this as Lee slugs away but gets caught with the cyclone boot.

A super sitout chokeslam plants Lee for two but Strong is getting back up. That’s fine with Dijakovic, who hits a great looking Fosbury flop onto the champ. Not to be outdone, Lee hits his own big flip dive onto Dijakovic, crushing him to pieces. Back in and it’s a super Batista Bomb to Dijakovic but Strong knees Lee in the face to steal the pin and retain the title at 18:19.

Rating: A-. I’m not sure where to start with this one. First and foremost: LEE AND DIJAKOVIC SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT!!! Just….that’s not normal man. Second, this was a very impressive trick to pull off as the formula looked perfectly set up to have Strong slip through the cracks and retain the title here so they had to figure out a way around it.

Instead of some fluke trick or something though, they went with another idea: have two monsters beat the fire out of each other and have Strong steal the win after one of them was all but dead. They sucked me into this one and I actually let out a deep breath once the pin went down. That’s something that doesn’t happen very often but they pulled it off here. Very well done with Strong having to work incredibly hard to be believable against these two but he managed to make it work.

Post match the rest of the Undisputed Era comes in to take out Lee. The fans want Balor but get Tommaso Ciampa (it was going to be one of them), complete with crutch. Fans: “DADDY’S HOME!” Ciampa stares the four of them down but here’s Johnny Gargano as well. Gargano stares Ciampa down but turns to face the Era as well…..and here’s Finn Balor. The staredown is on…..and Balor Peles Gargano, leaving the Era to destroy Ciampa.

Balor stares down at Gargano as the beatdown continues. As the fans are livid at Balor, he heads outside and dropkicks Johnny into the barricade, knocking it and the people behind it down as well. Even the Era stops beating up Ciampa to watch the beatdown. Balor hits 1916 to SPIKE JOHNNY ON HIS HEAD on the ramp to end the show. The Era does their pose as Balor looks down at Gargano but he doesn’t return it and walks away with another stare.

That was a big angle to close the show and the fans were into it. I’m curious to see where it goes as well because it’s a very easy story to follow (Balor is an NXT legend, Gargano says he’s Mr. NXT, jealousy ensues in a battle of the generations) but also a smart way to go. Balor just being back and being his old self is interesting but doesn’t have the longest shelf life. On the other hand, Balor going full heel for the first time in NXT (or WWE) is rather interesting and could go somewhere.

Overall Rating: A-. When I looked back at this one, I was rather surprised by how much stuff they had going on. The wrestling was almost all good to very good with only the three minute women’s tag not living up to the standard. It had an awesome main event and big angle to close the show, so what else could you actually fit into a two hour event? Great stuff here and the kind of hot show they needed (it’s been a LONG time since NXT needed much of anything).

Overall, this was a week where you could go either way and it’s splitting hairs to decided which show was better. I liked NXT’s big angle just a little bit more than as it was a surprise rather than building something already set up and that’s the kind of thing that makes me want to see where they’re going with it. Other than that, it’s a complete tossup and you can’t go wrong either way, which has been the case since the shows started going head to head.

Results

Rhea Ripley b. Bianca Belair – Riptide

Matt Riddle b. Cameron Grimes – Bro Derek

Isaiah Scott/Breezango b. Forgotten Sons – Jumping kick to the back to the back of Cutler’s head

Angel Garza b. Jack Gallagher – Lionsault

Tegan Nox/Dakota Kai b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke – Shiniest Wizard to Duke

Roderick Strong b. Keith Lee and Dominick Dijakovic – Running knee to Lee

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

NXT UK – October 17, 2019: Bounce Back

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 17, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

We’re still in England here and that means….well nothing really as most of the shows so far have been in England. Last week saw a pretty bad show with almost nothing interesting going on, which can be a problem around here. This week is going to focus on the Tag Team Titles as Gallus gets their shot at Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the Tag Team Title match. The word “transitional” seems appropriate here.

Opening sequence.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Saxon Huxley

Dragunov elbows him in the face to start and hits a quick backsplash. Back up and Dragunov tells him to bring it on so Huxley picks him up for a slam, only to get elbowed in the head for the break. A second attempt at a slam works better for Huxley and a crossbody against the ropes gets two. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Dragunov is right back up with some kicks in the corner.

A bottom rope dead lift superplex drops Huxley again, followed by a bridging suplex for two as Alexander Wolfe is out watching. Huxley gets in a heck of a clothesline for his own two but Dragunov sends him outside for a dive off the top. Back in and the top rope backsplash sets up Torpedo Moscow to finish Huxley at 5:24.

Rating: C-. Dragunov is someone who should be a big deal going forward as he has one of those presences that makes you pay attention to him. Putting him against Imperium down the line could be interesting and that’s the kind of promotion that he needs. You know, as in not losing to Kassius Ohno again.

Post match Dragunov stares at Wolfe but here are Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner for their tag match. Wolfe motions for Dragunov to come with him and Dragunov follows.

The Hunt vs. Imperium

Aichner and Primate start slugging it out in a hurry with Primate hitting a running clothesline in the corner. Boar comes in and gets what might be a low blow from Aichner as the villains take over. Everything breaks down early on and it’s everyone but Boar being knocked outside.

Barthel gets in a right hand to Boar to bring him outside as well, leaving Primate to dive onto Aichner….who catches him for a drive into the steps. We settle down to Barthel clotheslining Boar for two with Primate still down on the floor. Boar gets hung upside down in the corner for the stereo running dropkicks and we’re off to the chinlock.

That’s broken up and the hot tag brings in Primate, who just made it up onto the apron. Everything breaks down with Aichner sending Primate into Barthel for White Noise. Boar is back in for a spear and the double diving headbutts get two on Aichner. The control doesn’t last long either though and it’s the European Bomb to give Aichner the pin at 7:54.

Rating: C. These two are both solid teams as the tag division around here is getting better and better all the time. The Hunt has gone from what should be a lot level gimmick team into a pretty dependable pairing. They have a good enough gimmick and I could go for more of them. The same is true of Imperium, who are likely to be a big deal for a long time.

After the end of last week’s show, Piper Niven thanked Rhea Ripley for the help. Ripley doesn’t like Niven but she doesn’t like the other two later. She can co-exist with Piper for a week if the tag match can be set up.

Nina Samuels vs. Xia Brookside

Nina can’t spin out of a wristlock to start with even the rolls and flips not working. A hard tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets Nina out of trouble though and we hit a seated full nelson. Brookside fights up so it’s a reverse suplex to put her right back down. Nina tries the full nelson again but gets reversed into a rollup for two. Back up and Nina tries another rollup, only to get reversed into a cradle to give Xia the pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have a lot of time in the first place and a good chunk of it was spent in that full nelson. Brookside fighting from behind and winning with a quick pin in the end was a good idea as it shows Nina up, which would hurt her more than anything else. Brookside seems like she could move up to the title picture one day, though she has a way to go to get there.

Nina is ticked.

A-Kid is coming.

Video on Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar. They’ll meet again next week.

Tag Team Titles: Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Gallus

Gallus is challenging and get dropkicked to the floor at the bell. The champs hit stereo flip dives for the cool start and a suicide dive hits Wolfgang for a bonus. Back in and a moonsault/inverted Swanton combination gets two on Coffey, who pops up with a heck of a slam to plant Andrews. Wolfgang comes in for a running seated clothesline and it’s back to Coffey for a knee to the spine. Andrews gets rammed ribs first into the top turnbuckle and we hit the chinlock.

Cue Joe Coffey to watch as Andrews rolls out of the chinlock and dives over for the tag. Webster gets to clean most of the house, including a hurricanrana around the post to take Wolfgang down. A big flip dive off the top takes Gallus down again and there’s a running Sliced Bread to Coffey. Wolfgang pulls Webster to the floor though and drops him face first onto the apron. A Samoan drop/middle rope moonsault gets two on Webster and the referee gets poked in the eye.

Andrews slugs away at Coffey as the referee is back up and everything breaks down. Everyone gets knocked down and that’s good for an NXT chant. With everyone back up, they charge at each other for the slugout with Wolfgang catapulting Andrews at Coffey, who gets caught in the Stundog Millionaire.

The fans are VERY impressed as Webster hits a Swanton to Coffey’s back for two. Andrews’ suicide dive is blocked though and Wolfgang throws him HARD into the post. Webster misses a 630 and it’s an enziguri into a powerslam to crush Webster for the pin at 12:31, with Coffey holding Andrews down with his boot for a nice bonus.

Rating: B. Power vs. speed is the most basic professional wrestling story in the world and that’s what you got here, albeit at a pretty high level. Webster and Andrews weren’t looking like long term champions and transitioning them to Gallus is a fine enough way to use them. It’s a rather strong main event and that’s what this show was needing.

Overall Rating: C. This was a big upgrade over last week’s rather horrible show with the big title change in a hot match to close things out. As is always the case, it’s a very good sign that the shows can work when the main event talent isn’t around. With Walter appearing in NXT for the time being, the rest of the card is left to hold down the fort and they’re doing it well enough….sometimes.

Results

Ilja Dragunov b. Saxon Huxley – Torpedo Moscow

Imperium b. The Hunt – European Bomb to Boar

Xia Brookside b. Nina Samuels – Cradle

Gallus b. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews – Enziguri/powerslam combination to Webster

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

NXT – October 16, 2019: For The First Time So Far

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 16, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big night as we have the return of Tommaso Ciampa to in ring action. That’s quite the get for NXT, as they are in for a fight against Dynamite. There are only so many people you can throw out there and Ciampa is already a legend around here. Speaking of legends, the advertisements for the show have featured Finn Balor so we could be in for another major appearance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Angel Garza

Ciampa gets the hero’s return welcome. They start fast with Ciampa running him over but they both miss kicks to the ribs, allowing Garza to kneel for a handshake over. Ciampa kicks that away but gets enziguried for his efforts. Back in and the Fairy Tale Ending is blocked and Garza dropkicks him in the corner for a trip to the floor.

That means a big flip dive but hang on, because GARZA HAS TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. Ever the pants fan, Ciampa snaps and stomps away in the corner, before stomping on the Mexican flag in the corner, including a kneeing knee. He even loads up the Fairy Tale Ending on the flag but stops to hit the Willow’s Bell (hanging DDT) to finish Garza at 3:17.

Rating: C. The stuff with the flag was a little weird but at least they didn’t go into anything too strange and it didn’t become a mess. It’s good to have Ciampa back and there was no reason to have him break a major sweat in his first match back. I’m a bit surprised by having Garza be the one to take the fall here, but Ciampa is what matters the most.

Post match here’s the Undisputed Era to stare Ciampa down. Ciampa grabs his chair and crutch but hang on a second as Kyle O’Reilly goes over to the announcers’ table and throws Mauro a USB drive. The Era walks out without saying or doing anything else.

Post break we see what is on the USB, which shows the Era in the back, having laid out the Velveteen Dream and Strong BREAKING HIS SUNGLASSES.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Imperium

Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner for Imperium and they have Alexander Wolfe as a bonus. Aichner literally throws Burch into the corner to start so Burch runs him over with a shoulder. It’s off to Lorcan for a double elbow so Barthel comes in, only to dive into a headbutt from Burch.

It seems to mess with Burch even more though as Barthel hits a sliding dropkick in the corner as we take a break. Back with Burch hitting Aichner in the face and bringing Burch in for the house cleaning. Uppercuts into a slingshot dive to the floor sets up a big dive onto both of them. Back in and Burch German suplexes Aichner, followed by a powerbomb into a jackknife cover for two.

The assisted elevated DDT is broken up by Barthel so it’s Lorcan and Aichner chopping it out. Barthel dives on Burch on the floor, leaving Aichner to hit a double springboard moonsault for a close two on Lorcan. That leaves Lorcan to get beaten up with a series of strikes and the European Bomb gives Barthel the pin at 8:32.

Rating: B-. This was about four people beating the heck out of each other and that’s exactly what we got. Lorcan and Burch are not looking like a team who will ever win the titles, though that tends to make them guaranteed champions around here. Imperium being on both NXT and NXT UK adds a fresh change of pace around here and it’s an interesting twist.

Video on Johnny Gargano. He has wanted to wrestle forever and is living his dream by staying in NXT.

Gargano isn’t sure what to think about Ciampa being back and won’t know what to think until they see each other face to face.

Io Shirai vs. Kayden Carter

Carter starts fast but flips around once too often and gets shouldered down. Something like a sunset flip gives Carter two and Shirai bails to the floor. That doesn’t go well for Carter as Shirai hits her in the face, setting up a springboard missile dropkick for two back inside. Carter sweeps the leg though and a kick to Shirai’s chest staggers her a bit. A low superkick gets two on Shirai but she’s right back with a hard release German suplex. The moonsault finishes Carter at 2:37. That was a rather entertaining match for so little time.

Post match, Shirai says she only wants Shayna Baszler and not Rhea Ripley or Bianca Belair. Cue Ripley and Shirai is looking a bit nervous. Rhea is ready for Belair next week but she’ll shut Shirai up too. Shirai teases a fight but bails instead.

We look back at Killian Dain distracting Boa so Cameron Grimes could beat him in about five seconds. Dain destroyed Boa after the match for a bonus.

Boa wants revenge on Dain.

William Regal says Velveteen Dream is out of action for the time being due to the attack. Therefore, Strong needs a new #1 contender so Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic is now for a title shot.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

The winner gets Strong for the North American Title next week. The exchange of shoulders goes nowhere to start so they try it again for the same result. They try a test of strength with Lee going to one arm and lifting him into the air in a nice power display. Lee shoulders him down and stays on the arm with a splash for two.

Back up and Dijakovic gets in a clothesline with the good arm and we take a break. We come back with Lee hammering away in the corner before tossing him across the ring. The Pounce gives Lee two and Dijakovic’s sitout chokeslam gets the same. Dijakovic can’t hit a superplex though as Lee shoves him down and hits a middle rope splash onto the arm. The Spirit Bomb sends Dijakovic rolling out to the floor but he’s right back with the cyclone boot for two back inside.

That means it’s Lee’s turn so he muscles Dijakovic up (on the third time in a crazy strength display) for a suplex and the big crash. Lee loads up what looked to be a Vader Bomb so Dijakovic gets him in an electric chair, which is countered into a reverse hurricanrana for the big knockdown. They get to the corner with Lee loading up a super powerbomb, only to have Strong come out and hit both of them at the same time for the no contest at 15:23.

Rating: B. It was good, but they were under the pressure of their previous outstanding matches and it didn’t hold up as well as they were shooting for. What we got was good, though the ending is the same heel idea that has never worked before and hopefully they get to the point and do the triple threat. We don’t need to see these two again in another singles match for a long time though, because the impact isn’t as strong anymore.

Hold on though as Regal wastes no time in saying that isn’t going to work and next week it’s a triple threat match for the title.

Matt Riddle vs. Bronson Reed

Riddle’s shoe flip misfires this time for a somewhat funny moment. We get a quick bit of respect before Riddle hits him in the face. The Final Flash sets up the running forearms in the corner and a t-bone suplex makes it even worse. Reed runs him over though and drops a backsplash for a fast two.

Riddle is right back with a powerbomb and the second Final Flash for two of his own. The Floating Bro is countered into a sitout powerbomb to knock Riddle silly and the straps come down. Reed tries a suplex but Riddle reverses into a sleeper. That’s escaped as well and Reed tries to jump over Riddle in the corner, only to get caught on Riddle’s shoulder in a rather nice power display. The Bro Derek finishes Reed at 3:04.

Rating: C. This was a fired up Riddle, who threw everything he had at Reed and took the big guy down. Reed looked good as well though as you can always use a monster who can move. It was more about Riddle here though and this should get him back on tract after the loss to Cole.

Video on Bianca Belair, who is ready to beat Shayna and is tired of people jumping in front of her.

Kushida has a fractured wrist and will be out for a month.

Taynara vs. Tegan Nox

Nox starts fast with a kick to the face for two but a bicycle kick puts her on the floor in a heap. Back in and Taynara gets in some rolling judo throws into some running knees in the corner for two. Nox is right back up and a running knee and a chokeslam, followed by a Willie Mack style reverse Cannonball. The Shiniest Wizard finishes Taynara at 2:55. Mauro:” Tegan Nox it out of the park!” She did look good here and just seeing her getting to wrestle again without having her knee explode is a good sign.

Post match Dakota Kai comes out to hug Nox but here are the Horsewomen to interrupt. Baszler doesn’t like the idea of Nox jumping into the title picture because she’s running out of limbs to rehab. When she does something important, come see the champ.

Finn Balor talks about needing a new path to take so he’s taking the one he took before. He’s in the ring next week.

Boa vs. Killian Dain

Rating: D+. Just a squash here for the most part with Dain dominating, as he should. Boa is someone with a good look though he is just one of the warm bodies around to take beating at the moment. That can change in the future though and he looked good for the first thirty seconds or so.

Pete Dunne comes out for his match but gets in a staredown with Dain. For some reason Dain thinks it’s a good idea to point his finger at Dunne, who snaps it to send Dain running.

Pete Dunne vs. Damien Priest

Priest goes with an elbow to the face to start before winning a battle of the kicks. With that not working for Dunne, he grabs the finger and gets in the stomp to the arm to take over. They head outside with Dunne working on the arm even more, including another stomp on the steps. Priest kicks him off the apron though and a right hand puts Dunne down again as we take a break.

Back with Dunne hitting a superplex and striking away with lefts and rights. An enziguri sets up a middle rope dropkick to the knee and Priest heads outside again. That doesn’t go well either as Dunne hits the middle rope moonsault for another knockdown. Back in and a Liger Bomb gives Dunne two more so he loads up the stomps, only to get kicked in the head.

Dunne can’t get a cross armbreaker so he tries a triangle, which Priest counters into a rollup with feet on the ropes for two. Priest sends him shoulder first into the post and gets two of his own off a Razor’s Edge (somehow without a Razor Ramon reference from Mauro). Dunne is sent outside for a crazy running flip dive from Priest, followed by the South of Heaven chokeslam for another near fall.

They slug it out with Priest turning him inside out with a clothesline. The Reckoning is blocked but Dunne can’t hit the Bitter End. Another chokeslam is countered with an enziguri so Priest hits a spinning kick to the head. They’re both down but Dunne gets up first, only to have his moonsault hit knees. Dunne slips out of a powerbomb though and cranks on the finger, with the referee getting between them. That’s enough for a low blow from Priest and the Reckoning gives Priest the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B. This worked very well with two guys beating the heck out of each other and one of them taking the shortcut to win in the end. Dunne doesn’t lose anything here and you can almost guarantee a rematch here, perhaps in the form of a tag match with Dain joining Priest against Dunne and….Riddle maybe? If that’s still a thing?

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped a lot here but the show hasn’t felt quite as special since the show moved up to two hours. The shows are still quite good though and we are getting some big stuff in the future, though it doesn’t have exactly the same spark that it had for all those years. Good show here, though it was missing a little something.

Overall, AEW wins this week but as usual it’s just by a hair. They had a tighter show with better matches up and down the card. The big tag match on Dynamite was the best thing all night and I liked how they were setting up Full Gear. NXT worked rather well too, though it lagged a few times and it hurt things just enough to give Dynamite the win.

Results

Tommaso Ciampa b. Angel Garza – Willow’s Bell

Imperium b. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – European Bomb to Lorcan

Io Shirai b. Kayden Carter – Moonsault

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic went to a no contest when Roderick Strong interfered

Matt Riddle b. Bronson Reed – Bro Derek

Tegan Nox b. Taynara – Shiniest Wizard

Killian Dain b. Boa – Seated abdominal stretch

Damien Priest b. Pete Dunne – Reckoning

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

NXT UK – October 10, 2019: Oh What Was That?

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 10, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

We’re finally on a fresh taping cycle and that might be best for everyone involved. Hopefully we can get to something a little more interesting now and in this case we have Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert, which has some hossette battle potential. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we could be going so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Next week: Gallus vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews for the Tag Team Titles.

The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly

Nigel is rather intrigued by Howley and Stoker (Pretty Deadly) as Boar works on Howley’s arm to start. A clothesline seems to be more Boar’s speed and the running shoulder to the ribs in the corner keeps him down. Howley gets over to the corner for the tag off to Stoker, who actually cleans house for a bit. It’s already back to Howley, who spends a bit too much time talking trash, allowing Boar to get in a German suplex. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Primate for his own suplex. A spear sets up the double top rope headbutts for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. This was a good way to get the Hunt back on track. They have gone from a pretty basic team to a fun enough act that they can go out there and lose a few times without being taken down in any major way. The match wasn’t even a squash so it’s not that bad, even it if didn’t have a lot of time.

Post match Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel come out to talk trash so the Hunt goes after them. The beating is on until Alexander Wolfe comes out to take care of the Hunt. I smell a six man.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

Jack Starz vs. Jordan Devlin

They fight over arm control to start with Starz managing a backdrop to offer some early frustration. Starz is fired up for a change but misses a charge into the post to cut him right back down. A gorilla press plants Devlin though but he’s smart enough to grab a shoulder breaker and work on the injured arm.

Devlin gets in a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault for two as the natural order is restored. A belly to back kneeling backbreaker sets up an armbar to mix things up a bit (not the best thing in this case) but Starz fights back again. The missed charge lets Devlin hit a slingshot cutter and it’s the pulled up Saito suplex for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Who in the world would have guessed that Starz was able to get something out of this one? Starz isn’t someone who has any reason to be a big deal and while I wasn’t buying him as a serious threat, he managed to make me think that we could have gotten a big surprise upset. That takes talent to pull off and they did it here. Nice little surprise.

Post match Devlin rants about how he is sick of having to beat up all these people and not being treated as a big star. Cue Dave Mastiff to chase Devlin off and offer to get a match set up between the two of them. Devlin doesn’t seem sure on that one.

Kenny Williams vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff tells him to lock up and then launches Williams into the corner. A whip isn’t even a possibility here so Williams tries running the ropes and manages a crucifix for two. An elbow to the face staggers Mastiff so he backdrops Williams over the corner to the floor. That means a limp from Williams and the springboard isn’t happening at the moment.

Mastiff runs him over and hits Williams in the back as the slow torment continues. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Mastiff misses the backsplash. The ankle gives out on what looked like a springboard Stunner attempt so Williams grabs a Sling Blade for two instead. Mastiff launches him off what looked like a bulldog and it’s Into The Void to finish Williams at 5:16.

Rating: C. This was similar to the previous match as it was hard to imagine the upset taking place but they were trying to do something with Williams. The guy clearly has talent and can sever them well as a jobber to the stars. Mastiff is getting WAY more mileage than I would have bet on so nicely done on the surprise success.

Post match Mastiff offers some respect.

Xia Brookside is back with an update but Nina Samuels comes in to mock her. A match is teased for the future. This is the kind of thing that feels so forced and scripted and didn’t need to be there to set up a match. It was about fifteen seconds long and just felt fake.

Here are Webster and Andrews for a chat. They need the energy from the fans to defend their titles next week and they wouldn’t have the titles in the first place without them. Webster wants any challengers so here are Gallus to interrupt at the announcers’ table. They would be impressed with the champs if the champs weren’t such an embarrassment. Violence is promised next week.

Noam Dar and Trent Seven have to be held apart in the back so Sid Scala makes a match between them in two weeks.

We look back at Jazzy Gabert attacking Piper Niven, thanks to a Jinny distraction.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Webster and Andrews, promising to take the titles from whoever has them after last week.

Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert

Jinny is here with Jazzy. Piper is invited to come to the center of the ring to start so it’s time for the power lockup. Niven powers her out to the floor and it’s time for a pep talk from Jinny. The distraction lets Jazzy drive Piper into the corner for some punches to the ribs and Jazzy slams her for two. A boot in the back with a double arm pull has Piper in more trouble but she eventually gets to the corner. Piper headbutts and crossbodies Jazzy to the floor so Jinny comes in. That earns her a headbutt of her own, allowing Rhea Ripley to come out and deck Jazzy, setting up Piper’s backsplash for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: D+. That was a lot of stuff outside the ring for a four minute match and that didn’t leave a lot of time for the match itself. It felt like they didn’t want to do anything of note here and that made for a pretty dull match. Not the worst, but I was hoping for a lot more fun than what we got here.

Piper isn’t sure what happened to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Oh what was that? I don’t know if it was the show being the first of a taping cycle but this felt more like an episode of AEW Dark than the important weekly show around here. What were they going for here? It set some stuff up for the future but you have to have something interesting now instead of waiting for later and I don’t think they got that here. Completely skippable show with nothing worth your time.

Results

The Hunt b. Pretty Deadly – Double top rope headbutts to Howley

Jordan Devlin b. Jack Starz – Pulling Saito suplex

Dave Mastiff b. Kenny Williams – Into The Void

Piper Niven b. Jazzy Gabert – Backsplash

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