IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: Cardiff
Date: August 31, 2019
Location: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s been a long time since we’ve had one of these things and that might be best. NXT UK is getting the hang of things but they’re still a long way away from being ready to do regular big time specials. This time around we have a big main event in the form of Tyler Bate challenging Walter for the United Kingdom Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video shows a shot of Cardiff but the feed is cut off by Imperium, who run this place. The rest of the matches get the regular attention.

Travis Banks vs. Noam Dar

They’ve been glaring at each other lately. Banks takes him into the corner to start but gets taken down by the arm. It’s too early for the ankle lock and they both miss some kicks to the face. The threat of a kick to the face gives us a standoff as the fans are behind Banks. A hard kick sends Dar outside as Banks takes over for the first time but the threat of a running shot in the corner has Dar rolling around.

Dar starts going after the arm and snapmares him into the ropes to mess up the shoulder even more. A bridging German suplex gives Banks a fast two but Dar is right back with some more kicks to the head. They fight for arm control on the mat until Banks gets in a cobra clutch/Crossface combination, sending Dar over to the rope. Dar slaps him in the face to sucker Banks in, allowing him to get in a kick to Banks’ leg.

A very spinning Unprettier gets two but the Nova Roller misses. The Slice of Heaven does as well and Dar grabs the ankle lock. Banks rolls over and slips out so Dar hits a basement clothesline to the back of the head for two. Back up and another Slice of Heaven attempt misses as Dar ducks so Banks hits a double stomp instead.

The suicide dive connects and Banks hits most of the Slice of Heaven off the barricade. Back in and the top rope double stomp gives Banks two more. The slugout goes to Banks with a discus forearm and a running knee to the face but Slice of Heaven misses again (dude, get the hint already). The Nova Roller finishes Banks at 13:55.

Rating: C+. I know they really want to push Dar but this was another case where I was waiting on his match to end. It was good enough (though you can only take so many Slice of Heaven attempts) and the fans were into Banks, but the story wasn’t that strong and it felt like something that belonged on the Kickoff Show.

Cesaro is here with an open challenge and we have an answer.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Cesaro

Works for me. Dragunov hits a running boot in the corner to start but Cesaro is right back with some chops. A powerslam doesn’t work for Cesaro so he dodges a chop and it’s a standoff. Dragunov chops away and hits a backsplash for two so Cesaro picks him up and tosses him outside. Sometimes the simple approach works best, such as dropping Dragunov throat first across the barricade.

Back in and a legdrop sets up the chinlock on Dragunov, which is broken up in short order. Dragunov reverses a belly to back with a crossbody but Cesaro grabs him for a 30+ second swing to make Dragunov’s eyes even screwier. A Crossface doesn’t last long and Dragunov scores with the 61-Line. Dragunov gets fired up and throws Cesaro with the suplex for a roll to the floor.

That means the big suicide dive and a Coast to Coast as Cesaro gets back in. Cesaro is right back up and knees him in the ribs, setting up a running seated uppercut for two. Fans: “ARE YOU WATCHING? ARE YOU WATCHING? ARE YOU WATCHING VINCE MCMAHON?” Dragunov hits a Death Valley Driver into the corner. Dragunov hits a top rope backsplash for two and it’s Torpedo Moscow time. That’s broken up with Swiss Death and Cesaro Neutralizes him for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: B. This was the Finn Balor appearance from Blackpool and I’m not sure they needed to go this way. Dragunov is still recovering from the bizarre loss to Kassius Ohno and Cesaro doesn’t need the win. At the same time though, Dragunov might not have been ready to beat Cesaro here. Hopefully Cesaro sticks around here as he seems a lot better suited to the UK than whatever they’ll have him do next on Raw or Smackdown.

Post match Cesaro teases hitting a clothesline but sticks out his hand for the handshake instead.

Adrian Street and Miss Linda are here. That documentary does sound good.

We recap the Tag Team Titles. Grizzled Young Veterans are the first champions but Gallus want the titles. Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews, both from Wales, won singles matches to get into the match.

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

The Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake) are defending and it’s Andrews sunset flipping Gibson for two to start. Drake comes in for a double hiptoss into a standing moonsault/standing flip dive from Andrews and Webster. We settle down to Webster not being able to sunset flip Wolfgang so it’s a six man staredown. The champs are knocked to the floor and a hurricanrana/moonsault takes down Gibson and Coffey.

Back in and a moonsault press gets two on Gibson as the champs are in trouble. He’s right back up with a backbreaker on Webster on the floor with Drake slingshotting down into a forearm to Webster’s chest. Back in again and everything breaks down again with Andrews cleaning house, only to get jumped by Gallus. That means stereo flip dives from the Welsh guys to both other teams and the fans are rather pleased.

Back in and Andrews’ assisted 450 gets two on Gibson, only to have Gallus come back in to start cleaning house. A catapult into a Samoan drop gets two on Andrews but it’s a reverse hurricanrana/running knee strike (cool) for two on Wolfgang. Andrews is back up with a shooting star to take out Gallus and Gibson. As the fans again ask about Vince’s viewing habits, it’s Stundog Millionaire into a Swanton from Webster for two on Gibson. Helter Skelter into the 450 gets two on Andrews, with the crowd literally getting to their feet on the kickout.

The champs and the Welsh guys are all knocked down but it’s Gallus coming back in to clean house. Coffey hits his own big dive to take everyone out, followed by the enziguri into the powerslam for a delayed two on Andrews. Everyone gets back in and Gallus gets beaten down until Webster is catapulted into a Canadian Destroyer on Coffey. Gibson takes Wolfgang to the floor for an electric chair, with Drake adding the suicide clothesline for a Doomsday Device.

That means the big showdown between the champs and Andrews/Morgan with the Welsh guys getting the better of it. Webster hits a 630 on Drake with Gibson making the save. Andrews tries to dive on him but gets hit in the throat on the way down. Back in and Ticket to Mayhem hits Webster but Drake goes to deal with Gallus. That lets Andrews come in with Fall to Pieces to Gibson to give Webster the pin and the titles at 20:10.

Rating: B. This was WAY too long and felt like it just kept going and going. That being said, there were some very good near falls and some awesome near falls before the perfectly done feel good moment at the end. If you cut off five minutes, it’s even better, but the length held it back a lot. Andrews and Webster winning is completely the right call though and it felt like a special moment.

Post match the champs celebrate in the crowd in a pretty cool moment.

We recap Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey. They’re both big monsters and went to a double countout before. Therefore it’s Last Man Standing so they can beat on each other a lot.

Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey

Last Man Standing. Coffey brings in a chain but Mastiff comes straight at him anyway to start the brawl in the aisle. They get inside with Coffey hammering away but Mastiff whips him into the corner….and the top rope comes off the buckle. Mastiff shrugs and hits Coffey in the back with the turnbuckle rod before putting it in Coffey’s mouth. Coffey slugs back with some liver shots and a belly to back suplex.

That doesn’t even get a count as Mastiff is right back up with a German suplex of his own. They head outside with Coffey busting out a pool cue to knock Mastiff down. There’s a bag of weapons under the ring but Coffey goes to set up a table. That lets Mastiff hit him in the back with a cricket bat but Coffey is right back up with a headbutt to the ribs to put Mastiff through the table.

It’s chain time again so Mastiff hits another German suplex on the floor. Another table is set up against the barricade and, after giving up a tug of war over the chain, Mastiff cannonballs him through the table. They fight into the crowd with Coffey’s chain shot getting eight. Mastiff has two chairs so he throws one to Coffey, who backs way up. They both get running starts and collide in the aisle for a double knockdown.

With that not working, they wind up by commentary with Dave hitting a Regal Roll onto the announcers’ table for eight. Just to mix it up a bit, they go to the balcony and slug it out before crashing down onto some tables. They both use anvil cases to get up but Coffey kicks Mastiff’s away for the win at 15:59.

Rating: B-. I hit you, you hit me, we do a big spot and get up until the big spot at the end. That’s precisely what they should have been doing here and Mastiff is protected a bit by the ending. I’m a bit surprised by Coffey winning but it’s hardly the worst idea. You could easily put him in as a challenger of the month for Walter and that’s a good spot for him. That could go for either of them and Mastiff can easily be built back up.

Tegan Knox is here.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Toni Storm has held the title for months now and Ray won a battle royal a good while ago to become #1 contender. Ray made it personal by talking about their previous friendship and how Toni drives everyone away. Toni hasn’t been as focused coming into this but she was fine in the last showdown so we could be in for a good fight here.

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

Toni is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Ray bails straight to the floor so Storm dives onto her, setting up a big forearm to the face back inside. Ray knocks her right back down though and we hit a seated abdominal stretch. Toni goes off with shots to the face and a superkick to put Ray down. A running clothesline can’t set up Storm Zero so its’ a Code Red for two instead.

Now Storm Zero connects for two so Ray is right back with her own superkick. The Gory Bomb gives Ray her own two so they head up top. Neither can hit a super version of their finisher so Toni grabs a release German suplex for two more. Storm gets sent outside so Ray hits a top rope flip dive for a nasty landing, sending the referee down to check on them. Back in and the Gory Bomb onto the top rope sets up a regular Gory Bomb to give Ray the title at 9:58.

Rating: C. This felt sloppy and rushed, the latter of which is probably true due to it not getting that much time. Storm didn’t have a lot of life or fire here and it was causing some issues. Ray winning is a good thing as Storm had held the thing long enough but I was hoping it was in a better, or at least bigger feeling, match.

We recap Tyler Bate vs. Walter for the United Kingdom Title. Walter took the title from Bate’s friend Pete Dunne and then formed Imperium to clean up NXT UK. The team attacked Bate and Trent Seven so Bate is back for revenge, his friends and the title.

United Kingdom Title: Tyler Bate vs. Walter

Walter is defending and there are no seconds here. Bate ducks an early shot and starts going after the knee as the fans sing a lot. A test of strength goes to Walter but Bate powers up to send him into the ropes. Walter’s headlock grinds Bate down a bit as the songs are now rather anti-Walter. Bate is right back up with a delayed slam though and Walter needs a breather on the floor. The suicide dive is blocked though and Walter’s big chop sets up an apron bomb.

A big boot rocks Bate hard and a toss powerbomb….is left short, sending the back of Bate’s head into the post. After a check from a trainer, Bate is back in to get beaten up more as his back is giving out. As the fans chant some rather mean things about Walter, Bate collapses while trying a fireman’s carry. Walter pulls on the arms and puts a boot in the back as the slow grinding down continues.

A running seated splash gets two on Bate and the big chops knock him into the corner. Bate looks a little dead but manages to pull himself up, only to get laid on the top turnbuckle. Walter knocks him to the apron but Bate gets him up for a fall away slam to the floor in an impressive toss. Back in and Bate’s middle rope uppercut is chopped out of the air, setting up the big Boston crab. Make that a Liontamer into a Crossface, with Walter pulling backwards for a change of pace.

Bate finally makes the rope and somehow manages to block a suplex, setting up one of his own to bring the fans back into it. A bunch of clotheslines don’t put Walter down but a rolling Liger kick staggers him into an exploder suplex. Bate nips up and Nigel can’t believe what he’s seeing as a standing shooting star press gets two. The Tyler Driver 97 is blocked a few times and a running dropkick sends Bate into the corner.

Bate manages to counter the powerbomb into a sunset flip for two more. They get to the top with Bate loading up a superplex….and looking down at the floor. Walter isn’t having that and chops him down but Bate is back up with a finger snap. That means an exploder superplex for two as the fans are dying on these near falls. The slugout goes to Walter but he charges into Bang and falls onto Bate…..who is face down on the mat so there is no cover.

Walter is back up with an exploder suplex of his own but Bate manages the airplane spin until Walter makes the rope. That’s fine with Bate, who puts him into a torture rack for the Burning Hammer. Bate can’t cover so Walter rolls outside, meaning it’s a suicide dive from behind. The no hands dive drops Walter again and Bate manages a bridging German suplex for two. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a backdrop for two but Bate bridges up into the Tyler Driver 97 for two, sending Nigel over the moon in shock.

Spiral Tap gets two more so Bate unloads with rights and lefts, sending Walter into the corner to cover up. A chop cuts him off and a big boot knocks Bate silly, setting up the sleeper. Bate stands up with Walter on his back (because he just can) and drops back but Walter puts the hold right back on.

Bate gets up AGAIN and gets to the apron where he pulls Walter over the top and elbows his way out. Walter grabs him right back for a sleeper suplex onto the apron to kill Bate dead. The top rope splash….gets two and the fans are alive again. Another sleeper suplex gets another two and Walter powerbombs him….for one. Walter chops him down and hits a heck of a lariat to FINALLY finish Bate at 42:11.

Rating: A+. And that’s your match of the weekend with Bate looking like he could somehow survive out there until finally coming up short. This felt like it was half as long as it was and even though I didn’t buy Bate as having a chance coming in, I was buying that he might hang on and survive in the end. It’s going to take something special to take Walter down and as special as this was, I’m not sure who is going to do that. This was an incredible story that made you believe the impossible could happen, which is as hard of a thing to do as you can get. Watch this and have some fun.

Imperium comes out to pose and leaves Bate to get the big hero’s ending with Seven and Dunne coming out to help him up.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event pulled this one up several notches and somehow made me forget about the great moment off the Tag Team Title change. The rest of the show was good but the main event completely stole the show (and weekend, if not year). Watch that one for sure and the Tag Team Title match if you have time. It’s not as good as the regular NXT Takeovers, but it’s an incredible main event that holds up with anything NXT has done for a long time. Outstanding main event and I’m looking forward to seeing what is next around here.

Results

Noam Dar b. Travis Banks – Nova Roller

Cesaro b. Ilja Dragunov – Neutralizer

Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster b. Grizzled Young Veterans and Gallus – Fall To Pieces to Gibson

Joe Coffey b. Dave Mastiff – Coffey kicked a case from underneath Mastiff

Kay Lee Ray b. Toni Storm – Gory Bomb

Walter b. Tyler Bate – Lariat

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

We’re down to three weeks to go before the big switch over and tonight we have what might be the last title match on the hour long version. That would be the Street Profits defending the Tag Team Titles against the Undisputed Era as the Era’s quest for all the gold continues. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick look at tonight’s title match.

Opening sequence.

Io Shirai vs. Cami Fields

Shirai hits a running dropkick at the bell and loads up what looks to be a package piledriver. Cami backdrops out but Shirai lands on her feet and hits another dropkick. The moonsault gets two with Shirai pulling her up, followed by something like a reverse Koji Clutch to make Fields tap at 1:43.

Post match Shirai pulls out the kendo stick but Candice LeRae makes the save.

Video on Kushida.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

Hold on as Lee has to conduct the crowd for an OH BASK IN HIS GLORY chant. Lee shrugs off some kicks to the ribs to start and hits a big shoulder. That just earns him the cyclone boot but Lee blocks a suplex attempt and hits him in the face. Lee gets sent to the apron but Dijakovic won’t let himself go face first into the buckle. Instead Lee hits a slingshot crossbody for two, followed by one heck of a lariat for the same. They fight to the apron with Lee spinebustering him down onto the apron, but this time Lee isn’t settling for the countout.

Dijakovic gets in a boot and Lee heads outside again, meaning it’s a big running flip dive (Nigel: “If he flies, he flies.”) because OF COURSE HE CAN DO THAT. Back in and Dijakovic tries a top rope flip dive but Lee catches him in the air. The powerbomb is countered as Dijakovic backflips out, setting up the toss suplex. The moonsault gets two on Lee so they head up top, with Lee busting out a super Spanish Fly. This time it’s Lee going up and, after elbowing Dijakovic off the top, getting superkicked in the leg to bring him back down. Feast Your Eyes finally finishes Lee 11:19 for the standing ovation.

Rating: A-. It might not have been the highest quality or anything like that, but this had more HOW DID THEY DO THAT moments than anything I’ve seen outside of some crazy lucha stuff in a long, long time. I was sitting here wondering how in the world they could keep doing these big spots and then they just kept doing it. This was incredible stuff and I had as good of a time watching it as I’ve had in probably a year watching a regular TV match.

We get a career retrospective on Johnny Gargano, who seems ready to leave. We start with a look at DIY’s success before moving on to the split, the matches with Andrade and then the classics with Ciampa, capped off by him finally winning the NXT Title in the match with Adam Cole. If that had been the finally victory over Ciampa, it would have been an all time feud. We also see part of his big farewell after Takeover: Toronto.

Shane Thorne comes up to commentary and asks why we’re talking about Gargano and not his win streak or his devastating kicks. Focus on the present people.

We look back at Mia Yim going after Shayna Baszler last week.

Mia begged William Regal for another title shot and was told no because she already had her chance. Fair point.

Here are Shayna and the Horsewomen for a chat but Rhea Ripley of all people shows up and takes the mic, saying Shayna hasn’t beaten her b****. The trio bails.

Video on Pete Dunne, who wants the North American Title and will break anyone who tries to stop him.

Next week: Jordan Myles vs. Adam Cole for the NXT Title.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending after pinning the illegal man at Takeover. The fans want the smoke as Fish grabs a wristlock on Ford to start. O’Reilly comes in for a headlock and some spot calling, one of which seems to be bringing in Dawkins to take O’Reilly down. Everything breaks down for a bit with Ford hitting the crazy high dropkick and getting tossed onto Fish for two.

Ford gets taken into the corner for the hard strikes from O’Reilly, with the leg being twisted around the rope to make it even worse. A cannonball down onto the leg is broken up but O’Reilly pulls the leg down so Fish can hit the slingshot hilo. Ford gets back up and manages to get over for the tag to Dawkins, who cleans house. A spear gets two on Fish but O’Reilly is right back with Chasing the Dragon for a rather near fall.

O’Reilly grabs the kneebar until Ford makes the save and everyone is down. We get the four way slugout until Dawkins hits a Sky High on Fish. The Rock Bottom into the frog splash (from Dawkins for a change) gets two on O’Reilly with Fish making the save. Ford hits a running flip dive but misses the real frog splash. Dawkins’ spear hits a raised knee and it’s High/Low to Ford for the pin and the titles at 11:31.

Rating: B. Good match here with the Street Profits going down in a hot one. The Era getting the titles back might not be the most exciting way to go but it comes at the end of a reign that saw the Profits grow up before our eyes. They went from the fun, goofy team to actual stars on this show and that’s how you make someone matter. They’ll be fine with the entrance alone and if their matches keep getting better, they could be quite the force for a long time.

The rest of the Era comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: A+. Yeah that’s probably higher than it should be but who cares. I had a blast watching this whole thing and it was one of the best, most entertaining hours of TV I can remember in a long time. There wasn’t a single bad thing on the entire show and it set up a few very interesting things down the line. I’m almost scared of where things are going on USA but they’re going out with a heck of a taping and one of the best shows I can remember them doing.

Results

Io Shirai b. Cami Fields – Reverse Koji Clutch

Dominick Dijakovic b. Keith Lee – Feast Your Eyes

Undisputed Era b. Street Profits – High/Low to Ford

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Cardiff, which feels like it was announced a very long time ago. Last week’s show saw Tyler Bate and Walter have their big showdown, which makes me wonder what is left for this week’s show. The good thing is I have some confidence that they could pull this one off so maybe we’re in for a strong last show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Tyson T-Bone

Dragunov’s music is still awesome. T-Bone grabs a headlock and runs Dragunov over with a shoulder. That earns him a knee to the face and a backsplash (make sure you get in your backsplash) so T-Bone is back with a right hand. The armbar goes on with Dragunov giving T-Bone the crazy eyes.

T-Bone slaps on a nerve hold instead, which lasts as long as any standard nerve hold. Dragunov fights back with the collection of clotheslines and a German suplex, but a second attempt is knocked down with a right hand. A missed charge sends T-Bone’s shoulder into the post and it’s a top rope backsplash to crush him. Torpedo Moscow gives Dragunov the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C-. How in the world is Dragunov not on Takeover? Normally I would ask how in the world he isn’t a heel but with that kind of intensity, it’s easy to see why he’s cheered so soundly. You can imagine him turning heel somewhere down the line though as he could be a heck of a monster heel despite his size. Just don’t have him lose to Kassius Ohno of all people again.

Video on Toni Storm’s path to the Women’s Title and Kay Lee Ray wanting to take it from her. Ray has made it personal, including bringing up their past friendship and Toni’s dad walking out on the family.

Jack Gallagher asks the fans who is the better British wrestler: Kassius Ohno or himself? Ohno pinned him despite the foot being underneath the ropes, so he’d like a rematch next week.

Joseph Conners vs. Oliver Carter

Nothing to get you in the mood for a big show like a Joseph Conners match. Carter is from Ghana but lives in Switzerland for a pretty unique mix. Some early strikes set up a backdrop to Conners, who is tossed outside in a fast start. Back in and Conners pulls him down by the hair and forearms away at the chest. Conners runs him over for two as the fans are trying to get into this. Carter fights back with more shots to the face and scores with some top rope knees to the chest. An overhead belly to belly into a kick to the face gives Carter two but he misses a Lionsault. Don’t Look Down finishes Carter at 6:26.

Rating: D+. Carter is someone with some potential as he looks fine and had some good fire, but my goodness what do they see in Conners? He’s been around since the beginning of the show and is little more than a gatekeeper, so he wins here? Conners has been one of the few true misses since the promotion debuted and this match could have fit into any spot in his history. The matches aren’t even that bad but they’re so uninteresting that I was checking the clock to see how much longer it could possibly go.

Takeover rundown.

Cesaro says he’s coming to Cardiff to take a more hands on approach.

Video on Piper Niven vs. Rhea Ripley. They meet next week.

Kenny Williams vs. Jordan Devlin

Feeling out process to start with Williams taking him down by the arm, followed by a backdrop and a clothesline to the floor. That’s enough for Devlin but Williams isn’t letting him walk so easily. Devlin sends him back first into the barricade though and it’s a suplex back inside to bang Williams up even more. With Devlin saying that he isn’t breaking a sweat, it’s another shot to Williams’ back.

Devlin kicks him in the back and says he’s the ace to Kenny’s joker, which brings Williams up to hit Devlin in the face. Another kick to the face gives Williams two but Devlin is back with a shot to the ribs. They head to the apron but Devlin can’t get a Spanish Fly to the floor. Back inside and Williams hits a great looking top rope elbow to the face. Devlin counters a charge into a wheelbarrow suplex (fans: “YOU KILLED KENNY!”), followed by a Spanish Fly for two.

What looks like a super Regal Roll is countered into a springboard hurricanrana to bring Devlin back down and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Williams two more. Williams gets sent chest first into the buckle though and Devlin hits a moonsault onto the back for another near fall. Devlin has had it with this and pulls Williams in for the Saito suplex and the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B-. Williams is good for a completely passable if not above average performance every time he’s out there and you have Devlin who is one of the best all around performers on the show. The problem is that this felt like the least important match since the previous one, which has been the case for the entire show. Devlin could be a big deal around here but they keep putting him in matches like this one and it’s getting repetitive.

Long video on Tyler Bate vs. Walter, with Walter winning the UK Title and forming Imperium to go after British Strong Style. Walter injured Pete Dunne so Bate is fighting for the team’s honor. And the title.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans to complain about Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews qualifying for the Tag Team Title match by winning singles matches (fair point). Cue Gallus and Webster/Andrews for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh this didn’t work. Other than a few parts here and there, this felt like they ran out of ways to build up Takeover last week and threw everyone not on the show out here to fill in time. It’s a perfectly watchable nearly hour long show but it took a lot of the energy out of the build to Takeover. The show itself is all that matters, but what we had here wasn’t working in regards to setting up Saturday.

Results

Ilja Dragunov b. Tyson T-Bone – Torpedo Moscow

Joseph Conners b. Oliver Carter – Don’t Look Down

Jordan Devlin b. Kenny Williams – Saito suplex

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’ve got less than two weeks to go before Takeover: Cardiff and that means things are going to be hitting the high gear around here. This week that will a showdown between Walter and Tyler Bate, which has the potential to be one of the best matches we’ve ever seen around here. Other than that….oh who cares as Walter and Bate are in the same ring. Let’s get to it.

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

Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel vs. The Hunt

No opening sequence this week. Aichner and Primate start things off and it’s a battle over a lockup to get us going. A knee to the ribs takes Primate down and it’s off to the armbar. Primate goes animal and bites the ear so it can be off to Boar vs. Barthel. The latter takes him down into an armbar, which seems to be the Imperium way. Barthel starts headbutting away in the corner as the fans chant what sounds like “WALTER’S B******!”. Aichner comes in for some backbreakers on Boar and it’s a spinebuster into a kick to the chest (looked like Barthel was setting for a Hart Attack but had to pull back).

The chinlock goes on and is broken up just as quickly, meaning it’s back to Primate to clean house. Barthel knocked outside but Aichner shoves the Hunt into each other. Primate backdrops Barthel outside and hits a Cannonball on Aichner but misses a charge into the corner. Stereo dropkicks in the corner take care of Primate and it’s a spinebuster to Boar (Nigel: “SQUEAL PIGGY SQUEAL!”) on the apron. The powerbomb/European uppercut combination finishes Primate at 7:43.

Rating: C. There was a story here with the Hunt taking over with the wild offense but Barthel and Aichner took over with better technique and teamwork, which is exactly the point of the team. This is the kind of win that makes the team look extra good as the team can back it up in the ring. That sets them up as bigger threats to stronger opponents, meaning things are going well so far.

Sid Scala announces Noam Dar vs. Travis Banks for Takeover.

Aichner and Barthel aren’t interested in an interview. They go into their locker room and a fight is heard as the cameraman is knocked down. Barthel is down and someone in white socks (likely Bate) walks away.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Shax

Shax isn’t very tall and carries a walking stick. Ray powers her into the corner to start as the fans aren’t sure what to do here. A beating in the corner puts Shax down and the fans boo, though they shift to a WE WANT TONI chant. Shax blocks a suplex but gets clotheslined down as the slow beating continues. For some reason Shax tries to go up and dives straight into a superkick. The Gory Bomb completes the squash at 3:31.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here as Ray wins with the fans not interested in Shax. I do like them bringing in people for a one off appearance like this though as it’s better than beating the same people over and over again. You can’t do it forever, but for something like this it’s better than the alternative. Maybe you even find a hidden gem in there.

Post match Ray says we’re almost to Cardiff but has to pause for the TONI chants. Ray knows what kind of weak and fragile kind of person that Toni can be and she’s taking the title at Takeover. Cue Toni but Ray says she knows why Toni doesn’t like to go home. Ray goes home to friends and family, but Toni goes home to nothing and no one. The only thing she has is the title and that’s not lasting.

Ray was her friend for years and has heard about everyone leaving Toni. Has she ever thought that it’s her? Toni is the reason they don’t talk anymore and that all of her boyfriends moved on. She’s also the reason her dad walked out on the family and that’s a right hand to the face. Good promo here, as the personal issues can make a not very interesting title match a lot better.

Video on Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey in a Last Man Standing match at Takeover. Johnny Saint announcing the match is almost sad as he just reads the line off a card and seems to have no idea what is going on with the story. Both guys count to ten and promise to win the big rematch.

Oliver Carter is here next week.

Jordan Devlin wants to know why he isn’t on the Takeover card. Kenny Williams comes up to challenge him for next week.

The two of them leave and we pan over to Walter yelling at Alexander Wolfe. Walter isn’t happy with what happened because there is no order or structure. He’ll meet Bate in the ring tonight anyway.

Mark Andrews vs. James Drake

If Andrews wins, he and Webster are added to the Tag Team Title match at Takeover. Flash Morgan Webster and Zack Gibson are the respective seconds. Drake says Andrews isn’t going to Takeover as the fans sing about Gibson. It’s time to work on Mark’s arm and that means the flipping escape with Andrews getting in some armdrags of his own. The double arm trap rollup gives Andrews two and Drake needs a breather in the corner.

The fans stand up in their hatred of Gibson, earning a facepalm from the man himself. Andrews doesn’t waste time in hitting a standing moonsault for two as the fans are still anti-Grizzled Young Veterans. Drake sends him into the corner to mess with Andrews’ back and a snap suplex makes it worse. Andrews is placed on top and pulled down, sending him back first onto the buckle. The logical backbreaker gets two and it’s off to a chinlock. As the fans stand up and then sit back down to confirm their hatred of Gibson, Andrews slips out and hits Stomp 182 for a breather.

An enziguri sends Drake outside for the suicide dive and it’s a heck of a tornado DDT for two back inside. The sitout bulldog looks to set up Fall to Pieces but a distraction from Gibson lets Drake break it up. Andrews is fine enough for a reverse hurricanrana but here’s Gallus to jump Webster. Gibson yells at them as Andrews grabs Stundog Millionaire for the fast pin at 11:13 to send he and Webster to Takeover.

Rating: C. I can’t help but think that Gibson can be the heel of all heels (and eventually the face of all faces) if and when he breaks away from Drake. The fans reacting to him like that is the hardest thing for anyone and Gibson just gets people to care about him, even if it is this negative. The match wasn’t the point here but the fans reacting to Gibson was great to watch.

Here’s the returning Trent Seven through the crowd with the announcers thinking he attacked Imperium. Walter and Wolfe come out but Bate chairs them down. Seven and Wolfe fight on the stage as Walter kicks the chair away but Bate gets in another shot. The Tyler Driver 97 plants Walter(the roof is coming off if he hits that in Cardiff) and Bate poses with the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The Takeover card is now set and this was the show that hammered home most of the stories. We had one match added and another (likely) finalized and that made for a good evening. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and that’s the kind of show where NXT UK (or almost any promotion) can excel. I’m more interested in seeing Takeover than I was coming in and that’s a positive sign.

Results

Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner b. The Hunt – Powerbomb/European uppercut combination to Primate

Kay Lee Ray b. Shax – Gory Bomb

Mark Andrews b. James Drake – Stundog Millionaire

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

So in a bit of a surprise, this is the start of the last of the one hour taping cycles. It’s also the start of the fallout from Takeover: Toronto and that means things could be in for a shakeup as we move towards Takeover: WarGames III, which is likely to feature Undisputed Era again. That’s not a bad thing as they’re becoming the Horsemen of NXT, but now they need opponents. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Matt Riddle and Killian Dain brawling at Takeover.

Here’s the Undisputed Era, with new shirts, to get things going. Adam Cole says he did everything he promised to do in Toronto and the fans certainly seem to like him. If there was an NXT Mount Rushmore, it would be his face four times over. Roderick Strong says they all deserves to hold the gold.

The other three got screwed though, with Velveteen Dream pinning Pete Dunne, meaning the North American Title reign is on borrowed time. Kyle O’Reilly shows us a clip of Bobby Fish tagging himself in at Takeover but O’Reilly was pinned. As we ignore the referee not seeing the tag, which usually holds precedence in tag matches, they demand that William Regal come out here and make this right. With that not happening, Cole says they are two steps away from making NXT truly Undisputed.

As the team leaves, here’s Jordan Myles with his Breakout Tournament contract. Cole: “You’re joking right?” Cole threatens to break the smile off of Jordan’s face so Myles should go after Shayna Baszler instead. Or maybe go to NXT UK or 205 Live because they’re not on Cole’s level (I know it isn’t happening but seeing the look on Cole’s face if Walter’s music hit would be glorious). Myles hands the contract to Cole but drops it at his feet, which means the challenge is on.

Bronson Reed wants more in NXT but Shane Thorne interrupts him and the match is made for tonight.

Mansoor vs. Damian Priest

Priest isn’t wasting time this week as he pulls Mansoor off the top for a crash into the buckle before knocking him back into the corner. Mansoor’s forearm has no effect as Priest drops him with a single shot. The chokeslam is escaped and Mansoor gets in an enziguri, followed by a low bridge to the floor. There’s the running flip dive and a slingshot neckbreaker (pretty nice) drops Priest back inside. Priest has had it though and it’s a Razor’s Edge toss into the Reckoning for the pin at 3:14.

Rating: D+. Mansoor has some nice charisma to him and some of the offense looked good. Priest came off like a monster, but egads man you have a toss Razor’s Edge and you use Roll the Dice for a finish? It’s not that complicated to figure this out and hopefully he changes it to what makes sense. Find something else to use on bigger people but don’t use one of the most overdone moves ever for your finisher.

NXT to USA announcement.

Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne

Borne start fast with a Samoan drop and stomps away in the corner as we hear about Borne’s love of art. With Yim hanging over the ropes, Borne puts a sticker saying LOWER no the back of her jeans. That fires Yim up so she chops away in the corner, followed by a Cannonball. Protect Yo Neck finishes Borne at 2:50. Anytime Yim wants to go away, I’d be perfectly fine with it.

Post match here’s Shayna Baszler to say Mia took her to places no one has taken her to before. Mia has been to some dark places and now she can stand beside Shayna. Cue the other Horsewomen, with Shayna saying it’s a cold business but nice and warm under the dragon’s wing. Mia would rather fight and the beatdown is on. Do we really have to watch these two fight again?

Next week: Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic.

Video on Lee vs. Dijakovic, which was a heck of a big man fight. They had a history on the indies as well and since NXT does this kind of thing, we get to hear about it. As usual, well done with making a match feel epic.

Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed

Thorne’s rage against the Breakout Tournament continues. Some early kicks annoy Reed but Thorne bails out to the floor. Back in and the much bigger Reed sits on Thorne’s back to keep him in trouble. Thorne tries a leapfrog and gets powerslammed down, setting up a facewash in the corner.

A shot to the knee slows Reed down though and Thorne hammers away in the corner and there’s the running Cannonball (Good grief can we get a moratorium on that already? It feels like everyone uses it anymore.). Reed comes back with a Samoan drop into a backsplash (same as the Cannonball) so Thorne rolls outside. Back in and Reed goes up top but gets knocked back down, setting up the running knee to give Shane the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C-. Reed moves well for a big man and I like where he’s going. Thorne on the other hand felt like someone who was there because he had been around forever and they needed to do something with him. I’m not sure what it is but there’s something to him that makes me want to see more, so he’s fine for now.

Here’s Velveteen Dream on the couch. His shirt is $30, his glasses are $10 and retaining the North American Title by pinning Pete Dunne is priceless. The Dream winds up on top of anyone in the locker room because he likes it best on top. That’s where the spotlight is so the spotlight is now on Roderick Strong. If Strong wants a title shot, give Dream an experience he’s never had before.

Myles challenges Cole in two weeks.

Next week: the Street Profits Defend against Fish and O’Reilly.

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

Riddle comes in through the crowd and jumps Dain before revealing taped up ribs. The forearms and strikes knock Dain into the corner and a kick to the head puts him on the floor. The forearm off the steps puts Dain down again but Dain elbows him in the head. Dain’s running crossbody crushes the ribs as he looks more and more like Bray Wyatt every day.

We hit the seated abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs and then Dain just stands on them for a bonus. Dain sits on the ribs (keeping it simple can work well) but Riddle somehow manages a release fisherman’s suplex. Riddle strikes away and gets in an exploder into the Broton. The seated elbows to the face have Dain in more trouble, setting up a German suplex for the double knockdown. Dain is back up with a shotgun dropkick into the corner, setting up the Cannonball (three matches out of four).

Riddle pops up with a Bro To Sleep and a powerbomb into a running knee for two. The spinning Broton hits knees though and Dain sends him shoulder first into the post. Riddle gets dropped onto the steps and a backsplash (two matches out of four) crushes him again. A Vader Bomb off the apron sets up three regular Vader Bombs inside to finish Riddle at 11:20.

Rating: B. Overuse of the same moves aside, this was another case of having two guys hit each other really hard until one came out on top. Dain needed the win to establish himself and Riddle gets to save face because his ribs were banged up. The match was the kind of hard hitting fight that NXT does very well without going to far or over the top with it. Good stuff here and a star is made.

Riddle charges after Dain to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Other than a good main event, this wasn’t a show built on the wrestling. What it was built on was setting up things for later and it did that quite well. I want to see where a lot of these stories go and that’s where NXT shines. This is the farewell tour for the old way of doing things and it’s nice to see them doing it the way they do it best.

Results

Damian Priest b. Mansoor – Reckoning

Mia Yim b. Vanessa Borne – Protect Yo Neck

Shane Thorne b. Bronson Reed – Running knee

Killian Dain b. Matt Riddle – Vader Bomb

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

In an email because reasons.https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-officially-announces-nxt-moving-usa-full-details-included/

You knew this was coming sooner or later and that doesn’t make things any better.  Starting September 18, the show is going to expand to two hours and air live, though it will still be at Full Sail.  Meltzer says it’s worth $50 million a year to WWE so the money makes sense.  However, you know what this means as it’s going to be another place for low level WWE stars to appear over the minor leaguers, because WWE thinks that people who are already on the main shows are more interesting than the top NXT names.  Hopefully that’s wrong, because it sounds like a nightmare otherwise.  And for two weeks, it’s Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday of WWE on USA.  Because that’s what we need.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 14, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

It’s one of those unique fallout shows tonight as we deal with everything from Takeover: Toronto. This time around though we have another big match on the docket with the finals of the Breakout Tournament. This one hasn’t had the best results so far but maybe the finals can make up for it a bit. Let’s get to it.

Here are Saturday’s results if you need a recap.

We open with the traditional recap of Takeover.

Opening sequence.

Breezango vs. Forgotten Sons

This is Fandango’s first match in over a year so he starts against Cutler, who tries a sunset flip. You don’t do that against Fandango, who saves himself through the power of dance. They head outside with the Sons being laid out before it’s off to Breeze back inside. A Jaxson Ryker cheap shot from the floor puts Breeze in trouble and it’s already time to start the alternating beatdown. Breeze fights out of the corner with a kick to Blake’s head but Ryker pulls Fandango off the apron.

That means the big, dramatic ejection and now the hot tag goes through. Fandango snaps off some powerslams and grabs a tornado DDT on Blake. A big clothesline takes Fandango down though and it’s a hurricanrana into the diving headbutt for two with Breeze making the save. It’s back to Breeze as everything breaks down, leaving Fandango to hit the big flip dive. Cutler gets caught with a backbreaker from Breeze and Fandango adds a slingshot elbow for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: C. This was all about getting Breezango’s feet wet again and that’s what they did. The Forgotten Sons already seem to have had their peak and another loss to a former main roster team isn’t going to make things that much worse. Breezango will likely head back up one day, and egads I’m worried about how that is going to go.

We look at Velveteen Dream retaining the North American Title over Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong.

Dunne says Dream stole a pin to retain the title, which kept him from starting his next title run. He’s coming for the title no matter what.

Long recap of the entire Breakout Tournament.

We look at the Street Profits retaining the Tag Team Titles over the Undisputed Era.

The Undisputed Era is screaming for William Regal and insist that the illegal man was pinned.

A replay shows that Bobby Fish did tag himself in so O’Reilly couldn’t be pinned.

Music video on the new Io Shirai, who doesn’t need anyone standing next to her and destroyed Candice LeRae at Takeover.

Video on Shayna Baszler retaining the Women’s Title against Mia Yim. Who is supposed to beat her at this point?

Baszler’s only comments: “And still.”

Long video on Adam Cole retaining the NXT Title over Johnny Gargano in a 2/3 falls match.

Video on the Matt Riddle/Killian Dain brawl from Takeover. They meet next week.

Breakout Tournament Finals: Jordan Myles vs. Cameron Grimes

The winner gets a title shot of their choice at some point in the future. Feeling out process to start with Myles going after the leg. Myles follows up by knocking Grimes to the floor but Grimes is fine enough to hit a forearm to the face. Back in and a hard whip into the buckle drops Myles for two and it’s time to crank on an armbar. Grimes starts in on the leg with a dragon screw legwhip but the leg is fine enough to kick Grimes in the face. A basement dropkick sends him outside for a penalty kick from the apron.

Back in and a high crossbody gives Myles two as they’re really playing up the battle of styles. Grimes is right back with an Orange Crush for two of his own but Myles snaps off a German suplex for another two. The running flip belly to belly gives Grimes two more and he kicks Myles in the head for good measure. Another attempt at the whip into the corner is blocked and we get a finger wave from Myles. The brainbuster plants Grimes and it’s the Midnight Star to give Myles the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t the most thrilling conclusion to a tournament that didn’t have the most thrilling beginning or middle. The problem is still that we don’t know much about these people other than what they did in other companies, where they often didn’t have a great character in the first place. It was a pretty good match but I’m not exactly dying to see Myles get his title shot. Most of the entrants will have nice careers, but this wasn’t the best way to showcase most of them.

William Regal comes out to present Myles with his championship contract to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. These shows are always nice for a breather and after all the wrestling that went on over the weekend, it’s rather necessary as well. The tournament final was fine and it was nice to see Breezango again, but next week can start the build towards the build towards Takeover: WarGames where we’ll likely see the Undisputed Era winning all the titles, possibly in a winner take all WarGames match. Totally run of the mill Takeover fallout show here, meaning your mileage may vary.

Results

Breezango b. Forgotten Sons – Slingshot elbow to Cutler

Jordan Myles b. Cameron Grimes – Midnight Star

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 14, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We only have three shows left before Takeover: Cardiff and I’m actually looking forward to what they have on tap. The show is looking better each week and odds are tonight we get another step towards Tyler Bate vs. Walter, which is showing some potential for greatness. The rest of the show should work as well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Flash Morgan Webster

That Gallus theme is far catchier than it should be. If Webster wins and then Mark Andrews wins over Wolfgang (both at ringside) at some point in the future, the team is added to Takeover in the Tag Team Title match. They take their time to start with the fans behind Webster, as they should be. A sunset flip gives Webster one and he sends Coffey outside, with Mark coming up holding his hamstring. Andrews and Wolfgang tease a fight and the distraction lets Mark knock Webster down to take over.

Mark hits a full nelson slam (with the count almost happening before the audio has heard Webster landing because THIS WWE NETWORK UPDATE IS GARBAGE) for two and Mark sends him outside. A glare at Andrews is enough of a distraction for Webster to nail a suicide dive, followed by a moonsault press for two.

Mark can’t hit a jumping knee to the ribs but he can hit a kick to the side (seemed to be aiming for the head). A chokeslam gives Coffey two but Webster is right back up with is own kick to the head. Wolfgang’s distraction lets Coffey avoid the Swanton so Andrews takes Wolfgang out. Back in and Webster hooks a small package for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: D+. The interference was a bit annoying but at the same time, it makes for a better match than having the two of them have a regular match. It even makes more sense to have it go this way as Webster and Andrews are trying to get to the Tag Team Title match. It wasn’t bad, but Webster is better in a team than on his own.

Toni Storm is ready for Takeover because it’s going to be a big party in Cardiff. Toni: “You’re going to be there, I’m going to be there and I’m so sorry but what did you ask me?” She’ll be ready for Ray. I don’t think this is what happened, but were we supposed to think Toni was drunk or hungover there?

Jordan Devlin was about to be interviewed when a Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley brawl interrupted him.

Travis Banks vs. Kenny Williams

Noam Dar joins commentary. Great. Banks goes straight for the backslide for two but misses a stomp and gets taken down by the leg. Williams cartwheels away and it’s an early standoff. A jumping back elbow gives Williams one (Dar: “I would have won with that.”) but Banks is right back with a running dropkick for two of his own. Banks drops a knee for the same and the front facelock goes on. That lasts all of three seconds as Williams sends him into the ropes, setting up a sunset flip for two.

Williams misses a dive to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive. Back in and a top rope double stomp to the back (ouch) gives Banks two more but Williams is right back with a headlock driver for the same. Banks gets elbowed off the apron to set up a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by another top rope back elbow for two more. Banks is fine enough to hit the Slice of Heaven into the Kiwi Crusher for the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C. I still like Banks, though I’m not sure how far he’s going to be able to go given how high up the totem pole given how strong Walter is on top. They’re going to need someone to challenge whoever wins in Cardiff, but Banks might not be someone who can take that spot. Not with how many other potential stars there are on this show.

Dar mockingly applauds Banks as we seen to have something new.

Nina Samuels vs. Isla Dawn

Samuels pulls her down by the hair to start and gets a quick two before going to the cross arm choke. Dawn holds onto the ropes to avoid a whip and rolls Samuels up for two. They fight near the corner until Dawn is sent face first into the buckle. Some knees to the back give Samuels two and it’s a dropkick to the back for two. Samuels puts on something like an STF to stay on the back as the strategy is strong so far.

That’s broken up and Dawn hits a belly to back driver, followed by a knee to the face for two. Samuels gets sent to the apron but scores with a kick to the head to drop Dawn for two more. Dawn is back with a kick of her own, setting up the half and half suplex for two of her own. That’s it for Nina though as she grabs the fireman’s carry backbreaker to finish Dawn at 5:38.

Rating: C-. These two don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon but at least one of them got a win here. The women’s division has cooled off a lot in the last few weeks and there isn’t much to do as we wait on Storm vs. Ray to wrap up. They’re going to need some fresh talent in there and I’m not sure either of these two are going to be the next big thing.

We look back at last week’s Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey match, which went to a double countout.

At Takeover: Coffey vs. Mastiff in a Last Man Standing match.

We go to the Westside Xtreme Wrestling gym where Walter tortures some students. This is a wrestling school and all of these people are small like Tyler Bate. After making one of the students say his name is Tyler Bate. Walter challenges the real Bate to meet him next week.

Also next week: Imperium vs. the Hunt.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Kassius Ohno

Dragunov does the cool conducting the crowd entrance, which loses some spark because the timing is out of sync. Dragunov has to power out of a headlock to start and switches to a cravate. That’s broken up with a knee to the ribs and a loud chop, which just makes Dragunov’s eyes go a little crazier. The cravate goes right back on but Ohno sends him shoulder first into the post for the break.

Ohno pulls him back in by the arm and puts on the armbar. Back up and Dragunov gets thrown throat first into the middle rope, with a rather serious Nigel wanting him checked immediately. Ohno drops a leg for two and cuts off another comeback with a big boot. The nerve hold goes on to weaken Dragunov’s arm a bit more but a hammerlock suplex is reversed into a regular one for some rather enthusiastic applause.

Dragunov tries some running clotheslines but hurts his own arm. Since he’s a bit off, Dragunov tries it again but gets hit in the arm for his efforts. Nigel wants him to use the left arm so Dragunov does just that (always listen to British wrestlers), followed by another right arm clothesline for two. That was quite a few clotheslines, arm of choice aside. Ohno takes the leg out and stomps n the arm, followed by a powerbomb into a faceplant for two. For some reason Ohno mocks Dragunov, who kicks him in the head as a result.

Ohno is sent flying with a German suplex and rolls outside, meaning the suicide dive takes him down again. Back in and Dragunov sunset bombs Ohno (who initially glared down at Dragunov for thinking he could make that work). Ohno is right back up and shoves Dragunov off the top, allowing him to get in a posting for good measure. Back in and the rolling elbow finishes Dragunov clean at 15:00.

Rating: B. I think I’m going to need an explanation for this one. What in the world are they thinking by having Dragunov, who might be the most unique talent on the entire roster, lose to Ohno, whose sole job seems to be putting people over? I’m assuming they’re setting up a rematch so Dragunov can get his revenge, but Dragunov shouldn’t need to get revenge against Kassius Ohno. I really don’t get this and I was actually surprised when Ohno won, albeit in a rather bad way.

Overall Rating: C+. Bizarre choice for the main event aside, this was a well put together show which focused on several stories, all within the span of just under an hour. That’s what a show like this should be able to do: bounce from one story or feud to another without missing a beat and they came pretty close here. The wrestling wasn’t great for the first three matches, but a quite good (albeit confusing) main event brought the rest of the show up.

Results

Flash Morgan Webster b. Mark Coffey – Small package

Travis Banks b. Kenny Williams – Kiwi Crusher

Nina Samuels b. Isla Dawn – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Kassius Ohno b. Ilja Dragunov – Rolling elbow

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

TakeOver: Toronto
Date: August 10, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

We’re going north for this one with the second Takeover from Toronto. The second part is rather appropriate as the main event is a rematch (of a rematch) with NXT Champion Adam Cole defending against former champion Johnny Gargano in their second 2/3 falls match. A lot of the show centers around Cole’s Undisputed Era so there is certainly a theme. Let’s get to it.

There is no special narration for the opening video, which is your standard highlight package, though we do watch the crowd watching it from the arena. At least they’re not cutting back and forth between a normal video and the crowd watching shot.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Undisputed Era

Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish are challenging for the Era. The Profits won the titles in a four way ladder match in June and the Era say that was a fluke win. The champs have their always high energy entrance as the fans have the red solo cups. Dawkins takes O’Reilly into the corner to start and shouts that O’Reilly thinks he’s a joke. A takedown goes to Dawkins but it’s off to Fish, who gets run over with a big shoulder.

The champs start taking turns on Fish’s arm until a shot to Ford’s face gives Fish a breather. O’Reilly comes in but everything breaks down for a few seconds, with Fish walking into a double flapjack. O’Reilly gets knocked outside and manages to get Dawkins to follow him, allowing Fish to get in a surprise shot to take over for the first time. Some running/sliding knees to the ribs have Dawkins in trouble and O’Reilly adds a Samoan drop.

Mounted palm strikes set up a front facelock but Dawkins wins a slugout with O’Reilly. A backdrop lets Ford come in off the tag and it’s a standing moonsault for two. Ford hits the spinebuster but O’Reilly breaks up a People’s Elbow. Instead, Ford goes with a Rock Bottom for two on Fish. Dawkins gets knocked off the apron, leaving Ford to get caught with an elevated DDT into a wheelbarrow suplex for two.

We settle down to Ford being in trouble, including a superplex from Fish and a top rope knee to the knee. O’Reilly slaps on an Achilles lock with Fish adding a top rope headbutt and the fans are rather nervous. Dawkins comes back in and spinebusters Fish onto O’Reilly for the save. Ford makes the hot tag and everything breaks down.

A spinebuster/super Blockbuster combination gets two on O’Reilly and they’re all down again. The slugout is on with Dawkins and Fish being knocked outside. O’Reilly is sent to the floor as well, meaning it’s a big running flip dive from Ford. Back in and a spear from Dawkins sets up Ford’s frog splash to retain the titles at 15:50.

Rating: B+. I had the Street Profits retaining in my predictions and even I’m surprised that they pulled it off. Every sign pointed to the Era winning the titles here but I’m glad they didn’t. There was no need to have them get the belts back outside of setting up the Era having all of the titles as the Profits needed the win a lot more than the Era. It was a hot opener with an only slightly cooler ending, but the Profits winning is better in the long run.

Ricochet is here.

We recap Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae. Candice had tried to help Shirai win the Women’s Title but Shirai kept coming up short. Shirai snapped and turned on LeRae, saying that she didn’t need anyone’s help. Tonight is about revenge for LeRae and for Shirai to prove herself.

Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae

Candice starts the fight before the bell and it’s Shirai bailing to the floor. That means a baseball slide from Candice but Shirai suplexes her onto the announcers’ table to knock her silly. That’s only good for a nine so Shirai keeps pounding her down for a cocky near fall. The early chinlock goes on until Candice fights up with a headscissors, only to have Shirai land on her feet. A camel clutch goes on for a bit but Shirai misses a missile dropkick.

Candice hammers away in the corner and gets two off a brainbuster, setting up an Iron Octopus of all things. That’s broken up as well so Shirai tries the 619, which is countered into a neckbreaker. Candice is sent to the apron though and now the 619 hits the back of her head. That goes nowhere as Candice sends her outside for a suicide tornado DDT, which looked better than expected.

Back in and a top rope double stomp to the back gets two more on Shirai, who is right back with a Crossface. That’s reversed as well with Candice flipping over so Shirai puts her on her shoulders, only to get reverse hurricanranaed for two. Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride gets two and the fans declare this to be awesome. Shirai catches her on top with a super Spanish Fly for another near fall and frustrated screaming ensues. A double underhook backbreaker plants LeRae again and the moonsault….gets two? With nothing else working, Shirai grabs a Koji Clutch to knock LeRae out at 15:00.

Rating: B. That was a good change of finisher for Shirai as something like a moonsault isn’t befitting a new heel persona. You need to have her do something a bit more sinister and they had set up all of the neck stuff throughout the match. Candice was always going to come up short here and it wouldn’t have made sense to have her win over the newly heel Shirai. They were both working here though and I was buying Shirai being angrier and more aggressive than usual here.

Here’s an unscheduled Matt Riddle through the crowd to call out Killian Dain for a fight. Dain comes through the crowd and the fight is on with Dain hitting a jumping kick to the head. Referees come out for the save with Dain stomping on Riddle’s bare foot. Riddle doesn’t care and they fight to the stage so Dain goes for the eyes. Some knees to the face put Dain down and Riddle takes care of security, including with a GTS to a guard. Dain uses the distraction to hit a crossbody, only to have Riddle jump on his back for a choke. They dive off the stage with Riddle being crushed through a table to finally wrap up a hot fight.

Evolve Champion Austin Theory is here.

We recap the North American Title match. Velveteen Dream has held the title longer than anyone in its history and Roderick Strong pinned him in a tag match. Then just to mess with what seemed to be an obvious ending, Pete Dunne was added to the mix as a wildcard.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong vs. Pete Dunne

Dream is defending and goes full Canada with his entrance, complete with an army of Mounties (and yes with the Mountie song of course), who then morph into Toronto Raptors dancers before Dream himself comes out. Strong says the other two don’t matter and it’s Dream being sent outside early on. Dunne clotheslines Strong down and it’s time to go after Strong’s fingers.

Dream is back in and tosses Strong but it’s the big showdown with Dunne. That lasts all of one stare though as Strong comes back in and gets punched in the face by the champ. A Bret Hart pose looks to set up the Sharpshooter but Strong slips away. That just means it’s time for Dream and Dunne to beat him up at the same time, with Dream holding the arm for Dunne’s stomp.

Strong is sent outside so Dream can gyrate the hips, earning himself most of a cross armbreaker. It’s too early for the Bitter End as Dream slips out, only to get crotched against the post (Mauro: “NOTHING BUT NUTS!”). The backbreakers start for Strong and the UNDISPUTED chants get going again. Back in and Dream finally gets the Sharpshooter but Dunne comes off the top with a double stomp to Dream’s back for the save. Dunne starts throwing suplexes and alternates with stomps onto both of them.

Strong and Dream get together to beat him up before fighting each other (duh). Dunne is back up as well and it’s a three way slugout for a triple knockdown. Dream and Strong get their fingers snapped but it’s a Dream Valley Driver to Dunne, an Olympic Slam to Dream and an X Plex to Strong to put everyone down. Dunne catches Dream up top and Strong joins them for an Olympic Slam to Dunne, which brings Dream down with them.

Strong is up first with a backbreaker to Dunne, who tries to grab a triangle. They go into the corner with Dream hitting a springboard Purple Rainmaker to Dunne for the break. You know, because he can do that. Back up and Strong grabs a Stronghold on both of them at once. That falls apart so Dream tries a double Dream Valley Driver, which is a bit too much for him.

Dunne snaps a pair of fingers and hits the Bitter End on Strong but Dream has the referee. The delayed cover is cut off as Dream grabs the referee’s hand at two. Dream gets sent outside as Strong grabs the Stronghold on Dunne. The save doesn’t take long and it’s the Dream Valley Driver on Dunne, with Strong coming back in for End of Heartache. Dream makes another save and steals the pin to retain at 17:25.

Rating: B+. I’m not sure what they’re going to do with the title now as Dream has held the thing for six months and doesn’t really have anyone left to fight for the thing. That being said, NXT knows how to build someone up in a hurry and there is a good chance that they could do just that at a moment’s notice. The cool thing is NXT has all the talent they could need to put together a challenger, but more importantly they know how to do it. The match here was quite good, though it never hit that next level.

We recap Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler. Mia grew up in a horrible situation and had to fight from the streets to get here. Baszler doesn’t think anything of her and thinks Yim is just a thug. Shayna has held the title for a long time now and thinks Yim is going to be just another challenger.

Women’s Title: Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler

Mia is challenging and comes out with a bunch of people in black with their faces covered to not the strongest reaction. Baszler goes to the arm to start but gets armdragged down a few times. Miz traps the arm between the steps and post for a dropkick and Baszler is in early trouble. Back in and Shayna takes her down for some left handed punches and a stomp on Mia’s left arm.

The champ stays on the arm by wrapping it around the bottom rope and then bending it at a rather disturbing angle. A pull of the hair gets Mia out of trouble so Shayna dropkicks her for two. Back up and they seem to get completely out of sync as they run the ropes for a bit. Mia sends her to the floor and shouts OK before hitting a suicide dive. A tornado DDT gets two but Baszler kicks her in the face for two with the fans not even teasing a reaction to the kickout.

Mia goes up top and traps Shayna’s arm for a super Code Blue and another near fall. Shayna pulls her into the Kirifuda Clutch but Mia pulls the bad arm for the break. A stomp on the champ’s arm (Mia: “This is karma.”) looks to set up a cross armbreaker but Shayna rolls over into the Clutch again. Another pull of the arm gets Mia out, only to have Shayna wrap her legs around the neck for another choke and the tap at 14:42.

Rating: C+. I actually sighed in relief when Baszler retained. Mia tries and has a good story but I could never take her seriously with the name Head Baddie In Charge. She never felt like the big challenger who could take the title and I was almost dreading the idea of her taking the title. The problem now though is who can challenge Shayna for the title as she has almost completely cleaned out the division. That’s where they need to bring some people up, and NXT knows just how to do something like that.

Walter and Tyler Bate are here.

We recap Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole. They’ve fought at the last two Takeovers with Gargano winning the vacant title and then losing it to Cole the next time. The idea here is Cole believes he belongs at the top and Gargano wants to earn his legacy by getting the title back. Each fall has a different stipulation: regular match, street fight, weapons filled cage.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano, in Wolverine inspired gear, is challenging and the first fall is a regular match. Cole is roughly 18x more popular than Gargano during the Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start with an early Last Shot and Gargano Escape attempt missing for each. Cole can’t hit the Panama Sunrise either as Gargano sends him outside for a running dropkick through the ropes. Cole’s running knee hits steps and Johnny sends the knee into the apron. Back in and it’s Indian Deathlock to keep Cole’s knee in trouble and an enziguri makes it worse for the champ.

Cole is fine enough to pull Gargano outside for a wheelbarrow suplex onto the apron. Back in and a neckbreaker sets up a triangle choke to Gargano, who gets smart by grabbing the bad leg. An ankle lock is quickly broken up with Cole sending him face first into the middle buckle. The Panama Sunrise still doesn’t work as the leg gives out and Johnny sends him into the corner as well. Gargano’s rolling kick to the head and it’s a fisherman’s driver for two.

Cole misses a superkick in the corner and Johnny stomps on the leg again, setting up the Figure Four. The rope gets Cole out of trouble and it’s a German suplex for two on Johnny. Another Panama Sunrise is countered into a sunset driver to give Johnny two more. Cole STILL can’t get the Sunrise as the leg gives out but he’s fine enough to catch a diving Gargano in a gutbuster.

A Samoan driver gives Cole two and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown. Gargano is up first and hits the slingshot DDT for two but the slingshot spear hits a superkick. Cole’s fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two so it’s time for a chair. The referee throws that out and Cole gets in a low blow for two. Cole sits in the chair but Gargano gets up and takes it away, setting up a shot to Cole’s back for the DQ at 20:50.

Gargano shrugs and unloads with the chair as the second fall, a street fight, begins. Cole bails to the floor so Gargano throws the chair at his head and hits the slingshot DDT. They fight into the crowd with Gargano beating Cole all over the place, though he does stop for a picture with a fan’s phone. Gargano hits a superkick and they head back to ringside with Cole being driven through the timekeeper’s area.

They fight onto the announcers’ tables with Gargano backdropping his way out of a Pedigree to send Cole through the Spanish Announcers’ Table in the huge crash. Gargano throws Cole back inside, plus a table and some chairs. The fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Cole two but he stops to wedge a chair in the corner. That’s not a good idea as Gargano lawn darts him into the chair, setting up the Gargano Escape for the tap and the tie at 29:37.

The weapons cage lowers, showing off the barbed wire around the top. There is no escape here and you can only win by pinfall or submission. They slug it out with superkicks slowing down the kendo stick shots, only to have them beat each other senseless with the sticks. Stereo superkicks put both guys down and the fans find this awesome. A reverse hurricanrana sends Cole into a chair for another superkick and a near fall.

Cole gets in a chair shot to the back and a Backstabber with a kendo stick across the throat connects for two. Johnny gets in a blast with a fire extinguisher and hits a tornado DDT onto the open chairs, with Cole’s face hitting the open edge for a rather terrifying landing. Gargano goes up to try and grab a sledgehammer but has to stop for a spinning sunset bomb instead. Cole goes up top and throws a ladder at Johnny, who ducks to avoid a bad case of death.

Now the super Panama Sunrise gives Cole two and another one off the ladder gives Cole two more. The Last Shot in the chair only hits knee though and Gargano grabs the STF with the kendo stick. Cole bites his way to freedom so Gargano sledgehammers him in the ribs. Instead of following up, Gargano loads up two tables and climbs the ladder, only to have to come back down when Cole rolls away.

Instead Gargano hits a super Canadian Destroyer for two as these kickouts are getting comical. Gargano isn’t done and pulls out a bag of tools, including some wire cutters to cut some barbed wire down. Cole climbs onto the top of the cage and gets on the table bridged over the corner, right above the two tables already set up. Gargano puts the wire on his head and they dive off through a table (Mauro: “MAMA F’ING MIA!”), with Cole covering to retain at 51:05.

Rating: A-. This was way past the point of going long for the sake of going long with the kickouts and non-covers being ridiculous more than once. Gargano almost has to go up to the main roster full time now as there is nothing left for him to do. You can find something else for Cole to do as he has a bunch of people to defend against, but after seeing these two fight for about two and a half hours in three matches, I never need to see them together again. Crazy violence (the ending and the DDT onto the chair were nuts) and an awesome match, but it needed to be a good bit shorter.

Overall Rating: A. It exceeded my expectations with only the Women’s Title match not being very good, but it wasn’t really close to some of the Takeovers they’ve done before. What worries me the most are the rumors of the move to Fox Sports 1, as this could be the last of the great Takeovers under the classic formula. We can worry about that later though because this was another excellent show. I’m hoping they get the right amount of time and build to the next one so it can have some fresh matches, but what we got here was quite good and a way to wrap up the summer with a great show, though not as great as before.

Results

Street Profits b. Undisputed Era – Frog splash to O’Reilly

Io Shirai b. Candice LeRae – Kofi Clutch

Velveteen Dream b. Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong – End of Heartache to Dunne

Shayna Baszler b. Mia Yim – Leg choke

Adam Cole b. Johnny Gargano – Crash through a table

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-another-major-shift-nxt-heading-fox-sports-1-undergoing-big-changes/

Dang it.You had to know this was coming at some point, but that doesn’t make it any better.  At the end of the day, this adds yet another hour of WWE programming a week, which puts it heads up against AEW and also will lead to WWE “fixing” the product.  You know, the one thing that doesn’t need fixing.

I really hope this doesn’t happen because it’s going to be a nightmare for everyone involved, especially the fans.