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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 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

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: 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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 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

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: October 9, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re into the second week of head to head and that could mean some interesting developments. Above all else, it should be interesting to see how the show adjusts after getting flattened in the ratings last week. Maybe it was a one off surprise due to the debut, but it could be the start of a trend and that could mean some changes. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, which had a lot going on.

Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Lio Rush

Gulak is defending and it is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title, albeit with the same design and color. Rush dropkicks him into the corner to start and hits a Spanish Fly for two as Gulak bails to the floor. That means a suicide dive and a bottom rope moonsault to the floor. Back in and Rush’s tornado DDT is countered with a toss to the mat, setting up a running clothesline in the corner to give Gulak two.

Gulak works on something like an abdominal stretch on the mat before switching over to an armbar. Rush fights up and goes to the top, only to get kicked to the floor as we take a break. Back with Rush kicking at the chest but the springboard Stunner is countered into the Gulock in the middle of the ring.

Rush teases the tap but unhooks the legs and gets out, including a backflip into a cradle for two. Rush’s dragon sleeper is broken up in a hurry and Gulak’s Cyclone Crash gets two, with Rush getting a foot on the rope. Rush breaks up a superplex and hits the springboard Stunner this time around. The Final Hour (Low Down) gives Rush the pin and the title at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Rush as a face is something that seems like a waste of his natural talking skills but I like his work better as a face than a heel so it’s a weird mixture. This was a pretty obvious title change though and there’s nothing wrong with that, as you want to get the title’s new era started off with a big deal.

Post match William Regal comes out to wrap the title around Rush’s waist but Gulak breaks it up and hands the title over himself in a nice moment.

Video on Finn Balor.

We get another video on Tegan Nox’s return, with her first match next week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah

Aliyah tries to hit Rhea in the face for some reason and gets blasted for her efforts. The standing Cloverleaf has Aliyah in trouble and Rhea swings her around for a bonus. A forward powerbomb makes it worse and Rhea cranks on it for the tap at 1:22. Total squash and that Cloverleaf looked great.

Post match Rhea says Shayna Baszler didn’t beat her and she’s coming for the title.

There will be a press conference in Las Vegas on Friday, featuring major announcements involving Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, HHH and Braun Strowman. Sounds Crown Jewelish.

Breezango vs. Ever Rise

Breezango are dressed as construction workers this week, complete with rather fetching women in hard hats. Breeze has to get Fandango away from them as Beth seems VERY pleased with the new look. Mauro: “Adam on line one.” Hang on though as the Forgotten Sons drag Ever Rise out and we have some replacements.

Breezango vs. Forgotten Sons

Cutler beats up Breeze to start and it’s a running hiptoss from Blake to send Cutler into Breeze’s back. Breeze is back up without much trouble and brings Fandango in for the Falcon Arrow, followed by Breeze coming back in pretty quickly. The illegal Fandango hits a sunset bomb on Cutler but Jaxson Ryker pulls Breeze outside for the posting. Fandango dives onto him, only to have Blake do the same to take Fandango out. Back in and a toss powerbomb into the knees sets up the Memory Remains for the pin on Fandango at 3:37.

Rating: C-. I was surprised by how short the match was and that’s a good thing. They didn’t overstay their welcome, though neither of these teams feel like a top pairing. Breezango are the kind of team who can lose and bounce back with no trouble and that’s a valuable thing to have. The Sons….they may be better off being forgotten.

Keith Lee is ready to beat Dominik Dijakovic next week. They need to blow that off already.

Boa vs. Cameron Grimes

They really love Grimes around here, though it might be due to his hat. Cue Killian Dain to distract Boa, allowing Grimes to finish with the standing double stomp at 9 seconds.

Post match Dain beats Boa up, including Vader Bombs and throwing him onto the announcers’ table.

Video on Damien Priest, who wants to use Pete Dunne to make himself famous.

Roderick Strong vs. Isaiah Scott

Non-title and Strong gets some encouragement from the Undisputed Era before coming to the ring. Strong headlocks him down to start and lets him know that this is HIS house. That just brings Scott to his feet for some chops and a cartwheel moonsault for two in a creative spot.

After a quick trip to the floor, Strong comes back in for a strike off, with Mauro getting in a Lucha Underground reference by saying they’re both looking for the kill shot. The first backbreaker cuts Scott off though and it’s time for more loud chopping. Another backbreaker gives Strong another two and we take a break. Back with Scott kicking away from the mat and then kicking at the chest, which draws out the rest of the Era.

Scott crotches Strong on the middle rope and gets two off a hanging DDT. A Downward Spiral into the running kick to the back of Strong’s head connects for two more and Strong is in big trouble. Strong gets caught hanging by his feet from the bottom rope so Scott destroys him with a slingshot double stomp. The Era offers a distraction though and it’s a running knee into the End of Heartache. The Stronghold finishes Scott at 10:25.

Rating: B-. Scott gets better every time he’s out there and the fans are WAY into him, which should be a clear path to something that matters around here. He looked good against Strong here and the champ needed some help to escape, so maybe they have some bigger plans for Scott. He’s impressed me everywhere he has gone so I would certainly be pleased.

Post match, the Era gets in the ring with Cole praising Scott. Everyone wants to be the best and fulfill this dream of being the best, which is why Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa. Cue the Velveteen Dream to ask if someone said Dream. He pops up above the entrance and says that while some of the Era is great, allow Dream to show him his reality.

We see Strong imitating Shawn Michaels’ Playgirl pose with the North American Title in a certain place. Dream gets his rematch in two weeks, but first he snaps his fingers and the title disappears from the picture, being replaced by a rather small censored logo. Cue Tommaso Ciampa with a chair and a crutch to chase the Era off and have a seat. Ciampa: “Goldie? Daddy’s home.” I could go for Undisputed Era vs. NXT Legends/All Stars.

Quick video on Walter and Imperium.

During the break, Angel Garza tried to hit on the interviewer and steal Ciampa’s interview time. Ciampa showed up and laid out Garza after some Spanish ranting. Interviewer: “What did he say?” Ciampa: “I have no idea.”

Dakota Kai vs. Bianca Belair

Kai starts fast by kicking Belair to the floor for an early two. A charge gets Kai launched face first into the buckle and the hard shoulders to the ribs in the corner make it even worse. Belair squats her to show off but has to kick out of a small package. A tilt-a-whirl faceplant gets two and we take a break.

Back with hitting some clotheslines and a running dropkick, followed by the pump kick to the side of the head. Some kicks to the head in the corner give Kai two, including the running kick to the face in the corner. Kai rolls her up out of the corner but gets pulled into the double chickenwing facebuster. Belair’s running shooting star press gets two and frustration is setting in. Back up and Kai tries one more kick but gets caught in the KOD for the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C+. This started slowly but got a lot better in the end, with Kai kicking her heart out but coming up short. I like Kai more and more every time I see her and hopefully this is a sign that she has her old skill back. She looked a bit better here with the more serious looking gear and the kick working more than usual. Push her and you might have an underdog star on your hands. I’m not sure about having her lose here, but NXT loves it some Belair so her getting a win like this isn’t surprising.

Post match Belair says that she wants Baszler and Rhea can go through her to get the title shot. It’s amazing how much better her promos are without the un-de-fea-ted nonsense.

Dominik Dijakovic is ready to bring out the best in Keith Lee again. He knows Keith’s limits though and is ready to take him there.

We look back at Finn Balor being drafted to Raw and becoming the first Universal Champion.

Video on Pete Dunne wanting to make a name for himself in WWE. That’s what he’s done ever since, and now Damien Priest is trying to do the same thing. That won’t be happening off of Dunne’s back.

The NXT roster congratulates Rush for winning the title.

Kushida vs. Walter

Non-title. Feeling out process to start until Walter powers him onto the apron and pats him on the head. They take turns riding each other on the mat until Kushida gets in a dropkick to send us to a break. Back with Kushida slipping off a springboard and getting kicked in the face for his efforts. The one legged Liontamer has Kushida in more trouble as Walter cranks away.

That’s broken up so Walter chops away but the powerbomb is countered into a DDT for the breather. Kushida gets sent to the apron and manages to snap the arm across the rope. A sunset bomb is blocked though and Walter stomps on the face to put Kushida on the floor. He’s right back up with a rolling DDT to the floor though and they both have to beat the count.

Back in and a kick to the arm sets up the Hoverboard Lock but Walter reverses into the sleeper. Kushida flips out of that and Walter has to grab the hands to block a cross armbreaker. Walter powers out again and it’s a half nelson pumphandle suplex into a bridge for two.

The frog splash is broken up and Kushida grabs the Hoverboard lock on top before superplexing him down by the arm. A foot on the rope gets Walter out of trouble so Kushida dropkicks the arm again. Walter dropkicks the heck out of him and the powerbomb gets two in a great near fall. With nothing else working, Walter hits a ripcord lariat to FINALLY put Kushida away at 16:48.

Rating: B. Much like Kai vs. Belair, this one took its time getting going but once they hit that other gear, it was some awesome stuff with both guys hitting each other very hard and setting up a big finish. It didn’t hit the level that some of Walter’s matches have but it was the match Kushida has been looking for around here. Walter still feels like a treat and a big, special performer, which is why you put him in a spot like this. Very good main event.

Next week: Ciampa vs. Garza and in two weeks, Strong defends against Dream.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another good show, this time focusing on the wrestling instead of the surprises and the angles. I like where most of the stuff is going, though I still have some issues getting behind the Undisputed Era holding everything. The challengers are starting to line up though and that could make for some quality television going forward. Some of the stuff at the beginning didn’t click, but the bigger matches made up for them enough and that’s what matters here.

Overall, I think it’s a tie between the shows this week as I might have rated Dynamite a bit low. They had the better match with Private Party vs. the Bucks and their stuff being set up for the future was better, though I liked the wrestling better overall on NXT. What matters is that neither show dropped in quality by any major amount and both were rather good shows that you could watch back to back with no issue. Another good week, as the wrestling renaissance continues.

Results

Lio Rush b. Drew Gulak – Final Hour

Rhea Ripley b. Aliyah – Seated Cloverleaf

Forgotten Sons b. Breezango – Memory Remains to Fandango

Cameron Grimes b. Boa – Standing double stomp

Roderick Strong b. Isaiah Scott – Stronghold

Bianca Belair b. Dakota Kai – KOD

Walter b. Kushida – Ripcord 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 UK
Date: October 3, 2019
Location: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We have to be getting close to the end of this taping cycle right? Takeover already feels like it was forever ago and we should have moved on to a new era. The women take center stage this week with Kay Lee Ray facing the often injured Tegan Nox. I’m not sure what to expect from this one but it could be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Piper Niven vs. Isla Dawn

They stare at each other for a bit before Piper starts in on the arm. Isla tries to whip Piper away and it goes as well as you would expect. A headlock takeover works just fine for Piper but it gets reversed into an armbar with Dawn pulling at the face as well. Dawn’s suplex attempt fails as well and it’s one more bad idea with Dawn trying a crossbody.

Piper crushes her with a seated crossbody and it’s back to the chinlock. It’s switched into a crossarm choke as Dawn can’t do much with Piper’s size. Another attempt at the belly to back suplex works for Dawn and a knee to the face gets two. The front facelock goes on but Niven powers up and hits the Michinoku Driver for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C-. The holds took a lot out of this but the bigger problem here is how neither of them seem to be doing anything. This felt like two people in search of something to do and that makes for a pretty slow paced match. Niven winning wasn’t much of a surprise, though there is something in Dawn that could work if they would develop the character a little bit more.

Ilja Dragunov has a shoulder injury and isn’t cleared for tonight. Alexander Wolfe comes up and says that’s a shame because he likes Dragunov. Wolfe will take his match tonight so Dragunov can think about his future.

Video on the Hunt.

Niven wants a title shot but here’s Jinny to say that’s her spot. Jazzy Gabbert jumps Piper from behind to set up a battle of the….what’s the female version of hosses?

Alexander Wolfe vs. Saxon Huxley

The fans give Huxley a Jesus chant as he headlocks Wolfe over. Huxley flips him down for an armbar but Wolfe….takes down Huxley’s kneepad to escape. As Huxley fixes it, Wolfe kicks him in the face to take over for a rather smart heelish move. Something close to a Fujiwara armbar goes on for all of a few seconds so Wolfe suplexes him instead. Wolfe starts stomping on the hand before going to the classic neck crank, followed by another armbar. He’s certainly versatile when he hurts people.

Make that a chinlock, with Huxley loudly shouting no. An enziguri staggers Huxley but he’s right back with a Thesz press minus the press. A dropkick puts Wolfe into the corner and the fans are actually standing to cheer for Huxley. Wolfe avoids a pump kick though and snaps off a German suplex. The Batista Bomb finishes Huxley at 7:09.

Rating: C. Huxley is another guy who has one thing going for him and it isn’t anything about what happens once the bell rings. The match was a long form squash for Wolfe, who was a pretty obvious winner. The idea of Dragunov being part of the team to fight Imperium is interesting, but he’s going to need people to fight alongside him.

Ashton Smith is ready to bounce back when the Grizzled Young Veterans come in to mock him for being so far down on the totem pole. Insults are traded so Smith promises to get a partner for a match in the future.

Mike Bird vs. Jack Starz

Or not as Gallus has attacked Starz and drag him down to the ring. They put Bird over as the godfather of Welsh wrestling and list off some of the people he has trained. That includes Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews, so they would like him to send them a message. The beatdown is on with Andrews and Webster running in for the save, but Joe Coffey comes out to take care of the champs. No match of course.

Next week: Jazzy Gabbert vs. Piper Niven.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Tegan Nox

Non-title. Ray takes her into the corner to start and of course we don’t get a clean break. Nox gets in a slap of her own and Ray bails to the floor for a breather. Back in and Nox runs her over again, setting up a high crossbody for two. A departing Ray has to be thrown back in but she gets in a shot to the knee in a rather dastardly move. The seated abdominal stretch doesn’t exactly follow up on the knee but makes Nox scream anyway. Ray rolls her into a kick to the chest for two more as Nox keeps checking her knee.

Now it’s off to the other knee as Nox tries to adjust her brace. A gordbuster of all things gives Ray two but she misses a charge into the post to give Nox a breather. The knee is too banged up at the moment though so it’s a lot of clapping while Nox tries to get up. The slugout goes to Nox and she kicks Ray’s leg out for a change. An enziguri from the apron sets up a Molly Go Round (Nox was mentioned as being a Molly Holly fan) for two but Ray is back up with a superkick.

The Gory Bomb is countered into a rollup for two on Ray and Nox superkicks her for the same. Ray is right back up with a tornado DDT for her own two and it’s off to a guillotine in the middle of the ring. Ever the face, Nox powers up with a spinebuster but Ray puts it right back on. This time Nox manages to get to the rope for the break and busts out a chokeslam of all things.

It takes a little too long for Nox to get up top though and Ray crotches her down, only to get caught in the Canadian Destroyer for another near fall. The Shiniest Wizard gets the same with Ray having to get her foot on the rope. They head to the apron and Nox’s running knee goes into the post to crush the dreams. The Gory Bomb finishes Nox at 13:29.

Rating: B-. The storytelling was strong here and Nox is very good as an underdog face. It’s easy to get into what she’s doing as anyone can sympathize with someone who almost lost their career because they got hurt. Ray was great here by going after the knee and showed a side of herself that she hasn’t done before, which made for a rather good story.

Overall Rating: C-. After everything else this week, it’s almost weird to watch something that was just a show. There was nothing on here that you really needed to see, though it was a good way to reintroduce Nox to the NXT UK audience. Maybe it was just a letdown after everything else but you could skip this week and not miss much.

Results

Piper Niven b. Isla Dawn – Michinoku Driver

Alexander Wolfe b. Saxon Huxley – Sitout powerbomb

Kay Lee Ray b. Tegan Nox – Gory Bomb

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: October 2, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuiness

As big of a night as it is on the other show, this one is huge in its own right with the first full two hour broadcast on USA. The card is completely stacked with three title matches for a new Takeover level show. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but NXT knows how to bring it on the big nights. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is the exclusive brand of wrestling and if that’s what you’re looking for, welcome home (nice touch).

NXT Title: Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and has a broken bone in his wrist. Riddle goes straight for the armbar to start in a smart move but Cole is straight over to the rope. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes give Riddle one and he kicks Cole outside without much effort. Cole is fine enough to hit a jumping kick to the head to stagger Riddle though and Cole sends him into the steps for a bonus.

Back in and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Cole two and we hit the figure four necklock. Riddle fights up and hits some running forearms in the corner, setting up the standing moonsault. That doesn’t connect so Riddle hits a Broton into a running kick to the chest for two. The Final Flash into the fisherman’s buster gets the same and a dead lift German suplex gets the third two.

Riddle puts him in a fireman’s carry but Cole slips down into a Backstabber for the double knockdown. Cole gets smart by stomping on Riddle’s bare feet before superkicking him in the face. Riddle is fine enough to hit a knee before tossing Cole onto the back of his head with a release German suplex. Cole is right back up with the brainbuster onto the knee for two more and they’re both down to a huge NXT chant.

Back up and Riddle kicks him in the face but can’t hit something on the apron. Instead Cole kicks him to the floor but dives into a knee to the face. Back in and the Floating Bro hits knees, setting up Cole’s Panama Sunrise for two more. Another Panama Sunrise is countered into a Bro To Sleep and a powerbomb. Another Floating Bro connects for a very hot two and Riddle is stunned at the kickout.

Riddle tries a flip over the ropes but gets superkicked, setting up the second Panama Sunrise. The Last Shot misses and the Bromission goes on in the middle of the ring. Cole flips back and stacks him up for two, only to get pulled into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s escaped as well and Cole gets in a cast shot, setting up the Last Shot to retain at 13:49.

Rating: B. Good match here, even if some of the submission escapes were a bit of a stretch. What we got was some high enough quality stuff though and the always hot Full Sail crowd helped make it even better. I’m a bit surprised Riddle lost, though I’m certainly not surprised that Cole cheated to win, which protects Riddle enough.

Post match Cole poses….and here’s Finn Balor. He soaks in the cheers and stares Cole down before declaring that as of now, he is NXT.

Shayna Baszler watched Candice LeRae’s match at a house show last week and LeRae isn’t surprised. LeRae is ready to win the title.

Here’s Velveteen Dream, surrounded by an army of women, for a chat on the stage. Dream talks about the experience and how the Undisputed Era tried to steal it. He’s never had a problem with taking on more than one man at a time so he has a challenge for Roderick Strong. If he accepts, the next thing he knows it’s going to be dream over, and a snap takes the lights off.

Next week: Drew Gulak defends the Cruiserweight Title against Lio Rush. The title is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title.

Video on Lio Rush.

Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim

Shirai starts fast and takes it to the floor with a kick to the face staggering Mia. We go picture in picture for a break and come back with Shirai hitting a running dropkick to the side of the head for two, meaning it’s time for some frustration. A flapjack into a handstand double knees to the chest gets two more but Mia is back with a suplex. Some shots to the face and a clothesline give Yim two but some kicks to the chest cut her off.

A 619 into a springboard missile dropkick get two more on Yim, who is right back with Code Blue. Shirai bails to the floor for a suicide dive and we go picture in picture again….which switches to a full commercial and then back to picture in picture again. Anyway we’re back with Yim hitting a superplex for two. Shirai is done with this though and kicks her in the face, setting up the moonsault for the pin at 14:43.

Rating: C+. It was a good, hard hitting match but I still cannot bring myself to care about Mia. I don’t know if it’s the bad nicknames or the character but it’s really not clicking at all. Hopefully this loss seems to indicate that she is going down the card, which almost feels like a relief at this point. She’s not terrible, but I can’t get into anything she does.

The Outsiders are here.

The Street Profits arrived earlier today. Of note: Bianca Belair is mentioned as Montez Ford’s wife, I believe for the first time on television.

Video on Tegan Nox’s injury and long time recovery.

Shane Thorne vs. Johnny Gargano

Johnny teases a kick to the face so Shane goes to the safety of the mat instead. Gargano rolls him up for two and tries the Gargano Escape to send Throne to the ropes. Back from a break with Johnny hitting the rolling kick to the head before sending Thorne outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Johnny tries it again and knocks Throne down in a crash.

The slingshot spear gets two but the slingshot DDT is countered. A Cannonball into a heck of a powerbomb gives Thorne two so he kicks Gargano in the head. That’s fine with Johnny, who snaps off a reverse hurricanrana. The low superkick (ala his half of Meet in the Middle) gives Johnny the pin at 8:53.

Rating: C. Just a match here as it’s almost strange to see Gargano winning a short match instead of some epic. I don’t think anyone was really expecting Thorne to take off as the next big thing so a short match with Gargano was about as good as he was going to get. What we got here was fine enough, though I’m not sure what Gargano can do next.

Women’s Title: Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending. Feeling out process to start with Candice knocking her to the floor. The slingshot dive takes us to an early break and we come back with Candice being knocked off the top. Baszler crushes the arm in the steps and it’s time to crank away back inside. Candice is right back up and hits a DDT onto the apron, setting up the suicide dive to drop Baszler again.

A second and third dive connect as well and Candice heads up top, only to get superplexed right back down as we take another break. Back again with Candice snapping off a German suplex and grabbing her own Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler is out of that in a hurry and grabs her own clutch out of the corner, which is reversed into Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride for two more. The Lionsault misses though and now the real Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Candice flips around a bit and almost breaks it but has to tap at 14:50.

Rating: B-. I am genuinely at a loss for who is supposed to take the title from Baszler. They’re going to have to import some names at this point with Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai being too fresh off of injuries to go to so soon. Rhea Ripley has already had her match so maybe….Toni Storm? Perhaps? I mean is there anyone other than someone from NXT UK?

Stephanie McMahon, Mark Henry and Alundra Blayze are here.

Video on Kushida vs. Walter, which takes place next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch

Dunne nips out of a wristlock to start as they fight over early arm control. Burch avoids having his fingers stomped and reverses an armbar into a quickly broken Crossface attempt. A missed right hand gives us a staredown until Dunne blasts him with a clothesline. Back from a break with Burch getting the better of a slugout as someone is bleeding from somewhere. Dunne hits a Batista Bomb for two but Burch headbutts him into a powerbomb of his own. The top rope hanging DDT gets two but Dunne has had it and snaps the fingers. Dunne grabs the Bitter End for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. Good, hard hitting brawl here as I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of Dunne as a regular wrestler instead of the big specialty star. Burch is very good for a spot like this as he can wrestle against anyone and has good enough matches to keep himself solid despite almost never winning anything.

Post match Dunne poses but Damian Priest runs in and lays him out.

Cole tells the Undisputed Era to forget about Balor and go keep the Tag Team Titles.

We look at the Street Profits winning and losing the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging and Wale raps them to the ring. Dawkins wrestles O’Reilly down to start before running him over with a shoulder. That means an early standoff and the champs bail to the floor. We take a break and come back with Ford getting taken into the champs’ corner. Ford get knocked down so O’Reilly dances a bit, allowing Ford to nip up. That earns him another beating though, including a slingshot hilo to give Fish two.

Some forearms to the face keep Ford down as the heat segment rolls on. Three Amigos give Fish two and it’s a double kick to the chest for two more. We take another break and come back again with Fish kicking Ford down again. Ford finally gets in a Rock Bottom but Fish is right there to pull Dawkins off the apron. Some rolling butterfly suplexes keep Ford in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch.

Ford finally gets out and dives over for the hot tag to Dawkins, who runs through a double kick to the chest. A clothesline drops Fish and Dawkins bulldogs O’Reilly onto him for a cool spot. Everything breaks down and Dawkins’ spear is blocked with a knee to the face, allowing O’Reilly to come off the top onto Dawkins’ knee. The kneebar goes on and Fish adds a guillotine to Ford.

That’s broken up as Ford drives forward for the double escape and everyone is staggered. Ford hits a splash onto Fish’s back but an electric chair is broken up. The champs tease leaving so Ford hits a running flip dive over the post onto all three. Cue Roderick Strong to grab Ford’s foot so Dawkins spears him down. The distraction is enough for the High/Low to retain the titles at 20:06.

Rating: B. These four have chemistry together but it was pretty clear that the Profits were going to be the short term, one time champions. There’s nothing wrong with that and it makes sense to have them lose here. I’m not sure who is next to go after the titles, though Breezango would seem like a logical way to go.

Post match the Era celebrates with Cole coming out to the stage to pose….and here’s Tommaso Ciampa to circle Cole and look at the title. The place goes nuts and singes along with Ciampa’s song as the staredown ends the show. Well he’s the biggest face in the company now. Maybe? Dang it’s cool to have two huge names appear on one night like that.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah they brought the big time atmosphere as they always do and had the wrestling to back it up. What matters most here though is the two major returns as NXT’s main event scene is instantly energized again, which is a place where WWE has a major advantage: with so much talent on all of their rosters, they can swap people in and have fresh matches and moments for years. “Hey here’s a former World Champion who is a god in NXT. Oh and to close out the show, one of the most popular stars NXT has ever seen.” Not bad for two hours and there happened to be an awesome show in between.

Having seen both shows, NXT was a better (though not much better) show but this really isn’t a fair comparison. NXT has a long history, established stories and a far deeper roster with WWE support. Coming into tonight, AEW has about as much total time on air as WWE produces in about two weeks. The comparisons can come in a few months when AEW has gotten its footing, but NXT won by a bit tonight, though you can’t go wrong watching either show.

Results

Adam Cole b. Matt Riddle – Last Shot

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Moonsault

Johnny Gargano b. Shane Thorne – Low superkick

Shayna Baszler b. Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch

Pete Dunne b. Danny Burch – Bitter End

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: September 25, 2019
Location: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

This taping almost has to be coming to an end right? It feels like we’ve been on this same taping cycle forever now and that doesn’t seem to be changing. Last week saw Kassius Ohno defeat Sid Scala in a British Rounds match and that means….well not much actually, but it was good stuff. This week it’s Noam Dar vs. Trent Seven, which is an upgrade for one and a downgrade for the other. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Moustache Mountain came to work earlier today.

Oliver Carter vs. Ligero

We hit the double arm crank for a bit until Carter slips out and kicks Ligero in the horn. An overhead belly to belly sets up another kick to the head for two, followed by a Lionsault for the same. Ligero is right back up with a monkey flip into the corner though and a springboard Stunner rocks Carter again. C4L finishes Carter at 5:26.

Rating: C. I don’t know what the deal is with Carter as they built him up as someone of note and then he loses his first two matches clean. I’d assume they have something planned for him and if that’s the case then fine, but it’s quite the odd way to go to start with him. Then again, it’s not like he was that interesting in the first place.

Walter showed up at the UK Performance Center and yelled at some trainees for not working hard enough. Some of them practiced a bit so Walter chopped them down for laughing. That’s why he’s going to be the champion forever: there is no future around here.

Starting next week: NXT UK is on Thursdays. That’s quite the relief as there was no need to pack in so much stuff on one day when Thursday was sitting there empty.

Here’s Tyler Bate for the first time since Takeover. The fans are rather pleased and sing about him in approval. Takeover was one of the hardest nights of his career and it wasn’t just because of the beating from Walter or not leaving as champion. It was because he felt like he had left the fans down, which earns him a NO chant. He’s far from finished around here though….and here’s Jordan Devlin to interrupt.

Yeah Bate worked hard at Takeover but it didn’t impress Devlin. Why was he on the sidelines at Takeover while Bate failed miserably? Everyone knows Devlin is the only man around here who can beat Walter and he would be United Kingdom Champion if he had the shot at Takeover. Bate may be big and strong but he’s a boy instead of a man. The fight is almost on but Devlin bails instead.

Video on Tegan Nox’s impressive start to her WWE career, which was then cut short by her second horrible knee injury. Rehab was hard but now she’s back and facing Kay Lee Ray next week.

Nina Samuels vs. Dani Luna

Luna is a Welsh wrestler who gets a rather strong reaction. A wristlock doesn’t work well on Luna as she powers out but Nina takes her down and punches away. Nina gets two off a Hennig Neck Snap and dropkicks her in the back for two. We hit the cross arm choke and Nina adds some trash talk for flavor. That’s broken up and Dani gets in a deadlift suplex, but the shaken up Nina kicks her in the head. Luna’s fall away slam gets two but Nina kicks her in the face and grabs the Final Act for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: D+. The fans were behind Luna but it’s clear that she has a long way to go. Nina is an interesting case as it was clear they wanted to push her but she somehow feels like a throwback to the early days of NXT UK (if such a thing exists) as the promotion has come a long way in a short amount of time. Nina can get back to the important part of the card, but it might take some tweaking.

Next week: Isla Dawn vs. Piper Niven.

Noam Dar vs. Trent Seven

Dar goes straight to the ropes for a delay before going to the hair to take over with a wristlock. A nearly clean break has Dar raving about the lack of a clean break so he headlocks Trent down and pulls on the moustache. They take turns sending each other into the ropes until Seven hits a crossbody for two. Dar goes back to the beard before crotching Seven on top to really take over. The middle rope clothesline drops Seven again and Dar sends him upside down into the ropes for a crash to the floor.

Back in and Seven makes his comeback with some forearms, only to get uppercutted right back down. Seven is fine enough to chop away and hit a DDT to really stun Dar. A twisting corkscrew misses so Seven punches him in the face. The Seven Star Lariat connects for two though and they’re both down. Dar is right back up with a shot to the face and another to the back of the head, but he stops to mess with Seven’s towel. This includes putting it down his trunks and that’s too much for Seven, who unloads on him for the DQ at 9:28.

Rating: C. It’s nice to have Seven back and as usual, Dar is a lot easier to hate when he stays in the ring being a jerk than when he runs his mouth backstage. He really isn’t the most interesting guy, but he keeps coming back onto my good side every now and then, which is a lot better than some people. Just be consistent and we might be able to get somewhere with him.

Post match Dar escapes and smiles to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. While not bad, this was a completely skippable show with almost nothing going on save for the setup for what could be a good Bate vs. Devlin match. They didn’t have a lot of the big names here and it was showing badly, which isn’t the best kind of show as a result. It wasn’t awful, though just not much that you need to see.

Results

Ligero b. Oliver Carter – C4L

Nina Samuels b. Dani Luna – Final Act

Noam Dar b. Trent Seven via DQ when Seven attacked in the ropes

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: September 25, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

Well it was a good run while it lasted, but things have to come to an end at some point. This will be the last week that the show is split between USA and the WWE Network. Therefore, this week’s show is going to be setting up next week’s two hour USA debut and that means we should be in for the usual big night. The big announced match is Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in a street fight to crown a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, including HHH in the crowd leading an NXT chant and the Undisputed Era holding all of the titles.

The Undisputed Era is above the announcers’ booth.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

They miss strikes to start, including Lee missing a spinning kick to the face. Just to show off, Lee leapfrogs him and hits a crossbody to crush Dijakovic. A big shoulder sends Dijakovic to the apron and they fight over a suplex with neither being able to get anywhere. Dijakovic pulls him to the apron for a chokeslam (THUD) and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a one handed spinebuster and some overhand chops to the chest. Dijakovic looks at him and gets sent head first into the buckle. That means a slingshot corkscrew dive and somehow Dijakovic isn’t a splat on the floor. Back in and Lee can’t muscle him up for a suplex, though thankfully Dijakovic manages to turn it into a small package attempt.

Back up and Lee elbows him in the head over and over, setting up a middle rope moonsault for two. Lee takes it to the top but Dijakovic reverses into a super Canadian Destroyer for two, followed by his own moonsault for two more as Lee just sits up for the cover. The Limit Breaker finishes Dijakovic at 12:35.

Rating: B. This is one of those pairings that just works no matter what they do. Those spots were making my eyes open up and that’s the kind of thing you don’t get to do very often. Both guys are looking awesome from these matches and I’m sure there will be one more match, possibly next week even, and I can more than go for that.

We look back at Candice LeRae becoming #1 contender and getting in a staredown with Shayna Baszler.

We look back at last week’s wild brawl to end the show. William Regal had to break it up and made Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in another street fight for the #1 contendership tonight.

The Street Profits promise to get their titles back next week.

Dakota Kai vs. Taynara

This is Kai’s big return after destroying her knee. Taynara on the other hand has lost her last name. Kai kicks her in the face to start and goes up, only to get crotched down. Taynara gets in a kick, a judo throw and another kick for two as Kai is in trouble. That doesn’t last long as Kai hits a kick to the face and an ax kick to the back. Some Kawada kicks have Taynara in more trouble, followed by the running kick to the face in the corner. The GTK finishes Taynara at 2:42. Kai looked good in a limited capacity here and hopefully they give her the push that she never got before.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

Street fight and the winner gets Cole for the NXT Title at some point. They go straight for the strikes but Riddle can’t get a cross armbreaker. He can however German suplex Dain for two so the big guy heads outside. A running forearm off the steps rocks Dain and we take a break.

Back with Dain choking in the corner until Riddle scores with a knee to the face. An exploder suplex sends Dain flying and the Broton connects. A Penalty Kick gets two but Dain is right back with a powerbomb for two. Riddle is fine enough to hit an Alabama Slam into the Floating Bro for another near fall.

Back up and Dain sends him outside for a suicide dive, followed by the pelting of a chair to the shoulder. They head into the crowd with Riddle hitting some kicks but it’s a crossbody through a wooden wall to crush both of them. Back from another break with Riddle hitting a Broton off the bleachers through another table. A bunch of kicks to the face and chest have Dain in trouble and they head back inside for a slingshot Broton.

Dain is fine enough to crossbody a chair onto Riddle to take over. Three straight Vader Bombs (how Dain beat him in the first match) get two but a fourth attempt with a chair is blocked with a chair shot to Dain’s back. The Final Flash knee into the chair into Dain’s head gets two and Riddle hammers away with shots to the head. What looked to be a low blow doesn’t seem to stop Riddle as he grabs a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 20:29.

Rating: B. What else were you expecting here? They beat each other up for twenty minutes here and Riddle gets to slay the dragon to set up the title match. The title match is next week but it would make sense to let it be the big main event in a few weeks instead of cramming it onto an already stacked show. Either way, very good showing here and Dain can be a monster again at almost any time.

Post match here’s Cole to shout at Riddle, who armbars him as well. The Undisputed Era runs out so Riddle bails.

Over on the WWE Network now and we look at more replays from the street fight. That’s a good idea as the fans need some time to switch platforms.

Rhea Ripley vs. Kayden Carter

Carter explodes at the bell so Ripley runs her over with a dropkick for two. The delayed vertical suplex gets the same and Ripley forearms her in the head. A hurricanrana sends Ripley down and Carter runs the corner for a several springboard hurricanrana. Carter’s low superkick gets two but Ripley is back up with Riptide at 2:37. They packed a TON into this and it was a blast in such a short amount of time.

Ever Rise vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

That would be 3.0 under what seems to be their official name. Martel takes Lorcan down to start as Mauro clarifies that there is no relation to Rick the Model. Parker comes in and gets headlocked down by Burch before handing it back to Lorcan for a double Russian legsweep. With the referee yelling at Burch, Martel sneaks in and throws Lorcan outside so the villains can take over.

A snap suplex gets two on Lorcan and we hit the armbar. Lorcan gets knocked down again and Martel takes him down with a backbreaker. A northern lariat connects but Parker runs into Martel by mistake, allowing Burch to come in and clean house. Burch and Lorcan get very fired up and the assisted elevated DDT finishes Martel at 6:28.

Rating: C+. Nice hard hitting match here with Burch and Lorcan being fine for an upper midcard team who isn’t likely to win the titles. However, in NXT that means they very well may get them some day and it would work well enough. I liked what we saw here and Ever Rise (bad name) was working as well.

Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo are here.

Raul Mendoza vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes goes for the standing double stomp at the bell again but gets caught in a wristlock instead. A quick hurricanrana takes Grimes down and it’s a springboard headlock takeover to show off a bit. Back up and Grimes gets in his cool counter to a crossbody into a powerslam for two of his own. Grimes whips him hard into the corner and grabs the armbar to keep Mendoza down.

Back up and Grimes gets two off a Superman punch before it’s right back to the armbar. Mendoza fights to his feet and hits a running knee to set up a missile dropkick. A cartwheel kick staggers Grimes on top and a springboard hurricanrana gets two. Grimes is back up and hits the standing double stomp for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. The abundance of armbars got a little annoying here but Grimes continues to be miles ahead of what he was doing back in Impact. He has a certain charisma to him and that stomp is a solid finisher. Mendoza is still one of the smoothest people on the roster and what we got here was even more proof.

Kushida/???/??? vs. Imperium

Kushida needs partners to face the team (minus Walter) and he has…..Breezango, which is an interesting choice. Aichner sends Kushida into the corner to start but gets hiptossed into the basement dropkick for two. A blind tag lets Imperium get in the triple teaming, with Breezango only coming in for the save once it’s down to one on one. Fandango comes in for two off a sunset flip and a double boot to the head gets two on Barthel.

Breeze has to fight out of the wrong corner but a little misdirection lets Barthel throw him outside. An elbow to the face puts Breeze in trouble and Wolfe comes in for a chinlock. A backbreaker gives Wolfe two and double dropkicks in the corner have Breeze on the floor again. Fans: “NOT THE FACE!” The chinlock doesn’t last long as Breeze backdrops Barthel to the floor but Kushida and Fandango are pulled to the floor before the hot tag can connect.

Breeze manages an enziguri and now the hot tag brings in Fandango. Everything breaks down and Fandango sends everyone to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and Kushida’s cross armbreaker is broken up so he kicks Aichner and Wolfe to the floor. The handspring elbow is blocked by an uppercut to the head but an O’Connor roll with a bridge pins Barthel at 11:09.

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit of a surprise though it’s a good idea to give Kushida the pin and set him up as a bigger challenger for Walter later on. Kushida has been doing some good things around here but hasn’t had the big moment to get him over the hump so maybe this can help him. Breezango continue to be a lot more motivated down here than on the main roster and can you blame them in the slightest?

Post match Kushida celebrates but Walter kicks him in the head. Imperium poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m glad the split format is already gone as it was weird to see the weird double episode thing. Dain vs. Riddle was a rather fun match and they kept the rest of the show moving fast enough to make the show work. I liked it better than last week, though next week is what matters more than anything else. AEW is going to draw in a lot of fans, but they have their work cut out for them.

Results

Keith Lee b. Dominick Dijakovic – Limit Breaker

Dakota Kai b. Taynara – GTK

Matt Riddle b. Killian Dain – Fujiwara armbar

Rhea Ripley b. Kayden Carter – Riptide

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan b. Ever Rise – Assisted elevated DDT to Martel

Cameron Grimes b. Raul Mendoza – Standing double stomp

Kushida/Breezango b. Imperium – Rollup to Barthel

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: September 18, 2019
Location: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to go full British here as Sid Scala faces Kassius Ohno in a British Rounds match. This could make for something interesting while also giving this place a signature match, which it hasn’t had so far. I’m curious to see how WWE runs something like this as it could range from really bad to a pleasant surprise. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Ohno defeating Scala on a moment’s notice, so Scala is now prepared and in a match of his choice.

Opening sequence.

Travis Banks vs. Tyson T-Bone

Banks takes him straight into the corner for an early stomping and some running shots to the face to make it even worse. T-Bone uses the size advantage to crush Banks and damage the ribs, meaning it’s time to punch said ribs over and over. We hit the chinlock on Banks, followed by the slingshot suplex to get back to the ribs. Banks is fine enough to hit a knee to the floor, setting up the required suicide dive. T-Bone is right back with a German suplex out of the corner to counter the Slice of Heaven. Back up and T-Bone tries another suplex, only to get reversed into a small package to give Banks the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C-. Banks continues to seem to be the guy who should be rocketing up the card but he never gets there. He clearly has talent but doesn’t seem ready to move up to the next level for whatever reason. T-Bone looks great but is more about being a jobber to the stars around here, which they have to have.

Toni Storm’s whereabouts aren’t clear yet but Gallus comes in to say this is their kingdom.

Rhea Ripley vs. Debbie Keitel

Keitel is from Ireland and has only been wrestling for two years. A waistlock just annoys Ripley so she sends Keitel into the corner. For some reason Keitel thinks it’s a good idea to slap Ripley in the face so it’s Riptide to finish Keitel at 1:25. Well that worked.

Post match Ripley says it’s time to get her NXT UK Women’s Title match. There is no one like her around here so here are Jinny and Jazzy Gabbert to interrupt. Jinny insults Rhea’s look, saying it all belongs in the past. The present is right here though so the brawl is on, with Rhea kicking Jazzy off the apron before anything can really start.

Trent Seven arrived earlier and Noam Dar annoyed him with a bullhorn. The fight almost started but referees broke it up.

Joseph Conners vs. Kenny Williams

The always serious Conners sends him into the corner to start and gets two off a hard clothesline. Williams gets his own two off a sunset flip before firing off some elbows to the face. A hard whip into the corner has Williams in trouble again as Conners talks to himself, which apparently is now his thing. Williams comes back with a jawbreaker and some chops, followed by the springboard back elbow to the face. A wheelbarrow faceplant gets two more with Conners rolling to the apron. Conners snaps the rope into Williams’ chest and Don’t Look Down is good for the pin at 5:12 to an almost creepy silence.

Rating: D+. Yeah this was another Conners match, though I guess talking to himself is better than fighting the rookies in a company that is about a year old. The match wasn’t terrible but Williams is better than this and Conners is just not interesting in any definition of the word. I don’t know what they see in him but he doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Video on Cesaro vs. Ilja Dragunov from Takeover. Cesaro says Dragunov brought it and you should keep watching him (Dragunov).

Oliver Carter is back for his first win next week. YEAH MAN (his words).

Kay Lee Ray is ready for Tegan Nox in two weeks.

Next week: Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar.

Sid Scala vs. Kassius Ohno

This is a British Rounds match, meaning we have six three minute rounds. You win with two pinfalls or submissions, one knockout, or being ahead on falls at the end of the final round. The fans are rather behind Sid here, even as Ohno takes him down by the arm. A headlock has Ohno in more control as Nigel has a ball listing off various British wrestlers of rounds fame. The chinlock keeps Scala down before it’s off to an ankle crank. Scala reverses into one of his own but the first round ends to break things up.

After a thirty second break, Scala starts the second round with a cravate but Ohno spins out to give us a standoff. Ohno starts cranking on both arms but Scala slips out again. A few rollups get two but the second round ends with a kickout. The third round begins with Ohno using the size to hold Scala down but some knees to the ribs get him out of trouble. That’s fine with Ohno, who hits the rolling elbow to earn the first fall at 1:30 of the third round.

Scala is rocked and can barely stand as round four begins, apparently with the other minute and a half being dropped due to the fall. Ohno slams him down and Scala has some trouble getting back up. That’s fine with Ohno, who grabs a cravate and drops a knee to keep Scala down. Scala slugs away but it’s another big forearm to put him down again. Ohno grabs another cravate and headbutts him to end the fourth round. Scala can barely get to his feet during the rest period so Ohno is very happy to start the fifth round.

The abdominal stretch goes on, followed by a chinlock but Scala comes back with some knees to the head. Back in and Ohno misses an elbow, followed by a backsplash hitting raised knees. Ohno is in trouble as the sixth and final round begins so Scala dives at him and hammers away in the corner. The size is just too much though and Ohno grabs a Regal roll for two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Ohno BLASTS him in the back of the head with a forearm. An electric chair is countered into a victory roll for two, followed by a crucifix for the same. Ohno kicks him in the head with twenty seconds left but gets caught in a backslide for two as time expires at 20:02 (counting the breaks so well done on keeping the time close), meaning Ohno wins one fall to nothing.

Rating: B. This match is not going to work for everyone (meaning fans or wrestlers) but I got into it a lot more than I expected to. Not only did they have a story here with Ohno being the bully but they sucked me into the drama at the end. Throw in Scala as a rather good underdog and the match did exactly what it was supposed to. It’s not something that would work every week or that I would want to see very often, but if you make it someone’s gimmick or a special attraction, it could work rather well.

Scala is upset to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of those shows that had a lot of different things to offer, which often makes the show that much better. I liked the show well enough and the whole thing went by rather quickly. As usual, it’s a good idea to focus on things other than the major title, which is what they did here. Nice show, with a main event that may or may not be your taste.

Results

Travis Banks b. Tyson T-Bone – Small package

Rhea Ripley b. Debbie Keitel – Riptide

Joseph Conners b. Kenny Williams – Don’t Look Down

Kassius Ohno b. Sid Scala – 1-0

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:

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