NXT – March 11, 2020: Change Of Scenery

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: March 11, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

It’s a special episode this week as we’re in the Performance Center instead of at Full Sail due to an event at the university. We’re getting ready for Takeover, assuming the show stays on the schedule given the Coronavirus. Either way, we’re in for some good stuff on the way to the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

The arena looks great and other than the PERFORMANCE CENTER sign, you wouldn’t know it wasn’t Full Sail.

North American Title: Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes is challenging and tries for a leg pick to start. That’s blocked with straight power and Lee isn’t all that impressed. An Irish whip doesn’t work for Grimes either so he hits Lee in the face, only to get knocked hard out to the floor. Lee follows him out but Grimes escapes the powerbomb by grabbing the ropes and stomps him in the face for a unique counter.

The suicide dive is pulled out of the air though and Lee nods at him before trying the powerbomb again. Grimes grabs the rope again so Lee knocks his leg out this time instead. Back in and Grimes’ hat is knocked off the post but a superplex is broken up. Grimes nails a high crossbody but can’t cover off the impact.

Back from a break with Lee powering out of a waistlock and crushing Lee with a crossbody. The Spirit Bomb is escaped and Grimes hits the Superman forearm. A superkick rocks Lee and Grimes kicks him in the head again. There’s a rather impressive bridging German suplex to give Grimes two and he slips out of the Spirit Bomb again. Not that it matters as the Pounce sets up the Big Bang Catastrophe to retain the title at 11:57.

Rating: B-. Grimes got to show off here and Lee was on his usual ridiculous level. It was nice to see Lee switching things up a bit and fighting a smaller opponent rather than the usual monsters. What we had here was good, though I’m still curious about what we’ll be seeing at Takeover. Maybe it means another Lee vs. Dijakovic match, but you never can tell.

Post match here’s Damian Priest to jump Lee with a pipe. Dominick Dijakovic runs him off and helps Lee up but Lee powerbombs him instead. It isn’t clear if Lee saw that it was Priest who jumped him.

The #1 contenders ladder match at Takeover will be a six way. I don’t think the number had been confirmed until now.

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim

Kai has Raquel Gonzalez in her corner. Yim kicks her down to start and grabs some early near falls but Kai is back up with a slap to the face. That earns her a running basement dropkick and Yim hammers away for two. Gonzalez trips Yim down though and drops her onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Yim getting in a shot to the knee, plus a superkick to the jaw. A running neckbreaker gives Yim two but Kai sends her throat first into the middle rope. The Kairopractor gets two so Kai goes with the Kawada kicks, only to get rolled up for two more. Kai’s running boot in the corner misses so Yim powerbombs her out of the corner. Gonzalez breaks up the pin so the referee yells at her, meaning there’s no count off Kai’s rollup. Yim Codebreakers Kai for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: C. Yim winning here was a surprise as Kai has been a much bigger deal as of late. That being said, there are still four spots to be filled in and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kai get one of them. Gonzalez is a good enforcer though I’m not sure what she is going to be able to do on her own. She’s fine at the moment though and doesn’t need to mix things up just yet.

Post match Gonzalez powerbombs Yim to leave her laying. Yim gets a big ovation as she gets up. Off a single powerbomb? Really?

Tommaso Ciampa arrives and doesn’t think much of doing things Johnny Gargano’s way tonight.

We get another creepy video of various signs of destruction, including the words “tick tock”.

Kushida vs. Raul Mendoza

They go straight to the forearm exchange to start until Mendoza dropkicks him into the corner. A springboard is knocked out of the air though and Kushida hits a springboard flip dive to the floor. Back in and Mendoza grabs a swinging suplex to put him down, setting up a Lionsault for two. Kushida scores with a Tajiri elbow but a rolling DDT is blocked. Instead Kushida hiptosses him down into a basement dropkick (ala Jay Lethal) before going up. Mendoza is right there to catch him so Kushida grabs the Hoverboard Lock up there. With that broken up, Kushida flips him down into a cross armbreaker for the win at 4:00.

Rating: C+. I’ve been a Kushida fan for a long time and while he’s nowhere near what he was in New Japan, at least he got to show up here and win a match for a change. Mendoza continues to be one of the best hands in the whole company as you can put him out there against anyone and get at least a watchable match. That’s a very valuable thing to have on your roster and why Mendoza appears on so many shows.

Tyler Breeze was at the Performance Center earlier today and talks about how the Performance Center built the wrestlers. Austin Theory comes in to say he used to watch Breeze on Breaking Ground when he was in high school. Breeze doesn’t seem impressed so he takes a picture of Theory. Breeze: “You look great, for a flash in the pan.”

Here’s Rhea Ripley for a chat. She isn’t going to be intimidated by Charlotte because she loves the idea of knocking the Queen down. Cue Charlotte (fans: “YOU DON’T GO HERE!”) to say that Rhea has guts….and there’s a GO BACK TO RAW chant. Charlotte doesn’t think the bright lights or 80,000 people in the stands are going to distract Ripley.

It’s going to be Charlotte that takes Ripley out of her game because she’s going to take Ripley into deep waters. Charlotte gets in the ring and the fight is on in a hurry, with Charlotte kicking her in the face (painful considering those heels are tall enough to ride the scrambler at the fair) and putting on the Hartbreaker around the post. That’s probably your story of the match.

Video on Walter vs. Finn Balor. Finn holds up a passport, suggesting that he’s coming to NXT UK.

Mia Yim is in the parking lot when a car drives up. Two masked men jump out and kidnap Raul Mendoza. Probably the same guys who kidnapped Samoa Joe in TNA about ten years ago.

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Tegan Nox vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Nox has a bad shoulder coming in so Purrazzo goes right after it. A takedown by the arm gets two but Nox sends her into the corner for the Cannonboar. Purrazzo is right back with a bicycle kick into the Fujiwara armbar but Nox reverses into a crucifix for two. The Shiniest Wizard finishes Purrazzo at 2:27.

The Undisputed Era comes out for a match but hold on though as here’s Velveteen Dream in the crow’s nest. Dream holds up the tights with Strong’s family on the, saying they’re just tights and Strong is just dumber than he looks. He wants a title shot at Takeover but Cole says he hasn’t earned anything. Didn’t Dream lose last week inside that cage? Next week, Cole is officially the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time so they can end this tonight. Dream snaps his fingers though and it’s time for a match.

Tag Team Titles: Broserweights vs. Undisputed Era

Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish are challenging for the Era and the rest of the team is at ringside. Riddle and Fish start things off and I try to keep the song out of my head. Fish gets slammed down in a hurry and Riddle does a bit of a dance. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the champs hit stereo gutwrench suplexes to send us to a break. Back with Riddle kicking at O’Reilly’s chest and forearming at his head, only to get sent to the apron.

A Fish distraction lets O’Reilly get in a kick to the face to knock Riddle outside. We settle down to Riddle in trouble and not being able to strike his way to freedom. Fish’s slingshot hilo gets two and it’s a double suplex to start on the back. Riddle shrugs off some kicks though and it’s off to Dunne to clean house. That includes taking out O’Reilly’s leg and X Plexing him into a failed Cross armbreaker attempt.

Instead it’s a triangle choke to send Fish straight into the ropes and outside, allowing Riddle to nail a big running flip dive onto the Era. Strong and Cole try to interfere again but get ejected, with Riddle miming all the cheating that they did. We take a break and come back with Dunne blocking another hilo and making the second hot tag to Riddle. More striking abounds, plus a pair of Brotons for two.

Everything breaks down and the champs flip out of stereo German suplexes so they can kick the Era in the heads. We settle down to Fish escaping the Bro to Sleep but walking into the Final Flash. A blind tag lets O’Reilly come in with a top rope knee to the ribs for two with Dunne making his own save. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans as Riddle knees Fish again. The referee is with the Veterans though, meaning it’s a backdrop to send Fish onto the two of them. That leaves O’Reilly to get kneed in the head, setting up the Bro To Sleep/enziguri combination to retain the titles at 20:01.

Rating: B. Another good match between these four, which isn’t all that surprising. All four can do the striking and the champs have that weird chemistry that you just stumble upon from time to time. That’s the kind of thing you can’t build up and NXT is capitalizing on it as they should. Solid back and forth match here, with the Veterans waiting in the wings for the Broserweights.

Here’s Tommaso Ciampa, who wants to know why Johnny Gargano did everything he did. Gargano pops up on screen to talk about how horrible of a person Johnny is, but since Ciampa knows the building well, he storms to the back and the fight is on. They fight down the hallway with Ciampa hitting him with a framed poster. It heads into the medical area with both guys beating up other people to keep the fight going.

Gargano throws him through the window of the gym door and they fight into the exercise equipment, with Gargano throwing him over a big tire. Gargano grabs a weight but Ciampa kicks it away and grabs some smaller ones. He THROWS them at Gargano but destroys a mirror instead, sending Gargano down another hall. They finally make it into the arena and Ciampa hits a running chair shot to the side of the head.

Gargano is back up though and they go up to the crow’s nest with Ciampa following him. They slug it out up there with Gargano pulling him into the Gargano Escape. The referee gets knocked down and Gargano superkicks Ciampa, who pops right back up with the Air Raid Crash off the balcony and through the announcers’ table to end the show. This was a lot of fun as they used their environment, which isn’t something you get to see them do very often. I know the two of them have done this to death, but sweet goodness they can take it to another level at times.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this one rather well as, aside from the big main event angle, there was nothing that would suggest that this was anything more than a regular Full Sail show. It was another solid episode as the focus shifts towards Takeover, though right now everything seems up in the air. The good thing is they might just be able to do the show at the Performance Center or Full Sail if necessary, but dang things are all over the place at the moment. Anyway, rather awesome show this week as NXT gets going towards Tampa.

Results

Keith Lee b. Cameron Grimes – Big Bang Catastrophe

Mia Yim b. Dakota Kai – Codebreaker

Kushida b. Raul Mendoza – Cross armbreaker

Tegan Nox b. Deonna Purrazzo – Shiniest Wizard

Broserweights b. Undisputed Era – Bro to Sleep/enziguri combination to O’Reilly

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/

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NXT UK – March 5, 2020: How It Should Have Gone

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: March 5, 2020
Location: York Barbican, York, England
Commentators: Aiden English, Tom Phillips

It’s time to get serious around here again with Walter defending the United Kingdom Title against Dave Mastiff. This might not be the most suspenseful title match in the world but they have done a good job of making Mastiff into a big deal where a win over him will mean a little something for Walter. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Walter vs. Mastiff, including Mastiff dropping the champ with one right hand because Walter’s power advantage won’t be here this time.

Opening sequence.

Travis Banks vs. Alexander Wolfe

Banks hits a running knee to the floor and a suicide dive takes Wolfe down in the first ten seconds. Back in and the Slice of Heaven is elbowed out of the air, allowing Wolfe to take his jacket off. A dropkick gives Wolfe two and we’re onto the chinlock to keep Banks in trouble. Banks fights up and dropkicks him into the corner, setting up a hard kick to the chest from the apron.

More kicks to the chest have Wolfe in trouble but he’s right back with a swinging suplex. Wolfe’s German suplex gets two more but Banks gets in his own suplex. They fight to the apron and Banks gets to the middle rope for a kick to the chest, knocking both of them outside. Wolfe is fine enough to hit a hanging DDT onto the floor for two back inside, followed by a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C+. Banks is a weird case as he never seems to get as high up as he should be going. I’m not sure what is slowing him down but it’s kind of disappointing to see someone like him not be able to get over the hump. Then there’s Wolfe, who is proving to be a bit more than the lower singles member of Imperium, which is a bit surprising.

Eddie Dennis talks about how he went from being a principal to a wrestler. He has a mathematics degree and it takes a certain intellect to manipulate the mind.

Video on the tag team division.

Ridge Holland vs. Saxon Huxley

Huxley pounds away in the corner but gets caught in an early suplex. Back to back Northern Grits finish Huxley at 1:18. Holland looked awesome.

Jordan Devlin says he’ll be back next week.

Aoife Valkyrie vs. Isla Dawn

They fight over a wristlock to start and Valkyrie gets a few near falls off some rollups. A monkey flip lets Valkyrie put her down for two and they go into the pinfall reversal sequence. Valkyrie misses the big kick though as Dawn drops into the splits. Dawn powers her into the corner to get out of something like a Kimura, setting up a Meteora for two. Valkyrie gets in a kick to the face though and the top rope ax kick is good for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have much time and while Valkyrie continues to look dominant, she isn’t looking like a star most of the time. Maybe she needs some adjustments, but I haven’t seen the big moment from here that makes me think there’s something special there. Then again she has had a handful of matches around here so maybe she just needs some more time.

Ligero is annoyed that Noam Dar has been talking about him on social media. People need to come to him face to face and Dar will have the chance next week. Maybe it would help if you took the mask off dude.

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Dave Mastiff

Walter is defending and takes Mastiff into the corner, only to have the chop blocked. Mastiff gets two off a running crossbody and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. The sleeper doesn’t work on Mastiff so Walter kicks him in the face. A powerbomb doesn’t work either so Mastiff sits on his chest. Walter gets German suplexed into the corner but he cuts off the Into The Void attempt with a dropkick.

Another big boot has less effect as Mastiff is up for the big slugout, with Walter getting the better of things. The top rope splash misses though and Mastiff hits a rebound German suplex. A Regal Roll gets two and Into The Void connects for the same. Mastiff gets knocked off the top but is fine enough to hit a big forearm. Walter goes to the throat though and finally manages a powerbomb to retain at 7:59.

Rating: B. The ending wasn’t in doubt and that was cemented as soon as Into The Void got two but I have a great time with this. They didn’t both with anything more than having two big guys trade hard shots until one of them couldn’t get up. It wasn’t supposed to be some long, drawn out classic with a bunch of drama and they didn’t go anywhere near something like that.

Overall Rating: B-. Another good episode this week with the big main event (big for between Takeovers that is) and some other nice stuff underneath. Walter vs. Finn Balor is going to be awesome in Ireland though and a title change isn’t completely out of the question. You can see the card coming together from here and after the most recent Takeover around here, that’s rather appealing.

Results

Alexander Wolfe b. Travis Banks – Sitout powerbomb

Ridge Holland b. Saxon Huxley – Northern Grit

Aoife Valkyrie b. Isla Dawn – Top rope ax kick

Walter b. Dave Mastiff – Powerbomb

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

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NXT – March 4, 2020: Where’s Your Mama Mia Now?

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: March 4, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

It’s a big night around here with a pair of steel cage matches. First up Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai are in for a big fight, as Nox is still out for revenge after Kai attacked her back in November. Other than that, we have Roderick Strong vs. Velveteen Dream in a heck of a grudge match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Mauro previews the show.

Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai

Inside a cage with Raquel Gonzalez in Kai’s corner. Nox slugs away to start and takes Kai down to hammer her upside the head. The Shiniest Wizard misses but Kai can’t send her into the cage. A middle rope crossbody isn’t even worthy of a cover and Nox pounds away even more. Kai sends her into the corner though and chokes with a boot, followed by a ram into the cage for two.

Nox is back up and hits some running shots in the corner, onto to have the Cannonboar (yes Boar) hit knees. We take a break and come back with Nox sending Kai into the cage over and over, much to the fans’ delight. A tabletop suplex gives Nox two but Kai is back with the Kairopractor for her own two. Kai gets evil and goes after Nox’s knee brace but Nox kicks her away. It’s time for the climb, with Kai catching her on top, only to get chokeslammed right back down.

Instead of leaving, Nox climbs back down and hits the Cannonboar. Nox goes all the way up again and this time it’s a high crossbody of the cage. Nigel says that was a 20 foot drop, putting Kai at about 8’4. It’s time to go for the door but Gonzalez holds it shut, only to have Kai miss a running kick and knock the door into Gonzalez’s head. The Shiniest Wizard connects for two and Nox is STUNNED.

Gonzalez tries to come in this time but Nox kicks her in the face. Kai chases Nox up top so Nox kicks her down as well. Nox tries to climb down so Gonzalez tries to pull Kai out. That’s fine with Nox, who kicks the door onto Kai’s knee but Gonzales pins her against the cage with the door. The delay lets Kai escape at 16:10.

Rating: B-. The interference got annoying because the stipulation was built around the idea of Gonzalez not being able to interfere. Then she just did anyway, making the cage a rather pointless detail. There’s a good chance they do this one more time, perhaps in a ladder match in the tournament final at Takeover?

Finn Balor thanks Walter for sending Imperium to make the first move. That forced his hand and Walter will see him sooner than he thinks.

Rhea Ripley was in Raymond James Stadium (home of Wrestlemania XXXVI) and talks about how cool it is to have an NXT Title on the line. She started wrestling in front of 50-100 people and now she’s here. All she ever wanted to do was help people but she needed to find herself first. She changed everything and now she is ready to accomplish what she wanted. People called her a mini Charlotte when she got to WWE and now she wants to beat the real Charlotte.

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Chelsea Green vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Robert Stone introduces Chelsea. Green kicks her away to start but Shotzi takes her down for the Jeff Hardy legdrop between the legs. An enziguri drops Green again but she avoids a charge and gets caught with a Backstabber. Green kicks her in the ribs for two, followed by a missile dropkick to the apron. I’m Prettier (not Unprettier) finishes Blackheart at 2:24. I’m not sure I would have gone with Green over Blackheart for the ladder match. I’m also not sure how many people are going to be in the ladder match, as I thought it was just two but that might not be the case.

Here’s Keith Lee for a chat. After greetings and salutations, Lee talks about men invoking his name, including Dominick Dijakovic, who wants to fight forever. Or people like Damian Priest, who wants to live forever. Cue Cameron Grimes, who says Lee should be talking about him. Lee’s jacket comes off and Grimes has made the gravest mistake of his career.

The fans keep booing Grimes before he can get a word in, until Lee says he’d like to hear this. Apparently William Regal has granted Grimes a title match next week, so Lee shoves him out of the ring. Lee tells him to bring it next week. The fans didn’t like Grimes here.

Austin Theory is ready to win all of the titles but Isaiah Scott comes up to say not so fast. They’ll fight tonight.

The Undisputed Era is warming up.

Undisputed Era vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish here. Fish and Lorcan strike it out to start but everything breaks down in a hurry. The Era is sent outside and Lorcan hits a double Blockbuster off the steps to send us to a break. Back with Fish hitting Lorcan in the face again and having to throw in some knees to cut off the comeback attempt. Fish’s slingshot hilo hits raised knees though and it’s off to Burch to slug away. An RKO drops O’Reilly but Fish comes back in with a blindside shot to the face.

Burch gets beaten up in the corner and the chinlock goes on. That lasts as long as you might expect and it’s Burch getting up for a shot to the face. O’Reilly misses a big kick to the head though and Burch dives over for the hot tag. Lorcan comes in and gets to clean house, including a running Blockbuster to send O’Reilly outside. The big running dive over the top takes down Fish and O’Reilly and Lorcan takes him them back inside for running elbows in the corner. That’s not a good idea against the Era though as they come back with the High/Low to finish Lorcan at 11:50.

Rating: B. Burch and Lorcan are great gatekeepers as they can have good matches against anyone and make their opponents look good. The Era is in a weird place at the moment though as they’ve held the titles for the better part of ever and there’s no need for them to do so again. That being said, what else is there for them to do at the moment?

Post match the Era says they want their titles back. Adam Cole is taking care of business and tonight Roderick Strong is shutting up Velveteen Dream. Cue the Broserweights with Matt Riddle saying they’re down with a rematch. The Grizzled Young Veterans jump them from behind and throw the Broserweights off the stage. The Veterans don’t want to hear about rematch clauses because they’re going to be the Tag Team Champions.

Video on Austin Theory.

Austin Theory vs. Isaiah Scott

Feeling out process to start with Theory’s headlock not getting him very far. Scott takes him into the corner and hits a quick dropkick. A jumping kick to the face in the corner drops Theory and we take a break. Back with Theory hitting a slingshot rolling dropkick to take over, only to get caught with a discus lariat. A jumping Downward Spiral gives Scott two but Theory counters a hurricanrana into the buckle bomb.

RP1 (leg trap brainbuster onto the knee) gives Theory one but Scott pulls him into a cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Scott pins one arm behind Theory and stomps the other one down, giving us a SNAPPING sound that made me cringe harder than anything in wrestling has in years. Theory is fine enough to pull Scott off the top and hit a one armed ATL (Austin Theory Launch, a TKO) for the pin at 10:59.

Rating: C+. Theory is one of those guys where you can see everything WWE loves in a wrestler wrapped into one. It isn’t surprising me that he is getting this kind of a push and he’ll be around for the time being. The different names for his moves are going to help too. Scott continues to feel like he has potential but can’t get very far for whatever reason. He’s far from in danger, but he feels like he’s running on a treadmill.

We get a series of creepy visuals, mainly involving death. Killer Kross maybe?

Mauro sat down with Johnny Gargano at the Performance Center and asks what happened with Tommaso Ciampa at Takeover. Johnny says he was the only wrestler to show up at the premiere of Mauro’s documentary in New York, which Mauro says meant more to him than Johnny could ever know. Johnny talks about some of Mauro’s (complimentary) statements about him but Mauro doesn’t know him at all.

Mauro would like to think that he knows him but people want to know about the sneak attacks on Ciampa. That makes Johnny a lot more serious and says that it can’t be a sneak attack when you’re wearing a powder blue sport coat. No one has any idea what Johnny has seen, gone through or felt, but Mauro wants to know. Johnny gets up and nearly gets in Mauro’s face before sitting back down. Mauro asks why again and this time Johnny stands up and puts his hand on Mauro’s shoulder, saying that Mauro knows why.

If Mauro admits it though, he’s admitting he’s a liar. Mauro admits that they haven’t talked since Takeover: Portland so Johnny yells at him for calling him Johnny Turncoat. When Ciampa came back, Mauro couldn’t help but say Daddy’s Home. Johnny wants Mauro to look in the camera and say he’s a liar but Mauro walks off. Johnny: “No Mama Mias now!” Gargano grabs the camera and says next week at the Performance Center, they do things his way. This was a level of intensity that you don’t see from Johnny very often (if ever) and he feels like he’s on the verge of madness all over again.

Video on Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong.

Next week: Keith Lee defends against Cameron Grimes and the Undisputed Era gets their Tag Team Title rematch, all from the Performance Center.

Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong

Inside a cage ant they go straight at it at the bell with Strong sending him into the cage. Dream is right back with a crossbody but it’s too early for the Dream Valley Driver. They slug it out again with Strong getting the better of it, including the first backbreaker. Strong yells that Dream did this and starts with the running forearms. A backdrop sends Strong into the cage but here’s Marina Shafir (Strong’s wife) to slip him a kendo stick.

Shafir leaves and we take a break. Back with Strong going up but getting hit low, allowing Dream to grab a Boston crab. Strong grabs the rope and thankfully the referee does nothing, but Dream lets go anyway. The breather lets Strong grab the Stronghold but Dream slips out as well. Another Dream Valley Driver is broken up so Dream dropkicks him into the cage.

There’s a superkick to make it worse but Strong pulls him face first into the cage. They fight over the kendo stick with Strong using it for a pumphandle backbreaker. Strong goes up but Dream pulls the pants down (fans: “A******!”) for the save. Dream stays on the top with him and that means a super Angle Slam to put them both down.

Neither can dive through the door and now the Dream Valley Driver connects. Dream hits a second one and goes all the way to the top, only to have the rest of the Undisputed Era come out. Cole manages to get inside so Dream slams him off the top. Strong gets over to the door again so Dream grabs him, looks at Cole….and shoves Strong out to give Strong the win at 13:00.

Rating: B. This was both hard hitting and entertaining while setting up the next Takeover main event. Strong was fighting to get rid of Dream once and for all, but the ending says that Dream has his sights on something bigger (likely the guy he left himself inside the cage with, plus that guy’s shiny title). The match was a good fight but the ending was all about setting up something new and that’s a nice combination.

Post match Dream locks the cage with himself and Cole inside and the beating is on. Dream starts throwing Cole at the cage to knock the rest of the Era out, followed by using the stick to beat them up. Strong gets tied in the Tree of Woe and it’s another Dream Valley Driver to send Cole into the chair. Dream grabs the title and poses a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a solid show up and down as the focus moves towards Tampa. I like a lot of where the show looks to be going and that’s hard to do on such a short turnaround time. It also helps that there was nothing bad here with a bunch of good matches and an intense promo from Gargano. Couple that with the potential of Balor vs. Walter (which might be more likely for Dublin) and things are in a good place. The doldrums that they were in for a few weeks have been shaken off and that’s quite the relief going forward.

Results

Dakota Kai b. Tegan Nox – Kai escaped the cage

Chelsea Green b. Shotzi Blackheart – I’m Prettier

Undisputed Era b. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch – High/Low to O’Reilly

Austin Theory b. Isaiah Scott – ATL

Roderick Strong b. Velveteen Dream – Dream pushed Strong out of the cage

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

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

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

NXT UK – February 27, 2020: The Future Is Coming

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: February 27, 2020
Location: York Barbican, York, England
Commentators: Aiden English, Tom Phillips

It’s an early show as we have Super ShowDown taking place this afternoon, meaning this show needed to be moved to 10am EST. As luck would have it, we have a major match this week with Toni Storm challenging Kay Lee Rae for the Women’s Title in an I Quit match. That’s not something you get around here very often so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Ray vs. Storm.

Opening sequence.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Hunt

Primate blasts Drake with a clothesline to start and it’s Boar coming in to send him into the corner. Gibson blocks a charge though and comes in, only to run from Boar. As the fans remove their shoes in protest, Drake comes in to dropkick the knee so Gibson can dropkick the head. With Primate being knocked to the floor, a double clothesline gets two on Boar and we hit the chinlock.

A backbreaker sets up another chinlock but this time Boar is back up with his own clothesline. It’s back to Primate to clean house but the numbers game gets the better of him. An enziguri into a neckbreaker/superkick combination gives Gibson two, only to have Boar come back in for stereo German suplexes. Gibson breaks up Boar’s half of the double Swan Dive though and it’s Ticket to Mayhem to finish Primate at 9:50.

Rating: B-. It’s very clear that the Veterans are ready to move on to bigger and better things as there’s nothing left for them to accomplish here. The match was entertaining, though it’s time to give them better competition. There are a lot of teams around here but most of them aren’t on the Veterans’ level and that has become very clear in recent weeks. They’re already showing up in NXT anyway so the move seems to have at least started a little bit.

Video on Ridge Holland.

Jack Starz vs. Kassius Ohno

Starz can’t snapmare him to start so Ohno grabs him with an abdominal stretch. That’s fine with Starz, who powers him up into a stretch of his own. Ohno breaks that up in a hurry and boots him in the face, setting up a backbreaker. The finger bending continues to look painful, as does Ohno suplexing him by the arm. The short armscissor goes on and Starz isn’t about to deadlift Ohno. Instead he slips out and hits a slingshot elbow into a butterfly suplex. Ohno has had it with him though and pulls the arm down again, setting up the Kassius Clutch for the win at 5:02.

Rating: C. Starz is an interesting one as he is trying a lot harder than you would expect someone in his spot. It helps make these matches more interesting as it is likely to end with Starz losing, but at least he is making the matches somewhat interesting. Ohno is fine as someone to build up so someone can knock him down, which is what tends to be his pattern around here.

Isla Dawn is ready for Aoife Valkyrie.

Travis Banks wants Alexander Wolfe next week.

A-Kid vs. Brian Kendrick

Feeling out process to start with A-Kid picking up the pace and shrugging off a headlock. An armbar has Kendrick in trouble and he can’t get off the mat. A dropkick puts Kendrick up against the ropes but he pulls A-Kid’s arm into the ropes to take over. Kendrick’s cravate doesn’t last long as A-Kid slips out and dropkicks him to the floor. The suicide dive connects and a moonsault off the steps puts Kendrick down again. A high crossbody sets up a Fujiwara armbar with Kendrick making the ropes. Kendrick can’t grab the Captain’s Hook so A-Kid is back up with a springboard moonsault DDT for the pin at 6:47.

Rating: C. Another nice match here as Kendrick is at his best putting over a younger guy. A-Kid is someone they see something in so giving him a win here is a good idea. The finisher is impressive, though I’m hoping that he has something else as that kind of a move is going to require some contrived setups.

Dave Mastiff is ready to take the United Kingdom Title from Walter next week.

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: B-. Another solid show around here, which has become the case over the last few months. Next week’s show with the big title shot should be fine for a hoss fight as we can then move on for the build towards Takeover: Dublin. I’m not sure what is going to take place there, but there are enough options that I can feel rather optimistic about the whole thing.

Results

Grizzled Young Veterans b. The Hunt – Ticket to Mayhem to Primate

Kassius Ohno b. Jack Starz – Kassius Clutch

A-Kid b. Brian Kendrick – Springboard moonsault DDT

Kay Lee Ray b. Toni Storm when Storm gave up

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

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

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

NXT – February 26, 2020: You Don’t Even Go Here

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 26, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a show with a guest star as Charlotte is in the house to deal with Bianca Belair after jumping her at Takeover. We’re rapidly approaching Takeover: Tampa and I’m not sure what that is going to consist of this time. They need to set some things up in a hurry, though you can all but guarantee the final chapter between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Charlotte arrives with William Regal there to greet her.

Cameron Grimes vs. Dominick Dijakovic

Dijakovic grabs a headlock to start but Grimes goes after his knee to get a breather. Grimes stays on the knee, only to get caught in a backbreaker. A spinning middle rope splash gives Dijakovic two but Grimes forearms him in the back. Dijakovic is fine enough to toss him over the top but Grimes sends him head first into the apron. A PK from the apron drops Dijakovic and sends us to a break.

Back with Grimes grabbing a chinlock but Dijakovic is right back up for the slugout. The suplex toss drops Grimes again as he can’t get around the power. A superkick and a hard clothesline give Dijakovic two but Grimes hits a German suplex for the same. Dijakovic sends him outside and hits a moonsault to the floor, only to tweak his knee in the process. Grimes is sent back inside but here’s Damian Priest to hit the knee with a metal pole. Dijakovic beats the count back in but it’s the Cave In to give Grimes the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. I liked this one well enough and it’s nice to see Grimes getting a push. It isn’t a clean pin or anything and that helps things out a good bit. They can use some fresh blood in the North American Title picture as there is so much talent around here and seeing Lee against any of them could be interesting.

Referees and medics check out Dijakovic’s knee.

William Regal announces a tournament (they love those around here) to crown a new #1 contender for the Women’s Title. The qualifying matches begin next week and the finals will be a ladder match at Takeover. Works for me.

Here’s Finn Balor for a chat. He isn’t an internet guy or a moves guy because he’s the guy who builds brands. We hear his accomplishments before Balor talks about how everyone is trying to reach their peak for Wrestlemania season. He’s been at his peak for twenty years so who’s next for the Prince? Cue Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner to send regards from Walter, who runs NXT UK. The fight is on in a hurry and Balor gets beaten down, including being rammed into the steps.

Video on Austin Theory.

Bianca Belair is ready to give Charlotte her best.

Xia Li vs. Mia Yim

Yim pulls her in off a handshake but has to back off from some spinning kicks. Some kicks to the ribs have Li in trouble and a basement dropkick gives Yim two. More boots to the face keep Li down but she avoids a Cannonball. Li’s running dropkick misses and there’s Eat Defeat, only to have Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez come out for a distraction. Li grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:44.

Post match Gonzalez comes in for the beatdown and Li’s save attempt fails.

Velveteen Dream, in a big hat and in front of a mirror, says he wants Roderick Strong next week. Since Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox are having a cage match, leave it up for the two of them.

Austin Theory vs. Tommaso Ciampa

They fight over a lockup to start until Ciampa sends him into the ropes. That earns him a shoulder and forearms to the back, only to have Theory run into a boot. A headlock has Theory down on the mat but they head outside in a hurry. Theory blocks a whip into the barricade and takes it back inside because he’s not up to Ciampa’s brawling standard. Ciampa throws him right back outside for a posting, meaning the pat on the back can take us to a break.

Back with Theory hitting a standing moonsault for two and having to fight out of a Fairy Tale Ending attempt. What looked like a rolling DDT attempt is countered with a knee to the face to give Ciampa two, plus some frustration on the kickout. Theory hits a quick buckle bomb into Ataxia (fisherman’s buster onto the knee) for two more and now it’s his turn to be frustrated.

A superkick to the back of Ciampa’s head sets up a flipping Downward Spiral for two more. It’s time to go outside with Theory sending him into the barricade to make up for last week, only to get caught with Willow’s Bell back inside. The Fairy Tale Ending gives Ciampa the pin at 12:40.

Rating: C+. Theory is someone with a bunch of cool looking moves which are actually more moves that have been done before but have a slight tweak to them. A lot of people do that but it doesn’t really make them much better. At least he had a story here though and looks the part of a star, though it’s far too early in his run to make much of a determination about him.

Post match Johnny Gargano runs in and Theory helps him beat down Ciampa. Gargano sits next to the downed Ciampa on the apron and applauds himself.

Roderick Strong is ready to take care of Dream in the cage next week. The Undisputed Era will get their gold back.

Bronson Reed vs. Killian Dain

They lock up to start and power each other around until Dain drapes him over the middle rope. That means a legdrop to the back and shoulders in the corner, followed by a hard whip for two. We hit the seated abdominal stretch but Reed is right back up for stereo crossbodies. Back up and Reed starts throwing Dain around, with the straps coming down. The running hip attack hits in the corner but Dain grabs a Samoan drop. Dain’s Vader Bomb hits knees so Reed goes up, only to get superplexed back down. Back to back to back backsplashes set up the Vader Bomb to give Dain the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C+. Nice hoss fight here and that’s all they were going for. Dain hasn’t exactly shown the ability to get very high on the card around here but he can be impressive when he has the chance. Reed is someone who got my attention during the Breakout Tournament but he hasn’t come back to that level since.

Video on the Broserweights.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Forgotten Sons

Gibson gets hiptossed and dropkicked by Blake to start and I guess the Sons are just faces now because AMERICA. Beth and Nigel get in a weird mini argument about what sounds like a British children’s show, capped off by Nigel saying she has spent too much time watching TV with her three year old. Beth: “That’s a bad thing?” Nigel: “I guess not.” Cutler stomps away on Gibson in the corner but it’s off to Drake to take over in a hurry.

The chinlock doesn’t last long and a powerslam puts Gibson on the floor. That means a staredown with Jaxson Ryker and it’s the Sons taking over on the Veterans back inside. Drake gets thrown over the top and onto Gibson as we take a break. Back with Blake sunset flipping Drake but a blind tag lets Gibson come in to stomp on him. The chinlock goes on again but this time Blake fights up with a jumping neckbreaker.

Drake gets backdropped and it’s off to Cutler to clean house (Nigel: “Full of fury. AMERICAN FURY!”). A butterfly backbreaker sets up a quickly broken Boston crab so it’s a buckle bomb to rock Drake instead. The fisherman’s driver gets two as Gibson makes the save, which sends Ryker out after him. Drake dives onto Ryker and the Veterans send him into the steps, only to have the Sons dive onto the two of them. Cutler gets knocked off the top for a nasty crash and it’s the Ticket To Mayhem to finish Blake at 13:05.

Rating: C+. I got a good smile out of the Sons losing as they are one of the least interesting teams in a long time. Now we’re supposed to like them because while they’re bad, they’re AMERICAN bad and that makes them worth something. Thankfully this felt like a one off so we can continue with the Veterans instead of the Sons, who are one of those misfires around here.

Tegan Nox is ready to hurt Dakota Kai in a cage and isn’t worried about Raquel Gonzalez.

We get a creepy video showing various horrible things and a lot of destruction. Seems pretty Killer Krossish.

Damian Priest says Dijakovic was in the way of something he wanted. Now Keith Lee knows what that is.

Charlotte vs. Bianca Belair

Fans: “YOU DON’T GO HERE!” Charlotte powers her down in the corner to start and draws a line on the mat. Belair charges across it, earning herself a headlock takeover. That’s broken up so Charlotte grabs a front facelock to keep her down. Belair powers out and hits a dropkick before squatting Charlotte to show off even more. Charlotte slips out and hits the chops, followed by a big boot as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte getting posted but grabbing a dragon sleeper to slow Belair down. It’s not enough though as Belair flips over her in the corner and grabs a hair faceplant. A double chickenwing faceplant gets two but Charlotte kicks her in the ribs to take over. An abdominal stretch stays on the ribs but Belair reverses into one of her own. That’s broken up as well and the Downward Spiral into the middle buckle rocks her again.

The moonsault almost hits raised boots but Charlotte lands on her feet and grabs a Boston crab. Belair makes the ropes so Charlotte hits a powerbomb for two. A missed big boot sends Charlotte to the floor for another posting but she avoids Belair coming off the top. Belair hits a spear but Charlotte pops up with one of her own, followed by Natural Selection for the pin at 12:07.

Rating: B-. I liked what they were going for here with the old athletic freak vs. the new one. The spear exchange at the end reinforced that a bit too with Belair hitting her own but Charlotte’s being that much better. Belair has gotten better in the last several months and the upgrades have helped her a lot, but she has a long way to go to get into Charlotte’s league.

Post match Charlotte grabs a chair and Pillmanizes the ankle as Rhea Ripley comes out to watch. There’s no save as Charlotte puts on the Figure Eight. Once that’s broken up, Ripley chases Charlotte off as we’re cut off before Ranallo can finish talking about their Takeover match.

Overall Rating: B-. It isn’t as bad as it was a few weeks ago but this show is still missing something. My best guess is having so much stuff that feels like it isn’t leading anywhere or that is going long for the sake of filling time, but the magic isn’t the same. This week didn’t feature some of the bigger names, which is kind of a questionable move with about four weeks left before Takeover. It’s still a completely watchable show, but the move to two hours is hurting the quality more every week.

Results

Cameron Grimes b. Dominick Dijakovic – Cave In

Xia Li b. Mia Yim – Rollup

Tommaso Ciampa b. Austin Theory – Fairy Tale Ending

Killian Dain b. Bronson Reed – Vader Bomb

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Forgotten Sons – Ticket to Mayhem to Blake

Charlotte b. Bianca Belair – Natural Selection

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

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

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

NXT UK – February 20, 2020: Respect

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: February 20, 2020
Location: York Barbican, York, England
Commentators: Aiden English, Tom Phillips

It’s another week and hopefully things can pick up a bit after last week’s not so great show. NXT UK has turned into a place where you can fairly expect some very good stuff and I have no reason to believe that last week was anything more than a one off misfire. That has been the case elsewhere before and I’ve been rather wrong. Let’s get to it.

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

Joe Coffey watches a clip of Ilja Dragunov costing him the United Kingdom Title. Vengeance is sworn.

Opening sequence.

Tyler Bate vs. Joseph Conners

Conners’ music now starts with him saying I AM WORTHY. Bate ducks an early enziguri attempt and Conners bails into the corner. A hurricanrana into a pair of dropkicks puts Conners on the floor it’s already chair time. Back in and Bate’s monkey flip is blocked with Bate being knocked off the top instead.

Conners hits a clothesline for two as the fans start singing about Bate. The neck crank goes on until Bate uppercuts his way up and blocks a backslide attempt. An overhead suplex drops Conners for two and the airplane spin puts them both down. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a bulldog but Conners misses a middle rope moonsault.

Instead Conners clotheslines him to the floor for the suicide dive, followed by the slingshot Downward Spiral for two back inside. Bate wins a slugout and hits a Liger kick to the floor, setting up the big no hands dive. Conners sends him into the chair on the floor though (not a DQ as it is ruled incidental) but Don’t Look Down is countered into a DDT. The rebound lariat sets up the Tyler Driver 97 to finish Conners at 11:38.

Rating: C+. Bate being out there helped a good but though there is still only so much interest that you can get out of Conners. The idea of him being worthy of Takeover is hardly much of a character to get behind as he hasn’t shown himself as being worthy of much more than a free hot sandwich at a blood bank. I guess this has been better, but it’s not exactly worth seeing.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Kay Lee Ray for next week’s I Quit match.

Walter and Dave Mastiff have a staredown in the back before their title match.

Here’s Jinny on the announcers’ table to fire Jazzy Gabbert, who wasted her fifteen minutes of fame. Therefore, it’s now all about her.

Noam Dar vs. Josh Morrell

Dar takes him into the corner and that means it’s time for pinkies up. Morrell gets aggressive to send Dar hiding into the corner and an exchange of slaps has Dar staggering around. A dropkick looks to set up a standing moonsault but Dar rolls away, only to earn himself a running elbow in the corner. Dar’s suplex is countered into a small package for two but Dar takes him down by the arm. A rear naked choke sends Morrell over to the ropes so Dar kicks the leg out and finishes with the Nova Roller at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Morrell showcased himself well here in a short dose but it was about getting Dar over more than anything else. Dar is still hot and cold and this was an effective near squash. Sometimes it’s fine to just have a quick match that doesn’t mean much long term and that is what they did here.

The Hunt wants the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Jordan Devlin is ready for Takeover: Dublin.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Joe Coffey

Dragunov dodges some early right hands and neither can get much of a grapple going. The standoff lets them circle each other some more until fighting over a headlock on the mat. Back up and an exchange of shoulders has Dragunov telling him to bring it. Coffey misses some right hands and Dragunov gets two off a crossbody. A dropkick puts Coffey on the floor so there’s the big dive to take him out but Dragunov misses the top rope double stomp.

That means the Glasgow Sendoff can put Dragunov right back on the floor with Coffey hammering away. Coffey gets in a shot to the knee to knock him off the apron and he works on the leg back inside. A middle rope shinbreaker sets up the Boston crab but Dragunov is in the rope in a hurry. Dragunov makes a rope and kicks him away but both of their discus lariats miss.

A jumping enziguri sets up something close to a German suplex for two on Coffey. The bad leg is pulled to the top so Dragunov can hit a backsplash for two more but Coffey crotches him on top. That means a belly to belly superplex but Dragunov is back with a knee to the face. Coffey goes shoulder first into the post and a Death Valley Driver puts him into the corner again. Back up and All the Best for the Bells is cut off with Torpedo Moscow to finish Coffey at 14:52.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting fight that it should have been with Dragunov getting a good chance of going somewhere. I could see him having the knockdown, drag out fight with Walter for the title and Coffey seems to be the gatekeeper around here. He’ll be fine as well, but Dragunov seems ready to be the way to go.

Post match Gallus comes out and shows respect to Dragunov to end the feud.

Overall Rating: B-. It was a better show this time around and having Bate and Dragunov around helped that a lot. The wrestling was pretty good and they are setting things up for the future so hopefully we get more like this than what it was looking like last week. They need to build up Walter vs. Mastiff a bit more, but next week’s I Quit match should be more than enough to carry a single show. Nice show this week, as is the case more often than not.

Results

Tyler Bate b. Joseph Conners – Tyler Driver 97

Noam Dar b. Josh Morrell – Nova Roller

Ilja Dragunov b. Joe Coffey – Torpedo Moscow

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

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

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

NXT – February 19, 2020: The Wellness Trophy, A Nice Relief And One Of The Worst Things I’ve Ever Seen From NXT

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 19, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with Takeover: Portland and that means it’s time to get ready for Takeover: Tampa, which is coming up in a hurry. The big story is Johnny Gargano costing Tommaso Ciampa the NXT Title against Adam Cole, likely setting up the final showdown in Tampa. Other than that, we probably need to get some stuff set up for the big show. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Takeover if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Takeover, which switches over to a preview of tonight’s show.

Here’s the Undisputed Era to get things going. Adam Cole talks about destiny and Tommaso Ciampa getting his answer about being a champion. That answer was undisputed as the Era continues to show that they are dominant around here. Tonight, Roderick Strong can continue showing that against Velveteen Dream. Cue Dream’s voice, saying that Strong can prove himself by leaving his boys in the back. Dream: “Do it for Marina.” Strong says he’ll make Dream wish he never came back. They kept this short and to the point as they were out about six minutes into the show, including the recap.

We look at Gargano costing Ciampa the title.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Lio Rush

Devlin is defending and drives him into the corner to start, only to get sent outside. Back from an early break with Devlin hitting a jumping knee to the face and then kicking Rush in the head. The release Rock Bottom sets up the standing moonsault but Rush gets his knees up. A release half and half suplex gives Devlin two and he knees Rush in the ribs for the same.

The camel clutch works on the ribs a bit more, followed by some kicks to the face as Nigel is rather pleased. Rush tries to fight back with the springboard Stunner but Devlin plants him with a backbreaker. A jawbreaker drops Rush again and we take another break. Back again with Rush hitting a high crossbody for two but Devlin hits a cutter to send Rush outside.

Devlin plants him with a standing Spanish Fly back inside but Rush is back up with a super reverse hurricanrana. The springboard Stunner for two sets up the Final Hour, which only hits mat for the big crash. Devlin headbutts him into the Devlin Side to put Rush away and retain the title at 18:34.

Rating: B. Devlin continues to impress but I’m more surprised by how much I’ve gotten into Rush as an underdog face. He was one of the most annoying (in a good way) managers I’ve seen in a long time and now he’s this good at the other side. Rush is rather talented and if he can keep his head on straight, he has a heck of a future.

Reina Gonzalez says she saw something in Dakota Kai because she knows what it means to be left on the sidelines. Together, they are unstoppable. William Regal comes in to tell Kai that she faces Tegan Nox in a cage match in two weeks.

Rhea Ripley says the queen is having a nightmare at Wrestlemania.

Here’s Austin Theory for a match…and never mind as here’s Ciampa with a mic to talk about Takeover. Theory glares at him but Ciampa says not tonight. Ciampa talks about how was so focused on Goldie that he missed the signs of what was coming. It’s always been about Johnny Gargano and he isn’t even asking himself why Johnny why. Theory tries to break this up and gets punched in the face. Ciampa knows that if he wants his life back, there can be no Gargano in NXT. That sounds ominous. Theory goes after him again and Ciampa leaves him laying after a good beating.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Raul Mendoza/Joaquin Wilde

Wilde dropkicks Gibson but Drake is right there with a cheap shot from the apron to turn that around. Drake comes in so Wilde turns up the pace and gets two off a crucifix. It’s already back to Gibson who takes Wilde down, setting up a toss to the floor. The slingshot forearm/backbreaker hits Wilde and the chinlock goes on back inside.

Wilde fires up and hits a moonsault out of the corner, allowing the tag off to Mendoza. Everything breaks down and it’s Gibson getting in a shot to Mendoza’s throat. A suplex drops Mendoza again and Drake dropkicks Wilde to the floor. Mendoza tries a headscissors but gets spun into the Ticket to Mayhem for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C-. This was just a step above an extended squash for the Veterans and that’s fine. They’re in a weird place as there’s little left for them to do in NXT UK other than having random feuds against tag teams they should beat. Therefore, putting them over here gives them a fresh hill to climb, but I’m not entirely sure they’re sticking around full time. I hope they are though, as it could make things interesting. The other interesting point here is no mention being made of Wilde vs. Mendoza being announced for next week’s 205 Live. Odds on no one at NXT being told or caring that 205 Live has a match announced (or even exists)?

Post match Gibson insults the fans and says they’re here to take over and be recognized as the best in the world.

Here are the Broserweights for their big celebration, including a trip through the crowd and a lot of fist bumps. Matt Riddle isn’t sure where the golf cart is but Pete Dunne says Riddle got it impounded. That doesn’t matter though because they’re the Tag Team Champions. Riddle says Dunne is a machine, but the Dusty Cup partied too hard and got Wellnessed for thirty days. Riddle: “It’s a thing here. It’s a thing here.”

Broserweights vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

Non-title. Dunne and Burch start things off with Dunne taking him down into something like a bow and arrow. That’s broken up in a hurry but Burch can’t stomp on Dunne’s hands. He can however spin out of an armbar attempt and try a failed Crossface, giving us a standoff. Riddle and Lorcan come in with Riddle riding him on the mat. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the champs hit some quick suplexes to take us to a break.

Back with Lorcan holding Riddle in a half crab, which he switches into an STF. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s Dunne coming back in for some stomps onto the fingers. Burch blocks an armbar though and rolls Dunne up for two, only to have both partners come in for the break. Riddle no sells a German suplex so Burch clotheslines him into the Crossface.

Dunne flips out of another suplex and breaks up the hold to put everyone down at the same time. The tag brings Dunne in Legally for an enziguri to send Burch into the corner. That means Lorcan can come in for a running Blockbuster to put Dunne down. Dunne is back up and snaps the fingers though and it’s the Bitter End/jumping knee combination to finish Lorcan at 11:03.

Rating: C+. The ending was pretty abrupt but it came at the end of a nice slugout with two teams who can work that hard hitting brawling style. Riddle and Dunne are rapidly gaining chemistry though and their promos have grown on me in a hurry. Good stuff here, as Burch and Lorcan continue to be the kind of team you can put in there with anyone and get a solid match.

Roderick Strong tells the Undisputed Era that he needs to do this himself.

The Forgotten Sons don’t like the Grizzled Young Veterans coming to their country and talking trash. They’ll fight for AMERICA.

Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves

Non-title. Lee runs him over before the bell, says ring the bell, and finishes with the Big Bang Catastrophe at 12 seconds. That’s more time than Reeves deserves.

Post destruction, Dominick Dijakovic comes in to say he had Lee beaten at Takeover. All Lee hears is a bunch of excuses, but the fans want to see them fight forever. Based on that, maybe Dijakovic can talk him into another match.

Kayden Carter vs. Chelsea Green

Robert Stone introduces Green as the face of the women’s division. Carter grabs a quick rollup for two but doesn’t have quite the same magic as she did last time. Green gets knocked into the ropes and a low superkick gives Carter two more. Back up and Green runs her over for two, setting up a camel clutch.

Carter’s throat is sent into the middle rope for two and Green stands on her hair. With that going on, here’s Bianca Belair with a mic to call out Charlotte for jumping her at Takeover. It doesn’t even matter if Charlotte doesn’t go here. Green gets some near falls off a few rollups but Carter hits a superkick to send her outside. Stone trips Carter up though and it’s a reverse Unprettier to give Green the pin at 4:46.

Rating: D-. What in the world was that? I like Carter a good bit and Green has charisma, but this was a rather bad match with Belair’s run in promo being the only thing worth seeing. The wrestling was horrible and there was no fire or anything worth seeing. This is one of the worst things I’ve seen from NXT in a long time and I really hope it’s a one off misfire instead of what they’re capable of doing.

Next week it’s Ciampa vs. Theory and Finn Balor is here.

Roderick Strong vs. Velveteen Dream

Dream is in a blue full body suit and I have a feeling that it’s not lasting the whole match. Strong takes him up against the ropes to start but Dream comes back, sending Strong outside for a breather. They switch places as Dream keeps playing the mind games but Strong gets in a poke to the eye (which makes Beth gasp). The strikes begin to put Dream in trouble, followed by the first backbreaker.

They head outside with Dream getting sent back first into the barricade and then the steps for a bonus. We take a break and come back with Dream fighting out of a sleeper. They ram heads in the corner for a breather and it’s Dream hitting his own backbreakers. A middle rope ax handle lets Dream knock him into the ropes but it’s too early for the Dream Valley Driver. Strong is back with a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle for a close two but Dream knees his way out of a suplex attempt.

Instead, Strong takes him down into the Strong Hold and cranks back for a bit. That’s broken up as well with a kick out to the floor and it’s Dream hitting a superkick. The Dream Valley Driver connects and indeed the suit comes off, revealing the Marina Shafir tights (thankfully without their son). Dream goes up but has to dive onto the invading Era, allowing Strong to knee him out of the air. That doesn’t matter much though as a second Dream Valley Driver finishes Strong at 15:38.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty good back and forth match but the Dream tights deal is still weird. It’s WAY better without the son though so they’re going in the right direction. This would seem to point towards Dream heading to Takeover to challenge Cole for the title and that should make for a big deal is that’s where the title change takes place. Strong going after the back made sense, but I didn’t really feel the fire that Strong should have had after what Dream has been doing.

Post match the Era is on Dream immediately and the beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing here is that the show didn’t feel like a chore again this week. It’s not a great show but it felt a lot more like a normal NXT than last week’s slog. Granted this one had one of the worst things I can remember from NXT but it also had a good opener and closer, plus what felt like the setup for a pair of Takeover matches. You might even be able to pencil in Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Broserweights and that sounds like the makings of an awesome card. Not a blowaway show this week, but it had more energy and didn’t feel like they were stretching it out for the sake of stretching it out.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Lio Rush – Devlin Side

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Raul Mendoza/Joaquin Wilde – Ticket to Mayhem to Mendoza

Broserweights b. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – Final Flash/Bitter End combination to Lorcan

Keith Lee b. Kona Reeves – Big Bang Catastrophe

Chelsea Green b. Kayden Carter – Reverse Unprettier

Velveteen Dream b. Roderick Strong – Dream Valley Driver

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:

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Takeover: Portland: The Untouchable One

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: Portland
Date: February 16, 2020
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re back with the big show and making the Sunday debut, which hopefully isn’t a trend. This is the first Takeover since November and it’s going to be an interesting one since we are only about six weeks away from the next one. As usual they’ve done a good job with building the card so let’s get to it.

Poppy performs the theme song live.

North American Title: Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

Lee is defending. They stare each other down to start and neither can get anywhere off a headlock. Lee goes with a hurricanrana to pop the crowd for the first time and shrugs off some shoulders for a bonus. The cyclone boot works a bit better and puts Lee on the floor, setting up the Fosbury Flop, which Lee catches in a powerbomb. That’s escaped as well and Dijakovic suplexes him onto the apron.

Back in and Dijakovic talks trash and slowly pounds Lee down but Lee blocks a suplex. Instead it’s a release German suplex to drop Dijakovic on his face but Dijakovic is back with another cyclone book. A corkscrew moonsault gives Dijakovic two and it’s time to strike it out again. An exchange of standing clotheslines puts them both on their knees and neither can get up. Lee is on his feet first and heads up top but Dijakovic is right there wit him with a super spinning Samoan drop for two. That looked awesome, though it wasn’t the top rope Feast Your Eyes that commentary called it.

Lee is back up with a Pounce into the corner and it’s time to head outside. Dijakovic gets knocked into a chair and Lee chops him rather hard but Dijakovic puts him in the chair for a superkick. It’s time to show off again though as Dijakovic hits a springboard flip dive onto Lee in the chair and they head back inside. Back in and the Big Bang Catastrophe is countered, as is the sitout chokeslam.

Instead Lee hits the Spirit Bomb…and Dijakovic pops up to his feet. Another Spirit Bomb gets two and Lee almost looks sad. Lee goes up top but Dijakovic shoves him out to the floor in a crash. Dijakovic pulls him back up for a super Spanish Fly but the back gives out on the Feast Your Eyes attempt. The Big Bang Catastrophe connects to retain Lee’s title at 20:17.

Rating: A-. This is the definition of spectacle, as the match was built around the idea of one huge spot after another until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That’s always incredible to watch and neither comes out looking anything close to bad. It was an awesome match and somehow not even their best one ever. It’s going to take someone special to take the title off of Lee and that’s a great situation to be in.

Lee helps him up post match, as he should.

We recap Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox. They were best friends and went through everything, including knee rehab together. Then Kai didn’t make it onto the WarGames team but was added as a replacement. Therefore, she turned on Nox and went after her bad knee in a rather evil moment. Tonight it’s a street fight.

Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox

Street fight. Kai jumps her during the entrances and they fight through the barricade with Kai hitting a DDT on the floor. They head inside for the opening bell and a two count on Nox, meaning it’s time to bring in the weapons. Nox hits a crossbody off the steps to knock the cricket bat away from Kai and adds a Cannonball against the steps. A table is pulled out but Kai cuts her off with a kick to the face.

Nox is back with a trashcan though, including a nasty German suplex to put Kai onto the can for two. The Kairopractor gives Kai her own two but Nox sends her face first into the apron. They go to the top with Nox chokeslamming her down and busting out a Molly Go Round for two. Nox puts Kai’s head in a chair and loads up a Punt of all things but Kai slips away and throws the chair at her to send Nox outside.

Kai tries to duct tape her to the rope but Nox is back out again and hits her in the knee with a laptop. It’s time for…chains of all things with Nox hitting her in the knee with the steel. The chair is wrapped around the knee for a stomp and the Shiniest Wizard connects. Nox brings the table in instead and wraps the chair around Kai’s neck. It’s time to go up but here’s Raquel Gonzales (Reina Gonzales) to make the save and throw Nox onto (not through) the table. Kai pins what’s left of Nox at 13:40.

Rating: B. They made the right call with Kai winning here as there was nothing to be gained with Nox winning. Gonzales being the big surprise is a different way to go and it keeps Nox looking like the great sympathetic face that she is. You can imagine that this isn’t done yet, or at least Nox isn’t done with trying to get revenge.

Gonzales helps Kai up and Kai isn’t sure what is going on.

We recap Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano. It’s a battle of old vs. new as Balor is one of the legends around here and Gargano has taken up the NXT mantle in his absence, leading NXT to new heights. Balor doesn’t like what NXT has become and is back to show that he’s still the best while also taking out Gargano late last year in the process.

Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano

They go technical to start with Balor not being able to take over on the arm and getting rolled up for two instead. Balor takes him down with a headscissors and even does some pushups at the same time for a bonus. Gargano fights out and gets a headlock on the mat before kicking Balor in the chest. The rolling kick to the head stuns Balor again but he’s back up with a whip into the corner for some running chops.

Balor goes to the apron but Gargano follows him out and hits a spear to knock them outside. Gargano loads up a running dropkick, only to have Balor Sling Blade him down. Back in and Balor grabs an armbar while rubbing his forearm over Gargano’s face. The chinlock/armbar stays on until Gargano fights up and pulls Balor down by the arm. Gargano goes to the apron but gets his leg snapped over the top rope.

Balor works on the leg and stomps on it in the corner, followed by the cannonballs down onto said leg. Gargano can’t quite kick him over the top so he pulls Balor back inside and gets two off a small package instead. Back in and Balor ties up the leg again until Gargano fights his way up one more time. An enziguri and dropkick put Balor on the floor but the suicide dive is countered. 1916 is blocked though and Gargano sends him into the steps, setting up the running flip dive off the apron.

The Lawn Dart is broken up and Balor hits a Nightmare on Helm Street for two. Gargano gets in a superkick followed by the Lawn Dart and they exchange kicks to the head. They slug it out with Gargano getting the better of it from the apron. The slingshot spear is blocked but the slingshot DDT connects for two. Back in and Balor cuts off the running superkick with the Sling Blade. That works so well that they do it again and Balor dropkicks him into the corner.

The Coup de Grace misses and Gargano pulls him into the Gargano Escape. That’s reversed into a standing double stomp but 1916 is countered into the Gargano Escape again. This time Balor dives for the rope and bails to the floor, allowing Gargano to hit the John Woo dropkick into the barricade. Gargano loads up the announcers’ table but Balor knocks him down, setting up his own John Woo dropkick off said table. Back in and the Coup de Grace connects hard, setting up a heck of a 1916 to finish Gargano at 27:19.

Rating: A-. These guys beat the heck out of each other and Balor won definitively, which should set him up for a huge match in Tampa, say against Lee perhaps. Gargano shrugging off the knee work was the only significant problem as it was fun to watch these two beat each other up until Gargano could keep going any longer. Heck of a match and Balor continues to look like a huge star around here.

Roderick Strong is ready to destroy Velveteen Dream on Wednesday. That’s next week though because tonight, the rest of the Undisputed Era is ready to prove why they are the best in the world.

We recap Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair for the Women’s Title. Ripley became the biggest deal in the division and finally ended Shayna Baszler’s title reign. Belair won a battle royal and doesn’t like Ripley overlooking her to face Charlotte at Wrestlemania.

Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending and goes for the arm to start but gets reversed into a waistlock to the mat. That doesn’t last long though as Rhea is up with clotheslines and a dropkick but Belair grabs a cravate. A standing moonsault gives Belair two and she nearly drops Ripley on a Jackhammer attempt.

Belair goes full He Nan with a seated full nelson but Belair powers out again. The standing Cloverleaf is countered as Belair sends her shoulder first into the post. A spinebuster gives Belair a few near falls and she puts Ripley on top. That means an exchange of hard slaps to the face until Belair uses the hair whip to take over. The gorilla press drop shows off Belair’s power but the KOD is countered.

Ripley kicks her in the chest but Belair pops up with the spear for the double knockdown. They slug it out from their knees but Ripley avoids the hair whip. Belair backdrops her over the top so Belair hits a big running flip dive. Ripley gets in a whip to the steps but blocks a sunset bomb back inside. That’s fine with Ripley, who switches to the Riptide to retain at 13:33.

Rating: C+. Belair continues to be an athletic freak and she’s grown on me in recent months. Her problem at the moment is that she is developing a reputation for not being able to win the big one, though it’s hard to imagine that she won’t be Women’s Champion one day. Ripley now has a clear path to Wrestlemania and Charlotte, which should be a heck of a showdown.

Post match Charlotte runs in and decks Ripley. She accepts the match at WrestleMania and sends Belair into the steps for a bonus.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Broserweights

The Broserweights are challenging after winning the Dusty Classic. They drive out in a golf cart with the trophy in the back, plus matching “How Much Fish Could Bobby Fish Fry If Bobby Fish Could Fry Fish?” shirts. Matt Riddle isn’t done and leads the fans in a singalong of the line, drawing the champs up to start the fight. Riddle kicks at O’Reilly to start so it’s off to Fish, who gets suplexed down. Dunne comes in and blasts Fish with a clothesline before stomping on the arm.

Fish is sent outside for the middle rope moonsault but Fish sweeps the leg back inside. That allows the tag off to O’Reilly as the champs take over for the first time. O’Reilly twists the leg around the ropes and Fish kicks the other leg out to keep Dunne down. The champs collide though and it’s off to Riddle to clean house. That means kicks and Brotons to both, plus a Bro To Sleep into a German suplex for two on O’Reilly.

Some knees to the face give Dunne two on O’Reilly but Dunne kicks the post by mistake. Riddle knees O’Reilly again and the Final Flash sets up a release German suplex. O’Reilly strikes him right back and they both go down to a nice reaction. Back up and Riddle gets in a spear on O’Reilly but Fish is back in with a chop block to Riddle. Double knees put the champs down and it’s Dunne coming back in to strike it out with O’Reilly.

Dunne reverses O’Reilly’s ankle lock into one of his own but gets reversed into a Scorpion Deathlock. Fish sleepers Riddle at the same time but Riddle knees O’Reilly and drops back onto Fish for the double escape. What looked to be a Doomsday Device is broken up and O’Reilly t-bone superplexes Riddle down.

O’Reilly kneebars Riddle but Dunne bends Fish’s fingers and stomps onto O’Reilly’s for a save of his own. Things settle down with Dunne bending O’Reilly’s fingers but Riddle is drawn in to accidentally spear Dunne. Chasing the Dragon gets two and the fans are WAY into the kickout. Riddle is back up and makes a blind tag so it’s time to knee a lot of people. The Bro To Sleep/enziguri combination gives us new champions at 16:58.

Rating: A-. This is the kind of wild tag match that makes NXT work so well and that’s the kind of match you can always use on any show. I’m a bit surprised by the title change but the Undisputed Era has held the titles for the better part of ever so having them drop the things to a new team is a good idea. NXT doesn’t have the deepest tag division in the world so this is the right way to go, if nothing else as the Undisputed Era continues its slide.

We recap the NXT Title match between Tommaso Ciampa and Adam Cole. Ciampa had to vacate the title due to a neck injury and now he’s back to get the title he never lost. Cole is on the verge of becoming the longest reigning champion in the title’s history but Ciampa is coming for Goldie because daddy’s home.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Cole is defending and we’re ready to go after the Big Match Intros. Ciampa puts him against the ropes and mocks Cole’s pose, followed by a headlock for a bonus. It’s too early for Willow’s Bell so Ciampa goes with another headlock. That stays on for a bit until Ciampa gets up and chops him in the corner. Cole’s Backstabber misses so he kicks Ciampa down instead and gives himself the applause.

Ciampa throws him over the announcers’ table though and now we get the real self applause. A jumping enziguri misses Ciampa and he drops Cole across the barricade. That means a running knee to the head and a bunch of chops in the timekeeper’s area. The big running knee makes it worse and Ciampa even hugs a fan. Ciampa misses a kick though and gets suplexed into the edge of the announcers’ table for a delayed two. Cole kicks him in the face for two more but takes too long going up, meaning he has to block a sunset bomb.

A Backstabber out of the corner sets up a chinlock but Ciampa is up again. The Panama Sunrise is countered with a dropkick and they both need some time to get up. Ciampa grabs a torture rack bomb for his own two but Cole is right back with the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. Cole ties him in the corner but a sunset bomb is countered into the super Air Raid Crash for the VERY near fall and Ciampa is stunned. They head outside again with Ciampa powerbombing him onto the announcers’ table (again, not through), followed by another to put Cole through it.

Back inside and Cole hits a quick superkick, only to get caught with Project Ciampa for two. They slug it out with Cole knocking him to the floor but a suicide dive is kneed out of the air. Back in again and Cole snaps off the brainbuster onto the knee for two as the fans are split again. They slowly fight up with Cole getting the better of it and hitting a Last Shot. Ciampa is smart enough to roll straight to the rope though, meaning it’s time to head to the apron.

Another Air Raid Crash onto the apron puts them both down on the floor but Ciampa can’t hit the Fairy Tale Ending. Cole can hit a Panama Sunrise off the announcers’ table though and Ciampa is….not done as he’s back up for Willow’s Bell. The Fairy Tale Ending connects for two and Ciampa has nothing left. Cole changes pace with a Crossface but Ciampa reverses into one of his own. It’s too close to the rope though and Cole bails outside after the break.

Cue Roderick Strong for a distraction though and O’Reilly and Fish take Ciampa down with a High/Low on the floor. That’s only good for two as well so Ciampa hits Willow’s Bell on Strong and nails a big corkscrew dive onto the other three. Back in and Cole hits a quick Last Shot for two and I let out an “oh come on”. The ref gets bumped and Ciampa hits another Fairy Tale Ending for no count so here’s Johnny Gargano (Where was he five minutes ago?) to throw the title to Ciampa….and then hit him with it instead. Cole retains the title at 33:23.

Rating: B+. I enjoyed it but these Cole main events are getting out of hand on a ridiculous level. They could have cut out probably seven to ten minutes of kickouts here and done the same thing, which isn’t a good sign. That being said, the action was good and Gargano vs. Ciampa part whatever number we’re at should be good with a new twist on the whole thing. This pretty much leaves Velveteen Dream as the most likely challenger to Cole in Tampa as there aren’t many other ways to go, save for Lee dropping the title in a hurry. Anyway, entertaining main event that could have been better with a few cuts.

Overall Rating: A. It never ceases to amaze me that this is probably considered one of the weaker Takeovers and it’s still an incredible show. There’s nothing close to bad on it and several very good matches, though it didn’t have the big blow away one. You can piece together some of Takeover and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a few cameos from NXT UK to really bump up the quality. What we got here was great though and it was an awesome show as Takeover continues to be the untouchable one.

Results

Keith Lee b. Dominick Dijakovic – Big Bang Catastrophe

Dakota Kai b. Tegan Nox – Toss onto a table

Finn Balor b. Johnny Gargano – 1916

Rhea Ripley b. Bianca Belair – Riptide

Broserweights b. Undisputed Era – Bro To Sleep/Enziguri combination to O’Reilly

Adam Cole b. Tommaso Ciampa – Belt shot to the head

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

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

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

NXT UK – February 13, 2020: Wait For Valentine’s Day

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: February 13, 2020
Location: York Barbican, York, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

This taping cycle has to be finishing up soon but things are never exactly the same around here as they are everywhere else. What matters is that we are pretty clearly setting up Dave Mastiff as the next challenger to Walter in what could be a heck of a fun match. Other than that, Gallus is dealing with Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Aoife Valkyrie vs. Amele

They’re both making their debut. Valkyrie grabs a front facelock into a headlock to start but spends too much time talking to the referee about a count. That lets Amele knee her in the ribs, only to get elbowed in the face for two. Valkyrie sweeps the leg into a standing moonsault for two and it’s time to strike away at Amele. A Pele drops her and a spinning kick to the head does it again, setting up a top rope ax kick to give Valkyrie the pin at 3:33.

Rating: C. The strikes looked very good here and believe it or not, they might have gone a bit too long. Valkyrie has a lot of potential and certainly came in strong, which is how things should go in a debut. Hopefully we get some more of her in a hurry, as those kicks were rather hard hitting.

Travis Banks is talking about Worlds Collide when Alexander Wolfe comes in to say how much people are talking about Imperium winning, plus Banks failing.

Dave Mastiff vs. Saxon Huxley

Huxley kicks him in the face to start so Mastiff gets in a slam and chop. The delayed vertical suplex sets up the elbows to Huxley’s head but he’s back up with some forearms. Mastiff runs him over and hits a backsplash though, followed by a running seated senton to continue Walter’s offense. Into The Void finishes Huxley at 3:09.

Rating: D+. Not much of a match here but Mastiff being set up for Walter gets my interest. I know he has no chance of winning the title but they’ve done a good job of setting Mastiff up as a monster for Walter to slay. If nothing else, it’s always nice to see Huxley getting destroyed in a hurry like this.

Post match Mastiff does the Imperium pose to really rub it in.

Toni Storm tells Sid Scala and Johnny Saint to make the I Quit match against Kay Lee Ray. The contract is signed, and if Storm loses, she can never challenge for the title again.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans for a chat. Zack Gibson talks about how awesome they are and how they’ve beaten every team that they’ve faced so far. So what’s next? Facing seven teams at once with Johnny Saint as guest referee? NXT General Manager William Regal sees talent though and knows that the two of them are soon to be recognized as the best in the world.

Regal is from Blackpool just like James Drake and Gibson is from Liverpool, just like the Beatles. They’re in York though and this place is a joke, just like the Hunt. The fans need to get their phones out and take their pictures because an appearance from the Veterans is worth the price of admission. Another good heel promo from Gibson, but we’ve heard it quite a few times before.

Joseph Conners interrupts a merchandise plug and wants to know why he isn’t in the program. He’ll beat Tyler Bate next week and then he’ll get some merchandise of his own.

Amir Jordan vs. Joe Coffey

Coffey, with Gallus outside, slams Jordan down to start but runs into a dropkick. An overhead belly to belly sends Coffey flying and a wheelbarrow faceplant gets two. Coffey stomps away in the corner and we hit the armbar. Coffey: “GALLUS BOYS ON TOP!” Jordan fights up and hits a headscissors driver, setting up a middle rope crossbody. That’s enough to send Coffey outside so Jordan hits a dive, only to have his swanton hit knees. The Glasgow Sendoff sets up All The Best For The Bells to finish Jordan at 5:00.

Rating: D+. Somewhat extended squash here and that’s all it needed to be. Gallus is going to be dealing with Ilja Dragunov (and likely some friends) in the near future so having Joe crush some people on the way there is fine. Not a good match or anything, but Jordan was less annoying than usual.

Post match Coffey promises that they’ll deal with Dragunov, Burch and Lorcan soon enough.

Gallus vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

Non-title and it’s Mark Coffey/Wolfgang here with Joe on the floor. Danny and Mark start things off and don’t get very far early on. Wolfgang comes in and grabs a headlock takeover and it’s already back to Mark for an armbar. Burch drives him into the corner though and it’s Lorcan coming in for a double atomic drop. So much for Lorcan staying in as Burch is right back in for uppercuts.

Mark shows him how to really do one though and Burch is taken down for Mark’s chinlock. That’s broken up and a dive through the rope allows the tag to Lorcan. The running hip attack is cut off in a hurry though and it’s Lorcan in trouble in a hurry. Wolfgang hits a running backsplash into another chinlock to keep Lorcan down. Mark comes back in to stomp away but Lorcan gets annoyed at taking such a beating.

The chops don’t do much good as Wolfgang hits a Wasteland, only to miss the moonsault. Burch gets the hot tag and starts suplexing/headbutting. Everything breaks down and Lorcan hits a running Blockbuster on Mark. The Crossface has Mark in trouble and Lorcan adds a half crab on Wolfgang, only to get kicked into Burch and Mark for the save. The powerslam/enziguri combination finishes Burch at 10:41.

Rating: C+. It was the only match of the night to get any significant amount of time and even then they didn’t exactly light the world on fire here. Burch and Lorcan have been dispatched in a hurry and unfortunately I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing them as Dragunov’s backup anyway. It takes away a lot of their impact, but it’s quite the WWE trope so odds are it’s what we get.

Post match Dragunov comes out for the fight with Joe but Gallus takes him out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty skippable show here as it was all about setting things up for later rather than what we were getting this week. They’ve got enough stuff at the moment for some big TV shows and that’s a lot better than having to wait for the next Takeover. It’s not a bad show, but nothing worth going out of your way to see.

Results

Aoife Valkyrie b. Amele – Top rope ax kick

Dave Mastiff b. Saxon Huxley – Into The Void

Joe Coffey b. Amir Jordan – All The Best For The Bells

Gallus b. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch – Powerslam/enziguri combination to Burch

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

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

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

NXT – February 12, 2020: It Finally Happened

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 12, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Portland and the card is bigger than usual. This time around there are six matches, but if NXT knows how to do one thing really well, it’s put on a solid go home show. Everything is going to get some attention tonight and that should make for a solid evening. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Mauro runs down the card.

Here’s a ticked off Roderick Strong to rant about Velveteen Dream having his wife and son’s faces on his tights. Strong is going to hurt him and won’t regret it so get out here and apologize RIGHT NOW. That’s not what Strong gets though.

Bronson Reed vs. Roderick Strong

Fallout from last week when Strong jumped Reed in the back so Reed charges the ring. Reed hammers away in the corner but Strong hits a knee to the ribs and chops away. That only gets him driven back into the corner for some bigger chops from Reed. A side slam plants Strong again and it’s time to take off Strong’s shirt, or at least tie it over his head. Reed headbutts the blinded Strong, which has to be against some kind of rule.

With his sight restored, Strong gets in some right hands in the corner, only to get whipped hard into the corner again. There’s another whip, with Reed throwing him so hard that he falls down. The waistlock goes on and a heck of a forearm drops Strong again. Reed hits a rather delayed vertical suplex and Strong bails to the floor so Reed can shoulder him off the apron. Back from a break with Reed suplexing his way out of a chinlock to put both of them down.

Reed splashes him in the corner and a running hip attack to the face gets two. Strong strikes away but gets blasted with a clothesline for two more. They head up top with Strong getting in a shot to the head and managing a superplex (with Reed landing with a thud) for two. A hard slingshot dropkick through the ropes knocks Reed silly but Velveteen Dream….’s lights come on. That lets Reed hit a heck of a suicide dive of his own and there’s still no Dream. Back in and Reed goes up but Strong knees him out of the air for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B-. Good match, though it went from the angry start to just having a match. Reed got to showcase himself here though and that’s a good sign for his future. Strong beating him wasn’t exactly in doubt (barring a Dream interference) but it was great to see Reed getting to beat him up and show off a lot. The finish looked good, but I was hoping for some more intensity from both of them.

Post match Dream pops up on screen, with “call me up Marina” on the back of his tights. Dream talks about Strong trying to end his career and the Experience, so what if someone took something from Strong? It’s all well and fine that Strong has lost the North American Title but Strong still has a wife and a kid. What if something happened to Strong? Don’t worry about it because someone somewhere would fulfill all of Marina’s dreams. The camera pans down to show Marina, Strong’s son Troy and Dream on the leg. How in the world is this supposed to make me want to cheer for Dream??? That’s WAY over the top and not exactly the smartest idea in the world.

And now for your idea that needs to be turned into a movie: Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne take a road trip to Portland, with the Dusty Cup in the back. Dunne starts driving and Riddle yells at him for driving on the wrong side of the road. Cue the cops and the car is towed in a hurry because neither of them have a license. It’s cool though because they need to find a way to Portland. To be continued. Oh I’d certainly hope so.

Angel Garza is ready to beat Lio Rush so he can get his title back. Rush comes in to say he’s not the same guy Garza beat before. Garza just smiles.

Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai

LeRae misses a charge into the corner and gets kicked in the face for her efforts. Kai gets kicked right back to the floor though and LeRae hits a suicide dive to send her into the barricade. Another suicide dive drops Kai and LeRae hits another…and then a fourth in case you didn’t get the idea yet. Back in and a missile dropkick gives LeRae two but Kai is right back with a boot choke in the corner.

They go up top and tease a superplex to the floor until Kai is knocked to the apron. She kicks LeRae off the top as well though and there is some blood from the nose. They still can’t get back inside so LeRae pulls her shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Back from a break with Candice hitting Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride but Kai is right back with a kick to the leg. The big one to the head misses though and LeRae slaps on the Gargano Escape. Kai can’t get to the rope but she can roll backwards into a cradle for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C. I can go for Kai being all evil and she was extra vicious here to she off the bad side. I’m not wild on her winning clean but it’s not like LeRae is on Kai’s level at this point. The match was fine enough and Kai has momentum heading into Portland, which is what matters more than anything.

Post match Kai isn’t done and hits her with the bell. That doesn’t seem to be it either but here’s Tegan Nox to run out for the save, sending Kai bailing.

Earlier today, Cameron Grimes and Johnny Gargano got in an argument last weekend so a match was set for tonight. Well done on making this about ten seconds long instead of showing us the whole thing.

Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes

This could be good. They go to the mat to start with Gargano getting perhaps the most quickly broken chinlock of all time. This time it’s Gargano working on a leglock and Grimes pulling at the ear doesn’t break it up. Instead he goes for the rope which works a bit better. A front facelock keeps Grimes down as he can’t get much going so far. An armdrag into a sunset flip gives Gargano two as the dominance continues.

Gargano slaps on a Crossface but switches into something like an inverted chickenwing (weird but cool looking hold). That’s broken up and Grimes finally gets something going with a knee to the ribs. Grimes’ armbar doesn’t last very long so Gargano kicks him to the floor and hits a superkick off the apron. The running Cannonball off the apron drops Grimes again but he’s able to block the slingshot DDT. A hard clothesline sends us to a break with Gargano in trouble.

Back with Grimes hitting a bridging German suplex for two. Gargano scores with a springboard spinning Downward Spiral out of the corner before a hard clothesline puts Grimes on the floor again. The slingshot spear gets two but Grimes reverses the tornado DDT with something like a Side Effect for his own two.

They miss a few running shots and Grimes hits his flipping belly to belly suplex for another near fall. They’re both down for a bit until it’s an exchange of superkicks with neither getting the better of it. Now the tornado DDT can connect but Grimes kicks him in the head to cut that off. The Cave-In misses though and it’s the Gargano Escape to make Grimes tap at 13:38.

Rating: B. They were going back and forth and that’s what you need for the two of them. Just like earlier, I’m not sure how much drama there was because Gargano has the big showdown coming on Sunday but Grimes is the kind of guy you could see pulling off a win. This was a heck of a match though and I like both guys so it’s nice to see two talented people working hard and going fast out there.

Post match, Gargano promises to come for Balor on Sunday.

Adam Cole is ready to teach Kushida a lesson tonight and to teach Tommaso Ciampa his own lesson on Sunday. The NXT Title is Cole’s life and he wants to be the greatest NXT Champion of all time.

Riddle and Dunne have a pedal boat (it’s a swan) as Riddle needs to think about how they’re getting to Portland. Riddle: “LIGHTBULB!” To be continued.

Chelsea Green and Robert Stone promise to relaunch their brand next week.

Next week: Strong vs. Dream.

Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza

The winner gets a Cruiserweight Title shot. It’s a serious match so Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS at the bell instead of waiting for later. Rush starts with his running dodges but Garza runs as well, setting up a dropkick to put Rush down early on. Garza kicks him down again and then ties Rush into the Tree of Woe for another running kick. They fight on the apron with Garza not being able to hit a powerbomb. Instead Rush flips to the floor and gets driven back first into various steel objects.

That lets Garza pose a bit and we take a break. Back with Rush hitting a suicide dive, followed by a big running flip dive. Rush kicks him in the head for two and it’s time to exchange kicks to the head. Rush’s springboard Stunner is dropkicked out of the air and Garza flips him into a faceplant for two more. A super cutter sends Garza to the floor, leaving a frustrated Rush inside when he can’t cover. The Final Hour to the floor connects but the second version hits raised knees back inside. Garza hits a HARD superkick but the Wing Clipper is reversed into a small package for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: B-. You can add this to the Dream thing earlier where the finish wasn’t the most logical idea. Garza is becoming a big deal on Raw and he loses here? Rush beating him is hardly some big upset but Garza is doing more important stuff on the main show. Why have him lose here? Anyway, at least the match was good and it was a quick ending instead of a more decisive one.

Post match Jordan Devlin comes out to say that Rush shouldn’t be so excited. You never bet against an ace.

Video on Dominick Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee, with Mark Henry narrating about how important big men are to the history of wrestling. These two are taking big man wrestling to a different level though and they’ll fight again at Takeover. We get a bunch of clips of how awesome they both are and it does make me want to see them both again on Sunday. Henry was a really good addition here because he’s become a legend in retirement and it feels appropriate to have him here.

Bianca Belair vs. Santana Garrett

Belair runs her over, hits a Glam Slam into the corner and finishes with the KOD at 42 seconds. Yeah that works.

Post match Belair wants to know why she is being ignored while Rhea Ripley goes to Raw to challenge Charlotte. Ripley can forget about her all she wants because she’s losing the title on Sunday. Cue Rhea to say that she isn’t losing the title as the fight is on in a hurry. Belair actually lays her out with the KOD.

Riddle and Dunne find a jet to get to Portland. Riddle’s British accent as he tells Dunne to get their boots into the boot doesn’t sit well with Dunne, who wants to know why they’re loading the cup themselves. They load it up…and then get into the cargo hold as well. Apparently it’s HHH’s plane and Riddle might have snuck them onboard. I really did completely undersell these two at first as the wacky pairing is great. NXT doesn’t do this kind of thing very often but I laughed more than once. The segments going from night to day to night again made it even better, but now I need that swan boat.

Tommaso Ciampa watches a clip of himself forfeiting the NXT Title in this very room and promising to be back bigger and stronger. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be back and wants to know what happened if he gave away his only shot at his life. Now everything has come full circle and in four days, he can take his title back.

But what if he loses and Adam Cole becomes the longest reigning champion in NXT history? But what if Ciampa wants it that much more and has been through that much more? What if he goes to Wrestlemania weekend as champion like he was supposed to last year? Ciampa has nothing left to lose and Cole will find that out on Sunday. As usual, promos are made that much better when they are taken out of the standard places and that was the case here. Awesome stuff and Ciampa sold every bit of it.

Adam Cole vs. Kushida

Non-title and oh yeah Kushida is a thing around here. He was my favorite guy in New Japan and now he just….exists. Kushida takes him down into a front facelock to start and Cole can’t roll out of it. The kick to the head misses and Cole bails to the floor, allowing Kushida to hit a dropkick through the ropes. Strong does a bit better with a whip into the steps but the Panama Sunrise off the apron is countered into a cross armbreaker. Cole is back with a kick to the face and we take a break.

Back with Kushida hitting a basement dropkick to put Cole on the apron. The cross armbreaker sends Cole straight to the ropes so Kushida kicks him in the arm a few more times. Cole is right back with a Shining Wizard and they strike it out with Kushida eventually getting the better of things. That just earns him the brainbuster onto the knee and Cole does it again for two. The Last Shot misses so Cole settles for a superkick for two more.

The Panama Sunrise is countered into the Hoverboard Lock and Cole takes his sweet time kicking out of it. A pinfall reversal sequence gives them two each and Kushida is right back with the Kawada kicks. Cole superkicks the handspring elbow away and the Last Shot finishes Kushida at 12:52.

Rating: B-. They followed the same pattern from earlier in the show here and that’s not a bad thing. Kushida is someone who can get a solid match from anyone and Cole doesn’t need much to take him to another level. That being said, the lack of drama didn’t help things as it wasn’t would Cole win, but when would he win. Still though, good way to make Cole look sharp going into Sunday.

Post match here’s Ciampa to slowly get into the ring as the fans aren’t sure who they like more. Ciampa says he’s taking his life back in Portland but Cole says it’s over his dead body.

Overall Rating: B. I never thought I’d reach this point but I was wanting this show to end more than once. The show is still very good and one of the best weekly shows but it doesn’t feel special anymore. Instead of the tight show that made me want to watch every week, this is a bunch of stuff that feels like it’s there because they need to fill in two hours a week. The talent and storytelling is there and the wrestling is good, but it’s like the show has lost its magic. Maybe it’s watching this after Dynamite and not finishing it until late at night, but this isn’t the same NXT that became the best show in the world.

Now all that being said, this was a rather good show and gave the final push to everything that is coming up on Sunday. Even Riddle and Dunne not taking things very seriously fits them perfectly and gave me a good bit of entertainment. Takeover is looking awesome and until they find a way to make those not as amazing, NXT is going to be very strong for years to come.

Results

Roderick Strong b. Bronson Reed – Jumping knee

Dakota Kai b. Candice LeRae – Cradle

Johnny Gargano b. Cameron Grimes – Gargano Escape

Lio Rush b. Angel Garza – Small package

Bianca Belair b. Santana Garrett – KOD

Adam Cole b. Kushida – Last Shot

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