NXT – May 1, 2019: Nice To See You Japanese Favorite/The Velveteen Dreamiest

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: May 1, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

Things are staying interesting around here and tonight we have the latest import in the form of Kushida, who makes his in-ring debut. As usual he gets to face Kassius Ohno, which should work out well for everyone involved. Throw in the Undisputed Era having some issues and we could be in for a good night. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick video on Kushida and how important he is.

Opening sequence.

Forgotten Sons vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan/Humberto Carrillo

Fallout from last week’s brawl. Cutler and Lorcan strike it out to start until a running Blockbuster takes Cutler down. Blake comes in instead and gets uppercutted out to the floor. That means the big dive onto all three Sons and it’s off to Carrillo for a standing moonsault to the legs. The sky high springboard armdrag sends Cutler outside but it’s Ryker coming in off a blind tag to unload on Carrillo. The Sons take turns on Carrillo in the corner with various combinations of stomping.

Ryker’s cobra clutch doesn’t last long and a missed headbutt allows the tag off to Burch. Cutler gets pulled down into the Crossface with Ryker making a save. Everything breaks down and Carrillo’s suicide dive hits Lorcan by mistake. That leaves Burch on his own against all three Sons, which works as well as you would expect. A Polish Hammer drops Burch and Carrillo gets buckle bombed into Cutler’s raised knees. Ryder holds both Carrillo and Burch in a double reverse DDT for top rope knees to the chest (with Ryker dropping them instead of DDTing them) for the pin at 7:33.

Rating: C. Here’s where NXT is so many steps ahead of Raw and Smackdown: the Forgotten Sons weren’t working as they were, so NXT changed things up a bit and turned them into something that did work. They actually fixed the characters instead of throwing up their hands because their first half baked not completely developed idea wasn’t a runaway success. That’s how wrestling is supposed to work, but the biggest wrestling shows don’t get that.

Shanyna Baszler and company don’t like being asked about Io Shirai pinning Baszler so the microphone is slapped away.

Earlier this week, Bianca Belair and Mia Yim yelled at each other at the Performance Center. They’ll fight next week.

Mansoor vs. Dominik Dijakovic

Mansoor is smart enough to duck the cyclone boot and hurricanranas Dijakovic into the corner. A high crossbody is countered into the standing backbreaker and Mansoor is tossed outside, thankfully not breaking his leg as it awkwardly crashes into the barricade. Dijakovic gets two off a splash but Mansoor is right back with a sleeper. That doesn’t work very well so Mansoor goes with a kick to the head. With Dijakovic kneeling, Mansoor jumps onto the leg and uses it as a springboard for another kick. Dijakovic has had it and knocks Mansoor silly, setting up Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: C+. This was a lot better than I was expecting and Mansoor looked good here with a lot of offense. Much like the Sons though, Dijakovic has gotten far better as he’s now just an athletic monster who has said what he wants. You don’t need to go into some huge development. Just feature them and give them impressive wins so people think something of him. It worked with Dijakovic and it would work with pretty much anyone else.

Post match here’s Velveteen Dream on a purple couch, accompanied by some good looking women. He’s heard that Dijakovic had words for him, so Dream has his own….in the form of a personalized version of the Star Spangled Banner, promising to steal the show like he does with his big elbow. Of all the Velveteen Dream things, this was the Velveteen Dreamiest.

We look back at the end of last week’s show with Matt Riddle helping Johnny Gargano against the Undisputed Era.

The Undisputed Era promise to take care of Riddle but bring up Strong’s loss last week. Strong walks away and Bobby Fish follows him, saying Cole’s timing was terrible.

Kassius Ohno vs. Kushida

Kushida gets the big debut entrance and looks just like he did in New Japan, which is a good move as the Back to the Future look is a signature for him. Ohno kicks away a handshake offer and throws the much smaller Kushida into the corner. Kushida’s wristlock is countered into a quickly broken chinlock as the fans are firmly on Kushida’s side. A takedown goes to Kushida, who rides Ohno’s back to mess with him a little bit.

The cartwheel into a basement dropkick rocks Ohno again but he’s right back with the cravate. That’s reversed as well and we have a standoff. The wrestling isn’t working so Ohno kicks him in the face but Kushida is fine enough to come back with a springboard missile dropkick. Ohno’s sitout facebuster gets two and Kushida’s nose is busted open.

The bloody nose doesn’t stop Kushida from coming right back up with a springboard hurricanrana for two. The handspring elbow is cut off with a hard forearm to the back of the head to give Ohno two more. There’s the pump kick to Kushida, who is right back with a running shot to the face. With Ohno rocked, Kushida grabs the Hoverboard Lock (not named) for the tap at 8:07.

Rating: B. Given that Kushida was my favorite New Japan name, I was kind of expecting to like this one and then it lived up to the hype. It was a very good, hard hitting match with Kushida taking everything Ohno could throw at him at and winning in the end. He’s going to be just fine around here and he looked great in his first performance.

Overall Rating: B-. A strong debut, stuff set for next week, no bad matches and angle advancement make the show the usual awesome evening. After watching two mostly bad major TV’s this week, NXT continues to be the big saving grace that fixes so many of my problems in about forty five minutes. Another good show here, and I would expect nothing less.

Results

Forgotten Sons b. Humberto Carrillo/Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – Top rope knee to Burch

Dominik Dijakovic b. Mansoor – Feast Your Eyes

Kushida b. Kassius Ohno – Hoverboard Lock

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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NXT UK – April 24, 2019: That Will Never Stop Impressing Me

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: April 24, 2019
Location: Pier 12, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re still in New York and the big story seems to be the setup for the rematch between Pete Dunne and Walter for the UK Title. That’s more than enough to carry the show for the time being as the match itself feels so huge. Couple that with some of the rather nice midcard material they have and we’re in good shape. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ligero vs. Kassius Ohno

Ohno powers him down to start and talks trash about Ligero being one of the best British wrestlers around. A sunset flip attempt is blocked and Ohno kicks him in the face for one. Back up and Ligero grabs a headscissors to send him outside but the flip dive from the apron sends Ligero head first into the steps. Ohno: “DID YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT???” The chinlock goes on with Ohno laying back to bend Ligero over his knees. With that broken up, Ohno steps on Ligero’s hand and kicks him in the head a few times. The pump kick and backsplash miss though and Ligero starts firing off kicks to the knee.

Some kicks to Ohno’s head even things out a lot and a top rope splash gets two. Sliced Bread is blocked so Ligero gets two off a victory roll. Code Red gets the same and there’s a running flip dive over the top to drop Ohno again. Sliced Bread off the steps plants Ohno on the floor and he barely beats the count back in. With nothing else working, Ohno goes for the mask to blind Ligero, setting up the Roaring Elbow for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: B-. I know it makes sense but I’m rather tired of going for the mask against luchadors. Otherwise this was a rather good match with Ohno being all cocky and arrogant until Ligero fought back to make it even. Ohno needing to cheat in the end completed the story very well and there’s a good chance that we’ll be getting a rematch, which could be rather entertaining.

Jordan Devlin isn’t happy that his match with Walter is going to be non-title because Johnny Saint wants to protect the rematch of the century. Devlin doesn’t care, because next week he’ll beat Walter up and earn himself a title match.

Video on Wild Boar and Primate.

Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel walk through Axxess, making fun of fans at the create an entrance booth. The entrance and the ring are sacred ground and they don’t like having it treated as a joke.

Here’s Toni Storm for a chat. She’s proud to represent this brand on the most important week of the year. Toni lists off all the great talent in the division (including Rhea Ripley) but promises to be champion for a long time. That’s it for Toni, but it’s Kay Lee Ray (who Storm didn’t mention) coming out as Storm is leaving.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Xia Li

With the hold broken up, Kay has to duck away from a spinning kick to the face and hits a superkick of her own. Li is in trouble in the corner and Kay makes it worse by sending the arm into the corner. The armbar doesn’t last long as Li throws her down and comes back with some forearms. A flying mare sets up a spinning kick to the face for two on Kay, who is right back with a superkick. The Gory Bomb finishes Li at 5:27.

Rating: C-. Li has gotten better since she was in the Mae Young Classic but this was all about getting Kay over as a star. The lack of a mention from Toni is a good way to start something between the two of them and Ray’s reputation suggests that she should be fine on that level. Kay looked good here, and that’s what matters.

Piper Niven is at Axxess (or at least on the Axxess set as there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. She’s ready to keep proving herself to Rhea Ripley.

The Grizzled Young Veterans throw Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan’s gear out of the locker room.

Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Moustache Mountain

Bate and Andrews start things off and we get the handshake of respect. The battle over arm control allows Bate to use his very British counter to escape and it’s back to a standoff. Andrews’ armdrag attempt is blocked with pure power so he switches off to Webster to come in with a top rope stomp to Bate’s arm. That doesn’t hurt Bate’s leg though and he dropkicks his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Seven. Webster is fast enough to drop toehold him down and grab a front facelock, meaning it’s back to Andrews.

That doesn’t go very well as Seven rips the skin off of Andrew’s chest with some chops. The fireman’s carry slam into the Swanton from Bate gets two and it’s already back to Seven to keep Andrews down. Andrews finally elbows his way to freedom and it’s Webster coming back in with a standing Lionsault. Seven backdrops his way out of trouble and hands it back to Bate to speed things up again. That means running elbows in the corner to Andrews and Webster, followed by the airplane spin/giant swing combination (that will never stop impressing me).

Webster counters the Tyler Driver 97 so it’s an airplane spin on the floor. Back in and the running shooting star gets two on Andrews, who is right back up with the double Pele to both Mountaineers. The tornado DDT gives Webster two on Seven and we settle back down to Seven chopping both of them away.

Bate comes back in for the Dragon suplex/clothesline combination, meaning Webster has to come off the top with a Swanton to break up a double cover. Webster gets the blind tag and it’s a running knee/reverse hurricanrana combination (cool) for two on Bate with Seven making the save. Seven comes back in for the snap dragon suplex, setting up the Burning Hammer/top rope knee combination to finish Webster at 12:29.

Rating: B. This took its time to get going but at the end Moustache Mountain was sweating a bit, which is more than you would expect from a team like Webster and Andrews. The tag division needs teams like these and Andrews and Webster got a nice rub here. That being said, Bate and Seven are getting the titles at some point, as they should.

Overall Rating: B. Another strong show here with mostly good wrestling and things being set up for the future. It’s no classic and the American crowds aren’t as interested as their UK counterparts, but they saw a good hour of wrestling, which is more than a lot of audiences get. Good stuff here, and the big guns are coming back soon.

Results

Kassius Ohno b. Ligero – Roaring elbow

Kay Lee Ray b. Xia Li – Gory Bomb

Moustache Mountain b. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews – Burning Hammer/top rope knee drop combination to Webster

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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NXT – April 24, 2019: Keep Planning Ahead

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 24, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Things are getting interesting around here as Johnny Gargano is still dealing with the Undisputed Era. That could make for some fun matches going forward and we’re starting those tonight with Roderick Strong getting a non-title shot at the champ. Other than that, we could be in for the first steps towards Velveteen Dream vs. Dominik Dijakovic for the North American Title. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick recap of Gargano vs. Strong.

Opening sequence.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Humberto Carrillo

Ryker powers him into the corner to start but Carrillo flips out of a belly to back suplex. A springboard kick to the face gets two and there’s a headscissors to take Ryker down again. The standing moonsault is good for two more but Ryker gets all serious and hiptosses Carrillo into the corner. The Widowmaker sends Carrillo outside but Ryker follows and sends him into the barricade a few times. They head over the barricade with Ryker kneeing him in the head against another barricade for….I guess the double countout at 2:59.

Post match the beating continues until Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan come out for the save.

Adam Cole doesn’t want to hear about Strong getting a match with the cowardly Gargano. It doesn’t matter though because Strong will get the job done. Matt Riddle pops up to laugh at Cole being so jealous. Cole leaves and Riddle does his photo shoot with the goofy poses that feel more natural for him than talking.

Vanessa Borne/Aliyah vs. Candice LeRae/Kacy Catanzaro

Aliyah takes Catanzaro down to start and drops a knee with a flip forward for a bonus. Catanzaro is right back up with a flipping kick to the back so Aliyah pulls her down by the hair. Borne comes in to forearm her in the back and it’s Aliyah working on something like a surfboard. A double neckbreaker gets Catanzaro out of trouble and it’s off to Candice to pick things up a bit. The missile dropkick sets up a springboard jawbreaker (Nigel: “NOT TO THE FACE! NOT TO THE FACE!”) to Borne and the Lionsault is good for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: D+. Candice is clearly miles ahead of the other three, which for Kacy is just due to inexperience. Aliyah and Borne can get by without embarrassing themselves but Aliyah should have gotten better just due to time spent around here. The match wasn’t bad, but Candice was the only thing worth seeing.

We look back at Io Shirai being forced to watch Kairi Sane having her arm crushed last week.

Shirai promises to get Shayna Baszler but Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke beat her down.

Video on Kushida, who debuts next week.

William Regal is excited to see Kushida debut and like clockwork, here’s Kassius Ohno to interrupt. They exchange pleasantries and Ohno offers to be Kushida’s first opponent. Regal thinks that’s an excellent idea and the match is made.

Street Profits vs. War Raiders

Non-title. How often do you see NXT’s continuity behind WWE? Ford hits a big flip dive over the top to take the champs down and it’s a spinebuster into the frog splash for a VERY close two on Rowe. A Doomsday Device is escaped and Hanson is in to hammer on Dawkins. The running seated crossbody drops Dawkins and a heck of a clothesline puts Ford down. We settle down to a regular match with Hanson slamming Rowe onto Dawkins, who is right back with a right hand to the jaw.

Ford’s running forearms stagger Hanson, who kicks him in the face. Ford is right back with a delayed belly to back suplex and Rowe gets knocked to the floor. Some spinning splashes in the corner get two on Hanson but the handspring double elbow takes the Profits down. Rowe comes back in for the knee to Dawkins’ head, setting up the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination to Dawkins. Thor’s Hammer finishes Ford at 5:48.

Rating: B. That was a lot of fun with the only lower point being the part where they were actually doing a regular tag match. The Profits can go and with the Raiders heading up to the main roster (under whatever name they’re called this week), someone is going to have to take the titles. I don’t think the Profits will be the team to take them, but they had a very good match here.

Mia Yim doesn’t like Bianca Belair calling herself undefeated because she’s been defeated. Yim should be getting the next title shot and she’s going to prove it.

Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Gargano

Non-title. Strong front facelocks him to start but has to roll his way out of an early Gargano Escape attempt. Gargano knocks him outside for a kick to the face from the apron. A half nelson backbreaker onto the apron puts Gargano in more trouble and a gutbuster gives Strong two. He cranks on Gargano’s arm for a bit before chopping him on the mat and yelling at Gargano to stay down.

The Gory Stretch makes things even worse for Gargano and he rolls outside. This time the half nelson backbreaker is countered into a whip into the steps to put Strong in trouble for a change. Back in and the slingshot spear gives Johnny two. The rolling kick to the head sends Strong outside again for the Cannonball from the apron. They head inside again with the low superkick giving Gargano two but the Lawn Dart is countered.

Strong gets a butterfly suplex into a backbreaker for two, followed by another backbreaker and the belly to back faceplant for two. Johnny pulls him down into the Gargano Escape but here’s Adam Cole for the distraction. A rollup gives Strong two as the rest of the Era comes out. Cue Matt Riddle for the save and the distracted Cole kicks Strong in the head by mistake. That sets up the slingshot DDT to give Gargano the pin at 13:38.

Rating: B-. This was all about the ending but it was nice to have Gargano get a victory over someone with some credibility after the title win. I’m hoping the Era isn’t about to split as they never quite made it all the way to the top of the promotion. Cole as NXT Champion with his minions around him could have made for a good story, but the team has been together for a long time now and I can see why they might want to move on.

The Era argues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s another show where they just do everything right, including good wrestling and storyline advancement that the show thrives on. I can’t emphasize enough how great it is to have things built up for next week. When Raw and Smackdown are seemingly written the day of the show, it’s so nice to have some structure instead of setting everything up the night of the show. Do more of that and things will get a little better.

Results

Jaxson Ryker vs. Humberto Carrillo went to a double countout

Kacy Catanzaro/Candice LeRae b. Aliyah/Vanessa Borne – Lionsault to Borne

War Raiders b. Street Profits – Thor’s Hammer to Ford

Johnny Gargano b. Roderick Strong – Slingshot DDT

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT Alumni: As Long As WWE Doesn’t Hear About It

IMG Credit: WWE

Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT Alumni
Date: April 14, 2019
Location: Pier 12, New York City, New York
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Percy Watson

So you might remember the When Worlds Collide tournament from over Royal Rumble weekend. Well now they’re doing a series of one off shows with nothing on the line, though this time around we have some interesting concepts, such as this one with a pretty simple name. This could be entertaining or it could be rather boring so let’s get to it.

The announcers run down most of the card.

Kassius Ohno vs. Aiden English

Yes English does still wrestle. The fans given Aiden an AIDEN DAY chant and Ohno congratulates him for getting a chant while being a commentator. That’s too much for Aiden, who hammers away with right hands in the corner and a running elbow makes it worse. Ohno shoves him off the top to the floor though and follows Aiden outside for a right hand (Ohno: “OHNO DAY!”).

Back in and we hit the chinlock until Ohno switches to a double arm crank. Aiden fights up and reverses a neckbreaker into a falling DDT for two. The big running flip dive to the floor (When did Aiden learn to do that?) knocks Ohno down again and a backsplash gets two more back inside. Ohno isn’t having any more of this and kicks Aiden in the face, setting up the Roaring elbow to the back of the head for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C-. Ohno’s shouting insults were a very nice addition here and they helped what was an otherwise dull match. There’s only so much you can get out of Ohno vs. English as Ohno is a role player and English hasn’t had much success outside of his Vaudevillain days in NXT. Not terrible, but the ending coming out of nowhere didn’t help things.

Harper vs. Dominik Dijakovic

This is Harper’s big return after his wrist injury. The fans welcome him back and it’s Harper going straight at him for a lockup in the corner. After the clean break, they trade shots to the face with Harper’s knocking Dijakovic outside. Back in and Dijakovic blocks a suplex attempt and nails the suplex toss in a great power display. More of the same gives Dijakovic two but Harper is right back with a DDT to put them both down.

A heck of a right hand lets Harper hit a slingshot hilo and a big boot gets two. The swinging Boss Man Slam gets the same but Harper goes up and gets chokeslammed back down. They slug it out on the apron and it’s Harper neckbreakering him out to the floor in a crash. Back in and a half nelson suplex drops Dijakovic on his neck again but it’s too early for the discus lariat. Dijakovic shouts DIE so Harper superkicks him, only to get kicked right back in the face to give Dijakovic two.

Rating: B. And that’s pretty much it for Harper, who asked for his release a few days later. At least he went out on a very good match between two big monsters, with both guys trading bombs until one of them couldn’t get up. I had a good time with this one and that’s all you can ask for from a hoss fight like this.

Post match respect is shown in a nice touch.

Sanity vs. Undisputed Era

Alexander Wolfe/Killian Dain (with Eric Young) vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish here. Fish and Wolfe start things off with Kyle going to his back and Wolfe waving down at him. A hiptoss lets Wolfe wave again and the threat of wild swinging sends O’Reilly bailing to the floor. Back in and Wolfe spins around and has a seat on the mat, freaking O’Reilly out enough that he bails over for a tag.

O’Reilly is sent outside and it’s Dain coming in to clean house. The Samoan drop/fall away slam combination is as impressive as ever and a backsplash into the Vader Bomb gets two on O’Reilly. Fish’s exploder gets two on Wolfe with Dain making the save. The Backstabber into the backsplash from Dain crushes Fish for two but O’Reilly comes in off a blind tag and chop blocks Dain. High/Low finishes Dain at 9:07.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have anywhere near the heat you might have expected, though can you blame Sanity for not being all fired up here? They’re almost on the same level as the Colons at this point and I don’t see that getting any better. The match was entertaining enough though because of the talent in there, but not exactly must see.

Post match the Era goes after Dain again so Young comes in for the save.

Tyler Breeze vs. Roderick Strong

Feeling out process to start with Strong going to a wristlock. Breeze spins out and puts on a wristlock of his own before snapping off a dropkick to send Strong into the corner. A catapult makes it even worse for Strong but he’s fine enough to knock Breeze off the top and out to the floor.

Back in and we hit the first backbreaker (you knew those were coming), setting up Strong putting his knee in Breeze’s ribs and pulling on the neck. Strong’s dropkick gets two and he mocks Breeze’s picture taking abilities. It’s off to another backbreaker, this time with Strong keeping Breeze over his knee. The chinlock with a knee in the back stays on the designated target before Strong mixes things up with a modified Gory Stretch.

With that broken up, Breeze is fine enough to hit an enziguri for a quick near fall. The Supermodel Kick gets two more and there’s a crucifix for the third straight two. The Beauty Shot is countered into a backbreaker to give Strong two of his own and Breeze is in trouble again. Some kicks to the face get Breeze out of a Strong Hold attempt but he gets caught in the belly to back faceplant for two more. Back up and another backbreaker is countered into a quick Unprettier for the pin on Strong at 13:13.

Rating: B-. Good match here, which is the case every time Breeze is around NXT. You would think that this could mean he gets to go somewhere because he’s capable of pulling it off, but WWE has decided that someone of Breeze’s size, look and gimmick isn’t going anywhere and that’s a big problem with the whole brass ring concept. At least he can do things like this here though, and that’s as good as it’s getting for him at the moment.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable yet also skippable show here, with the matches mostly working and the wrestling being pretty good at times. It’s an interesting concept that could be done on a much bigger scale in the future, though I would be worried to see what kind of things would happen if WWE was actually paying attention to the idea.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

NXT UK – April 17, 2019: It Doesn’t Translate Well

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: April 17, 2019
Location: Brooklyn Pier 12, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back stateside again with a batch of shows taped from Axxess. That means things could be all over the place as there is usually something big on the episodes for the sake of making it feel special. I’m not sure what to expect from things here though and that can make things a little more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Coffey Brothers vs. Raul Mendoza/Humberto Carrillo

As usual, commentary focuses on how good looking Carrillo is. Mark armbars Mendoza to start before taking him down for an early stomping. It’s off to Joe vs. Carrillo with Humberto’s handspring elbow connecting for one. A moonsault misses and Joe’s running headbutt to the ribs has Carrillo in trouble in the corner. Joe slaps on a seated full nelson and even puts Carrillo face first onto the mat to make it even worse. That’s a simple hold but it does look rather painful.

Carrillo powers out (impressive) so it’s a butterfly swing into the butterfly suplex to give Joe two. Mark comes in and gets punched in the face, allowing the quick tag to Mendoza. A running enziguri staggers Mark again and a springboard missile dropkick takes him down. Carrillo comes back in and stereo suicide dives drop the Brothers. Back in and a moonsault from Carrillo into Mendoza’s 450 gets two on Mark with Joe making a save. Joe uppercuts Mendoza into another enziguri and All The Best For The Bells gives Joe the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C+. Not too bad at all here with the Coffeys being a good power team and Mendoza/Carrillo continuing to impress every time they’re in the ring together. That’s the kind of match that is going to work every time and I’m always glad to see more from Mendoza and Carrillo. These four had chemistry together and it was a rather nice match.

Kassius Ohno doesn’t like the suggestion that things haven’t been going well for him, even though things haven’t been going well for him. He’s here to show the real European style to these so called veterans of the British scene. Like Ligero, who is famous for wrestling a crazy amount of matches. Ohno is quality over quantity and it would only take one match to show Ligero what a real wrestler is like.

Wrestlers want to see Pete Dunne vs. Walter II. Jordan Devlin doesn’t care and gets into a staredown with Walter.

Kona Reeves vs. Dave Mastiff

If I’ve ever wanted to see Mastiff crush someone, it’s right here. Reeves actually manages to get him into the corner and makes it clear that he is in fact the finest. A shoulder block doesn’t have much effect on Mastiff, who wrestles Reeves to the mat in a bit of a surprise. Some elbows to the head rock Reeves again but he knows to get away before the Cannonball can launch.

Reeves snaps him throat first across the top and slaps on the chinlock, which keeps Mastiff down longer than you might have guessed. Back up and Mastiff runs him over with a crossbody, setting up a release German suplex. Now the Cannonball can finish Reeves for good at 4:36.

Rating: D. I know WWE doesn’t like admitting defeat on talents but my goodness how could they possibly see anything left in Reeves? His gimmick is saying his nickname over and over again and his work isn’t anything above below average. Mastiff is something entertaining though and has gotten a little better than the run of the mill monster.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are ready for Moustache Mountain and want to bring the Tag Team Titles to Wales.

Wolfgang cuts off Mastiff’s interview and have to be broken up. Mastiff threatens to have him for dinner.

Kacy Catanzaro vs. Rhea Ripley

Rematch from last year’s Mae Young Classic where Ripley eliminated Catanzaro. Kacy tries to stay away from Ripley to start but gets tossed into the corner with ease. A hair pull down puts Catanzaro on the mat and Ripley hammers away, though she has to stop and yell that she knows the rules. The delayed vertical suplex gives Ripley two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Catanzaro starts to try to speed but her crossbody is countered into a suplex, which is countered into a small package for two on Ripley. Catanzaro gets caught in the corner again and this time it’s Riptide for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: D+. Catanzaro is an intriguing name with her insane athleticism but she’s just so small that there’s only so much she can do when Ripley is that much bigger. Ripley squashed her here and looked dominant all over again, which is probably going to be the case with most of her matches against anyone not named Toni Storm or Piper Niven.

Post match Ripley puts her in the Cloverleaf.

Post break Ripley yells at Catanzaro, saying that’s what she had to expect. Piper Niven comes up and scares Ripley off.

Jinny has nothing to say about her loss.

Next week: Kassius Ohno vs. Ligero. Also, Moustache Mountain vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams

Non-title and the fans take their shoes off in protest of Gibson in America too. Before the match, Gibson says the same things he says almost every week and makes it clear that this is non-title, because that’s as close as Jordan and Williams will get to the titles. Gibson takes Jordan down by the arm to start and then does it again for good measure. Drake comes in for a forearm to Jordan, who flips forward and monkey flips Drake over in a big crash.

Williams comes in for an arm shot of his own so Gibson pulls Drake to the floor for a breather. It’s back to Gibson, who goes for the arm again but gets rolled up for two instead. A springboard back elbow to the jaw has Gibson in even more trouble as the champions can’t keep any momentum going. Drake tags himself back in though and it’s a basement dropkick to the knee, followed by a second to the head.

A running dropkick knocks Jordan off the apron and it’s a slingshot elbow into a backbreaker on the floor to make it even worse for Williams. Back in and the chinlock goes on as the fans get behind Williams as much as they can. A snap suplex gives Drake two and it’s another chinlock until Williams jawbreaks his way to freedom. Gibson gets kicked in his recently injured ear but Drake pulls Williams right back into the chinlock.

This time it’s broken up with ease and since Gibson is on the floor, the hot tag brings in Jordan to pick up the pace. A neckbreaker gives Jordan two and Gibson is still down, even waving Drake off when he comes over for a tag. Williams comes back in for a springboard back elbow, drawing Gibson off the floor to make the save. Jordan gets a blind tag and it’s the Swanton Bombay for two with Gibson pulling Drake to the floor. That’s enough for the champs, who take the countout at 10:35.

Rating: D+. The chinlocks killed this one and they would have been much better off by cutting two minutes out of the match. While I didn’t really care for the match, it’s a huge improvement over having Jordan and Williams steal a quick pin to set up the title rematch. Countouts can be the company’s friend in this situation but WWE never seems to remember that. Also, the champs need challengers and this is one way to set those up, especially when they don’t have a deep division in the first place. That being said, I’d be a little more hesitant to already tease a split between Gibson and Drake, unless Gibson is getting a huge push.

Pete Dunne talks about losing the title after nearly two years. He’s not leaving the title behind because it’s an extension of him. People were so used to him being the champion that they forgot about the chase. He’s been everywhere in WWE over the last two years and Walter gave him the fight of his life. Now he knows what to expect and he knows he can get the title back. Since he gave Walter a chance, give him the same courtesy. Give him a rematch. Great promo here with the video backing it up.

Overall Rating: D. Well so much for this one being a big show with something special. This was a rather dull episode with the wrestling not working and the guest stars, save for Mendoza and Carrillo, being rather lifeless. It takes something special to get a boring Catanzaro match but this show managed to make it happen. I wasn’t feeling this one, but the good thing is that NXT UK has become a good enough show that this is a one off misfire instead of a trend.

Results

Coffey Brothers b. Raul Mendoza/Humberto Carrillo – All The Best For The Bells to Mendoza

Dave Mastiff b. Kona Reeves – Cannonball

Rhea Ripley b. Kacy Catanzaro – Riptide

Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams b. Grizzled Young Veterans via countout

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

NXT – April 17, 2019: They Take Over TV Too

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 17, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s time to get back home after New York after another incredible Takeover. With last week’s recap edition out of the way, things are back to normal here as we start the long build towards the next Takeover in a few months. The big draw is Johnny Gargano’s first comments as NXT Champion and you can hear the chants from here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Buddy Murphy

Dream is defending after asking Murphy where his title was after Wrestlemania. Feeling out process to start with Murphy taking him to the mat in a headlock. Dream is right back with a headlock of his own and it’s a double nipup into a standoff. The Aussie fans are in full strength as Murphy headscissors him to the floor but Dream crawls back in to mess with Murphy’s head.

Speaking of heads, Murphy knees Dream in his for two and Dream is in trouble. Dream gets sent head first into the post for a trip to the floor, setting up the big flip dive. Back in and Murphy’s top rope Meteora gets two, setting up a sleeper to keep Dream down. It’s broken up with a ram into the corner and Murphy charges into one heck of a superkick to knock him silly. A Codebreaker gives Dream two but the Dream Valley Driver is blocked. The Hideo Itami tornado DDT across the top staggers Dream, who is fine enough to catch Murphy on top.

They knock each other out to the floor and a double drive brings them both back in at nine. Murphy’s DDT gets two but a super sunset flip is countered into the Dream Valley Driver for a rather near fall. Dream goes up and gets superkicked straight into a Batista Bomb for another two and they’re both down again. A jumping knee puts Dream down on the floor and Murphy is smart enough to break the count. Back in again and another Dream Valley Driver sets up the Purple Rainmaker to retain the title at 14:57.

Rating: B+. Were you expecting anything else? These two have been stars for the last year and I’m very glad to see Murphy going to the main roster as it’s a long overdue promotion. He’s been the best thing about 205 Live for a long time now and Murphy belongs on one of the two major shows. Dream was every bit as good as he usually was here and while I’m scared for him on the main roster, he’s great every time he’s in the ring here. The charisma alone is worth seeing and that’s what matters most.

The Street Profits talk about making opportunity and go to William Regal’s office to ask for a chance. The War Raiders (still under that name) come out and say they’ve heard what the Profits have been saying. They fight next week.

Here’s Gargano, of course in the Johnny Champion shirt, to address the crowd. Johnny talks about how we’ve been waiting a very, very, very long time for this moment and how he was told no at his NXT tryout in 2015. This is what happens when you don’t take no for an answer and now he’s here as champion. Cue the Undisputed Era to interrupt with Adam Cole saying to stop the music. He’s not going to listen to another Gargano love fest because he beat Johnny in New York.

Cole is the uncrowned NXT Champion and Gargano is nothing more than a punk. Gargano thinks the little boy band might not be in sync right now. He won two falls in a row in New York and he’s the UNDISPUTED NXT Champion. Cole: “How about you shut up Johnny?” Gargano laughs it off and says if he lost, he wouldn’t be crying like a little bay-baby. If Cole wants to get in the ring, Johnny will be glad to put some more points on the scoreboard. Cole heads to the ring but Roderick Strong jumps Gargano from behind. The Era beats him down and poses. Gargano vs. the Era continuing makes the most sense.

Kushida debuts in two weeks.

We look at the NXT callups in the Superstar Shakeup with Nigel calling the War Raiders the Viking Experience, even though they were the Raiders earlier tonight.

Dominik Dijakovic vs. Aaron Frye

Cyclone boot finishes Frye at 12 seconds.

Post match Dijakovic says he’s here because his family gave him the opportunity. They came to the United States and that spirit flows through his veins. He wants the North American Title so the Dream can feast his eyes. Sounds good to me.

The Undisputed Era says that nothing is wrong when Regal comes in. Gargano wants to face the Era, which sounds great to Cole. Actually Gargano wants to face Strong, which doesn’t sound great to Cole.

We recap Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler, which is actually quite the rivalry around here.

Aliyah and Vanessa Borne say they weren’t ready next week so Candice LeRae can find a partner to face them next week.

Women’s Title: Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler

Sane is challenging in her final chance at the title. They fight into the corner to start with Sane hitting a quick spinning backfist into the sliding D. A running crossbody from the apron keeps Baszler down but she’s right back with the strikes inside. Baszler’s knee to the chest gets two but the Kirifuda Clutch is countered. Sane hits the Interceptor and the Anchor has Baszler in more trouble.

The rope is grabbed so Sane drops a middle rope elbow to the back but a second is broken up. Baszler goes up as well, earning herself a trip into the Tree of Woe for an Alberto double stomp. Sane’s diving elbow hits barricade though and it’s time to crank on the arm back inside. A gutwrench faceplant sets up an arm trap choke until Sane gets a foot on the rope. The referee calls for a medic to check on the arm, with Io Shirai coming out to check on Sane as well. Baszler isn’t having that and pulls Sane back in for the arm stop but Shirai breaks it up for the DQ at 8:25.

Rating: B. This was the Cliff Notes version of their regular match and that’s still more than good enough. With Sane on the main roster, this was hardly a surprise ending and Shirai coming in for the save sets her up as the next challenger. Good match too, as Sane is one of the few who feels like a real threat to Baszler.

Post match Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke hold Shirai so Baszler can stomp Sane’s arm. The villains pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. I mean, what more do you want from a show like this? They set up matches for the next two weeks, had a great opener and a very good main event to send Sane off to the main roster. As usual it comes off like they know exactly what they want to do and then just go out and do it. This show was a breeze to watch and I had a great time with it, as the new stretch towards Takeover starts very well.

Results

Velveteen Dream b. Buddy Murphy – Purple Rainmaker

Dominik Dijakovic b. Aaron Frye – Cyclone boot

Shayna Baszler b. Kairi Sane via DQ when Io Shirai interfered

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

NXT UK – April 10, 2019: The NXT Way

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: April 10, 2019
Location: Coventry Skydome Arena, Coventry, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the final show from the taping cycle and while the United Kingdom Title changed hands about six weeks after this was filmed, I’m sure something will be mentioned in an inserted video. As for tonight though, we have the Women’s Title to worry about as Toni Storm is defending against Jinny. They have quite the rivalry in Progress so this should be good. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Storm vs. Jinny. Storm won the title earlier in the year and Jinny is tired of it always being Toni Time. We get some clips of their Progress matches, with Toni saying that Jinny doesn’t like being made to work for something and tonight she has to fight.

Opening sequence.

Travis Banks vs. Kassius Ohno

Feeling out process to start with Ohno taking over off a wristlock but getting reversed into a headlock. Banks tries a shoulder but Ohno doesn’t go very far. He turns his head to look at Banks and says “Oh I didn’t see you! I didn’t feel you either.” Ohno loads up a shoulder of his own but stomps on Banks’ foot instead. Banks goes with the kicks to the chest instead and one to the back puts Ohno on the floor.

The dive is countered though and Ohno kicks him in the face. Banks is fine enough to hit a running kick to the chest from the apron, only to be sent into the steps for his efforts. Back in and a running legdrop gives Ohno two but he misses a backsplash. The kicks to the chest (they like kicking in this one) keep Ohno in trouble until a knee to Banks’ injured shoulder has him writhing on the mat.

Ohno walks around for a bit until they trade more kicks. The pump kick gives Ohno two so it’s time to pull on the arm a little bit. A reversed whip sends Ohno to the apron and a dropkick puts him on the floor. Now the suicide dive connects, allowing Banks to hit a running knee to the face.

Back in and Banks gets caught in an electric chair, which is countered into a victory roll for two. A quick Kiwi Crusher gets two more but Ohno throws him onto his shoulders again for a Rubik’s Cube (One Winged Angel) for two which should have been three. Ohno is so surprised that he gets rolled up twice in a row, followed by a third attempt for the pin at 14:47.

Rating: B. Questionable use of such a major move that didn’t end the match aside, this was a smart way to use Ohno. He’s so much bigger than Banks (or just about anyone else on the roster) and it’s a good idea to have him wrestle this kind of an aggressive style. Banks looks like he can beat a monster, which is a good way to get him back on the right track.

We look back at Piper Niven debuting last week and scaring off Rhea Ripley.

Long video on Pete Dunne vs. Walter.

Jordan Devlin is sick of hearing about Dunne’s rematch because he’d rather hear about his own title shot.

Piper Niven vs. Killer Kelly

Piper stalks her a bit and we get an early handshake. Kelly goes a little more aggressive than I would have expected and tries a cravate, earning herself a slam and backsplash. A regular splash gets two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Kelly slips off Piper’s shoulder and grabs a sleeper, which is reversed with a crash into the corner. A Cannonball into a Michinoku Driver gives Piper the pin at 3:35.

Rating: D+. Not quite a squash but Kelly never felt like any kind of a threat. That’s the right way to present someone like Piper, who shouldn’t be in any kind of trouble until she’s in there with Ripley. Yeah she’s big, but she moves around very well and came off as very athletic, which is a great combination.

Post match Rhea tries to sneak in but gets stared back up the aisle.

Moustache Mountain is ready to come to New York to face Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t happy with having to go to New York because Gibson doesn’t want to miss Liverpool games. There’s going to be a non-title challenge to any team from the NXT UK roster.

Joseph Conners vs. Jack Starz

Starz spins out of a wristlock to start and puts Conners down into a wristlock. Conners’ British Bulldog lift out of a short armscissors is countered into a sunset flip to give Starz two. With early frustration setting in, Conners hits a top rope shoulder and it’s off to a neck crank. Some elbow drops have Starz in more trouble and Conners wants the referee to check on him. The referee thinks Starz is fine so Conners hits a hard clothesline but Starz slips between his legs. A running corner dropkick sets up a high crossbody, which Conners rolls through into Don’t Look Down for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C-. Remember all the other times I’ve criticized Conners’ matches in the same way? It’s the exact same thing here. Don’t Look Down is a good name for a finisher and it’s not a bad move….but it’s Joseph Conners doing the thing. I’d like to care about him, but he is just so uninteresting and dull that there’s nothing he can do to fix his problems.

Video on Dave Mastiff, who is back soon.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Jinny

Jinny is challenging. They go right at it to start with Toni getting the better of it and grabbing a half crab. The fans don’t make it any better by calling Jinny a Primark Princess, though Toni switching to an STF might be more painful (emphasis on might). After using the rope for a break, it’s off to a camel clutch to put Toni in trouble for a change. Storm reverses into a surfboard on the mat but Jinny is right back in the ropes for the break.

A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle knocks Toni silly and it’s time to start in on the back. Jinny hits a backbreaker and grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back. Now it’s a regular chinlock as Jinny is looking rather strong so far. Toni fights up with some rolling German suplexes but another shot to the back cuts her off. Jinny’s version of Storm Zero is countered with a headbutt and Jinny is rocked. She’s fine enough to try a hurricanrana, which is reversed into a powerbomb. Storm Zero retains the title at 10:34.

Rating: B-. Jinny was treated as an equal here and a real threat to the title, which is the best thing that can happen to the division at the moment. Storm and Ripley have been on top for so long that they need someone fresh in the ranks. It doesn’t have to be someone to win the title, but there needs to be someone who makes Toni sweat, which is what we had here.

Overall Rating: B+. That’s one of the better shows they’ve had and they’re wisely taking a path that NXT took: what you see right now on this show, no matter what it might be, is the most important thing. They treated the Women’s Title match like a big deal, just as they did Trent Seven vs. Joe Coffey before. It makes everything on the show feel important, which gives you a reason to want to watch. Some things are of course more important than others, but you wouldn’t know that from commentary and that’s the right way to go about things.

Results

Travis Banks b. Kassius Ohno – Rollup

Piper Niven b. Killer Kelly – Michinoku Driver

Joseph Conners b. Jack Starz – Don’t Look Down

Toni Storm b. Jinny – Storm Zero

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

NXT – April 10, 2019: I Think We All Needed A Break

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 10, 2019
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for the fallout show from Friday with a show taped prior to the show we’re recapping. Tonight we’re looking at a bunch of clips from Takeover: new York plus a trio of matches that took place before the show went on the air. These shows are usually very light and there’s no reason to believe that this should be any different. Let’s get to it.

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

A long recap package of Takeover opens things up.

Opening sequence, now with a new theme song.

Aliyah vs. Candice LeRae

Vanessa Borne is in Aliyah’s corner. Aliyah takes her to the mat and gets in some forearms to the back but Candice is right back up with an armdrag. A knee in the corner slows Candice down and Aliyah demands that New York cheers for her. Vanessa offers a distraction and Aliyah gets in a kick to the face to take over. The chinlock doesn’t work for Aliyah as Candice takes her down and hits a step up backsplash. A neckbreaker into a Lionsault (with Candice possibly tweaking her knee) finishes Aliyah at 4:12.

Rating: D+. Standard Welcome To The Show match to kick off the evening and that’s fine. It was just an exchange of moves with Candice overcoming the odds and winning without breaking much of a sweat. That’s fine for this match though as Candice is such a likable person and character that it’s easy to see why she’s in a spot like this.

We look at Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle with Dream retaining the title in a bit of an upset.

Dream talks about his win as Buddy Murphy walks by. Dream says that’s someone who couldn’t handle the spotlight at Wrestlemania. Murphy doesn’t like that so Dream asks where his title is.

Video on the War Raiders retaining the Tag Team Titles against Ricochet and Aleister Black in what was likely Ricochet and Black’s NXT farewell.

We look at Kushida signing with NXT.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Danny Burch

Steve Cutler, Wesley Blake and Oney Lorcan are at ringside. Burch takes him straight down for two and hammers away in the corner with right hands and clotheslines. Ryker pulls him off the middle rope and blasts Burch in the face with an elbow. A middle rope headbutt gets two but Burch is right back with a forearm. The other Sons offer a distraction so Lorcan takes care of them, leaving Burch to walk into the Widowmaker to give Ryker the pin at 3:10.

Rating: C-. They packed quite a bit in there and Ryker’s intensity is really starting to shine through. Having the Sons as a trio of wrestlers instead of a team with Ryker as a manager has some potential and with Ryker working as the monster, they could go somewhere. Lorcan and Burch are going to be fine no matter what they do because they’re good enough in the ring.

We look at the four way Women’s Title match at Takeover with Shayna Baszler retaining.

Baszler says she’s running out of competition and she’s keeping the title forever.

We look at Pete Dunne FINALLY losing the United Kingdom Title to Walter.

Pete says there will be a rematch.

We look back at Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole in a 2/3 falls match with Johnny overcoming the odds and becoming the NXT Champion after chasing the title for over a year. It’s still a very good match but they went just too far to make it perfect. Tommaso Ciampa coming out to endorse the win made up for a lot of it….I think.

The Undisputed Era isn’t happy with the loss with Roderick Strong and Adam Cole getting in an argument. Cole orders the camera shut off.

Street Profits vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel

Aichner knocks Dawkins off the apron to start and drives Ford into the wrong corner. Ford is fine enough to dropkick both of them down at once but Barthel kicks him in the face. Barthel has to pull Ford back from a tag and it’s a spinebuster from Aichner to keep him in early trouble.

As you might have guessed, Ford crawls over for the tag a few seconds later and it’s Dawkins cleaning house. A spinning splash in the corner connects but a Doomsday Device is broken up. One heck of a moonsault gives Aichner two on Ford but Dawkins spears Aichner down to break up a powerbomb. The Doomsday Blockbuster finishes Barthel at 6:02.

Rating: C-. Much like the previous two, this wasn’t the kind of match that you need to see but for the live crowd, it was a nice way to warm things up a little bit more before they got to the important stuff. The Profits are entertaining and have a ton of charisma so having them go over the rather dull European team was the easy choice.

Overall Rating: D+. Completely skippable show as usual, but after everything we’ve gotten to see in recent days, it’s fine for them to take a little break like this. The wrestling wasn’t the point this time around as everything was about taking a breather and catching fans up in case they didn’t see Takeover (Though why wouldn’t you have?). We’ll get back to the important stuff next week and everything will be fine.

Results

Candice LeRae b. Aliyah – Lionsault

Jaxson Ryker b. Danny Burch – Widowmaker

Street Profits b. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel – Doomsday Blockbuster to Barthel

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Takeover: New York: The Gold Show

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: New York
Date: April 5, 2019
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re finally in the big city for what might be the best show of the weekend (I’m looking at you ROH/G1. Impress me.) with a new NXT Champion guaranteed in the main event. Other than that we have all title matches up and down the card with the United Kingdom Title on the line as well. I guess I can deal with this if I have to. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the history of Takeovers (and Arrival) before getting to tonight’s card. The history was rather quick and that’s fine in something like this.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet

The Raiders are defending and come out with vikings beating on drums because they’re awesome that way. Ricochet and Black won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to get the shot. Black and Rowe start things off and they actually go technical with Rowe taking him down but not throwing a right hand at a downed opponent. Back up and Black puts his foot on the side of Rowe’s head as the mind games continue. They bump fists and it’s off to Hanson vs. Ricochet, much to the fans’ delight.

Ricochet goes with the speed and sends Hanson outside, leaving Rowe to take a dropkick. Black moonsaults to the middle and has a seat next to Ricochet as the NXT chants go up again. Back in and the pace quickens with Hanson sitting on Ricochet’s chest in the corner, setting up a slam to drop Rowe onto him again. With Ricochet mostly crushed, Rowe starts in on Black’s arm but the second tandem slam is cut off with a legsweep.

Ricochet already comes back in for a kick to the head and a springboard clothesline drops Rowe. Black’s elbow to the face gets one and we hit a seated abdominal stretch as the fans go nuts over something in the crowd. They chant YOU DESERVE IT until Rowe fights up and throws Black down with a slam. Hanson comes in to clean house, including the running clotheslines in the corner. Ricochet has had it with the beating and FALL AWAY SLAMS HANSON for your WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT/MAMA MIA spot.

Black and Rowe slug it out with Black kicking him in the head but getting kneed out of the air. A knee strike of his own sets up a heck of a German suplex for two on Rowe and the fans get to breathe while applauding. Hanson and Ricochet come back in for a flip off until Ricochet scores with his own kick to the head. That’s fine with Hanson, who hits a Tajiri handspring elbow (he shouldn’t be able to do that) for his own near fall. Ricochet knocks him off the top but it’s a blind tag, allowing Rowe to knee him into the corner.

Rowe throws Hanson into Ricochet in the corner and it’s a springboard clothesline/German suplex combination for two more with Black coming off the top with a double stomp for the save. Hanson gets sent outside and moonsaulted by Black, who takes a suicide dive from Rowe (whose feet got a little caught on the ropes). Ricochet busts out a corkscrew Space Flying Tiger Drop but it’s Hanson with a Cannonball off the top because it’s ok if he kills everyone.

Ricochet and Rowe dive back in to break up the count and it’s Black coming in as well. Rowe growls at him and takes a sweet Black Mass, knocking him silly. The 630 connects but Hanson shoves Black onto the cover for the save. Another 630 misses and Hanson blasts Black with a clothesline on the floor. Back in and Thor’s Hammer hits Ricochet and Hanson suicide dives onto Black. Fallout to Ricochet retains the titles at 18:39.

Rating: A. Yeah that was incredible and an instant classic with all four doing things that shouldn’t be humanly possible. Hanson alone is an athletic freak and their power moves are more than enough to carry them as far as they need to go. Ricochet and Black are going to be fine as they have solid chemistry, though Black still seems more like a singles star. Anyway, outstanding opener as the bar has been set.

Post match, hands are shaken and Black/Ricochet get the big sendoff to the main roster. Well they certainly deserve that.

Piper Niven and Toni Storm are here.

We recap Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle. Dream finally won the big one by winning the North American Title back in February but Riddle showed up to get a better look at the belt. Dream didn’t like someone taking his spotlight and the match was made.

North American Title: Matt Riddle vs. Velveteen Dream

Dream is defending. Riddle comes out in a pinstripe jacket and Dream…..is the Statue of Liberty, sitting on a throne carried by four men ala Macho King Randy Savage. There certainly are some similarities. The fans are split (of course) and Dream doesn’t like that posing on the corner. Riddle starts kicking at the knee and Dream is completely dominated when he tries to take it to the mat. A springboard armdrag into an armbar has Dream bailing to the ropes as the champ is in early trouble.

They go to a back to back test of strength until Riddle flips over him and reverses a monkey flip into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well so Dream gets smart by stomping on the bare foot. Dream gyrates the hips and gets gutwrench suplexed for his efforts. Riddle picks him up again and gyrates his own hips, allowing Dream to get out and hit a dropkick. With Riddle outside Dream tries a dive but lands in a German suplex on the floor. Back in and Riddle sends him flying with an exploder suplex but it’s too early for the Bromission.

The threat of an armbar sends Dream bailing to the ropes for the break and he’s right back up with a release German suplex. Riddle doesn’t sell German suplexes though and it’s a jumping knee into a fisherman’s buster for his latest near fall. Some forearms in the ropes show some frustration from Riddle so he counters what looked to be a powerbomb into a triangle. With that broken up, a GTS into a German suplex gives Riddle two. Kicks and knees to the chest make Dream HULK UP, meaning it’s a big boot and clothesline to the floor.

There’s the ax handle as we get both sides of the Mega Powers. Dream hits a Fameasser but dives into a jumping knee. A Codebreaker of all things gives Dream two but his running knee is countered into an ankle lock. Riddle switches feet to block Dream kicking him in the face but Dream is right back with a superkick. The wind up DDT sets up the Dream Valley Driver and Dream goes up.

The Purple Rainmaker is countered into most of the Bromission, sending Dream bailing to the ropes. Riddle takes him into the corner for a release German superplex into a corkscrew Swanton for a crazy hot near fall. A superkick doesn’t work for Dream as Riddle knees him into the Bromission but Dream flips back over for the pin at 17:33.

Rating: A. Well those were some of the best near falls I’ve ever seen and they actually got me on the finish. Riddle teasing the heel side during the match because his athleticism couldn’t get around Dream’s creativity and unorthodox style. This was an incredible match and the kind of match that Dream needed to win to really establish himself. I’m surprised that Riddle got pinned so soon, but he didn’t lose much at all from this. Great match as Dream steals another show.

NXT – April 3, 2019: Get Your Checklist Ready

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 3, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

This is where NXT tends to shine (among other places) as we have the final show before Takeover: New York. The card is set but now it’s time for the final push towards Friday (yeah Friday again) and that should be awesome. As for tonight we have Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane in a match that is going to end in interference. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

War Raiders vs. ???/???

Non-title. Rowe tosses both of them around and it’s a pop up powerslam for the complete destruction at 1:01.

War Raiders want some more competition.

War Raiders vs. Adrian Jaoude/Cezar Bononi

Non-title. Hanson gets to beat both of them this and it’s off to Rowe, who slams Hanson onto Jaoude. A powerslam/World’s Strongest Slam to both Jaoude and Bononi at the same time makes Rowe look like even more of a monster. Fallout finishes Bononi at 1:22.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Walter. Just take whatever NXT’s share of my 9.99 is now.

Ad for the Performance Center YouTube channel, including a bunch of shots of people outside the Performance Center. I could go for something like Breaking Ground.

Earlier today Candice LeRae talked about being happy for Johnny Gargano. She wants a title shot of her own but here are Vanessa Borne and Aliyah to laugh at the idea. Then she and Johnny can be failures together. Candice says they would know about failures and says she’ll start getting towards the title with Aliyah.

Oney Lorcan vs. Jaxson Ryker

Danny Burch and the rest of the Forgotten Sons are here. Ryker (I always forget he wrestles too.) drives Lorcan into the corner but Lorcan is fine with the intense brawling style. Lorcan’s shoulder and chop have no effect so it’s time for Burch and the Sons to get in an argument on the floor. The distraction lets Ryker nail a fireman’s carry gutbuster for a near fall. Lorcan’s chops still don’t work and we hit a bearhug to make Lorcan scream. This time he fights out and the chops work for a change but Lorcan misses a charge. A sitout spinebuster finishes Ryker at 5:25.

Rating: D+. This was pretty much a squash, which you don’t often see between established names. Lorcan is now on 205 Live anyway so maybe this is it for him as a full time guy around here. Burch is the kind of guy who can go on his own so he’ll be fine. The Sons are in a better place than they were a few weeks back, but they’re still a long way from where they need to be.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa having to vacate the NXT Title, setting up Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole in a 2/3 falls match for the vacant title in New York.

Video on Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle. That’s your dark horse for show stealer.

We look at Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic from five weeks ago and the followup fight at the Performance Center.

Keith Lee has a mini press conference and promises to make Dijakovic bask in his glory in two weeks.

Next week: the Street Profits vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel and LeRae vs. Aliyah.

Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane

Sane takes off the wristband to start and sends Belair to the apron, allowing her to mock the hair whip. A spear and basement dropkick have Belair in trouble but she’s right back with a powerslam. The abdominal stretch stays on the ribs and Belair covers with one foot, including a mock of the ahoy pose. Sane is right back with an Octopus Hold but gets broken up in a hurry.

Instead she heads up top and dives into a fall away slam for her efforts. Belair’s splash hits some quickly raised knees and Sane dropkicks her to the floor. Back in and Belair’s suplex is reversed into a DDT, meaning it’s the sliding elbow in the corner. A top rope forearm gets two but Belair is fine enough to catch her on top. The superplex, with Belair hanging onto the ropes, drops Sane so a moonsault can get two. Belair loads up the hair whip but it’s Shayna Baszler running in for the DQ at 8:26.

Rating: B. Obvious ending aside, this was a rather strong trading of big spots with Belair being at her best just showing off her athleticism. Sane can more than hang with her in that area though, making this a very entertaining match. I’m not sure who leaves Takeover with the title but at least the ending was the right call and no one too a loss.

Post match Io Shirai runs in to help Sane but gets beaten down by Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. The women’s division comes out to break it up and Belair throws Lacey Lane onto the pile. We’re not done as Shirai moonsaults onto everyone and poses with the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. You can picture the checklist that NXT follows as they run through the go home shows. Everything on here served a purpose and each of the Takeover matches got some kind of attention. Nothing was left out and matches were set up for the next two weeks. That’s very impressive and it’s a good match on top of that. If Takeover comes close to its potential, it’s the show of the year so far, as tends to be the case. Typical NXT here.

Results

War Raiders b. ???/??? – Pop up powerslam to ???

War Raiders b. Adrian Jaoude/Cezar Bononi – Fallout to Bononi

Jaxson Ryker b. Oney Lorcan – Sitout spinebuster

Bianca Belair b. Kairi Sane via DQ when Shayna Baszler interfered

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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