NXT UK – December 26, 2018 (Second Results): The Worst Match This Show Has Had

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 26, 2018
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

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

Opening sequence.

Zack Gibson/James Drake vs. Jay Melrose/Mike Hitchman

The latter team is better known as Primate and Wild Boar. Why are their names Mike and Jay? Gibson doesn’t exactly get a hero’s welcome here. Hitchman rolls away from a wristlock and Gibson is already annoyed. A pull of the hair is enough to bring in Drake but Hitchman hits a quick backsplash to the back to take over.

Melrose comes in to a nice reaction but gets sent outside for a slingshot/backbreaker combo. Back in and Gibson hits the chinlock as the villains start taking over with shots to the ribs. A missed charge allows allows the hot tag back to Hitchman for the house cleaning, including a powerbomb to Drake. That’s about it though as the Ticket to Ride finishes Hitchman at 4:53.

Rating: C. I’m rather impressed that they’ve managed to keep Gibson and Drake together for so long as Gibson is a far better heel than anyone else on the show. Drake isn’t bad at all but they feel like an actual team instead of Gibson with Drake tagging along. Gibson is better in just about every facet of wrestling, but they’re a good team and that’s a very positive thing.

Post match Gibson says they’re the best tag team in the world and have won everywhere they’ve gone. Gibson rants about the Liverpool fans turning their backs on him as soon as he had his first success. They took to the internet to say Gibson is…..I think he said woolyback. They’re the best tag team in the world and soon to be recognized as NXT UK Tag Team Champions.

Moustache Mountain is ready to go to Blackpool and win the Tag Team Titles. Wolfgang and Mark Coffey are the speed bump on the road but it’s not stopping them. That match is next week.

Dave Mastiff vs. Josh Morrell

Before I can say this match isn’t likely to happen because Eddie Dennis is going to interfere, Dennis comes out and jumps Josh, meaning no match. This is an oddly entertaining feud and I want to see the rematch.

Joseph Conners doesn’t like new toys because he used to be one. Now he wants to break some of those toys. Yeah I still don’t care.

Mark Andrews vs. Marcel Barthel

Barthel was on the regular NXT a few times and looked good. Andrews has to fight out of a wristlock to start and tries a headlock, only to have Barthel flip over his back into a hammerlock for a sweet counter. Back up and it’s an armdrag to put Barthel down, followed by a hurricanrana. A headscissors is countered into a faceplant and Barthel nails a running knee to the face for two.

The stomping in the corner sets up a sliding dropkick to the face so Barthel stops for some posing on the middle rope. Barthel gets two off a running uppercut in the corner and we hit the chinlock. Andrews fights up with some chops and a jumping enziguri, but Barthel rolls away before the standing moonsault. Andrews follows him out and hits a dropkick off the steps but here’s Fabian Aichner for a distraction.

It’s enough to give Barthel a small package for two so Andrews grabs a quick Stundog Millionaire. Fall to Pieces misses and Barthel throws him outside for a running knee from Aichner. Back in and Barthel hits a fisherman’s belly to back suplex (with Andrews being flipped onto his face) for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: F. This match was supposed to be designed to introduce Barthel and make him an interesting character and in that regard, it completely failed. It was long, slow, and didn’t make Barthel look like he could have beaten Andrews without help. I don’t want to see Barthel wrestle again and almost anyone could have been better. Absolutely terrible here and easily the most boring match on the series so far.

Barthel and Aichner pose together after the match. Aichner is better than that.

Video on Toni Storm winning the Mae Young Classic and earning a title shot, which she’s using at Takeover: Blackpool.

Video on Travis Banks.

Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending. Purrazzo hits a pump kick at the bell and a headscissors into an armbar has Ripley in more trouble. A quick rollup gets two on Ripley and Purrazzo ties her up in the middle of the ring for a running dropkick to the hip. Ripley has had it and sends Purrazzo outside for a drop onto the apron.

Back in and a delayed vertical suplex gives Ripley two, followed by a bodyscissors to stay on the ribs. Purrazzo fights up so Ripley kicks her right back down and grabs the standing Texas Cloverleaf. A rope is grabbed for the save and Purrazzo sends her outside for a dive from the apron. Back in and the Lethal Combination sets up a Koji Clutch to keep Ripley in trouble.

Ripley rolls out and hits a faceplant to put Purrazzo in trouble again. Purrazzo is sat on top but slips out, only to have Ripley block a sunset bomb. Instead Purrazzo kicks the knee out and hits a release German superplex. It’s time for the slugout with Purrazzo grabbing a flip Downward Spiral (with Ripley rolling forward to land on her back) for two more. Ripley is fine enough to hit Riptide to finish Purrazzo (with some shouting in her face on the cover) and retain at 12:21.

Rating: B-. This started slowly but got a lot better by the end. The important thing here was Purrazzo felt like she could win, which is hard to pull off when you have what should be a pretty obvious ending. I liked the match more than I was expecting to and Ripley is still getting really good at the little things, like the trash talk at the end. Good main event here and a nice surprise.

Post match Ripley beats on her some more but Toni Storm runs in for the save. Respect is shown between Toni and Deonna to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. That middle match killed the show horribly as there was only so much you can do when there’s a ten minute wreck in the middle of the show. The main event helped a lot though and Gibson is a treat to watch as he gets an entire crowd hating him all over again every single week. This show worked well enough, but that big anchor held it down far too much.

Results

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Jay Melrose/Mike Hitchman – Ticket to Ride to Hitchman

Marcel Barthel b. Mark Andrews – Belly to back fisherman’s suplex

Rhea Ripley b. Deonna Purrazzo – Riptide

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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NXT UK – December 26, 2018: Not Around Here We Don’t

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 26, 2018
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Christmas is over and that means it’s time for the good things to come to an end. Therefore, it’s back to a double shot of NXT UK, though that should be coming to an end early next month. We’re also in a new taping cycle and that means Zack Gibson might be….egads….cheered around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Sid Scala is in the ring and introduces Johnny Saint for an announcement. The big announcement is that on January 12, it’s NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. This brings out Toni Storm (with a rather different hair style) who says that she’s lived here in Liverpool for four years now. Also, as the winner of the Mae Young Classic, she can have a title shot anytime she wants. Therefore, she’ll be taking that at Takeover. Saint approves to wrap the segment. Nothing wrong with this and they were done in short order.

Kenny Williams vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is on this show more than anyone else. Williams sends him outside in a hurry and a springboard back elbow to the jaw knocks him outside. A dropkick through the ropes is countered with a drop onto the apron and it’s a reverse chinlock back inside. Williams’ comeback is cut off by a release Rock Bottom but his standing moonsault hits knees. Back up and Devlin gets dropkicked in the back, followed by a kick to the chest for two. A wheelbarrow rollup is countered into a half nelson suplex for two on Williams and Ireland’s Call gives Devlin the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C-. As usual, Devlin is the kind of guy that they should want to push but at the same time, he’s already lost to Pete Dunne, which makes this a little less interesting. Devlin has gotten a lot better and I buy him as a big villain, but I can’t imagine seeing him face off with Dunne again, at least not so soon. That doesn’t leave him much left to do and that’s a problem.

Post match Devlin says don’t bet against him.

Marcel Barthel debuts next week.

Scala and Saint are in the back for a chat about what’s coming up at Takeover. Rhea Ripley comes in to say she wants to defend the title next week. They go into their office and come back out a few seconds later, saying she can defend against Deonna Purrazzo next week.

Dan Moloney vs. Eddie Dennis

Moloney goes right after him to start but gets thrown down for his efforts. That earns him a toss to the floor and Moloney follows him out with a hard elbow to the face. The spinning backbreaker onto the apron makes things worse but here’s Dave Mastiff to jump Dennis for the DQ at 1:13.

Post match Dennis bails before the Cannonball can hit him. Moloney isn’t happy with Mastiff costing him a match so Mastiff knocks him into the corner for the Cannonball. I’m still trying to get my head around someone like Mastiff as a face.

Ligero thanks Scala for an opportunity tonight against Joe Coffey. Gallus comes in and Joe says tonight is about a step towards his NXT Championship. Scala also gives Wolfgang and Mark Coffey a spot in the Tag Team Title tournament against Moustache Mountain.

Zack Gibson takes James Drake on a tour of Liverpool to explain how important the city is to England. He’s Liverpool’s #1 but as soon as he became a success, the city turned on him. They’ll be Tag Team Champions.

Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone vs. Jack Starz/Tucker

T-Bone shoves Starz down to start so it’s quickly off to Tucker for a double dropkick. Tucker gets thrown down onto his face and Huxley comes in for a running knee to the stomach. It’s already back to Starz to fight off both monsters with a double knee to the ribs, followed by T-Bone’s right hand for the pin at 2:43. Total squash and I still don’t care for Huxley and T-Bone at all.

Isla Dawn agrees that her last match wasn’t the best performance against Rhea Ripley. She’s ready to rise back up again though and become champion. Jinny comes in to say no one cares about her.

Ligero vs. Joe Coffey

The much bigger Coffey drives him into the corner and we actually get a clean break. Coffey takes him down and pulls at the horns but Ligero ties himself up in a ball. That goes nowhere so Ligero tries a sunset flip to no avail. A faceplant sends Coffey to the outside but he blocks a Sliced Bread off the steps. Instead Coffey tosses him into the barricade for a running headbutt to the ribs for a unique shot.

Back in and the full nelson goes on, followed by a double underhook neck crank to keep Ligero in trouble. Ligero knees his way out of some vertical suplexes and sends Coffey outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Ligero hits a top rope cannonball, followed by a springboard Sliced Bread for two. That would be the big spot that served as Ligero’s last chance to win here.

Coffey hits another running headbutt to the back and a pop up powerslam gets two. Ligero’s top rope hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb into a Boston crab but Ligero makes the ropes. A rollup gives Ligero two but he springboards into the discus lariat to give Coffey the pin at 10:08.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t expecting this to turn into a competitive match again after Ligero’s big offense but it worked out rather well here. Ligero is a good choice for a luchador like this as he can do all the flying but being from England is more than enough to make the fans care about him. Coffey is a good choice for a monster villain, though every time he’s out there he shows low unimportant Mark and Wolfgang really are.

Overall Rating: C+. The two matches in the middle weren’t exactly required viewing but the first match gave us another step forward for Devlin and the main event was good. Having a goal like the Takeover card is going to help but this show still isn’t one of the better things that WWE does. Getting it back down to an hour a week will help them a lot though and it’s not like this show is terrible by any stretch. I’m just not connected to it and that hasn’t changed in the slightest.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Kenny Williams – Ireland’s Call

Eddie Dennis b. Dan Moloney via DQ when Dave Mastiff interfered

Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone b. Jack Starz/Tucker – Right hand to Starz

Joe Coffey b. Ligero – Discus lariat

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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NXT – December 25, 2014: They Are The Future

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 25, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Rich Brennan, Alex Riley
Hosts: Renee Young, Corey Graves

Opening sequence.

Video on NXT: Arrival. That feels so long ago even though it was only February.

This leads to a package of Adrian Neville going home to Newcastle, England. Wearing glasses, which is an odd look on a wrestler for some reason, he goes to see his mom and talks about soccer for awhile. His original plans were to play soccer for Newcastle United but then he saw something called WWF and things changed. We get some clips of his training and developing the high spots, which we then see in NXT. He even got to wear a Newcastle jersey to his match in the Newcastle arena for a very cool moment.

Curtis Axel comes in to see Regal and thinks he needs to recharge his career. He wants in on this NXT thing but Regal tells him to make an appointment.

Lucha Dragons video. Sin Cara still hates to do the pre-match pose.

Vaudevillains video, of course in black and white.

We get about four minutes of the Lucha Dragons vs. Vaudevillians match from R-Evolution. There will be a rematch due to Kalisto pinning the wrong man.

We look at some NXT debuts this year, including Baron Corbin, Bull Dempsey, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and of course Kevin Owens.

Time to look at NXT people making splashes on the main roster: Paige, Bo Dallas, Emma, Summer Rae, Adam Rose, Rusev and Lana.

Results

Charlotte b. Sasha Banks – Figure Four

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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NXT – December 25, 2013: Remember When We Thought It Couldn’t Get Better Than This?

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 25, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Host: Renee Young

Welcome Home.

The arena is empty and Renee Young is our host.

First up: a look at the opening of the WWE Performance Center.

We get packages on all the people that have gone from NXT to the main rosters: the Wyatts, Shield, Fandango, Xavier Woods, Damien Sandow, Antonio Cesaro and Big E. Langston. Ignore that Cesaro, Fandango and I beliee Sandow were in WWE before they came to NXT.

Video on the first NXT Tag Title match with British Ambition beating the Wyatts.

Bo Dallas knows we want to hear about his rise to the title but we need to hear how important it is to Bo-Lieve. We get a clip of him beating Langston to prove the power of the Bo-Lievers.

Video on all of the WWE stars who have made cameos here in NXT.

Back to Young who introduces the only match that could have been match of the year in NXT: Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro 2/3 falls. Cesaro going into beast mode to get the wind is still amazing and makes me even sadder every time I see him jobbing to Los Matadores.

Antonio Cesaro vs. William Regal

Cesaro easily powers Regal down but the Englishman counters into a cross arm choke. He leans backwards to put Cesaro over his knees while still choking, only to be flipped forward to escape. Back to the test of strength before Regal counters a front facelock into a dragon sleeper. Cesaro flips him forward in a kind of reverse suplex for two but Regal gets him down into the corner and does his “distract the referee while kicking the opponent in the face” spot.

Regal is taken out by referees but Cesaro goes after him and extends a hand. Regal stares him down and shakes hands as we go off the air.

Results

Antonio Cesaro b. William Regal – Neutralizer

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Thought Of The Day: Keep Things Moving

There’s a good chance that you’re a fan of NXT. I mean, if you’re not, I don’t really know what else to tell you. It’s one of the best wrestling TV shows ever and can put on good shows in almost any way you ask. One of the key things is their diversity, which you can see in their main events, especially as of late. Here are the last four TV main events:

December 19 – Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black

December 12 – Ricochet vs. Tyler Breeze

December 5 – Shayna Baszler vs. Dakota Kai

November 28 – Lars Sullivan vs. Keith Lee

That’s a cage match with a brutal backstory, an athletic spectacle in the midcard, a hard hitting women’s match and two hosses hitting each other really hard. They’re four very different kinds of matches with eight different people instead of the same thing you see so often on Raw or Smackdown. There isn’t some main event group that dominates most of the shows and commentary treats whatever the main event of the week is as the most important thing in the world. It’s certainly not something unique to NXT, but no other company does it as often or as well.

NXT – December 19, 2018: Don’t Be Surprised When You Get What You Want

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

We’ve got a pair of big matches this week, starting with Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke making their in-ring debuts against Io Shirai and Dakota Kai. Other than that though we have Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black inside of a steel cage. You don’t get these things very often in NXT and that alone makes it feel more special. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Gargano vs. Black, which has certainly been built up well over the last few weeks

Opening sequence.

Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke vs. Io Shirai/Dakota Kai

Kai takes Duke down to start and gets in a quick double stomp to the chest. It’s off to Shafir for something close to an Eye of the Hurricane for two and it’s back to Duke for the neck crank. Kai finally scores with a scorpion kick to the head for a breather and that’s enough for the hot tag to Shirai. A 619 hits Shafir and a springboard dropkick keeps her in trouble. The running knees in the corner make it even worse and with Kai taking Duke off the apron, Shirai drops the moonsault for the pin at 4:27.

Rating: C-. Duke and Shafir didn’t get to show off that much but they weren’t in there long enough to embarrass themselves either. They’re not ready to beat a team like Shirai and Kai anyway so the ending is perfectly fine. This was perfectly fine and keeping it short was the absolutely right idea.

Dominik Dijakovic is coming tonight.

We look at Matt Riddle beating Punishment Martinez two weeks ago but getting jumped by Kassius Ohno.

Riddle can’t blame Ohno for jumping him from behind after Riddle knocked him out in seven seconds last time.

Aaron Mackey vs. Dominik Dijakovic

Dominik starts striking away with ease early on and a standing throw over his shoulder makes things even worse. Feast Your Eyes (a reverse AA into a knee to the face) finishes Mackey at 1:18. Total squash and rather intimidating performance from Dijakovic. I’m still not sure why they needed to change the name though.

Video on Heavy Machinery. They get a Tag Team Title shot next week in what sounds like a farewell match.

Shirai is now in the #1 contenders match.

Heavy Machinery vs. Danny Dacarto/Mike Howell

Rating: D+. Literal squash here with the Compactor being a good finishing move. This worked perfectly well but I’m not sure how many teams Heavy Machinery is going to be able to do this to or with on the main roster. They seem almost destined to become cannon fodder in short order, which is about as much of a death sentence as you can get. As usual, enjoy them in NXT while you can.

Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black

Inside a cage with pinfall, submission or escape rules. Gargano runs out and jumps Black before he can get inside and they fight on the floor before the bell. Some kicks to the chest rock Gargano and Black throws him inside so we can officially get going. A dropkick to the knee takes Johnny down but Gargano sidesteps the standing Lionsault. Black kicks the cage by mistake but Gargano is smart enough to climb back down because he knows Black isn’t done yet.

Some left hands have Black in more trouble and even more rock him in the corner. Black comes back with more kicks and goes up top but, realizing that it’s too early to leave, moonsaults down onto Johnny in a good looking jump. Some whips into the cage have Gargano in more trouble and it’s time for the rapid fire kicks. Black goes all the way up and gets a leg over the top but comes back in instead, which sounds destined to cause him trouble later.

Gargano can’t get out either as Black pulls him back down so they’re both on the top. You don’t do that to Gargano, who jumps up for a heck of a sunset bomb (that looked sweet) and a near fall as the fans are impressed. Gargano actually wins a strike off until Black takes his head off with a jumping knee to the face. That’s almost enough to knock Gargano out of the cage but Black pulls him right back in. Black gets caught in the Gargano Escape though and the break only earns him a whip into the cage.

Johnny slaps it on again before going up, with Black charging up the ropes for the save. They’re on top again and Black shoves off what looked like a super cutter, setting up a Meteora instead. A German suplex gives Black two but Johnny sends him into the cage. Gargano says he absolves Black of his sins and loads up the superkick, only to charge into Black Mass.

After taking their time getting up, Black goes for the door and Johnny goes over the top but here’s Tommaso Ciampa to slam the door on Black’s head. Johnny climbs back in and, with chants of DIY, Gargano and Ciampa hit Meet in the Middle. Even though the fans cheered for it, they seem shocked when it actually happened. A smiling Ciampa leaves a confused Gargano to get the pin at 18:00.

Rating: A-. Heck of a match here but the ending is all that is going to matter. There are several ways to go with that finish as Gargano looked unsure of what he was doing but he certainly didn’t mind embracing the evil to take care of Black. Ciampa’s smile suggested that this was what he wanted all along and that leaves some very interesting options on the table. Black might even want to get some help against the possibly reunited team….and I have no idea who he might pick.

The match itself was a blast with both guys hitting some huge spots and trying to win but coming back for more violence. This was great all around, but the ending stole the show and leaves you wondering what we have next. Gargano being added to the title match in Phoenix wouldn’t shock me either and would make sense at this point.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event is more than enough to carry this but the rest left a bit to be desired. Dijakovic had a good debut and the Heavy Machinery squash was fun, but the tag match was pretty uneventful and felt like something they needed to get out of the way rather than anything that mattered. Still though, the twist ending is great and came after an awesome match and that’s more than enough to make things work for another week.

Results

Io Shirai/Dakota Kai b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke – Moonsault to Shafir

Dominik Dijakovic b. Aaron Mackey – Feast Your Eyes

Heavy Machinery b. Danny Dacarto/Mike Howell – Double Compactor

Johnny Gargano b. Aleister Black – Meet in the Middle

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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NXT UK – December 19, 2018 (Second Episode): Their Real Gem

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last show of the third taping cycle and that means we’re getting close to being caught up from these tapings. It’s time to focus on the main event guys again with Joe Coffey back in the main event. I’m not wild on Gallus, but it’s a good idea to have something like them as the top villains, just as a placeholder if nothing else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Toni Storm vs. Charlie Morgan

We get the handshake and now they’re ready to go. An early slap to the face wakes Toni up and she’s right back with some slaps of her own. A dropkick gives Toni one and it’s off to an STF with Storm laying back to back instead of the usual method. After the rope grab, Morgan scores with an enziguri to take Storm down for the first time. The camel clutch goes on with the fans wanting Toni to fight back. Toni does just that with a release German suplex and there’s the running hip attack in the corner. Storm Zero finishes Morgan at 3:56.

Rating: D+. Pretty basic match here as Storm gets a win to get her back on the right track after the loss to Rhea Ripley. She’s the kind of person who is going to be a star for a long time around here with the natural charisma and skills alone so this isn’t surprising. Morgan seems fine but I haven’t really seen enough of her yet.

Video on Gallus.

Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Zack Gibson/James Drake

As the fans who hate Gibson stand up because they hate Gibson, Gibson gets taken down with a double hiptoss into a shooting star/moonsault combination. It’s off to Webster for the Rude Boy Block on Drake as Gibson is taking his wrist tape off. Said tape is thrown at Webster, letting Drake send him outside for a backbreaker onto the apron. The crowd takes their shoes off as Gibson gets two off a clothesline. Drake forearms the heck out of Webster for two and we hit a chinlock. A slide between the ropes and a kick off are enough for the hot tag to Andrews and it’s time to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Andrews gets two on Drake off a spinning DDT. Ticket To Ride gets the same on Andrews so it’s back to Webster for a reverse hurricanrana on Drake. Webster gets enziguried and thrown outside so Andrews has to hit a double Stundog Millionaire. Fall To Pieces is loaded up but Fabian Aichner comes in for a distraction. The second Fall To Pieces hits the illegal Drake, allowing Gibson to lock in Shankley Gates for the tap at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This worked better than I was expecting as Gibson and Drake continue to be one of the best acts on the show. They work well together and Gibson is by far the most over heel around here. Just put them in the title match against Moustache Mountain already and everything should be fine.

Post match Aichner goes after Andrews until Webster helps him clear the ring.

Killer Kelly vs. Nina Samuels

Nina flips away from Kelly to start but gets shouldered down for her efforts. Back up and Nina grabs a full nelson to take Kelly to the mat again. Since a full nelson isn’t ending a match, Nina ties her in the ropes for a dropkick to the back. Kelly makes her comeback with some forearms and a suplex into the corner, which doesn’t really change anything as Nina didn’t hit anything out of the ordinary. A basement dropkick gives Kelly two but Nina grabs her by the hair (wrapping it around her fist) and sends her hard into the corner. That and a fireman’s carry backbreaker are enough to finish Kelly at 4:29.

Rating: D+. I’m kind of surprised by Kelly losing so much as she seems like the kind of person that WWE would be more interested in pushing, if nothing else towards a midcard role. Samuels doesn’t exactly stand out, but that’s been the case with most of the roster so it’s not really fair to single her out.

Aichner says he’s not allowing Webster and Andrews to become Tag Team Champions. He’ll even find his own partner to make sure it doesn’t happen.

Joe Coffey vs. Travis Banks

Neither has backup here, at least to start. Banks is fired up to start and slugs away with forearms as the fans are behind Banks to start. Coffey gets sent outside for an apron kick to the chest. The suicide dive through the ropes….I guess was punched out of the air though the camera didn’t catch it.

Back in and Coffey stomps away before starting in on the injured shoulder. A full nelson (doesn’t seem to be locked in) takes Banks down and Coffey drops an elbow on the bad arm. Coffey shrugs off a missed elbow and pulls on the arm again. Banks finally gets in a jumping knee which knocks Coffey’s mouthpiece out for a good visual.

The running dropkick to the back of the head gives Banks two but he runs into a powerslam out of the corner for two more. A swing into a belly to belly gives Coffey two more so Banks shoves him off the top and hits a middle rope dropkick. The fisherman’s buster has Coffey rolling outside and this time the suicide dive connects as designed. Back in and Coffey sends him hard into the corner, setting up the discus lariat. The first is blocked but hurts Banks’ arm, meaning the second attempt is good for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C. Bringing Banks back is a good sign and pushing him as a face is almost a necessity because so many people are so similar. Banks can wrestle a good, aggressive style and then cut a nice promo to go with it, but at the moment you have to build up Coffey to go after Dunne so a win over an injured Banks is the right way to go.

Overall Rating: C. Another perfectly fine show here and you got to see some of the more talented people around. Gibson is becoming a gem and Coffey is the next challenger for Dunne. They’ve become a lot more entertaining to watch over the last few weeks and the longer that’s true, the better things are going to be around here. Good enough show here, but the back to back shows aren’t doing them any favors.

Results

Toni Storm b. Charlie Morgan – Storm Zero

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster – Shankley Gates to Andrews

Nina Samuels b. Killer Kelly – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Joe Coffey b. Travis Banks – Discus lariat

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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 – December 19, 2018 (First Episode): The Witch Of Australia

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re getting into some interesting times now with the announcement of the NXT UK Tag Team Titles. That instantly gives a lot of people something to do and that’s a good thing around here. Other than that we have some people coming after the United Kingdom Title, which needs to change hands sooner rather than later so Pete Dunne isn’t miles ahead of everyone else. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video previews Rhea Ripley defending the Women’s Title against Isla Dawn tonight. This might work better if Dawn’s witch thing actually developed whatsoever.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Devlin vs. Mike Hitchman

An early fireman’s carry takeover puts Devlin down but he hits some forearms to the back to put Boar in trouble. The chinlock goes on for a bit before an Irish whip into the corner messes with Boar’s back again. The release Rock Bottom looks to set up the standing moonsault but Boar is out of the way. Boar hits a backsplash but can’t hit a package piledriver. Instead Devlin kicks him in the head, only to miss a moonsault. The pop up powerbomb gives Boar two, only to have Devlin snap off the Ireland’s Call for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C-. Devlin is someone they want to push and his work has gotten better but he doesn’t exactly offer anything special. He has a good look and can wrestle a match, but the “I’m the best and will be the champion” thing has been done to death and puts him in the middle of a large group of people doing and saying almost the exact same thing.

Post match Devlin says betting on him isn’t a gamble because the Ace trumps all.

Moustache Mountain likes NXT UK so far and now it’s time to win the titles. First though, they need to take care of Gallus.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews want the Tag Team Titles as well because they’re exciting.

Fabian Aichner vs. Eddie Ryan

Ryan wears a lion mask to the ring because he’s the English Lion. He certainly has a good look to him. Aichner won’t shake hands to start and the threat of a headbutt makes Eddie back off. A dropkick staggers Aichner though and a clothesline takes him outside. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Eddie, followed by a belly to back suplex for two. Ryan knocks him into the corner, setting up the middle rope European uppercut. Aichner has had it with him though and sends Eddie outside for the running knee into the steps. The helicopter bomb gives Aichner the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. I liked both guys here as they offer something a little different than the same people that populate this show so often. These are two big guys who hit each other hard, setting them apart from the aforementioned “I’m from the UK and I’m tough”, which gets a little difficult to take time after time.

Video on Travis Banks.

Tyson T-Bone/Saxon Huxley vs. Moustache Mountain

T-Bone hammers on Bate to start and drives him into the corner for the tag off to Huxley so the beating can begin. The middle rope elbow to the jaw takes Huxley down though and Seven comes in to scare him to the floor. Back in and T-Bone pops Seven in the jaw with a right hand to take over with the villains getting the better of things in the corner. They take turns hitting Seven in the face and a crossbody against the ropes gets two.

The front facelock slows Seven down even more until T-Bone hammers away with forearms to the back. T-Bone’s big right hand is countered with a snapdragon suplex, followed by an enziguri for the tag to Bate. A German suplex takes Huxley down and the running shooting star gets two. Bate’s suicide dive takes T-Bone down and the clothesline/dragon suplex combination finishes Huxley at 7:03.

Rating: C. It’s pretty clear that Moustache Mountain is going to be in the title match whenever the titles are decided and that’s just fine. Now if this place is smart, they’ll have them lose in the title match and make a new team so they can set up a big rematch down the line. Hopefully that’s where we go, because it’s what makes the most sense and has the most potential.

After beating Eddie Dennis last week, Dave Mastiff wants the UK Title. Dennis runs in and beats him down.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Next week: Toni Storm is back, Webster/Andrews vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson and Joe Coffey vs. Travis Banks.

Women’s Title: Isla Dawn vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending for the first time. Dawn’s headlock doesn’t get her very far so she takes Ripley down for one instead. The headlock on the mat works a bit better but Ripley is right back up with a running dropkick to take over. Ripley slams her down for two more and puts a boot on the back for some posing. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a hard clothesline for two on Dawn.

A victory roll is countered into Ripley’s standing cloverleaf until Dawn rolls her way out. Ripley misses a big boot and goes shoulder first into the post (that’s an epidemic anymore). Dawn knees her in the ribs and the snap suplex Jackhammer gets two. Nigel: “Dawn has put away everybody with that bridging suplex.” Has she won three matches with it yet? Riptide retains the title a few seconds later at 9:00.

Rating: C. This was similar to any first title defense with little drama and nothing more than a way to get Ripley a title defense under her belt. The wrestling was fine though I can’t say I’m surprised at the lack of a reaction at Dawn’s big near fall. That’s all this needed to be as Ripley is likely to hold the title for a pretty long time to come.

Replays and posing take us out.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly fine show this week as you can see the first Takeover card from here. That doesn’t mean it’s anything thrilling, but I’ll take acceptable over “let’s get this over with” any day. They still have a long way to go for their midcard character development but things could be far worse considering how long the show has been around. Not a bad show at all here, though the same problems still exist.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Wild Boar – Ireland’s Call

Fabian Aichner b. Eddie Ryan – Helicopter bomb

Moustache Mountain b. Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone – Clothesline/dragon suplex combination to Huxley

Rhea Ripley b. Isla Dawn – Riptide

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Six NXT Names Coming To The Main Roster

They did promise something fresh and this is indeed fresh…..if you ignore the one who was already announced and the one already on the main roster.This week it was announced that the following names are coming to the main roster. No word on which shows they’ll be on or when they’re coming up.

EC3 – He was ready the day he signed with the company and there was little reason to put him in NXT in the first place.

Heavy Machinery – They’re a fun team and if they’re pushed right, they’ll be fine. I’m worried that Vince will hear the Steaks And Weights thing and think that’s all they are instead of the fun team that they can be.

Lars Sullivan – We knew this one already but it’s still the right move. After losing down in NXT, there’s no reason to keep him down there any longer. Makes perfect sense and he can be a monster on the main roster.

Nikki Cross – She already appeared on Smackdown once so this isn’t the biggest surprise either. The insanity stuff can help a lot in the right doses, at least until Nikki Bella decides she needs a name change to not affect the Bella Brand.

Lacey Evans – This one is the most likely to fail, but Evans isn’t going to the top of the NXT women’s division anytime soon so they might as well put her on the main roster where they have more time for her. Until she’s forgotten and squashed on a regular basis that is.

Overall, not a bad collection but it feels a bit like the NXT spring cleaning instead of anyone who flat out belongs on the main roster.

NXT – December 12, 2018: Homecoming

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Last week’s show saw the main event scene get a shot in the arm as Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black agreed to keep things going inside a steel cage, much to Tommaso Ciampa’s delight. Ciampa continues to be a great devil on the shoulder and someone who could be on top of the company for a long time to come. As for tonight though, Ricochet is in action against a mystery opponent, which could mean a lot of things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a preview of tonight’s show, including EC3 vs. Bobby Fish.

Opening sequence.

EC3 vs. Bobby Fish

Fallout from the Undisputed Era damaging EC3’s knee a few weeks back. The rest of the Undisputed Era is out here with Fish. Before the match, Adam Cole talks about how EC3 should have been a top star around here but that was stopped with the help of a steel chair. 2018 wasn’t just a career year for the team, because it was also the start of a decade of dominance. Next year they will all be covered in gold, and that is undisputed.

Fish bails to the floor to start and leaves Kyle O’Reilly hanging on a fist bump. Back in and Fish dives at EC3’s legs but gets powerbombed in half instead. A shaken up Fish needs a breather on the floor so EC3 throws him back inside for a nerve hold of all things. The Era offers a quick distraction so Fish can take out the knee and it’s time to start the stomping.

Fish takes him down with a dragon screw legwhip before putting on a simple leglock. That’s kicked away and EC3 gets in a suplex. An EC3 elbow (his People’s Elbow) connects but he stops to go after the Era, allowing Fish to take out the knee again. Not that it matters though as EC3 gets a quick small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. The leg work made sense, but Fish wasn’t showing the same explosiveness that he had before the injury (understandable). EC3 and friends vs. the Era could be interesting and it’s not like he has anything else going on. If nothing else it might help bring him up the ladder quite a bit, which is necessary at this point.

Post match the beatdown is on until Heavy Machinery makes the save. Strong takes the big beating with everyone else bailing on their buddy.

Dakota Kai and Io Shirai want to take out Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke in a tag match next week.

Clip of the Mighty attacking Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after losing to them a few weeks back.

The Mighty vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

It’s a brawl to start with Lorcan hitting a running flip dive to the floor to take them both out. Back in and Thorn and Lorcan trade running uppercuts until Lorcan takes him down into the half crab. That’s broken up and Thorn hits a belly to back suplex as we’re now done with the opening minute. Burch comes in and hits a Thesz press on Miller, (Burch: “YOU AND YOUR MUM!”) followed by some kicks to Thorn in and out of the corner.

Thorn slips out of a Doomsday Device attempt and a superplex/sitout powerbomb (with Miller powerbombing Thorn) gets two on Lorcan as Danny shoves Thorn onto the cover for the break. Danny saves Lorcan from Thunder Valley so Miller hits a step up Cannonball to crush him in the corner. Lorcan scores with a double DDT and the assisted spike DDT finishes Thorn at 5:03.

Rating: B-. Good night they packed a lot of stuff in there. These four did not stop throughout the entire match and that made for some entertaining action. Burch and Lorcan are likely to get another shot at the titles at some point, which they’ve certainly earned after some of their performances over the last few months.

We look back at the end of last week’s show, featuring Aleister Black announcing his rematch against Tommaso Ciampa for Takeover: Phoenix and being set up for a cage match against Johnny Gargano in the near future. Ciampa’s puppet master manipulation here is outstanding.

The cage match is next week.

Gargano is outside again and talks about Black thinking that he absolved Johnny of his sins. The end goal of this is Ciampa losing the NXT Title and Black was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. That’s the same thing here, as Black is getting the title that that Gargano should have had and Gargano will do anything to stop him. Gargano stands behind some metal bars and promises to close the book on Black next week.

Dijakovic is here next week.

Shayna Baszler, Shafir and Duke aren’t worried about the four way #1 contenders match because she’ll take home the title and the challenger will take home a hospital bill. Duke and Shafir laugh at the challenge and Shayna accepts for them.

Lacey Evans is officially in the four way #1 contenders match, joining Bianca Belair.

NXT Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Mia Yim vs. Reina Gonzalez

Gonzalez has a bullrope and cowbell with her. Yim has a guillotine choke on in the early going but Reina throws her off. That’s fine with Yim, who slaps the same thing on again. This time Gonzalez lifts Mia up and drops her ribs first across the top rope for the break. Reina slams her down for two and shouts in Spanish. An over the shoulder backbreaker has Yim in more trouble until she slips out and armdrags Reina throat first into the ropes. Some knees to the face set up Eat Defeat for the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Gonzalez was looking fine as a monster here and it’s very cool to have the other women from the Mae Young Classic in there for roles like this. They’re talented workers and it makes sense to have them come in and work a match or two. It keeps things fresh and offers some entertaining work that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Smart booking, as tends to be the case.

Black doesn’t feel anything about his match with Gargano. He just has to do this to Gargano though, because Gargano is beyond absolution. Instead, he has to be eradicated inside the cage, and there will be no escape. Inside the cage, Gargano will fade to black.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. ???

Ricochet is defending against….Tyler Breeze, making his first televised NXT appearance in years. The fans certainly seem to appreciate having him back, including the full entrance. The chants are split but the TYLER’S GORGEOUS ones are much louder. Breeze gets an early breather on the top rope so Ricochet starts in with the flips, capped off by the headscissors into the dropkick. Back up and Breeze slaps on a half crab (must be a Canadian thing) but Ricochet makes the rope.

They head outside with Breeze dropkicking an apron dive out of the air as the fans deem the entire match gorgeous. That’s quite the upgrade for Ricochet. Breeze stomps away in the corner and you can see him soaking in a lot of the cheers because he matters for the first time in way too long. Some elbows to the face have Breeze in trouble (NOT IN THE FACE!) and a standing shooting star press gets two.

The Phoenix Splash misses and Breeze’s hair is down to make things serious. Stereo crossbodies put them both down and the fans continue to appreciate this. They trade forearms to the back but neither can hit a suplex. Ricochet moonsaults over him but walks into the Supermodel Kick. A reverse hurricanrana gives Breeze a VERY close two and Ricochet says this is his house (Paige has really changed her look since retiring). The Beauty Shot is countered into a Cradle Shock at 9:52.

Rating: B. I love it when they do something like this. There’s little reason to not send the former NXT stars down there for a one off appearance (if not more) if they have nothing going on up on the main roster. Breeze is going 50/50 on Main Event so having him show up on NXT is as good of a use for him as anything else. He’s a legend down here and can have a great match, so let him have a nice moment for a change instead of facing Mojo Rawley in a glorified dark match.

Ricochet shakes his hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling, a nice surprise at the end a bunch of stuff being set up for next week. I liked this one a lot, even though next week is the important show. They had an entertaining night this week though and considering how little this show should have meant, that’s really impressive.

Results

EC3 b. Bobby Fish – Small package

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. The Mighty – Assisted spike DDT to Thorn

Mia Yim b. Reina Gonzalez – Eat Defeat

Ricochet b. Tyler Breeze – Cradle Shock

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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