NXT – September 4, 2019: Checking All The Boxes

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: September 4, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

We’re running out of hour long shows around here with just two weeks to go before the big move to USA. Since NXT likes to cover a lot of things, we’re getting one more NXT Title match out of the old format as Adam Cole defends against Breakout Tournament winner Jordan Myles. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick recap of the Breakout Tournament and Myles challenging Cole.

Opening sequence.

Breezango vs. Matt Martel/Chase Parker

Breezango has the full on Fashion Police gear and entrance here and Martel/Parker are better known as 3.0. Martel takes Fandango over to the corner for the tag to Parker but a hip swivel gets Fandango out of a sunset flip attempt. Breeze comes in for a snap suplex as we hear about Nigel possibly getting a fashion ticket. Breeze has a rest over the corner, where he nods to a question of “YOU THINK YOU’RE FUNNY???”

It’s back to Martel, who sends Breeze hard into the corner to set up an armbar. That doesn’t last long and it’s quickly off to Fandango for the chopping. Everything breaks down and the Fashion Faux Pas (Backstabber/slingshot elbow combination) finishes Martel at 4:06.

Rating: C-. Just a step above a squash for Breezango here and that’s what they need. They haven’t been in the ring together all that long since Fandango’s return so some ring time to get the chemistry back is a good idea. 3.0 is a fine team so adding them to the division is going to make things a bit better as well. That’s one of the great things about NXT: they can restock the shelves very easily.

Myles arrives with Keith Lee and says he’s a bit nervous. Lee says he’s got this.

We cut to the other part of the parking lot where Io Shirai is attacking Candice LeRae with a kendo stick. She’s been listed as banged up lately so that might be a way to let her have some time off.

Cameron Grimes is annoyed at not winning the Breakout Tournament. All he wanted was to come in and go straight to the top but now he’s at the very bottom. His goal is to get back to the top and be the champion. He said a lot of those lines several times and it made him sound desperate, which is a good way to go.

Velveteen Dream vs. Kona Reeves

Non-title and Dream seems extra into his entrance this week. They run the ropes to start with Reeves leapfrogging him a few times before turning into a dropkick. Reeves gets in his own kick to the face and knocks Dream down into the ropes. That’s it for Dream getting beaten up though as he punches away and hits a top rope ax handle. Back to back superkicks set up the Dream Valley Driver for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: D+. Thank goodness Reeves seems locked into the jobber to the stars role as the push was not working in any sense. He’s one of the few truly failed experiments around here and thankfully NXT picked up on that in a hurry. Dream continues to be one of the best things about this place as you can feel the charisma no matter what he does.

Post match here’s Roderick Strong on the screen to say Dream told him to get his attention. The camera pans back….and Dream’s couch is on fire.

We look back at Rhea Ripley returning last week and coming after Shayna Baszler and the Women’s Title. They meet next week but there is no word on it being a title match.

Taynara Conti vs. Bianca Belair

Conti goes straight at her to start but a cross armbreaker is countered with a deadlift. Belair runs her over with a shoulder but gets sent face first into the middle buckle. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a bicycle kick for two on Belair. Some hard knees make it even worse for Belair and she gets pulled to the floor with something like a triangle choke over the ropes. Conti’s dive is caught in a fall away slam though and it’s a handspring moonsault for no cover. The KOD finishes Conti at 5:40.

Rating: C+. Conti was as aggressive as she has ever been in this one and it made for a rather entertaining short match. Belair needed to go away for a little bit and then reestablish herself and her athleticism is always impressive. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to and this worked quite well.

Johnny Gargano is back next week.

William Regal announced a triple threat match for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title on September 18 with Bianca Belair vs. Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim.

NXT Title: Jordan Myles vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and headlocks Myles down to start with that cocky grin on his face. It works so well that Cole does it again but Myles reverses this one into a hammerlock. Back up and Myles hits a big dropkick, meaning it’s time to head outside. That means a whip into the barricade and Cole takes over back inside.

Another whip sends Myles throat first into the middle rope and it’s off to the figure four neck lock. Back up and Cole yells at how Myles doesn’t belong in the same ring as him. They slug it out with Myles getting the better of it and knocking Cole outside. A German suplex gives Myles two back inside but Cole’s Backstabber gets the same.

Cole grabs a Figure Four until Myles makes the rope, so it’s the brainbuster onto the knee for two. That leaves Cole befuddled so Myles sends him outside for the PK from the apron. One heck of a frog splash gets two on Cole but the Midnight Star hits knees. The Last Shot misses and Myles rolls him up for two so Cole superkicks him in the head a few times. Now the Last Shot can retain the title at 14:38.

Rating: B. This was a weird match as I don’t think the point was to tease a new champion and they never really came close. The point of this felt more like proving that Myles could hang at this level and he did that well enough. They weren’t about to change the title so soon before the NXT move but this accomplished a lot in a good match.

Myles gets the big hero’s sendoff to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. These shows are starting to feel like one off editions as we’re just beyond a holding pattern with the USA move coming so soon. That’s not the worst thing in the world though as even an average NXT is better than most shows and they’re still setting stuff up. The main event accomplished a goal and they’ve set up Dream vs. Strong. Another good show this week as the era ends next time.

Results

Breezango b. Chase Parker/Matt Martel – Fashion Faux Pas to Martel

Velveteen Dream b. Kona Reeves – Dream Valley Driver

Bianca Belair b. Taynara Conti – KOD

Adam Cole b. Jordan Myles – Last Shot

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

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

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

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

NXT – July 24, 2019: Keeping Up With The Englishes

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 24, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

The rapid build towards Toronto continues and you can see most of the card already set up from here. The NXT Title match is going to be rather gimmicky and that could make for some fun. Other than that, it seems to be a show heavily focused on the Undisputed Era, which could be a good or bad idea. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show, with Johnny Gargano attacking Adam Cole again. This caused General Manager William Regal to make another 2/3 falls match between the two, with Cole, Gargano and Regal getting to pick a stipulation each.

Opening sequence.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Jordan Myles vs. Angel Garza

The fans are behind Garza here but there are some Jordan chants. Garza offers a handshake to start but pulls it away to enhance the cockiness. Feeling out process to start and they go into an exchange of arm holds. Myles gets the better of it with an armbar, followed by a heck of a dropkick to give us the big smile. Another dropkick sends Garza outside but the slingshot dropkick is easily blocked as Garza plays some possum. Myles is sent into the steps and barricade, meaning it’s time for GARZA TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS.

Back in and Garza hits a backbreaker for two and we hit a fish hook camel clutch. Garza tries to crash down onto his back but gets reversed into a sunset flip for two. A superkick takes Myles down again as the cockiness is strong with Garza. Myles isn’t about to be sent into the corner and sends Garza in instead, followed by some rapid fire kicks to the chest. A running discus clothesline in the corner looks to set up a springboard clothesline but Garza dropkicks him out of the air for two. Myles is right back with a low superkick and with a crazed look on his eyes, a German suplex finishes Garza at 8:26.

Rating: C+. I liked the match more than Myles’ previous effort but this still wasn’t the most thrilling match in the world. Also, Myles over Garza? Really? I’m really not sure I get that as Garza has more natural charisma than he knows what to do with. He’s all but guaranteed to be a star around here, though it wouldn’t shock me to see him move up to 205 Live in a hurry.

Shane Thorn of all people storms the announcers’ table to ask why she isn’t in the tournament after being around here for years.

Johnny Gargano says Adam Cole made it personal and this isn’t about the title anymore. His pick for the stipulation: Street Fight.

Xia Li vs. Bianca Belair

Belair drives her straight into the corner to start and a Glam Slam plants Li. The handspring moonsault to the back sends Li to the apron so Belair pulls her right back in. There’s a standing fall away slam but Li gets out of a delayed vertical suplex. Belair runs her down though and the KOD finishes Li at 3:01.

Rating: D+. Total squash here and a better use of Belair than what they’ve done recently. I still don’t want to see her near the title but if she’s gotten a little better, at least it should be a bit easier. Just don’t let her talk and everything should be fine with the whole thing. Mia Yim might need a new challenger if she wins the title and Belair will want revenge on top of everything else.

Video on Killian Dain, including his attack on Matt Riddle last week.

Mia Yim attacked Jessamyn Duke and said something censored while crushing her shoulder in a locker.

Here’s Velveteen Dream, in a Hollywood Hogan inspired jacket, for a chat. The only way he’s losing the title is the day he dies and he wants to go straight to h*** because it would feel like that without the title. He’s heard that Roderick Strong can go all night long as well, but if Strong gets the experience he’s looking for, it won’t end well for him. Dream wants to experience Strong though so here he comes.

Strong knows Dream is scared and can see it in his eyes. All it would take is one match for Strong to take the title so give him what he wants. The title is coming to the Undisputed Era and that is undisputed. Strong drops the mic….and here’s Pete Dunne. Strong comes up to him and gets his fingers snapped, sending him running. Dunne stares at the title and Dream isn’t sure what to do.

Post break Strong demands that William Regal give him a North American Title shot. Regal says he was talking to NXT UK GM Johnny Saint and Dunne is going to be around here for a bit. Strong isn’t happy and Regal makes it worse by announcing Dunne vs. Strong vs. Dream for the title at Takeover.

Kacy Catanzaro vs. Io Shirai

Shirai wastes no time in hitting a dropkick into the corner. The fireman’s carry shoulderbreaker connects but here’s Candice LeRae to jump Shirai at 27 seconds.

Shirai bails before Candice can break her apart with a chair.

Adam Cole likes the way that Takeover is shaping up for the Undisputed Era. They can be draped in gold, which has Cole thinking about Gargano. His stipulation: a one on one wrestling match.

Next week: Tyler Breeze vs. Jaxson Ryker and Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong.

Damien Priest vs. Keith Lee

Anything that involves me hearing more of Lee’s entrance theme is a good idea. The fans sing it after the bell to make it even better. Priest grabs a headlock to start until an exchange of shoulders breaks even. Some kicks to the arms and legs go well for Priest but he has to duck a rather impressive looking spinning kick from Lee (just dang man…..you shouldn’t be able to do that).

Another shoulder works well for Lee but Priest knocks him down again. For some reason Priest tries a suplex, which goes as well as you would expect. Instead he clotheslines the heck out of Lee for two and it’s off to the chinlock. Lee doesn’t waste time getting back up so Priest tries another suplex. This one goes just as well so Priest settles for a high crossbody and his latest near fall. Priest does his archer pose but Lee grabs his hand and starts slugging away.

Lee’s own hard clothesline drops Priest, who comes right back with a Falcon Arrow (makes sense) for two. They slug it out again until Lee hits the big Pounce. Priest tries to leave but gets sent back inside, only to catch Lee with a knee to the face. A big running flip dive is loaded up…..and Lee catches him out of the air. Lee can’t do anything with him and gets kicked into the steps but EGADS LEE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT. Back in and Priest kicks him in the head, setting up the Reckoning for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: B. I had a good time with this one and that’s all it needed to be. Lee does some crazy impressive stuff and Priest is quite the striker and athlete in his own right. It wouldn’t surprise me to see these two fight again and that is a rather nice idea. You had to have one of them lose here and while I would have gone with Priest, there is nothing wrong with having Priest move forward like this.

Overall Rating: B-. What mattered here was keeping the show moving and advanced a bunch of stories at the same time. The interesting thing here though is how many things are going on. Takeover is either going to be more than the five matches or there are going to be a lot of matches on the shows before and after. Either way, things are looking good around here, though maybe not as good as NXT UK. Now who would have seen that coming?

Results

Jordan Myles b. Angel Garza – German suplex

Bianca Belair b. Xia Li – KOD

Io Shirai b. Kacy Catanzaro via DQ when Candice LeRae interfered

Damien Priest b. Keith Lee – Reckoning

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

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

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

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

NXT – July 3, 2019: Very Pleased To Meet You Both Again

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 3, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

Things took a bit of a turn last week with Io Shirai turning full heel on Candice LeRae. That could make for some interesting changes as we head towards Toronto with that match being a potential TV main event between now and then. Other than that it’s time for more of the Breakout Tournament so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Aaliyah vs. Mia Yim

Vanessa Borne is in Aaliyah’s corner. Aaliyah takes her down to start and yells a lot but misses an enziguri. Borne has to pull her out of the way of a rolling kick in the corner and Mia is in trouble again. A kick to the back and a knee drop (with a forward flip) keep Aaliyah down as the announcers drop Beatles lyrics.

Mia is right back with the Tarantula but walks into an enziguri. Something close to a surfboard has Mia in a different kind of trouble but she avoids another knee. Aaliyah gets sent into the corner for a Cannonball, followed by a toss to the floor for a double suicide dive. Back in and Protect Your Neck finishes Aaliyah at 4:52.

Rating: C-. Aaliyah still doesn’t look great most of the time but this was one of her better performances. What matters most is Yim heading straight for Shayna Baszler and the title in a match that I didn’t expect to be looking forward to. It seemed like Candice would be getting this spot but they’re making this work.

Post match Mia sends Borne into the steps and goes to commentary to say she’s coming to beat up Shayna Baszler. Oh and for the title too.

We look back at Shirai snapping last week and destroying Candice.

The Forgotten Sons storm into William Regal’s office and complain about their title shot. Regal says they got themselves disqualified so it’s to the back of the line with them. Threats are made but Regal has accepted the Street Profits’ idea for some challengers. Therefore, next week, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan are getting a shot at the Profits.

We see Adam Cole going to Gargano’s Restaurant but the owner, Frank, doesn’t seem happy. Cole goes over to a wall of Johnny Gargano’s stuff and tacks up an autographed photo of himself. Cole gets his pizzas and leaves while pointing out the updated wall.

We cut to Cole bringing the pizzas to a wrestling school where Johnny recently spoke. Cole doesn’t think much of the students because Johnny lied to them. Johnny told them that they could achieve something but Cole can see that they’re not good enough. Cole brought them the pizzas because they need to take it home, sit on their couch and give up. Just accept that Johnny got lucky to win the NXT Title and give up already. Cole is an awesome jerk but I really don’t need to see him fight Gargano again.

Kushida vs. Jeff Parker

Kushida wrestles him to the mat without much effort to start and grabs a headlock. That goes nowhere so it’s time to work on the arm on the mat with an elbow going into Parker’s ribs. The threat of the Hoverboard Lock (now called the Sakuraba Lock) sends Parker over to the rope so Kushida kicks him in the arm. Now the Sakuraba Lock finishes Parker at 2:32.

Tyler Breeze doesn’t like the Undisputed Era taking credit for NXT’s success because this used to be NX-Breeze.

Killian Dain watches film.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Isaiah Scott vs. Cameron Grimes

That would be Shane Strickland vs. Trevor Lee. Scott says he’s confident and Grimes knows he’s the best in the world. They go technical to start with Grimes going for the arm as the fans know Scott’s signature chants. A quick trip to the floor goes nowhere so Scott comes back in with an armbar of his own. Grimes goes with some heavy forearms to escape so Scott cartwheels into a headscisccors to take over again.

The armbar goes on again but Grimes reverses into an armbar of his own. One heck of a clothesline drops Scott and it’s time to work on the arm a little more. Scott is back up with a hurricanrana out of the corner and a Downward Spiral gets two. The top rope stomp misses though and Grimes grabs a sitout powerbomb for his own two. Grimes gets sent outside and Scott nails a running flip dive. Back in and they trade strikes to the head until Grimes’ running flipping suplex takes Scott down. The standing double stomp finishes Scott at 8:32.

Rating: B. Grimes is the guy that I always heard great things about but never got the appeal. That changed here as these two had a heck of a match which made me want to see more of the tournament. Both guys looked like stars here and neither would have been hurt by the loss. Really good, action based match here and it worked.

Bianca Belair vs. Priscilla Zuniga

Belair shoves her in the face to start so Zuniga shoves her right back. That’s WAY too far for Belair, who takes off the earrings and takes Zuniga down for a beating. Some hair tosses set up shoulders in the corner and it’s a gorilla press, with squats. Two powerbombs into a reverse buckle bomb sets up the KOD to finish Zuniga at 2:13. This was ten miles ahead of everything Belair has done so far and showed off the crazy athleticism that the announcers kept talking about. She looked awesome here and had a fire she has never approached before.

Matt Riddle training video.

Tyler Breeze vs. Roderick Strong

Breeze works on the arm to start but Strong reverses into a headlock in a hurry. Back up and Breeze kicks him in the face but gets dropkicked right back down. They head outside with Breeze getting dropped back first onto the CORNER of the steps, followed by another backbreaker onto the barricade. Back in and Strong starts stomping at the back (makes sense) before grabbing something like a surfboard.

Breeze fights out of that as well and sends Strong outside for a running forearm from the apron. A Backstabber gives Breeze two back inside but Strong enziguris him on top. That means a superplex to bang up Breeze’s back even more but the Strong Hold is broken up. Most of the Supermodel Kick gives Breeze two and his own enziguri puts Strong down. Cue Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish so Breeze kicks Fish down, only to walk into End of Heartache for the pin at 11:23.

Rating: B-. Another well done instance of having one person get a victory and the other being protected in a loss. This doesn’t hurt Breeze at all and Strong looks better at the same time. I could see Strong taking the North American Title at some point and they’re giving him some credibility to move in that direction so far. I would say keep it up, but would you expect anything else from NXT?

Overall Rating: B. This was a show built around the idea of advancing stories while also making the stars already there look good. You need these kind of shows without a big main event for a change and this one worked quite well. Some of the Takeover card is starting to come into shape and given the atmosphere, it could be another great one.

Results

Mia Yim b. Aaliyah – Protect Your Neck

Kushida b. Jeff Parker – Sakuraba Lock

Cameron Grimes b. Isaiah Scott – Standing double stomp

Bianca Belair b. Priscilla Zuniga – KOD

Roderick Strong b. Tyler Breeze – End of Heartache

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

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

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

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

NXT – June 5, 2019: We Need More Biff Fans

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 5, 2019
Location: Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

It’s a special show this week as we get the mostly recap show from Takeover. That’s fine as they haven’t had time to do a new set of tapings yet, but we’ll also have the two matches taped before the show. It might not make for the best show in the world, but it’s a fine enough way to go about doing things until we can get to what really matters. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Takeover, which was a completely average Takeover and one of the best shows of the year.

Opening sequence.

Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves

Reeves goes for the arm to start and Lee isn’t all that impressed. A bigger wristlock sends Reeves bailing to the apron so Lee picks him up by one hand and brings him back in. Lee lifts him over his head and Reeves tweaks his knee on the way back down. The goldbricking lets Reeves get in a headbutt and a running boot in the corner. That’s enough to knock Lee onto the apron and it’s a chinlock because Reeves isn’t that bright.

Lee powers out of it so Reeves forearms him in the back of the head to cut off the comeback. Some right hands just wake Lee up though and it’s time for the left hands to put Reeves in trouble. Reeves gets in a quick Rock Bottom (not a bad one either) for two but Lee is right back with a series of strikes to the face. The big Pounce sets up the Limit Breaker for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: D+. I don’t think NXT knows what to do with Lee at this point as he’s incredibly talented but hasn’t had a major feud other than the rather good matches with Dijakovic. He could go for something more substantial, but watching him hurt Reeves was rather entertaining. At least NXT has given up on Reeves, which should have been the case a long time ago.

We look at Shayna Baszler successfully defending the Women’s Title against Io Shirai, who snapped after the match in what should have been a heel turn.

Shirai says she isn’t done with Baszler.

We look back at the four way ladder match with the Street Profits winning the vacant Tag Team Titles in a pretty cool moment.

The Street Profits dedicated their win to hard work and dedication. They even thank the cameraman, who has been here since day one.

We look back at Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream with Dream retaining the North American Title. They even took a selfie together.

Breeze says the match could have gone either way and he respects Dream. Hopefully Dream respects him too but what matters is that Breeze is back in NXT for good.

Damien Priest is coming.

Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair

It’s the rubber match no one was asking for. Belair takes her down to start with ease so Mia does the same thing to her. Mia misses an armdrag and Bianca stands on her hand while doing that abysmal catchphrase. A running faceplant drops Mia again and it’s time for the abdominal stretch to slow Yim down.

There’s a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster for two and it’s a bow and arrow to stay on the ribs. Belair drops down onto Mia’s back and even messes with the hair. Another drop lands on Mia’s raised knees but Bianca is right back with another running faceplant. The back is bent around the post but Mia pulls Belair shoulder post into the post to even things up.

A sloppy looking roll sends Belair into the steps, followed by Code Blue for two back inside. Belair is back up and ties her hair around her head so Mia can’t pull it, only to have Mia get in the guillotine choke. That’s broken up so Belair takes her into the corner, only to get caught with the Protect Ya Neck off the middle rope for the pin at 10:39.

Rating: C. I’m almost relieved that they seem to have cooled off on Belair, who still doesn’t click at just about anything. Mia is better and has grown on me a bit, though she doesn’t scream star. The trilogy didn’t exactly get my attention but for a match like this, on this kind of a show, it’s fine for a main event.

Drew Gulak doesn’t like that Marty McFly wannabe (Gulak: “Everybody knows Biff is the hero of the movie!”) showing off around here. Now he wants a submission match with Kushida. The match is set for next week.

Also next week: Undisputed Era vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch.

A long video on Adam Cole taking the NXT Title from Johnny Gargano ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I never know what to say about these shows as they’re only meant to be a placeholder/a recap for the maybe four people who watch NXT but not Takeover. We’ll get to what matters next week after the big show, that’s not the worst thing in the world. Now we can get back to normal and start the slow build towards Toronto, which should make for some good TV.

Results

Keith Lee b. Kona Reeves – Limit Breaker

Mia Yim b. Bianca Belair – Protect Ya Neck

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

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

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

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

NXT – May 29, 2019: I’m Not Sure About This One

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: May 29, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

It’s the go home show for Takeover and that means we should be in for some nice final push segments towards the show. The card feels a little thrown together but that has never stopped NXT from making these things work before. If they do things right, we could be in for another classic. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim

Rematch from three weeks ago where Belair won. Mia dropkicks her to the floor early on and Bianca isn’t sure what to do. Back in and Bianca takes her down with a double leg but gets reversed so Mia can hammer away even more. A Cannonball in the corner keeps Bianca in trouble but she comes back with a kick to the face for two.

It’s off to a double chickenwing to keep Yim down, followed by a delayed vertical suplex (with squats) to show off Belair’s power. Mia is right back with a Tarantula and an SOS for two so an annoyed Belair dropkicks her in the face. The cocky cover gets one but what looks like a Glam Slam is countered into a rollup to give Mia two. Belair forearms the heck out of her for one and it’s back to the double chickenwing.

That’s broken up as well and a shot to the face gives us a double knockdown. Code Red (that’s becoming WAY too popular of a move these days) gives Mia two more and Eat Defeat sends Belair outside. They chop it out on the ramp and dive back in at nine with Belair taking over again. Yim pulls the hair to get out of a powerbomb though and Protect Yo Neck finishes Belair at 10:08.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on either of them but the match was a good one with Belair thinking she was better than Yim due to being so much better of a pure athlete. Yim is the kind of person who is going to fight no matter what and that’s what she did here, which made for a good story being told. Belair continues to be really annoying, so at least she has the heel stuff down.

Long video on Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream, with Dream talking about how Breeze went to NXT and was overwhelmed so he’s back here to recapture his former glory. There is only room for one person to steal the spotlight here and that’s what Dream does. That’s a good story between two people who are rather similar at their cores.

We look back at Io Shirai saving Candice LeRae from the Horsewomen last week.

Shayna Baszler and the Horsewomen aren’t worried about Shirai because Shirai can’t bring weapons to Takeover. Baszler’s weapons, as in the Horsewomen, are right here.

Drew Gulak vs. Kushida

One fan tries to start a GULAK chant and thankfully gives up in short order. Gulak’s wristlock doesn’t last long as Kushida takes him down, only to get reversed into a hammerlock. Kushida rolls away from that as well and it’s a standoff. A grab of the leg sets up a half crab on Kushida, which is broken up in a hurry. Kushida switches to a triangle and Gulak slaps his leg, which looked a lot like a tap but doesn’t count here.

The hold is broken up again and it’s off to an also quickly broken Crossface. Kushida can’t keep an Octopus hold on either and neither can hit a hiptoss. Instead Kushida gets sent to the apron and snaps the arm over the top rope. Back in and Gulak’s arm is fine enough for a gutbuster, followed by something like an Octopus hold on the mat. That’s broken up as well and Kushida gets the hiptoss, this time into an armbreaker.

Since a hold can’t stay on for more than a few seconds, Gulak gets up and grabs an ankle lock. That’s reversed into another armbreaker which is reversed into another ankle lock. Kushida scores with an enziguri into the corner and the Hoverboard Lock goes on. Gulak rolls away but gets caught in a Downward Spiral. What looks to be a camel clutch is rolled into a rollup to pin Gulak at 8:15.

Rating: B. This was the human chess match which can be so fun to watch. These two were countering everything the other had and it was really entertaining to see where they were going from move to move. The ending felt like a clean version of Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XVII with all those submission holds (they even had a Crossface and ankle locks) until someone got caught in a pin.

Post match Gulak yells but Kushida holds up three fingers.

Io Shirai isn’t worried about the Horsewomen but Candice LeRae comes up to say she has her back at Takeover.

Takeover rundown.

Video on Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole. Johnny has worked hard to get here but Cole thinks that he deserves the title because of how great he is. Oh and pinning Gargano in the first fall in New York.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Forgotten Sons

Burch armbars Blake to start but a blind tag lets Cutler come in for a double back elbow. A double backbreaker gives Blake two but it’s quickly off to Lorcan for the chops. Jaxson Ryker offers a distraction though, allowing Blake to hit a clothesline. Ryker gets ejected (Mauro: “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” We’re not even two minutes into the match.) and here are the Street Profits to jump him. The Profits come in for the double DQ at 2:11.

Post match, with the fans chanting THANK YOU PROFITS, the fight is on with the Sons bringing in chairs. Cue the full Undisputed Era to beat everyone down and hit the pose. Cole grabs a ladder and the Era drives it into Ryker’s face. The ladder is set up on the stage and Cole sits on top of it, promising Johnny Gargano and Matt Riddle that Takeover will be Undisputed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know if it’s the fast turnaround or that we’re coming off the previous awesome Takeover, but this one isn’t feeling like the biggest show in the world. I’m sure it’s going to be very good, but that’s not exactly the kind of level that you expect from NXT. This was a strong enough go home show, though I’m not exactly sold on the entire card.

Results

Mia Yim b. Bianca Belair – Protect Yo Neck

Kushida b. Drew Gulak – Rollup

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Forgotten Sons went to a double DQ when the Street Profits interfered

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 – May 8, 2019: There’s Certainly A Dispute

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: May 8, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re suddenly racing towards Takeover, which is less than a month away thanks to the schedule changes. In this case we’ll be seeing Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole as part of the ongoing Johnny Gargano/Riddle vs. Undisputed Era issues. The Takeover card needs to start filling in but NXT knows how to do this in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need them.

We get a quick main event preview.

Opening sequence.

Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair

The fans are behind Mia here, as expected. They trade armdrags to start and then block each others’ armdrag attempts, causing them to say they see each other. Belair knocks her down and tries that UN-DE-FEA-TED line until Mia kicks her in the head. A ram into the corner puts Mia down and it’s off to a cravate to keep her down.

Belair’s forearm to the back sets up an Alley Oop onto the top turnbuckle for two and she does that dance of hers. Mia doesn’t like being mocked so Belair slams her down again and grabs another cravate. A splash hits knees though and Yim dropkicks her into the corner. Mia tries a sunset flip but Belair sits down on it and wraps her hair around the ropes for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C-. She’s an athletic freak but there is something missing about Belair and it shows in every match she has. It was missing again here and I still can’t put my finger on what it is. The cockiness makes perfect sense with how she’s dominated athletics for so long so that checks out. It might just be her rather weak talking abilities, as she rarely says anything memorable aside from the UN-DE-FEA-TED line.

The Forgotten Sons attacked the Viking Raiders at the Performance Center.

Shayna Baszler was coaching Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir at the Performance Center when Io Shirai ran in to attack her. A bunch of trainees broke it up.

Raul Mendoza vs. Riddick Moss

This is Moss’ return match after tearing his Achilles last year. He now follows the Riddick Regimen, which seems to be a workout plan. Moss powers him into the corner to start but Mendoza pushes him away, meaning it’s time for the posedown. Hang on though as Moss pulls out a massager and works on his shoulder for a second.

Mendoza handspring backflips over him and hits a springboard hurricanrana, setting up a running shooting star for two. Back up and Moss plants him down but hang on as we need some hydration. Moss charged into a dropkick to the knee to send him into the buckle and a headscissors does it again. A springboard corkscrew splash gives Mendoza the upset win at 4:40.

Rating: C. I liked the Regimen thing as it’s something that has been done before but Moss having various things to pull out made it better. That being said, Mendoza had to win a match at some point as he loses nearly every time he’s in the ring. He’s probably not going to be a top star but he’s a heck of a hand in the ring and needed something to keep him going.

We look back at Kushida’s debut last week. He’s in action again next week.

Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole

Riddle easily wrestles him down but Cole bails to the floor before the Bromission. Back in and Cole isn’t sure what to do here so he grabs a headlock, which is reversed into one from Riddle. A backsplash to Cole’s back gets two and some rolling gutwrench suplexes make it even worse. The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for as Cole takes him down again for some knees to the back into a figure four necklock.

Back up and an elbow to the face drops Riddle so Cole calls him a joke and nothing. Riddle strikes away until a jumping enziguri staggers him, only to snap off a German suplex to put Cole down as well. It’s Riddle getting the better of things with running forearms in the corner and an exploder suplex, setting up a running kick to the chest for two. The deadlift German suplex gives Riddle two more but Cole is right back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker.

Riddle throws him up into a fireman’s carry but Cole spins out into a Backstabber. A strike off goes to Riddle and he takes Cole down for the Bromission, which is reversed into a fisherman’s buster. Cole is right back up with the brainbuster onto the knee but the middle rope Canadian Destroyer is blocked.

Instead he hits the Last Shot for two on Riddle and Cole can’t believe the kickout. Riddle is right back with a knee to the face and a GTS, followed by another knee to send Cole outside. Cue Roderick Strong, who gets kicked in the face as well, but the distraction lets Cole superkick Riddle’s head off. That’s good for two, but the kickout pulls Cole into the Bromission for the tap at 13:45.

Rating: B. They had a good story here with Cole not being sure what to do to beat Riddle but managing to survive the athleticism and get in some offense to break him down. The ending was a good way to advance the stories going forward and with the Undisputed Era showing some cracks, Riddle could be moving up the ladder fairly soon.

Cole and Strong are about to come to blows with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly playing peacekeepers. Cole and O’Reilly leave with Cole ranting about how he wins things by himself but Strong screws everything up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t the most in depth show they’ve done but what we got was entertaining enough and should set up some more stuff going forward. That being said, they need to start getting ready for Takeover as the show is in less than a month and there hasn’t been a single match set up for it. I trust NXT to pull it off though as setting up five matches isn’t the hardest thing in the world.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Mia Yim – Sunset flip with a grab of the ropes

Raul Mendoza b. Riddick Moss – Springboard corkscrew splash

Matt Riddle b. Adam Cole – Bromission

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

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Worlds Collide: Battle Royals: All Those People In Search Of Something To Do

IMG Credit: WWE

Worlds Collide: Battle Royals
Date: May 1, 2019
Location: Pier 12, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

Yes it’s a fourth one of these things and no I don’t get it either. As the name suggests, we’re looking at a pair of battle royals here (one for the men and one for the women) with almost everyone from the previous three shows plus a few bonus entrants. Your guess is as good as mine as to why we need to see this nearly a month after Wrestlemania. Let’s get to it.

The audio commentary is really low here for some reason.

Women’s Battle Royal

Bianca Belair, Taynara Conti, Kacy Catanzaro, Deonna Purrazzo, Io Shirai, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke, Jesse, Lacey Lane, Xia Li, Kavita Devi, Kay Lee Ray, Mia Yim, Piper Niven, Reina Gonzalez, Vanessa Borne, Aliyah, Toni Storm

Everyone gets an entrance, which I’ll certainly take over having to go through all the entrance in a big group shot. We start the same way most battle royals start, with a variety of teased eliminations and people saving themselves. Lane tries a double springboard due to reasons of not seeming that bright and gets kicked out, as she should be. Shafir and Duke get together again to eliminate Jesse and it’s back to more brawling on the ropes.

Niven dumps Ray, who seems to swear revenge. Conti gets knocked off the top but hangs onto the post and gets back in for this match’s Kofi Kingston save. Purrazzo gets rid of Li and Kacy does a crazy handstand on the top into a headscissors on Reina, who forearms her out a second later. Shirai tosses Purrazzo as the ring is starting to clear a lot. Gonzalez and Storm slug it out as Niven drops Conti with a hard forearm.

Devi and Gonzalez do the hoss fight with Devi getting kicked out. Almost everyone but Gonzalez is down for a bit until Niven and Storm get together, only to fail to eliminated Conti. Shafir accidentally knocks Duke out and then intentionally tosses Yim. Shirai sends Conti to the apron and dropkicks her out as the field is clearing out a lot. Belair forearms Shafir out and we’re down to Belair, Storm, Shirai, Aliyah, Niven, Gonzalez and Borne.

Niven Hulks Up on Borne and Aliyah but misses a charge and gets tossed. Excessive celebration lets Shirai and Storm get rid of Borne and Aliyah and we’re down to four. Niven chases the two of them out as Belair and Gonzalez’s alliance lasts all of fourteen seconds. Gonzalez sends Belair and Storm into the same corner for shoulders to the ribs. Shirai sends Gonzalez to the apron and forearms her out to get us down to three.

Belair fireman’s carries Storm and swings her into Shirai before dumping her out. We’re down to Belair vs. Shirai with a hard forearm knocking Shirai down. A headscissors sends both of them to the apron but Belair slides back in and avoids a springboard dropkick. The gorilla press toss eliminates Shirai to give Belair the win at 18:27.

Rating: D+. Well that was long. Belair winning is fine, though it doesn’t make her any better or fix any of the problems that have held her back so far. There isn’t much to say about something like this because it’s a bunch of standing around until the finish, which is always the case in battle royals. Gonzalez and Conti looked good here, but they’re more people who aren’t getting much of a chance anywhere.

Men’s Battle Royal

Ariya Daivari, Brian Kendrick, Dave Mastiff, Drew Gulak, Fabian Aichner, Eric Bugenhagen, Humberto Carrillo, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Dominik Dijakovic, Ligero, Matt Riddle, Rinku Singh, Saurav Gurjar, Roderick Strong, Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler, Akira Tozawa, Travis Banks, Tyler Bate

It’s a brawl to start with Bugenhagen and Riddle heading outside for a jam sessions which makes way more sense than it should. Back in and it’s another standard battle royal opening as we wait on the ring to clear out a bit. Dijakovic sends Aichner to the apron and superkicks him out, followed by a toss to get rid of Tozawa. High levels of confidence allow Dijakovic to stop and pose, meaning it’s a group beatdown but so many split off that Dijakovic is able to shove everyone else away.

The cyclone boot eliminates Carrillo and Bugenhagen tosses Daivari for excessive jamming. Gurjar dumps Bugenhagen and you can feel the energy go out of the arena. The Forgotten Sons gets together to eliminate Ligero and Kendrick saves Gulak for no logical reason. There goes Banks as the ring is still rather full. Gulak and Riddle grapple on the mat and wind up on the apron but come back in after realizing they’re wasting their time. Mark Coffey is out and Riddle gives Dijakovic a GTS for another elimination.

Mastiff eliminates Gulak and Cutler but Kendrick (still in the leather jacket) saves himself. Riddle and Mastiff chop it out and Gurjar gets rid of Singh. Kendrick eliminates Blake but tries Sliced Bread on Coffey, earning himself his own elimination. We’re down to Riddle, Joe Coffey, Mastiff, Strong, Bate and Gurjar. Riddle unloads on Mastiff in the corner and knees him out but the backsplash hits Coffey’s knees.

Bate hits the rebound lariat to get rid of Coffey and it’s a four way staredown. Gurjar fights off all three of them with a good side slam planting Riddle. That’s enough to send Riddle to the apron and a big boot gets rid of him in a heck of an upset. Bate uses raw strength to get rid of Gurjar and the fans are very appreciative. Strong and Bate slug it out with Bate hitting an exploder suplex into the nip up. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a jumping knee to the face so Bate comes right back with the airplane spin.

That’s not enough for an elimination either so they chop it out with a hard one from Strong knocking him down. A running clothesline puts Strong on the apron but a few more knees let him get back in. More chops don’t get Strong very far as Bate sends him to the apron and blasts him with a dropkick…for no elimination. Strong pulls him to the apron as well and posts Bate, who comes right back with the head fake left hand. They make it back in and strike it out again until Strong sends him to the apron. Bate hits a forearm and tries a springboard but gets dropkicked out to the floor to give Strong the win at 19:30.

Rating: C+. The ending sequence alone made it better than the first match but this was another example of a long match with very little going on until we got to the finish. There were so many people in there until the ending and while the final grouping was pretty strong, there is only so much you can get out of waiting around to get there for half of the match.

Overall Rating: C-. The show was fine, though spending the better part of twenty minutes on entrances alone was kind of a stretch. The biggest thing I got from this was how many people WWE has down in developmental who aren’t likely to get a major push ever. Can you picture the Coffeys on the main roster? Or Xia Li?

They’re talented, but WWE would pick a lot of others before them and it’s just bloating the roster more and more. NXT UK has helped, but there are so many people under the WWE banner that they can run shows like this and still have a ton of roster members left over. That’s probably not good, but neither is running these four shows for the sake of adding content to the Network. We can have this but not Legends With JBL or Royal Rumble Rewind or more round table shows? Anyway, not bad, but really don’t waste your time.

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: Women Collide: All These Collisions Can’t Be Good For Their Health

IMG Credit: WWE

Worlds Collide: Women Collide
Date: April 24, 2019
Location: Pier 12, New York City, New York
Commentators: Aiden English, Vic Joseph, Mia Yim

This is the last (I think) entry in the series of Axxess events, because that’s something that needed to see the light of day because reasons. The idea here is pretty simple with a bunch of matches between women of different brands. I’m not sure what to expect here as the matches have been mostly good, but this was taped the day after Wrestlemania. Let’s get to it.

Announcers’ preview.

Candice LeRae vs. Kay Lee Ray

Kay starts in on the arm but Candice gets in a nifty spinning reversal. A headlock takeover works a bit better until Kay headscissors her way out of trouble. Some rollups give Candice two each but she’s snapmared down into a rolling kick to the head to give Kay two of her own. Candice is right back with a Black Widow, sending Kay stumbling into the ropes.

Back to back to back dives take Kay down for two but the Lionsault misses. Kay gets caught on the middle rope and a super German suplex gives Candice two. A springboard is broken up with a superkick to the back but Candice is right back with a reverse hurricanrana. Now the Lionsault can connect for the pin at 8:25.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here with Candice looking awesome and Kay more than holding up her end. Candice was working hard to keep up with the more polished Kay and that worked perfectly well. I liked this more than I was expecting to so we’ll call this a rather pleasant surprise to start.

Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega

This better be a squash. Niven towers over Vega and easily shoves her down but gets drop toeholded into the middle buckle. Choking over the ropes works a bit better for Vega and a missed charge keeps Piper in trouble. Vega manages a tornado DDT to cut off a comeback as this is WAY too much from Vega so far.

A Dragon Sleeper goes on until Piper realizes that she’s twice Vega’s size. The hold is broken up with a toss and the seated crossbody crushes Vega again. The Vader Bomb misses and Vega gets in a Codebreaker. The delayed cover (since Vega can’t pull her) gets two but Vega’s moonsault misses. A scoop sitout brainbuster finishes Vega at 4:58.

Rating: D-. Nope. I did not buy the idea of Vega getting in this kind of offense whatsoever and the match really suffered as a result. I’m assuming Vega got in this much offense because she’s on the main roster, but she’s wrestled what, three matches there? This went beyond the point of being believable and it really didn’t work.

Io Shirai vs. Sonya Deville

Mia doesn’t think much of someone coming from the Octagon to the ring because Sonya’s attitude isn’t enough of a reason to boo her. Shirai starts flipping around and hits a few ax handles but Sonya pulls her hard off the ropes to take over. Sonya gets serious by putting her hair up and kicking away in the corner for two.

The bodyscissors goes on with Sonya slapping the head and ribs a bit for a bonus. The fingers get bent backwards as Yim goes on another anti-MMA rant. Sonya hits a chop and Mia asks if that was necessary. Some elbows to the face as Mia now loves the idea of Worlds Collide because different parts of WWE come together. So to clarify: as long as it’s all WWE with wrestling backgrounds, we’re cool. Got it, I think.

The fans are split as Sonya grabs the chinlock, which doesn’t last long as usual. Sonya misses an enziguri and Io’s missile dropkick gets two (with Aiden calling Sonya a former MMA artist, or a mixed martial artist artist, as said by the Artist). Now the enziguri connects to give Sonya two and a running double leg takedown (just call it a spear) finishes Shirai at 8:22.

Rating: C. Another good but not great match with the biggest point being Mia’s rather strange rant against MMA. Sonya winning is rather odd as well, as Shirai is probably going to go after the Women’s Title soon while Sonya is little more than Mandy Rose’s muscle. It’s not completely unrealistic, but it’s not what I would have done.

NXT UK Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair

Toni is defending and we get Big Match Intros. Nikki goes right at Bianca to start but gets caught in a fall away slam. That gives us Bianca vs. Toni in a showdown that I don’t think many people actually wanted. Toni easily spins out of a wristlock and takes Bianca down but here’s Nikki to chop in the corner. Nikki ties Belair up in the ring skirt and hammers away yet still manages to stop a charge from Toni. Now both of them are tied up in the skirt so Nikki can forearm and scream a lot.

Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Toni so Belair throws Nikki outside. That doesn’t last long as Nikki is back in for a three way knockdown. Toni is up first with the running hip attacks in the corner but Belair spears both of them down. The KOD hits Nikki with Toni diving in for the save. The hair whip puts Toni in the corner but Bianca goes shoulder first into the post. Cross is back in with the reverse DDT to Toni and Belair is sent outside. That leaves Cross to take Storm Zero to retain Toni’s title at 7:29.

Rating: B-. They packed a lot in there, even in a match where the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. Toni is way better than her years, Cross is still great even though she doesn’t seem as insane as she used to be and Belair…well she didn’t talk here and that helped a lot. She has the athleticism but needs a lot of work in the everything else department. Still though, it’s a good idea to have her in something like this because her reputation alone made her a threat.

Overall Rating: C+. Another pretty good but completely skippable show in a series of them. I like the Worlds Collide concept but there are some things that you just don’t need to film. It’s fine if I don’t get to see the matches from Axxess and while the shows weren’t bad, they’re nothing that is going to stick with me. Well maybe other than Mia being ultra serious about everything and her weird hatred of mixed martial artist (artists) getting into wrestling. Seriously what was that?

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

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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.

Takeover: New York Preview

We’re under two days away from Takeover: New York and I believe that’s close enough to start getting excited. The show, as always, looks awesome and with a special imported match this year, we could be in for something even better than usual. There isn’t a bad looking match on the card and if things go well, it’s already going to be the show of the year. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane vs. Io Shirai

We’ll start off with a confusing one as it depends on which wrestling story you go for. First of all you have the idea that when everyone else cancels themselves out, the champion, and best performer (maybe) at the moment, in this case Baszler, retains. At the same time though, there is the chance that we could have Baszler showing up on the main roster either over the weekend or next week. You could go either way, or cut it down the middle and have Baszler retain and show up on the main roster.

I think I’ll go with Belair winning, which I hope doesn’t lead to her talking more often. She’s an incredible athlete but she’s also one of the most annoying talkers I can remember in a very long time. Baszler can move up to the main roster while Belair feuds with the Sky Pirates or some of the other upcoming stars in the division. It might not be the most appealing choice, but it’s the one that makes the most sense.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream(c) vs. Matt Riddle

You know what I love the most about NXT? Ok maybe not the most but it’s certainly up there? It’s almost impossible to know who is going to win any given match. This one is a real tossup and it comes after a four way tossup. Dream is crazy over, but Riddle isn’t going to lose this soon in his NXT career. That and Dream just doesn’t win on the big stage most of the time.

That being said, I’ll take Riddle, as Dream might be on his way to the main roster (egads I hope not though). It’s what makes the most sense at this point and that’s usually the way NXT likes to go. These two could have an incredible match with Riddle playing by the rules (mostly) and Dream being so out there that it messes with Riddle’s mind. Either way, the fans are going to be going nuts and it should be awesome. But yeah, Riddle wins in the end.

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

Can I please have an easy match on this show? Not everything has to be so well put together that it’s hard to figure out. Black and Ricochet are going to get a SmackDown Tag Team Title shot on Sunday. Now with that being the case, do you really want them to lose on an NXT show in a Tag Team Title match? If they do, why aren’t the War Raiders getting the shot at WrestleMania? Then again this company doesn’t tend to think that way so it’s anyone’s guess.

I’ll go with the War Raiders retaining here, as Black and Ricochet are locked in on the main roster and there’s no good reason to give them the NXT Tag Team Titles and expect them to be defended. Unless we’re getting some insane title unification deal (which I don’t think we are), the money move would be to make the War Raiders look even more dominant, as they’ve held the titles for a few months now but barely defended them.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne(c) vs. Walter

Just take my money now. I’ll even up it to $19.98 for this one. These two are going to have one of the hardest hitting, knockdown drag out fights you’re ever going to see and it’s going to be awesome. Dunne is the kind of guy who would rather die than lose but he’s come close to being beaten before. How do you get around a monster like Walter? I’m not sure it can be done at this point.

Hence why I’m going with a new champion. Dunne has had an all time title reign and somehow doesn’t feel like he’s outgrown the title or is ready to move on from it, which is perhaps the most remarkable thing about the entire reign. He has to lose at some point though and if it’s not to Walter, who else could it be to? This is where the title change goes down, with Dunne fighting until the bitter end.

NXT Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole

Let’s pause for a second and mourn the missing of what could have been the greatest blowoff in WWE since….I’ll get back to you on that. This was going to be Gargano FINALLY winning the title from Tommaso Ciampa and ending their war once and for all but the pesky neck injury is going to stop us from seeing it for the time being. This is for the vacant title and it’s 2/3 falls, which is kind of NXT’s signature match for a cool change of pace.

And I’m taking Cole winning the third fall after some kind of a distraction from Ciampa. That final match is going to happen and NXT is smart enough to keep Gargano hot until he’s back (they did it before), provided we don’t get something stupid like Cole being called up. Gargano is at his best when he’s chasing something and is foaming at the mouth to get it, so having him lose again and move on to something else is the right call. Also Cole is a great long term champion and could hold the title for months without much of a problem.

Overall Thoughts

Yes. Do I need to explain this any further than that? This could be one of the most entertaining shows of the year (it will be) with this crowd around them. NXT just gets these things and it’s going to be an incredible show with five matches that could all be classics. Just let them do their thing and be handed the weekend, because I don’t think it’s classified as stealing anymore when it’s expected of you.

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