IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 13, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

We’re still on the way to Survivor Series and hopefully things can get back to where they were last week. At the same time though, things are starting to move towards Takeover, so we’re going to be seeing a ladder match for the advantage in the women’s WarGames. The lineups still need to be locked in though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, which also seems to serve as the opening sequence.

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending. They start running the ropes in a hurry with neither being able to hit anything, meaning it’s a pair of flips to land on a knee each. Garza bails to the floor and goes into the crowd, where HE TAKES OFF HIS PANTS right in front of Rush’s family. That means the crazy fast suicide dive but another one is countered into a powerslam so Garza can smile as we take a break.

Back with Garza hitting a hard knee to the face but Rush is fine enough to escape the Wing Clipper. The springboard Stunner is blocked with a dropkick to the back to give Garza two more. Rush grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two of his own but gets caught on top. That means a super moonsault powerslam for a close two and the frustration makes Garza hammer away.

Rush counters a charge into Rush Hour before kicking Garza upside the head. Now the springboard Stunner can connect but Rush tries a second, only to get reversed into the Wing Clipper for two. Garza loads it up again but climbs up, allowing Rush to headbutt his way to freedom. Rush flips him down and hits the Final hour for a slightly delayed two. With nothing else working, Rush waits for Garza to start getting up and hits another Final Hour to retain at 12:55. Garza’s foot looked like it was in the ropes for a bit.

Rating: B. They didn’t bother wasting time with any slow paced stuff here and just went straight to a game of can you top this. Sometimes it’s nice to drop any pretense that you are doing anything but a spotfest and that is what they did here. It seems to be where they are both most comfortable though and the match was really entertaining while feeling half as long as it was.

Tegan Nox and Rhea Ripley have been attacked.

Video on Shayna Baszler invading the main roster.

Xia Li vs. Aliyah

Xia starts with the kicks so Aliyah gets in a neck snap across the top for a breather. A northern lights suplex gives Aliyah two and she kicks Xia in the back, only to get kicked in the chest. Xia hits a superkick and a cartwheel forearm in the corner, followed by a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 2:07.

Aliyah’s face is busted up and the medic comes in to check on her.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Killian Dain. They meet tonight.

Here’s Finn Balor for a chat. He isn’t sure what happened around here because he was the heart and soul of this place. Now you have a bunch of people crying on social media and looking for sympathy when they get hurt. Since Johnny Gargano is out for Survivor Series weekend, he wants someone to come take Gargano’s place. Cue Matt Riddle to jump Balor and the fight is on until Balor bails. Riddle: “Come back here you little putz!”

Cue the Undisputed Era to surround the ring with Cole saying it’s the wrong place at the wrong time. Now it’s Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee coming out for the save. The Era talks about how they dominated Raw and Smackdown but Lee isn’t impressed. The challenge is on with Lee wanting to face Cole right now. Strong says he has this though.

Keith Lee vs. Roderick Strong

Non-title. Joined in progress with everyone else gone and Lee hitting a tossup faceplant for two. Some chops have Strong in even more trouble and he has to elbow his way out of a slam attempt. He can’t elbow enough though and Lee plants him with ease. Strong kicks at the legs for some more success and a running shoulder to a kneeling Lee. This goes badly for Strong, who bounces off of Lee a few times.

Lee gets up and smiles at him, setting up another big chop to cut Strong down. Strong comes back with a knee strike though and we take a break. Back with Lee getting dropkicked outside and a wrecking ball dropkick putting him down on the floor. The Sick Kick gives Strong two back inside and the reverse chinlock goes on. As usual, that just wakes Lee up and he shoves Strong around, followed by some elbows to the back for two.

Lee gets caught on top and, after some strikes, Strong manages a heck of a superplex for….one. The Stronghold isn’t happening so they slug it out until Lee turns him inside out with a clothesline. Cue the Era again though, followed by Ciampa and Riddle to cut them off. Finn Balor shows up with a Sling Blade to Riddle though, followed by a dropkick to send him into the steps. The distraction lets Strong hit an Angle Slam for two but Lee is right back up with the Supernova for the pin at 17:27.

Rating: B. Another solid match and the interference didn’t even cause the fall. I’m not a big fan of a champion losing like this but it isn’t done nearly as often around here, which means that it can be more forgivable. Lee is likely to get a title shot after Takeover and that is what you need to do with people like him.

Post match the beatdown is on but Dominick Dijakovic coming in for the save. With the Era dispatched, Dijakovic offers his services and Ciampa shakes his hand. Dijakovic runs into Lee, but it’s another handshake. Remember that Riddle is likely going to fight Balor so they still need another member.

Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke and Candice LeRae have been taken out. The yet to debut Scarlett Bordeaux is checking on LeRae.

Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed

They trade short wristlocks to start until Reed runs him over with the size and power. There’s a headbutt to make it worse and a rather large headlock ensues. Reed goes with the simple style by sitting on Scott’s back and cannonballing down onto it before just throwing him outside. That earns him a posting though and we take a break. Back with Scott hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the neck and getting two off a Flatliner.

One heck of a clothesline into a backsplash crushes Scott but the top rope splash is broken up. Scott goes up with him but has to fight out of a super Tombstone (geez), allowing him to hit a hanging DDT for two on Reed. Back up and Reed grabs a belly to back sitout piledriver for his own two. Scott gets to the apron and tries a slingshot hurricanrana but has to settle for a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well but Scott knocks him down and hits the House Call (Swerve Kick) for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: C+. Scott is someone I like more and more every time I see him. The good thing is that WWE seems to be getting the idea as well with a nice little winning streak. He can have a good match with anyone and that’s the kind of style that can keep you around for a long time. Reed is good too and makes the size work for him.

Respect is shown post match.

It isn’t clear who is behind the attacks, but we do know one thing for TakeOver: Balor vs. Riddle is confirmed and Dijakovic is taking Riddle’s place in WarGames, meaning Ciampa needs a fourth.

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne

Hang on though as Damien Priest jumps Dain on the ramp, meaning it’s Dunne running to the floor to get in on the fight. Everyone brawls and security breaks it up, only to have Priest powerbomb a guard over the top. He isn’t done yet as he adds a big running flip dive to take out Dunne and Dain again. Works for me as a triple threat at Takeover. No match here.

Mia Yim says if someone wants to come out them, it can be from any angle. Dakota Kai comes in and says there are no hard feelings after last week’s decision. She has Mia’s back tonight.

Next week: Cole vs. Dijakovic in a ladder match for the men’s WarGames advantage.

Mia Yim vs. Io Shirai

Ladder match for the advantage in the women’s WarGames match. They both want the ladder early but Shirai takes her down with a suicide dive instead. Mia is right back up and knocks her down, allowing the ladder to be thrown in. Shirai gets dropped onto a ladder, which is bridged between the apron and barricade. A superkick to the ladder knocks it into Mia’s face, though she’s fine enough to get in a ladder shot to Shirai’s hand.

Shirai uses the good hand to try a running ladder shot but only hits ring. Yim gets kicked away and they finally get back inside, only to fight over a suplex. It’s Shirai getting dropped back first onto the ladder and we take a break. Back with Shirai forearming away and hitting the 619, followed by a flapjack to keep Mia down. Mia isn’t about to let her climb though and it’s an overhead belly to belly into….well at least close to, the edge of the ladder.

That lets Mia set up the ladder but Shirai sends her into it and the ladder goes down again. Mia gets crushed in the ladder so Shirai pulls out a fresh one. That one has to be dropkicked into Mia so Shirai can climb, or at least she would if she has two good hands. Shirai takes too long going up and gets pulled down, though she’s right back up with a German suplex off the ladder. Shirai’s moonsault is broken up but she headbutts Mia to the floor.

Cue Dakota Kai to check on Mia but Shirai moonsaults onto both of them. Shirai goes up but Kai powerbombs her down, only to have NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray run in and shove the ladder down, sending Mia through the bridged ladder in a GREAT looking crash as I had forgotten about the other ladder. Ray helps Shirai up the ladder for the win at 19:58.

Rating: B+. This was very good stuff with the two of them beating the heck out of each other with some adult sized bumps. Ray as the fourth member of the team is interesting and could be the wild card that the match needs. I’m not a big Yim fan but she looked awesome here and they had a great match.

Post match Shirai, Ray and Bianca Belair pose in the ring as Shayna Baszler comes out, seemingly approving of the new team. It’s Bayley attacking her from behind though, presumably revealing herself as the attacking. Baszler gets planted face first onto the stage, drawing her team up to chase Bayley off to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This is the kind of NXT show that works well: good action up and down the card, a lot of stuff being set up for the future and a card that makes me want to see Takeover. They moved things forward here and helped advance their own card, which has almost been lost in the Survivor Series shuffle. We’re up to three (mostly complete) matches now and you can pretty much guess the fourth, though a card with no title matches is going to be rather weird. Anyway, very strong show this week as we get a good step towards Takeover.

Results

Lio Rush b. Angel Garza – Final Hour

Xia Li b. Aliyah – Spinning kick to the face

Keith Lee b. Roderick Strong – Supernova

Isaiah Scott b. Bronson Reed – House Call

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Shirai pulled down the briefcase

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:

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IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 30, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

Things changed in a big way last week as Finn Balor turned on Johnny Gargano, likely setting up a heck of a showdown in Chicago. Other than that, it’s time to start setting up Takeover, which means it’s time to start setting up WarGames. They have a lot of ways to get there and I’m curious to see which they pick. Let’s get to it.

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

Poppy performs live to open things up with a recap video from last week playing on the screen. As a bonus, they play Io Shirai to the ring.

Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae

Candice knocks her outside to start but gets caught with a 619 on the apron. A heck of a suicide dive drops Candice but Io throws her in for the same dive from Candice. Back in and a hard clothesline gives Candice two but Shirai runs her over. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Candice snaps off a headscissors into a kick to the face. With her nose bleeding, Candice takes her to the apron to fight over a suplex attempt.

Shirai shoves her off the top and out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Candice hitting a tornado DDT to bang up Shirai’s neck. Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride is broken up but Shirai’s moonsault hits raised knees. A headscissor choke goes on and Candice has to get a boot on the rope for the break. Shirai grabs a chair so Candice rolls her up for two and hits a full nelson swinging faceplant for two. Candice’s Lionsault hits chair though and Shirai gets the pin at 12:56.

Rating: C+. Evil Shirai is more than working and Candice is as easy of a face to cheer as there is outside of Team Fly Kicks. This should finish the story between the two of them though and there is nothing wrong with that, as Shirai is someone who can be even further established as a monster. Then you have Candice, who can smile her way through any loss you give her.

Finn Balor talks about how it felt good to kick Johnny Gargano in the head last week. This is the real Balor, who is glad to be back on NXT. Raw and Smackdown are Hollywood, where you can hide behind a bunch of things. NXT is Broadway, with no place to hide. The Prince is back.

Here’s Balor for a chat. Balor talks about how the hottest thing in the business is a guy who put a mask on but now he’s taken his mask off and now he’s the hottest thing in the business. Everyone has their opinions, including those tough guys on social media. The problem is there are so many fans in the locker room when they should be out there with the people. Balor does not watch the business because the business watches him. That brings him to Johnny Gargano, the so called heart and soul of NXT. Gargano is out of the hospital but if he comes after Balor, he’ll be Johnny Watches Wrestling, as he should be.

Video on the Kabuki Warriors and the two of them furthering their heel status by misting Paige on Raw.

Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed

Thorne dropkicks him into the corner at the bell but gets taken down by a clothesline. The running backsplash gives Reed two and it’s time to chop it out. A kick to the head sets up a belly to back suplex for two on Reed and it’s time to fire off the kicks. Reed is right back with some clotheslines and an over the back piledriver for two of his own. Thorne catches him on top and tries a super hurricanrana but gets shoved down. A top rope splash crushes Thorne for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C+. Oh that worked, if nothing else for the splash alone. Thorne hit at Reed with everything he had but just couldn’t overcome the size and power advantages. They’re 1-1 now and even if it was just a short match that didn’t get a lot of time, I could go for a third one from them, which isn’t usually the case with a match like this.

Team Fly Kicks is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Video on Mia Yim.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Team Fly Kicks

The Warriors are defending and Asuka gets a heck of a WELCOME BACK chant. Asuka goes straight for Nox’s knee to start so it’s off to Sane for a hard chop. Everything breaks down for a bit and the champs are dropkicked to the floor. That’s fine with them as they easily win a brawl as we take a break.

Back with Nox hitting the running backsplash in the corner and Kai snapmaring Asuka down for a kick to the chest. Asuka goes crazy evil with a dragon screw legwhip onto the ropes to crank Kai’s recently repaired knee. The leglock is on inside and they take turns kicking at each other in a painful looking exchange. Sane comes back in to Walk The Plank for a rather cocky near fall.

The Brock Lock has Nox in even more trouble and it’s Asuka coming back in for a leg trapped chinlock. Sane grabs a Figure Four neck lock, followed by a kick from Asuka for two. It’s back to the leglock and we take a second break. Back again with Kai still in trouble as Asuka puts on another leglock. Kai gets up and fights out of the corner before nailing a scorpion kick to knock Sane down. The hot tag brings in Nox so house can be cleaned, including a chokeslam to Sane and running elbows in the corner.

The Shiniest Wizard is blocked though and Asuka grabs a kneebar in the middle of the ring. Nox reverses into a cross armbreaker with Sane making the save this time around. A series of suplexes and kicks puts everyone down and the fans are pleased. Kai gets back in with the running kick to Asuka in the corner but walks into the mist. The Insane Elbow to the back finishes Kai (with Sane covering Kai’s face to avoids the DQ) to retain the titles at 24:06.

Rating: B. This was more long than great, though it was still quite the match. Kai and Nox are a rather awesome team (the matching gear helps a lot) and they’re going to be a big deal at some point in the future, either together or on their own. It’s great to see what can actually be done when these titles are given some time and a crowd that cares, which is so often the case around here.

Post match here are Shayna Baszler and the Horsewomen for what is likely to be painful. Nox tries to fight them off but the numbers get the better of her. Baszler loads up the arm but Rhea Ripley runs out for the save. Shirai jumps her from behind though and the fight is on outside. Bianca Belair runs out to beat down Ripley as well, which draws out Candice LeRae for a failed save attempt.

Rhea gets up and takes everyone out before staring Shayna back. The fight is on with everyone getting in the ring and I think you know where this is going. William Regal comes out and orders security to break it up and the WARGAMES chants are on. That’s exactly what Regal gives them too, though Rhea and company need a fifth. Rhea kicks a guard away and goes after Shayna again but gets held back.

Tyler Bate vs. Cameron Grimes

Bate goes for the leg to start and flips away from Grimes’ attempted escape. An armdrag into an arm crank has Grimes down and his nip up only keeps him out of trouble for a few moments. The airplane spin has Grimes in more trouble and a dropkick puts him on the floor. Back in and Grimes counters a charge into a spinning sitout Side Effect for two as we take a break.

We come back with Grimes hitting his crazy cool backflip into a German suplex for two more. Grimes cranks on the arm even more but Bate fights up and throws him down with a t-bone suplex. The running shooting star gives Bate two and he reverses Grimes’ powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana for the same.

Bate can’t hit the Tyler Driver 97 so they hit each other in the face until Grimes hits the spinning powerslam for two more. Back up and the rebound lariat gives Bate two, setting up the rolling Liger kick to send Grimes outside. The big no hands dive crushes Grimes again but here’s Killian Dain to distract Bate, meaning it’s the Cave In to finish Bate at 13:11.

Rating: B. Bate is one of those guys who can do something good against anyone in there and that’s what he did here. Then again, Grimes is more than capable of holding his own and the Cave In is one of the better finishers at the moment. I could go for Bate/Dunne vs. Dain/Grimes soon and that appears to be where we’re going. If nothing else, watching Bate throwing Dain around could be awesome. But yeah, another rather good match here.

Post match Dain drives Bate into the steps and crushes him with the Cannonball against the steps.

Video on Angel Garza.

Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley are officially the team captains for WarGames.

Undisputed Era vs. Matt Riddle/Keith Lee

Non-title. The champs go after Lee to start and are easily pulled into each other, allowing Lee to leapfrog both of them at once, setting up a double crossbody to put them down again. The Era’s low bridge attempt is blocked as well and that means it’s time for a breather on the floor. Riddle isn’t cool with that and kicks them down as the dominance continues.

O’Reilly gets chopped to the floor and Riddle Jackhammers Fish for two. Back from a break with Riddle suplexing O’Reilly until Fish runs him over with a shoulder. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Riddle powers up without much trouble. O’Reilly kicks Fish in the face by mistake but is smart enough to grab Riddle in a leglock before he’s anywhere close to a tag. That’s broken up but Fish uses the delay to kick Lee off the apron.

Riddle kicks and knees both of them, only to get kicked right back. Chasing the Dragon is enough to bring Lee in for the save but he doesn’t drag Riddle to the corner. Riddle flips out of a suplex though and the hot tag brings in Lee for the big elbows to the face. Lee clotheslines and backdrops them down but a legsweep cuts him down.

O’Reilly goes for the triangle choke but Lee curls him up with ease to shot off even more. The powerbomb breaks it up though and it’s back to Riddle for the strikes and suplexes. Cue Strong and Cole for the distraction though, only to have Riddle send everyone to the floor for a springboard Floating Bro. Lee Pounces Cole into Strong but it’s the High Low to finish Riddle at 14:22.

Rating: B-. Another good match here that seems to be setting up something big for Takeover (I wonder what it could be) and that’s a good way to go. Having Riddle and Lee in the main event scene is a good idea and if you get someone else in there, say Ciampa and one other person, against the Era, should be a rather good idea. That’s almost a guarantee at this point and I can more than go for the idea.

Post match the beatdown is on but it’s Tommaso Ciampa running in for the save with the crutch. Cole is left alone with Ciampa but an O’Reilly distraction lets Cole escape. O’Reilly gets beaten down and Lee throws him onto the rest of the team. Ciampa grabs the mic and says hold on a bit Goldy, because Daddy is going to war.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling, awesome promo from Balor and two WarGames matches being set up. This was a heck of a show and they picked up the steam for Takeover and that is what this show needed to do. You can see the card from here and it seems that this is going to be a show focusing on the feuds instead of the titles. Unless they tie the titles into WarGames, though I’m not sure how smart that would be. Anyway, rather good show here and NXT is back on a roll.

Results

Io Shirai b. Candice LeRae – Lionsault to a chair

Bronson Reed b. Shane Thorne – Top rope splash

Kabuki Warriors b. Team Fly Kicks – Insane Elbow to Kai

Cameron Grimes b. Tyler Bate – Cave In

Undisputed Era b. Keith Lee/Matt Riddle – High/Low to Riddle

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

So in a bit of a surprise, this is the start of the last of the one hour taping cycles. It’s also the start of the fallout from Takeover: Toronto and that means things could be in for a shakeup as we move towards Takeover: WarGames III, which is likely to feature Undisputed Era again. That’s not a bad thing as they’re becoming the Horsemen of NXT, but now they need opponents. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Matt Riddle and Killian Dain brawling at Takeover.

Here’s the Undisputed Era, with new shirts, to get things going. Adam Cole says he did everything he promised to do in Toronto and the fans certainly seem to like him. If there was an NXT Mount Rushmore, it would be his face four times over. Roderick Strong says they all deserves to hold the gold.

The other three got screwed though, with Velveteen Dream pinning Pete Dunne, meaning the North American Title reign is on borrowed time. Kyle O’Reilly shows us a clip of Bobby Fish tagging himself in at Takeover but O’Reilly was pinned. As we ignore the referee not seeing the tag, which usually holds precedence in tag matches, they demand that William Regal come out here and make this right. With that not happening, Cole says they are two steps away from making NXT truly Undisputed.

As the team leaves, here’s Jordan Myles with his Breakout Tournament contract. Cole: “You’re joking right?” Cole threatens to break the smile off of Jordan’s face so Myles should go after Shayna Baszler instead. Or maybe go to NXT UK or 205 Live because they’re not on Cole’s level (I know it isn’t happening but seeing the look on Cole’s face if Walter’s music hit would be glorious). Myles hands the contract to Cole but drops it at his feet, which means the challenge is on.

Bronson Reed wants more in NXT but Shane Thorne interrupts him and the match is made for tonight.

Mansoor vs. Damian Priest

Priest isn’t wasting time this week as he pulls Mansoor off the top for a crash into the buckle before knocking him back into the corner. Mansoor’s forearm has no effect as Priest drops him with a single shot. The chokeslam is escaped and Mansoor gets in an enziguri, followed by a low bridge to the floor. There’s the running flip dive and a slingshot neckbreaker (pretty nice) drops Priest back inside. Priest has had it though and it’s a Razor’s Edge toss into the Reckoning for the pin at 3:14.

Rating: D+. Mansoor has some nice charisma to him and some of the offense looked good. Priest came off like a monster, but egads man you have a toss Razor’s Edge and you use Roll the Dice for a finish? It’s not that complicated to figure this out and hopefully he changes it to what makes sense. Find something else to use on bigger people but don’t use one of the most overdone moves ever for your finisher.

NXT to USA announcement.

Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne

Borne start fast with a Samoan drop and stomps away in the corner as we hear about Borne’s love of art. With Yim hanging over the ropes, Borne puts a sticker saying LOWER no the back of her jeans. That fires Yim up so she chops away in the corner, followed by a Cannonball. Protect Yo Neck finishes Borne at 2:50. Anytime Yim wants to go away, I’d be perfectly fine with it.

Post match here’s Shayna Baszler to say Mia took her to places no one has taken her to before. Mia has been to some dark places and now she can stand beside Shayna. Cue the other Horsewomen, with Shayna saying it’s a cold business but nice and warm under the dragon’s wing. Mia would rather fight and the beatdown is on. Do we really have to watch these two fight again?

Next week: Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic.

Video on Lee vs. Dijakovic, which was a heck of a big man fight. They had a history on the indies as well and since NXT does this kind of thing, we get to hear about it. As usual, well done with making a match feel epic.

Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed

Thorne’s rage against the Breakout Tournament continues. Some early kicks annoy Reed but Thorne bails out to the floor. Back in and the much bigger Reed sits on Thorne’s back to keep him in trouble. Thorne tries a leapfrog and gets powerslammed down, setting up a facewash in the corner.

A shot to the knee slows Reed down though and Thorne hammers away in the corner and there’s the running Cannonball (Good grief can we get a moratorium on that already? It feels like everyone uses it anymore.). Reed comes back with a Samoan drop into a backsplash (same as the Cannonball) so Thorne rolls outside. Back in and Reed goes up top but gets knocked back down, setting up the running knee to give Shane the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C-. Reed moves well for a big man and I like where he’s going. Thorne on the other hand felt like someone who was there because he had been around forever and they needed to do something with him. I’m not sure what it is but there’s something to him that makes me want to see more, so he’s fine for now.

Here’s Velveteen Dream on the couch. His shirt is $30, his glasses are $10 and retaining the North American Title by pinning Pete Dunne is priceless. The Dream winds up on top of anyone in the locker room because he likes it best on top. That’s where the spotlight is so the spotlight is now on Roderick Strong. If Strong wants a title shot, give Dream an experience he’s never had before.

Myles challenges Cole in two weeks.

Next week: the Street Profits Defend against Fish and O’Reilly.

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

Riddle comes in through the crowd and jumps Dain before revealing taped up ribs. The forearms and strikes knock Dain into the corner and a kick to the head puts him on the floor. The forearm off the steps puts Dain down again but Dain elbows him in the head. Dain’s running crossbody crushes the ribs as he looks more and more like Bray Wyatt every day.

We hit the seated abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs and then Dain just stands on them for a bonus. Dain sits on the ribs (keeping it simple can work well) but Riddle somehow manages a release fisherman’s suplex. Riddle strikes away and gets in an exploder into the Broton. The seated elbows to the face have Dain in more trouble, setting up a German suplex for the double knockdown. Dain is back up with a shotgun dropkick into the corner, setting up the Cannonball (three matches out of four).

Riddle pops up with a Bro To Sleep and a powerbomb into a running knee for two. The spinning Broton hits knees though and Dain sends him shoulder first into the post. Riddle gets dropped onto the steps and a backsplash (two matches out of four) crushes him again. A Vader Bomb off the apron sets up three regular Vader Bombs inside to finish Riddle at 11:20.

Rating: B. Overuse of the same moves aside, this was another case of having two guys hit each other really hard until one came out on top. Dain needed the win to establish himself and Riddle gets to save face because his ribs were banged up. The match was the kind of hard hitting fight that NXT does very well without going to far or over the top with it. Good stuff here and a star is made.

Riddle charges after Dain to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Other than a good main event, this wasn’t a show built on the wrestling. What it was built on was setting up things for later and it did that quite well. I want to see where a lot of these stories go and that’s where NXT shines. This is the farewell tour for the old way of doing things and it’s nice to see them doing it the way they do it best.

Results

Damian Priest b. Mansoor – Reckoning

Mia Yim b. Vanessa Borne – Protect Yo Neck

Shane Thorne b. Bronson Reed – Running knee

Killian Dain b. Matt Riddle – Vader Bomb

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com 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:

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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:

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IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 31, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

With less than two weeks to go before the next Takeover, it really feels like this show has snuck up on us. The show should be fun, but it hasn’t had the most amount of time to build up. Last week’s major announcement saw Pete Dunne added to the North American Title scene though and that’s never a bad thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Tyler Breeze

Ryker goes with the power to start by throwing Breeze around so Breeze punches away and stomps Ryker down in the corner. That just earns him a release Rock Bottom as Ryker starts in with the power. A backbreaker gets two and then a backbreaker gets nothing as it’s almost all Ryker so far. Breeze hits a quick knee though and a victory roll finishes Ryker at 3:21.

Rating: D+. The fluke ending was a surprise but if it means we don’t have to deal with Ryker as the unstoppable monster for as long, it’s going to be an improvement. Breeze has needed a win like this and it’s nice to see WWE treating him like something that matters instead of a punching bag on the main roster.

Post match the beatdown is on but Fandango makes his return and cleans house.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes

Reed shoves him down to start and we’re already in the chinlock. Grimes is right back up with a headlock so Reed shoves him off and hits a hard elbow. The clubbing forearms in the corner put Grimes on the floor and Reed is dim enough to chase after him. Back in and Grimes hits a running clothesline before grabbing an armbar. Since it’s just an armbar, Reed is out in a hurry with a powerslam and a Samoan drop. The backsplash gets two with Grimes having to put a foot on the rope. It’s off to a slow motion slugout with Reed taking the straps down but walking into the standing double stomp to give Grimes the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. I wasn’t a big fan of Grimes when he was in TNA and he’s managing to turn me around a little bit here. I never would have guessed on that one and yet he’s making it work. Reed is someone who can go somewhere with his size and power so he’s going to be fine. This tournament has improved after what seemed to be a dull future. Nice enough match here and Grimes has impressed me.

Quick look at Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole.

Matt Riddle wants Killian Dain to fight him face to face. He’ll get to do that next week.

Here’s a ticked off Shayna Baszler for a chat. Mia Yim has been sending a message by attacking Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke and Baszler has heard it. That’s why Yim has lost before she’s even gotten on the plane to Toronto. Next week, Baszler is putting the street rat to sleep. Cue Mia to say Baszler looks really unfamiliar right now. Mia has nothing to lose so the street right is bringing a fight Shayna can’t rain for. Baszler promises to prove that Mia is street trash and holds up the title. I’d still prefer Candice LeRae in this spot but as long as they don’t call Mia the Blazian Baddie or Head Baddie in Charge, she’s fine.

Candice LeRae wants to face Io Shirai at Takeover. William Regal: “Can’t blame you.” The match is made and Regal asks her to go home.

Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong

Strong takes him to the mat to start but Dunne slips out and it’s a staredown from one knee each. Back up and Strong takes him into the corner for some right hands but you just don’t do that to Dunne. Pete fights out of the corner and stomps on the arm, followed by a kick to the elbow. Strong’s arm is fine enough to catch Dunne on top and hit a torture rack backbreaker to take over.

A regular backbreaker gets two but Dunne is back up with some kicks to the leg. Strong hits a dropkick to cut him off but bangs up his own leg in the process. They head up top with Dunne throwing him down and hitting a middle rope missile dropkick to a kneeling Strong. Dunne flips over Strong out of the corner and hits the X Plex. The PK gets two and Dunne kicks him in the head again.

A sitout powerbomb gets two and they’re both down. Strong heads outside so Dunne goes to the middle rope, allowing Strong to drop him back first onto the apron. The belly to back faceplant gives Dunne two but he’s right back with an enziguri. The Bitter End is blocked and Strong hits the Angle Slam. Dunne grabs a DDT and they’re both down again.

They slug it out with Dunne getting the better of it and heading up top for a sunset bomb….which doesn’t quite work as Strong lands on Dunne instead of the mat. Strong is fine enough to hit a jumping knee to the face and a Tiger Driver 99 for two. The Strong Hold attempt is countered into a triangle choke and Dunne bends the fingers for the tap at 16:03.

Rating: B+. Dunne has as much star power and potential as there is around here and it’s very nice to see him getting a chance in regular NXT. If he’s sticking around for good, it seems like a matter of time before he’s on the main roster and tearing it up there too. This was a rather good performance from both guys with Dunne getting a win to reestablish himself around here.

Post match Velveteen Dream comes in and teases a belt shot to Dunne but smiles at him without really loading it up. Strong stares at Dream and leaves, allowing Dunne to snap Dream’s fingers and hit the Bitter End to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped this show a lot as the build to this Takeover is still lacking a little bit. What they have is working well enough but nothing really pops off the page. Dunne helps that a lot because he feels like a bigger star than almost anyone else in NXT. That’s the case because he’s been very well protected over the years and believe it or not, that does wonders for anyone and it’s done that for Dunne. Next week can fix some of the problems, but Toronto just isn’t clicking as well as it could.

Results

Tyler Breeze b. Jaxson Ryker – Victory roll

Cameron Grimes b. Bronson Reed – Standing double stomp

Pete Dunne b. Roderick Strong – Dunne bent Strong’s fingers back

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 17, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

It’s weird to say this but NXT is in a little bit of a funk. I don’t know if it’s the Breakout Tournament or Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole III not being the most inspiring story in the world, but the last few shows haven’t been the most thrilling the world. They’re not bad by any stretch, but when your standards are this high, anything but great is jarring. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Matt Riddle vs. Arturo Ruas

Ruas is formerly known as Adrian Jaoude, with Mauro mentioning that he has a new identity. They go into an MMA striking battle to start with Nigel listing off their stats. Riddle takes him to the mat and they trade waistlocks into a standoff. Ruas gets in a powerslam but can’t get a full cross armbreaker. Instead Riddle tries his own but Ruas rolls out into another standoff. Back up and Riddle scores with a kick to the ribs so Ruas double legs him down. Another battle of kicks goes to Riddle and it’s the Final Flash knee strike. Riddle pounces on him until the referee stops it at 3:41.

Rating: C. Uh, shouldn’t pounding away with right hands until the referee calls it off be a DQ instead of a knockout? This was a nice change of pace between two people who know what they’re doing so I can go for a little something different. Riddle needs some competition though and a story would help him go a long way. The charisma and skills are there so give him somewhere to go with them.

Post match Killian Dain runs in and wrecks Riddle, including sending him shoulder first into the post and slamming his head onto the floor. A backsplash to Riddle’s back makes it even worse and Dain takes Riddle to the stage…..for another running backsplash THROUGH the stage. Well that worked.

The Street Profits don’t take kindly to the Undisputed Era thinking they deserve the titles more than the Profits. If the Profits aren’t serious, why can’t the Era just beat them? Come see how serious they are because they’re going to keep the titles. Dawkins: “And that is undisputed.” Ford’s shocked face is great.

We look at Mia Yim attacking Marina Shafir in the parking lot last Saturday.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Dexter Lumis vs. Bronson Reed

Lumis is Samuel Shaw and Reed is Jonah Rock. Reed says he’s from Australia and a usual night out for him is a fight fight at a pub. Why does no one talk about Australian strong style? Lumis frames his hands to look at Rock, who reaches his hand out at Lumis for a scene straight out of a character loading screen. The much bigger Reed runs him over but an elbow lets Lumis put him on the floor.

Lumis’ running flip dive misses but he lands on his feet, leaving Reed to run him over. Back in and Lumis sends him throat first into the bottom rope and hammers away. The neck crank goes on for a bit until Reed is back up with forearms to the face. The announcers talk about Lumis enjoying pain as Reed gets two off a backsplash (common move tonight). Lumis is right back up with a belly to back suplex and spinning legdrop, only to miss the Swanton. Reed slams him down and a top rope splash finishes Lumis at 5:52.

Rating: C. Lumis seems like someone who could be interesting if he was given some promo time and maybe a few vignettes. Reed is someone you get the idea of immediately and he looked good in the ring. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him work before but there’s some potential there and I was pleased with a short match here.

Here are the updated brackets:

Bronson Reed

Cameron Grimes

Angel Garza

Jordan Myles

Tyler Breeze thinks he might need some backup against the Undisputed Era. Cue the Forgotten Sons to say he’s not a real man. Breeze: “Oh I’m a real man. Check out his beard.” Breeze thinks Jaxson Ryker is Buddy Murphy and doesn’t seem worried.

We look at the debut of evil Io Shirai last week, when she said she didn’t need any friends.

Next week: Kacy Catanzaro vs. Io Shirai.

Kushida vs. Apollo Crews

Welcome home for Crews and he gets quite the reaction, even though he was never a big star in NXT. They shake hands to start with Kushida taking him to the mat and Gator Rollins him for two. Back up and they trade flips to dodge until Crews nails a dropkick to take over. Kushida slides to the floor and gets the chase going, allowing him to catch Crews with a handspring double heel to the face. Crews is fine enough to hit a pop up gutbuster and the chinlock is on. A Stinger Splash sets up a heck of an overhead belly to belly suplex for two on Kushida.

Back up and Kushida catches him with a kick to the arm in the corner as the setup for the Hoverboard Lock begins. The Tajiri handspring elbow connects and a basement dropkick has Crews in even more trouble. Crews powers out of an armbar attempt and some rolling German suplexes keep Kushida rocked.

He’s fine enough to Downward Spiral crews into the middle rope but Crews hits a jumping enziguri to put both guys down. Kushida catches him on top with another double heel shot to the head and pulls Crews down into a cross armbreaker. With that not working, Kushida rolls into the Sakuraba Lock for the tap at 10:45.

Rating: B. This worked quite well with Kushida getting to show off some more, though I can understand the criticisms from people saying he’s not that interesting. So far all he’s had are one off matches that get to showcase his skills, but he needs either some serious competition or something personal to challenge him. Crews is still very talented, assuming you don’t expect him to have some kind of character behind him.

Post match Kushida offers Crews respect and we get another WELCOME BACK chant.

Keith Lee isn’t happy with his tenure so far as he’s had a lot of starts and stops. He has yet to see any of the opportunities that were promised to him and he’s been passed by for all the new talents. Right now we’re in the middle of a tournament with eight people fighting for a title shot. Now there’s Damien Priest running around and getting all this attention so maybe he should change the narrative. I fully support more Keith Lee.

Next week: Lee vs. Priest.

Here’s Adam Cole for his first NXT Title defense but first, a chat. Cole talks about being on the Bay Bay Championship Tour as of late and he’s been able to show the world what power is. It is now undisputed that there is a power switch happening in NXT. He’s never said he won’t be a fighting champion so let’s have a title match right now, against this man. We see a clip of Johnny Gargano at his training school and showing a student the NXT Title. You know where this is going.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Twan Tucker

Tucker is challenging and doesn’t look nervous. Cole insists that he’s alone here and it’s one on one. Tucker didn’t come alone though and here’s Gargano to charge the ring and go after Cole. No match of course.

Gargano superkicks him to the floor and hits a dive to the floor. They go into the crowd with Gargano hammering away and whipping Cole through various things. Referees break it up and Cole holds up the title so Gargano dives on him again and hammers away. They get into the ring and it’s the Gargano Escape to make Cole tap to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah this was way better than the previous weeks with some good wrestling and a few things being set up for later. The main thing here is trying to make Gargano vs. Cole feel more important….but I’m just not feeling it. We’ve done that so many times now and you could say this is their fifth match after three falls in the first one. That’s quite a bit to take and NXT rarely goes there. They do seem to be setting up the Undisputed Era dominance, though I’m not sure how interesting that would be. At least we had something good here though and NXT feels back on track.

Results

Matt Riddle b. Arturo Ruas via referee stoppage

Bronson Reed b. Dexter Lumis – Top rope splash

Kushida b. Apollo Crews – Sakuraba Lock

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