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

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

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

Opening recap.

Mauro runs down the card.

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

Bronson Reed vs. Roderick Strong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai

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

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

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

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

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

Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next week: Strong vs. Dream.

Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza

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

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

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

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

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

Bianca Belair vs. Santana Garrett

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

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

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

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

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

Adam Cole vs. Kushida

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Roderick Strong b. Bronson Reed – Jumping knee

Dakota Kai b. Candice LeRae – Cradle

Johnny Gargano b. Cameron Grimes – Gargano Escape

Lio Rush b. Angel Garza – Small package

Bianca Belair b. Santana Garrett – KOD

Adam Cole b. Kushida – Last Shot

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
Date: January 29, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

It’s a big night around here as Worlds Collide is behind us. That means it is time to move forward towards Takeover: Portland and that means we need to finalize the card for the big show. We do a lot of that this week with the Dusty Classic wrapping up to set up the Tag Team Title match, plus finding out who will challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Worlds Collide and the setup for tonight’s tournament final.

Beth Phoenix is very upset after what happened to Edge on Monday but he told her to come to work so let’s do this.

Finn Balor vs. Trent Seven

Fallout from Balor attacking Seven in the parking lot last night (injuring Seven’s throat in the process), which was aired on the YouTube channel (due to Moustache Mountain stopping Balor from attacking Johnny Gargano at Worlds Collide). Balor dropkicks him off the apron (serves Seven right for spending so much time posing) and kicks away on the floor before the bell. Seven is ready to go anyway so Balor stomps him down without much effort. Chops against the barricade sets up a chinlock inside, followed by a running elbow for two.

Balor steps on the face and we take a break. Back with Seven fighting out of a chinlock and striking away, setting up a DDT to really rock Balor. Seven snaps off a half nelson suplex and the Seven Star lariat gets two. Balor gets knocked off the barricade but the bad throat won’t let Seven get much air. The delay lets Balor knock him off the top and Seven gets sent hard into the middle buckle. The John Woo dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace into 1916 for the pin at 10:09.

Rating: C. This was storyline based as Seven wasn’t able to get much going due to the throat. That’s a fine way to go as it shows how evil and aggressive Balor can be, which sets him up even more for the Gargano match. If they can do something special in the build, we could be in for something great with what should be an awesome performance from both. Beating Seven this badly helps Balor a lot and that’s what they were going for.

The Broserweights are ready to win the tournament. If Dunne has to break some fingers, so be it. Riddle likes that wild man potential and promises to show why Dunne is the life of the party after they win. Dunne’s side glance at him is great.

Quick video on Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai.

We see three circles with 5, 20 and 2 in them. 2/5/20 perhaps?

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Shotzi now rides to the stage in a mini tank for one of the more unique entrances around here. Purrazzo goes straight for the arm to start (as is her custom) but she gets sent into the ropes. A springboard armdrag is countered into a DDT though and Blackheart is right back in trouble. That lasts all of a few seconds as Blackheart is back up with a reverse Sling Blade and a Question Mark kick for two. The top rope backsplash finishes Purrazzo at 3:27.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here and it’s a good sign for Blackheart’s future that she got a win here. She has had some good efforts but at some point you need to actually win a match to make the impact work. Blackheart is unique enough to go somewhere eventually and the tank alone makes it seem like they have some plans for her.

We look back at Keith Lee winning the North American Title.

Video on Worlds Collide.

Here’s Keith Lee for a chat. A few weeks ago he was wondering which title he should take first and now he is your limitless champion. Cue Damian Priest to say he wants the title. Dominick Dijakovic does the same (because “bootleg Marilyn Manson” isn’t getting the first title shot) so it’s hoss fight time.

Dominick Dijakovic vs. Damian Priest

Priest starts fast and knocks Dijakovic to the apron. That means a big crucifix bomb on the outside and we take a break. Back with Dijakovic slugging away but walking into a Flatliner for two. Dijakovic is fine enough to hit a sitout chokeslam for two, sending Priest outside. That’s fine with Dijakovic, who hits an Asai moonsault just to show off a bit.

Back in and they both hit spinning boots to the head for a double knockdown. Priest goes up but Dijakovic catches him for a fireman’s carry, only to get pulled down in a super reverse hurricanrana for two. The Reckoning is broken up as well and Feast Your Eyes finishes Priest at 8:37.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have the time to go as far as some of their other matches but what we got was good enough. Sometimes you just need to let athletic guys go out there and do crazy stuff to each other, which is what got these two plus Lee over. They can do incredible stuff to each other and that makes these matches as good of a set of popcorn matches as you’ll get these days.

We look at how the Grizzled Young Veterans made the finals.

Tommaso Ciampa is ready to become the new #1 contender and has a pipe to help him, because Goldie is coming home.

Post break, the Undisputed Era (minus Adam Cole) has been laid out and Ciampa walks by, dropping the pipe next to them. Ciampa keeps talking and carries a table into the arena. Cole shows up in the back and wants to know who did this before storming to the ring. Ciampa says he’s going to beat Cole up, powerbomb him through the table and then sign a contract so he can get Goldie back in Portland.

Cue William Regal to say Cole has already signed the contract and doesn’t care who he is facing. Cole says he has this and takes the contract while walking to the ring. He gets on the apron and catches a charging Ciampa with a microphone shot to the head. Ciampa cuts off a belt shot though and powerbombs him through a table. The contract is signed and since Ciampa is a bit busted open, he adds in some blood for good measure. Good segment to set up the logical title match.

Video on Bianca Belair’s dominant performance in the Royal Rumble.

Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai

Nox has to watch Kai’s entrance video, which is Kai destroying Nox’s knee at Takeover: WarGames. That’s so awesome. Nox isn’t happy though and throws her knee brace at Kai to start and they trade shots in the corner. Kai gets the better of it and hits her running kick tot he face, only to get caught with a running reverse Cannonball. They head outside with Kai kicking her in the face again and sending it into the crowd to keep up the beating.

Back to ringside they go and it’s Kai kicking her in the face again. Kai grabs a chair but it gets kicked away, allowing Nox to post her. Back in and Kai loads up the brace but gets German suplexed for her efforts. The chair is almost brought in again but here’s Candice LeRae to grab it from Kai. That lets Nox hit Kai with the brace and the Shiniest Wizard is good for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C+. This was short but dang they packed in a lot. These two felt like they wanted to hurt each other and the ending worked very well with the brace into the finish. I could go for more of this and it wouldn’t shock me to see Kai come back for more in the future. Rather entertaining brawl, especially given the time.

Here’s how the Broserweights made the finals.

Chelsea Green b. Kayden Carter

Carter hits a running dropkick to start but gets in a kick to the face to drop Carter. A running dropkick gives Green two more and she whips Carter hard into the corner. The chinlock goes on but Carter is right back out with some rollups for two each. A superkick sets up a low superkick for two more but green kicks her down again. The bragging takes too long though and Carter grabs a small package for the pin at 3:11.

Rating: D+. I had heard some rumors about Robert Stone being a parody of/inspired by Tony Khan and this is the first time I’ve bought into it. WWE is the kind of company that would create a character just so they could be turned into a loser so they could mock someone from another company. I hope that’s not the case and I’m not that it is, but this gave me a reason to think about it.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Broserweights vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Takeover. Dunne chops away at Drake to start and it’s Riddle coming in for a double stomp to the shoulders. Riddle grabs the ankle lock but Drake is right next to the ropes. Gibson comes in off a blind tag and kicks Riddle in the chest as the fans are all over him. That’s reversed and Riddle kicks away, allowing the double tag to bring in Dunne to beat up Graves.

Riddle has to be held back though and what looked like a slingshot shoulder breaker (or Tombstone) to the floor has Dunne holding his arm. The arm gets posted and we take an early break. Back with Riddle coming back in to kick away at both Veterans, earning a “RIDDLE’S GONNA SMOKE YOU” chant. A bridging German suplex gets two on Gibson (Beth: “Riddle delivering the blunt force trauma.”) and it’s a spear to Drake for good measure.

The Brohammer plants Gibson and it’s already back to Dunne as they’re going fast here. A powerbomb into Riddle’s jumping knee gets two on Drake but Dunne is sent to the floor. That leaves Riddle to take a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two as the Veterans take over again. Fans: “YOU STILL SUCK!” Dunne is knocked off the apron but Riddle blocks a neckbreaker/superkick combination. That lets Dunne come back in for some kicks to the head and the Final Flash gets two on Drake.

A pair of Brotons to Drake’s back doesn’t do much as Drake is right back with a DDT. The double tag brings in Dunne to slug it out with Gibson but everything breaks down again. The Veterans are caught in stereo ankle locks but they both kick away as we take a break. Back with Dunne breaking up a Doomsday Device so Gibson throws Riddle over the top onto Riddle. Ticket to Ride gets two on Dunne and Gibson busts out the Shankley Gates to put Dunne in more trouble.

Riddle, with Drake on his back, comes in with a spear to break that up and everyone is down again. Drake gets powerbombed onto Gibson’s back and it’s the Bitter End into the Final Flash for a close two. Gibson is back and it’s a Doomsday Device through the ropes to drop Dunne on the floor. Back in and Riddle gets driven into the corner for a running dropkick. Drake’s 450 gets two but Dunne is back in for stereo Bro Dereks. Dunne moonsaults to the floor onto Gibson as Drake takes the Floating Bro. The BTS into the enziguri gives Dunne the pin at 21:25.

Rating: B. Best thing on the show by far and while you could argue that the wrong team won, it’s certainly going to set up an interesting title match. Riddle has been waiting on that first big win and while this isn’t the whole thing, it’s a big step in the right direction for him. Dunne is in the same boat and now hopefully he can move forward doing something else.

The trophy is presented and confetti falls to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped it a lot because this wasn’t one of their better shows. I’m assuming it’s the extra hour but NXT has not been the same for the last few months. The Survivor Series stuff was good but the show doesn’t feel as special as it did before. It’s still good, though not as good and that’s a shame. Maybe they can get back on track with a Takeover build, but they’ve got some work to do for a change.

Results

Finn Balor b. Trent Seven – 1916

Shotzi Blackheart b. Deonna Purrazzo – Top rope backsplash

Dominick Dijakovic b. Damian Priest – Feast Your Eyes

Tegan Nox b. Dakota Kai – Shiniest Wizard

Kayden Carter b. Chelsea Green – Small package

Broserweights b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Bro To Sleep/enziguri combination to Drake

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
Date: January 1, 2020
Hosts: Pat McAfee, Sam Roberts, Cathy Kelly

It’s a special edition this week with both the Year End Awards as well as the unveiling of the NXT Matches of the Year. That means things should be interesting and showing some high quality wrestling since a lot of those matches are going to come from Takeover. I can always go for that so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the year, which saw huge growth in the form of the move to USA and everything else that went down. It really was an awesome year as NXT just never slows down.

Note that the matches presented here will be clipped but I’ll be posting the full reviews for each.

The hosts give us a quick welcome.

3. From Takeover: XXV

Tag Team Titles: Forgotten Sons vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Street Profits vs. Undisputed Era

Ladder match for the vacant titles and there are no seconds. It’s a brawl to start as you had to see coming with the Era taking over early on. Blake gets low bridged to the floor and it’s time for a showdown with Lorcan and Burch. Lorcan chops away but Burch gets knocked down and the Era takes over again. It’s time for the first ladder but Blake suicide dives down to take the Era out. A bunch of people wind up brawling in front of the ring so Dawkins can dive onto all of them.

The Profits climb a ladder at the same time, allowing the Era to come back in for the save. Blake knocks the Era down again with O’Reilly landing back first on the ladder. The Sons put the ladder around their heads to clean house until Burch and Lorcan hit stereo release German suplexes, sending the ladder flying in a spot that could have gone a lot worse. The Profits are back in to take down Lorcan and Burch, with Ford hitting a heck of a frog splash.

O’Reilly is back in with a missile dropkick to break up a climb attempt but he bangs up his back even worse. It’s the Era loading up the ladder with Fish going up, only to have Blake toss powerbomb O’Reilly into the ladder for the huge crash, with Fish thankfully landing on O’Reilly. The big ladder is brought in and Cutler goes up….but stops to stomp onto Fish as Cutler hits a reverse DDT. There was absolutely nothing stopping him from getting the belts there.

Now the Sons go up again but Burch and Dawkins make the save with a Doomsday elbow/Doomsday Blockbuster each. O’Reilly starts going up but here’s Jaxson Ryker to buckle bomb him into a ladder. Ryker shoves Dawkins down and crushes him with a ladder in the corner over and over. Lorcan charges at Ryker and gets backdropped onto the edge of the ladder for a scary spot. Fans to Ryker: “WE DON’T LIKE YOU!”

Everyone gets together to beat down Ryker, who I don’t think got over as well as NXT would have liked him to here. About eight ladder shots to the back crush him for good and it’s back to “regularly scheduled hostilities.” Ryker is getting back up as the Era loads up a ladder so they hit him in the face with it instead. Ford adds a big running flip dive and it’s time for Burch and Lorcan to beat everyone up with the ladders.

They throw the ladder at the Forgotten Sons and go up the big ladder with the Era making the save. The four of them wind up on a pair of ladders but the Sons shove all of them over. The Profits come back in though with Dawkins spearing Cutler down and Ford springboarding onto the ladder to knock Blake off. Ford pulls down the titles at 21:19.

Rating: B. Ryker getting this much attention hurt things a bit as he almost had his own section in the middle of the match. What matters here though is they pulled the trigger on someone new and paid off their chase over the last few months. They were the right choice and they have a bunch of matches waiting on them, which is a great future.

The hosts are rather impressed.

It’s time for our first award with Tag Team of the Year. The nominees are:

Street Profits

Grizzled Young Veterans

Viking Raiders

Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster

Undisputed Era

Winners: Undisputed Era. Kind of an obvious pick there.

The Era comes into the empty arena to accept the awards from William Regal. They aren’t impressed with Regal and want to know why there are only two awards for a four man team. Regal hands them their trophies and leaves the Era to celebrate.

Next up, Male Competitor of the Year:

Adam Cole

Walter

Johnny Gargano

Velveteen Dream

Tyler Bate

Tommaso Ciampa

Winner: Adam Cole. Again, could it be anyone else?

Cole and the Era come to the ring again to torment Regal some more but he leaves faster this time. Cole says they decided to do this at the beginning of the year and he’ll win it for years to come.

Now it’s Female Competitor of the Year:

Shayna Baszler

Io Shirai

Toni Storm

Kay Lee Ray

Bianca Belair

Rhea Ripley

Winner: Shayna Baszler. It was going to be her or Ripley but this is the right call.

Baszler and the Four Horsewomen accept the award with Shayna not being surprised.

The hosts praise Baszler for her win.

Rivalry of the Year: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole for Rivalry of the Year with no other nominees. You could go with Undisputed Era vs. Everyone Else but this was the best option again.

Gargano is proud to win two years in a row but Cole brings up that he won the whole thing. A challenge is thrown out to keep it going but Cole turns it down. Gargano: “Some things never change.”

2. From Takeover: WarGames.

Team Ripley vs. Team Baszler

Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai

Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray

Kai is Yim’s replacement in WarGames. The first two will face off for five minutes, followed by Team Baszler sending in a second member for a three minute advantage. After that, Team Ripley gets to tie it up for three minutes. The teams alternate entrances every three minutes until everyone is in, and then it’s first pinfall or submission wins. If you leave the cage, you forfeit the match for your entire team. Rhea and Io get huge reactions while Kai is seen as a big of a disappointment.

Shirai and LeRae get things going and they hit the right hands early on. Candice’s headscissors is rolled through as the fans are entirely behind Io. Shirai gets sent to the other ring but is fine enough to block a dive, setting up a 619 from both directions. A rope walk missile dropkick puts Candice down again and she gets sent head first into the metal board between the rings. LeRae’s face gets raked across the cage but she scores with some right hands as Bianca Belair is in to make it 2-1.

The release Glam Slam into the running shooting star have Candice down again but she scores with a reverse hurricanrana. Belair’s charge hits Shirai in the corner so she makes up for it with a triple powerbomb, with the third being a buckle bomb into the cage (Cage bomb?). Belair grabs a camel clutch so Shirai can run the ropes several times into a dropkick to a huge reaction (it’s not that hard to work a crowd up you know).

Rhea Ripley ties things up and it’s already time to bring in the weapons. Hold on though as Rhea pauses to slam the cage door onto Belair’s head before grabbing even more weapons. The fans want tables but have to settle for EVERYTHING else as Rhea goes under the ring at least six times to get weapon after weapon. A belly to back faceplant onto the trashcan makes it even worse for Belair and it’s time to set up some chairs.

Shirai saves Belair from a double suplex through the chairs to prevent a bad case of death as Kay Lee Ray makes it 3-2. She pulls out her own weapons, including a pile of chairs, before pulling out a table….which she slides back under the ring in a good heel move. Chair shots abound, including a tornado DDT to plant Rhea on one of the chairs. A lot of people head over to the corner above the open chairs so Ray folds them down, setting up the HUGE Tower of Doom to crush everyone save for Belair onto the chairs. That’s fine for Belair, who snaps off the gorgeous 450 onto Ripley.

Everyone is down so it’s Dakota Kai to tie things up….but she turns around and kicks Nox in the face before slamming her into the small cage so hard that the cage is actually rocking back and forth. The cage door is slammed onto Nox’s head (you could hear that one all over the arena) and then the knees over and over. Kai takes the brace off so here’s William Regal for the save. Kai shoves HIM and swears a lot as Regal orders her to the back. She comes back though and pulls on the leg again before shouting at a furious Ripley, who is watching from the cage (yeah the cage, which we haven’t seen in a few minutes now).

With Kai finally taken to the back, Baszler finally gets to come out to complete her team and doesn’t exactly seem in a hurry. Ripley is being held back but she breaks free to slug it out with Baszler, only to have the numbers get the better of her. Kai and Nox are officially out so pins and submissions are open. Candice gets in a shot to knock down Shirai and Ray but she has to save Ripley from being handcuffed to the ropes (something I couldn’t see at all watching live). The stereo two on one fights are on with Belair being sent into a trashcan in the corner.

Ripley blocks Ray’s DDT and suplexes her into the cage, setting up the Cloverleaf to Shirai on the top. Not to be outdone, Baszler grabs the Kirifuda Clutch on LeRae across the ring. LeRae slips out though and Ray makes a save with a kick to the head, followed by LeRae’s moonsault for two on Baszler. Belair gorilla presses LeRae over the top onto Ripley and it’s the Gory Bomb to leave LeRae laying. The moonsault gives Shirai two and there are the hair whips to Ripley.

LeRae is back with the kendo stick shots for the save but Shirai takes her down. Shirai goes all the way to the top but LeRae catches her, followed by the super reverse hurricanrana to Ray for the huge crash. LeRae and Belair stand up, only to have Shirai moonsault onto both of them (Mauro: “MAMA F’ING MIA!”) for an even bigger crash. Ripley loads up a trashcan onto two open chairs but stops to knock a trashcan into Ray’s face. That lets Baszler grab the Kirifuda Clutch but Ripley escapes and cuffs them together. Baszler’s big kick misses and it’s Riptide through the chairs to pin Baszler at 27:26.

Rating: B. This was definitely better on a second watch with the additional camera angles showing me a lot that I didn’t see before (including the handcuffs all together). Ripley continues to look like the star of stars and I don’t see how they can’t put the title on her soon. At the same time though, it’s going to take a long time for me to get my head around two women, including one who started the match, beating four, including two champions, at the same time. That’s a lot, and some of the villains just disappeared for long stretches. It’s not some horrible idea or completely unacceptable, but it’s going to take some time.

The hosts liked the match.

Future Star of the Year:

Kushida

Xia Li

Bronson Reed

Tegan Nox

Dakota Kai

Ilja Dragunov

Isaiah Scott

Taynara

Cameron Grimes

Winner: Dakota Kai. This was pretty much a pickem and Kai is a great choice. The future looks great around here.

Kai has known she was the future for a long time and everyone else is late to the party.

Here are the teams for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic:

NXT

Undisputed Era

Forgotten Sons

Matt Riddle/Pete Dunne

Kushida/???

NXT UK

Grizzled Young Veterans

Gallus

Imperium

Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews

Takeover of the Year: Takeover: WarGames. Yeah that works.

Breakout Star of the Year:

Damian Priest

Piper Niven

Dominik Dijakovic

Angel Garza

Joe Coffey

Keith Lee

Candice LeRae

Matt Riddle

Rhea Ripley

Winner: Keith Lee. It was him or Dijakovic.

Lee gets the award backstage from HHH and sings a bit because we haven’t seen anything yet.

1. From Takeover: New York.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano

The title is vacant coming in and it’s 2/3 falls. Cole sends the Undisputed Era to the back so he can do this on his own. The fans are behind Cole and it’s off to the mat about a minute and a half in. Gargano works on a hammerlock but gets reversed into a headlock. Back up and it’s an armdrag into an armbar to to keep Cole in trouble. That’s broken up and Cole bails to the floor where he manages to catch Gargano with a jumping enziguri. A hard knee to the face rocks Gargano and we hit a chinlock.

Gargano fights up again so Cole pulls him right back down into a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up too and it’s a double crossbody for a double knockdown. They bring it up another gear with Gargano nailing a belly to belly, setting up the rolling kick to the head. The slingshot spear gets two and a tornado Downward Spiral is good for the same. Cole is right back with the Backstabber out of the corner for two of his own. They fight over a small package and it’s Cole up first with a jumping enziguri. Another exchange of rollups goes nowhere so Cole hits the Last Shot for the first fall at 13:54.

The second fall begins and it’s a German suplex into another Last Shot for a very close two. Gargano spears him to the floor but walks into the fireman’s carry backbreaker. Back up and Cole can’t get a superbomb so Johnny reverses into a super White Noise (Ciampa move) for two of his own. With that not working, Gargano hits a slingshot DDT onto the apron but breaks the count, allowing Cole to post him twice in a row. Back in and Johnny grabs the flipping armbar (Ciampa move) before switching over to the Gargano Escape for a very fast tap and the tie at 20:52.

We pause for a second as Gargano has a cut on his head but it’s not a bad one. Gargano’s discus lariat sets up a swinging kick to the head but the brainbuster to the knee gives Cole two. The Lawn Dart sends Cole into the middle buckle for two so it’s double enziguris and double superkicks for a double knockdown. Cole is up first with a straitjacket suplex but Gargano is back with a reverse hurricanrana. The low superkick sends Cole outside and Gargano is crushed again. He goes out to get him and it’s a wheelbarrow suplex into the apron to put Gargano down again.

Back in and Gargano’s slingshot spear is blocked with a superkick, setting up Cole’s middle rope Canadian Destroyer for a very close two and the fans are losing it again. Gargano rolls outside and Cole tells him that he fails so Gargano throws him over the announcers’ table. The table is cleared out but Cole hits a Fairy Tale Ending onto (not through) the table instead. Cole wants the countout so Johnny dives back in at nine, right into a low superkick for another near fall.

The next Canadian Destroyer is countered into the Gargano Escape and here’s Roderick Strong for a distraction. Kyle O’Reilly breaks the hold as Cole is tapping and the referee goes down. High/Low from Fish and O’Reilly gets an even closer two so Gargano backdrops Cole onto all three of them. The Era gets beaten up on the floor but it’s two more superkicks into the Last Shot from Cole….for two. Another Last Shot misses and the Gargano Escape makes Cole tap for the title at 38:15.

Rating: A-. Yeah it worked and while it needed to be Ciampa, this was the best ending they could have had given what they had. Gargano FINALLY overcoming the odds to win the title was the feel good ending that the show needed, especially with Gargano defeating the entire Era to win. Some of the near falls were a bit much and there were a few too many superkicks, but they nailed the ending and that’s what mattered most.

Candice comes out to celebrate and they go into the crowd to hug their parents. They walk to the stage….and it’s Tommaso Ciampa….to hug both of them to end the show.

Adam Cole wins Overall Competitor of the Year as the Undisputed Era all has trophies. Cole says they’re the best around with the trophies and the titles. This is just the beginning.

Overall Rating: A. Well what else was it going to be? Three great matches and a bunch of clips of other awesome stuff. It’s not a traditional show but for what it was, this was as good as it was going to get. The show isn’t supposed to be a regular night but rather a look back and it was a look back at an awesome year. If they can come close to doing this again next year, sweet goodness we could be in for some awesome stuff.

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
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

It’s the next to last show of the year with one more show to go after this in 2019. That show is going to need a main event and we’ll be setting that up tonight with a triple threat match for the #1 contendership to the NXT Title. In other words, it’s Keith Lee vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Finn Balor, which should tell you everything you need to know. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the triple threat but Adam Cole cuts things off to say this is a waste of time. Whoever wins tonight is just cashing a ticket to a beating from the best NXT Champion of all time. That is undisputed.

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, as we certainly should for something like this. Rush jumps him before the bell though and it’s a brawl to start until Garza spears the champ through the ropes. A tackle into the steps has Garza down but he drops Rush face first onto the apron to take over. Garza can’t TAKE OFF HIS PANTS though as Rush tackles him down and starts the rapid movements. He gets caught in the corner though and a superkick gives Garza two more.

Garza sends him outside though and we take a break. Back with Rush getting in a shot to the face to put Garza on the floor as well. That means a moonsault to the floor as the pace slows a bit. A slingshot reverse suplex is reversed into a crossbody for two on Garza but he catches Rush with an enziguri on top. That means the super Spanish Fly for a very close two, followed by an exchange of superkicks for the double knockdown.

It’s Rush up first with a Wing Clipper of his own for a near fall of his own but Garza puts him in an electric chair. For some reason Garza drops him onto the ropes so Rush bounces right back with the Stunner. The Final Hour connects but Garza crawls to the floor…..AND RUSH TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS! Another Final Hour to the floor only hits knees though and the Wing Clipper gives Garza….two. In a smart move, Garza grabs the underhook again and pulls back for the tap and the title at 15:17.

Rating: B. This was an intense, back and forth match with Rush trying as hard as he could but ultimately being beaten by the better man. That being said though, it isn’t exactly an interesting feud and while Garza has been impressive, he just feels like the next guy to hold the title. It’s way better than whatever they would do on 205 Live, but the title still doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than filling in time on these now double length shows.

Clip from a special on Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley to set up their title match next week. That is feeling special.

Finn Balor doesn’t like Tommaso Ciampa because he calls the NXT Title Goldie. He’s coming for the title.

During the break, Garza brought his girlfriend into the ring and proposed to her. She said yes, as you might have expected.

Last night, Cameron Grimes attacked Kushida at the Performance Center.

Cameron Grimes vs. Raul Mendoza

Grimes jumps him in the corner to start and sends him outside for a big flip dive. Cue Kushida for a distraction though and Mendoza snaps off a hurricanrana for the pin at 1:14.

Kushida steals the hat, just to be evil.

Mia Yim is furious at Dakota Kai and promises to put her in an ambulance tonight.

Video on Travis Banks, who is in action tonight.

Travis Banks vs. Jaxson Ryker

When Worlds Collide preview. Banks starts fast by kicking him to the floor and hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Ryker chops away in the corner before throwing Banks down with ease. Banks dropkicks the knee out to send Ryker into the corner though and there’s a Cannonball to the back. The top rope double stomp misses so Ryker ax handles him in the chest. A missile dropkick sets up the Slice of Heaven to pin Ryker at 2:46. Remember when Ryker was an unstoppable monster who survived a bunch of ladder shots earlier this year at Takeover? NXT doesn’t either. Or Banks is just that awesome.

Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim

Yim dropkicks her into the corner to start but Kai forearms away. That just earns her a toss into the corner and a basement dropkick to the head gives Yim two. Kai is back with some kicks to the back but a missed charge puts Kai on the floor. That means a Cannonball against the steps as we take a break.

Back with Yim working on the leg but getting sent face first into the buckle. The circling kick to the face gets two on Yim but she scores with some kicks to the ribs. A belly to belly sends Kai down for two more, followed by Code Blue for the same. Kai grabs a sitout powerbomb out of the corner for two but a one kneed Codebreaker puts her on the floor. Back in and Yim charges into a boot to the face, allowing Kai to pull off a turnbuckle pad. A bounce off the exposed buckle gives Kai the pin at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Yim is a lot better when she’s motivated like this and we got a good match out of it. I’m also rather surprised by how well Kai has done with the heel run. She seems like the most natural face ever and yet here she is cheating and making me want to see someone stop her. Well done indeed and a good match too.

Post match Yim goes after Kai again and takes her onto the tech platform. The belly to back superplex onto some tables destroys Kai as Yim is up pretty quickly. Kai may be hurt as the referees are checking on her for a good bit.

Keith Lee says all he needed was an opportunity and now it’s going to take a lot to stop him. He’s the only one who can make the other two bask in his glory.

Breezango vs. Singh Brothers

One: Breezango are doctors this week. Two: I ALREADY WATCH 205 LIVE SO WHY DO I HAVE TO WATCH THESE STUPID SCHMUCKS HERE TOO????? A jumping knee to the face rocks Sunil to start and a Backstabber puts him down again. It’s off to Fandango, who avoids a charge in the corner to get two on Samir.

A dropkick lets Sunil get a breather and he sends Breeze outside for a few seconds. Back in and the Bollywood Blast gets two on Breeze and we hit the chinlock. Breeze enziguris his way out of trouble and it’s back to Fandango for a top rope kick to the face. Everything breaks down and Samir gets powerbomb onto the apron. Back in and the Last Dance gives Fandango the pin at 4:17.

Rating: D. Well that certainly existed. I’m not sure what the appeal or even point here was supposed to be but it did fill in some time. Having Fandango in a costume of the week (or month at this rate) is missing the point, but it’s not like it’s going to matter all that much either way. At least they got on TV, but

We get another part of the Baszler vs. Ripley video, this time focusing on Ripley’s rise to the top of NXT UK.

Kayden Carter vs. Bianca Belair

Belair charges at her in the corner to start but Carter is right back with a springboard kick to the face. A backbreaker into a gutbuster puts Carter right back down and it’s off to an Argentine backbreaker. That’s broken up so Belair drops down onto Carter’s back a few times. Carter comes back with a forearm to the ribs but the tornado DDT is blocked. Carter gets knees up to block a moonsault and Belair misses a charge to the floor. Back in and Belair spears her down, setting up the KOD for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: C. Carter is someone who has impressed me multiple times so far and she got in some offense against a much bigger star here. Belair is fine in moments like this but she keeps falling short at the finish line. It wasn’t a squash though and that’s a good sign for Carter’s future.

Adam Cole comes out to watch the main event.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa, who is back to claim what is his.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Keith Lee vs. Finn Balor

During his entrance, Ciampa dedicates this to Goldie. Ciampa starts on Balor to start with Finn being sent outside. That means a stalking from Lee, who drops Balor onto the apron. Lee sends him back inside for a slingshot dive onto both of them for the big knockdown. Back from a break with Lee crushing both of them with corner splashes until Ciampa kicks him in the face. A Cactus Clothesline leaves Balor alone in the ring but it’s Ciampa back inside in a hurry.

Ciampa’s running knees to the face has Balor in trouble and there’s a double hanging DDT to both Lee and Balor. Ciampa pats himself on the back (as he does) and starts slugging away at Lee for a change. Lee runs him over but the splash hits knees in a hurry. The Fairy Tale Ending is broken up though and it’s Balor coming back in for a double stomp to Lee’s chest. With everyone back in, Lee starts crushing the other two in the corner.

That gets the fans going all over again and a double backdrop makes it even worse. Lee goes up but gets double super Russian legsweeped back down. We take another break and come back again Ciampa trying the super Air Raid Crash….so Lee puts them both on his shoulders for a double electric chair. Lee misses a middle rope moonsault but he’s fine enough to hit the Limit Breaker on Ciampa. Balor reverses another attempt into a small package for two but Lee is fine enough to block the Sling Blade.

The Spirit Bomb is countered into a double stomp. Ciampa is sent outside and Balor hits a big flip dive onto Lee. Balor sends Ciampa into the barricade to knock down some fan but it’s time for Lee to start running people over back inside. Ciampa goes after Lee’s knee and somehow hits the Air Raid Crash for two. Back up and Lee plants him with a spinebuster, setting up the middle rope moonsault for two of his own. The Spirit Bomb hits Ciampa but Balor comes in off the top with the Coup de Grace to Lee (that was some great timing) for the pin and the title shot at 18:10.

Rating: B+. The ending alone made this one that much better as Balor came in out of nowhere and got the pin, including after hitting his finisher instead of stealing someone else’s win. This is a match where no one looks bad and the action was awesome throughout so what more can you ask for? Other than Lee winning, but he seems safe for now.

Cole stares Balor down and the Undisputed Era comes out to join him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sued to saying this but for the first time in a long time, it felt like this show dragged in parts. There were matches (Belair and Breezango in particular) which felt like they were there for nothing other than filler to get us to the two hour run time. That being said, you had the Cruiserweight Title match, the main event and Grimes vs. Kushida continuing so we should be fine going forward. It just makes me miss the hour long format because this could have been a classic show had they not had to stretch to fill in the time.

Results

Angel Garza b. Lio Rush – Double underhook pull

Raul Mendoza b. Cameron Grimes – Hurricanrana

Travis Banks b. Jaxson Ryker – Slice of Heaven

Dakota Kai b. Mia Yim – Ram into an exposed turnbuckle

Breezango b. Singh Brothers – Last Dance to Sunil

Bianca Belair b. Kayden Carter – KOD

Finn Balor b. Keith Lee and Tommaso Ciampa – Coup de Grace to Lee

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
Date: November 27, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

Things took quite the turn for NXT over the weekend as they won the battle for Brand Supremacy on Sunday at Survivor Series, defeating both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown in the process. They’re celebrating with a Tag Team Title match as the Undisputed Era defending against Keith Lee and Dominick Dijakovic. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of WarGames, as we should.

The entire NXT roster comes out to celebrate, naturally in the matching shirts (NXT 4, their score from Survivor Series). Josiah Williams, the rapper who did the Takeover theme song, gives us a big victory song as the roster celebrates at ringside. The Undisputed Era breaks everything up as Tommaso Ciampa, Dijakovic, Lee and Matt Riddle get in the ring. Adam Cole says no one around the ring did a thing to get them where they are. The Undisputed Era is NXT, though the fans don’t seem to agree.

They dominated at WarGames and Survivor Series and they’re just getting started. They are the Iron Men of this brand but Ciampa cuts him off and brings up the loss at WarGames. The Era’s collapse is continuing and those titles are going away. Before WarGames, Daddy said Goldie would have to wait, but now there’s nothing in his way. Cue Finn Balor, to say he’s in Ciampa’s way. Ciampa: “Well Prince, you just met your king.” The challenge is made for tonight but Balor doesn’t say anything. Lee grabs the mic and tells the Era to get in here because it’s basking season.

Tag Team Titles: Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish vs. Keith Lee/Dominick Dijakovic

Lee/Dijakovic are challenging. The champs jump them in the corner to start but get thrown to the floor by Lee as we take an early break. Back with Dijakovic in trouble but driving over for the tag to Lee anyway. Roderick Strong, in street clothes, has replaced Fish, who got hurt while being tossed to the floor before the break. Lee shrugs both of them off without much trouble and Dijakovic suplexes Lee onto them for two. Strong goes after Dijakovic’s knee to take over though and we take an early break.

Back again with O’Reilly working on Dijakovic’s knee but Dijakovic runs him over and gets the tag to Lee. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a double backdrop to the floor. The champs are smart enough to move before the dive though and a shot to the knee has Lee in trouble. A missed splash lets Lee get over to Dijakovic for the tag though and it’s time for the heavy shots in the corner. O’Reilly grabs a triangle so Dijakovic pulls him up for the powerbomb, but throws in a chokeslam to Strong AT THE SAME TIME JUST BECAUSE HE CAN DO THINGS LIKE THAT!

Lee isn’t about to let the champs leave so Strong chop blocks him again. With the Era on the floor, Dijakovic busts out a huge springboard flip dive to take them both down. O’Reilly is right back on the bad leg to slow him down, so Dijakovic chokeslams both of them again. Cue Adam Cole, but Lee Pounces him over the barricade and into the crowd (that was INSANE and looked like something out of a cartoon). The distraction lets Strong and O’Reilly hit a High/Low for the pin on Dijakovic at 20:15.

Rating: B. Lee and Dijakovic are going to get some strong pushes just due to the insane amount of stuff that they can do. They can do things that almost no one else can think of, let alone pull off, and they do it every single time. What matters here though is Fish’s injury, which seems like it could be a big problem should it be that serious. But find the clip of that Pounce because it’s unreal.

We look at Dakota Kai turning on Tegan Nox and destroying her knee at Takeover.

Candice LeRae promises revenge. Tonight, Kai isn’t facing her friend, because Candice is going to be Nox’s ticked off big sister.

We look back at Angel Garza flirting with Lio Rush’s wife. Then on Saturday, Rush attacked Garza as the feud continues.

Shane Thorne vs. Mansoor

Mansoor starts fast with some dropkicks, including one to send Thorne outside. The suicide dive is countered into a suplex onto the floor though and Mansoor is a bit shaken up. Another belly to back suplex gets two back inside but Thorne charges into an enziguri. The superkick puts him outside again and this time the suicide elbow connects. A slingshot neckbreaker puts Thorne away at 3:03.

Rating: C-. It’s nice to see someone fresh like Mansoor come out of nowhere, hit a cool finisher and win. On paper he would seem like little more than a token addition to the roster for the sake of tying things into the Saudi Arabian shows but he is more than fine in the ring and could go a little somewhere in time.

Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai

New music for Kai, as there should be. She also has Nox’s knee brace so Candice goes straight at her with a running kick to the face. It’s too early for the Lionsault though as Kai bails to the floor, only to get dropkicked in the back of the head. A suicide dive drops Kai again and Candice drops a backsplash to the back for good measure. Kai is right back with a shot to the face before tying Candice’s arms in the ropes.

That means a kick to the face and a rather sneering look, which is almost hard to imagine from Kai. Another kick to the face rocks LeRae and we take a break. Back with Candice kicking at the leg and taking her to the apron for a belly to back suplex. They’re both down on the floor until Candice throws her back inside for two off a tornado DDT (not a good one, but a tornado DDT).

Kai gets in some kicks but LeRae drops her with an enziguri. The knee brace is knocked out of Kai’s hands and a kick to the head sets up the Lionsault for two. The Kairopractor gives Kai her own two and it’s off to the Kawada kicks. LeRae spins her down into the Gargano Escape so Kai bails outside, grabs the knee brace, and knocks LeRae out for the DQ at 12:39.

Rating: B. That was the perfect way to end this as Kai looks vicious and doesn’t lose in her first match while keeping LeRae primed for a rematch. This is the kind of story that could go in a lot of different directions for a good while and they needed to do an ending like this to keep it hart off the bat. Rather nice stuff all in all here, with Candice looking like she was out for revenge and Kai being vicious.

Post match Kai grabs a chair but Rhea Ripley runs out for the save and chases Kai off.

Ciampa isn’t worried about Balor.

Video on Cameron Grimes, who is a country boy who has worked hard to get here. Why aren’t people talking about him more than they are?

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Cruiserweight Title: Akira Tozawa vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending. Feeling out process to start as they even go to the mat early on, only to both try a cheap shot kick to the ribs. Both catch the kick though and they’re not sure what to do. Tozawa heads to the apron so Rush tries the German suplex that will never connect, followed by trying the powerbomb that can connect occasionally. That’s blocked as well and Tozawa drops the backsplash onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Tozawa slipping out of an armbar and sending Rush outside for the running Cannonball off the apron. The missile dropkick gets two and it’s time for the crazy rapid fire exchange of strikes. They both hit pump kicks to the face at the same time and it’s a double knockdown. It takes a second for them to get up so they head to the apron….where Tozawa ACTUALLY HITS THE GERMAN SUPLEX OFF THE APRON!

Rush crashes hard into his face and they’re both down again. They both dive in to beat the count and Rush knocks the mouth guard out. Some more kicks to the chest and back have Tozawa in more trouble but he’s right back with a bridging German suplex for two. The rope backsplash misses though and Rush scores with the Final Hour. That’s not enough for a cover though so Rush hits it again to retain at 13:04.

Rating: B. I’m trying to get my mind around the fact that the German suplex off the apron actually hit. These two beat the heck out of each other with a great display of speed and striking that would have been lost on the 205 Live audience. I know there are a lot of other factors to the whole thing, but my goodness people. Just do what makes sense and put the cruiserweights around here full time. Or at least get them away from 205 Live.

Balor isn’t worried about Ciampa.

Xia Li vs. Vanessa Borne

Borne is fighting for Aliyah, whose nose was broken in a match with Li. An early charge goes into the post though and Borne gets powerbombed down hard. Cue the Horsewomen as Li kicks Borne in the head for the pin at 1:14.

Post match the Horsewomen come in so Li beats them up for a bit, only to have Baszler nail her with a clothesline. Ripley grabs the mic and demands respect but here’s Ripley to interrupt. The Horsewomen bail but Shayna gets back on the apron to stare at Ripley. Rhea says that she’s beaten Shayna up before and the next time it’s going to be for the title. Shayna gets in and says she’s heard that before. Rhea is going to be napping or tapping just like the rest of them. Rhea: “They why don’t you do it now?” As expected, Shayna bails.

Damian Priest has bad ribs but he’ll face Killian Dain next week anyway.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Finn Balor

Ciampa takes him into the corner a few times to start and hits a hard shot to the ribs. Balor is right back with a takedown and basement dropkick, though the chinlock doesn’t last long. A dropkick through the ropes has Ciampa in some trouble but the White Noise on the floor is blocked. Ciampa posts him instead and gives himself some applause as we take a break. Back with Ciampa fighting out of the chinlock and hitting some clotheslines.

Some hard chops in the corner have Balor down so Ciampa stomps away for a bonus. Balor is right back with a Sling Blade though and they head outside for the running dropkick into the barricade. With Ciampa rocked, Balor loads up 1916 but gets reversed into the White Noise for the double knockdown. That’s good for a double seven so it’s Project Ciampa for two back inside.

Balor hits the running dropkick and goes up, only to get caught with the super White Noise for two. Ciampa says this is for Johnny Boy but here’s Adam Cole for the distraction. With nothing else working, Balor picks up the NXT Title that Cole dropped. That’s taken away so Balor hits the Eye of the Hurricane onto the belt (seemingly by accident) for two. The referee gets rid of the belt and Cole adds an enziguri from the floor. 1916 gives Balor the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B-. Another situation where they make sure to take care of the person in a big loss as Ciampa didn’t lose a thing here (other than the match that is). What mattered here is that Ciampa was able to hang with a big time main roster star the whole way and never once felt overwhelmed by Balor. Now get us somewhere with these two and Cole for the title and we’ll be fine.

Post match Cole gets in the ring and picks up the title. Cole gives Balor a pat on the back and gets blasted by the Pele kick to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah that worked. This was AEW not wasting time with a victory lap and getting right back into things with the fallout from the biggest weekend the show has ever had. NXT has taken a step forward over the last few weeks and it feels rather well earned. Normally I would be worried about them being able to maintain momentum, because that is exactly what NXT does every single week. Another rather strong show and the future looks bright, as well as now.

Results

Kyle O’Reilly/Roderick Strong b. Keith Lee/Dominick Dijakovic – High/Low to Dijakovic

Mansoor b. Shane Thorne – Slingshot neckbreaker

Candice LeRae b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Kai used a knee brace

Lio Rush b. Akira Tozawa – Final Hour

Xia Li b. Vanessa Borne – Kick to the head

Finn Balor b. Tommaso Ciampa – 1916

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
Date: November 20, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

In a rare situation, this is the go home show for both Takeover: WarGames and Survivor Series. Takeover’s card seems to be set, but there are five spots each for both the men’s and women’s Survivor Series teams. There is a good chance that we will not know any of the members until Sunday, which could make for quite the show. As for tonight, HHH has said the doors are open so it’s guest stars time. Let’s get to it.

William Regal is in the back when Becky Lynch comes out of a locker room. With a nod of approval from Regal, Lynch goes to the ring with a microphone in her hand. Becky says it has been awhile since she has been here and all she can think about is champ vs. champ vs. champ on Sunday. First up you have Bayley, who has an old woman’s haircut and destroyed all of the Bayley Buddies, except the blue haired one that is holding her back.

Then Shayna Baszler showed up on Raw to introduce herself but Becky is here on Shayna’s show, so what is she going to do about it? Cue Rhea Ripley and that seems to get some attention. Rhea says Becky is the Man so let’s find out if she has a set of balls. Cue the referee and we’re starting big this week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch

Non-title. Becky starts fast with a running forearm to put Rhea on the floor but Rhea drops her face first onto the apron. Back from a break with Rhea sending her to the apron but missing a charge so Becky can kick her in the face. The slam off the top drops Becky as the fans are behind Rhea. A reverse DDT gets Becky out of trouble as the chant switches to NXT.

They forearm it out from their knees until Rhea hits a faceplant for two. An enziguri puts Rhea down and the middle rope legdrop gets two as the back and forth is on. The Disarm-Her goes on but Rhea rolls out and tries a powerbomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana. Rhea catches her on top though and it’s a top rope superplex….and we’ve got the Horsewomen for the double DQ at 9:25.

Rating: B. They were rocking with the back and forth stuff here and Rhea looked she was on Becky’s level here. There is a very good chance that she is going to be on Team NXT on Sunday and that could be a heck of a showcase for her. Becky is the biggest star in the women’s division and Ripley is getting her star push at the moment. Just don’t mess it up.

Post match the beatdown is on but Ripley and Lynch clean house.

The Revival arrived earlier and were flanked by security, just in case.

Video on Kay Lee Ray.

Kona Reeves vs. Matt Riddle

Or not as Ricochet jumps Reeves and we have a replacement match.

Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle

Ricochet flips over him to start and snaps off an anklescissors into a dropkick. Riddle bails out to the floor and that’s just not a good idea against Ricochet, who hits a flipping suicide dive. Back in and the running shooting star is countered into a triangle choke but Ricochet powers out. Riddle takes him right back down and hits the Broton, followed by the exploder suplex for two.

Ricochet is right back with a northern lights suplex into a swinging neckbreaker. Now the running shooting star keeps Riddle down but Ricochet has to roll out of the Phoenix splash. Riddle isn’t having this defense thing and snaps off a German suplex but cue Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. The two of them are knocked away but the distraction lets Riddle grab a rollup for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C+. The distraction finish was the right call here as you can protect both guys while giving Riddle just enough of a win to make it feel important. The double interference helped a lot and gave the fans something else to cheer about. Ricochet is a near legend in NXT though and a win over him means more to Riddle than the opposite would have.

Post match Nakamura and Cesaro beat the two of them down, only for Riddle to hit a knee to send Cesaro outside. Ricochet’s springboard goes over the barricade for the crazy dive. Roderick Strong runs in to go after Nakamura but gets knocked outside, meaning it’s Finn Balor to come in and go after Riddle. That earns him a Final Flash as Riddle stands tall.

Video on Killian Dain vs. Damien Priest vs. Pete Dunne at Takeover for an NXT Title match the following night at Survivor Series.

Revival vs. Undisputed Era

Non-title. Dawson and O’Reilly start things off and it’s a quick staredown with the Era bailing to the floor. Wilder and Fish come in instead with Wilder being back into the corner. That’s fine with him as he strikes his way out, setting up another showdown. The brawl is on with all four falling out to the floor, including Wilder and O’Reilly suplexing each other over the top. Back from a break with Wilder down in the corner and a double suplex getting one.

Fish scores with a slingshot hilo and it’s O’Reilly coming in for some knees to the back. The bodyscissors and chinlock go on, followed by some kicks to the ribs to give O’Reilly two. Wilder grabs a small package and belly to back suplex for a breather, only to get dropkicked in the back to send him outside. Back from another break with Wilder grabbing a desperation powerslam and low bridging Fish to the floor.

A hurricanrana of all things allows the hot tag to Dawson as everything breaks down. There’s a running neckbreaker to Fish and Dawson goes up with the Swan Dive getting two. The TAG TEAM WRESTLING chant is on as Wilder gets in a cheap shot so Dawson can hit a brainbuster for two more. Dawson gets knocked off the rope and O’Reilly kicks away at Wilder on the apron. That’s reversed into a DDT onto the apron and it’s the PowerPlex for two on Fish. What looks to be a Doomsday Device is broken up with a kick to the leg to knock Dawson right back down.

A Samoan drop plants Dawson but Wilder breaks up the High/Low setting up the Shatter Machine for two (in a sweet one motion move) with O’Reilly making a last second save. O’Reilly hits a NASTY looking to rope knee to Dawson’s back for two but he’s fine enough with escaping a suplex. A DDT plants O’Reilly but Fish is back up with some kicks to the legs. The shots put Dawson down and with Wilder done on the floor, the High/Low finishes Dawson at 24:55.

Rating: A-. How was this not going to be great? These are two of the best teams in the world and they got the time needed here to deliver the great match that they needed to. I was rather impressed here and the champs winning is the right call. They had a nice mixture of the old school formula and fast paced mixture of spots here and that made for a great match, of course.

The Forgotten Sons and the Viking Raiders are about to brawl backstage.

Video on the women’s WarGames match.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Dakota Kai

Non-title. Kai starts fast with a headbutt though the running kick in the corner is countered into the Gory Bomb. That is countered into a sunset flip for two and now the kick to the face connects. Ray hits a few kicks to the back of the head but Kai gets in a rollup for a fast two. A gordbuster cuts her off for two more and the stomping is on for Ray.

It’s time to start on the knee but Kai sends her into the corner. The double stomp out of said corner gives Kai another breather and she snaps off the Kawada kicks. They head outside with Ray going into the steps and there’s the running boot to the face. Back in and Kai misses another kick, allowing Ray to nail her own superkick. The Gory Bomb finishes Kai at 5:44.

Rating: C. Kai is getting better and thankfully isn’t showing any major setbacks after her knee surgery. Ray needed a win like this to solidify herself on the main NXT roster and they did that just fine. It’s a good double showcase and you don’t get something like that every week. Now just get Ray to defend the title against the pretty good NXT UK women’s division and they have something.

Post match the Smackdown, Raw and NXT women run in for the MASSIVE brawl with Nikki Cross cleaning house with a trashcan lid.

Viking Raiders vs. Forgotten Sons

Non-title and Jaxson Ryker is out with the Sons. Erik dropkicks Cutler into the corner to start and it’s time to clean house, including Erik slamming Ivar onto Cutler. A powerslam into the Swan dive gets two with Blake making the save. That doesn’t get Cutler out of trouble though as it’s a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination for two. Cutler gets to choke on the ropes but runs into a forearm. A jump over Cutler in the corner lets Erik roll over for the hot tag. House is cleaned until Ryker distracts Ivar so Blake can get in a cheap shot.

Back from a break with the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination getting two, again thanks to Ryker. Cutler hits a Backstabber on Ivar and powerbombs him onto Blake’s knees for two more. Ivar powers out and brings Erik back in, only to have Ryker get in another cheap shot. A Death Valley Driver onto the apron gets two on Erik but Ryker is finally ejected.

That’s not good enough for Erik, who hits him with a suicide dive. Blake hurricanranas Ivar into the other two of them for a cool visual and everyone is down. The slugout is on with the Raiders getting the better of things, only to have it turn into an exchange of cartwheels. The double handspring elbow takes the Sons down and the Viking Experience finishes Cutler at 12:16.

Rating: C+. It was a good brawl with a wild feeling at times, though the Ryker stuff got annoying in a hurry. The Raiders are really getting into a groove with their stuff and having them dominate people is a good way to go. Just don’t leave them in there with the Sons for that long, as the team isn’t great in the first place and shouldn’t be doing this.

Video on Adam Cole.

Video on WarGames.

Adam Cole vs. Dominick Dijakovic

Non-title ladder match for the advantage in WarGames. Cole charges straight at him to start hammering away, only to get clubbed down with straight power. It takes too long to get a ladder though and a baseball slide drives it into Dijakovic’s face. Back in and it’s a Cyclone boot to the ladder to drop Cole again.

A whip into the ladder makes it even worse and the ladder falls onto Cole’s leg as he goes down (since he’s ok, it’s fine to say how cool it is when fluke situations like that happen). The first climb is cut off as Cole kicks the knee out and wraps it around the post. Back from a break with Dijakovic bridging a ladder in the corner but Cole hits the brainbuster onto another ladder in another corner. Dijakovic catches him climbing though and it’s a chokeslam onto the ladder in the corner.

Cole kicks him away and goes up, only to come down with the Panama Sunrise. That’s still not enough though as Dijakovic is right back with the power, including Feast Your Eyes. The knee gives out though and the climb is slow, allowing Cole to make the catch. A belt shot to the head knocks Dijakovic onto the bridged ladder and Cole gets the briefcase at 10:44.

Rating: C+. They were doing some big spots in there but after last week’s crazy violent match, it was a hard goal to reach. Couple that with we’re now doing a ladder match o set up WarGames and it’s a little weird. They didn’t need the ladders here, though Dijakovic’s incredible athleticism got a great showcase and he had Cole in trouble multiple times here.

Post match the Undisputed Era comes out for the celebration but the Raw and Smackdown roster cut them off. Drew McIntyre comes in but gets powerbombed by Keith Lee. Ivar gets in and it’s a double suicide dive to the pile. Seth Rollins runs in though and superkicks Cole, but here’s Tommaso Ciampa to break up the Stomp. He takes his time getting in before the big brawl with Rollins is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. And that’s how you do a show like this. The entire point of tonight was to have everyone on the roster on notice about the invaders and the stars were out from Raw and Smackdown. The wrestling and action were great but what mattered was how high the stakes felt. Raw and Smackdown were in NXT’s house tonight and it looked like a showdown was set up for Sunday. I really liked this show and it made me far more interested in Survivor Series than I was coming in. Outstanding stuff and a great primer for Survivor Series.

Results

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch went to a double DQ when the Horsewomen interfered

Matt Riddle b. Ricochet – Rollup

Undisputed Era b. Revival – High/Low to Dawson

Kay Lee Ray b. Dakota Kai – Gory Bomb

Viking Raiders b. Forgotten Sons – Viking Experience to Cutler

Adam Cole b. Dominick Dijakovic – Cole pulled down the ladder

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
Date: November 6, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

Things have changed in a hurry with this show as it is suddenly a show being treated like it belongs on the main roster. NXT has invaded Monday Night Raw and Smackdown and the question now is will those shows wind up here. It’s a nice feeling to not know what’s coming, though we also have to set up this month’s Takeover. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back with the OC attacking the Undisputed Era.

The OC comes into the arena with AJ Styles not being so impressed with NXT. They’re taking over NXT tonight and that is undisputed. Cue Tommaso Ciampa (Fans: “DADDY’S HOME!”) to say he’s been asked about being promoted tot he main roster for years. Instead, he welcomes the OC to the main roster. Ciampa doesn’t like them being in his ring but AJ points out that he’s here all alone. Cue Matt Riddle and Keith Lee with the challenge being made and accepted. Nigel says we could have a cracking main event. Yes cracking.

Pete Dunne vs. Damian Priest

Rematch from two weeks ago when Priest cheated to win. Neither can hit their finisher or a kick to the face to start and we take a break. Back with Priest striking away and hitting a Falcon Arrow for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Dunne fights up with the X Plex. Dunne starts striking away including a dropkick to the knees but he can’t hit a German suplex.

Neither can Priest though as Dunne flips out and kicks him in the head. The moonsault to the floor hits Priest as well and they’re both down. Priest is back up with a chokeslam onto the apron, though Dunne is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb for two back inside. The Bitter End is broken up though and Priest kicks him in the head.

Dunne heads outside and it’s a big flip dive from Priest as we take another break. Back again with stereo kicks to the head giving us a double knockdown. South of Heaven is broken up so Priest settles for a Razor’s Edge toss powerbomb for two more. Dunne gets tired of getting beaten up though and cranks on the fingers, setting up a cross armbreaker with more finger cranking for the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B-. The two commercials hurt things a bit here though having both of them getting to show off made up for a lot of it. Dunne evens things up and there is a good chance that we’ll be seeing a third match. Priest has already gotten his big win out of the thing and that is what matters most here. Dunne is going to be a big deal so giving him the win to at least even it up for now gives me a good reason to believe his time is coming.

Post match Killian Dain runs out and beats up Dunne, including knocking Priest to the floor. Priest goes after Dain as well but gets sent into the steps, setting up the Cannonball to crush him again.

We look at the WarGames teams, with Rhea Ripley picking Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae and Shayna Baszler picking Bianca Belair and Io Shirai.

Dakota Kai is ready to stand up to Shayna Baszler tonight because she isn’t scared anymore. She’s going to prove why she belongs in WarGames.

Santana Garrett vs. Taynara

This is something of an audition for the final WarGames spots. Taynara takes her down by the arm to start but Garrett is right back with some armdrags into a Russian legsweep for two. A hard running knee to the face gives Taynara two and it’s time to kick Garrett in the face. Taynara starts cranking on the arm but Garrett gets up and hits a few forearms. Garrett misses the handspring moonsault and it’s a hard kick to the face to put her away at 4:07.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go very far but it was the standard veteran gets to beat a plucky rookie, which is an acceptable way to go. Taynara is someone who has enough capital that you can buy her winning and it’s not like Garrett got squashed in any way. Good enough debut from Garrett here, who has the experience and look to keep her relevant for a long time.

Video on Tony Nese.

Video on Angel Garza.

Survivor Series rundown, which looks pretty decent.

Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler

Non-title and the rest of the Horsewomen are here with Baszler. Kai shoves her in the face and teases a kick before stopping for a quick mocking. Now the kick to the face sets up an armdrag and a flying mare of all things. A running kick to the face puts Baszler outside but she catches a charge to send Kai crashing into the post.

Back in and Baszler starts in on the braced knee, including a bunch of stomps to send us to a break. We come back with Kai hitting a double stomp to the chest out for he corner but hurting her leg again. A pump kick rocks Baszler again and a running knee to the face gets two. Kai goes up top but gets gutwrench superplexed back down for a crash and near fall.

A headbutt rocks Baszler and the running kick in the corner puts them both down. The Kawada kicks put Baszler in more trouble but she’s fine enough to hit a good looking jumping knee to the face. The Kirifuda Clutch is broken up but the second attempt goes on and the arm is trapped to make Kai tap at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Kai looked completely different than her earlier matches with Baszler here and that’s what they were going for. The history here is something that played well into the rebuilt Kai, who I wanted to be the one to come back and take the title from Baszler. Either way, Kai has a good future going at this point and I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Post match the Horsewomen are in for the beatdown but it’s Team Ripley for the save. Io Shirai cuts off Candice LeRae though and the rest of Team Baszler is down for the beatdown. Cue Mia Yim with the kendo stick for the save though, including some shots to Baszler.

We recap NXT invading Smackdown and Raw.

Tommaso Ciampa isn’t worried about finding a fourth member for his WarGames team (I don’t remember that being confirmed before) against the Undisputed Era. As for tonight, if anyone wants to come after them, the front door is open.

Video on Isaiah Swerve Scott, who says Swerve is confidence.

Tony Nese vs. Angel Garza

The winner gets a Cruiserweight Title shot at some point in the future. Garza goes after the arm to start but it’s an early standoff. With that not working it’s time to start on the leg but Nese manages to get on top for a fast two and it’s another standoff. This time Nese takes him down by the arm for all of a few seconds, meaning it’s Garza snapping off a running hurricanrana.

That means it’s time for GARZA TO TAKE….a chop to the chest to prevent his disrobing. Garza puts him on the top and hits an enziguri, only to have Nese try a sunset bomb. That’s blocked and NESE TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS! Garza gets in a kick to the face and we take a break. Back with Garza hitting another kick to set up the moonsault to the floor. Nigel: “A thing of beauty from the most beautiful man in the world!”

Nese’s sitout pumphandle powerslam gives him his own two but Garza is back up with a reverse Project Ciampa. It’s Nese’s turn to knock him down and this time it’s a 450 for two with Garza getting a foot on the rope. They chop it out again until Garza flips around into a sitout powerbomb for his own near fall. A double underhook drop down (think a Bubba Bomb but with Nese turned the other way and with a butterfly instead of a full nelson) called the Wing Clipper finishes Nese at 11:19.

Rating: C. Garza winning is the right call and it makes more sense to push the NXT guys over the 205 Live guys. Point blank, most of the people on 205 Live are there for a reason and while Nese is good, he doesn’t feel like someone who would be a star around here. I’m still not sure how much longer 205 Live can last, but I’ve been saying that for two years now so what do I know.

Post match Lio Rush comes out and Garza slaps him in the face. Their title match is next week.

Rhea Ripley picks Mia Yim for the fourth spot on her team. She tells Dakota Kai that she just didn’t make the cut. Kai walks away in near tears.

Takeover rundown, which is just WarGames at the moment. Both Baszler and Ciampa’s teams still need fourths, and that previous segment seems like a clue.

Dominick Dijakovic vs. Isaiah Scott

This could be interesting. Scott starts dodging early on but jumps into a fireman’s carry. It’s too early for Feast Your Eyes so Dijakovic hits some standing knees to the back before tossing him to the side. The toss suplex gets two on Scott and a backbreaker lets Dijakovic hit a falling middle rope splash for two more. Scott gets in a quick Downward Spiral and a Release German suplex offers a surprise power display.

A DDT out of the corner gives Scott his own two and it’s time to go up, only to have Dijakovic nail a superkick. Feast Your Eyes is broken up though and Scott hits an enziguri to a kneeling Dijakovic. The cyclone boot staggers Scott though and a chokebomb gets two. Scott is fine enough to come back with a reverse hurricanrana to send Dijakovic to the apron for the big top rope double stomp. A big kick to the face gives Scott two more so he tries the rolling cutter but Dijakovic counters into Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 7:16.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and a great way to showcase the different styles. Scott can work with anyone and Dijakovic is such a freak that he can as well, despite his huge size. Really good stuff here and Dijakovic seems ready to move up to the next level at any given time. Scott needs to win a bigger match at some point, but he’s far from losing steam otherwise.

Next week: the Cruiserweight Title match plus Yim vs. Shirai in a ladder match for the WarGames advantage.

OC vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Matt Riddle/Keith Lee

The brawl is on before the bell until it’s AJ vs. Ciampa to get us going. Ciampa is knocked outside early on and the slingshot forearm hits Riddle on the floor. Back in and Willow’s Bell gives Ciampa two and it’s off to Lee vs. Gallows. A hard shoulder rocks Gallows and a pretty slow motion Pounce puts him on the floor.

Back in and Gallows kicks him in the ribs, as does the now legal Anderson. Lee goes simple with a crossbody and we take a break. We come back to Ciampa in AJ’s chinlock and Gallows driving in elbows to the neck. Ciampa fights up but Gallows is smart enough to knock Lee off the apron in advance. Anderson dives into a jumping knee to the face and the hot tag brings in Riddle.

Jumping knees and shoulders abound, followed by the string of Brotons. The Final Flash into the Bro To Sleep into a bridging German suplex gets two with Anderson making the save. Ciampa breaks up the Magic Killer to Lee, who curls Gallows just to show off. AJ’s tornado DDT plants Lee (Mauro: “Like a palm tree!”) and a brainbuster gets two on Riddle. There’s the Pounce to AJ but it takes out the referee at the same time.

Riddle tries a running flip dive but gets caught in the ropes and nearly lands on the apron for a bad crash. Ciampa loads up the Fairy Tale Ending but here’s Finn Balor. That’s enough for AJ to hit the Pele on Ciampa and 1916 plants Riddle on the floor. AJ throws up Too Sweet to Balor, who points the finger guns back at him. Cue Adam Cole to break up the Styles Clash to Ciampa and hit the Last Shot on Ciampa. Cole stares Balor down to end the show, meaning we’ll say it was a no contest at 13:25.

Rating: B. I’m not sure where this is going but it was enough good action and more importantly, the NXT guys were going step for step with the WWE talent and no one took a fall at the end. The match was entertaining and they gave enough of an ending to make me want to watch next week. I’m not sure where they’re going with WarGames and that makes for an interesting ending, especially when you tie in the invasion stuff.

Overall Rating: B. Heck of a show here again as they set up/advanced the big matches at Takeover and tied in the Survivor Series invasion stuff at the same time. I’m not sure what else they are going to have for the rest of the card, but we could be in for a shorter show due to two matches taking up sixteen people. There is still room for a lot of stuff though and under the right circumstances, we could be in for another classic, depending on how the WarGames matches go.

Results

Pete Dunne b. Damian Priest – Cross armbreaker

Taynara b. Santana Garrett – Kick to the face

Shayna Baszler b. Dakota Kai – Kirifuda Clutch

Angel Garza b. Tony Nese – Wing Clipper

Dominick Dijakovic b. Isaiah Scott – Feast Your Eyes

OC vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Keith Lee/Matt Riddle went to a no contest

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
Date: October 23, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

Things should be interesting this week as the show is in a bad ratings fight against Dynamite, though this time around isn’t going to matter that much as the World Series is going to massacre both shows. The big match tonight is Roderick Strong defending the North American Title against Keith Lee and Dominick Dijakovic. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley

For the #1 contendership. They go to the test of strength to start but Belair sends her into the corner for the running shoulders to the ribs. Ripley gets up some boots in the corner though and a kick to the chest has Belair in trouble for a change. They fight over a suplex with Ripley finally hitting one to frustrated Belair even more.

Ripley goes up and tries what looks like a deadlift superplex to the floor. Since that would kill her, Belair slams her down instead and starts stomping away. We hit the seated full nelson before it’s an abdominal stretch to keep Ripley in trouble. That’s broken up and it’s a double hair takedown to send us to a break.

Back with Rhea hitting a nasty big boot to kick Belair out of the air and getting two off a basement dropkick. The standing Cloverleaf goes on but Belair goes straight to the ropes in a smart move. Cue Io Shirai to kick Ripley in the head behind the referee’s back though and Belair hits a spear for two. Candice LeRae comes out to take care of Shirai and it’s Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. Ripley looks more and more like a star every time she’s out there and it’s always nice to see Belair get beaten up. Ripley vs. Baszler should be a blast and SURELY this is where Baszler loses the title right? I know I’ve said that for about six months now but it has to happen someday.

We look back at the Undisputed Era taking out Velveteen Dream last week.

Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne arrive, with Dunne saying he doesn’t care about Killian Dain.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa coming back from his neck surgery. He’s back to get the NXT Title again. That “Daddy’s home” line was great.

Tyler Bate is in the front row.

Matt Riddle vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes goes straight for the jumping stomp to start but Riddle ducks away and takes it too the mat. It’s too early for the Bromission so Riddle misses the standing moonsault, only to hit the Broton for two instead. Riddle gets two off a Jackhammer and there are the GOLDBERG chants.

An armbar doesn’t work so Riddle kicks him in the face instead. Another kick is countered into a rollup so Grimes backflips over him into a bridging German suplex as we take a break. Back with the Bro To Sleep into the bridging German suplex for two more. Bro Derek is countered into a swinging sitout Rock Bottom to give Grimes his own two.

A superplex plants Grimes but his knees are up to block the Floating Bro. The Final Flash rocks Grimes but he catches the charging Riddle in the spinning powerslam for two more. The standing double stomp (dubbed the Cave-In) is countered into another Final Flash and the Bro Derek finishes Grimes at 11:24.

Rating: B-. Riddle getting the win is fine and it’s not like Grimes went down to some nobody. They were smart to protect the Cave-In, which has become a pretty sweet finisher in a short amount of time. Riddle can turn it up in the blink of an eye and we got a really solid match throughout. Good stuff here and I could go for more of both guys.

Post match Riddle offers a fist bump but gets shoved away. Grimes goes after Tyler Bate, who knocks him out with one punch.

William Regal makes Dakota Kai/Tegan Nox vs. the Four Horsewomen for a future Women’s Tag Team Title shot later tonight.

Breezango/??? vs. Forgotten Sons

This time, Breezango are in Top Gun mode so Beth asked if they could teach her to fly a plane. Beth: “They said the key was to keep your hand on the throttle but if it’s too big, use two hands.” Mauro: “You should be a limbo dancer because everything goes over your head.” Breezango has Isaiah Swerve Scott as their partner to replace the injured Kushida.

Breeze can’t do much against the monster Ryker to start so Scott comes in for a change. That goes just as well so Fandango takes his shirt off and gets shouldered down with ease. Cutler comes in but gets legdropped down, with Beth calling Fandango a real maverick in there. Back from a break with Blake grabbing a hard chinlock on Breeze to calm the crowd down again.

Breeze finally gets up and sends the Sons into each other, allowing the diving tag off to Fandango. Everything breaks down and Scott’s high crossbody gets two on Cutler. Scott gets left alone though and it’s a super hurricanrana into stereo diving headbutts…for two as Breezango drives the other two Sons into the cover for the save. A quick Downward Spiral from Scott plants Cutler and the Sons all wind up on the floor.

Ryker loads up a superplex to the floor but Scott slips out, steps on Ryker’s chest, and moonsaults onto the other two Sons in a big crash. Stereo superkicks give Fandango two on Ryker and everyone is down again. Fandango and Ryker fight to the floor so Cutler throws Scott onto the two of them. Back in and Scott hits the jumping kick to the back of Cutler’s head for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B-. Another solid match here, though it could have had a few minutes cut out to drop a few of the moments where the match just kept going for some reason. The Sons continue to fall through the cracks as they just aren’t all that interesting in the first place. Scott on the other hand is awesome and has all the star power that he needs around here. Good match, but needed to be a bit shorter.

Post match the winners dance.

Roderick Strong is ready for the monsters but he sounds more like his ROH self here, which isn’t a good thing.

Killian Dain wraps his fingers while standing in front of a fire and sounding menacing about Pete Dunne.

Angel Garza vs. Jack Gallagher

Lio Rush is on commentary. Gallagher spins out of a wristlock and grabs a headlock. The crucifix gives Gallagher two and he holds onto the thing despite three attempts to roll away. Hold on though as…..GALLAGHER TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS!!! Gallagher gets to show off a very delayed vertical suplex so Garza has to go to the ropes to escape an armbreaker attempt. A backdrop puts Gallagher on the floor and Garza hits a running slap to the back. That earns him the big headbutt into the running corner dropkick but Garza steps aside and slams him down. The middle rope moonsault finishes Gallagher at 5:04.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given episode of 205 Live but at least they had a match where the crowd actually cared for a change. You don’t get that around 205 Live most of the time so having something like this is a good idea. That being said, it also doesn’t mean anything good for the future of 205 Live.

Garza wants the title so Rush holds it up.

Tegan Nox/Dakota Kai vs. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

The winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title match next week. Duke goes straight for Kai to start and it’s the Horsewomen taking over early on. Shafir comes in and plants Kai, who gets kneed in the ribs for two. A right hand and a kick to the face allow the hot tag off to Nox to clean house. The reverse Cannonball hits Duke in the corner and a high crossbody gets two. A headbutt sets up the Shiniest Wizard to finish Duke at 3:19.

Rating: D+. It’s not a good sign when I was relieved that they kept Shafir and Duke this short as they could have had a disaster otherwise. They’re just not that good, while Kai and Nox are the easiest team to cheer for in years. If nothing else, it means Asuka is back in NXT, where she probably should have been a long time ago.

Post match the Kabuki Warriors pop up to say Nox and Kai have no chance.

Keith Lee has been hunting a title for a long time and tonight he gets it.

In addition to the title match, next week will see Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae and Cameron Grimes vs. Tyler Bate.

North American Title: Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic vs. Roderick Strong

Strong is defending and bails to the floor at the bell as you probably expected him to. The monsters surround him but Lee beats up Dijakovic instead. A heck of a shoulder sends Strong outside and Lee gets in a second one as we take a break. Back with Lee splashing Dijakovic in the corner but Strong shoves Lee outside in the big heap. Strong’s superplex gets two on Dijakovic and it’s time to rip at Dijakovic’s face.

Lee comes back in and breaks up a DDT, only to get superkicked by Dijakovic. Strong is down so Dijakovic suplexes Lee onto him for two. That sends Lee outside and Dijakovic tries a running flip dive….which is countered into a powerbomb attempt but Strong dives onto the two of them to break it up in a smart move.

Well it would be if Dijakovic went down as well so the superplex is loaded up again, only to have Lee catch him in the Tower of Doom (with Dijakovic holding Strong for a bit in something that could have gone very wrong). Back from another break with Lee suplexing both of them at once for the double knockdown. Strong sends Dijakovic to the floor and hits the running forearms as Lee is tied in the ropes.

The Angle Slam gets two on Lee but Dijakovic has to be knocked down again. That means the big double chop from Lee to Strong and they all fight to the floor. Feast Your Eyes and the Pounce DESTROY Strong at once so it’s Lee vs. Dijakovic one on one for the title. The fans really, REALLY like this as Lee slugs away but gets caught with the cyclone boot.

A super sitout chokeslam plants Lee for two but Strong is getting back up. That’s fine with Dijakovic, who hits a great looking Fosbury flop onto the champ. Not to be outdone, Lee hits his own big flip dive onto Dijakovic, crushing him to pieces. Back in and it’s a super Batista Bomb to Dijakovic but Strong knees Lee in the face to steal the pin and retain the title at 18:19.

Rating: A-. I’m not sure where to start with this one. First and foremost: LEE AND DIJAKOVIC SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT!!! Just….that’s not normal man. Second, this was a very impressive trick to pull off as the formula looked perfectly set up to have Strong slip through the cracks and retain the title here so they had to figure out a way around it.

Instead of some fluke trick or something though, they went with another idea: have two monsters beat the fire out of each other and have Strong steal the win after one of them was all but dead. They sucked me into this one and I actually let out a deep breath once the pin went down. That’s something that doesn’t happen very often but they pulled it off here. Very well done with Strong having to work incredibly hard to be believable against these two but he managed to make it work.

Post match the rest of the Undisputed Era comes in to take out Lee. The fans want Balor but get Tommaso Ciampa (it was going to be one of them), complete with crutch. Fans: “DADDY’S HOME!” Ciampa stares the four of them down but here’s Johnny Gargano as well. Gargano stares Ciampa down but turns to face the Era as well…..and here’s Finn Balor. The staredown is on…..and Balor Peles Gargano, leaving the Era to destroy Ciampa.

Balor stares down at Gargano as the beatdown continues. As the fans are livid at Balor, he heads outside and dropkicks Johnny into the barricade, knocking it and the people behind it down as well. Even the Era stops beating up Ciampa to watch the beatdown. Balor hits 1916 to SPIKE JOHNNY ON HIS HEAD on the ramp to end the show. The Era does their pose as Balor looks down at Gargano but he doesn’t return it and walks away with another stare.

That was a big angle to close the show and the fans were into it. I’m curious to see where it goes as well because it’s a very easy story to follow (Balor is an NXT legend, Gargano says he’s Mr. NXT, jealousy ensues in a battle of the generations) but also a smart way to go. Balor just being back and being his old self is interesting but doesn’t have the longest shelf life. On the other hand, Balor going full heel for the first time in NXT (or WWE) is rather interesting and could go somewhere.

Overall Rating: A-. When I looked back at this one, I was rather surprised by how much stuff they had going on. The wrestling was almost all good to very good with only the three minute women’s tag not living up to the standard. It had an awesome main event and big angle to close the show, so what else could you actually fit into a two hour event? Great stuff here and the kind of hot show they needed (it’s been a LONG time since NXT needed much of anything).

Overall, this was a week where you could go either way and it’s splitting hairs to decided which show was better. I liked NXT’s big angle just a little bit more than as it was a surprise rather than building something already set up and that’s the kind of thing that makes me want to see where they’re going with it. Other than that, it’s a complete tossup and you can’t go wrong either way, which has been the case since the shows started going head to head.

Results

Rhea Ripley b. Bianca Belair – Riptide

Matt Riddle b. Cameron Grimes – Bro Derek

Isaiah Scott/Breezango b. Forgotten Sons – Jumping kick to the back to the back of Cutler’s head

Angel Garza b. Jack Gallagher – Lionsault

Tegan Nox/Dakota Kai b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke – Shiniest Wizard to Duke

Roderick Strong b. Keith Lee and Dominick Dijakovic – Running knee to Lee

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
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re into the second week of head to head and that could mean some interesting developments. Above all else, it should be interesting to see how the show adjusts after getting flattened in the ratings last week. Maybe it was a one off surprise due to the debut, but it could be the start of a trend and that could mean some changes. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, which had a lot going on.

Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Lio Rush

Gulak is defending and it is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title, albeit with the same design and color. Rush dropkicks him into the corner to start and hits a Spanish Fly for two as Gulak bails to the floor. That means a suicide dive and a bottom rope moonsault to the floor. Back in and Rush’s tornado DDT is countered with a toss to the mat, setting up a running clothesline in the corner to give Gulak two.

Gulak works on something like an abdominal stretch on the mat before switching over to an armbar. Rush fights up and goes to the top, only to get kicked to the floor as we take a break. Back with Rush kicking at the chest but the springboard Stunner is countered into the Gulock in the middle of the ring.

Rush teases the tap but unhooks the legs and gets out, including a backflip into a cradle for two. Rush’s dragon sleeper is broken up in a hurry and Gulak’s Cyclone Crash gets two, with Rush getting a foot on the rope. Rush breaks up a superplex and hits the springboard Stunner this time around. The Final Hour (Low Down) gives Rush the pin and the title at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Rush as a face is something that seems like a waste of his natural talking skills but I like his work better as a face than a heel so it’s a weird mixture. This was a pretty obvious title change though and there’s nothing wrong with that, as you want to get the title’s new era started off with a big deal.

Post match William Regal comes out to wrap the title around Rush’s waist but Gulak breaks it up and hands the title over himself in a nice moment.

Video on Finn Balor.

We get another video on Tegan Nox’s return, with her first match next week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah

Aliyah tries to hit Rhea in the face for some reason and gets blasted for her efforts. The standing Cloverleaf has Aliyah in trouble and Rhea swings her around for a bonus. A forward powerbomb makes it worse and Rhea cranks on it for the tap at 1:22. Total squash and that Cloverleaf looked great.

Post match Rhea says Shayna Baszler didn’t beat her and she’s coming for the title.

There will be a press conference in Las Vegas on Friday, featuring major announcements involving Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, HHH and Braun Strowman. Sounds Crown Jewelish.

Breezango vs. Ever Rise

Breezango are dressed as construction workers this week, complete with rather fetching women in hard hats. Breeze has to get Fandango away from them as Beth seems VERY pleased with the new look. Mauro: “Adam on line one.” Hang on though as the Forgotten Sons drag Ever Rise out and we have some replacements.

Breezango vs. Forgotten Sons

Cutler beats up Breeze to start and it’s a running hiptoss from Blake to send Cutler into Breeze’s back. Breeze is back up without much trouble and brings Fandango in for the Falcon Arrow, followed by Breeze coming back in pretty quickly. The illegal Fandango hits a sunset bomb on Cutler but Jaxson Ryker pulls Breeze outside for the posting. Fandango dives onto him, only to have Blake do the same to take Fandango out. Back in and a toss powerbomb into the knees sets up the Memory Remains for the pin on Fandango at 3:37.

Rating: C-. I was surprised by how short the match was and that’s a good thing. They didn’t overstay their welcome, though neither of these teams feel like a top pairing. Breezango are the kind of team who can lose and bounce back with no trouble and that’s a valuable thing to have. The Sons….they may be better off being forgotten.

Keith Lee is ready to beat Dominik Dijakovic next week. They need to blow that off already.

Boa vs. Cameron Grimes

They really love Grimes around here, though it might be due to his hat. Cue Killian Dain to distract Boa, allowing Grimes to finish with the standing double stomp at 9 seconds.

Post match Dain beats Boa up, including Vader Bombs and throwing him onto the announcers’ table.

Video on Damien Priest, who wants to use Pete Dunne to make himself famous.

Roderick Strong vs. Isaiah Scott

Non-title and Strong gets some encouragement from the Undisputed Era before coming to the ring. Strong headlocks him down to start and lets him know that this is HIS house. That just brings Scott to his feet for some chops and a cartwheel moonsault for two in a creative spot.

After a quick trip to the floor, Strong comes back in for a strike off, with Mauro getting in a Lucha Underground reference by saying they’re both looking for the kill shot. The first backbreaker cuts Scott off though and it’s time for more loud chopping. Another backbreaker gives Strong another two and we take a break. Back with Scott kicking away from the mat and then kicking at the chest, which draws out the rest of the Era.

Scott crotches Strong on the middle rope and gets two off a hanging DDT. A Downward Spiral into the running kick to the back of Strong’s head connects for two more and Strong is in big trouble. Strong gets caught hanging by his feet from the bottom rope so Scott destroys him with a slingshot double stomp. The Era offers a distraction though and it’s a running knee into the End of Heartache. The Stronghold finishes Scott at 10:25.

Rating: B-. Scott gets better every time he’s out there and the fans are WAY into him, which should be a clear path to something that matters around here. He looked good against Strong here and the champ needed some help to escape, so maybe they have some bigger plans for Scott. He’s impressed me everywhere he has gone so I would certainly be pleased.

Post match, the Era gets in the ring with Cole praising Scott. Everyone wants to be the best and fulfill this dream of being the best, which is why Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa. Cue the Velveteen Dream to ask if someone said Dream. He pops up above the entrance and says that while some of the Era is great, allow Dream to show him his reality.

We see Strong imitating Shawn Michaels’ Playgirl pose with the North American Title in a certain place. Dream gets his rematch in two weeks, but first he snaps his fingers and the title disappears from the picture, being replaced by a rather small censored logo. Cue Tommaso Ciampa with a chair and a crutch to chase the Era off and have a seat. Ciampa: “Goldie? Daddy’s home.” I could go for Undisputed Era vs. NXT Legends/All Stars.

Quick video on Walter and Imperium.

During the break, Angel Garza tried to hit on the interviewer and steal Ciampa’s interview time. Ciampa showed up and laid out Garza after some Spanish ranting. Interviewer: “What did he say?” Ciampa: “I have no idea.”

Dakota Kai vs. Bianca Belair

Kai starts fast by kicking Belair to the floor for an early two. A charge gets Kai launched face first into the buckle and the hard shoulders to the ribs in the corner make it even worse. Belair squats her to show off but has to kick out of a small package. A tilt-a-whirl faceplant gets two and we take a break.

Back with hitting some clotheslines and a running dropkick, followed by the pump kick to the side of the head. Some kicks to the head in the corner give Kai two, including the running kick to the face in the corner. Kai rolls her up out of the corner but gets pulled into the double chickenwing facebuster. Belair’s running shooting star press gets two and frustration is setting in. Back up and Kai tries one more kick but gets caught in the KOD for the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C+. This started slowly but got a lot better in the end, with Kai kicking her heart out but coming up short. I like Kai more and more every time I see her and hopefully this is a sign that she has her old skill back. She looked a bit better here with the more serious looking gear and the kick working more than usual. Push her and you might have an underdog star on your hands. I’m not sure about having her lose here, but NXT loves it some Belair so her getting a win like this isn’t surprising.

Post match Belair says that she wants Baszler and Rhea can go through her to get the title shot. It’s amazing how much better her promos are without the un-de-fea-ted nonsense.

Dominik Dijakovic is ready to bring out the best in Keith Lee again. He knows Keith’s limits though and is ready to take him there.

We look back at Finn Balor being drafted to Raw and becoming the first Universal Champion.

Video on Pete Dunne wanting to make a name for himself in WWE. That’s what he’s done ever since, and now Damien Priest is trying to do the same thing. That won’t be happening off of Dunne’s back.

The NXT roster congratulates Rush for winning the title.

Kushida vs. Walter

Non-title. Feeling out process to start until Walter powers him onto the apron and pats him on the head. They take turns riding each other on the mat until Kushida gets in a dropkick to send us to a break. Back with Kushida slipping off a springboard and getting kicked in the face for his efforts. The one legged Liontamer has Kushida in more trouble as Walter cranks away.

That’s broken up so Walter chops away but the powerbomb is countered into a DDT for the breather. Kushida gets sent to the apron and manages to snap the arm across the rope. A sunset bomb is blocked though and Walter stomps on the face to put Kushida on the floor. He’s right back up with a rolling DDT to the floor though and they both have to beat the count.

Back in and a kick to the arm sets up the Hoverboard Lock but Walter reverses into the sleeper. Kushida flips out of that and Walter has to grab the hands to block a cross armbreaker. Walter powers out again and it’s a half nelson pumphandle suplex into a bridge for two.

The frog splash is broken up and Kushida grabs the Hoverboard lock on top before superplexing him down by the arm. A foot on the rope gets Walter out of trouble so Kushida dropkicks the arm again. Walter dropkicks the heck out of him and the powerbomb gets two in a great near fall. With nothing else working, Walter hits a ripcord lariat to FINALLY put Kushida away at 16:48.

Rating: B. Much like Kai vs. Belair, this one took its time getting going but once they hit that other gear, it was some awesome stuff with both guys hitting each other very hard and setting up a big finish. It didn’t hit the level that some of Walter’s matches have but it was the match Kushida has been looking for around here. Walter still feels like a treat and a big, special performer, which is why you put him in a spot like this. Very good main event.

Next week: Ciampa vs. Garza and in two weeks, Strong defends against Dream.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another good show, this time focusing on the wrestling instead of the surprises and the angles. I like where most of the stuff is going, though I still have some issues getting behind the Undisputed Era holding everything. The challengers are starting to line up though and that could make for some quality television going forward. Some of the stuff at the beginning didn’t click, but the bigger matches made up for them enough and that’s what matters here.

Overall, I think it’s a tie between the shows this week as I might have rated Dynamite a bit low. They had the better match with Private Party vs. the Bucks and their stuff being set up for the future was better, though I liked the wrestling better overall on NXT. What matters is that neither show dropped in quality by any major amount and both were rather good shows that you could watch back to back with no issue. Another good week, as the wrestling renaissance continues.

Results

Lio Rush b. Drew Gulak – Final Hour

Rhea Ripley b. Aliyah – Seated Cloverleaf

Forgotten Sons b. Breezango – Memory Remains to Fandango

Cameron Grimes b. Boa – Standing double stomp

Roderick Strong b. Isaiah Scott – Stronghold

Bianca Belair b. Dakota Kai – KOD

Walter b. Kushida – Ripcord lariat

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
Date: September 25, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

Well it was a good run while it lasted, but things have to come to an end at some point. This will be the last week that the show is split between USA and the WWE Network. Therefore, this week’s show is going to be setting up next week’s two hour USA debut and that means we should be in for the usual big night. The big announced match is Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in a street fight to crown a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, including HHH in the crowd leading an NXT chant and the Undisputed Era holding all of the titles.

The Undisputed Era is above the announcers’ booth.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

They miss strikes to start, including Lee missing a spinning kick to the face. Just to show off, Lee leapfrogs him and hits a crossbody to crush Dijakovic. A big shoulder sends Dijakovic to the apron and they fight over a suplex with neither being able to get anywhere. Dijakovic pulls him to the apron for a chokeslam (THUD) and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a one handed spinebuster and some overhand chops to the chest. Dijakovic looks at him and gets sent head first into the buckle. That means a slingshot corkscrew dive and somehow Dijakovic isn’t a splat on the floor. Back in and Lee can’t muscle him up for a suplex, though thankfully Dijakovic manages to turn it into a small package attempt.

Back up and Lee elbows him in the head over and over, setting up a middle rope moonsault for two. Lee takes it to the top but Dijakovic reverses into a super Canadian Destroyer for two, followed by his own moonsault for two more as Lee just sits up for the cover. The Limit Breaker finishes Dijakovic at 12:35.

Rating: B. This is one of those pairings that just works no matter what they do. Those spots were making my eyes open up and that’s the kind of thing you don’t get to do very often. Both guys are looking awesome from these matches and I’m sure there will be one more match, possibly next week even, and I can more than go for that.

We look back at Candice LeRae becoming #1 contender and getting in a staredown with Shayna Baszler.

We look back at last week’s wild brawl to end the show. William Regal had to break it up and made Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in another street fight for the #1 contendership tonight.

The Street Profits promise to get their titles back next week.

Dakota Kai vs. Taynara

This is Kai’s big return after destroying her knee. Taynara on the other hand has lost her last name. Kai kicks her in the face to start and goes up, only to get crotched down. Taynara gets in a kick, a judo throw and another kick for two as Kai is in trouble. That doesn’t last long as Kai hits a kick to the face and an ax kick to the back. Some Kawada kicks have Taynara in more trouble, followed by the running kick to the face in the corner. The GTK finishes Taynara at 2:42. Kai looked good in a limited capacity here and hopefully they give her the push that she never got before.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

Street fight and the winner gets Cole for the NXT Title at some point. They go straight for the strikes but Riddle can’t get a cross armbreaker. He can however German suplex Dain for two so the big guy heads outside. A running forearm off the steps rocks Dain and we take a break.

Back with Dain choking in the corner until Riddle scores with a knee to the face. An exploder suplex sends Dain flying and the Broton connects. A Penalty Kick gets two but Dain is right back with a powerbomb for two. Riddle is fine enough to hit an Alabama Slam into the Floating Bro for another near fall.

Back up and Dain sends him outside for a suicide dive, followed by the pelting of a chair to the shoulder. They head into the crowd with Riddle hitting some kicks but it’s a crossbody through a wooden wall to crush both of them. Back from another break with Riddle hitting a Broton off the bleachers through another table. A bunch of kicks to the face and chest have Dain in trouble and they head back inside for a slingshot Broton.

Dain is fine enough to crossbody a chair onto Riddle to take over. Three straight Vader Bombs (how Dain beat him in the first match) get two but a fourth attempt with a chair is blocked with a chair shot to Dain’s back. The Final Flash knee into the chair into Dain’s head gets two and Riddle hammers away with shots to the head. What looked to be a low blow doesn’t seem to stop Riddle as he grabs a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 20:29.

Rating: B. What else were you expecting here? They beat each other up for twenty minutes here and Riddle gets to slay the dragon to set up the title match. The title match is next week but it would make sense to let it be the big main event in a few weeks instead of cramming it onto an already stacked show. Either way, very good showing here and Dain can be a monster again at almost any time.

Post match here’s Cole to shout at Riddle, who armbars him as well. The Undisputed Era runs out so Riddle bails.

Over on the WWE Network now and we look at more replays from the street fight. That’s a good idea as the fans need some time to switch platforms.

Rhea Ripley vs. Kayden Carter

Carter explodes at the bell so Ripley runs her over with a dropkick for two. The delayed vertical suplex gets the same and Ripley forearms her in the head. A hurricanrana sends Ripley down and Carter runs the corner for a several springboard hurricanrana. Carter’s low superkick gets two but Ripley is back up with Riptide at 2:37. They packed a TON into this and it was a blast in such a short amount of time.

Ever Rise vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

That would be 3.0 under what seems to be their official name. Martel takes Lorcan down to start as Mauro clarifies that there is no relation to Rick the Model. Parker comes in and gets headlocked down by Burch before handing it back to Lorcan for a double Russian legsweep. With the referee yelling at Burch, Martel sneaks in and throws Lorcan outside so the villains can take over.

A snap suplex gets two on Lorcan and we hit the armbar. Lorcan gets knocked down again and Martel takes him down with a backbreaker. A northern lariat connects but Parker runs into Martel by mistake, allowing Burch to come in and clean house. Burch and Lorcan get very fired up and the assisted elevated DDT finishes Martel at 6:28.

Rating: C+. Nice hard hitting match here with Burch and Lorcan being fine for an upper midcard team who isn’t likely to win the titles. However, in NXT that means they very well may get them some day and it would work well enough. I liked what we saw here and Ever Rise (bad name) was working as well.

Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo are here.

Raul Mendoza vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes goes for the standing double stomp at the bell again but gets caught in a wristlock instead. A quick hurricanrana takes Grimes down and it’s a springboard headlock takeover to show off a bit. Back up and Grimes gets in his cool counter to a crossbody into a powerslam for two of his own. Grimes whips him hard into the corner and grabs the armbar to keep Mendoza down.

Back up and Grimes gets two off a Superman punch before it’s right back to the armbar. Mendoza fights to his feet and hits a running knee to set up a missile dropkick. A cartwheel kick staggers Grimes on top and a springboard hurricanrana gets two. Grimes is back up and hits the standing double stomp for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. The abundance of armbars got a little annoying here but Grimes continues to be miles ahead of what he was doing back in Impact. He has a certain charisma to him and that stomp is a solid finisher. Mendoza is still one of the smoothest people on the roster and what we got here was even more proof.

Kushida/???/??? vs. Imperium

Kushida needs partners to face the team (minus Walter) and he has…..Breezango, which is an interesting choice. Aichner sends Kushida into the corner to start but gets hiptossed into the basement dropkick for two. A blind tag lets Imperium get in the triple teaming, with Breezango only coming in for the save once it’s down to one on one. Fandango comes in for two off a sunset flip and a double boot to the head gets two on Barthel.

Breeze has to fight out of the wrong corner but a little misdirection lets Barthel throw him outside. An elbow to the face puts Breeze in trouble and Wolfe comes in for a chinlock. A backbreaker gives Wolfe two and double dropkicks in the corner have Breeze on the floor again. Fans: “NOT THE FACE!” The chinlock doesn’t last long as Breeze backdrops Barthel to the floor but Kushida and Fandango are pulled to the floor before the hot tag can connect.

Breeze manages an enziguri and now the hot tag brings in Fandango. Everything breaks down and Fandango sends everyone to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and Kushida’s cross armbreaker is broken up so he kicks Aichner and Wolfe to the floor. The handspring elbow is blocked by an uppercut to the head but an O’Connor roll with a bridge pins Barthel at 11:09.

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit of a surprise though it’s a good idea to give Kushida the pin and set him up as a bigger challenger for Walter later on. Kushida has been doing some good things around here but hasn’t had the big moment to get him over the hump so maybe this can help him. Breezango continue to be a lot more motivated down here than on the main roster and can you blame them in the slightest?

Post match Kushida celebrates but Walter kicks him in the head. Imperium poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m glad the split format is already gone as it was weird to see the weird double episode thing. Dain vs. Riddle was a rather fun match and they kept the rest of the show moving fast enough to make the show work. I liked it better than last week, though next week is what matters more than anything else. AEW is going to draw in a lot of fans, but they have their work cut out for them.

Results

Keith Lee b. Dominick Dijakovic – Limit Breaker

Dakota Kai b. Taynara – GTK

Matt Riddle b. Killian Dain – Fujiwara armbar

Rhea Ripley b. Kayden Carter – Riptide

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan b. Ever Rise – Assisted elevated DDT to Martel

Cameron Grimes b. Raul Mendoza – Standing double stomp

Kushida/Breezango b. Imperium – Rollup to Barthel

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:

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