NXT
Date: March 20, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re on the final taping cycle with three shows left before Takeover: New York. Last week’s big story saw Johnny Gargano finally outsmart Tommaso Ciampa after DIY was eliminated from the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Unfortunately a neck injury is going to put Ciampa on the shelf for a long time so now we have to find out what is being done to replace the most obvious title change ever. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s HHH to get things going and he’s got the NXT Title. After a HHH chant, he talks about how this place is special because dreams can become a reality. For some, the dreams start here but for others it takes years. Sometimes, that dream gets derailed in the blink of an eye. He was supposed to be out here to announce Johnny Gargano challenging Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title in the main event of Takeover: New York. The truth though is that reality has stepped in.

Ciampa has had neck surgery and has been forced to relinquish the NXT Title. That means there’s a spot open though as Gargano needs an opponent. Tonight, it’s Ricochet vs. Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle with the winner going on to New York to face Gargano for the vacant title in a 2/3 falls match. This was about all they could have done in the circumstances and that’s fine.

Cathy Kelly is in the back to talk to people about the fatal five way. Kona Reeves will watch but it won’t be the finest. The Forgotten Sons aren’t happy with next week’s main event being forgotten because they’re going to the finals of the Dusty Classic. They’re winning the tournament and will be forgotten no more. The Sons isn’t a great team name.

Video on Ricochet and Aleister Black. They’re a team and are going to win the Dusty Classic but after tonight, they’ll know which one of them will be working twice at Takeover.

Velveteen Dream likes the spotlight in New York and therefore tonight’s match is Dream over. At Takeover, he’s the first ever double champion.

We see Tommaso Ciampa heading into surgery in Montgomery, Alabama. The surgery was a complete success but it could take up to a year for him to heal. That is so rough to hear as the Gargano feud was coming up as an all timer and the title change could have sealed it.

Matt Riddle says he’s been here for a long time….well maybe not too long but long enough. He’s worked his ace off (yes ace) to get here and nothing is changing his undefeated streak. He’ll become champion in New York.

Adam Cole says he makes history around here and no one is winning the title other than him. He debuted in the Barclays Center when he attacked Drew McIntyre and held the title up. That’s going to happen again, but this time he’s going to be champion.

The Sky Pirates are excited for the main event but also ready for next week’s four way match. They’re friends but they’re ready to fight. Bianca Belair comes in and says they wouldn’t be involved if Kairi Sane hadn’t interfered. She’ll win in New York because her mindset is un-de-fea-ted.

Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Aleister Black vs. Matt Riddle vs. Velveteen Dream

One fall to a finish. Everyone goes after everyone to start until Black and Dream are left alone in the ring. Black’s small package gets two but he has to go outside to kick Cole in the chest. Back in and Riddle rolls some gutwrench suplexes on Ricochet but gets enziguried by Cole. Black is back in and, after a handshake, squares off with Ricochet.

Cole breaks that up and sends Black outside so he can suplex Ricochet for two. It’s Dream back in to send Cole outside and drop a top rope ax handle to the head. Back in and Riddle blocks Black’s kick and reverses into the Bromission with Dream making a save. The Bromission goes onto Cole this time around with Dream making another save.

The three of them chop it out until everyone comes back in for an exchange of strikes and it’s a five way knockdown. Ricochet goes up top but gets met by Dream and Cole, but Riddle and Black join him for a quadruple suplex. Black and Dream are left alone in the ring until Riddle comes in with a fisherman’s buster to take Black down. Cole breaks it up at two and hits the brainbuster for two.

Now it’s Ricochet coming in with a reverse hurricanrana to send Cole outside and that means the Space Flying Tiger Drop to Cole. Back in and Riddle knees Dream in the face and the Bromission makes him tap but Cole pulls the referee just in time. Black Mass hits Riddle but Black walks into the Dream Valley Driver. Ricochet breaks up the Purple Rainmaker with a hurricanrana to the floor. There’s the shooting star to Riddle but Cole comes in with the Last Shot to finish Ricochet at 14:43.

Rating: B. This was exactly what you would expect from a match like this and that’s a good thing. There wasn’t much of a personal issue going on at the moment so going with all action was the right move. Let them just go out there and do their thing and get to the next big match. It worked fine and Cole is the best choice of the five names they had here. It’s actually a fresh match against Gargano, which hasn’t happened in NXT yet (televised at least).

Overall Rating: B+. You almost have to put an asterisk on this show as they had to throw a lot of things out for the sake of the main event. It’s annoying, but they got caught at the last second and there was nothing else that could have been done. They made it work with a good match and we have a replacement title match to set up in the next two weeks. It might not be great as a regular show, but it did everything it needed to do under some rough circumstances.

Results

Adam Cole b. Ricochet, Matt Riddle, Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream – Last Shot to Ricochet

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

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

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

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

And believe it or not, it’s a mixed bag.

These things really pile up, though that might be because WWE likes to crank them out at a crazy rate. That being said, they’re mostly good so let’s take a look at a few of them, plus something from a long time ago.

Untold: The Second Coming Of ECW

This is a series called Untold which only has a few episodes so far. It’s basically a mini documentary over a given subject with this one being WWECW. In short, the ECW Originals completely bury the thing while some of the people who came up on the show like it a bit better. Paul Heyman sums it up perfectly: if this show was ANYTHING other than ECW, it would have been fine.

Even Big Show has to admit that his match against Batista that drew the CHANGE THE CHANNEL chants was a disaster and that’s putting it mildly. The fans wanted ECW and got WWE3, which was never going to work. Not much new here, but it’s rare to see WWE admit that they completely botched something this badly.

Arrival: Matt Riddle

I believe this one aired in parts on one of WWE’s YouTube channel but this is the full (and still short) edition. Riddle is a former UFC fighter and seems to be one of the most can’t miss prospects in years, which has seemed to be the case every time he’s been on NXT TV. This is basically an introduction to him as we see his transition from the indies to WWE.

Riddle comes off as the most laid back, likable guy who happens to be incredibly talented. He’s also an athletic freak who can work with almost anyone, meaning it’s a matter of time before he shatters through the glass ceiling. If WWE doesn’t go that way I don’t know what to tell them, because Riddle is awesome both in and out of the ring. If you’re not familiar with him, check this out and see what WWE has waiting in the wings.

The Mark Henry Story

Now this one was surprising as Henry’s strongman stuff got a lot of focus and you got to see just how great he was. The main thing that stood out here though was how charismatic and entertaining Henry can be. He was making me laugh throughout, which just made me wonder where that Henry was throughout his 20+ year career (yes 20+). If you had someone with those physical gifts and that kind of entertainment value, he could have been a much bigger star than before.

It was cool to hear Henry get this kind of praise as he’s not really the kind of guy who gets that much attention. I was never the biggest fan of him but this one gave me a lot more respect for the guy. It’s a rare thing for me to want to hear and see more of someone but I was wanting to hear more from Henry after this. He could have been a lot more than he was, though when you’re literally the strongest man in the world, why deviate from that style?

Chronicle: Roman Reigns

This is the main event for the documentaries as no one with a soul didn’t feel at least somewhat bad for Reigns. This covers the time from the night he announced his diagnosis to his return, without much actually being covered in the middle. We see a lot of the day of his return announcement with a long time spent at Georgia Tech’s football stadium where Reigns played college football. It’s good stuff though and the thing flies by.

That being said, the biggest thing I took from this was how human Reigns felt. You don’t get that from Reigns when he’s on TV for the most part but he came off as very likable and charming here, which is how they should present him more often. In other words, act like he’s a human instead of this monster who gets pushed whether you like him or not. Give us this side of him and people might actually like the guy a lot more. It’s not like much else has worked.

Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man

DiBiase has written two autobiographies, one on his own and the other with WWE. This is the latter and….it’s really not very good. Dibiase has an interesting enough story and is absolutely a legend, but the writing is rather bland and the conversations/dialogue are written as generically as possible (fair enough, but not exactly entertaining reading).

It’s one of those wrestling books where you get the basic story, a few details, and not much else. What amazed me was the amount of factual errors (Randy Savage was a heel at Wrestlemania IV? Bret Hart and Lex Luger were both named King of the Ring for being eliminated from the Royal Rumble at the same time?), which you don’t often see from a WWE product. If you’re a HUGE DiBiase fan then maybe skim through it for some pretty good stories, but don’t waste your time (which won’t be much as it’s a short book).

NXT
Date: February 6, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

We’re back to the regular shows and it’s just in time too as we’re about two months away from Takeover: New York. That could mean some matches being set up in a hurry, though it’s not clear what some of those could be. The big draw this week is Johnny Gargano appearing as North American Champion for the first time, which could be rather interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Gargano to open things up and he’s very proud of his new title. The fans give him a JOHNNY CHAMPION chant and Johnny says we deserve it. He doesn’t say which we he’s talking about but here’s Tommaso Ciampa to cut him off. Ciampa says they do deserve it and that Johnny showed that he can follow the champ’s lead. Now they’re both champions and WE own NXT. There is nothing that can stop them because this is their home. Johnny: “No.”

There is no “our moment” because he only came out at the end of Takeover: Phoenix to show that he’ll never need Tommaso Ciampa. This brings out Velveteen Dream to say tonight isn’t about any of them. Tonight is about the moment and the man that stole Takeover: Phoenix. He took everything over just by showing up and while they were putting the finishing touches on their fairy tale ending, Dream was winning the Worlds Collide tournament.

That gives him a title shot of his choice so Ciampa stares him down. Dream doesn’t want him to steal the spotlight, because he’s more interested in Gargano. Johnny says he was putting on another Match of the Year and winning the title before representing the NXT Universe in the Royal Rumble. If this is what Dream wants, then go for it because Johnny wins. Dream is cool with that, but wants to know if he’s facing Johnny Champion or Johnny Jack***. The staredown is on and the fans are rather pleased.

This worked very well, as the story continues to go on and on without dropping steam. I know the end goal of all of this is Gargano taking the title from Ciampa once and for all, but that moment isn’t set in stone somewhere. We’re not counting down to some predetermined moment (Such as EVERYTHING HAS TO HAPPEN AT WRESTLEMANIA OR SUMMERSLAM!!!) and the story is getting to grow on its own. That would make a huge difference on the main roster, but for some reason it’s completely against the rules. That’s a very different way of storytelling and it works quite well.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Mansoor

Mansoor is from the Saudi Arabian tryouts. Ryker takes him into the corner and ties Mansoor into the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs. Mansoor gets in a few shots but Ryker spears him out of the air, setting up a sitout chokeslam (almost more of a spinebuster) for the pin at 1:32. Just a squash.

Post match Ryker chokebusters him again.

Adam Cole cuts off an interviewer before Ricochet can be brought in. Cole says he’s championship material unlike the one trick pony Ricochet. This brings in Ricochet to say he must have knocked Cole’s screws loose when he beat him for the North American Title. A match is made for next week.

In two weeks, Gargano defends against Dream.

Drew Gulak vs. Eric Bugenhagen

Eric, with a sweet 1970s mustache, plays the air guitar on the way to the ring to a rather confused reception. He even throws out a guitar pick, which the camera tracks down. I’m sure you can imagine Nigel and Drew’s reactions to this. The fans DEMAND an encore as Bugenhagen stops so the match can begin. A very high pitched scream ensues as Gulak stomps him down, earning a BU-GEN-HA-GEN chant.

Gulak snap suplexes him for two and we hit the chinlock. Eric fights up and slaps on an abdominal stretch, which of course turns into more air guitaring (Eric: “YOU WANNA ROCK???? LET’S ROCK!!!!”). Drew has had it and suplexes him down, setting up the Gulock for the tap at 2:34. We might have the next Blue Pants here.

Post match Gulak isn’t pleased with fighting “Ben Stiller from Dodgeball” because he’s the best submission wrestler in the world. Is this the best NXT has to offer? The open challenge is on and we have a very quick answer.

Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle

They grapple against the ropes to start until Riddle takes him straight to the mat in an armbar. A pull of the hair gets Gulak out of trouble so Riddle slams him right back down to take over again. More grappling goes nowhere until Gulak takes him down into a headscissors. One heck of a kick drops Drew though and a backsplash makes things even worse. Back up and Drew stops a charge with a hard boot to the jaw, followed by a dropkick to put Riddle on the floor.

Gulak slaps on a headlock to keep things slow before switching into a double arm crank with Riddle face down on the mat. Riddle finally fights up and hits a fisherman’s buster for the break and a double knockdown. A dragon screw legwhip takes Riddle right back down and it’s off to a Fujiwara armbar. Riddle has had it with Gulak and powerbombs the heck out of him, setting up a knee to the face for a crazy close two. The Bromission makes Gulak tap at 9:25.

Rating: B+. This was a blast with both guys doing everything they could think of to each other, making for a heck of a performance. Gulak showing up is a nice touch as he’s one of the more talented people around and can wrestle with anyone. It gave Riddle a sweat and beating a main roster talent, even a lower level one like Gulak, means something. Very nice match.

Post match they do the Catch Point (stable from Evolve) handshake.

Sky Pirates/Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler/Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

Baszler works on Belair’s arm to start until Belair does the same. Shafir and Duke take their turns and get slammed down without much effort. Belair presses Sane up for a drop onto Duke but Shafir takes over in the corner to take over. Sane isn’t having that and unloads with strikes to Shafir, including a hard kick to the back. Shafir gets headbutted down as the fans chant PLEASE TAG SHAYNA. Geez that’s harsh.

The fans get their wish a few seconds later as Shayna comes in and takes over on Sane, including a few shots in the corner. It’s back to Shafir for a hard headbutt before Shayna comes back in to kick at Sane. Shayna cranks on the leg to make Sane scream and Duke coming in, earning herself a YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chant. Sane finally sends Duke outside and rolls over for the tag to Sane as the pace picks way up.

Running knees to Duke in the corner set up a 619 and a springboard missile dropkick to Baszler. It’s already back to Sane for the Insane Elbow and another near fall as Shafir makes the save. Belair tags herself in (fair enough as Sane was going to tag Shirai in again) and hits the KOD but Baszler makes the save. Everything breaks down and Sane dives onto Shafir and Duke, leaving Shirai to hit a moonsault for the fast pin on Baszler at 9:28.

Rating: C+. Shafir and Duke are pretty clearly not ready for this level and need more time, but I heartily approve of Shirai going after the title. High flier vs. submission wrestler can make for some great matches and the fans are going to be behind Shirai no matter what she does. I had a lot of fun with this, though the NXT fans ripping on Duke and Shafir isn’t the best sign for their futures.

Belair doesn’t seem happy that she didn’t get the pin to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. What didn’t this show have? You had an awesome match from Riddle and Gulak, a move forward in the women’s division, some major developments at the start of the show, and the Bugenhagen wackiness. As can be the case, NXT knows how to do a lot of things on one show and mix things up like no other show. This was an incredibly entertaining hour with so many different things running around that it’s almost impossible to get tired of any of them. Check this one out, especially Riddle vs. Gulak.

Results

Jaxson Ryker b. Mansoor – Chokebomb

Drew Gulak b. Eric Bugenhagen – Gulock

Matt Riddle b. Drew Gulak – Bromission

Sky Pirates/Bianca Belair b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke/Shayna Baszler – Moonsault to Baszler

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

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

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

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

Takeover: Phoenix
Date: January 26, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

I don’t think I need to waste your time suggesting that this show might be awesome. Takeover has raised their standard up so high that there’s no reason to suggest that it’s going to be anything less than great. The question now is how great, which should make for a heck of an evening. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the desert, where it’s hot, dry and quiet. Until there’s a loud chant for NXT of course. The card gets a rundown, which works quite well when there are only five matches. The sound of a rattlesnake is a nice touch.

Kingdom Hearts III is sponsoring the show. I’m home.

We go to the Spanish broadcasters but the lights go out as they’re talking….because we have vikings.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

The Raiders are challenging and have a full legion of vikings with shields and spears (one of which was apparently played by Rowe’s newlywed Sarah Logan). I’m not big on vikings most of the time (now Cowboys on the other hand….) but this was freaking awesome. Bobby Fish is out with the champs here. The fans seem to be behind the champs, who jump the Raiders to get things going.

Rowe takes both of them outside with clotheslines, followed by Hansen doing the same. Just to show off a bit, Rowe slams Hansen off the apron onto both of them and then shrugs off a flying shoulder back inside. O’Reilly breaks up Fallout and the champs finally get in some offense. A bunch of strikes have Hansen in trouble as kicking at the legs slows him down. Hansen shrugs off a guillotine choke and brings in Rowe, who no sells a forearm and throws O’Reilly at Strong.

Everything breaks down and Hansen misses a suicide dive for a nasty looking crash. That doesn’t seem to bother Rowe, who hammers both of them down anyway. A backbreaker cuts him off though and Rowe gets dropped ribs first across the top rope. The dueling chants begin as O’Reilly hits a half nelson backbreaker for two. O’Reilly tries a rear naked choke so Rowe walks him into the corner, drawing Strong in for the double teaming.

The fans rather approve as they’re certainly split here. Rowe tosses O’Reilly to the floor, followed by winning a strike off back inside. That’s enough for the second hot tag to Hansen so house can be cleaned again. Hansen cartwheels into a dropkick and tries the forever lariats in the corner. A Bronco Buster gets two on Strong but Strong is right back with a running clothesline.

The pop up powerslam plants O’Reilly and Hansen dives onto Strong as Kyle kicks out in a heck of a near fall that I almost bought as the finish. A powerbomb into a top rope splash gets two more but Fallout is broken up again. Instead Strong hits a top rope superplex into a top rope knee from O’Reilly for a VERY close two and that’s a standing ovation. Strong scores with the Angle Slam for two more, followed by High/Low for ANOTHER two as Hansen just won’t stay down.

Another High/Low is countered and it’s a Tajiri handspring elbow to both champs. Rowe comes back in and it’s a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam to O’Reilly and Strong at the same time. Because that can just be done you see. O’Reilly is DONE and Fallout gives us new champions at 16:58.

Rating: A-. This was the long form tag team formula and it told a great story with the Era hitting everything they could on the monsters but not being able to do enough. It makes the Raiders look like the truly better team because the Era couldn’t stop them no matter what. That’s how you do a match like this and the Raiders are going to hold those titles for a very long time. Great opener.

Pete Dunne and Toni Storm are here.

We recap Kassius Ohno vs. Matt Riddle. Ohno has lost to him twice in a row now but after the second loss, he attacked Riddle in a huge heel moment. The idea is that Ohno isn’t happy with Riddle for being the new NXT toy and wants to give him a welcome beating.

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

Riddle is ready with the strikes at the bell and knocks Ohno to the floor for a running forearm off the steps. Back in and Riddle knees him in the ribs, followed by a running forearm on the apron. A sunset bomb is countered with a stomp to the face (sometimes it makes more sense to go simple) and we hit the cravate on Riddle. An elbow to the face gets two more and Ohno erupts on him in the corner.

They head outside again with Ohno sending him head first into the steps, just like he did in the post-second match attack. Back in and Ohno stomps hard on Riddle’s fingers but Riddle is fine enough for a bridging German suplex. That means it’s time for the kicks to the chest….so Ohno BITES THE TOE. Good grief dude I know you have a good sized gut but if you need a snack during a match, we’re reaching Bastion Booger territory.

Ohno gets two off a Liger Bomb and a moonsault (THUD) connects for the same. Riddle pulls him straight down into a rear naked choke but Ohno is in the corner pretty fast. The offer of a fist bump just gets Ohno beaten up even more, with Riddle taking him down and unloading with forearms to the back of the head for the tap at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Not too bad at all here, but it wasn’t exactly in doubt, save for a surprise Keith Lee turn. The action was fine with Ohno seeming desperate to beat Riddle, who has beaten him twice before. That was a fine story and the ending was the right call, though it wasn’t exactly some thrilling stuff. They didn’t overstay their welcome though and that’s how things should have gone here.

Velveteen Dream arrives with some good looking women.

We recap the North American Title match. Champion Ricochet is answering a challenge, as Tommaso Ciampa suggested that Johnny Gargano go after the title. Ricochet is an amazing talent, but Gargano is full of evil and seemingly being manipulated by Ciampa, but this has the potential to be an instant classic. They’re heavily pushing the good vs. evil story here, as Ricochet is almost pure while Gargano is willing to do whatever it takes to shake off his demons and become champion. Heck of a story indeed.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet

Ricochet is defending. It’s a feeling out process to start with no one getting the advantage early on. Johnny’s headlock doesn’t get him very far but Ricochet nips up off a shoulder. What looked like a Gargano Escape winds up being a crucifix for two but Ricochet is right back up with some flips to avoid a hurricanrana. Another headscissors attempt earns Gargano a dropkick to the floor, setting up a step up moonsault from the middle rope, because Ricochet can just do that.

Back in and Ricochet gets caught in a hot shot onto the top turnbuckle as Gargano isn’t just evil, but he’s also smart. A chinlock backbreaker gives Gargano two but the slingshot spear misses, allowing Ricochet to hit a moonsault to the back. Ricochet picks up the pace with a running hurricanrana and a 619 in the corner. There’s the spring European uppercut into the rolling suplexes for two more.

Another hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb into a crossface and now it’s Ricochet in trouble. It’s too early for the Gargano Escape but the slingshot DDT is countered with a backdrop out to the apron. You know that means the flip dive, because that’s what Ricochet does. Back in and it’s a standing shooting star into a middle rope moonsault for two on Gargano as things are getting faster. Ricochet goes up but Gargano catches him with a hurricanrana….so Ricochet lands on his feet. The fans are VERY impressed, as they should be to be fair.

Ricochet tries a handspring but gets pulled into the Gargano Escape, again much to the fans’ delight. That’s broken up with some power (an underutilized part of Ricochet’s offense) and Gargano gets suplexed into the corner. It’s too early for the 630 as Gargano rolls outside before Ricochet can launch. Instead it’s a running flip dive over the corner as Ricochet gets to show off again.

The springboard 450 gives Ricochet two but a way too long shooting star press hits knees. Gargano superkicks him to the floor, where Ricochet catches a suicide dive in a fireman’s carry….which is reversed into a reverse hurricanrana to drive Ricochet head first into the floor. Back in and Gargano’s slingshot DDT is only good for two as even commentary needs a minute to breathe. With frustration setting in, Gargano pulls the floor mats back but a little humanity sinks in, causing Gargano to take it back inside instead.

A clothesline drops Gargano, who avoids the Phoenix splash. Instead Ricochet throws him down and slaps on a Gargano Escape of his own, sending Gargano crawling to the ropes. They head to the apron with Gargano sending him head first into the post (which was done to him last year), setting up a suplex/brainbuster hybrid on the concrete. Ricochet is out on his feet so it’s another slingshot DDT (with a spike) to give Gargano the pin and the title at 24:25.

Rating: A. What a spectacle but they actually had a story being told as well. Ricochet is the ultimate athlete with a combination of power (not a great amount but it’s there) and incredible athleticism, but Gargano is just talented all around, combined with a never say die attitude. The story here though was Gargano doing whatever it took to win because he knew what would happen if he didn’t. There was also the resistance to use the concrete before giving into the demons in the end and winning the title by any means necessary. Heck of a story but an even better match. This is an early Match of the Year contender, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

We recap Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair. Bianca is an athletic freak who has run over everyone through sheer athleticism and talent. Baszler is a bit older but more experienced and arguably well rounded. All Belair can say is that she’s undefeated, which makes her seem way too confident.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair

Bianca is challenging and drives her into the corner a few times to start for some bragging clean breaks. Thankfully Baszler gets tired of the UN-DE-FEA-TED chant and tries an O-VER-RA-TED version. A hard shoulder puts Baszler down and Belair takes over on the floor. Baszler shows off the intelligence though and grabs the hair to pull Bianca into the post. It’s only good for a nine count so Baszler is right onto her with shots to the face and an armbar.

The Dakota Kai arm stomp has Belair getting checked in the corner as Baszler is on a roll. We hit the armbar (makes sense in this case) for a bit until a hard kick to the face gives the champ two. The O-VER-RA-TED taunt earns Baszler a slap in the face and a spear with the bad arm gets two more. Baszler kicks her in the ribs and gets two off a running knee strike. The slugout is on until Belair whips the heck out of her with the hair, actually busting Shayna’s stomach open.

A toss into the corner knocks the referee down though and the KOD connects, meaning there’s no one to count. Cue Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke to interfere and be taken out, allowing Shayna to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair still isn’t done though and fights up, somehow swinging Baszler to the side, setting up a suplex for the real break. Back up and Belair completely misses a 450, allowing Baszler to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair somehow stands up again and we get an EST chant but she collapses and passes out at 15:13.

Rating: B-. There was some great athleticism on display here, but egads that UN-DE-FEA-TED thing isn’t exactly making me want to cheer for Belair. They did everything here to make her into a face and that worked well enough, but was I supposed to like her coming into this? Baszler winning made perfect sense here and was what I was expecting, though it was a little jarring to suddenly be cheering for the cockiest woman in the division. You can almost guarantee Belair wins the rematch though.

Velveteen Dream and said women are in the front row.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black. Ciampa won the NXT Title thanks to some accidental interference from Johnny Gargano. Since then Ciampa and Gargano have tentatively reunited as Ciampa has gone on a rampage. Tonight, Black gets his long awaited rematch after trading wins with Gargano. This feels like a stop on a longer road, but that doesn’t mean it’s not looking great.

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa is defending and sweet goodness Black’s entrance is still cool. That’s similar to Undertaker’s where you can do it time after time and it never gets old. They go straight to a hard lockup and fall to the floor without letting go. Back in and Black takes him down with a few more headlocks as you can certainly feel the anger. I mean, they’re some pretty harsh headlocks. Back up (eventually) so Black starts in with the kicks, sending Ciampa down onto the mat to duck a big one.

Black has a seat as well as the mind games are strong with this one. Mauro suddenly dubs Tommaso Tommy, all so he can say Black wants to “End Tommy.” Egads that was a stretch and even too hard of a pun for me. Black hits a big flip dive to the floor and Ciampa needs a breather. Instead he gets a kick to the head before getting smart, sending the knee into the steps. A suplex sends the knee into the steps again and it’s Ciampa in full control for the first time. Back in and Ciampa cranks on the knee like a smart villain should.

The leg gets tied in the ropes for a kick to the knee and Ciampa calls him a one trick pony. After wrapping the knee around the post one way, Ciampa does it again from the other side in a smart move. We’re not done yet either as Ciampa drops the knee onto the announcers’ table before having a rather evil seat. We continue the streak of leg work with a trip to the Tree of Woe but Ciampa lets him go pretty quickly. It’s a bit too quickly as Black hits a running kick to the head in the corner.

Back in and the kick to the chest with the good leg gets two but Black is slow to follow up. Neither finisher can connect on either of two attempts so Ciampa forearms him in the back of the head. Ciampa tries the Fairy Tale Ending for the third time, only to be reversed into a bridging German suplex (on one leg) for two. Black Mass is loaded up but the knee gives out, allowing Ciampa to dragon screw legwhip him into a half crab. That’s reverses into the same thing on Ciampa but since Ciampa’s knee is fine, it doesn’t last long.

Black tries his middle rope moonsault to the floor, which of course takes forever. Instead it’s a Tower of London (hanging cutter) onto the apron to give the champ two more. They slug it out with Black getting the better of it, including a double stomp to the chest. A brainbuster gets two on the champ and he heads outside with the middle rope moonsault connecting this time around. Black slips on the way back in though and the Fairy Tale Ending gets a very close two.

With nothing else working, Ciampa pulls the floor pads back (popular move around here) but the yelling referee allows Black to hit a Meteora off the apron. Back in and Black Mass connects in full but Black’s knee is way too banged up for the cover. Ciampa is able to roll onto his side and they’re back up again. Another Black Mass nearly hits the referee so Ciampa sends him into the ropes for the hanging DDT. The Fairy Tale Ending gets a heck of a near fall so it’s a third Fairy Tale Ending into a fourth Fairy Tale Ending to retain the title at 26:31.

Rating: A-. As tends to be the case on a lot of Takeovers, this wasn’t exactly surprising but they worked very hard and told a story with Ciampa taking away Black’s best weapon to slow him down. Black gave him a great fight but came up short, because Ciampa really is as good as he brags about being. It did feel like a stop on the way to a bigger story, but they beat the heck out of each other in a match that lets Ciampa look better without Black losing a ton in defeat. He would seem to be main roster bound pretty soon anyway so it doesn’t mean too much in the long run.

After a bunch of replays, Ciampa heads up to the stage to pose, drawing out Gargano to hold up his own title for the big super evil pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. And somehow, that feels like it belongs on the lower end of the series. This was another excellent show with three great matches and the worst match on the card being perfectly watchable. I’m almost scared to imagine what they have for the final, mega blowoff between Gargano vs. Ciampa, but somehow I completely believe that they could make it live up to the hype. Now where else are you going to see something like that other than NXT? This lived up to the hype and really, that’s all you would have expected around here.

Results

War Raiders b. Undisputed Era – Fallout to O’Reilly

Matt Riddle b. Kassius Ohno – Forearms to the back of the head

Johnny Gargano b. Ricochet – Slingshot DDT

Shayna Baszler b. Bianca Belair – Kirifuda Clutch

Tommaso Ciampa b. Aleister Black – Fairy Tale Ending

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

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

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

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

I’m really not sure what to say about Takeover anymore. You know it’s going to be great. You know it’s going to be impressive. You know it’s going to be one of the best shows of the year. We’re WAY past the point of believing that it’s going to be anything else, so now the question is how good can it be. This show’s card is rather impressive and there’s a good chance that their first show in the desert could be great. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Bianca Belair

We’ll start off with a match that got a great boost from the final push. I’m not completely sold on how the match is going to go as Belair doesn’t have much experience against a top name as she’s only wrestled a bunch of squashes and Nikki Cross for the most part. That being said, Baszler is someone who can help carry her through and the story of Belair being the natural athlete not being able to handle someone with the skills and experience of Baszler. It worked in Top Gun.

I really could see this going either way but I’ll go with Baszler retaining. Belair is someone who is going to come back and win the title later on, perhaps on a big episode of TV, but I think she needs to learn something before getting the ultimate goal. The idea of Baszler catching her for trying to do something a little too big or impressive works for me, though I also wouldn’t be shocked to see Belair win, sending Baszler into the Women’s Royal Rumble and the main roster in general. I’ll go with Baszler retaining, but her days are numbered.

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

This is one where the ending isn’t exactly in doubt. Riddle is going to be one of the biggest stars in NXT and Ohno’s entire job is to put people over. Ohno has already lost to him twice, both times in pretty definitive fashions. There is still the possibility of Keith Lee turning on Riddle to cost him the match, though that seems to be a bit of a bad idea, especially after Lee has lost twice now.

I’ll go with Riddle winning here, which is exactly what he should do. Lee can take him out after the match or on the next TV show, but having Ohno defeat Riddle, even through shenanigans, doesn’t make a ton of sense. Going with what makes sense fits NXT far better than anything else. Riddle wins, though watch out for the rather large and athletic man lurking around.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era(c) vs. War Raiders

I’m thinking this one is a little more straightforward like the previous match. The War Raiders debuted last year around Wrestlemania time and I don’t think have actually lost a match since (a rather common trope around here and something that works well because, believe it or not, wins and losses matter in wrestling). The Undisputed Era has held the titles almost uninterrupted since November 2017 and it’s time for a change.

So yeah we’ll go with the title change here because there’s no reason for it not to happen. The Raiders have been built up perfectly for this and the Era is pretty much out of people to face. Let them chase the titles for the time being until someone else gets built up to take the titles from the Raiders several months from now. It makes sense, and NXT isn’t the kind of place to go completely off the beaten path with some crazy move.

North American Title: Ricochet(c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Yes. That word seems rather appropriate here as there’s a very strong chance that this is going to be a match of the year candidate. These two tend to do that and I could very easily see Ricochet moving up towards the main event scene in short order. He’s that good, and his star power has been on the rise since his debut, when it was huge in the first place. However, does he lose the title here to someone who is already a major star?

The more I think about it, the less sure I am. I’m going with Gargano winning the title in an upset here as he embraces the darkness even more and goes full on evil to win the title, likely running off Candice LeRae in the process. This is all setting up an insanely awesome tag match with Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. the evil DIY (if the title wasn’t a factor, that could be the feature match in New York) and having Ricochet chase the title that he was cheated out of could work wonderfully. Gargano wins, in my least confident pick of the show.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa(c) vs. Aleister Black

This is actually a weird one as I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The match itself is more of a stopping point on the major story and I’m not sure where that’s going to end. I do like the idea of having the Takeover match not needing to be the big definitive ending because the story isn’t ready to be there yet. Black deserves his rematch and the aggression he shows against the master manipulator should be great.

However, it’s not going to be enough as Gargano likely helps Ciampa retain the title, reforming the team once and for all (or at least until Johnny exorcises his demons and wins the title in the biggest blowoff NXT will ever have). Black can join forces with Ricochet (sadly not Velveteen Dream it seems) and set up the dream tag match, but this time around it’s the evil DIY standing tall to end the show.

Overall Thoughts

It’s kind of a weird show in the series as it feels like a pit stop on the way towards the New York show. The cool thing about NXT though is they know how to make this work anyway and I want to see the show. It might be one of the weaker Takeovers, but that means it more like the poorest millionaire. The show is going to rock and that’s all that matters. It’s also all that’s expected, which isn’t something you can say about much anything else.

 

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

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

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

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

NXT
Date: January 16, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

We’re almost to Phoenix and things continue to get more and more interesting around here. That’s one of the best things that you can have happen to you at the right time and since it’s NXT, they know exactly how to do so. Keep building things in the NXT way and everything will be just fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Street Profits vs. Metro Brothers

Ford and Chris Metro start things off with a takedown and dancing having Chris in early trouble. Dawkins comes in to fire Ford up and accidentally knocks him down in a funny bit. JC comes in and slaps Dawkins, earning himself a fast knockdown. Ford is very pleased with his partner and a heck of a frog splash finishes JC at 1:49. Total destruction.

Post match the Forgotten Sons run in and beat down the Profits. Fans: “WE FORGOT YOU! STAY FORGOTTEN!”

Matt Riddle is still banged up and can’t be in Keith Lee’s corner tonight against Kassius Ohno. He just hopes Lee leaves a little bit for him.

Aleister Black says Tommaso Ciampa knew he wasn’t safe. At Takeover, he will absolve Ciampa of his sins but let’s start the fight early next week. It was nice to see an old school talk to the camera promo instead of the hold your phone style that they love anymore.

Here’s Bianca Belair for a chat. After bragging about getting rid of Nikki Cross last week, we hear about how she’s going to take the title at Takeover, no matter what Shayna and her horse friends think. This brings out Shayna Baszler with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir with Shayna saying she doesn’t see it.

Yeah Belair set a bunch of records at the Performance Center and maybe the fastest and the strongest, but she’s not the smartest. Belair shrugs it off but Shayna promises to turn Belair from un-de-feat-ed to over-ratted. Shayna as Duke and Shafir go to the corner but walks into a slap. Belair bails from the numbers advantage in a smart move. This worked well and Shayna continues to look like a star.

Dominik Dijakovic vs. Adrian Jaoude

Jaoude can’t get anywhere off an attempted ankle pick but a double leg works far better. Dijakovic can’t wrestle up so it’s so kicks to the ribs into a spinning elbow to the face instead. A hard clothesline (the Bloodline) sends Jaoude into the corner but he grabs a kneebar to slow Dijakovic down. Jaoude can’t follow up though and it’s a big boot to set up Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C-. Jaoude continues to impress in defeat as he has the look and mat skills to go somewhere. There’s a lot more to it than that of course but at least he has the unique part down. Dijakovic is certainly good as well, though that name is just stupid when he already had a bit of a name coming in. At least he’s winning though.

The War Raiders are out in a field and light a bonfire with Undisputed Era chairs on top. They’ll destroy the champs in Phoenix, and that is undisputed.

Video on Takeover: Blackpool. Walter’s debut still makes it worth the whole thing.

Johnny Gargano vs. Humberto Carrillo

Apparently Carrillo is the nephew of Hector Garza. Doesn’t really change anything but an extra detail doesn’t hurt anyone. They fight over a wristlock to start until Carrillo backflips out of the corner. A nipup confuses Johnny and an enziguri makes his head hurt. Carrillo sends him outside but charges into the slingshot spear.

An abdominal stretch keeps Carrillo in trouble and lasts about as long as any other abdominal stretch. Gargano gets elbowed to the floor for a dive from Carrillo and a heck of a high missile dropkick puts Johnny down again. The moonsault takes too long though and Johnny gets his feet up. The Lawn Dart sets up the slingshot DDT to finish Carrillo at 4:43.

Rating: C+. This was reminiscent of Lex Luger getting ready to face the Giant back in WCW as he fought someone of a similar style, like Roadblock in his situation (Raise your hand if you thought you’d get a Roadblock reference this week). Carrillo is VERY impressive and I’m glad he got the call up to 205 Live this week as the division needs that kind of skill.

Post match Johnny calls out Ricochet for next week.

Tommaso Ciampa says if he’s the puppet master, Aleister Black is the ultimate puppet. The champ only fights on the biggest stage so we’ll wait until Phoenix for the real fight. Just be careful what you wish for.

Velveteen Dream video.

Kassius Ohno vs. Keith Lee

A very big shoulder takes Ohno down early and Lee follows up with a spear for two. That’s enough to send Ohno outside for a breather but he has to move before Lee can try a dive. Back in and Lee unloads with the heavy lefts and rights but Ohno scores with a running big boot. The running backsplash gives Ohno two and it’s off to the double arm crank.

Ohno forearms him in the back of the head for two more and it’s time for the chinlock. That’s broken up so Ohno tries another backsplash, which just hits knees. Lee slugs away and gets two off a slingshot crossbody. A Mongolian chop sets up the Pounce but Ohno grabs the rope to get out of the fireman’s carry. Lee shoves the referee by mistake and gets hit low, setting up the rolling elbow to finish Lee at 9:14.

Rating: C+. Nice power brawl here with both guys looking good. I get where they’re going with Ohno winning as it sets up another showdown with Riddle, but did they need to have Lee take a second straight loss? The Riddle match was already done a few weeks ago and doesn’t exactly need to happen again after a clean loss. The story makes sense from where they went with it, but not so much with having Lee lose again.

Post match Riddle runs out to chase Ohno off.

Overall Rating: C. This was a much lighter show and there’s nothing wrong with that. Next week will be the big hard push and we did get a nice build towards the Women’s Title match here. Other than that we likely saw the setup for Ohno vs. Riddle III at Takeover so at least we got something extra as a result. Not a bad show, but not one that you really need to see.

Results

Street Profits b. Metro Brothers – Powerbomb/European uppercut combination to JC

Dominik Dijakovic b. Adrian Jaoude – Feast Your Eyes

Kassius Ohno b. Keith Lee – Rolling elbow

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

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

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

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

NXT
Date: January 2, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s getting close to Takeover time and the show is starting to come into focus. With some of the matches already set, the rest of the card can be put together over the next few weeks. As tends to be the case in NXT, you can probably guess what’s coming but the journey is the most entertaining part. Let’s get to it.

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

This is a special two hour edition as we look at the NXT Year End Awards. Well so much for seeing what we’ve got coming up.

In Memory of Gene Okerlund.

Opening sequence.

We go to Cathy Kelley at WWE Headquarters to hype up the Year End Awards nominees being announced tonight.

And we’ve got a Best Of show. As usual, full versions of the matches will be listed even if clipped versions are shown.

From Takeover: New Orleans.

North American Title: EC3 vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

Ladder match for the inaugural title with EC3 and Ricochet making their in-ring debut. Cole is the heavy crowd favorite here but they’re not opposed to some of the others. The fans deem this awesome at the opening bell and it’s EC3 bailing to the floor. Ricochet is thrown outside with Dream and Cole following, leaving the battle of the monsters in the ring. Actually never mind as they both go outside to surround EC3, which doesn’t take much effort.

That allows Ricochet to dive off the top with a shooting star onto the giants though and the fans go even nuttier than they were just a few seconds ago. The first ladder is set up but Dream catches Ricochet before he can go anywhere. Ricochet flips around into a headscissors and a dropkick in an incredibly smooth sequence. Dream breaks up a springboard and goes up, drawing in Cole for a save this time around.

EC3 comes in with a jawbreaker and a Hennig necksnap to Cole but it’s Sullivan time again. A pair of powerslams later and both normal sized guys are gone, leaving Dain to knock Sullivan outside. Dain isn’t done with a HUGE suicide dive taking Sullivan out. Cole, Ricochet and EC3 manage to get Dain down and it’s a big brawl with the monsters down. That doesn’t last long either though as it’s Sullivan throwing a ladder at them and wiping everyone out without much effort again.

Dream gets gorilla pressed onto the ladder and Sullivan goes up, drawing some incredible booing. Ricochet can’t sunset bomb him off so EC3 and Dream help, along with Cole punching Sullivan in the face to FINALLY put him down. Now it’s Dain shoving Cole down though and backdropping Ricochet onto the ladder. Cole and EC3 get together to take out Sullivan and Dain in a smart move. With the monsters down, a ladder is bridged between the announcers’ table and ring, which can’t possibly end well.

Hang on though as EC3 does Cole’s pose and that’s just not cool with Cole, who AA’s EC3 onto the ladder. A series of superkicks put a bunch of people down and here’s the REAL pose. Sullivan is up to push the ladder over but this time it’s Dream getting up and cleaning house. Dream even shoves a ladder into a charging Sullivan’s face to cut him off, setting up a HUGE Purple Rainmaker off the ladder (with his head above the belt) to crush Sullivan.

The writhing in pain means Dream’s climb is rather slow and EC3 powerbombs him off one ladder and into another. A TKO off the ladder drops Cole as well but it’s Dain back in to kick EC3 down. He puts a ladder onto EC3 and drops a Vader Bomb, followed by a second with Cole on his back to make it even worse. It’s finally time for Sullivan vs. Dain but Ricochet runs back in….and is tossed back and forth between the two of them like a ball. With Ricochet thrown away, the big men slug it out until Sullivan powerslams Dain down to get the better of it.

Ricochet makes another save and climbs up but Sullivan shoves the ladder over, only to have Ricochet moonsault off (as the ladder is falling back) onto Cole and Dain outside. You know, because of course he can do that. Back in and Ricochet hits a shooting star onto EC3 onto the ladder, because he hasn’t taken enough abuse so far. Dream is back up though and bridges a ladder into the standing ladder, with Ricochet standing on the platform. That means a Death Valley Bomb to drive Ricochet into the ladder and everyone is down again.

Sullivan and Dream are up first with the former putting Dream on the bridged ladder. A Freak Accident puts EC3 through Dream through the ladder, leaving EC3 with a look of physical shock on his face. Not to be outdone, Dain drives Cole through Ricochet through a second bridged ladder to put all six down even longer this time. Sullivan and Dain crawl back in and go up the ladder, only to have EC3 and Cole come in with a ladder of their own to climb next to them.

Naturally Dream and Ricochet are up on a third ladder and Cole gets knocked down. Ricochet and Dream go down with EC3 falling as well, leaving a battle of the monsters. Sullivan gives Dain a huge Freak Accident off the ladder and goes up again, drawing even more booing. Cue Ricochet to springboard in and land on Sullivan’s back, dropping two ladders down in the process. Ricochet goes up but Cole turns it over and pulls down the title at 31:15.

Rating: A+. Well that was incredible. I mean really, what else can you say? This never felt longer than it needed to be and was one insane spot after another. Coming in and during the match, it always felt like all six could have won, meaning that nothing felt like a waste of time. Cole winning is one of several acceptable choices and no one comes out of this looking worse than when they came in. Just an amazing spectacle and one of the best things I’ve ever seen in NXT, or any promotion for that matter.

Quick look at Ricochet winning the title from Cole at Takeover: Brooklyn IV.

Here are the nominees for Breakout Star of the Year:

Ricochet

Dakota Kai

Lars Sullivan

Rhea Ripley

War Raiders

Lacey Evans

EC3

Bianca Belair

Video on the rise and split of DIY. The fact that this is still going strong nine months later is remarkable.

From Takeover: New Orleans again.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Unsanctioned match, meaning anything goes and it’s pinfall or submission only with Gargano’s NXT career on the line. Ciampa comes out to no music, looking as carved up as you could imagine him being. The fans are all over him with some rather vulgar chants and Ciampa is reveling in soaking them all in. Ciampa gets on the corner and says that its his show and his moment. Fans: “F*** YOU CIAMPA!” He even closes his eyes to listen to the chants. Gargano’s music gets a heck of a reaction and you can feel the energy here. In a nice touch, the referee has a black shirt on instead of the usual referee gear.

They stare each other down at the bell and now it’s on with wild punches. That’s how it should start as there’s no reason for this to be about wrestling. The slingshot spear puts Ciampa down and Gargano stomps a heck of a mudhole in the corner before taking it to the floor. Ciampa gets sent over the barricade and Gargano dives right at him to get even more. This time Ciampa gets something out of it though by dropping Gargano ribs first across the barricade.

A backbreaker at ringside lets Ciampa shout even more…and it’s time to peel back the ringside mats. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen that and it’s a great sight to behold. Gargano slips out of a suplex attempt and kicks Ciampa in the head before throwing him over the announcers. Mauro gets in a MAMA MIA as he runs away but the fans cover for him with a MAMA MIA chant.

Gargano tries a piledriver on the table but Ciampa hits him with a monitor. That’s followed by a suplex to take Gargano off the table and to the floor with a sick thud. Ciampa gets creative by slamming Gargano onto the table cover as the pace slows. They get back inside with Ciampa’s face looking more and more evil by the second. Gargano uses the sneering break to get up for a slugout until a belly to back suplex cuts him off for one. A modified Texas Cloverleaf (more like a Liontamer) has Gargano in more trouble until he makes the rope….which means nothing here, as it shouldn’t.

Gargano crawls over the apron to force the break so Ciampa stomps on the back of his head, followed by applauding himself. The fans call Ciampa a rather mean British term and it’s made even worse as he steals a plant’s crutches. Back in and Gargano takes the crutch away and hits the rolling kick to the head to send Ciampa out to the apron. The slingshot DDT is blocked so Ciampa loads up an Air Raid Crash to the exposed concrete.

To prevent a bad case of death, Gargano reverses into a powerbomb onto the same concrete. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” Thank goodness, as I was worried about the fans cheering Ciampa for being too good of a villain. Somehow that’s not enough to end Ciampa so Gargano unloads with crutch shots. Ciampa backdrops him to the floor to save himself and Gargano hits his back on the apron. He’s fine enough to crutch Ciampa in the head though and the slingshot DDT gets two.

Gargano pulls the turnbuckle pad off but can’t hit the Lawn Dart. Instead he’s sent to the apron and the slingshot spear is kneed out of the air. A torture rack powerbomb gives Ciampa two more before he goes old school with the Meet in the Middle knee to the back of the head. That’s only two again and frustration/disbelief sets in. Back up and Gargano grabs the beard so he can hammer on Ciampa even more. A reverse hurricanrana is more like a Backstabber as Gargano can’t get Ciampa over.

Not that it matters as he grabs the Gargano Escape instead, even rolling back into the middle of the ring for good measure. Ciampa rakes the eye for the break, drawing a heck of a heel reaction from the fans. With nothing else working, Ciampa chokes with his wrist tape but Gargano grabs it and they slug it out (great touch as they’re attached here, just like they always have been).

Gargano gets the better of it but a low blow cuts him off. A crutch to the back and Project Ciampa (a powerbomb onto knees) give Ciampa two and they’re both spent. Ciampa pulls himself up and says this is his so Gargano slaps him in the face. A superkick has some more effect and now the Lawn Dart sends Ciampa into the buckle. The low superkick (and a GREAT one at that) gets two in an incredible false finish. They head up top and it’s a SUPER PROJECT CIAMPA (onto Ciampa’s bad knee) for two in an even better false finish that I bought even more than the previous one.

Ciampa takes the brace off instead and loads up the big running knee, only to get hit in the knee with the brace to cut him off. Gargano gets the crutch again and bends it down a bit….only to stop when Ciampa begs off. They sit next to each other (in a callback to their match in the Cruiserweight Classic back in 2016) but Ciampa swings with the brace. That misses though and it’s the Gargano Escape again. Gargano switches to an STF, using the brace to pull on Ciampa’s face for the tap at 36:59.

Rating: A+. And that might be the best match NXT has ever produced. This was a complete roller coaster with both guys looking like they wanted to kill the other, going from one great bit of violence to the next. Some of those near falls were great too, with the possibility that either of them could have won at different points. That being said, Gargano winning was the right call no matter what, as he was the hero in the end.

The emotion here was awesome too, with some perfect callbacks to the deep history between these two. I’ve seen this match a few times now and it does not get old, nor does it ever feel long. It’s an incredible performance and one of the best things I’ve ever seen in wrestling. Absolutely see this, but do yourself a favor and watch a lot of the earlier matches to set it up first. That’s the extra stuff that puts it over the top, making it one of the best things NXT has ever done.

Quick look at Ciampa winning the rematch at Takeover: Chicago which sent Gargano on a downward spiral.

Clips of Aleister Black winning the NXT Title from Andrade Cien Almas, also from Takeover: New Orleans.

From July 25.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black

Ciampa is challenging and still has no music. He even breaks up Black’s pre-match poses like a real villain. They lock up hard to start with Black getting the better of a technical exchange on the mat. It’s almost weird to see Ciampa wrestling but it makes sense because his hatred is at Johnny Gargano alone. A small package gives Black two as they’re still firmly in first gear. The hanging DDT is quickly broken up and Black hits his first kick to the chest to keep Ciampa down.

More kicks have Ciampa on the floor and Black moonsaults into the seated position so he can mock Ciampa’s wave. Back in and Ciampa gets in his first real shots to put Black on the floor for a whip into the steps. Now it’s Ciampa’s turn to mock Black’s pose because what’s good for one devil is good for another. Ciampa stays on the back with a backbreaker and an abdominal stretch.

Nigel is right there to talk about how this will weaken the Black Mass because it’s based on core strength because Nigel actually knows how to analyze a match. A Texas Cloverleaf switches over to the legs but Black is in the ropes pretty quickly. Black is fine enough to escape a super White Noise and a collision gives us a double knockdown, continuing the odd theory of one move balancing out a long stretch of offense.

More kicks have Ciampa in trouble and the standing Lionsault gets two. A hard kick to the head is good for the same and some kicks to the chest (Black: “TWEET ABOUT THIS!”) rock him even more. He’s fine enough to hit a top rope DDT for two but Black is right back with kicks to the head. A big spinning kick to the head sets up a German suplex for a near fall and Ciampa bails to the floor. Black misses a moonsault though and Ciampa sends him into the cameraman.

Back in and the hanging DDT gets a VERY close two so it’s time to pull the ring mats up. The referee starts yelling so Ciampa comes back in, only to be shoved into the referee, knocking him to the floor. Black Mass connects but there’s no one to count. Ciampa goes for the eye and grabs the title but here’s Gargano to superkick him. Gargano tries to take the belt away, sending it square into Black’s head. Ciampa sends Gargano outside and a lifting sitout Pedigree (Christopher Daniels’ Angel’s Wings, a FAR better finisher than that lame neckbreaker Ciampa was using) finishes Black at 22:18.

Rating: A-. It’s basically Shawn/Bret/Undertaker at Summerslam 1997 and that’s not a bad place to be. You could easily get to a triple threat from here and for once I like that idea instead of going with the trilogy. Black vs. Gargano could be awesome on its own and you could really milk the build to Gargano vs. Ciampa III where Gargano goes back to his normal self (how fitting of a first line to his theme music: “Be yourself, can’t be no no else.”) to defeat the evil once and for all.

The match itself was a great piece of drama with Black knowing he had the big weapon ready to win in the end but getting caught by outside interference and Ciampa being evil enough to take him down. Black is kept very strong as he knocked Ciampa cold and didn’t lose clean, making this another near perfectly booked match.

Recap of the Whodunit story to find out who attacked Black.

From Takeover: WarGames II.

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

Knee to the face beats Ohno in six seconds.

Ohno wasn’t happy and jumped Riddle a few weeks later.

Here are the nominees for Tag Team of the Year:

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

Street Profits

Heavy Machinery

Moustache Mountain

War Raiders

Undisputed Era

From Takeover: Chicago II.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly are defending and have Adam Cole in their corner. The fans are behind the champs here (well duh) as Strong headlocks Lorcan to start. It’s off to O’Reilly for a headlock takeover and some right hands to Burch’s head but Burch easily wins a slugout. Everything breaks down and Kyle gets suplexed onto Strong before the champs are sent to the floor.

That just leaves Burch and Lorcan to get booed out of the building as the heels are going to be over all night long. Back in and it’s Kyle taking a hard beating with Burch unloading on him in the corner. A distraction lets Strong dropkick Burch down though and the champs take over for the first time. Strong’s backbreaker gets two and a running kick to the face drops him again. We hit the armbar for a bit until Burch fights up for a heck of a headbutt to take O’Reilly down.

That’s enough for the hot tag off to Lorcan and it’s time for the running uppercuts. Lorcan nails a big running dive over the top and alternates chops to both champs. The double elevated DDT gets two on Strong but a Doomsday Device is broken up with Lorcan being shoved hard onto the apron. O’Reilly scores with an enziguri on Burch and the cross armbreaker goes on. Somehow that’s rolled over so Burch can grab a rope and the fans are NOT happy that he survived. Geez guys give the bald guys a chance.

The High/Low is broken up and Lorcan is back up with a double Blockbuster off the apron. Now the Doomsday Uppercut gets two as Cole pulls Strong out at the last second. That means an ejection and the fans now hate the referee too. Strong saves another elevated DDT but Lorcan suplexes his way out of a guillotine choke.

A blind tag brings Strong back in so Lorcan powerbombs him down as the referee tells them they have one minute left. The champs get caught in a double submission with O’Reilly having to kick Lorcan off a half crab to break up Burch’s Crossface. A slugout actually goes to the champs and the High/Low ends Lorcan at 15:59.

Rating: B. This was getting close to the great level and that’s a very solid place for an opener. They were also smart to let the fans cheer for the Undisputed Era early on as you know they’re going to be the most popular guys on the card all night long. Burch and Lorcan looked great here and they might have their day later on. This was all it needed to be though and you can probably have War Raiders waiting on the champs in Brooklyn.

Burch and Lorcan get a standing ovation post match.

Here are the nominees for Rivalry of the Year:

Andrade Cien Almas vs. Johnny Gargano

Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Undisputed Era vs. Moustache Mountain

Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet

Aleister Black vs. Nikki Cross vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane

Here are the nominees for the Future Star of the Year:

Matt Riddle

Mia Yim

Keith Lee

Forgotten Sons

Candice LeRae

Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

Kona Reeves

Dominik Dijakovic

Io Shirai

Here are the nominees for Match of the Year (only a sampling listed here but the full list is from WWE.com):

WarGames Match (TakeOver: WarGames)
Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (NXT Championship Match, TakeOver: Philadelphia)
Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed ERA (NXT Tag Team Championship Match, NXT TV, July 11, 2018)
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa (Unsanctioned Match, TakeOver: New Orleans)
NXT North American Championship Ladder Match (TakeOver: New Orleans)
Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT Women’s Championship Match, TakeOver: Brooklyn IV)
Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream (TakeOver: Chicago)
Aleister Black vs. Tommaso Ciampa (NXT Championship Match, NXT TV, July 25)
Pete Dunne vs. Zack Gibson (WWE U.K. Championship Match, NXT TV, Aug. 22)
Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole (Extreme Rules Match, TakeOver: Philadelphia)
Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly (WWE U.K. Championship Match, NXT TV, June 13)
Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan vs. Undisputed ERA (TakeOver: Chicago)
Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair (NXT TV, Sept. 12)
Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne (NXT North American Champion vs. WWE U.K. Champion Match, NXT TV, Sept. 19)
Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole (NXT North American Championship Triple Threat Match, NXT TV, Oct. 10)

From August 22:

Bianca Belair vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo has wrestled all over the indies and had a few appearances with NXT a few years back. The fans seem very pleased to see her as some early headlock takeovers are escaped with a nipup and a handstand. A headscissors into a Fujiwara armbar doesn’t work so Purrazzo tries it again, only to get caught in a gutbuster to put her in trouble. Belair crashes down onto Purrazzo’s back and we hit the full nelson.

Back up and some elbows to the ribs have Purrazzo in more trouble as the EST chants begin. Belair’s standing moonsault misses and a basement dropkick connects. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Belair fights up and hits a torture rack into the faceplant (kind of a reverse Samoan driver) for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: C-. This was exactly what it needed to be with the fans getting a little taste of Purrazzo as Belair goes over strong in the end. Purrazzo is going to be fine around here with her skill level (at 24 years old) and charisma so everything is going to be fine. Belair is likely coming for the title sooner rather than later.

Clips of Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black from Takeover: WarGames II.

We look at what seemed to be a DIY reunion in the cage match from two weeks ago.

Gargano isn’t sure what to think of what happened in the cage but he beat Black, which helps him become the hero at the end of the story.

Here are the nominees for Male Competitor of the Year:

Adam Cole

Pete Dunne

Andrade Cien Almas

Ricochet

Velveteen Dream

Johnny Gargano

Aleister Black

Tommaso Ciampa

Here are the nominees for Female Competitor of the Year:

Ember Moon

Nikki Cross

Kairi Sane

Bianca Belair

Shayna Baszler

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

Riddle misses an early jumping knee so it’s off to some kicks in the corner, followed by some running forearms. Ohno can’t block an exploder suplex and a backsplash crushes him all over again. Back up and Ohno hits a few shots of his own before giving Riddle a flipping backsplash of his own. A loud kick to the head rocks Riddle again but he somehow scores a German suplex. Ohno scores with a jumping knee to the head of his own and the cyclone kick gets two. Riddle isn’t having this though and kicks him down, setting up the Bromission, with some slaps to the chest, to make Ohno tap at 6:05.

Rating: C-. It was hard hitting with Riddle winning as he should have. Riddle needs to move on from Ohno now though as there isn’t anything left for him to do there. The first match didn’t mean anything other than a surprise so this was the right way to go for the rematch. Ohno is still fine for the role, though they might want to have him win something along the way so these things can mean something.

Post match Ohno looks devastated and near tears. Riddle offers him a fist bump but Ohno sadly walks away. He turns around and gets back in though, eventually giving Riddle the fist bump….and sending him into the post. Another posting on the floor sets up some whips into the steps, followed by a rolling elbow. A fist bump to the unconscious Riddle ends the show. This was rather long and didn’t need to happen as the feud should be done instead of continuing.

Overall Rating: B. With the matches you got to see on here, either in nearly full or shortened form, you can’t go wrong. It was a great year for NXT as things somehow got even better than they had been before, which I didn’t think was possible. It’s an outstanding collection of matches with a few things that didn’t need to be there but were harmless for the most part. NXT is incredible, but I’m pretty sure you already know that.

Results

Matt Riddle b. Kassius Ohno – Bromission

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

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

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

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

NXT
Date: December 5, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re back to Full Sail this week after taking last week’s show off for the sake of a week in San Jose, California. You could get some fun stuff this time around as well and a lot of that is due to starting the build towards Takeover: Phoenix. There are a bunch of ways the card could go and each one of them could be a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

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

In memory of Dynamite Kid.

Opening sequence.

Matt Riddle vs. Punishment Martinez

This is Martinez’s, a former ROH TV Champion, debut after signing not too long ago. They fight over a lockup to start and Riddle goes straight for the rear naked choke. That’s broken up with raw power so Riddle kicks away in the corner (with a BRO after each one). A Flying Burrito of all things rocks Martinez so he nails a spinwheel kick to the face. One heck of a clothesline has Riddle in more trouble so he comes back with some strikes to the ribs. A kick to the head has Martinez down and the Bromission makes him tap at 3:09.

Rating: C. Martinez looked awesome here (as tends to be the case) but this was an important test for Riddle. After being tested for the first time, he turned it o and beat the monster, which makes him look even better than usual. That’s the kind of thing you need to do with Riddle: show what he can do when he needs to, which makes him seem all the more dangerous.

Post match Kassius Ohno jumps Riddle.

Video on Ricochet.

Ricochet says he came here to win and that seems to be doing well since he has the North American Title. Now he wants to defend it and he’s going to do that next week. He’s off to find out who William Regal has in mind for him.

Heavy Machinery training video. They want the Tag Team Titles and have been on a roll in recent months. It’s been all steaks and weights and their journey isn’t complete until they win the titles. I’m very impressed that they’ve managed to keep this team going as it’s not the most in-depth concept but they’re still entertaining.

Three weeks from tonight, there will be a four way match to crown a new #1 contender to the Women’s Title. Bianca Belair qualified over the weekend.

Humberto Carrillo/Raul Mendoza vs. Forgotten Sons

Carrillo and Mendoza impressed me last time around. Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake for the Sons here. Mendoza slips between Cutler’s legs to start and dropkicks him down, followed by a wheelbarrow splash from Carrillo (stolen from the Lucha Bros). Blake comes in for a hard chop but Carrillo backflips away in a rather impressive looking sequence. Everything breaks down and Carrillo goes outside, leaving Blake run blast Mendoza in the face.

The Sons start in on Mendoza’s back with Blake stomping away and Cutler coming back in for a reverse chinlock. Mendoza flips away though and the hot tag brings in Carrillo to speed things back up. Cutler gets sent outside and a heck of a missile dropkick puts Blake down. A backflip into a moonsault gets two but Mendoza gets dropped again, leaving Blake to send Carrillo into the corner. The stomp/Scorpion Death Drop combination finishes Carrillo at 4:49.

Rating: C-. The Sons are an idea that should be better than they are. Maybe it’s the lack of Ryker in the ring but what we’re getting just isn’t doing anything for me. Carrillo and Mendoza on the other hand are an awesome team and two guys who are becoming a lot of fun to watch. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of them, which is about as nice of a thing as can be said.

Velveteen Dream, after turning on his music, says people are still talking about him after Takeover: WarGames II. The fans are still asking about him and he’s even heard HHH asking about him. Therefore, he won and Dream over.

The Undisputed Era doesn’t like EC3 and Bobby Fish says these waters are infested with sharks. While slapping a chair, Fish says they’ve bit him before and promises to do it again. They laugh off the tag division (Strong: “The Mighty. More like the Weakey.”) because this is their division, and that is undisputed.

Hanson is recovering from a host of injuries in WarGames.

Shayna Baszler vs. Dakota Kai

Non-title and Baszler has Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke with her. Kai goes straight at her to start and hits an early kick, sending Baszler rolling outside. She’s a little more comfortable out there though and sends Kai into the post to take over. Back in and Baszler loads up the stomp to the arm but Kai rolls away this time.

Baszler snaps the arm back anyway, making the referee ask if Kai can continue. Kai is fine enough to hit a rolling kick to the head and more kicks have Baszler in trouble. There are the running kicks in the corner but Baszler knees her in the face. Another kick drops Baszler and a top rope double stomp gets two. Baszler grabs the arm again and Kai has to climb the ropes for the break. A gutwrench superplex sends Kai flying but Baszler can’t follow up. Kai snaps off more kicks but gets pulled down into the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 6:07.

Rating: B. For the time they had, this was an awesome match with Kai giving it everything she had before falling in the end. I’ve been a fan of Kai’s since she debuted as there’s that special charm to her that makes you want to see her win. Baszler is a monster though and it’s hard to imagine her not being on the main roster early in the new year.

Post match Baszler and company beat Kai down until Io Shirai runs in for the save.

Dijakovic is still coming.

Next week: Bobby Fish vs. EC3 and Ricochet defends the North American Title.

Here’s Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. He’s proven himself to be a man of his word time after time. First he ended the fairy tale and then he turned the dream into a nightmare. The fans still don’t believe in him though and neither do the voices of NXT. But MAMA MIA here he stands! This title reign will go down in history as the greatest of all time and one day children will study his greatness. He was the best in the world in 2018 and 2019 will be no different, but here’s Aleister Black to disagree.

Black talks about finishing Johnny Gargano after Ciampa pulled Johnny’s puppet strings. The original sin must be destroyed though, and that’s why Black is getting his rematch at Takeover: Phoenix. This brings out Gargano to say he and Black aren’t finished yet. It’s over when Gargano says it’s over but Ciampa is impressed by Johnny suddenly growing a spine and becoming Johnny bada**. Fans: “JOHNNY BADA**!”

In Ciampa’s opinion, it should have been the two of them inside the cage at WarGames so maybe they need to finish their business. Maybe they need to finish it….say inside of a steel cage? Gargano is in but Black says that Johnny Wrestling is dead. He’ll fight Gargano anywhere, even in the parking lot. Gargano: “How did that go for you last time?”

The threat of Black Mass sends Gargano running so Black hits it on Ciampa to end the show. The mileage they’ve gotten out of this feud and story is remarkable. It doesn’t feel like they’re dragging it out and I want to see where it goes. Great stuff here and a very solid segment to set up a big match.

Overall Rating: C+. I watched this directly after the two NXT UK shows this week and it’s such a remarkable difference. It’s not a fair comparison to make as NXT UK hasn’t even had fifteen episodes yet, but the character development and pure variety you get around here is so much stronger. In the four major segments tonight you have an MMA fighter, luchadors, a women’s match, and a three way feud built entirely on hatred. There’s something for everyone and that’s just not the case over in the UK. I know they’re at two very different stages, but my goodness there are some lessons to be learned at Full Sail.

Results

Matt Riddle b. Punishment Martinez – Bromission

Forgotten Sons b. Humberto Carrillo/Raul Mendoza – Scorpion Death Drop/middle rope stomp combination to Carrillo

Shayna Baszler b. Dakota Kai – Kirifuda Clutch

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

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

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

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

In which I look at three NXT stars from Takeover.  I mean, it’s not like anything happened this week that I missed by writing this on Saturday is there?

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-nxt-three/

NXT
Date: October 31, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

Things got cranked up in a hurry last week as we now have two major stories going on at once. First and foremost, Johnny Gargano revealed himself as the man who attacked Aleister Black a few months ago, ending a long whodunit mystery and likely setting up a war at Takeover. Other than that, we might be heading for a triple threat match for the NXT Title with Tommaso Ciampa defending against Lars Sullivan and Velveteen Dream. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the search for Black’s attacker, with Nikki Cross saying she knew who did it and Black showing up last week, only to be attacked by Gargano. The “I’M RIGHT HERE” line is great.

Opening sequence.

Nikki Cross vs. Mercedes Martinez

This could be interesting. The fans are behind Martinez as Nikki seems rather pleased to be shoved back into the corner. With that not working, Nikki takes her down by the arm instead. Back up and Martinez charges into a boot in the corner but blocks the tornado DDT without much effort. A guillotine choke with the leg hooked keeps Cross in trouble but Mercedes lets go, allowing Cross to make a comeback with a bulldog.

Nikki is bleeding from the cheek as Martinez counters the fisherman’s neckbreaker into a spinebuster for the double knockdown. A pair of backdrop drivers set up a release German suplex but the fisherman’s buster is countered into a Regal Cutter. Nikki plants her with a DDT and the fisherman’s neckbreaker is good for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: B-. Well you knew Martinez would be a few steps ahead of almost anyone else they brought in. Nikki wasn’t about to lose when she was in such a prominent role in the Black/Gargano story and we even got a good match out of the whole thing. I don’t know if Martinez is going to be staying around but WWE could get a lot out of having her in the division.

Post match Candice LeRae (now with bangs that made me barely recognize her) to ask what Nikki is doing, but she leaves without saying anything. Nikki runs into Black at the entrance though and leaves the other way. Black goes to the ring where Candice says Johnny isn’t here. Black says Johnny is gone.

We recap the Street Profits vs. the Mighty with Montez Ford’s knee being hurt to give the Mighty the win. They even stole the Profits’ cup.

The Mighty vs. Street Profits

Thorn and Dawkins start things off and it’s already time for Thorn to bail towards the ropes. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Profits clear the ring in a hurry. Ford’s big flip dive takes both of them out but Miller busts up his spine back inside. The pace slows a good bit with Ford trying to fight out of the corner but getting caught in a Falcon Arrow for two.

Ford finally goes aerial by diving over Thorn and making the hot tag off to Dawkins to clean house. Dawkins’ powerbomb is countered with a hurricanrana so Thorn loads up Miller in a powerbomb as Miller superplexes Ford for a cool double team spot. That’s good for two with Dawkins making the save, leaving Ford to hit the frog splash for the pin on Thorn at 7:07.

Rating: C-. It’s very rare that a feud in NXT does nothing for me but that’s the case here. I don’t know if it’s the Mighty (though that seems to be a strong possibility) but this has been one of the most lifeless stories I can remember NXT putting on in a long time. It’s not that it’s terrible or even bad. Instead, it’s not interesting and that’s actually worse.

The Profits regain the cup.

William Regal makes Velveteen Dream vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the title at Takeover. Black comes in and wants Gargano, so Regal makes that match for Takeover as well.

Lars Sullivan is throwing a bunch of stuff because that was his title shot. If Dream is in that spot now, Sullivan will take him out and replace him.

Luke Menzies vs. Matt Riddle

Riddle’s theme music starts with BRO, he’s billed as the King of Bros, and he jumps into the air to kick his flip flops into different corners, meaning he’s wrestling barefoot. Riddle takes him by the leg to start and flips him into a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Menzies hits him with a running shoulder so Riddle starts snapping off the kicks to the chest. A running forearm in the corner misses and Menzies tosses him with a belly to belly.

Riddle is right back up with a kick to the head and another one to the chest as the fans are WAY into the BRO chants. A running knee to the chest sets up the hard elbows to the face, followed by something like a seated abdominal stretch (also called a Twister, or the Bromission here) for the tap at 3:22.

Rating: C. Well that worked. Riddle looked awesome (because he is awesome) and while Menzies got in some offense, Riddle shrugged all of it off and destroyed him for the win. You can pencil him in for a bigger match at Takeover against Kassius Ohno and that’s where we’ll get the real showcase. Good debut here though, with the match going as it should have and the submission finisher looking great.

Clip of Shayna Baszler regaining the Women’s Title at Evolution.

After the match, a still weakened Sane went after Baszler but just didn’t have the energy.

Next week: Sullivan vs. Dream.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Raul Mendoza/Humberto Carrillo

Mendoza and Burch start things off and we get a nice handshake. A headscissors takes Burch down and it’s off to Carrillo to work on the arm. Some European uppercuts get Burch out of trouble though and it’s already off to Lorcan. Humberto gets caught in a double top wristlock but backflips out with a double armdrag.

Lorcan and Burch are sent outside for stereo suicide dives but Humberto’s moonsault hits raised boots (with Lorcan shoving his feet up instead of just holding them up). Mendoza comes in and hits some running forearms, followed by an enziguri for each of them. Burch hiptosses him into the corner though and it’s the spike DDT for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C+. That was WAY better than I was expecting, which is a nice relief as I was hoping they wouldn’t squash someone as talented as Mendoza. They had me thinking we might even see the big upset here, which is hard to pull off in a match this short. Both teams could go somewhere and I hope we see more from Mendoza and Carrillo.

The Undisputed Era is doing their usual promo in the back when the War Raiders run in and jump them ahead of their scheduled match. They fight outside with Cole being lawn darted into a production truck but Strong comes back with a trashcan. Some weapons shots have the War Raiders down but here’s Ricochet to dive off a table to take everyone down. Fish tries to get inside but Hanson shows up and throws him into a garage door.

With Ricochet and Cole fighting elsewhere, the other five come inside with the Raiders wrecking the three of them. Ricochet and Cole join them but a shot to Hanson’s knee cuts him down. The Era takes over but here’s Pete Dunne (POP) with a chair for the save. Cole’s hand is smashed as Ricochet and Rowe are back up. Cue Regal and the fans know what’s coming. WARGAMES is officially confirmed between the eight of them, sending the Era into a panic to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending announcement alone is cool to see and helps the show itself, which was already pretty good. This was the night where a lot of Takeover’s card was set up in one night and that often makes for some of the most entertaining shows they have. I’m fired up for the show now and that means they did their job here, as the perfect timing of these things continues.

Results

Nikki Cross b. Mercedes Martinez – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Street Profits b. The Mighty – Frog splash to Thorn

Matt Riddle b. Luke Menzies – Bromission

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. Raul Mendoza/Humberto Carrillo – Spike DDT to Mendoza

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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