IMG Credit: WWE

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush

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

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

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

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

Tegan Nox and Rhea Ripley have been attacked.

Video on Shayna Baszler invading the main roster.

Xia Li vs. Aliyah

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

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

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

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

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

Keith Lee vs. Roderick Strong

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

Respect is shown post match.

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

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne

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

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

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

Mia Yim vs. Io Shirai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Lio Rush b. Angel Garza – Final Hour

Xia Li b. Aliyah – Spinning kick to the face

Keith Lee b. Roderick Strong – Supernova

Isaiah Scott b. Bronson Reed – House Call

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

Video on Mia Yim.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tyler Bate vs. Cameron Grimes

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Angel Garza.

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

Undisputed Era vs. Matt Riddle/Keith Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Io Shirai b. Candice LeRae – Lionsault to a chair

Bronson Reed b. Shane Thorne – Top rope splash

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

Cameron Grimes b. Tyler Bate – Cave In

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: 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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 16, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big night as we have the return of Tommaso Ciampa to in ring action. That’s quite the get for NXT, as they are in for a fight against Dynamite. There are only so many people you can throw out there and Ciampa is already a legend around here. Speaking of legends, the advertisements for the show have featured Finn Balor so we could be in for another major appearance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Angel Garza

Ciampa gets the hero’s return welcome. They start fast with Ciampa running him over but they both miss kicks to the ribs, allowing Garza to kneel for a handshake over. Ciampa kicks that away but gets enziguried for his efforts. Back in and the Fairy Tale Ending is blocked and Garza dropkicks him in the corner for a trip to the floor.

That means a big flip dive but hang on, because GARZA HAS TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. Ever the pants fan, Ciampa snaps and stomps away in the corner, before stomping on the Mexican flag in the corner, including a kneeing knee. He even loads up the Fairy Tale Ending on the flag but stops to hit the Willow’s Bell (hanging DDT) to finish Garza at 3:17.

Rating: C. The stuff with the flag was a little weird but at least they didn’t go into anything too strange and it didn’t become a mess. It’s good to have Ciampa back and there was no reason to have him break a major sweat in his first match back. I’m a bit surprised by having Garza be the one to take the fall here, but Ciampa is what matters the most.

Post match here’s the Undisputed Era to stare Ciampa down. Ciampa grabs his chair and crutch but hang on a second as Kyle O’Reilly goes over to the announcers’ table and throws Mauro a USB drive. The Era walks out without saying or doing anything else.

Post break we see what is on the USB, which shows the Era in the back, having laid out the Velveteen Dream and Strong BREAKING HIS SUNGLASSES.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Imperium

Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner for Imperium and they have Alexander Wolfe as a bonus. Aichner literally throws Burch into the corner to start so Burch runs him over with a shoulder. It’s off to Lorcan for a double elbow so Barthel comes in, only to dive into a headbutt from Burch.

It seems to mess with Burch even more though as Barthel hits a sliding dropkick in the corner as we take a break. Back with Burch hitting Aichner in the face and bringing Burch in for the house cleaning. Uppercuts into a slingshot dive to the floor sets up a big dive onto both of them. Back in and Burch German suplexes Aichner, followed by a powerbomb into a jackknife cover for two.

The assisted elevated DDT is broken up by Barthel so it’s Lorcan and Aichner chopping it out. Barthel dives on Burch on the floor, leaving Aichner to hit a double springboard moonsault for a close two on Lorcan. That leaves Lorcan to get beaten up with a series of strikes and the European Bomb gives Barthel the pin at 8:32.

Rating: B-. This was about four people beating the heck out of each other and that’s exactly what we got. Lorcan and Burch are not looking like a team who will ever win the titles, though that tends to make them guaranteed champions around here. Imperium being on both NXT and NXT UK adds a fresh change of pace around here and it’s an interesting twist.

Video on Johnny Gargano. He has wanted to wrestle forever and is living his dream by staying in NXT.

Gargano isn’t sure what to think about Ciampa being back and won’t know what to think until they see each other face to face.

Io Shirai vs. Kayden Carter

Carter starts fast but flips around once too often and gets shouldered down. Something like a sunset flip gives Carter two and Shirai bails to the floor. That doesn’t go well for Carter as Shirai hits her in the face, setting up a springboard missile dropkick for two back inside. Carter sweeps the leg though and a kick to Shirai’s chest staggers her a bit. A low superkick gets two on Shirai but she’s right back with a hard release German suplex. The moonsault finishes Carter at 2:37. That was a rather entertaining match for so little time.

Post match, Shirai says she only wants Shayna Baszler and not Rhea Ripley or Bianca Belair. Cue Ripley and Shirai is looking a bit nervous. Rhea is ready for Belair next week but she’ll shut Shirai up too. Shirai teases a fight but bails instead.

We look back at Killian Dain distracting Boa so Cameron Grimes could beat him in about five seconds. Dain destroyed Boa after the match for a bonus.

Boa wants revenge on Dain.

William Regal says Velveteen Dream is out of action for the time being due to the attack. Therefore, Strong needs a new #1 contender so Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic is now for a title shot.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

The winner gets Strong for the North American Title next week. The exchange of shoulders goes nowhere to start so they try it again for the same result. They try a test of strength with Lee going to one arm and lifting him into the air in a nice power display. Lee shoulders him down and stays on the arm with a splash for two.

Back up and Dijakovic gets in a clothesline with the good arm and we take a break. We come back with Lee hammering away in the corner before tossing him across the ring. The Pounce gives Lee two and Dijakovic’s sitout chokeslam gets the same. Dijakovic can’t hit a superplex though as Lee shoves him down and hits a middle rope splash onto the arm. The Spirit Bomb sends Dijakovic rolling out to the floor but he’s right back with the cyclone boot for two back inside.

That means it’s Lee’s turn so he muscles Dijakovic up (on the third time in a crazy strength display) for a suplex and the big crash. Lee loads up what looked to be a Vader Bomb so Dijakovic gets him in an electric chair, which is countered into a reverse hurricanrana for the big knockdown. They get to the corner with Lee loading up a super powerbomb, only to have Strong come out and hit both of them at the same time for the no contest at 15:23.

Rating: B. It was good, but they were under the pressure of their previous outstanding matches and it didn’t hold up as well as they were shooting for. What we got was good, though the ending is the same heel idea that has never worked before and hopefully they get to the point and do the triple threat. We don’t need to see these two again in another singles match for a long time though, because the impact isn’t as strong anymore.

Hold on though as Regal wastes no time in saying that isn’t going to work and next week it’s a triple threat match for the title.

Matt Riddle vs. Bronson Reed

Riddle’s shoe flip misfires this time for a somewhat funny moment. We get a quick bit of respect before Riddle hits him in the face. The Final Flash sets up the running forearms in the corner and a t-bone suplex makes it even worse. Reed runs him over though and drops a backsplash for a fast two.

Riddle is right back with a powerbomb and the second Final Flash for two of his own. The Floating Bro is countered into a sitout powerbomb to knock Riddle silly and the straps come down. Reed tries a suplex but Riddle reverses into a sleeper. That’s escaped as well and Reed tries to jump over Riddle in the corner, only to get caught on Riddle’s shoulder in a rather nice power display. The Bro Derek finishes Reed at 3:04.

Rating: C. This was a fired up Riddle, who threw everything he had at Reed and took the big guy down. Reed looked good as well though as you can always use a monster who can move. It was more about Riddle here though and this should get him back on tract after the loss to Cole.

Video on Bianca Belair, who is ready to beat Shayna and is tired of people jumping in front of her.

Kushida has a fractured wrist and will be out for a month.

Taynara vs. Tegan Nox

Nox starts fast with a kick to the face for two but a bicycle kick puts her on the floor in a heap. Back in and Taynara gets in some rolling judo throws into some running knees in the corner for two. Nox is right back up and a running knee and a chokeslam, followed by a Willie Mack style reverse Cannonball. The Shiniest Wizard finishes Taynara at 2:55. Mauro:” Tegan Nox it out of the park!” She did look good here and just seeing her getting to wrestle again without having her knee explode is a good sign.

Post match Dakota Kai comes out to hug Nox but here are the Horsewomen to interrupt. Baszler doesn’t like the idea of Nox jumping into the title picture because she’s running out of limbs to rehab. When she does something important, come see the champ.

Finn Balor talks about needing a new path to take so he’s taking the one he took before. He’s in the ring next week.

Boa vs. Killian Dain

Boa kicks away to start and a spinning kick to the head sends Dain to the floor. That’s about it for Boa’s offense though as Dain starts the power by crushing him in the corner and whips him into another corner for a bonus. A snap suplex gets a nonchalant two and it’s off to the nerve hold. Boa tries a comeback but runs into a clothesline, setting up the three Vader Bombs to give Dain…no cover as instead he grabs something like a seated abdominal stretch for the tap at 3:37.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here for the most part with Dain dominating, as he should. Boa is someone with a good look though he is just one of the warm bodies around to take beating at the moment. That can change in the future though and he looked good for the first thirty seconds or so.

Pete Dunne comes out for his match but gets in a staredown with Dain. For some reason Dain thinks it’s a good idea to point his finger at Dunne, who snaps it to send Dain running.

Pete Dunne vs. Damien Priest

Priest goes with an elbow to the face to start before winning a battle of the kicks. With that not working for Dunne, he grabs the finger and gets in the stomp to the arm to take over. They head outside with Dunne working on the arm even more, including another stomp on the steps. Priest kicks him off the apron though and a right hand puts Dunne down again as we take a break.

Back with Dunne hitting a superplex and striking away with lefts and rights. An enziguri sets up a middle rope dropkick to the knee and Priest heads outside again. That doesn’t go well either as Dunne hits the middle rope moonsault for another knockdown. Back in and a Liger Bomb gives Dunne two more so he loads up the stomps, only to get kicked in the head.

Dunne can’t get a cross armbreaker so he tries a triangle, which Priest counters into a rollup with feet on the ropes for two. Priest sends him shoulder first into the post and gets two of his own off a Razor’s Edge (somehow without a Razor Ramon reference from Mauro). Dunne is sent outside for a crazy running flip dive from Priest, followed by the South of Heaven chokeslam for another near fall.

They slug it out with Priest turning him inside out with a clothesline. The Reckoning is blocked but Dunne can’t hit the Bitter End. Another chokeslam is countered with an enziguri so Priest hits a spinning kick to the head. They’re both down but Dunne gets up first, only to have his moonsault hit knees. Dunne slips out of a powerbomb though and cranks on the finger, with the referee getting between them. That’s enough for a low blow from Priest and the Reckoning gives Priest the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B. This worked very well with two guys beating the heck out of each other and one of them taking the shortcut to win in the end. Dunne doesn’t lose anything here and you can almost guarantee a rematch here, perhaps in the form of a tag match with Dain joining Priest against Dunne and….Riddle maybe? If that’s still a thing?

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped a lot here but the show hasn’t felt quite as special since the show moved up to two hours. The shows are still quite good though and we are getting some big stuff in the future, though it doesn’t have exactly the same spark that it had for all those years. Good show here, though it was missing a little something.

Overall, AEW wins this week but as usual it’s just by a hair. They had a tighter show with better matches up and down the card. The big tag match on Dynamite was the best thing all night and I liked how they were setting up Full Gear. NXT worked rather well too, though it lagged a few times and it hurt things just enough to give Dynamite the win.

Results

Tommaso Ciampa b. Angel Garza – Willow’s Bell

Imperium b. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – European Bomb to Lorcan

Io Shirai b. Kayden Carter – Moonsault

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic went to a no contest when Roderick Strong interfered

Matt Riddle b. Bronson Reed – Bro Derek

Tegan Nox b. Taynara – Shiniest Wizard

Killian Dain b. Boa – Seated abdominal stretch

Damien Priest b. Pete Dunne – Reckoning

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 2, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuiness

As big of a night as it is on the other show, this one is huge in its own right with the first full two hour broadcast on USA. The card is completely stacked with three title matches for a new Takeover level show. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but NXT knows how to bring it on the big nights. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is the exclusive brand of wrestling and if that’s what you’re looking for, welcome home (nice touch).

NXT Title: Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and has a broken bone in his wrist. Riddle goes straight for the armbar to start in a smart move but Cole is straight over to the rope. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes give Riddle one and he kicks Cole outside without much effort. Cole is fine enough to hit a jumping kick to the head to stagger Riddle though and Cole sends him into the steps for a bonus.

Back in and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Cole two and we hit the figure four necklock. Riddle fights up and hits some running forearms in the corner, setting up the standing moonsault. That doesn’t connect so Riddle hits a Broton into a running kick to the chest for two. The Final Flash into the fisherman’s buster gets the same and a dead lift German suplex gets the third two.

Riddle puts him in a fireman’s carry but Cole slips down into a Backstabber for the double knockdown. Cole gets smart by stomping on Riddle’s bare feet before superkicking him in the face. Riddle is fine enough to hit a knee before tossing Cole onto the back of his head with a release German suplex. Cole is right back up with the brainbuster onto the knee for two more and they’re both down to a huge NXT chant.

Back up and Riddle kicks him in the face but can’t hit something on the apron. Instead Cole kicks him to the floor but dives into a knee to the face. Back in and the Floating Bro hits knees, setting up Cole’s Panama Sunrise for two more. Another Panama Sunrise is countered into a Bro To Sleep and a powerbomb. Another Floating Bro connects for a very hot two and Riddle is stunned at the kickout.

Riddle tries a flip over the ropes but gets superkicked, setting up the second Panama Sunrise. The Last Shot misses and the Bromission goes on in the middle of the ring. Cole flips back and stacks him up for two, only to get pulled into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s escaped as well and Cole gets in a cast shot, setting up the Last Shot to retain at 13:49.

Rating: B. Good match here, even if some of the submission escapes were a bit of a stretch. What we got was some high enough quality stuff though and the always hot Full Sail crowd helped make it even better. I’m a bit surprised Riddle lost, though I’m certainly not surprised that Cole cheated to win, which protects Riddle enough.

Post match Cole poses….and here’s Finn Balor. He soaks in the cheers and stares Cole down before declaring that as of now, he is NXT.

Shayna Baszler watched Candice LeRae’s match at a house show last week and LeRae isn’t surprised. LeRae is ready to win the title.

Here’s Velveteen Dream, surrounded by an army of women, for a chat on the stage. Dream talks about the experience and how the Undisputed Era tried to steal it. He’s never had a problem with taking on more than one man at a time so he has a challenge for Roderick Strong. If he accepts, the next thing he knows it’s going to be dream over, and a snap takes the lights off.

Next week: Drew Gulak defends the Cruiserweight Title against Lio Rush. The title is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title.

Video on Lio Rush.

Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim

Shirai starts fast and takes it to the floor with a kick to the face staggering Mia. We go picture in picture for a break and come back with Shirai hitting a running dropkick to the side of the head for two, meaning it’s time for some frustration. A flapjack into a handstand double knees to the chest gets two more but Mia is back with a suplex. Some shots to the face and a clothesline give Yim two but some kicks to the chest cut her off.

A 619 into a springboard missile dropkick get two more on Yim, who is right back with Code Blue. Shirai bails to the floor for a suicide dive and we go picture in picture again….which switches to a full commercial and then back to picture in picture again. Anyway we’re back with Yim hitting a superplex for two. Shirai is done with this though and kicks her in the face, setting up the moonsault for the pin at 14:43.

Rating: C+. It was a good, hard hitting match but I still cannot bring myself to care about Mia. I don’t know if it’s the bad nicknames or the character but it’s really not clicking at all. Hopefully this loss seems to indicate that she is going down the card, which almost feels like a relief at this point. She’s not terrible, but I can’t get into anything she does.

The Outsiders are here.

The Street Profits arrived earlier today. Of note: Bianca Belair is mentioned as Montez Ford’s wife, I believe for the first time on television.

Video on Tegan Nox’s injury and long time recovery.

Shane Thorne vs. Johnny Gargano

Johnny teases a kick to the face so Shane goes to the safety of the mat instead. Gargano rolls him up for two and tries the Gargano Escape to send Throne to the ropes. Back from a break with Johnny hitting the rolling kick to the head before sending Thorne outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Johnny tries it again and knocks Throne down in a crash.

The slingshot spear gets two but the slingshot DDT is countered. A Cannonball into a heck of a powerbomb gives Thorne two so he kicks Gargano in the head. That’s fine with Johnny, who snaps off a reverse hurricanrana. The low superkick (ala his half of Meet in the Middle) gives Johnny the pin at 8:53.

Rating: C. Just a match here as it’s almost strange to see Gargano winning a short match instead of some epic. I don’t think anyone was really expecting Thorne to take off as the next big thing so a short match with Gargano was about as good as he was going to get. What we got here was fine enough, though I’m not sure what Gargano can do next.

Women’s Title: Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending. Feeling out process to start with Candice knocking her to the floor. The slingshot dive takes us to an early break and we come back with Candice being knocked off the top. Baszler crushes the arm in the steps and it’s time to crank away back inside. Candice is right back up and hits a DDT onto the apron, setting up the suicide dive to drop Baszler again.

A second and third dive connect as well and Candice heads up top, only to get superplexed right back down as we take another break. Back again with Candice snapping off a German suplex and grabbing her own Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler is out of that in a hurry and grabs her own clutch out of the corner, which is reversed into Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride for two more. The Lionsault misses though and now the real Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Candice flips around a bit and almost breaks it but has to tap at 14:50.

Rating: B-. I am genuinely at a loss for who is supposed to take the title from Baszler. They’re going to have to import some names at this point with Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai being too fresh off of injuries to go to so soon. Rhea Ripley has already had her match so maybe….Toni Storm? Perhaps? I mean is there anyone other than someone from NXT UK?

Stephanie McMahon, Mark Henry and Alundra Blayze are here.

Video on Kushida vs. Walter, which takes place next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch

Dunne nips out of a wristlock to start as they fight over early arm control. Burch avoids having his fingers stomped and reverses an armbar into a quickly broken Crossface attempt. A missed right hand gives us a staredown until Dunne blasts him with a clothesline. Back from a break with Burch getting the better of a slugout as someone is bleeding from somewhere. Dunne hits a Batista Bomb for two but Burch headbutts him into a powerbomb of his own. The top rope hanging DDT gets two but Dunne has had it and snaps the fingers. Dunne grabs the Bitter End for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. Good, hard hitting brawl here as I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of Dunne as a regular wrestler instead of the big specialty star. Burch is very good for a spot like this as he can wrestle against anyone and has good enough matches to keep himself solid despite almost never winning anything.

Post match Dunne poses but Damian Priest runs in and lays him out.

Cole tells the Undisputed Era to forget about Balor and go keep the Tag Team Titles.

We look at the Street Profits winning and losing the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging and Wale raps them to the ring. Dawkins wrestles O’Reilly down to start before running him over with a shoulder. That means an early standoff and the champs bail to the floor. We take a break and come back with Ford getting taken into the champs’ corner. Ford get knocked down so O’Reilly dances a bit, allowing Ford to nip up. That earns him another beating though, including a slingshot hilo to give Fish two.

Some forearms to the face keep Ford down as the heat segment rolls on. Three Amigos give Fish two and it’s a double kick to the chest for two more. We take another break and come back again with Fish kicking Ford down again. Ford finally gets in a Rock Bottom but Fish is right there to pull Dawkins off the apron. Some rolling butterfly suplexes keep Ford in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch.

Ford finally gets out and dives over for the hot tag to Dawkins, who runs through a double kick to the chest. A clothesline drops Fish and Dawkins bulldogs O’Reilly onto him for a cool spot. Everything breaks down and Dawkins’ spear is blocked with a knee to the face, allowing O’Reilly to come off the top onto Dawkins’ knee. The kneebar goes on and Fish adds a guillotine to Ford.

That’s broken up as Ford drives forward for the double escape and everyone is staggered. Ford hits a splash onto Fish’s back but an electric chair is broken up. The champs tease leaving so Ford hits a running flip dive over the post onto all three. Cue Roderick Strong to grab Ford’s foot so Dawkins spears him down. The distraction is enough for the High/Low to retain the titles at 20:06.

Rating: B. These four have chemistry together but it was pretty clear that the Profits were going to be the short term, one time champions. There’s nothing wrong with that and it makes sense to have them lose here. I’m not sure who is next to go after the titles, though Breezango would seem like a logical way to go.

Post match the Era celebrates with Cole coming out to the stage to pose….and here’s Tommaso Ciampa to circle Cole and look at the title. The place goes nuts and singes along with Ciampa’s song as the staredown ends the show. Well he’s the biggest face in the company now. Maybe? Dang it’s cool to have two huge names appear on one night like that.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah they brought the big time atmosphere as they always do and had the wrestling to back it up. What matters most here though is the two major returns as NXT’s main event scene is instantly energized again, which is a place where WWE has a major advantage: with so much talent on all of their rosters, they can swap people in and have fresh matches and moments for years. “Hey here’s a former World Champion who is a god in NXT. Oh and to close out the show, one of the most popular stars NXT has ever seen.” Not bad for two hours and there happened to be an awesome show in between.

Having seen both shows, NXT was a better (though not much better) show but this really isn’t a fair comparison. NXT has a long history, established stories and a far deeper roster with WWE support. Coming into tonight, AEW has about as much total time on air as WWE produces in about two weeks. The comparisons can come in a few months when AEW has gotten its footing, but NXT won by a bit tonight, though you can’t go wrong watching either show.

Results

Adam Cole b. Matt Riddle – Last Shot

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Moonsault

Johnny Gargano b. Shane Thorne – Low superkick

Shayna Baszler b. Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch

Pete Dunne b. Danny Burch – Bitter End

Undisputed Era b. Street Profits – High/Low to Ford

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: 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:

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: September 18, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to make this show live and double the length as well because of course it is. This is the first episode of the anti-AEW defense system and that means we’re in for a stacked show. That would include Velveteen Dream defending the North American Title against Roderick Strong and a street fight between Matt Riddle and Killian Dain. Let’s get to it.

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

An extreme closeup of HHH opens the show, with the boss talking about how this is the present and the future. He’s ready to show us what this is and we get a first person trip through the curtain to see the arena.

Mauro welcomes us to the show and the arena looks more vibrant than usual, though it may be the difference between a laptop and a TV.

Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a shot at Shayna Baszler at some point in the future. Candice goes right after Shirai to start but Io gets sent outside. Belair’s handspring moonsault gets two on Candice with Mia making the save. Shirai’s springboard missile dropkick gets the same on Belair with no one making a save. Belair slams Candice on the floor so Mia dives onto both of them, setting up the huge top rope moonsault from Shirai to send us to a break (that’s going to take some getting used to).

Back with Belair getting the worst of a Tower of Doom, followed by Candice grabbing a Black Widow on Belair until Shirai makes the save. Candice suplexes Shirai to the floor but walks into a reverse Alabama Slam into the buckle. Mia breaks up the KOD and hits Code Blue for two on Belair with Shirai making a save.

Belair spears Shirai and Yim down, setting up the KOD for two on LeRae. Protect Ya Neck sends Belair outside but Shirai sends Candice to the floor as well. Running knees in the corner rock Candice but Mia sends Shirai outside. Candice spikes Mia with a reverse hurricanrana and adds a Lionsault for the pin and the title shot at 9:59.

Rating: B-. This worked well with everyone working hard and some good near falls throughout. Candice winning is the absolute right call as she hasn’t gotten a shot at the champ yet and is the better of the two faces in the whole match. It would be a great underdog story to see Candice win the title and that’s how you want to present things from here. Great way to open things and show what NXT is about too.

Post match Shayna Baszler and her cronies come out to stare Candice down.

Quick Adam Cole video.

Video on Dominick Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee and their instant classic last month. They meet again next week.

Video on Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain to set up tonight’s street fight.

Sean Maluta vs. Cameron Grimes

Standing double stomp finishes Maluta at nine seconds.

Video on Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong.

Video on Damien Priest.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong

Strong is challenging. Dream takes him into the corner so Strong shoves him away, meaning it’s time to grapple to the mat. A clothesline puts Strong on the floor but Dream is ready for a springboard, sending Strong outside for some ranting and a break. Back with Dream hitting a dropkick for one and hitting an ax handle to put Strong on the floor. That means another ax handle but Strong is right back with a suplex onto the barricade.

Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by another backbreaker for two. Dream is back up and tries the Sharpshooter but get knocked to the floor instead. A right hand sends Strong into the steps and we take another break. Back again with Dream slugging his way out of the top rope superplex and hitting another ax handle. The Dream Valley Driver gets two but Strong pulls him to the apron. A kick to the face has Dream hanging over the middle rope and Strong ties the arms in the ropes.

Strong hits a series of running shots to the face and it’s another backbreaker into a tiger bomb for two. The Strong Hold goes on so Dream makes the slow crawl to the ropes. Cue the Undisputed Era and of course the ref gets bumped. There’s another Dream Valley Driver but Dream has to knock the Era off the apron. End of Heartache gets a great near fall and Dream hits another Dream Valley Driver. Cole superkicks Dream off the top though and it’s another End of Heartache to give the Era all the titles at 22:30.

Rating: B. I know it’s all about the moment but the match never hit that other gear that Dream matches can get to. Maybe it was the obvious ending but other than that near fall off the first End of Heartache, there wasn’t much here to get excited about. You can see where they’re going with WarGames, but this Undisputed Era Holds All The Titles deal isn’t all that interesting.

We move to the WWE Network and recap the title change.

We recap the four way. Baszler vs. LeRae is in two weeks.

Pete Dunne vs. Arturo Ruas

They trade arm holds to start and it’s an early standoff. With the wrestling out of the way, it’s time for a slugout with Dunne nailing a clothesline. Dunne misses the stomp to the arm and Ruas cartwheels over for a kick to the face. Ruas is back with more kicks to the chest and another to the knee keeps Dunne down.

Another kick is blocked by a grab of the knee for some toe manipulation. The dragon screw legwhip sets up more strikes to Ruas, followed by the stomp to the fingers. The X Plex gets two on Ruas, who is right back with more strikes to the face. Dunne enziguris him and grabs the triangle, meaning it’s time to bend the fingers back for the tap at 6:41.

Rating: C+. The technical stuff was good here though I’m still having issues getting used to seeing Dunne having regular matches. The fact that he is around regularly now is a great sign for the future as Dunne has seemed ready to break through every ceiling there is in WWE and having him presented more often is a great thing.

Xia Li vs. Aliyah

Li goes straight to the kicking to start and Aliyah gets knocked down in a variety of ways. A kick to the leg sets up a spinning kick to the back of the head to finish Aliyah at 1:50. That was quite the surprise as I was expecting Aliyah to get beaten up until she won with a cheating rollup or something. Well done on going with a surprise.

Denzel DeJournette vs. Kushida

Hold on though as here’s Imperium, minus Walter, to beat down Denzel. The fans want Walter and here he is to a MONSTER pop. Walter introduces the team and promises to make anyone who disrespects them pay the price to the ring general. Cue Kushida, who says this is his time. The rest of the team is cleared out but Walter rips off Kushida’s vest. That earns him a kick to the face but Kushida is smart enough to bail. This is where NXT can shine: take two stars you wouldn’t expect to see go at it and then pair them together. It helps when you have several all star teams worth of talent at your disposal.

Lio Rush vs. Oney Lorcan

The winner gets a Cruiserweight Title shot at some point in the future and hokey smoke Rush is allowed to exist again. Lorcan hits some running elbows in the corner and gets two off a Blockbuster. As the announcers explain that Lorcan is angry that Rush is getting this spot (explaining things we wouldn’t otherwise know as commentary should do), the half and half is blocked and Lorcan is sent outside. Three straight suicide dives hit Lorcan but he’s fine enough to whip Rush hard into the corner. Another shot to the face puts Rush on the floor but he’s right back in, allowing Lorcan to hit a gutwrench powerbomb for two.

The half crab works on Rush some more and a chop sends Rush to his knees. Rush is right back with a bottom rope springboard into a Stunner for a VERY close two but he tweaks his knee on a frog splash attempt. Lorcan is right on the leg and powerbombs him into another half crab. Lorcan switches into an STF but somehow Rush makes it over to the rope for another break. For some reason Rush slaps him in the face and Lorcan is all fired up, only to run into a standing Spanish Fly. The Dragon’s Call finishes Lorcan at 10:15.

Rating: C. It’s hard to imagine Rush not winning the title to kick the title’s run on NXT off in a hurry, though I’m not sure how wise it is to have Rush go away for six months and then hand him a title as soon as he gets back. Maybe that won’t be the case, but it’s hard to imagine Gulak retaining the title again.

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

Street fight. Dain goes right at him to start and the fight is on with Riddle not being able to get much in. The Broton hits knees and it’s time for the weapons in a hurry. They fight into the crowd with Dain hitting his own backsplash and they brawl into the back. Riddle gets thrown into the side of a production truck but knees Dain. They fight over to Walter, who jumps Riddle despite not being touched.

Imperium, the Street Profits and the Forgotten Sons (who we saw during the brawl) all get in on it and it’s time to head into the arena again. Pete Dunne and maybe Danny Burch are in there as well with security breaking up Riddle and Dain. Security gets beaten up as well and more wrestlers get involved until Dain is left alone in the ring. That means a suicide dive onto a bunch of people to end the show. I won’t bother rating the match as it was just a few minutes before everyone else got involved, but that was certainly a hot angle.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a hard one to grade as it felt like two big episodes put together with some interesting stuff throughout. The problem though is the double length takes away a lot of what made NXT feel so special. It always had this feeling of getting a little taste and leaving you wanting more. Maybe it’s having so much content on Wednesdays but a lot of that feeling was missing here. I’m sure I’ll get used to it and they’ll get the hang of the feeling, but this felt long instead of special, which makes the show more like every other wrestling program around rather than the special one it became. It’s sad, but that’s wrestling.

Results

Candice LeRae b. Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and Mia Yim – Lionsault to Belair

Cameron Grimes b. Sean Maluta – Standing double stomp

Roderick Strong b. Velveteen Dream – End of Heartache

Pete Dunne b. Arturo Ruas – Bent fingers

Xia Li b. Aliyah – Spinning kick to the head

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain 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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mansoor vs. Damian Priest

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

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

NXT to USA announcement.

Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne

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

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

Next week: Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic.

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

Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

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

Myles challenges Cole in two weeks.

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

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

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

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

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

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

Riddle charges after Dain to end the show.

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

Results

Damian Priest b. Mansoor – Reckoning

Mia Yim b. Vanessa Borne – Protect Yo Neck

Shane Thorne b. Bronson Reed – Running knee

Killian Dain b. Matt Riddle – Vader Bomb

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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