IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re getting into some interesting times now with the announcement of the NXT UK Tag Team Titles. That instantly gives a lot of people something to do and that’s a good thing around here. Other than that we have some people coming after the United Kingdom Title, which needs to change hands sooner rather than later so Pete Dunne isn’t miles ahead of everyone else. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video previews Rhea Ripley defending the Women’s Title against Isla Dawn tonight. This might work better if Dawn’s witch thing actually developed whatsoever.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Devlin vs. Mike Hitchman

An early fireman’s carry takeover puts Devlin down but he hits some forearms to the back to put Boar in trouble. The chinlock goes on for a bit before an Irish whip into the corner messes with Boar’s back again. The release Rock Bottom looks to set up the standing moonsault but Boar is out of the way. Boar hits a backsplash but can’t hit a package piledriver. Instead Devlin kicks him in the head, only to miss a moonsault. The pop up powerbomb gives Boar two, only to have Devlin snap off the Ireland’s Call for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C-. Devlin is someone they want to push and his work has gotten better but he doesn’t exactly offer anything special. He has a good look and can wrestle a match, but the “I’m the best and will be the champion” thing has been done to death and puts him in the middle of a large group of people doing and saying almost the exact same thing.

Post match Devlin says betting on him isn’t a gamble because the Ace trumps all.

Moustache Mountain likes NXT UK so far and now it’s time to win the titles. First though, they need to take care of Gallus.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews want the Tag Team Titles as well because they’re exciting.

Fabian Aichner vs. Eddie Ryan

Ryan wears a lion mask to the ring because he’s the English Lion. He certainly has a good look to him. Aichner won’t shake hands to start and the threat of a headbutt makes Eddie back off. A dropkick staggers Aichner though and a clothesline takes him outside. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Eddie, followed by a belly to back suplex for two. Ryan knocks him into the corner, setting up the middle rope European uppercut. Aichner has had it with him though and sends Eddie outside for the running knee into the steps. The helicopter bomb gives Aichner the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. I liked both guys here as they offer something a little different than the same people that populate this show so often. These are two big guys who hit each other hard, setting them apart from the aforementioned “I’m from the UK and I’m tough”, which gets a little difficult to take time after time.

Video on Travis Banks.

Tyson T-Bone/Saxon Huxley vs. Moustache Mountain

T-Bone hammers on Bate to start and drives him into the corner for the tag off to Huxley so the beating can begin. The middle rope elbow to the jaw takes Huxley down though and Seven comes in to scare him to the floor. Back in and T-Bone pops Seven in the jaw with a right hand to take over with the villains getting the better of things in the corner. They take turns hitting Seven in the face and a crossbody against the ropes gets two.

The front facelock slows Seven down even more until T-Bone hammers away with forearms to the back. T-Bone’s big right hand is countered with a snapdragon suplex, followed by an enziguri for the tag to Bate. A German suplex takes Huxley down and the running shooting star gets two. Bate’s suicide dive takes T-Bone down and the clothesline/dragon suplex combination finishes Huxley at 7:03.

Rating: C. It’s pretty clear that Moustache Mountain is going to be in the title match whenever the titles are decided and that’s just fine. Now if this place is smart, they’ll have them lose in the title match and make a new team so they can set up a big rematch down the line. Hopefully that’s where we go, because it’s what makes the most sense and has the most potential.

After beating Eddie Dennis last week, Dave Mastiff wants the UK Title. Dennis runs in and beats him down.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Next week: Toni Storm is back, Webster/Andrews vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson and Joe Coffey vs. Travis Banks.

Women’s Title: Isla Dawn vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending for the first time. Dawn’s headlock doesn’t get her very far so she takes Ripley down for one instead. The headlock on the mat works a bit better but Ripley is right back up with a running dropkick to take over. Ripley slams her down for two more and puts a boot on the back for some posing. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a hard clothesline for two on Dawn.

A victory roll is countered into Ripley’s standing cloverleaf until Dawn rolls her way out. Ripley misses a big boot and goes shoulder first into the post (that’s an epidemic anymore). Dawn knees her in the ribs and the snap suplex Jackhammer gets two. Nigel: “Dawn has put away everybody with that bridging suplex.” Has she won three matches with it yet? Riptide retains the title a few seconds later at 9:00.

Rating: C. This was similar to any first title defense with little drama and nothing more than a way to get Ripley a title defense under her belt. The wrestling was fine though I can’t say I’m surprised at the lack of a reaction at Dawn’s big near fall. That’s all this needed to be as Ripley is likely to hold the title for a pretty long time to come.

Replays and posing take us out.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly fine show this week as you can see the first Takeover card from here. That doesn’t mean it’s anything thrilling, but I’ll take acceptable over “let’s get this over with” any day. They still have a long way to go for their midcard character development but things could be far worse considering how long the show has been around. Not a bad show at all here, though the same problems still exist.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Wild Boar – Ireland’s Call

Fabian Aichner b. Eddie Ryan – Helicopter bomb

Moustache Mountain b. Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone – Clothesline/dragon suplex combination to Huxley

Rhea Ripley b. Isla Dawn – Riptide

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

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

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

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

They did promise something fresh and this is indeed fresh…..if you ignore the one who was already announced and the one already on the main roster.This week it was announced that the following names are coming to the main roster.  No word on which shows they’ll be on or when they’re coming up.

EC3 – He was ready the day he signed with the company and there was little reason to put him in NXT in the first place.

Heavy Machinery – They’re a fun team and if they’re pushed right, they’ll be fine.  I’m worried that Vince will hear the Steaks And Weights thing and think that’s all they are instead of the fun team that they can be.

Lars Sullivan – We knew this one already but it’s still the right move.  After losing down in NXT, there’s no reason to keep him down there any longer.  Makes perfect sense and he can be a monster on the main roster.

Nikki Cross – She already appeared on Smackdown once so this isn’t the biggest surprise either.  The insanity stuff can help a lot in the right doses, at least until Nikki Bella decides she needs a name change to not affect the Bella Brand.

Lacey Evans – This one is the most likely to fail, but Evans isn’t going to the top of the NXT women’s division anytime soon so they might as well put her on the main roster where they have more time for her.  Until she’s forgotten and squashed on a regular basis that is.

Overall, not a bad collection but it feels a bit like the NXT spring cleaning instead of anyone who flat out belongs on the main roster.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Last week’s show saw the main event scene get a shot in the arm as Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black agreed to keep things going inside a steel cage, much to Tommaso Ciampa’s delight. Ciampa continues to be a great devil on the shoulder and someone who could be on top of the company for a long time to come. As for tonight though, Ricochet is in action against a mystery opponent, which could mean a lot of things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a preview of tonight’s show, including EC3 vs. Bobby Fish.

Opening sequence.

EC3 vs. Bobby Fish

Fallout from the Undisputed Era damaging EC3’s knee a few weeks back. The rest of the Undisputed Era is out here with Fish. Before the match, Adam Cole talks about how EC3 should have been a top star around here but that was stopped with the help of a steel chair. 2018 wasn’t just a career year for the team, because it was also the start of a decade of dominance. Next year they will all be covered in gold, and that is undisputed.

Fish bails to the floor to start and leaves Kyle O’Reilly hanging on a fist bump. Back in and Fish dives at EC3’s legs but gets powerbombed in half instead. A shaken up Fish needs a breather on the floor so EC3 throws him back inside for a nerve hold of all things. The Era offers a quick distraction so Fish can take out the knee and it’s time to start the stomping.

Fish takes him down with a dragon screw legwhip before putting on a simple leglock. That’s kicked away and EC3 gets in a suplex. An EC3 elbow (his People’s Elbow) connects but he stops to go after the Era, allowing Fish to take out the knee again. Not that it matters though as EC3 gets a quick small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. The leg work made sense, but Fish wasn’t showing the same explosiveness that he had before the injury (understandable). EC3 and friends vs. the Era could be interesting and it’s not like he has anything else going on. If nothing else it might help bring him up the ladder quite a bit, which is necessary at this point.

Post match the beatdown is on until Heavy Machinery makes the save. Strong takes the big beating with everyone else bailing on their buddy.

Dakota Kai and Io Shirai want to take out Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke in a tag match next week.

Clip of the Mighty attacking Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after losing to them a few weeks back.

The Mighty vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

It’s a brawl to start with Lorcan hitting a running flip dive to the floor to take them both out. Back in and Thorn and Lorcan trade running uppercuts until Lorcan takes him down into the half crab. That’s broken up and Thorn hits a belly to back suplex as we’re now done with the opening minute. Burch comes in and hits a Thesz press on Miller, (Burch: “YOU AND YOUR MUM!”) followed by some kicks to Thorn in and out of the corner.

Thorn slips out of a Doomsday Device attempt and a superplex/sitout powerbomb (with Miller powerbombing Thorn) gets two on Lorcan as Danny shoves Thorn onto the cover for the break. Danny saves Lorcan from Thunder Valley so Miller hits a step up Cannonball to crush him in the corner. Lorcan scores with a double DDT and the assisted spike DDT finishes Thorn at 5:03.

Rating: B-. Good night they packed a lot of stuff in there. These four did not stop throughout the entire match and that made for some entertaining action. Burch and Lorcan are likely to get another shot at the titles at some point, which they’ve certainly earned after some of their performances over the last few months.

We look back at the end of last week’s show, featuring Aleister Black announcing his rematch against Tommaso Ciampa for Takeover: Phoenix and being set up for a cage match against Johnny Gargano in the near future. Ciampa’s puppet master manipulation here is outstanding.

The cage match is next week.

Gargano is outside again and talks about Black thinking that he absolved Johnny of his sins. The end goal of this is Ciampa losing the NXT Title and Black was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. That’s the same thing here, as Black is getting the title that that Gargano should have had and Gargano will do anything to stop him. Gargano stands behind some metal bars and promises to close the book on Black next week.

Dijakovic is here next week.

Shayna Baszler, Shafir and Duke aren’t worried about the four way #1 contenders match because she’ll take home the title and the challenger will take home a hospital bill. Duke and Shafir laugh at the challenge and Shayna accepts for them.

Lacey Evans is officially in the four way #1 contenders match, joining Bianca Belair.

NXT Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Mia Yim vs. Reina Gonzalez

Gonzalez has a bullrope and cowbell with her. Yim has a guillotine choke on in the early going but Reina throws her off. That’s fine with Yim, who slaps the same thing on again. This time Gonzalez lifts Mia up and drops her ribs first across the top rope for the break. Reina slams her down for two and shouts in Spanish. An over the shoulder backbreaker has Yim in more trouble until she slips out and armdrags Reina throat first into the ropes. Some knees to the face set up Eat Defeat for the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Gonzalez was looking fine as a monster here and it’s very cool to have the other women from the Mae Young Classic in there for roles like this. They’re talented workers and it makes sense to have them come in and work a match or two. It keeps things fresh and offers some entertaining work that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Smart booking, as tends to be the case.

Black doesn’t feel anything about his match with Gargano. He just has to do this to Gargano though, because Gargano is beyond absolution. Instead, he has to be eradicated inside the cage, and there will be no escape. Inside the cage, Gargano will fade to black.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. ???

Ricochet is defending against….Tyler Breeze, making his first televised NXT appearance in years. The fans certainly seem to appreciate having him back, including the full entrance. The chants are split but the TYLER’S GORGEOUS ones are much louder. Breeze gets an early breather on the top rope so Ricochet starts in with the flips, capped off by the headscissors into the dropkick. Back up and Breeze slaps on a half crab (must be a Canadian thing) but Ricochet makes the rope.

They head outside with Breeze dropkicking an apron dive out of the air as the fans deem the entire match gorgeous. That’s quite the upgrade for Ricochet. Breeze stomps away in the corner and you can see him soaking in a lot of the cheers because he matters for the first time in way too long. Some elbows to the face have Breeze in trouble (NOT IN THE FACE!) and a standing shooting star press gets two.

The Phoenix Splash misses and Breeze’s hair is down to make things serious. Stereo crossbodies put them both down and the fans continue to appreciate this. They trade forearms to the back but neither can hit a suplex. Ricochet moonsaults over him but walks into the Supermodel Kick. A reverse hurricanrana gives Breeze a VERY close two and Ricochet says this is his house (Paige has really changed her look since retiring). The Beauty Shot is countered into a Cradle Shock at 9:52.

Rating: B. I love it when they do something like this. There’s little reason to not send the former NXT stars down there for a one off appearance (if not more) if they have nothing going on up on the main roster. Breeze is going 50/50 on Main Event so having him show up on NXT is as good of a use for him as anything else. He’s a legend down here and can have a great match, so let him have a nice moment for a change instead of facing Mojo Rawley in a glorified dark match.

Ricochet shakes his hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling, a nice surprise at the end a bunch of stuff being set up for next week. I liked this one a lot, even though next week is the important show. They had an entertaining night this week though and considering how little this show should have meant, that’s really impressive.

Results

EC3 b. Bobby Fish – Small package

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. The Mighty – Assisted spike DDT to Thorn

Mia Yim b. Reina Gonzalez – Eat Defeat

Ricochet b. Tyler Breeze – Cradle Shock

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on the second day of the third taping cycle now and that means we should have a fresh crowd. You know, because these crowds have so many issues with getting and staying hyped. There are several stories going around at the moment, but something has to really stick to make the show get better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ashton Smith/Ligero vs. Mark Coffey/Wolfgang

Wolfgang and Ligero start things off with the fans being way behind Ligero. Probably because he’s not Wolfgang. Smith sneaks in for a dropkick and it’s right back to Ligero, whose tornado DDT is blocked. The villains take over and grab a waistlock on Ligero with Coffey slamming him down to the mat.

That’s followed by a bearhug as you can’t fault the basic psychology. Ligero breaks free and brings Smith back in for some speedier offense. With Wolfgang knocked to the floor, a jumping clothesline staggers Coffey. There’s a springboard back elbow to the jaw for two, followed by a superkick for the same with Wolfgang having to make a save. Ligero hits a dive onto Wolfgang but Coffey hits a kick to Smith’s face for the pin at 5:37.

We look back at Isla Dawn challenging Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Title.

Johnny Saint is with the two women and makes the match official.

Gallus knows that was an impressive enough performance to impress Saint. They’re tired of hearing about the other teams around here and they want the titles. The only person they’re concerned with is Pete Dunne, because Joe wants the title. First up though is Travis Banks, who is going to be squashed like a bug.

Jack Starz vs. Joseph Conners

Conners wastes no time in beating him down with Starz’s ribs being wrapped around the post. A dropkick to the back makes things even worse but Starz fires off some uppercuts for a breather. That just earns him a double stomp out of the corner and a running sunset powerbomb into the corner. Don’t Look Down gives Conners the pin at 2:16. Total squash.

Xia Brookside is ready for Jinny, who comes in to sneer.

Tyson T-Bone has found someone as sinister as himself: Saxon Huxley. Keeping two uninteresting guys together is usually a good idea.

Xia Brookside vs. Jinny

Brookside grabs a headlock takeover to start and she headstands her way out of a headscissors to some rather appreciative applause. Jinny takes her down by the arm but Xia gets a boot up in the corner. A hurricanrana and middle rope crossbody give Xia two until the Fashion Disaster (a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle) cuts her off. Jinny puts a knee in the back and cranks on both arms until a jawbreaker gets Xia out of trouble. Running knees to the back give Xia two but Jinny sends her throat first into the middle rope. The Touch of Couture (a rolling kick to the head) finishes Xia at 5:14.

Rating: C. This was fine as Xia has potential but is nowhere near ready for the big push yet. Jinny isn’t quite ready yet either, but she’s further along than Xia. This fashionista thing isn’t helping Jinny though and she would be better off by being more like she is in Progress, where the fashion thing is more of an amplified detail than the focus of her character.

Video on Dave Mastiff.

Video on Eddie Dennis.

Rhea Ripley vs. Isla Dawn for the Women’s Title next week.

Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff takes him into the corner to start but they’re both tentative early on. Dennis’ shoulder has no effect and a second does even less. Instead it’s Mastiff hitting a heavy forearm to take over and some elbows to the head keep Dennis in trouble. The running dropkick looks to set up the backsplash but Dennis avoids the bad case of pain. A boot sends Mastiff outside and two more keep him in trouble.

Back in and Mastiff misses a charge in the corner, setting up….the cravate. Well it’s better than another armbar. Mastiff gets up and scores with a headbutt, followed by a big superplex to put them both down. A Regal Roll into a backsplash gives Mastiff two, followed by a bridging German suplex for the same.

Dennis is right back with a swinging sitout powerslam (and he held Mastiff up) for his own near fall. The Severn Bridge is blocked twice (even with Dennis holding him up in the Razor’s Edge position) so Dennis nails a clothesline for two instead. Mastiff has had it and throws him into the corner for the Cannonball and the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C. This was the hoss battle that it should have been and the more I think about it, the more I can go with Mastiff winning here. I’ve been saying for months that they have to do something around here to make more stars and Mastiff seems to be one of them at the moment. It’s a fun match, even if Dennis lost to my annoyance.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one with most of the show being the lower level guys, though they managed to come up with some stuff that worked well enough. They were trying to make some new names here and that’s been needed for a long time, though it’s not going to be something that goes over so smoothly. Not a bad show here, but you can feel the quality going down compared to the show earlier today.

Results

Mark Coffey/Wolfgang b. Ashton Smith/Ligero – Kick to Smith’s face

Joseph Conners b. Jack Starz – Don’t Look Down

Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Touch of Couture

Dave Mastiff b. Eddie Dennis – Cannonball

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Last week’s show saw the in-ring return of Travis Banks, who offers some fresh talent around the top of the card. Banks might not be the biggest star around, but he’s someone who can add a lot to the show. Other than that, Rhea Ripley is still looking for competition and she might find some of that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the announcement of the Tag Team Titles. Wait when was that announced in the first place? I know we were promised an update this week but this is being treated like previous information.

Opening sequence.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Fabian Aichner

Earlier today, Mark Andrews warned Webster to be careful with Aichner. There’s no handshake to start so Webster tries forearming away to little effect. An armdrag works somewhat better but Aichner sends him outside for a whip into the steps. Cue Andrews to check on Webster and he gets back in just in time. Aichner forearms away at the chest and hits an uppercut to the back of the head to keep Webster in trouble. Back up and Aichner gets in a hard slam for two and it’s off to a nerve hold.

Webster fights up and avoids a running knee in the corner to send Aichner outside in a crash. The Modern Knee gets two but Aichner is right back with a hard running clothesline for two of his own. Webster drops him again but this time Aichner rolls away before Webster can come off the top. Aichner pulls him outside for the knee against the steps, only to have Andrews stop him just in time. Back in and Aichner’s powerbomb is countered into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C-. Well it was nice while it lasted for Aichner. This promotion needs stars and that doesn’t mean a small guy like Webster who has a funny costume. Aichner has a great look and some power, along with the Evolve Championship, so of course he’s losing here to a guy like Webster. Rather annoying but it could be a lot worse.

Amir Jordan tries to get the interviewer to dance but Kenny Williams comes in and says it’s time to go after the Tag Team Titles.

Gallus is ready to take care of Moustache Mountain and Travis Banks. Apparently Mark Coffey and Wolfgang are going after the Tag Team Titles instead of, you know, the Coffey Brothers.

Isla Dawn vs. Killer Kelly

Some kicks to the legs don’t get either of them anywhere so Dawn takes her down by the leg. The leg is slammed into the mat but Kelly suplexes her into the corner. Vic calls that the hardest part of the ring, after YEARS of telling us that it’s the apron. Stop lying to me Joseph!!! Kelly’s cravate doesn’t go very far as Dawn is right back with a backdrop driver. A running knee rocks Kelly and the snap suplex Jackhammer gives Dawn the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. This was the best match I’ve seen from either of them, though I’m having some issues with someone called the White Witch as a face. Kelly is someone who has gotten some good reviews and this was the first time I saw the potential in her. Nice match, especially with the little amount of time they had.

Post match Dawn says she wants the Women’s Title and Rhea Ripley. This brings out Ripley to say bring it. Dawn promises that it will be brought.

Dave Mastiff is ready for a title shot when Eddie Dennis comes in to offer a challenge of his own. Mastiff isn’t the only undefeated monster around here.

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson

Drake and Jordan get things going with Jordan hitting a quick running crossbody. The fans are already all over Gibson as Williams comes in to work on the arm. That means the armbar before it’s back to Jordan for a hiptoss. Stereo suicide dives put the villains down and Jordan hits a high crossbody for two on Drake. Gibson comes in and you can hear the energy go out of the crowd. He drops Jordan back first onto the barricade and it’s off to the chinlock as the fans have taken their shoes off in hatred of Gibson.

Jordan jawbreaks his way to freedom and scores with a neckbreaker but Drake blocks the hot tag….which goes through a few seconds later. I’m really getting tired of that trope. Williams comes in with a springboard back elbow to the jaw and it’s already back to Jordan for a Downward Spiral. Everything breaks down and Jordan gets sent to the floor, leaving Williams to take the reverse powerbomb into the Codebreaker (Ticket to Mayhem) for the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. This was the best performance from Jordan so far but that’s not exactly setting a high mark. Gibson and Drake are an awesome team and anytime you can have the fans going nuts on Gibson like they do, it’s always a great moment. He’s one of the only over heels on the roster and the more he’s out there, the better.

Moustache Mountain wants the Tag Team Titles.

Next week: Mastiff vs. Dennis.

Joe Coffey vs. Trent Seven

Tyler Bate and the rest of Gallus are here. They lock up to start with Coffey taking over on the arm as the fans chant for Trent. Some chops don’t get Trent very far so he slips out of a suplex, only to bang up his knee. Coffey ducks his head and gets caught in a DDT with the knee not letting Trent follow up. They head outside for the showdown between everyone at ringside and Joe uses the distraction to get in a jumping stomp from the apron. Back in and Trent sends him right back outside, meaning it’s time for another big staredown.

Bate and Seven dropkick the three of them off the apron and Bate hits a suicide dive on Wolfgang. The three not involved fight to the back, leaving Trent to hit his own dive onto Joe. Back in and Joe goes after the knee with some kicks in the corner. A running shoulder to the knee makes things even worse but a second running shoulder hits post. Trent’s knee is fine enough for a top rope superplex and they’re both slow to get up. Trent snaps off a German suplex for two and slaps on a quickly broken Figure Four.

They head to the apron with Coffey hitting a belly to belly suplex to the floor. That’s only good for a very close nine (with the referee slowing down so Trent could make it) so Coffey stomps and trash talks some more. A double powerbomb gives Coffey two and it’s off to a half crab. Trent finally grabs the rope and it’s time for a slugout with Seven snapping off a dragon suplex. The knee gives out again though and Coffey hits his own German suplex. One heck of a discus lariat finishes Seven at 15:02.

Rating: B. Coffey is starting to turn into a pretty good villain but I’m still not sure what the point is in having him wrestle as a singles guy while his brother is in a tag team. Then again, it’s certainly better than having Wolfgang as a singles guy. They’re building up a new star though and that’s what they need to do so well done on that front. Good match too, but that’s to be expected with Trent.

Overall Rating: B-. Well, it’s a step in the right direction. They’re starting to get some stories going around here but the positives of this show might be more about the lack of the weaker talent. This show had more of the big names and that’s going to do the show a lot of good. Unfortunately they can’t do that every week, which is where things start to slip. It’s similar to Ring of Honor in that way: good when it’s at its best, but the weaker shows are a rough sit.

Results

Flash Morgan Webster b. Fabian Aichner – Jackknife rollup

Isla Dawn b. Killer Kelly – Snap suplex Jackhammer

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams – Ticket to Mayhem to Williams

Joe Coffey b. Trent Seven – Discus lariat

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

In memory of Dynamite Kid.

Opening sequence.

Matt Riddle vs. Punishment Martinez

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

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

Post match Kassius Ohno jumps Riddle.

Video on Ricochet.

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

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

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

Humberto Carrillo/Raul Mendoza vs. Forgotten Sons

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

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

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

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

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

Hanson is recovering from a host of injuries in WarGames.

Shayna Baszler vs. Dakota Kai

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

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

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

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

Dijakovic is still coming.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Matt Riddle b. Punishment Martinez – Bromission

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

Shayna Baszler b. Dakota Kai – Kirifuda Clutch

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Hidden Gems Collection #3
Date: 2009, 2011

I’ve done some old school stuff so far so now let’s try something a little more modern. In this case we have a bunch of stuff from Florida Championship Wrestling, which basically morphed into NXT, featuring a lot of names that you’ll be familiar with. There’s also one match from the old days of NXT so it’s quite developmental themed this time around. And since this is kind of short and there’s one match from 2009, I’ll throw that in as an unrelated bonus. Let’s get to it.

Rosa Mendes vs. Kaitlyn
Date: January 16, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, Byron Saxton

From FCW TV and Rosa’s Queen of FCW Crown (a secondary women’s title) isn’t on the line. Kaitlyn starts fast with a backdrop but Rosa kicks her in the ribs to take over. A seated Blockbuster gets two and it’s time for hip shaking. Rosa gets two more off a snap suplex and the chinlock goes on again. Kaitlyn’s comeback is cut off with a choke in the corner but she comes back with an electric chair drop for a big crash. A slam gets two on Rosa, followed by a Flatliner to give Kaitlyn the pin at 4:25.

Rating: D-. Yeah….this didn’t work and I’m not sure where the gem part is in here. I don’t think Rosa ever actually won a match on the main roster so seeing her as a success in developmental doesn’t do much for me. Kaitlyn was someone who could have been a big deal and while she was something of a star in WWE, it never quite clicked. Much like this match here, which just wasn’t any good.

Xavier Woods vs. Michael Tarver
Date: June 5, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, Byron Saxton, William Regal

This is back when Woods was just a guy. Tarver on the other hand was a guy who liked to punch and was the member of the Nexus actually worse than David Otunga. Some early forearms to the back have Woods in trouble but the yet to be named Honor Roll drops Tarver without much effort. A headscissors takes Tarver down again and he chills on the floor until Woods comes after him, meaning one of Tarver’s big forearms to the face. Back in and Woods jumps into a knee to the ribs for two as Tarver takes over again.

Rating: D+. This still wasn’t very good and a lot of that is due to Tarver. The guy just wasn’t talented and there’s no way around that. At least they had a story here with the ribs, even if they didn’t go anywhere in the end. The ending looked good though and Woods won so it’s not all that bad.

Dean Ambrose/Damien Sandow/Antonio Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins/Johnny Curtis/Derrick Bateman
Date: November 20, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, William Regal

Curtis is Fandango and Bateman is EC3. Ambrose is the Jack Brisco 15 Champion, which was defended in 15 minute Iron Man matches. Bateman is a mystery partner, even though the fans want Regal (we’ll get to that one). Curtis and Cesaro start things off as we hear about how serious a competitor Curtis has been over the years. That’s so odd to hear, as is Cesaro being A, called Antonio and B, being referred to as a newcomer.

Cesaro easily takes over on Curtis but wants Rollins. That’s what he receives but instead it’s Ambrose coming in as the announcers talk about how big this rivalry has been in FCW. So it’s a generational thing. The good guys (Rollins and company) start working on Ambrose’s banged up arm but Dean drags Curtis over to the corner. That’s enough for the tag off to Sandow, who is a lot more serious than you might expect.

Curtis can’t fight out of the corner as Cesaro comes back in for some forearms. It’s also strange to hear the announcers talk about how much these people want to get up to the main roster. I know that’s the case, but you almost never hear it mentioned. Cesaro kicks a distracted Rollins off the apron but Curtis uses the delay to hit a spinwheel kick, allowing the hot tag to Bateman.

House is cleaned on Ambrose and egads it’s weird to see Bateman without all the muscles and wrestling such a fast paced offense. Rollins comes back in to kick Cesaro to the floor, setting up the big suicide dive. Curtis hits a big flip dive to the floor and Dusty is LOVING this stuff. Back in and Ambrose hits a Knee Trembler (Regal’s finisher), followed by the Regal Stretch to make Bateman tap at 6:06.

Rating: C+. For a six minute match with six people involved, this was a heck of a little match with everyone getting a chance to shine. You can tell how much energy this place has and it’s no surprise that most of them wound up being stars on the main roster. Ambrose vs. Rollins is one of those feuds where the two of them seem joined at the hip, which makes sense given how much chemistry they have. Odds are that’s why this made the collection and that’s fine.

Leakee vs. Corey Graves
Date: November 20, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, William Regal

Leakee (pronounced Lay Ah Key) is better known as Roman Reigns. Graves has a rather nice looking woman named Leah West with him. The much bigger Leakee takes him into the corner to start for some stomps to the ribs and Graves bails to the floor. Leakee follows as Martlaro talks about not being quite the speaker that Dusty is. Gee you think? West offers a distraction so Graves can take over with a rake to the eyes (it’s a classic heel move for a reason) and a waistlock.

Dusty goes into such a rambling statement about “stuff happening” that even he admits he has no idea what he’s talking about. Think back to some of his insane calls and think about that one for a second. Leakee fights up and hits a bulldog for two, followed by a running forearm (looks like a forerunner to the Superman Punch). The Samoan drop finishes Graves at 4:30.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t half bad and you could see the star power in Reigns. It’s probably best that Graves moved over to the announcers’ booth as his in-ring abilities never quite fit all that well. He was watchable at best and needed a little more than that to stand out, especially in what NXT was going to become. On the other hand you have Reigns, who wrestled in NXT all of twice before moving on to the main roster.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
Date: December 7, 2011
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Christopher Patrick Russo, Byron Saxton

This might be the first ever NXT event at Full Sail. The future Brandi Rhodes is ring announcer and of course she’s awesome at that too. Before the match, Cesaro does his regular “Americans are dumb and Europeans are awesome” speech. They go right at each other to start with Rollins missing an early dropkick and getting caught in a gutwrench suplex. There’s something so awesome about watching someone pick up another human being and throw them around like that.

The double chickenwing goes on for a bit until Cesaro kicks him in the face to cut off the comeback. It’s off to a neck crank to keep Rollins in trouble, followed by a gorilla press toss, sending Rollins throat first onto the top rope. I almost forget how freakishly strong Cesaro is at times. An arm trap chinlock keeps Rollins down but he gets two off a rollup to go with a breath of air. Rollins forearms him in the face and hits the Wade Barrett middle rope swinging suplex to send Cesaro into the corner.

The Curb Stomp misses but Rollins settles for a monkey flip over the top in a spot you don’t see that often. The big flip dive connects and the Curb Stomp connects for two back inside. Cesaro grabs the rope so Rollins goes to get him, allowing Cesaro to hit a cheap shot to the throat. Swiss Death (pop up uppercut) finishes Rollins at 5:12.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that should have been given about twenty minutes but they managed to fly through everything without it feeling rushed. That’s quite the impressive feat and they made it work very well here. This was when the two of them had some crazy energy (ok so Rollins still did) and should have been the top stars of the future (ok so Rollins was).

And now we’ll mix things up a bit. I mean….uh….oh yeah two of them now basically run developmental so it ties together. It’s also listed as being in the most complete form possible due to technical difficulties.

D-Generation X vs. Legacy
Date: September 4, 2009
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Post Smackdown dark match inside a cage. For those of you who don’t remember them, Legacy is Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. Before the match, HHH goes into a pretty funny bit about how it’s 10:30 so Raw isn’t even over yet, meaning they have a lot of time. Then they realize this isn’t on TV so this is for the millions NOT watching at home and you won’t see this until Friday even if you could see it. We get a long delay after the bell so I notice how big the gaps between the sections of the cage are this time.

They do the “let’s tag over and over bit until someone stays in” bit, even tagging the referee at one point. HHH headlocks Cody to start (likely trying to drag him back into WWE ten years early). More staring ensues as you can tell they’re not really feeling the workrate tonight. Cody comes back with some right hands so it’s off to Shawn to scare him a bit. A swinging neckbreaker drops Cody and Shawn steps on his face, sending Cody bailing over for a tag.

DiBiase has some more luck with some right hands in the corner but Shawn cuts him off with a couple of chops. A cheap shot lets DiBiase take Shawn down into the corner and it’s back to Cody for more right hands. You might be noticing a lot of those tonight and there’s a reason for that: this isn’t the most important match in the world. Shawn gets sent into the cage (first time it’s been used so far) as the boring match continues. A catapult into the cage gives Ted two and it’s back to Cody, with Shawn fighting out of the corner.

The reverse chinlock goes on, because a cage match needs a rest hold. Shawn powers out and the hot tag brings in HHH to clean house. That means a jumping knee and a spinebuster but Cody gives him a DDT. Everything breaks down and Shawn hits the flying forearm into the nipup before helping HHH send Legacy into the cage. The Pedigree and Sweet Chin Music give us the double pin at 12:21.

Rating: D-. Oh yea this one was terrible and there’s no way around it. The guys weren’t interested in trying and they had a really lazy match instead of doing anything of note. The cage was a complete non-factor for about 90% of the match and other than a few token rams, there was no reason this wasn’t a regular tag match.

Overall Rating: D+. This is much more of an interesting set than anything good. I really could go for the full FCW library to be released as they have some very cool pairings in there. It’s the current generation getting their starts and some of the feuds could have been fascinating. What we got here was fine, but that cage match was just a waste of time.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: San Jose State University Event Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s a special show this week as the talent was given a week off from tapings with this show filmed before Takeover: WarGames II. As usual, NXT knows how to set things up in advance and odds are we’ll have a good night of wrestling, even if we don’t have a lot of angle advancement to look forward to. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Mighty vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

Burch and Thorn start things off with Danny starting in on Thorn’s taped up shoulder. Lorcan comes in but gets dragged into the corner for the tag off to Miller. Lorcan is fine enough to slap on a half crab with Burch coming in for a Crossface on Thorn. The Mighty bail to the floor for a bit until Miller comes back in for a shot to Lorcan’s face. A rake to the eyes keeps him in trouble and we hit the chinlock. That lasts as long as the average chinlock but Lorcan’s comeback is cut off with an uppercut.

Thorn cranks on the neck until Lorcan fights up and makes the hot tag, allowing Burch to clean house. The elevated swinging neckbreaker is broken up and Thorn hits a hard dropkick to put Lorcan down. Lorcan is right back up with a half and half suplex, setting up a big dive over the top to take both of them down. Back in and Thorn gets out of something that looked like a Doomsday Device and Thunder Valley is loaded up. Burch tackles Miller though and Lorcan gets a sunset flip for the pin at 7:49.

Post match the Mighty jump them from behind and send them into the steps.

We look back at EC3 upsetting Adam Cole a few weeks ago, only to have the Undisputed Era lay him out, including a chair to the knee.

Still of Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler at Takeover: WarGames II with the other Four Horsewomen costing Sane her chance to get the title back.

Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai aren’t done with Baszler, Maria Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. How about a six woman tag?

EC3 vs. Marcel Barthel

EC3 is looking especially fired up. Barthel shouts a lot so EC3 grabs a headlock early on. That’s driven into the corner and the break lets Barthel hit an enziguri to really take over. White Noise gives Barthel two and, of course, it’s off to the chinlock. EC3 pops up with right hands and an elbow to the jaw, followed by the 1%er for the pin at 4:07.

Rating: D+. Not much to this one but Barthel continues to be a good jobber to the stars with great intensity. It makes people who beat him look more important and that’s the right idea for something like this. EC3 continues to be in that weird place where he looks ready for the main roster and doesn’t have much going on down here, but he’s stuck waiting for the callup. At least he’s winning though.

Post match EC3 says he wants Bobby Fish for attacking his knee. He’s coming for Fish’s head, knees, and everything in between.

Donovan Dijak, now known as Dijakovic, is coming and looks like an MMA fighter.

Candice LeRae won’t answer questions.

Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne

Vanessa shakes her hand and slaps her face, sending Mia up to the next level early on. The early armbar sends Vanessa scrambling but she gets pulled back in, despite grabbing the ring skirt. That’s enough for her to get in a shot to the face though and Yim is in some trouble.

Borne hammers away in the corner and gets two off a swinging suplex, which the announcers call creative. That’s not exactly creative, and neither is the chinlock that follows. Yim’s armbar cuts off Borne’s momentum and a Tarantula keeps her in trouble. There’s a running dropkick into the corner, followed by a running big boot. Eat Defeat finishes Borne at 4:18.

Rating: C-. Borne is another good example of someone who can make others look good and doesn’t need to get a big win to stay over. She can win some smaller matches and use that capital to lose to others, as has been the case for years. Yim isn’t likely to get pushed towards the top of the division, but she could be fine as someone who gets an occasional house show title shot and has good matches with people on their way up the card.

Tommaso Ciampa talks to the title, saying about how he only needed one chance to show that he’s the best of all time. Next week, he and Goldie are coming to the ring and the NXT fans better follow his lead. That’s better than the cliched “give me the respect I deserve”.

Lars Sullivan vs. Keith Lee

They stare each other down to start and Sullivan powers him into the corner. Lee blocks a shot to the face and takes it back to the middle, only to be run over by a charge. A slam is broken up though and Lee gets one off a crossbody. Lee tries a slingshot but gets kicked out of the air, followed by a belly to back throw for one. Sullivan hits a middle rope headbutt for two more and it’s off to the big chinlock.

Some rams into the corner can’t keep Sullivan’s grip broken as he grabs Lee all over again. Lars misses a charge into the post though and Lee slugs away, including a slingshot crossbody for two. A clubbing shot to the head just gets a glare from Lee and the Pounce sends Sullivan all the way outside. That means the big dive for two back inside as the fans are way into these near falls. Lee’s middle rope moonsault misses and a good looking Freak Accident gives Lars the pin at 8:00.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a hoss fight with both guys beating the heck out of each other for a few minutes and just having a good time with the whole thing. Lee losing is fine as Sullivan is either done with NXT or just about to be gone to the main roster so it’s not like the loss hurts Lee all that much. Almost no one has been able to hang with Sullivan but Lee had him in trouble. That’s how you make him look good, which was the entire point here.

Overall Rating: C+. We can add this to the show that NXT knows how to pull off: the kind that means nothing but still has some entertaining stuff. There wasn’t much going on that is going to matter long term here, but they made it an entertaining fifty two minutes of wrestling anyway. That takes talent, and is the kind of thing that the main roster hasn’t shown the ability to pull off in a long time. Well done again, as usual.

Results

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan b. The Mighty – Sunset flip to Miller

EC3 b. Marcel Barthel – 1%er

Mia Yim b. Vanessa Borne – Eat Defeat

Lars Sullivan b. Keith Lee – Freak Accident

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

You can always get something out of a guaranteed new champion and that’s what we have tonight. We’ve got the finals of the NXT UK Women’s Title tournament with Rhea Ripley facing off with Toni Storm for the title. After Storm won the Mae Young Classic, it would make sense to have Ripley get the title here but you never can guess what you might see. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the tournament, which might have had more impact if it hadn’t taken place over the course of two weeks.

Opening sequence.

Joe Coffey vs. Sid Scala

Joe has his brother Mark and Wolfgang head to the back as he has this. Actually hang on as Scala is in a suit because still injured. He has a replacement though.

Joe Coffey vs. Tyler Bate

This works. Tyler slugs away to start and hits a knee to the face out of the corner. A dropkick sends Coffey to the floor for a suicide dive and Tyler hits a diving uppercut for good measure. Cue Mark and Wolfgang for a distraction though and Joe drives him into the apron to take over. Back in and Tyler can’t get the fireman’s carry as Joe slips off and headbutts him down. Joe even mocks the Moustache Mountain pose so you know it’s serious.

The swinging butterfly suplex has Bate in more trouble and it’s off to the nerve hold. That’s switched over to a crossarm choke but Bate eventually reverses into one of his own. Bate’s doesn’t last as long though as he gets caught in an overhead belly to belly for two more. Bate is too banged up to grab an exploder suplex so he settles for the standing shooting star instead.

With Joe in trouble, Mark gets up on the apron for a distraction so Joe can grab a powerslam for two. Cue a limping Trent Seven (What took him so long?) to help even things up a bit as Bate still can’t get a fireman’s carry. Joe misses a spinning high crossbody and Bate scores with a lariat. Now Bate can get the fireman’s carry into the airplane spin and even gets in the reverse version. The rolling Liger kick looks to set up the Tyler Driver 97, drawing in Mark and Wolfgang for the DQ at 9:47.

Rating: B. That was this close to being a great match but the finish kept them just a bit short. You can see the six man from here and that’s a fine way to go. Bate might not be as good as Dunne (But who is?) but he’s more than capable of having a very good match with just about anyone. Joe wasn’t bad either and this was a rather entertaining start to a big show.

Post match the brawl is on until Pete Dunne makes the save. Did we ever get an explanation for why Dunne is friends with Seven and Bate around here?

Dan Moloney vs. Ligero

The bigger Moloney puts Ligero on the apron to start but gets kicked in the face for one. Ligero gets out of a sitout powerbomb and another dropkick gets two more. Moloney’s spinebuster is good for one and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch. Back up and some chops keep Ligero in trouble as the fans are singing something about Sin Cara. Ligero fights out of the corner and hits a top rope seated senton, followed by a springboard Sliced Bread for two. Moloney gets sent outside for the running flip dive, followed by a springboard tornado DDT to put Moloney away at 5:13.

Rating: C. Ligero isn’t anything that hasn’t been done better before but he’s fine for a role like this. You always have room for a good luchador and that’s what Ligero can do just fine. Moloney was just a guy here putting Ligero over and didn’t exactly show off all that much. That’s not a bad place to be either though as every promotion needs some long term jobbers.

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Zack Gibson/James Drake

The fans are already taking their shoes off in protest of Gibson. Speaking of Gibson, he takes Williams down to start and then into the corner for the tag off to Drake. Williams has some more luck with him in the form of a springboard back elbow to the jaw. It’s off to Jordan, who throws Drake down and stops to dance, because that’s about all his character has going for him. Nigel and Vic get in an argument over Vic’s dancing abilities as Gibson comes back in for a double chop to the throat.

The chinlock goes on and now the fans are standing up because they hate Gibson so much. Seriously that’s an awesome status to have. Drake’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s back to Gibson to dodge some lame right hands. The chinlock goes on all over again as the fans sing about Gibson again.

Jordan can’t get anywhere on his comeback as Gibson takes him down with a leglock so Drake can come back in. Drake misses a charge in the corner though and that’s enough for a hot tag to Williams. A very quick faceplant gets two on Gibson and the good guys hit some dives. That’s about it for the offense though as Drake and Gibson shrug it off, setting up the Ticket to Ride to finish Williams at 8:26.

Rating: D+. Sweet goodness Jordan is worthless. He’s like the nothing jobber partner on an episode of Superstars when you have a jobber to the stars doing everything he can against a good team. Gibson has brought Drake up by sheer force of being a crazy over heel, and that can make for a nice team in a promotion that doesn’t have very many of them in the first place.

Johnny Saint brings out the new Women’s Title.

NXT UK Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

For the inaugural title. Storm wastes no time in slugging Ripley down into the corner for the running hip attack. Ripley falls to the floor and eats a suicide dive but another hip attack hits the barricade. They head to the apron and Storm Zero is countered with a backdrop, leaving Toni nearly in tears from the pain.

Back in and a hard whip keeps Toni in trouble, followed by the shoulders to the ribs. The fans are behind Storm, even as she gets caught in a bodyscissors to stay on the ribs and back. Ripley switches over to the standing Cloverleaf, sending Storm over to the ropes for the break. The back is fine enough to roll some German suplexes, followed by a headbutt into a bridging German suplex for two.

Rating: B. This was good stuff with Ripley getting to win clean in the end with her finisher instead of having the cheating finish to set up a rematch. They went with the right call here of having a definitive winner and that’s the way they should have gone here. Storm already has the bigger honor anyway and can come back to win a regular title later on.

Post match Saint and HHH present Ripley with her title.

Overall Rating: B+. The two big matches here were more than enough to make the card work well and the other two matches weren’t bad enough to bring the show down. This was a show they needed to do and the Women’s Title being won is a good stepping stone. They built it up as a big deal and it came off as a big deal. Now just build up some more names and see where they can go from here.

Results

Tyler Bate b. Joe Coffey via DQ when Mark Coffey and Wolfgang interfered

Ligero b. Dan Moloney – Springboard tornado DDT

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams – Ticket to Ride to Williams

Rhea Ripley b. Toni Storm – Riptide

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a title match as Jordan Devlin has challenged Pete Dunne for the NXT UK Title and gets his shot here. It’s not like there is anyone else to get the shot at the moment so they might as well go with Devlin. Other than that we’re likely going to get some build towards the first ever Women’s Title match, which should be taking place next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers hype up the upcoming title matches.

Xia Brookside/Millie McKenzie vs. Charlie Morgan/Killer Kelly

Xia grabs a top wristlock on the very tall Morgan to start things off. A headstand lets Morgan reverse into a regular wristlock so Brookside grabs a hurricanrana to get out of trouble. The rather popular Millie comes in for a swinging neckbreaker and it’s time to start in on the armbar. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Kelly, who gets armbarred as well, this time with the shoulder at a really painful looking angle.

Kelly finally sends her into the corner for the break and, with her arm apparently not wrecked, hammers away on the mat. Millie pops up for a hard release German suplex (Fans: “SUPLEX MILLIE!”) and it’s back to Xia to pick up the pace. That’s cut off with a toss into the post but Millie is right back with a spear to Morgan, giving Xia the jackknife rollup pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Millie definitely has star power and Xia’s look alone will keep her in a good place for a long time. Being the daughter of a big time WWE trainer won’t hurt either. I still haven’t gotten much out of Kelly, but I’ve heard good things about her stuff from outside NXT UK. That’s not exactly unheard of so maybe she’s better than I’ve given her credit for.

Ashton Smith vs. Eddie Dennis

Smith, who isn’t the taller one for a change, spins out of a wristlock to start but bounces off a shoulder block attempt. A dropkick staggers Dennis and a leg lariat puts him on the floor. The suicide dive just isn’t working though as Dennis drives him back first into the apron instead. Back in and Dennis gets into his cocky mode before hitting a judo throw for two.

The cravate goes on for a bit, until Smith fights up with a quick backbreaker. A springboard dropkick puts Dennis on the floor for a big flip dive (no hands of course) and a top rope leg lariat gets two. Dennis gets some boots up in the corner and goes up, only to get staggered with a dropkick. The superplex is countered into the Severn Bridge though and the reverse implant DDT gives Dennis the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Smith’s offense looks good as he’s a big guy with some great athleticism. That’s the kind of style that makes him a valuable commodity, but there’s something so interesting about Dennis. It’s kind of a mysterious aura and that’s much more important than the athleticism. Anyone can show off in the ring, but being someone who gets your attention is what matters.

We recap Saxon Huxley and Joseph Conners splitting last week.

Joseph Conners vs. Saxon Huxley

They go right at each other to start with Huxley uppercutting him into the corner. Some right hands have Conners in trouble until some knees to the ribs cut Huxley off. A hard clothesline lets Conners hammer away on the mat as the fans call him Judas. Things slow down a bit as we hit the chinlock. Since Conners doesn’t like the JUDAS SUCKS chants, he puts Huxley on the top for some forearms to the back. Huxley makes the comeback with a running knee and a dropkick, only to miss a charge. A sitout Rock Bottom spinebuster gives Conners two, followed by Don’t Look Down for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: D+. The brawling was fun but neither of these guys do anything for me. They’re just generic brawlers who don’t stand out in any way. I mean, other than Huxley’s look of course. Neither has any kind of a character to be seen and the story was started last week and blown off a week later. That doesn’t do them any favors and it’s a problem on a lot of the roster.

Video on Toni Storm, who wants to make history. She doesn’t just want to win because she needs to win. Ripley isn’t getting the title because it’s Toni time.

Video on Rhea Ripley, who tried being nice last year in the Mae Young Classic but would rather be ruthless and get what she wants. She’s not worried about Toni Storm because Toni isn’t Rhea Ripley.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is challenging and gets taken down by the wrist. That’s reversed into a headscissors but it turns into a slap off with Dunne getting the better of things. Devlin takes him down by the wrist to little avail as Dunne monkey flips his way to freedom. One heck of a forearm drops Dunne but he pops back up with a heck of a clothesline. It’s time to bend Devlin’s fingers back before Dunne just stomps on Devlin’s head. You can’t say he doesn’t vary up his offense.

Devlin avoids a charge though and kicks at the back before going with some more slaps to the face. A standing moonsault hits Dunne’s legs for two but he’s up with a glare and a hard forearm. This time it’s Devlin getting dropped so Dunne hits a running forearm in the corner. The snap German suplex sets up the X Plex into a cross armbreaker but Devlin rolls onto him for two and a break. Dunne tries a charge but runs into a backdrop driver for a closer two than you might expect.

A standing moonsault misses though and Dunne unloads with stomps on the fingers. The Spanish Fly plants Dunne but he’s right back with a Koji Clutch. With that broken up, Dunne tries a stomp to the hand on the steps but gets shoved off, sending him face first into the steps. Devlin isn’t done and hits a Spanish Fly off the steps. That’s enough for a dueling MAMA MIA/HOLY S*** chant, with the fans not quite in sync.

Both guys have to dive back in to break the count, with Devlin grabbing a reverse hurricanrana for two more. The fans accurately declare this awesome but switch to oooo as Dunne punches him in the face to block a standing Lionsault. Dunne back’s is killing him though and he can’t follow up, allowing Devlin to roll to the apron.

Devlin sends him back first into the post and a super Spanish Fly (dude learn a new move) gets two more. That’s good for a standing ovation and Devlin follows up by removing Dunne’s mouthpiece and hitting a superkick. Devlin’s moonsault is countered into a triangle choke and Dunne breaks the fingers to make Devlin tap at 15:10.

Rating: A-. Devlin had been growing on me for a bit and this was the big match that he had been needing. These guys beat the heck out of each other with Dunne’s back injury slowing him down just enough to keep Devlin in there. Dunne, the hometown boy, was being outwrestled by the talented Devlin but took over when Devlin tried to go a little too high. The brawling worked well for Dunne too, including the whole breaking fingers thing. Great match here, as tends to be the case with Dunne.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event alone is enough to make the show work as the top stars around here carry things as far as they need to go. They’re got a star on their hands whenever someone takes the title from Dunne, which almost has to be coming sooner rather than later. The rest of the show was entertaining as well with all but the Conners vs. Huxley match exceeding expectations. Just get some better character development and everything will be great.

Results

Xia Brookside/Millie McKenzie b. Charlie Morgan/Killer Kelly – Spear to Morgan

Eddie Dennis b. Ashton Smith – Reverse implant DDT

Joseph Conners b. Saxon Huxley – Don’t Look Down

Pete Dunne b. Jordan Devlin – Dunne snapped Devlin’s fingers

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

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

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

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