IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 18, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

Tonight we get to see one of NXT’s best features in action. The main event of this week’s show is a triple threat match for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. Around here, that’s something that can headline a show without blinking an eye. On any other show, such a thing would be insane. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai vs. Lacey Evans

Evans mocks Kai’s kicking to start so Kai rolls her up and rides her on the mat, freaking the heck out of Evans in the process. A shot to the ribs cuts Kai off though and Evans puts her in the Tree of Woe. That means more shots to the ribs, even after Evans uses the strings from Kai’s boot to tie her in the corner. Kai falls out of the corner so Evans kicks and stomps away, with Kai selling the heck out of it.

We hit a double arm crank with a knee in Kai’s back until Evans misses a moonsault. Rapid fire kicks to the face set up some running face wash kicks in the corner for two as Nigel screams about how you can’t hit Evans in the face. A pumphandle slam gets Evans out of trouble and the Woman’s Right is good for the pin on Kai at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This got better in the second half but the first part of this with all of the kicks and stomps to the ribs took away a lot of energy. I’m not sure if I like Evans or not as she has a character that can draw some good heat but I’m having issues getting past the right hand finisher and her not great in-ring skills. There’s something awkward about her and it’s a little much at times.

Ricochet is ready to come after the Undisputed Era because he’s going to eventually get his hands on Adam Cole and the North American Title.

The Street Profits are playing basketball and talking about getting even with The Mighty.

EC3 didn’t mean to show up Velveteen Dream when he interrupted him. After stopping for a picture and giving away a shirt, EC3 runs into Kona Reeves, who talks about the finest. A match is set up as Reeves doesn’t show me anything talking either.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black before their title match next week. The idea is both of them can dip down into the darkness but Ciampa claims to only need one second to become the champion.

Kassius Ohno vs. Rick Ramirez

Discus forearm for the pin in 40 seconds.

The Undisputed Era brags about getting their titles back and calls Ricochet a joke who thinks he’ll get a title shot. These guys are really starting to find their groove.

Video on the War Raiders, including their history as a team. They met in a tournament (the Ring of Honor Top Prospect Tournament I believe) and beat each other so hard that they decided to hit opponents together just as hard. They’re modern day vikings and know that no one can stop them. Then Rowe had a serious motorcycle wreck in 2014 and was lucky to survive. If that can’t stop them, how could any tag team? Rowe is the smaller of the team but he’s the powerhouse while Hanson is the bigger one who flies. Nothing can stop them.

Video on Velveteen Dream and all of his experiences. The next experience in Brooklyn may be the greatest.

Nikki Cross vs. Candice LeRae vs. Kairi Sane

The winner gets a title shot at Takeover and Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler comes out for commentary (with Nikki waving at her in that crazy way). They exchange rollups to start as the fans are split between Kairi and Cross. LeRae gets knocked to the floor as Baszler says all three are bodies, meaning they’re submissions waiting to happen. That’s a great line. LeRae pulls Cross to the floor but the suicide dive is blocked with an elbow.

Back in and Cross grabs something like a Rings of Saturn before tying her in the Tree of Woe for some stompings. Sane comes back in with a spear to Cross and a double stomp for two on LeRae. Cross breaks up the Anchor but LeRae pops back up to take them both down. A Cannonball off the apron drops Sane but Cross plants LeRae with a reverse DDT on the ramp. Not to be outdone, Sane hits a suicide elbow to Cross and they’re all down on the floor.

Baszler isn’t impressed because the winner gets to face her, and that’s not really winning. Back in and Sane gets the worst of a Tower of Doom so it’s time for a slugout from their knees. LeRae takes over with a Downward Spiral/DDT combination, followed by a Lionsault for two on Sane.

Cross hits a hanging swinging neckbreaker onto the floor so Nigel asks if Baszler learned anything from her first match with Nikki. Baszler: “Yeah. That I can beat her.” Three straight belly to back suplexes knock Sane silly but LeRae is back in with a small package to slow Cross down. Another Lionsault hits Cross, only to have Sane drop the Insane Elbow for the save and the pin on LeRae at 10:30.

Rating: B-. The action was good but Baszler was the most impressive to me here with some outstanding lines that made her come off like a star. She’s so condescending and such a jerk that you want to see anyone beat the heck out of her and take the title. That’s an art that takes time to develop and she’s done it in such a short amount of time. Sane was the best choice here as Baszler has beaten Cross and LeRae feels like a longer term title project.

The staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is one of the most entertaining times in NXT: the night when you can see the next Takeover card taking form. You can pretty much guess what’s coming based on the last week or two of television and, as usual, that looks quite good from here. The next taping cycle can firmly establish everything so this is kind of the final preview, which has me wanting to see what we’re getting at one of the biggest shows of the year. In other words, everything is looking good around here, as usual.

Results

Lacey Evans b. Dakota Kai – Woman’s Right

Kassius Ohno b. Rick Ramirez – Discus elbow

Kairi Sane b. Nikki Cross and Candice LeRae – Insane Elbow to LeRae

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 11, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s rematch night and in this case we have a title on the line. This time around it’s about the Tag Team Titles as new champions Moustache Mountain defends against former champions the Undisputed Era. Other than that we’re still in the early stages of the build towards Takeover: Brooklyn so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a very quick look at Moustache Mountain winning the titles in England.

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole vs. Danny Burch

Non-title. Danny goes technical to start with a takedown but Cole grabs a headlock to slow things back down. A shot to the face puts Cole on the floor so he gets in a neckbreaker to take Danny down again and keep the pace slow. Back in and Cole grabs a suplex and drives some knees to the back, allowing him to be as smirky and cocky as you would ever expect him to be.

We hit the chinlock (you knew that was coming) for a few moments until Danny powers out. A German suplex gets two and Danny slaps on a quickly broken Crossface. The Tower of London out of the corner is good for two more but Cole kicks him in the knee. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker and original Last Shot set up the new Last Shot to put Burch away at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Burch was good for rising up and making Cole sweat but this was exactly how it should have gone. Cole is a bigger star with a much brighter future. Have him win here and move on to something bigger after a good match. Burch is fine for a role like this and thankfully NXT knows just how to use him.

Earlier this week, Candice LeRae was happy with her win but ran into Shayna Baszler. The champ’s advice was just to be a happy sidekick so the fight was on.

Dakota Kai is ready to rise back up the rankings when Lacey Evans comes in. Lacey doesn’t like the idea of Kai as champion because it would sully the title. The challenge is made for next week and Evans seems to accept.

Kairi Sane vs. Vanessa Borne

Borne takes her into the corner to start so Sane goes away from the power, opting for a dragon screw legwhip instead. A leg lock doesn’t get Sane anywhere as Borne rolls her over into a bodyscissors and a spinning suplex. Borne stops to pose though and it’s Sane coming back with a neckbreaker, only to bang up her back even more. Back up and a spear cuts Borne in half and there’s the sliding forearm in the corner. Sane gets slammed off the top but pops back up with a spinning backfist. The Anchor, a rather hard half crab, makes Borne tap at 5:58.

Rating: C. Sane being built up as a challenger for Baszler makes sense given their history, especially with the Mae Young Classic coming up again. That should make for a fine one off challenge and if their second match is as good as their first, everything is going to be fine. That being said, LeRae and Kai are a little more interesting for more serious challengers so the division continues to look awesome.

Post match, Sane says she’s beaten Baszler before and she’ll do it again.

Johnny Gargano tells Aleister Black that Tommaso Ciampa cannot become NXT Champion no matter what. Black says he’s got this and leaves, only to get jumped by Ciampa. A hanging DDT from a table to the floor knocks Black cold.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

The Era is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and the fight is on in a hurry. The champs whip them into each other and take turns flipping each other onto both challengers. They head outside with the Era getting beaten up even more as this is one sided so far. Seven knees the steps though and the Era has a very sudden target. Back in and it’s time to go after the knee in a variety of painful ways as the fans are still dueling with the chants. O’Reilly slaps on the leg lock to keep Trent in trouble before cannonballing down onto the knee.

A rollup gives Seven a desperate two but it’s off to Strong to keep him in trouble. We hit the leg lock again but Seven fights up, only to have O’Reilly run over and pull Bate off the apron. The leg lock goes on yet again and again Strong is there to cut Bate off from the save. One more kick to the face is finally enough for Seven to get over to Bate and the hot tag finally brings him in.

Bate speeds things way up and uppercuts O’Reilly down, setting up a running shooting star press. We get the crazy airplane spin/giant swing combination on the Era as the trainer is checking on Seven’s knee. The Tyler Driver gets two on Strong with O’Reilly making a save to put all four down. O’Reilly kicks Bate in the head and the brainbuster gets two more. Seven is back up and tags himself in to slug away, including a weakened Seven Stars Lariat for two on Strong.

The knee gives out again though and a chop block sets up a kind of inverted Texas Cloverleaf (cool) until Bate dives in for a save. A middle rope knee to Seven’s knee sets up another heel hook but Seven kicks him in the head to finally make the break. O’Reilly grabs an even stronger version and Bate finally throws in the towel to save his friend, giving the Era the titles back at 17:17.

Rating: B+. That’s a great story with Seven being Bate’s mentor and the younger Bate wanting to save his friend instead of worrying about the titles. This easily sets up a rematch in Brooklyn and with that kind of a crowd, it could be even better than this one. Bate continues to be scary good, especially for someone of his age.

The rest of the Era comes out to celebrate as Bate and trainers tend to Seven to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. That main event more than carries this one and you can start to see the pieces being put together for Brooklyn. Above all else though, the women’s division looks better and better with each passing week as there’s depth there and you don’t know who is going to be the one to take the title from Baszler. If nothing else we’re almost guaranteed some more talent from the tournament so things are looking up even more. Another strong show from top to bottom here as they’re ready for Brooklyn.

Results

Adam Cole b. Danny Burch – Last Shot

Kairi Sane b. Vanessa Borne – Anchor

Undisputed Era b. Moustache Mountain via referee stoppage when Bate threw in the towel

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Last time I talked about Omega vs Okada and how great Japan can be telling the story of a young man coming into his own. Whether it’s anime, movies, TV or wrestling, it’s a staple storytelling element of the country. In contrast, the US has one that when done well, goes beyond expectation. The ol’ “Barbershop Split”. Take a successful tag team of many years and title reigns. Then split them up with one believing he has become too big to be carrying his partner with a heinous betrayal. The most famous being the original. Shawn Michaels throwing partner Marty Jannetty through a glass window during Brutus Beefcake’s “Barbershop” segment.

With that out of the way, we may just be seeing the best incarnation of this feud today in the form of Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano. Why is that? The sense of realism that NXT has played since before the rivalry. So many times, we’ve seen these teams. Whether it’s Edge and Christian, James Storm and Bobby Roode, Matt and Jeff Hardy among others. We know how close they are. We see them on television. But that’s all we see out of them (the Hardy’s break that trend in 2015). Their relationships are as deep as Raw, Impact, etc will show. Social media granted us with bigger insight into the lives of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. We as fans years ago learned that Ciampa and Gargano started living together in Florida. We learn of Gargano’s wedding with Candice LeRae and know Tommaso was there. We know he did in fact live with the newlyweds. Through social media we also see how close they were as friends with the #GloriousBomb videos when Bobby Roode came in. You look at things on NXT and CWC, we would see Johnny Gargano injuring himself for the success of the team and Ciampa always stopping to hug him sitting down. All that together mixed and came ahead when Ciampa finally betrayed Gargano.

A second major twist came unexpectedly when Ciampa was injured right after the betrayal. That opened up the door for a new concept. Gargano losing his focus. Despite Tommaso Ciampa not being there, just a shirt reminding him of the man was enough to have Gargano seemingly suffer PTSD and shut down. Later on Gargano would simply lose his focus any time he had a big match. We saw the effects this betrayal had on the mind of the man.

When Tommaso Ciampa returned  we as fans were so emotionally invested in Johnny Gargano who had managed to recover from said betrayal to challenge for the World title. Ciampa’s return attacking Gargano after his incredible match with Andrade Cien Almas made such a big impact. Gargano had finally gotten his life back on track. But the man that ruined Gargano’s life was back again. This time there were no injuries to stop a match from happening. The fight was on and it happened at New Orleans. The two gave us an emotional battle. None of the finesse that you saw with Omega vs Okada. This was not a battle to be the best in the world. It’s a war between two best friends who came apart. The match was built with many callbacks to their time. Together and separated. We saw them throw each other against the LED boards in the entrance. The same thing Ciampa did when he turned on Gargano. They threw themselves off the stage, similar to Ciampa’s attack on Gargano at NXT TV. Gargano hit their signature tag team maneuver. Crutches were the weapon of choice. What Ciampa used in his return to attack Gargano as well as what he used to cost Gargano the NXT title and his job in NXT. Gargano even threatening to stab Ciampa with a broken crutch but opting not to because he’s better than that and would not stoop to Ciampa’s level. Their match concluded with Gargano using Ciampa’s knee brace to submit him. The knee brace of course being from Ciampa’s injury, delaying the match. When the match finally took place, it was the instrument of his defeat.

Now, you could say that was the perfect ending. It was. Had that been the ending of the feud, a perfect story was told. But NXT decided, for many reasons, to double down. Ciampa continued to torment Gargano. This time, Gargano’s wife Candice LeRae tried to stop them. But she became a casualty. Now why would NXT insist in continuing this feud? The most notable part is where it might’ve just ended: Chicago. Where a year earlier, Tommaso Ciampa ended his team with Johnny Gargano, by slamming him against the LED board and driving him through a table. This would make the feud finish where it started.

The rematch saw the same raw emotion as the first one but this time Gargano felt far more violent. Something emphasized by his wife Candice giving him the broken crutch he almost stabbed Ciampa with in New Orleans and screaming “Kick! His! A**!” Gargano would also be the one taking the risks. He drives Ciampa through a table at the entrance. He was the first to use weapons. Gargano showed this time he was tired of Ciampa and was willing to do anything to end this. But Ciampa also changed tactics. Rather than brutalizing Gargano physically, he went with a more psychological approach. Best shown when he took Gargano’s wedding band and threw it away. In his rage, Gargano failed to notice that happened. But when Gargano seemed to had finally gotten his revenge and drove him through the table, he sat atop the carnage he created. he calmed down and saw his hand. Realizing he was missing the wedding band. Despite already having his victory, official pinfall aside, Gargano exploded and went back on the attack. Now Gargano was the one giving into anger and the very second he did that, he lost. Despite Ciampa being helpless, tied by handcuffs, when Gargano finally stooped to Ciampa’s level, he fell in defeat.

While the ending is not as perfect as the one in New Orleans, it tells a more realistic ending. Not of a hero triumphing over his hateful rival. But how jealousy doesn’t just affect the jealous. Anger doesn’t just affect the angry. And the second we let those affected by these traits get to us, we also become corrupted. Like the bible verse says, “Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth”. One is affected, but both pay the price when the second retaliates and we’re starting to expand on that with this week’s episode of NXT as it shows Johnny Gargano has been consumed by vengeance. The slightest reminder of Ciampa sends him into an unstoppable rage now.

One of the more peculiar details about this entire story is just what exactly set Tommaso Ciampa off to begin with. It was never a case of “I’m better than you”. It still hasn’t been. Prior to NXT Takeover Chicago, rumors of Ciampa being injured surfaced. WWE confirmed them and fed into it by adding the possibility that Gargano would need a substitute for their ladder match against the Authors Of Pain. To add to it, that very same week, it was announced that a solo theme song was recorded for Johnny Gargano. The writing was seemingly on the wall for Ciampa. If they were to split, Gargano would be the one pushed and he would fall behind. As such, he took Gargano out and has made his life impossible all in a bid to guarantee he would get ahead of him as a singles wrestler. It’s a more realistic take as we would see how Gargano was always the favored one of the team. To Gargano, it was tag team success that mattered. He was happy where he was, wrestling with his best friend. But Ciampa saw ahead and felt paranoid by what was there. Since the betrayal, the man has become completely jacked to the point that he’s just some white paint away from looking like Kratos (heck, he’s been saying “Boy” every single promo since his return) but more poignant than anything else, he has no theme song. Which reflects on one of the details that caused all this. Johnny Gargano getting his own solo theme.

In my eyes, Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano has been one of the best feuds I’ve seen in pro wrestling. It takes full advantage of a wide range of emotions to expand both characters but more than that, after each passing match, despite the seeming diminishing returns, we see both men undergo a major development in their personality. Ciampa has become less obsessive as he’s now secured a top spot as a singles star in NXT. Johnny Gargano has become much more assertive and is no longer the wrestler who always depended on the support of his best friend and fans. He’s now fighter capable of standing on his own. But there is still one final step. Both have become main event stars. But who will be the one to reach the NXT Championship first? We might just find out sooner than later.

====

Thank you for reading. My name is AB Morales, Puertorican Dirt Sheet writer, a friend of KB for years. You can find and follow me here:

Facebook | Where I have my own personal blog with daily wrestling updates and even cover anime and videogames once in a while.
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Twitter | Where I do….., well it’s Twitter.
Impacto Estelar | My own little Spanish Dirt Sheet site.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 4, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re well on the way to Takeover: Brooklyn with the NXT Title match pretty clearly set and that’s going to make for some interesting weeks ahead. NXT knows how to build up a card in a hurry and I’m looking forward to see what else we get on the upcoming show. Things are good around here and they could get even better so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai vs. Santana Garrett

They shake hands to start and the bigger Garrett runs her over without much effort. Garrett grabs something close to a Black Widow and then switches to a Muta Lock. Since that can’t last long, Kai pops up with an enziguri. Some facewashes rock Garrett and the running sunset flip Backstabber gives Kai the win at 3:37.

Rating: C-. I could have gone for a bit more of this but Kai has a cool finisher and is adorable enough to hang around for a long time. You know, say to eventually take out Shayna Baszler for example. Garrett is someone who you would expect to be a bigger deal than she is as she has the skill, the size and the look.

Otis Dozovic was at the Performance Center earlier today, talking about wanting a juicy steak. He finds Tucker Knight down and holding his knee, which is a way to write Knight out for their match later. Knight had to miss the show due to his wife having a baby, but NXT is smart enough to come up with a quick story to cover that. Perhaps blaming it on their opponents tonight? As in unlike this week on Raw where WWE made sure to NOT blame the B Team for Bray Wyatt being gone.

Here’s Shayna Baszler for a chat. She talked about going rabid at Takeover to defeat Nikki Cross. Baszler wants more competition and isn’t scared of anyone like Bianca Belair, Kairi Sane or Candice LeRae. It’s so bad that they have to have another Mae Young Classic because she’s out of people to beat up. Not that it matters because the answer will always be the same. They’ll go to sleep and you’ll hear “AND STILL your NXT Women’s Champion!” Baszler is nailing the character as well as anyone I’ve seen in a long time and this was good, cocky arrogance.

Danny Burch gives an update on Oney Lorcan: he has a broken orbital bone but has already undergone surgery. They’re looking at about three months on the shelf but then it’s time for a run at the Tag Team Titles. The Undisputed Era comes in to say they’re coming for the Titles next week because they’re invoking their rematch clause. Oh and Burch is kind of a loser. Burch brings up their success against the Era and challenges Adam Cole to a match next week. Cole laughs and accepts.

Video on War Raiders.

We look back at Tommaso Ciampa challenging Aleister Black for the NXT Title. The match is in three weeks on TV. I’m hoping they don’t change the title and then rush a third Ciampa vs. Gargano match for Brooklyn.

The Mighty vs. Otis Dozovic

Otis wastes no time in running them both over and BLASTS Thorn with a right hand to the side of the head. Miller is sent face first into the buckle but Thorn gets in a cheap shot from behind to knock him to the floor. Some double teaming has Dozovic in trouble and we hit the neck crank. That’s fine with Dozovic, who suplexes both of them at the same time for a breather. Running splashes in the corner keep the Mighty in trouble but Dozovic misses a Vader Bomb. Miller shoves him into a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 5:52.

Rating: C-. That was as nice of a surprise as you were going to get with Dozovic working hard to survive on his own. What impresses me more though is how they came up with the short story about Knight being gone. They have their bases covered and spent what, maybe five minutes to film something that takes care of a problem? It really does show how organized this place is and how unorganized the main roster can be at times.

Bianca Belair is on her honeymoon and laughs off the idea of all these women trying to say they deserve to be #1 contender. I mean, are they Bianca Belair? Then they don’t belong at the front of the line.

Kairi Sane wants to face Vanessa Borne next week.

Velveteen Dream vs. Chris Dijak

Dream doesn’t seem impressed, not even looking at Dijak as he comes to the ring. Dijak doesn’t seem impressed when Dream strikes his pose and suplex throws him down with ease. A superkick makes things worse and Dream gets tossed away again in a great power display. Dream finally gets in a few shots and turns up the aggression, including a hip swivel neckbreaker. A chinlock doesn’t work as Dijak fights up with some hard rights and a discus big boot for two. Dream gets sent to the floor so Dijak heads up but gets pulled down, sending him face first into the steps. Back in and the twisting DDT ends Dijak at 5:02.

Rating: C+. Dijak continues to impress as an athletic freak and you can tell that they’ve got something planned for him. You don’t give him that much offense in his first two matches and not have something planned for him down the line. He has the look, the power and the work to go a long way, which makes the roster around here all the more impressive. It took him that long to get onto TV, just because there’s so much other good stuff around him.

Dream poses post match but EC3’s entrance for the main event cuts him off. Dream isn’t pleased.

Moustache Mountain is ready to defend the belts next week.

EC3 vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano is all fired up and punches EC3 out to the floor so it’s a headlock to calm things a bit (EC3: “SETTLE DOWN!”) back inside. That just earns him a Thesz press and some forearms but EC3 chops his way to freedom. A running flip neckbreaker gets two and it’s off to a nerve hold on Gargano. EC3 sends him hard into the corner to bang up the neck again and it’s back to the nerve hold.

Back up and Gargano hits some shots to the head, followed by the slingshot spear. EC3 is rocked and a suicide dive makes things even worse. They get back inside and a hard clothesline drops Gargano again but he spins away and takes EC3 down. The Gargano Escape is broken up so Gargano tries a triangle choke. That’s reversed into a big sitout powerbomb for two but Gargano goes mega angry and kicks EC3’s head off.

The knee is exposed ala Ciampa but EC3 cuts him off. That’s fine with Gargano, who takes him down into the Gargano Escape. A rope grab breaks that up as well so Gargano puts it on again, still next to the rope (on purpose as he just wants to be violent). With EC3 basically done, a hanging DDT is good for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B-. Gargano’s saga continues and I’m still hoping that we don’t get the match rushed straight to Brooklyn. Let it build up a bit and then let Gargano finally win the NXT Title to send Ciampa off to the main roster, where he hopefully isn’t sent to 205 Live to rot. EC3 loses his first singles match but there’s nothing wrong with being beaten by a whirlwind like Gargano, who is the top face in the promotion and can do no wrong at the moment.

Overall Rating: C+. Despite it being a holiday show, there was nothing that felt out of place here. Some stories were advanced and more stuff was set up for next week as we roll on towards Takeover, which could be a heck of a card if the lower stuff is built up well. It’s still not clear where some of the matches are going but there’s a lot of time to set those up. Another good show here, as NXT knows exactly how to time everything they need to cover.

Results

Dakota Kai b. Santana Garrett – Sunset flip Backstabber

The Mighty b. Otis Dozovic – Clothesline to the back of the head

Velveteen Dream b. Chris Dijak – Wind up DDT

Johnny Gargano b. EC3 – Hanging DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: June 27, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to start getting ready for Brooklyn as the next Takeover is only about a month and a half away. The big story this week is the return of NXT Champion Aleister Black, who will be making his first comments since retaining over Lars Sullivan in a brutal match at Takeover: Chicago II. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Moustache Mountain has won the Tag Team Titles from Undisputed Era at the United Kingdom Championship Tournament event. They’ll be in action tonight.

Here’s Black for a chat. Black talks about the adversity he faced in Chicago in the form of Sullivan. That man did things Black didn’t think was humanly possible, but Aleister made him fade to black. Cue Tommaso Ciampa (again with no music) to say it’s time to stand face to face with the devil. Black can dress things up all he wants but he’s the NXT Champion. In Black’s case, the title makes the man instead of the other way around. That same night in Chicago, Ciampa beat Johnny Gargano WITH HIS HANDS TIED BEHIND HIS BACK.

Now it’s time to focus on the title because Black has something Ciampa wants. Black threatens to kick his head off but Ciampa wants him to think before he speaks. See, when Ciampa beats him, the title goes away but so does Black’s mystique. Ciampa sits down on the stage, does the evil wave, and promises to make the title reign fade to black. This was the logical progression for Ciampa and him winning the title would be a great moment.

We see an X-ray of Sullivan’s head, showing that he wrestled half of the match against Black with a broken jaw.

Vanessa Bourne had a press conference earlier today and wanted to know why Kairi Sane dresses like a pirate. Why don’t more people want to be like Sane? Tonight, Sane is in for a beating and Bourne will be the new poster girl for NXT.

Kona Reeves vs. Max Humberto

The fans are behind Humberto, even knowing his name. We hear about Reeves being mentored by fellow Hawaiian Don Muraco, which isn’t a name you hear dropped very often. Reeves headlocks him down and pounds the chest with some forearms. Back in and a boot to the face drops Humberto, setting up the Hawaiian Drop for the pin at 2:49. Total squash and Reeves still does nothing for me.

Clip of Moustache Mountain winning the titles.

Candice LeRae vs. Lacey Evans

LeRae starts fast with some armdrags but a pull of the hair lets Lacey send her shoulder first into the post. The arm gets twisted down to the mat as the pace slows in a hurry. We hit the seated cobra clutch and the fans are already clapping for Candice to get back up. Candice fights out and grabs a neckbreaker and nails some right hands of her own. An Unprettier (called a Vertebreaker by Mauro) sets up a very high Lionsault to give Candice the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C+. Candice is rather spunky and knows how to do a comeback, which should make it very easy to push her as a big time face around here. Throw in her husband’s popularity and it should be even easier. The Lionsault looked great and that’s a pretty nice win considering how hard Evans has been pushed in recent months.

Johnny Gargano is shaken up after Chicago but he’s watched it again to see what Ciampa did. He doesn’t care where it happens, but he’s going to fight Ciampa again, whether it’s next week or in a grocery store because this ends when Ciampa does.

Heavy Machinery cooks some food and wants the Mighty.

Next week: Gargano vs. EC3.

LeRae is worried about Gargano but she wants the Women’s Title.

Moustache Mountain vs. Dave Dixon/Carl Axelrod

Dixon and Axelrod have a Titantron and theme song, but they also have a beatdown from behind at the hands of the Undisputed Era. No match.

Kyle O’Reilly says the titles only changed hands because of the home field advantage so they’ll be cashing in their rematch soon and taking the titles back. The beatdown is teased but here’s Ricochet for the save.

Ricochet/Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

Bate wristlocks O’Reilly into a wristlock to start and it’s quickly off to Ricochet for a slingshot hilo. The Seven Stars Lariat is blocked and it’s off to Cole, who gets chopped down to one knee. A DDT gets two on Cole and the assisted backsplash crushes Strong and Cole. Ricochet gets in a moonsault onto the same two and it’s Strong taking the beating this time. Bate comes back in but a distraction lets Strong hit a half nelson backbreaker to take over.

It’s off to the chinlock for a bit before Cole hits a snap suplex for two. The Era starts in on the arm with Cole sliding in with a knee to the shoulder and, as you might expect, a shoulder breaker. Bate scores with an exploder suplex and brings in Ricochet to clean house. A springboard elbow to the jaw gets two on O’Reilly but the guillotine choke has Ricochet in very quick trouble.

Somehow he’s able to make a tag to Seven, who breaks the hold with a full nelson on O’Reilly. The Era has had enough of Seven and it’s a fireman’s carry backbreaker into a running knee to the face. Seven is fine enough to clothesline the heck out of O’Reilly and bring Ricochet back in as everything breaks down. Cole and Ricochet kick each other in the head and everyone is down.

Two pairs fight on opposite apron, leaving Cole and Ricochet to hit each other in the head a lot. The High/Low doesn’t work on Ricochet (because of course he can flip out of it) and there’s the 630 to Cole for two with O’Reilly making a very timely save. A release suplex onto the apron cuts Ricochet off though and Cole gets the pin at 13:28.

Rating: B-. Very fun match with Ricochet doing his superhero style flipping and diving and the Era getting a pin, although not on the champions, to keep them hot on the trail for the titles. Moustache Mountain can do more than their usual match and as long as you can let Bate go nuts out there every now and then, the team is going to be fine.

Overall Rating: B. Solid effort this week with two good matches and the big title feud being set up at the beginning. In other words, they set stuff up for next week and beyond while doing things to entertain us at the same time, all in about fifty minutes. Cut out the Reeves match and put in pretty much anything else and this is a near classic episode, but as it is we’re stuck with just a rather good one.

Results

Kona Reeves b. Max Humberto – Hawaiian Drop

Candice LeRae b. Lacey Evans – Lionsault

Undisputed Era b. Ricochet/Moustache Mountain – Release suplex onto the apron to Ricochet

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

Another long form Q&A.  Thank you again to anyone who sent me a question and please ask another for next week if you’d like.  Also make sure to watch the videos included in there if you can please.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/ask-wrestling-rumors-week-3-june-23-2018/

KB

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 20, 2018
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another slow down week as we’ll be looking at what happened this past Saturday plus the two matches taped before Takeover went on the air. Therefore it’s not going to be the most important show in the world, but after everything WWE has had going on this week, a little break sounds like just the ticket. Let’s get to it.

Here are Saturday’s results if you need a recap.

In Memory of Vader.

We get a highlight package from Takeover, with a crawler of tweets about Vader’s passing.

Opening sequence.

It’s always a little jarring to see the big arena for NXT.

Dakota Kai vs. Bianca Belair

Belair throws her around to start but takes a kick for an early two. A suplex takes Kai down for two and Belair is rather cocky about this level of dominance. With Kai not being able to fight her off, we hit an abdominal stretch to keep Belair in control. That goes nowhere so Belair tosses her down again, only to have Kai come back with some running kicks in the face. A hard forearm to the jaw takes Kai down though and the sitout torture rack faceplant finishes Kai at 6:03.

Rating: D+. This was nearly a squash with Belair running over Kai and not even blinking during the destruction. That’s what this match should have been, as Belair looks to have all the potential in the world. Let her run with that and see how far the natural athleticism can take her. At the moment, it looks quite far.

Video on Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream. That was awesome.

Ricochet says he showed tonight that the spotlight belongs to him.

Velveteen Dream says Dream Over.

Video on Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross.

Baszler, along with two more of the Four Horsewomen, say you defeat chaos by putting it to sleep. Baszler: “And still.”

Video on Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan.

Aleister Black is too banged up to talk.

Video on Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Undisputed Era.

Lorcan and Burch are upset that they lost but glad that they got here.

Long recap of Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano.

EC3 isn’t sure why he wasn’t on Takeover but that won’t happen again. He goes into Regal’s office and demands to face EVERYBODY.

War Raiders vs. The Mighty

TM61 of course, with a better name. The Mighty, now in matching tights, jump the Raiders to start but Rowe demands that the match start anyway. Rowe cleans house and Hanson throws him into Thorn in the corner. Fallout is broken up and Miller gets two with his feet on the ropes. It’s Rowe in trouble for a bit until he runs Thorn over, allowing the hot tag off to Hanson. Everything breaks down with Hanson using the size advantage to clean house with reckless abandon. Fallout ends Miller at 4:33.

Rating: C-. That wasn’t much more than a squash and that’s what War Raiders should be doing. They’re bigger and stronger than any team around and having them flatten a team with some success like The Mighty is as good of an idea as they could have. There’s a real chance that the Raiders are going to be in the title hunt sooner rather than later, and really that’s what they should be doing.

Overall Rating: C. As usual, this was just a rest stop on the way back from Takeover and there’s nothing wrong with that. The wrestling was there to warm the crowd up and prevent them from having to put together a full show between Saturday and today. The recaps were a nice touch and as usual this is one of those shows that helps new viewers if they watched Takeover on a whim. Exactly what this show should have been.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Dakota Kai – Sitout torture rack faceplant

War Raiders b. The Mighty – Fallout to Miller

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: Chicago II
Date: June 16, 2018
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s time for a sequel and that means things might not be quite as good as it was before. However, the card looks very strong here with all five matches having the potential to steal the show. The main event will likely be Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano II in a street fight, which is completely different than an unsanctioned match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on pain, which every match on tonight’s card has felt in one way or another. As you might have guessed, the video shifts into focusing on Gargano vs. Ciampa, which is pretty easily the biggest thing on the card.

The announcers welcome Joseph for the night as Mauro Ranallo is off covering Showtime Boxing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the champs gone, Lorcan and Burch get the standing ovation.

Kairi Sane is here.

We recap the Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet. The idea here is Ricochet gets a lot of attention due to being an athletic freak and it’s not cool with Dream that someone else is getting this kind of attention. Dream has said that anything Ricochet can do, he can do better. This caused Ricochet to hit a big flip dive the top to the ramp, leaving Dream speechless.

Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet

Dream is in full Hogan gear, with bandanna and a DREAM STILL OVER shirt, plus all the mannerisms, including the posing and swinging his arms back and forth. I saw Dream at a house show earlier this week and he was doing some Hogan offense so suddenly this makes a lot more sense. He also has some tights on that look a lot like Ricochet’s Prince Puma gear from Lucha Underground. Ricochet on the other hand now has full on superhero gear, complete with a cape designed to look like wings. The fans are behind Dream here and seem rather pleased when he strikes his pose.

They hit the mat with Ricochet grabbing a headscissors, making Dream lose his bandanna in the process. Dream’s running headscissors doesn’t work as Ricochet lands on his feet, meaning it’s time to start the flips. Ricochet flips off the ropes and moonsaults into his pose, frustrating Dream all over again. A springboard is broken up though and Ricochet lands throat first on the top rope to really cut him off. Back in and Dream drops him throat first across the ropes again, followed by a slow motion slingshot flip splash. A hip swivel neckbreaker gives Dream two and he wants the Bingo hall guy to get up.

Ricochet gets sent to the floor and a running springboard flip dive drops him again. Back in again and a chinlock doesn’t get Dream very far as the chant switches to BOTH THESE GUYS. Ricochet fights up and scores with a suicide dive, followed by a spinning flip dive over the top to really wake the fans up. The springboard back elbow and standing shooting star gives Ricochet two but he gets crotched on top. That means a super Death Valley Bomb for a very near fall as Dream was banged up off the landing.

Ricochet heads up again but this time it’s Dream suplexing him off the top and out to the floor in a very painful looking crash. The fans are VERY pleased and it’s even better when both guys dive back in at nine. Another Death Valley Bomb gives Dream a close two but his snap DDT is broken up. Ricochet’s back gives out on a suplex attempt so they trade kicks to the face instead. Now the DDT gives Dream two and the fans give both downed guys a standing ovation.

Dream says that he’s homegrown and Ricochet belongs in a Bingo hall so Ricochet comes back with a Death Valley Bomb of his own. Ricochet goes up, strikes Dream’s pose, and hits the Purple Rainmaker for a very close two. With Dream still rocked, Ricochet goes up for one of the longest shooting stars I’ve ever seen but it only hits knees. Ricochet is down in the other corner so Dream tries a Coast to Coast Purple Rainmaker but only hits mat (though he more than had the distance). The 630 gives Ricochet the pin at 22:18.

Rating: A. Can we get Dream a statue already? For someone who came over from Tough Enough, I don’t remember the last time he didn’t knock a big match out of the park. Throw in the great gear and story being told here of Dream doing everything Ricochet could do until he made the same mistake in the end and he’s just amazing. Ricochet shows that he could do more than fly too, which is a positive sign for someone so known for one style. Great match and another star making performance for both guys.

We recap Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross. Baszler took over the division by being a bully who broke all the rules. She bullies Dakota Kai so the insane Cross came to Kai’s defense and showed Baszler what it really meant to break the rules. Cross is just so out there that Baszler might not be able to handle her.

Women’s Title: Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending. Shayna has her fists up to start but Cross stands there with her arms at her side. Cross tells Baszler to do it, motioning for the Kirifuda Clutch. Then she gets down on all fours to chase Baszler around and the champ is confused. Cross turns her back and offers a free chance, only to cut Baszler off with a growl. The first choke has Baszler in trouble and Cross ties her up in the ring skirt for some forearms to the back.

They fight on the ramp and this time Baszler drops her back first to slow Cross down for the first time. Back in and Baszler tries to smother Cross so Nikki comes up smiling. Well of course she does. The crowd is distracted by something as Baszler knees her in the face, only to have Cross block the second one.

The Clutch is reversed with a belly to back suplex and Cross kicks away in the corner. A layout reverse DDT (not the Slop Drop Nigel) on the apron gives Cross two and a handing swinging suplex gets the same. Shayna reverses another suplex into the Clutch and Cross is in trouble in the middle of the ring. Cross fights a lot but starts smiling before passing out at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Well that was disturbing, though completely the right way to go. Cross is so completely insane that it makes sense for her to enjoy being choked out in a loss. It was straight out of Raven vs. Chris Benoit at Souled Out 1998 and that’s what I was hoping to see coming into this. Not a great match, but I’m curious to see who goes after Baszler next as the division is absolutely stacked right now.

EC3 is here.

Keith Lee (making his debut) is here.

We recap the NXT Title match. This is a pretty basic idea as champion Aleister Black has been able to take care of anyone with Black Mass but Lars Sullivan is too strong for it to have much effect. Sullivan has dominated him for the most part and Black has to find a way to survive.

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan

Black is defending and gets to do his rising up entrance. They stare each other down for a good while to start until Black starts in with the strikes. Both finishers are blocked early on so Black knocks him to the floor for a running forearm. Black comes off the apron with a Meteora but gets his head knocked off back inside. A running knee to the head gives Black one and it’s off to a Fujiwara armbar as they slow things down a bit. Black’s right hand is twisted around and a clothesline only hurts Black’s arm.

They head outside again and Sullivan catches Black’s middle rope moonsault (egads) and drops him face first onto the apron. Back in and we hit the chinlock to give them their first actual break. Black escapes a pop up powerslam but his rollup is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam for two. Now the pop up powerslam gets two more so Sullivan goes up, which can’t end well. Black kicks him in the head so Sullivan just smacks him in the face to put Black back down.

The top rope headbutt hits a raised knee, which thankfully hurts Black’s knee. I’ve never gotten why raising your knees doesn’t cause you damage right back so it’s nice to see for a change. Black’s knee is fine enough to speed up the strikes and the standing Lionsault gives the champ a near fall of his own. Black Mass is blocked again so Sullivan goes after the knee again. We hit a Brock Lock for a good while until the Freak Accident is countered into a DDT for a double knockdown.

Sullivan is up first and gets two more off the top rope headbutt. Black avoids a charge and stomps on the back but misses Black Mass by a good six inches. That gets two anyway, but no reaction as they couldn’t hide how off that was. Another jumping knee to the face sets up Black Mass (to the arm) but Sullivan gets up anyway. With Sullivan on his knees, Black Mass catches him on the top of the head to retain Black’s title at 14:29.

Rating: B+. Missed Black Masses aside, this was a heck of a fight with Black throwing everything he had at the monster in something close enough to Vader vs. Sting to be the classic formula. Just having Black go at him that hard and finally pull it off in the end was the right call and Sullivan can be back with some dominant squashes so he’ll be fine. This is a classic story and it’s always going to work if you can make the fans get behind the underdog, even if that’s the champion.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano. They used to be best friends but last year, in this building, Ciampa stabbed him in the back out of jealousy. Gargano defeated Ciampa in an incredible unsanctioned match in New Orleans but Ciampa couldn’t let it die. Therefore, more attacks ensued and it’s time for a street fight rematch. The other important note is Johnny’s wife Candice LeRae, who got caught in the cross hairs and doesn’t approve of Johnny being in the fight again.

Gargano is walking through the back when Candice comes up to him and gives Johnny the broken crutch from New Orleans. Candice: “Kick his a**!”

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

Street fight. Ciampa has his own crutch and they’re both in street clothes. They swing the crutches at each other to start before just going with the punches. They’re on the floor in a hurry with Gargano throwing him over the announcers’ table and then fighting into the crowd. Gargano finds a USE THIS SIGN JOHNNY and bashes Ciampa in the head with it, revealing a stop sign inside. A high crossbody off a platform crushes Ciampa again and it’s time to go back to ringside with Gargano throwing some weapons inside.

Ciampa shrugs off the left hands for some rolling German suplexes to work on Gargano’s bad neck. Gargano knocks him to the floor again and scores with a suicide dive. A whip into the barricade gets Ciampa out of trouble and it’s time for a chair and a trashcan lid. The chair gets wrapped around Gargano’s head and Ciampa sends it straight into the steps. Ciampa pelts the trashcan at his head and Johnny is bleeding from the hand. It’s handcuffs time and you can tell the fans are nervous about where this is going.

Ciampa can’t get them on so Gargano goes with the slingshot spear instead. Gargano takes his belt off and gives Ciampa the whipping that he deserves. The trashcan goes over Ciampa’s head for the low superkick but of course it’s too early for a cover. Instead Gargano puts the trashcan in the corner, allowing Ciampa to hit Project Ciampa. The knee to the face gets two and a running knee into a trashcan lid into Gargano’s head knocks him even sillier. They head to the apron and White Noise onto the steps gives Ciampa another close two.

We need more weapons so Ciampa pulls out….bolt cutters? He starts cutting the ropes that hold the mat to the bottom of the ring and pulls the canvas and mat away, revealing the plywood. Ciampa puts him on the top and tells Gargano that he deserves this, but a super White Noise is countered. Gargano can’t get a sunset bomb, even as he pulls Ciampa’s pants half down. Instead he settles for a superkick to bring Ciampa back down and it’s time for a slugout.

Ciampa hits a crutch shot while Gargano gets in a trashcan lid shot, knocking them both down at the same time with Gargano falling on top for two. Gargano tries a slingshot dive but goes straight into a trashcan lid shot to the head. The running knee (the bad one mind you) hits the steps and Ciampa is in trouble again. He takes the brace off so Gargano hammers away at the knee, even beating on it with a chair. Ciampa is fine enough to kick Gargano into the chair in the corner and the Gargano Escape has Gargano in big trouble.

That’s let go as Ciampa wants the STF with a crutch like Gargano used in New Orleans. With that not working either, Ciampa fixes his knee brace as Gargano is getting to his feet. A crutch shot to the back of the neck only gets two and Ciampa is getting even madder. Gargano is almost out on his feet so Ciampa takes him up the ramp while shouting about how they used to be friends. It’s time for Gargano to say goodbye to everything and Ciampa sends him into the set, just like he did last year.

Ciampa says it’s never enough and takes him on top of some equipment, above a pair of tables. He even takes off Gargano’s wedding ring, spits on it, and throws it away. That fires Gargano up enough to hit his own White Noise through the tables and they’re both done. Fans: “MAMA MIA!” Medics come out to put a neck brace on Ciampa as Gargano sits from above and watches the stretcher come out. The fans tell Gargano to DO IT but he just watches as Ciampa is put on a table.

Gargano looks at his ring finger and that’s enough to send him after Ciampa again. He wheels Ciampa back down to ringside and slaps on the Gargano Escape for the tap but there’s no referee. Instead Gargano beats up some guys in suits for trying to make a save and cuffs Ciampa’s hands behind his back. Six straight superkicks set up another Gargano Escape so here are a bunch of guys to break it up. The referee is finally back as Gargano beats up the suits, but Ciampa catches him with a hanging DDT onto the exposed boards for the pin at 35:22.

Rating: A+. That ending was sick with the thud being as cringe inducing of a sound as I’ve heard in a long time. Ciampa winning was the right call of course and it was an incredible fight until we got there. The first match was more about just having the two of them hit each other as much as they could but this was all about the violence and the weapons, with Gargano going so far over the line that he got caught in the end, which adds another layer to the story. I have no idea what they have planned for the final match, but they’ve got their work cut out for them.

The fans are STUNNED at the ending and you can feel the air go out of the place. Ciampa can barely move but gives an evil smile as he pulls himself up the aisle using the stretcher. He waves goodbye to Gargano as the fans swear at him a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: A+. The two creepy smiles carry this one as far as it needs to go and the matches were as great as they could have been. This was much more about the violence and the action and that’s exactly what we got all night long. It’s another incredible show as NXT had its foot on the gas all night long. I know I keep saying they can’t get better than this, but I’m getting tired of being wrong. Bring on Brooklyn, as things might even be better there if that’s possible. Another incredible show, as you kind of have to expect.

Results

Undisputed Era b. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch – High/Low to Lorcan

Ricochet b. Velveteen Dream – 630 Splash

Shayna Baszler b. Nikki Cross – Kirifuda Clutch

Aleister Black b. Lars Sullivan – Black Mass

Tommaso Ciampa b. Johnny Gargano – Hanging DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

I took in the NXT house show last night in the Broadbent Arena in Louisville, Kentucky. The arena isn’t the biggest in the world with a capacity of 6,600. It was cut in half for the sake of the show and the seats off the floor were mostly empty. The floor was full, but the arena still didn’t look great and the lights were kept low all night. I’m not great at judging attendances but there couldn’t have been more than a thousand people there at the very most.

Unfortunately there was a bad wreck on the interstate and traffic caused me to arrive twenty minutes after the show started as it took forty five minutes to drive about three miles. Therefore, I missed the opening two matches, which included:

1. War Raiders b. TM61

2. EC3 b. Fabian Aichner

I arrived just at the end of the EC3 match and could hear the bell on the way to my seat.

3. Kairi Sane/Candice LeRae b. Aliyah/Vanessa Borne – Insane Elbow to Aliyah. 11:44. C.

The crowd was very hot for this with LeRae getting a strong CANDICE WRESTLING chant but they got even hotter for Sane, who came off like a major star. If nothing else she has a great entrance with the pirate motif working very well. This was a longer match than I was expecting with a lengthy heat segment on LeRae. It was also very formula based with LeRae and Sane taking over to start until LeRae got beaten down for several minutes. The hot tag brought in Sane and LeRae cut Borne off, leaving Sane to win with the elbow. Aliyah is rather enjoyable as a heel but I was a fan of hers for a long time. Maybe it’s the right move.

4. North American Title: Adam Cole b. Raul Mendoza – Last Shot. 11:52. B-.

This was probably the match of the night with Cole getting to show off a lot of what made him popular in the first place and Mendoza getting a little chance to shine. The bigger problem was Cole vs. the crowd, as they were cheering loudly for nearly every single thing that he did. Cole tried everything he could to get them to boo him, from not throwing his shirt to the crowd after seeing which side could make the most noise to running the ropes several times before stopping for a chinlock. The latter just earned him a HOLY S*** chant for a funny moment.

Mendoza got to show off as well here, and it’s clear that he has some talent. There’s always room for a high flier who can make a spirited comeback and that’s what Mendoza got to do here. Of course Cole retained in the end with the Last Shot and the fans were very, very pleased, but Mendoza gave a more than respectable showing of himself and hopefully someone was paying attention.

5. Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era b. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – High/Low to Lorcan. 13:30. C+.

It’s always cool to see a dress rehearsal for an upcoming Takeover match and we got to see three of them in one night. Lorcan and Burch were game challengers here and did what they could, but the match never kicked into the higher gear that you might expect it to. What we got was certainly fun though and the Era continues to look more and more like a polished team every time they’re out there. All those years in Ring of Honor are paying off and it makes for a useful situation. Not a bad match, but I’d hope for more on Saturday.

There was actually a post match angle which wound up on WWE’s YouTube channel:

Velveteen Dream got a quick promo on the video screen, saying that it didn’t matter if you were a Louisville Cardinals or Kentucky Wildcats fan, you all sucked. While he wanted to fight Ricochet, he’ll have to settle for beating someone else up tonight as Ricochet is being held out due to injury (not mentioned).

Twenty minute intermission. At the end a fan got to play the What Happens Next game and won a Raw: The First 25 Years book.

6. Velveteen Dream b. Kassius Ohno – Purple Rainmaker. 13:47. C.

Now this was a weird one, mainly for one place. First of all, the fans loved Dream, giving him one of the biggest reactions of the night. The match was about all you would expect, with Ohno hitting him really hard (and loud) and Dream doing all his shenanigans to try and play some mind games. The first odd moment was near the beginning, when it turned into a very random Hulk Hogan tribute match. Ohno knocked Dream down and did the hand to the ear to all four ropes but missed a legdrop. Dream hit one of his own, then dropped two elbows before raking Ohno’s eyes with his boot in another Hogan trademark.

Ohno did hit a Hero’s Welcome (a rolling cutter, which he shouted by name before hitting it) and did all of his other usual stuff. He also banged up Dream’s knee but Dream was perfectly fine enough to hit the elbow for the pin. That’s exactly the kind of thing Ohno is great at: making someone else look good and then taking the loss which doesn’t do him any real damage.

Post match Dream told everyone to buy the Network so they could see him do this again on Saturday. Ricochet came out and said that he wanted to see Dream take the spotlight, so let’s see a flip. Dream played to the crowd a lot and loaded one up but Ricochet came in and scared him off. After being chased off, Dream said that Saturday will be a one star match and that one star was him. As he was leaving, Dream said if you wanted to see him do a flip, it would be 9.99. Ricochet said nothing was going to stop him from being in Kentucky and nothing would stop him from being in Chicago to punch Dream in the face.

7. Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler b. Nikki Cross – Kirifuda Clutch. 9:21. C.

This was about one thing: Cross is a psycho who messes with Baszler’s mind. There really is something to be said about how nuts she comes across as, which adds a lot of fun to her character. Baszler tried to use her skills and work her over but Cross kept going nuts and throwing Baszler off. In the end, Baszler got the Clutch for the knockout, but Cross didn’t tap in a smart move. She’s not the kind of person to tap out and they went with the more appropriate passing out, hopefully with a smile on her face at the time.

8. Aleister Black b. Lars Sullivan via DQ when Sullivan shoved the referee. 13:20. C+.

Black was in more of a traditional face mode here as he wasted no time in throwing all of his strikes at Sullivan. This included a few kicks to knock Sullivan to the floor but a moonsault got caught in midair. Sullivan worked on the leg to take away the kicks but the Freak Accident was countered into a DDT. He beat on Black some more but couldn’t put him away, eventually grabbing a chair instead, leading to shoving the referee down for the DQ. I’d assume an actual finish in Chicago, but this was energetic while it lasted and they worked well enough together. Black kicked the chair into his face post match to end the night.

Overall, this was your run of the mill NXT house show. It wasn’t great and for the most part, none of the matches really jumped off the page at me. However, it did a good job of making me want to see Takeover on Saturday and really that’s what these shows are for: to get you to want to see the bigger events. Most of the big names were there and if Ricochet had been healthy, I would have gotten to see four of the five matches on Saturday’s card. I had a good time and counting parking, the whole night was only $30. It was a fun time and if you like NXT, you’ll have a good time going to one of the shows.

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s time, once again, for everybody to come aboard the Takeover train. We’re back in Chicago for the second year in a row and hopefully we get a match that matches last year’s Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne for the United Kingdom Title. The card looks solid this time around and there’s a chance that it lives up to the hype. It’s the usual five match card and that has worked very well for NXT in the past. Let’s get to it.

Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

We’ll start with one that could go either way. Dream is one of the few times where WWE has built someone from the ground up and he plays the gimmick as perfectly as anyone could have possibly done. At the same time though, you have Ricochet who is still pretty new (his first on screen appearance for NXT was only back in January with his in-ring debut two months ago). The idea here is a fight over the spotlight with Dream saying he can do anything better than Ricochet, earning himself a heck of a shutting up with Ricochet’s flip over the ropes to the floor.

You could go either way here but I can’t imagine Ricochet losing this time. While Dream needs a big win at some point, he has the kind of gimmick that can bounce back from a single loss. Ricochet on the other hand is newer and hasn’t had a major win during his short time with the promotion. Ricochet wins here with some kind of impressive flip to take the spotlight from Dream, who moves on to his next obsession and probably gets the big win there. Either way, they’re both going to be fine for different reasons each.

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

This one feels more like more of a foregone conclusion and that’s just fine. The Undisputed Era has held the titles since January (albeit with Roderick Strong coming in as a replacement for the injured Bobby Fish with Adam Cole defending the titles during a major match as well) and could hold them for a very long time. Burch and Lorcan are fine for a pretty thrown together team but they’re still going to be able to go after the titles in a short term yet well done story.

In case it’s not clear, I’ll take the champions to retain here, albeit in a good match. You can have Burch and Lorcan get very close but ultimately fall to the better team, which is going to enhance the champions and give Burch and Lorcan a boost at the same time. They can continue to be a team if necessary and feud with some of the other teams in the division. Maybe they’ll get back to the titles later, but for now they’re just going to put the Undisputed Era over and that’s perfectly fine.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Nikki Cross

Now this one actually interests me as we have two women who break the rules in entirely different ways. The big idea here is that Baszler has gone after Dakota Kai but now Cross has come in and stood up for Kai while also being just crazy enough that she throws Baszler off. The idea here is Baszler broke the rules to get here but Cross breaks the rules of being a sane and rational human being.

I’m going with Baszler to retain here as Cross certainly doesn’t need the title to get over as a star (though I’d be very curious to see how she acted as the champion). Baszler is the kind of champion where you need someone to be built up over time and slay the dragon who cheated her way through the system to get to the title. This should be a heck of a fight and I’m hoping it ends with Cross smiling and laughing ala Raven at Souled Out 1998 as she passes out. It wouldn’t make sense to have her tap and Baszler should be disturbed by what she sees, which is all you need to sell the story.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Oh dear. Oh dear indeed. I’m not sure on having this one happen again so soon but there’s a little more to it than that. First of all, there’s the problem that the first match was one of the best matches NXT has ever done. It was unsanctioned and I’m not sure how different that’s going to be than a street fight. They’ve added some extra stuff here with Candice LeRae not approving of what Gargano does, and you can almost guarantee that it’s going to factor into the finish.

I’m going to take Ciampa here, likely setting up a third match between the two for the big blowoff. I’d have LeRae cost Gargano the match, albeit not having her change sides or anything of course. LeRae can come out and beg Gargano to stop or something and Ciampa can get the win as a result as she wants to have her husband back and is trying to appeal to the last of his humanity. The final match can see LeRae backing Gargano one more time so he can slay Ciampa once and for all, likely in Brooklyn. But yeah, Ciampa wins here, setting up the third and final match in the war.

NXT Title: Aleister Black(c) vs. Lars Sullivan

This one is similar to the Tag Team Title match as Sullivan might not be the most likely option to win the title but it’s not like it would be the biggest shock in the world. Black is in a weird place as he’s kind of just off to the side while Gargano and Ciampa have the top feud in the promotion. I’m still not sure he needed to win the title yet, especially as we’re more than two months into Andrade Cien Almas moving up to the main roster and he still hasn’t had a major match yet. Did they really need to have Black get the title at this point?

I’ll go with Black to retain though, even if he doesn’t manage to hit Black Mass. There are other things they could do, like have Sullivan get annoyed and throw the ref down for a DQ (not really an NXT way to finish things) or just keep beating on Black until he gets disqualified. Either way, I think Back retains the title and they’ll do something else between these two later on, which is about as good as anything else they can do until we get a better challenger build up for Black. The match will be fine with a fired up Black fighting a gorilla but it’s going to take something special to blow the roof off.

Overall Thoughts

Overall….I think I actually have some more confidence in this one than I do in most Takeovers. Nothing on the card looks bad and there’s a good chance that all of them live up to the hype (save for maybe Gargano vs. Ciampa, which is fighting an uphill battle). Takeover has yet to really disappoint me and I have no reason to believe that this will be anything more than very entertaining. Ricochet and Dream could steal the night, but on a show where everyone is trying to do just that, it’s a little easier said than done.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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