IMG Credit: WWE

We’re already back to Takeover but this time around we have a special attraction which is all you need to sell the show. This time around it’s WarGames, with a pair of the show’s namesake matches. That should make for some awesome stuff in its own right, but there are some other things in there to help fill in the gap. I have a good feeling of where this one is going so let’s get to it.

Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes

Let’s get this one out of the way first. This is a strap match as Grimes keeps trying to run off so now they’re tying him to the monster. I would be scared of Lumis as well, as he is the kind of guy where I really don’t get what WWE sees in him but that hasn’t stopped them yet. Lumis continues to be just kind of there (literally in some cases as he just stands there a lot of the time) but Grimes is a national treasure, so it balances out a bit.

I’ll take Lumis to win here because that’s how NXT works with him, though Grimes is the kind of guy who can stay over without ever winning a single thing. All I can hope for here is to have Grimes steal the show and do whatever he can, because that’s the best thing that I can hope for here. Lumis is absolutely not the worst thing in the world, but he isn’t someone I want to see in a spot like this. Grimes loses, and I shake my head a bit more.

North American Title: Leon Ruff(c) vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano

So we have the big culmination of Gargano messing around with Ruff and losing the title to him, though Ruff has decided to stand up for himself and fight both of them at once. This sounds like something where Ruff should get destroyed so one of them will win the title….and yeah that’s probably exactly what we are going to be seeing here, as we should be getting.

I’ll take Gargano to win here, even though him winning a third time seems to be a little bit much. Ruff does not need to hold onto the title to keep the gag going any longer and the point has already been made. Gargano barely got to hold the title and Priest already had a decent reign (though I could go for more of him holding the title in the future). Go with what was planned before we took the detour, meaning Gargano wins.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher

This is much more of a grudge match, as Ciampa went after Thatcher, who doesn’t take kindly to that. Therefore, let’s have a match. That’s about as easy of a plot as you can get and the rest is dressing everything else up to make the whole story work. They have good chemistry here too and I want to see where it goes. You don’t get that very often in a grudge match and it should work out.

As much as I want to go with Thatcher here, Ciampa needs to get back on the winning track and I can’t imagine Thatcher beating him. Unless Thatcher’s student interferes, it would make the most sense to have Ciampa go over here. If nothing else, you need a nice moment for one of the winners here as there might not be many other things for them to get behind here. Ciampa wins, because he kind of has to.

Women’s WarGames

This has been a little bit of a weird one as it seems to stem from Candice LeRae destroying Shotzi Blackheart’s tank. That is quite the forced reason to start up a WarGames match, but….well ok I haven’t heard many worse, but at least there is a reason to have this one. Granted the teams have been thrown together and I’m not sure how much of a reason they have to be here other than there need to be some people on the teams, but WarGames is better than nothing.

I’m sure Blackheart is going to have her new tank here but I think I’ll go with Team LeRae for the win here. They have a stacked lineup and seem to have a bit more chemistry, though I’m not sure who they have who is going to take out Rhea Ripley. I’m probably wrong on this one, but I really don’t know if I can see Blackheart and her merry band winning here, so we’ll go with LeRae.

Men’s WarGames

Now this is a much more traditional WarGames matches you have two teams ready to fight each other. Believe it or not, one of them is the Undisputed Era, who has been in one of them every year so far. That does not exactly bode well for their futures, but at least they are the established name in the match ala the Horsemen. It gives them some more possibilities, and I think we are going to get to the important one.

I’ll take Pat McAfee and Company (their official name as far as I’m concerned) for the win here, because they have nowhere to go with a loss and the Undisputed Era doesn’t need to win a thing at this point. If nothing else, the main event of the next Takeover almost has to be Pete Dunne taking the NXT Title from Finn Balor (unless Karrion Kross is ready again, though I’m not sure I can imagine going with him again as champion) and this is a good way to get him there. McAfee and Company win, as the Undisputed Era….oh of course they aren’t going up yet, because that’s just not what they do.

Overall Thoughts

This is the first time in a long while that I have felt interested in a Takeover just by looking at the card. The show is looking like it will hit on every point, which is where Takeover tends to shine. There is always the chance that things could go slightly beneath expectations, but just putting WarGames on the card should be more than enough to carry the whole thing. I think.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 2, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Takeover: WarGames and that means it’s time for another ladder match (yes I said another ladder match). There is also one last spot to be filled on Team Blackheart and there is a chance that could be revealed tonight. Other than that, it’s time for the final push towards Sunday and that is where NXT shines. Let’s get to it.

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

The roster, including the bosses, are on the stage for an In Memory Of Pat Patterson graphic.

We get the big video tribute, set to Patterson singing My Way, as only it could be. That’s a big one as Patterson really was one of the forces in WWE and an absolute genius at all things wrestling.

The roster gives us a THANK YOU PAT chant in a pretty emotional moment.

Opening sequence.

Damian Priest/Leon Ruff vs. Legado del Fantasma

Johnny Gargano is on commentary and Priest seems to be replacing Curt Stallion, who was jumped by Legado del Fantasma. Earlier today, Priest attacked Joaquin Wilde for sticking a finger in his face, meaning there is no Wilde here with Santos Escobar/Raul Mendoza. Ruff insists that he gets to start with Escobar as Gargano explains what a dad joke is supposed to be. Escobar gets taken down early but Ruff is pulled into the corner for a tag off to Mendoza.

That doesn’t go well for Ruff and it’s already back to Escobar for a jumping knee to the face. Priest comes in for a change and has some trouble with the faster Mendoza. They head outside with Mendoza getting sent into the barricade but Priest is distracted by the Ghost Face in the crowd. That’s enough for Escobar to hit a suicide dive and we take a break. Back with Priest grabbing Mendoza by the throat but getting dropkicked by Escobar.

A suplex gives Escobar two and it’s time to start working on Priest’s knee. Priest is fine enough to power up with a Downward Spiral to Escobar but he’s a little hesitant to bring in Ruff. He finally does though and it’s time to clean some house but a Mendoza cheap shot puts Ruff down. That’s only enough to knock Ruff over to the corner for the hot tag to Priest and now it’s time for the real house cleaning. Priest loads up the Reckoning but Ruff tags himself in. That’s fine with Priest, who Reckonings Mendoza, setting up Ruff’s frog splash for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: C. I don’t need Priest and Ruff as a big man/little man tag team (not without whistling music) but for a one off to build Ruff up a bit, it did well enough. They were also smart enough to not have Escobar take the pin, which shouldn’t be happening anytime soon. I’m curious about Stallion being gone and hopefully it isn’t a health issue, but maybe it’s better to not have him in a spot like this just yet.

Post match Priest shakes Ruff’s hand but turns around to see two Ghost Faces behind Gargano.

We look back at the end of last week’s show with a masked man costing the Undisputed Era the WarGames advantage.

Rhea Ripley and Ember Moon show Shotzi Blackheart an engine for their war machine. Blackheart thinks she’s in love and is ready to go to war.

We look at Undisputed Era’s history in WarGames. The team is together (in suits for a change) and getting ready for one more match, even after Pat McAfee and company have been taking them apart a few times. They’re ready to go to war but their backs are against the wall. This time though, they’re going to make McAfee and company their b******. This did a nice job of making the Era look good, though don’t we already kind of know that?

Team LeRae laughs off the idea of anything from Team Blackheart. The team is ready to fight and Raquel Gonzalez is going to gain the advantage. Tonight, Blackheart is going to feel like she has been run over by a tank.

August Grey vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes has a bag with him and pulls out the strap. Some kicks to the chest have Grey in trouble to start and there’s a hard whip into the corner. Grey manages a dropkick and a jawbreaker, followed by a running neckbreaker to rock Grimes. Back up and Grimes sends him to the apron, with Grey going up top for a rope walk spinning high crossbody. Grey’s rollup gets two but he gets caught in a swinging Side Effect. The Cave In finishes Grey at 2:17.

Post match Grimes says Dexter Lumis is making a mistake with the strap match and ties Grey by the wrist. A clothesline drops Grey again and the whipping ensues. Grimes gets a little too cocky though and here’s Lumis to take Grey’s place. The beating is on with Grimes being sent running off. Lumis stares a lot because that’s what Lumis does.

Jake Atlas vs. Tony Nese

Atlas armdrags him into an armbar to start and Nese hides in the ropes for a bit. A dropkick sends Nese outside but he’s fine enough to crotch Atlas on the top back inside. We cut to the back where Pat McAfee and Company arrive and come back to full screen with Nese kneeing Atlas in the face. The torture rack keeps Atlas in trouble but he’s right back with a few right hands. Some forearms give Atlas two but Nese is back with a throat snap across the top rope into a low superkick. Nese misses a running knee in the corner though and the cartwheel DDT gives Atlas the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. This was at least partially there as filler so we could see McAfee and Company arrive. Nese didn’t even get an entrance here so you can only expect so much out of him here. Atlas is still someone who seems like they want to push but he often fails as he gets close to the next level, though he is starting to seem a little more comfortable around here.

Post match Atlas says that bad things have happened around here but he’s not going to stop. One day, he is going to be Cruiserweight Champion.

Here are McAfee And Company for their weekly chat. McAfee says rest in peace to Pat Patterson, who he respects and appreciates. Then you go to the opposite end of the respect spectrum with every wrestling fan at home and here tonight, plus the Undisputed Era. Earlier tonight, we had to see a night out with the Undisputed Era, which was the lamest night out McAfee had ever seen in his entire life.

That was all about nostalgia BROTHER, so let’s do that themselves. McAfee talks about investing into greatness here because he has more money than anyone here has ever seen. He talks about how great they are and talks about Pete Dunne being the longest reigning United Kingdom Champion. Last week, Dunne won a ladder match, with the help of a masked man (who must be handsome and athletic under the mask, but it certainly wasn’t him) and on Sunday, they will have the advantage as a result.

Then you have thirty years of experience between the Tag Team Champions, who have finally gotten the chance that they deserve. McAfee wants everyone to watch on Sunday because he wants them to feel every single bit of pain. You can tune in to see him get hut, but the truth is that these guys broke the Undisputed Era’s spirit. Dunne says the Era is done this Sunday. McAfee wraps it up and continues to make me want to hear him talk more and more.

Quick video on the Grizzled Young Veterans.

The older man makes Boa and Xia Li dunk their heads under water. They then bow to him, only to be attacked from behind. I’m still not sure what to make of these things.

Ever Rise vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Hang on though as here is Imperium to jump Ever Rise and say this is their tag division. They want the Veterans right now so let’s do this instead.

Imperium vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Aichner works on Gibson’s arm to start and hands it off to Barthel for more of the same. Drake comes in to slug away at Barthel but gets taken into the corner as well, meaning Imperium can start taking turns on him. A suplex doesn’t work though and it’s back to Gibson to clean a bit of house. An armdrag into a headscissors doesn’t do much to Aichner so they hiptoss each other to the floor.

Back from a break with Aichner in trouble, including a spinwheel kick from Drake to give Gibson two. Drake gets dropped ribs first onto the top rope though and Gibson gets catapulted into the corner to put him in trouble. The stereo dropkicks in the corner set up White Noise to give Barthel two. Gibson gets in a shot to the throat to slow Barthel down but Aichner breaks up the tag attempt (even though Drake is still down on the floor).

A spinebuster into a kick to the face into a tilt-a-whirl faceplant gets two as frustration begins to set in. Aichner’s moonsault hits knees though and now the tag brings in Drake. Aichner catches Drake on top for a superplex though and Gibson has to make a save this time. With everyone else on the floor, Aichner hits a huge dive, only to have Ever Rise come in to send Barthel into the steps for the DQ at 14:04.

Rating: C+. This was getting going near the end and that’s kind of hard to do in a heel vs. heel match. Thank goodness there was no indication that either side was turning, as it would be quite the bad idea all around. The Veterans needed a win here though and I’m not sure why they didn’t get one, when you could have had Ever Rise cost Imperium the match instead. Also, as usual, Imperium without Walter isn’t worth much of your time.

During the break, Ever Rise ran off while still talking trash.

It’s time for Thatch As Thatch Can. Thatcher talks about how tired he is of all the interruptions….and Tommaso Ciampa is behind him. Ciampa says he’s here to teach and class is in session. Thatcher says he doesn’t want any trouble and then tackles Ciampa down, with Ciampa getting the better of things (Ciampa: “LESSON #1: DON’T BE AN A**!”). Thatcher’s student gets in a cheap shot from behind though and the beating is on, with Thatcher choking Ciampa out.

WarGames rundown.

Thatcher is proud of his student and says on Sunday, Ciampa is going to learn respect.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Ladder match for the WarGames advantage. Shotzi kicks away to start but misses a charge in the corner. Gonzalez gets her in an over the shoulder backbreaker before flipping her down and grabbing the hair (kind of an easy target). Blackheart gets knocked off the apron so it’s time to set up the first ladder. A dropkick through said ladder has Gonzalez down but she manages to drop Blackheart face first onto a ladder.

Gonzalez starts heading back in so Blackheart jumps on her back. That doesn’t work either as Gonzalez sends her into the barricade, only to have Blackbeard send her leg first into the steps. A dropkick sends Gonzalez into the steps as well and a Coffin Drop off the barricade puts them both down.

Back from a break with Shotzi hitting a DDT onto the apron for another double knockdown. Gonzalez is right back with a steps shot to the face and it’s time to set up the ladder in the ring. Shotzi makes another save and they take turns sending each other into the ladder. Said ladder is laid over the middle rope and Shotzi’s running inverted Cannonball sends Gonzalez into the ladder. With Gonzalez on the floor, Shotzi hits a big dive to take her down again.

The rest of the teams are looking on from their podiums but come to ringside to start the brawl at ringside. Indi Hartwell can’t get the briefcase down as Blackheart makes the save, only to have Gonzalez take Shotzi down. Gonzalez goes up but here’s Io Shirai to take her down. After sending Gonzalez outside, Shirai hits the huge moonsault onto everyone else. That’s enough for Blackheart to climb the ladder to win the briefcase at 14:39.

Rating: C+. Take two people, have them do a few big spots, then have the interference to set up the ending. This feels like your run of the mill ladder match these days and while it is still good enough, it isn’t exactly inspiring. Shotzi winning is a bit of a surprise, but they probably have a twist to put her team in trouble on Sunday. Fair enough, but this (and last week’s main event) didn’t need to be a ladder match.

Team Blackheart poses on the ladder to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was all about setting up Sunday but at the same time, the WarGames cage alone is going to be enough to sell the show. The rest of the stories are getting somewhere and while I don’t really need to see Lumis vs. Grimes, the card looks good enough to be a solid night. That’s what this show needed to establish and it did so well enough.

Results

Leon Ruff/Damian Priest b. Legado del Fantasma – Frog splash to Mendoza

Cameron Grimes b. August Grey – Cave In

Jake Atlas b. Tony Nese – Cartwheel DDT

Imperium b. Grizzled Young Veterans via DQ when Ever Rise interfered

Shotzi Blackheart b. Raquel Gonzalez – Blackheart pulled down the briefcase

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 18, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re coming off a huge upset last week as Leon Ruff won the North American Title from Johnny Gargano, albeit with a big assist from Damian Priest. Tonight it’s time for a rematch so Gargano can set the world right, but we also have Women’s Champion Io Shirai defending against Rhea Ripley in a showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Ruff winning the North American Title, including Gargano trying to rig the whole thing. Priest laughing in shock at the win was a great touch.

North American Title: Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano is challenging but before the match he says he wants everyone to stop talking about last week. The fans chant JOHNNY FAILURE but he says that the real failure is holding his title. Gargano knocks Ruff down and we’re ready to go in a hurry. The shoulders in the corner have Ruff in early trouble and there’s a hard whip to make it worse. Gargano hammers away in the corner, even hurting his own hand in the process.

Ruff is back with a quick enziguri but the crucifix bomb is countered. Gargano hits a pair of Lawn Darts but as he loads up a superkick, here’s Damian Priest for a distraction. That lets Ruff grab a rollup for two but the Swanton misses. A superkick drops Ruff and there’s One Final Beat for two as Priest pulls Ruff to the floor. Priest apologizes in advance and hits Ruff in the face for the DQ to keep the title at 4:50.

Rating: C-. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and there’s nothing wrong with stretching this out for another week. It’s still not like Ruff is being presented as anything better than Gargano as this is little more than a prop in the Priest vs. Gargano feud. The match was a squash until the ending and Priest’s “I’m sorry” before knocking him out was a good idea. Fine little storyline advancing match here.

Post match Gargano grabs the title but Priest takes it away and hands it to the champ.

Cameron Grimes says that he showed that Dexter Lumis is just a man. Tonight, Grimes is going to prove that he’s a rocket ship.

Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis

Blindfold match. Grimes puts his hood on and misses an early dropkick before barely being able to stand up. The referee has to duck a wild swing from Grimes, as Lumis has been standing in the middle of the ring the entire time. Grimes knocks the referee down in the corner and stomps away, allowing him to take his mask off for some reason.

Lumis is still standing in the middle of the ring without moving, but he’s still able to avoid the Cave In. Now Lumis takes his own mask off and hammers away but Grimes elbows his way out of the Silence. They head outside with Grimes being sent into various things before he finally just jumps the barricade and runs off at about 4:15.

Rating: D. This was barely a match and the ending was just there to set up something else, likely at the next Takeover. As usual, Grimes came off like the star here as he’s a ball of energy and charisma, while Lumis literally just stood there for a few minutes. I’m not sure how that makes him worthy of this much screen time, but if it means more Grimes, I’m all for it.

William Regal asks Damian Priest what was up with that and Priest says Ruff is just a joke. Ruff comes up and sounds crushed, saying that if he’s a joke he shouldn’t be defending the title. He even tries to hand Priest the belt but Regal says no. Ruff says he’s sorry to Priest, just like Priest did to him, and then hits his own slap. He says he’s no one’s joke and Regal says it serves Priest right.

Takeover: WarGames is on December 6, with Shotzi Blackheart telling Candice LeRae to find an army because they’re going to war. So what is her new tank going to look like?

Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell vs. Kayden Carder/Kacy Catanzaro

Carter goes for Hartwell’s leg to start and finally manages to take her down, even sitting on Hartwell’s back. It’s off to Catanzaro for a kick to the face and a slingshot hilo gets two. LeRae comes in and counters a backflip into a gutbuster to put Catanzaro down. Hartwell’s spinning side slam gets two but LeRae misses the step up backsplash. The hot tag brings in Carter to clean house as Catanzaro dives onto Hartwell. Back in and LeRae hits a neckbreaker into the Wicked Stepsister for the pin on Carter at 4:33.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have a ton of time here but is anyone going to want to see these four having a longer match? It’s the best thing that they can do for a tag match like this as we start getting ready for Takeover. Above all else, it’s nice to have the women’s division getting some matches to build things up like this, because some of them just need to be in the ring and establish themselves a bit more.

Video on Arturo Ruas.

Arturo Ruas vs. Kushida

Ruas takes him to the mat and goes for the neck before slipping out of Kushida’s attempt at the same. Back up and Kushida kicks out of an armbar attempt, only to have Ruas snap him down by the arm. The armbar has Kushida in trouble as we get a voice over saying that Finn Balor isn’t here yet but once he is, he’ll have all the time he needs. At least they didn’t put a camera on the announcement.

Ruas keeps cranking on the arm before taking him down into a Kimura. That doesn’t last long either as Kushida fights up for some kicks, including the basement dropkick for two. An elbow to the face gets Ruas out of a German suplex attempt. Ruas goes for the leg but Kushida ties him up in a leglock and bridges backwards for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. I liked this one rather well as it was cool to see Kushida having someone who either matched or even surpassed his submission skills so he had to switch things up a bit. I could see Kushida going towards the North American Title, or I could also see myself saying that for even longer than I have been, which is getting a little frustrating already.

Ember Moon and Toni Storm are ready to take out Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez tonight because they’re tired of being shoved around. Storm wants the Women’s Title though and there can only be one. Moon says we can worry about that later.

Various wrestlers make their picks for Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai.

Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon/Toni Storm

Gonzalez throws Storm around to start and sends her into the corner for a running boot from Kai. It’s off to another corner for a facewash but Storm is right back with a basement dropkick. A snap suplex gets two and it’ Moon coming in for a double clothesline to put Gonzalez on the floor.

Back from a break with Storm snapping off a headscissors to put Gonzalez in the corner and Moon coming back in to clean house again. The middle rope Codebreaker gives Moon two with Kai having to make a save. Moon is pulled outside for a boot to the face and a drop onto the apron gives Gonzalez two. It’s off to a Gory Stretch to put Moon in more trouble and something like a Pounce cuts off the tag attempt.

Moon is right back up with a headscissors to Kai though and now the hot tag brings in Storm for some release German suplexes to Kai. Everything breaks down and Moon hits a tornado DDT on Gonzalez, only to walk into a superkick from Kai. Storm and Kai forearm it out until a double clothesline puts both of them down as well. They get back up for another slugout until Gonzalez sends Storm into the post. Moon suicide dives onto Gonzalez but Storm small packages Kai for the pin at 12:07.

Rating: B-. They went with the formula here but the people involved had the skills to make the whole thing work out well. You can see some of the setup for Takeover coming from here and that makes these matches a little more interesting than usual. Good stuff, and it’s nice to see Storm getting a win.

Post match Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell run in to attack Moon and Storm, allowing Gonzalez and Kai to leave them laying. Sounds like a WarGames team.

Pat McAfee and company are here. McAfee has heard Finn Balor is back and there are four guys interested in what he has to say.

Timothy Thatcher vs. August Grey

They go right to the slugout to start with Grey managing to pull him down for two off a backslide. That’s just dumb to do against Thatcher, who snaps off a belly to belly into a chinlock. A front facelock suplex drops Grey again and it’s time to crank on the arm for a bit. The comeback is cut off with a single uppercut and it’s time for another armbar on Grey. A leglock is broken up with some kicks to the leg and Grey hammers away before being sent to the apron. Grey hits a superkick from the apron but dives into an uppercut. Thatcher hits a butterfly suplex and guillotines him for the win at 4:26.

Rating: C-. Just a quick squash for Thatcher here and that’s the kind of match that he needed. Grey got destroyed in short order here and that makes him look like a monster all over again. Thatcher beat up someone he shouldn’t have had trouble with and now he’s ready for someone else, which is the right idea.

Post match Thatcher says there is one more lesson so he slaps on the guillotine again, drawing out Tommaso Ciampa for a pretty interesting staredown. Thatcher says he has no problem here and backs off.

Post break, Ciampa says he came out there because he wants to fight Thatcher. Well that’s to the point.

Damian Priest comes out for a match but Johnny Gargano jumps him during the entrance. The brawl is on with Priest hitting a big forearm to put Gargano outside. Priest follows him outside and throws Gargano onto the announcers’ table for the forearms to the head. Gargano kicks him away though and hits an elbow off of said table. It’s time for a chair but here’s Leon Ruff to go after both of them. Ruff avoids a big boot to put Priest into the ropes and then sends Gargano into him, sending both guys outside in a heap. The two of them get inside and scare Ruff off, leaving Priest to stare down at Gargano. Cool segment and fight.

Next week, Wade Barrett is going to be out for some reason but Kevin Owens is going to be replacing him.

We look at the older man giving Boa a message last week.

Earlier today, William Regal came to Boa’s home, saying he has missed a week of training. Boa says she is coming so he isn’t leaving. It’s not Xia (who Regal says hasn’t been at training in two weeks), because she’s in hiding too.

Regal caught Ruff leaving and asked what he was doing. Ruff said he’ll fight both of them at once. That takes Regal a bit off guard.

Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai

Shirai is defending and gets shoved down with raw power to start. Back up and Shirai says bring it before snapping off a headscissors. That just earns her a shot to the face but Shirai is back with a dropkick to put Ripley on the floor. The big dive is cut off with a forearm though and Shirai is dropped face first onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Shirai missing some double knees in the corner and being dropped face first onto the mat.

Shirai’s small package is blocked with more muscle and a suplex gives Ripley two. The seated abdominal stretch is broken up so Ripley takes her up top, only to have Shirai slip out of a suplex. Ripley punches the buckle by mistake and gets German superplexed down in a big crash. A basement dropkick gives Shirai two as Ripley’s ear is bleeding. Shirai’s Crossface doesn’t last long so Ripley is back up with a big boot to kick her head off. Shirai grabs the arm for a flying armbar though and there’s a dropkick to the arm to make Ripley scream some more.

The arm is snapped across the top rope and Shirai slams the arm into the apron. Ripley gets sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with both of them down as the fans declare this awesome. Ripley knocks her down again and grabs the Prism Trap. It’s spun around and they go to the mat with Ripley cranking on the leg even more. The rope is grabbed so Shirai is right back with a Cross armbreaker, which Ripley can’t muscle her way out of.

She can however rope grab her way out of it and avoid a pair of 619s from the champ. Instead Shirai knocks her into the ropes and hits the third attempt, followed by the missile dropkick for two. Shirai nails the running knees in the corner and steps over Ripley to set up the moonsault. Well in theory at least as Ripley is up in time and nails a running clothesline for two.

Riptide is countered into a snappy DDT and there’s the NXT chant (haven’t heard that in a bit). Ripley goes to the apron so Shirai hits a running sunset bomb through the announcers’ table for the massive crash. Ripley staggers back in so Shirai immediately moonsaults her (legs) for the pin to retain at 22:04.

Rating: A-. The chants were right as these two destroyed each other and had an awesome match doing so. This had the big fight atmosphere and Shirai popping up for the moonsault because she knew it was the only chance she had was a brilliant finish. Beating Ripley clean is the crowning jewel of her reign, which has gone on for quite a long time now. The good thing is the division is deep enough for Shirai to have a bunch of challengers, but she needed the classic to really solidify an already good reign. Ripley was awesome too and she’s going to be awesome for a long time to come. Check this out if you get the chance.

Post match hugs abound and here’s Finn Balor (not through the entrance because he doesn’t steal the spotlight) to praise Shirai for the win. After talking about how he defended his title with a broken jaw in two places, here are Pat McAfee and company to interrupt. McAfee calls Balor the Princess of NXT and talks about how he must have seen what the four of them were doing while Balor has been gone.

They got rid of Killian Dain, took the Tag Team Titles, and then killed all four members of the Undisputed Era. Now they want to know what Balor is going to do and get on the apron to find out all the faster. Balor needs to hand over the title before it gets even worse for him. That’s not happening because it’s easy for the mice to play while the cat’s away….and look what the cat dragged in.

Cue the Undisputed Era and the big fight is on, with Cole kicking McAfee’s head off on the floor. Chaos reigns to end the show (notice that the brawling wasn’t finished, which you don’t see at the end of the night too often). This is the first time in a VERY long time that something felt hot around here and it was a heck of a way to finish the show.

Overall Rating: B. That last half hour was excellent stuff and felt like the NXT of old, which is a great feeling to have again. It felt like they were building stories up and now we are getting ready for the payoffs. That is the kind of thing that you get around here and it feels so nice. There were some outstanding parts to this show and while not everything is perfect, it’s the first time that I’ve been actually excited about what they’re doing in far too long. Do this more often and be NXT again.

Results

Leon Ruff b. Johnny Gargano via DQ when Damian Priest interfered

Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes went to a no contest

Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell b. Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro – Wicked Stepsister to Carter

Kushida b. Arturo Ruas – Bridging rollup

Toni Storm/Ember Moon b. Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai – Small package to Kai

Io Shirai b. Rhea Ripley – Moonsault

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 11, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Things are starting to get back to normal after Halloween Havoc and that means we need to start the build for the next Takeover, which has yet to be officially announced. I’m not sure what to expect from the show, but we still have a lot of building to do for whenever the show is taking place. Let’s get to it.

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

Veterans Day video, as usual.

Here’s North American Champion Johnny Gargano in the ring with his Wheel of Challengers. It’s exactly what it sounds like, with a bunch of legitimate challengers and Leon Ruff being written in as an option. Gargano talks about losing his titles in his first defense every time but tonight it’s going to be difference. After starting a SPIN THE WHEEL chant, the wheel is spin and believe it or not, it winds up on Ruff, albeit after spinning backwards to get there.

North American Title: Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano is defending and kicks him in the face to start, followed by stomping Ruff down in the corner. The beating is on in various corners and Gargano throws in a little dance. Gargano sends him outside as the cockiness is high, partially because Ruff is holding his knee. Hold on though as Damian Priest is in the crowd to distract Gargano, who mocks him with the arrow.

Priest comes out from around the fence to scare Gargano inside for two off a rollup. Gargano hits a heck of a clothesline into the Lawn Dart but stops to glare at Priest again, which isn’t that bright. Ruff uses the distraction to hit a crucifix bomb for the pin and the title in a huge upset at 3:36.

Rating: C-. I like it! Ruff isn’t going to be the next big thing or the long reigning champion but points for throwing a big surprise in there to keep Gargano vs. Priest going. It plays up the idea that anything can happen and gives the show a bit of a spark, which has been missing in a bad way as of late. They surprised me here and that’s a nice feeling to have again.

Priest cracks up and Ruff (Ruff: “I’M THE CHAMPION???”) is stunned as Gargano screams at the referee. Barrett: “THE CURSE IS BACK!!! IT’S REAL!!!” Ruff puts on the title, which falls down because he’s so skinny.

Post break Ruff can’t believe it but Priest says Gargano is going to come through the curtain and beat him up. Priest pulls out his keys and says go get in the black Challenger and get out. Gargano comes through the curtain and has to be held back from Priest. They argue a lot with Priest saying that was his idea and Gargano blaming him for the loss.

Earlier today, Jake Atlas attacked a member of Legado del Fantasma with his club and called out Santos Escobar for the title shot.

Cruiserweight Title: Santos Escobar vs. Jake Atlas

Escobar is defending and has the rest of Legado del Fantasma with him. Feeling out process to start until Atlas scores with a dropkick to put him on the floor. Back in and it’s time for Atlas to win a chop off, earning himself a knee to the ribs. Escobar takes him to the mat and wraps his leg around Atlas’ neck for some stretching. That’s broken up so Escobar slams him down to counter a headscissors attempt and some stomps keep Atlas in trouble.

We hit the chinlock with Escobar cranking on the arm for a bonus. As usual, the chinlock makes Atlas come back to his feet so Escobar sends him to the apron. The rest of Legado tries to get in some club shots but Atlas takes him down. Some club shots put Legado down and a springboard Blockbuster gives Atlas two. Escobar bails to the floor and we take a break. Back with the rest of Legado being ejected and Escobar choking in the corner. The frog splash gives Escobar two but Atlas starts the real comeback.

A suplex into a superkick gives Atlas two but Escobar shoves him off the top and into the announcers’ table. Escobar slides outside and sends Atlas into the steps as the confidence is growing. Atlas makes it back inside and sends Escobar outside this time, only to get caught in the ropes on a suicide dive attempt. It knocks Escobar down enough to set up a small package for two back inside but a jumping superkick gives Escobar the same. Atlas hits a Regal Roll though and goes up top, only to have the cartwheel DDT blocked. The double underhook facebreaker finishes Atlas at 15:01.

Rating: B-. That was the most fire that Atlas has ever shown and it helped a lot. Atlas is still a long way from being a big deal but he has come along rather well in recent weeks. That being said, it is a good idea to have Escobar get some wins like this as it makes him seem like someone who can get a big win without a ton of help from his goons. You need to have some wins like that here and there and that’s what Escobar got to do here.

Dexter Lumis draws a picture of Cameron Grimes running away from the zombie referee. It seems to get some good reviews.

Shotzi Blackheart talks about what her tank meant to her before Candice LeRae destroyed it. The tank represented freedom, family and members of the military, so no they aren’t even. Now it’s time for her to beat LeRae up. Fair enough, but that seems like a fairly flimsy reason to care about a toy tank.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Xia Li

Hold on as here’s Boa to say Li isn’t here tonight so they can’t have a match. Gonzalez kicks him in the head and beats the heck out of him, including the powerbomb to leave him laying. She says everybody better get her name out of their mouth. Gonzalez leaves and a bunch of red lights come on. An older man comes out and Boa bows to him, with the old man handing him a letter. Ok then.

August Grey was being interviewed when Timothy Thatcher jumped him from behind. The brawl was on with Grey being sent through Lumis’ picture from earlier. Lumis showed up for a staredown with William Regal joining them. I think you know where this is going.

Toni Storm vs. Candice LeRae

During her entrance, Candice talks about loving the sound of hearing the tank crushed last week. They trade headlocks to start with Storm taking her down to the mat. Back up and Candice gets caught in a wristlock but manages to reverse into one of her own. Storm takes her down to the mat with an armbar but Candice is back up with a hair pull to take over.

Now it’s Candice with her own headlock as this isn’t exactly in high gear yet. There’s a suplex to get Storm out of trouble and she hits a basement dropkick to start the comeback (despite not exactly being in much trouble). They head outside with Candice avoiding a hip attack into the steps to send us to a break. Back with Candice hitting a Backstabber but missing a Lionsault. Storm scores with a headbutt to put them both for a bit, allowing the fans to start some rhythmic stomping.

A German suplex drops Candice and the running hip attack connects in the corner. There’s a sliding lariat against the ropes and another in the middle of the ring has Candice rocked again. A fisherman’s suplex gives Storm two so she goes up top, only to miss the guillotine legdrop. Candice kicks her in the face for two but Storm knocks her into the corner. Storm misses a charge though and Candice grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C+. They beat each other up rather well and I can go for more of Candice cheating to win, but at the same time it’s weird to see Storm taking a loss. She would seem to be one of the most can’t miss prospects in all of NXT, though at least it wasn’t a clean loss here so it isn’t some horrible tragedy.

Post match Storm goes after her again but the Ghostface attacker comes in. Shotzi Blackheart comes in for the save but gets double teamed down. The Ghostface is revealed as….Indi Hartwell, which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise, just like the tag match likely taking place next week.

Breezango says it took them five years to get the titles but they pulled it off. They don’t like Pat McAfee because he isn’t even a wrestler. Tonight, they’re taking the titles back because they can do it again. I doubt it, but it was the serious promo they should have been cutting here.

Dexter Lumis vs. Timothy Thatcher

Lumis goes with a Thesz press to start and knocks Thatcher outside early on. Back in and Thatcher goes for the leg but gets kicked away into another standoff. Lumis rides him on the mat for a bit until Thatcher goes for the ankle again with a little more success. There’s a suplex to drop Lumis again but he crawls over to Thatcher without much effort. A front facelock has Lumis in more trouble and it’s back to the ankle to make it worse.

Lumis’ choking doesn’t get him very far as Thatcher is right back with a bow and arrow (always nice to see). Back up and Lumis gets in a spinebuster into a dropkick as the ankle seems ok. Lumis is favoring his arm as he sends Thatcher outside but follows him anyway. They slug it out on the floor with the bad arm being sent into the post as we take a break. Back with Thatcher getting two off a butterfly suplex before slapping on another armbar.

That’s broken up as well so Thatcher tries another suplex, with Lumis reversing into a belly to back of his own. Lumis nips up into a spinning legdrop and grabs a bulldog out of the corner. Thatcher catches him on top but Lumis shoves him off and this a Swanton. Cue Cameron Grimes on the apron so Thatcher sends them together and pulls Lumis into a cradle for the pin at 13:34.

Rating: C-. The wrestling was fine but sweet goodness WHAT IS THE OBSESSION WITH LUMIS??? He’s here week after week and I don’t remember a match where I’ve been overly interested with or impressed by him. For some reason NXT seems to think he’s some kind of awesome star for I just do not get it no matter what he does. At least Thatcher got the win though.

Post match Grimes stays on Lumis and puts a burlap sack over Lumis’ face. Lumis gets beaten to the floor, where Grimes puts him in a chair for the Cave In. Yeah I’m still not interested in Lumis. Grimes yes, Lumis no.

Johnny Gargano goes to William Regal’s office and thinks the decision should be reversed. That isn’t happening so Gargano snaps and admits to rigging the wheel. Regal says the decision stands and shuts the door in Gargano’s face, meaning it’s time to yell some more.

Tommaso Ciampa talks about being around NXT for a long time. He trained with some legends like Killer Kowalski and Harley Race, who were really tough men. They never took liberties because they didn’t need to. Now he looks around the NXT locker room and everyone will tell you how tough they are. Maybe it’s the world we live in today, where you complain and get rewarded. There are actions without consequences so maybe he is the last of a dying breed. Two weeks ago he told us that this 2020 locker room culture is going to change and he is that change. Ciampa turns the chair over as he leaves. I’m intrigued.

We get a Prime Target on Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley. Rhea talks about walking into Raymond James Stadium at 23 years old and being ready for Wrestlemania….but then it didn’t happen, and the match took place in front of no fans with no energy and no emotion. Then she got beat as well and it wasn’t what she expected. Then two months later, Io Shirai won the Women’s Title in a triple threat match, also involving Ripley.

Shirai talks about not being able to have regrets and failed as champion, which every challenger has learned. She stops momentum and defeats the best and now that Rhea has taken months to recover from Wrestlemania, Shirai is ready to be her nightmare. Ripley talks about how she doesn’t quit and is ready when the lights go on. The title match is next week. It doesn’t have the biggest build, but Ripley getting a shot feels like an important deal no matter what.

Here are the Kings of NXT for a chat. McAfee talks about how great it was to take out Killian Dain last week and even though he is stuck in Orlando, it has been a great day. Not only has he traded tweets with Tom Brady and found out that his business is worth $150 million, but now he gets to watch Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch destroy Breezango while he dominates that commentary desk. McAfee goes over to sit next to Stupid Joseph and Bad News Barrett.

Cameron Grimes is VERY pleased with what he did and is off to celebrate.

Finn Balor is back next week.

Tag Team Titles: Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

Burch and Lorcan are defending with Pete Dunne at ringside and Pat McAfee on commentary. The champs jump Breezango to start as McAfee talks about losing in the Super Bowl to “Drew Brees and his dumb baby.” Breeze manages to catapult Burch into the barricade as we settle down to a regular match. It’s Breeze getting caught in the wrong corner but managing to block a suplex and drive Burch over for the tag to Fandango.

Lorcan comes in and blocks a suplex to take over on Fandango but everything breaks down. They head outside with the champs both getting superkicked as we take a break. Back with McAfee off commentary and double tags bringing in Fandango and Lorcan as the pace picks up. Fandango starts cleaning house and hits a hiptoss into a neckbreaker on Burch. The Falcon Arrow gets two on Lorcan as everything breaks down again.

Breeze tries a flip dive to the floor but Dunne pulls Burch out of the way. Fandango dives onto them instead but Lorcan crotches him back inside. McAfee offers a distraction but here’s Drake Maverick to kick Lorcan off the top. Maverick dives onto McAfee as well, leaving Fandango to hit the Last Dance for two on Lorcan. Dunne runs Maverick over and then knocks Breeze off the apron so Fandango can’t make a tag. Burch comes in off a blind tag and it’s a headbutt into the elevated DDT for the pin to retain the titles at 9:59.

Rating: C+. The action helped overcome the fact that there was no drama to the match, but it was good to get the rematch out of the way. McAfee and company are looking like they could be a big deal around here for a long time to come and it’s not like Breezango are serious threats to get the titles back. This was a good enough match to make the point and Maverick being willing to fight for his friend works out well, especially if this foursome’s failure sets up the Undisputed Era coming in for the war.

Post match Maverick dives onto Burch and goes after the other three, earning himself a big group beatdown. Dunne X Plexes him onto the announcers’ table and Fandango’s save attempt earns him a beating as well. Breeze is held up and McAfee adds the Punt to leave him laying. McAfee takes over the camera to say that they’re the greatest and these three suck to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a fine example of a show where there was a lot more going on than just the wrestling. What mattered here were things like stories being moved forward (in a Takeover direction) and setting things up for the future. I liked what we got here rather well and they’re starting to get some of that momentum back. Balor returning next week should help and things are looking up on the way to Takeover, assuming they bother announcing it in the near future.

Results

Leon Ruff b. Johnny Gargano – Crucifix bomb

Santos Escobar b. Jake Atlas – Double underhook facebreaker

Candice LeRae b. Toni Storm – Rollup with feet on the ropes

Timothy Thatcher b. Dexter Lumis – Rollup

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. Breezango – Elevated DDT to Fandango

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 4, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and now the question is where do we go from here. There is no Takeover scheduled at the moment but it wouldn’t surprise me to see a Survivor Series weekend event. I’m not sure if they have the matches set up for that so far, but we do have a new North American Champion in Johnny Gargano. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a narrated recap of last week’s Halloween Havoc, which did have some great moments.

Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai

Raquel Gonzalez is in Kai’s corner. Moon takes her down by the arm to start but gets reversed into a headlock on the mat. Kai armbars her down for a change, which is reversed into a headscissors as the countering continues. A flip over doesn’t work for Kai as Moon grabs a double underhook to hold her down. Back up and the arm twisting continues until Kai pulls her down by the hair. Moon nips up and does the same, meaning it’s time for a shove off.

Moon sweeps the leg and hits a running backsplash and ties her up in the corner. That’s fine with Kai, who pulls her shoulder first into the post and pulls on the arm. It’s time to stomp the arm down in the corner and the short armscissors goes on. Moon gets in a kick to the face to leave Kai’s head hanging over the apron. A running kick to the face rocks Kai again but Moon misses a suicide dive to send us to a break.

Back with Moon getting two off a spinebuster but a victory roll face plant gives Kai the same. Kai hits a good kick to the head, only to have Moon come right back with a Codebreaker out of the corner for two of her own. Moon slaps on a Crossface in the middle of the ring until Kai rolls her up for a pinfall reversal sequence.

Kai finally slaps on the Fujiwara armbar with Moon having to go to the rope for the break. They slap it out again with Moon getting the better of things and sending her hard into the corner. Gonzales gets up to break up the Eclipse though and it’s a fireman’s carry into a kick to the head to finish Moon at 16:21.

Rating: B-. Kai continues to look great and Moon continues to be someone who seems ready to break through to the next side but never actually getting there. They got some time here though and that’s not something you really expect to see from these two most of the time. Good stuff here, but it never quite hit the next level.

Kai says she isn’t the woman Moon remembers.

Cameron Grimes seems very shaky after last week but insists that he’s fine enough to beat Kushida. A referee comes up to say his match is next so Grimes runs off screaming ZOMBIE.

Shotzi Blackheart talks about how great last week was but now he’s ready to face a star in Toni Storm. This is a huge test for her so welcome to the Ball Pit.

Kushida vs. Cameron Grimes

Kushida wastes no time in taking him to the mat by the arm and cranks away. Back up and Grimes sends him into the corner, only to get hiptossed into a failed cross armbreaker attempt. Back up and Grimes uses his leg to crank on both arms before stomping it down for a bonus. Grimes gets up again and hits him in the face before working on Kushida’s arm for a change. You don’t do that to Kushida though as he takes Grimes down and stomps on the arm again.

The armbar doesn’t last long this time though as grimes gets up and hits a shot to the back, only to have his German suplex countered into a victory roll for two. Back up and Grimes drops him throat first onto the top rope. We take a break and come back with Kushida hitting a springboard elbow to the face into a basement dropkick. Kushida grabs both arms but the stomping is countered into a rollup for two. The jumping forearm sets up a sitout powerbomb for two more on Kushida and they’re both down.

Grimes puts him on top but gets crotched down, setting up the Hoverboard Lock slam for another double knockdown. Back up and Kushida sends him into the corner with the referee getting bumped, meaning there is no one to see Grimes tap to the Hoverboard Lock. Grimes is back up with his running flip powerslam so here’s the zombie referee to send Grimes running around, setting up another Hoverboard Lock for the tap at 14:08.

Rating: C+. I’m split on this one as it’s great to see Kushida built up as a thing around here (a North American Title shot wouldn’t shock me) but at the same time….dang it Grimes just lost because he was scared of a zombie referee. The match was good stuff until the ending but that wasn’t the kind of ending I was hoping for. I rolled my eyes at the zombie deal and that’s not how you should be feeling after a pretty good match.

Video on Toni Storm, who is ready to use Shotzi Blackheart as a stepping stone to the top of the division. This is the new her and she’s more Toni.

Io Shirai knows that she has to face Rhea Ripley to really be the best. She’s ready.

Killian Dain/Drake Maverick vs. Ever Rise

Dain throws Parker around to start and it’s off to Maverick, who takes Parker down without much effort. A running backsplash crushed Parker but it’s Maverick getting caught in the wrong corner. The armbar goes on but Maverick fights up and sends him outside for a breather. Martel breaks up the hot tag though as we cut to the parking lot where Pat McAfee, Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch and Pete Dunne arrive. Actually hold on as here they are in the arena for the big beatdown and a no contest at 3:52.

Rating: D+. You can only get so much out of this and that was pretty obvious here. The action itself wasn’t much to see here either with both teams needing to cram in as much as they can. It didn’t help that a lot of the match was spent on the team’s arrival in the back, which to be fair might be more interesting than an Ever Rise match.

Post match the beatdown is on with McAfee taking the camera to film everything as a proper heel can. Lorcan and Burch even manage the elevated DDT to Dain. McAfee carries the camera to the apron and makes everyone say cheese. Post break McAfee and company are in the ring with McAfee declaring themselves the four best men in the history of wrestling. They are not a bunch of scumbags because they are professionals.

They declare themselves the Kings of NXT and promises to destroy the Undisputed Era. Lorcan pulls out an Undisputed Era banner and we hear about how stupid all four of them were. The Era won a bunch and were over with these stupid, stupid fans. Dunne talks about Roderick Strong teaching him that you need to trust the right people.

Last week, Dunne needed to teach Strong the exact same things. McAfee talks about how big Dunne’s arms are now that he is back and brings up Strong turning on Dunne years ago.

Then the Undisputed Era became the big stars of the promotion and everything was built around them. No one was supposed to become bigger than the Undisputed Era, including Lorcan and Burch. They aren’t happy with the Era being treated than two veterans than them, but it’s time to honor the Era. They’re ready to raise the banner….but decide to put it into a trashcan instead.

They throw it in, declare the Era dead, and light it on fire. McAfee and company head to the back towards their car but Dain jumps them. The beatdown is on again with Dain being beaten down without much effort. They get in the car and leave, with McAfee reminding us that they’re the greatest and you suck. As is the case with anything McAfee related, this was great as he is one of the best talkers going today. Imagine that: someone who learned to talk elsewhere is better than WWE grown talents.

We go to House Gargano, where Johnny Gargano now LOVES wheels. He is the first Triple Crown Champion in NXT history and now the first ever two time North American Champion. Hold on though as he gets a phone call from Ghostface, who is in his house. Actually he is next to Gargano and playing the Game of Life with him. Johnny talks about how the one big knock against him is that he can’t hold onto a title, so next week he’s defending a title against a worthy opponent. They finish the game, and of course Johnny wins, because Johnny always wins. Dancing ensues.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Toni Storm

Shotzi charges in and shoves Storm away before avoiding a charge in the corner. A kick to the face looks to set up a springboard but Shotzi falls on her face to cut off the momentum. Shotzi takes her down by the legs and WELCOME TO THE BALL PIT connects. Storm sends her into the corner though and gets two off a running hip attack. Back up and Storm snaps off a suplex for two before kicking Shotzi down for daring to try a comeback.

The neck crank goes on before Storm switches over to a front facelock to keep Shotzi in trouble. A suplex gives Storm two and we take a break. Back with Shotzi making the comeback, including something like a reverse Sling Blade and some strikes to the face. The running reverse Cannonball hits Storm but she counters an enziguri into the rolling German suplexes.

Storm Zero is blocked though and Shotzi gets two off her own suplex. A headbutt gives Storm a close two but Shotzi catches her on top. Shotzi hits something close to a DDT to drop Storm face first onto the apron. Storm is out of it on the floor but hold on as Candice LeRae, with Shotzi’s tank, pops up on screen. The distraction lets Storm grab a rollup for the pin at 13:50.

Rating: C+. It takes a lot to make you believe that someone like Storm is in danger but they made it work with Shotzi. That is pretty impressive as Storm feels like one of the biggest stars around and Shotzi is starting to move up the ranks. This was a story advancing loss though, which is about as good of a result as you could have had. Shotzi vs. Candice should be good enough when we get there and Storm will be perfectly good when she gets a chance.

Post match Candice says she can’t put up with Shotzi any longer….so here’s a monster truck so Candice can crush the tank. Ghostface is in the back as Candice says that makes them even for last week. Shotzi screams a lot.

Legado del Fantasma tries to jump Jake Atlas in the parking lot but he whips out a pipe to beat them down and drive away. Santos Escobar seems impressed.

It’s time for another live Thatch As Thatch Can, with a lesson on reversals. See, anyone can catch a hold but what matters is that you can reverse anything someone tries. We see how to counter a front facelock into a top wristlock, which makes the student tap quite a bit. The student doesn’t approve and glares at Thatcher, so they switch places next time. However, Thatcher takes him down into an ankle lock for a lot of tapping. Cue Austin Gray to jump Thatcher from behind and knock him to the floor a few times though.

Xia Li is embarrassed by her loss last week and it’s time to turn things around. She gets a letter, which makes her more upset. Xia asks William Regal for a match against Raquel Gonzalez over last week’s dishonor, with Regal reluctantly agreeing.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream.

Rhea Ripley wants to face Io Shirai as well because it’s time to get her title back.

Velveteen Dream vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Dream’s hand/arm is still in a cast. Ciampa shoves him down into the corner to start before working on the arm. The threat of a big stomp sends Dream outside with Ciampa following, only to get sent into the barricade. Dream gets dropped ribs first onto the barricade, setting up a running knee to the face to rock him again. Ciampa isn’t done by dropping him onto the announcers’ table for a bonus, meaning now the arm can be sent into the announcers’ table.

Back in and Dream gets sent over the corner and out to the floor, where he crashes into the barricade. Ciampa isn’t about to let Dream leave so it’s back inside for a German suplex into a running knee to the face. More stomping to the arm sets up a face first drop onto the turnbuckle and we take a break. Back with Dream blocking a superplex attempt and getting two off a spinebuster. We hit the chinlock, with Dream driving the cast across the face. Dream goes up top but gets caught in a top rope superplex, triggering the canned THIS IS AWESOME chants.

Ciampa is sent outside but manages to block a dive. Dream tries again and this time takes Ciampa down in a big crash. They head inside again where Ciampa suplexes Dream right back over the top for another fall to the floor. Dream hits a superkick and grabs a chair, which the referee takes care of in a hurry. Ciampa uses the distraction to knee Dream’s top rope cast shots out of the air, setting up Willow’s Bell. The Fairy Tale Ending finishes Dream at 13:34.

Rating: B. This worked well and Ciampa is seemingly back to being a face, at least for tonight. That is kind of the right feeling for him as it’s not like there is a top face at the moment with Finn Balor gone. Hopefully Balor doesn’t have to drop the title, but if he does, Ciampa would seem to be a nice choice to go back to as champion. That and it’s nice to see Dream lose anytime these days.

Overall Rating: B. They had a long form wrestling show here with only one match not getting twelve minutes. That’s not like NXT and while it isn’t something I would need to see every week, it worked rather well as a one off show. There was good stuff in between the matches as well, making this quite a nice edition of the show. I’m good with no Takeover at the moment, but they have the most natural WarGames setup in the world right now and you almost have to imagine one is coming, though they’re rapidly running out of time. Anyway, rather good show this time.

Results

Dakota Kai b. Ember Moon – Fireman’s carry kick to the head

Kushida b. Cameron Grimes – Hoverboard Lock

Ever Rise vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick went to a no contest when Pat McAfee, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch and Pete Dunne interfered

Toni Storm b. Shotzi Blackheart – Rollup

Tommaso Ciampa b. Velveteen Dream – Fairy Tale Ending

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: XXX
Date: August 22, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix

It’s time for the milestone edition of the show and this time around it’s not exactly feeling like that important of an entry. Maybe it’s the rushed build to the show or the lack of star power, but there is something missing here. The main event should be a heck of a hoss fight between Keith Lee and Karrion Kross for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Breezango vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

For the #1 contendership. Fandango jumps Mendoza to start and goes to the apron with Oney. Oney is knocked to the floor and Fandango hits a heck of a clothesline to Mendoza. Burch comes back in and gets small packaged for two, meaning it’s time for the showdown with Lorcan. Fandango gyrates while Lorcan glares but Mendoza gets up to run the corner and hits a springboard corkscrew dive.

Back in and Lorcan DDTs Breeze while Mendoza neckbreakers Lorcan for two each. The hot tag (yes there are tags in this) brings in Burch to clean house, including the German suplexes. Something that looked like a Doomsday Device is broken up as Wilde slips out of the electric chair. Lorcan’s uppercut gets two on Wilde as everything breaks down again. A Spanish Fly into the 450 gives Mendoza two with Burch and Lorcan making the save. Back up and Breeze hits a quick superkick for the pin on Lorcan at 6:56.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much to do here and I can’t say I’m surprised at the winners. That being said, Breezango vs. Imperium isn’t all that interesting, though it’s not like anyone else is getting much out of Imperium these days. They need to do something with the titles and if that means Breezango as transitional champions, so be it. Good enough choice for an opener though.

The opening video looks at the history of Takeover before going into your traditional look at all of the matches.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Finn Balor

Grudge match after Thatcher cost Balor a spots in the North American Title ladder match. Balor charges at him in the corner to start but gets taken to the mat which isn’t likely to go well. They go to the grappling with Balor working on the arm but getting caught in a front facelock for his efforts. Balor gets up and strikes Balor against the ropes before taking it back down to the mat to crank on the leg.

Thatcher hits him in the face and puts on a bow and arrow hold as Balor can’t get away from the holds. Balor flips over into a cover for two but Thatcher is right back with a Kimura. The arm is pinned back and Thatcher puts on something like an abdominal stretch on the mat. They get back up but Balor can’t get away from the grip, instead having to backdrop Thatcher into a cover for two. The hold still isn’t broken but Balor rolls into a basement dropkick for the much needed break.

They slug it out with Thatcher getting the better of it until Balor drops him with a Pele for the double knockdown. Balor gets in a double stomp and tries 1916 but has to slip out of a fireman’s carry. This time it’s Thatcher getting caught in the abdominal stretch with Balor planting him again. The Coup de Grace misses though and Balor bangs up his knee again. The half crab goes on but Balor slips out.

That’s fine with Thatcher, who kicks him in the back but Balor switches places and gets in a kick to the ribs. Thatcher gets in a shot to the face but gets rolled into the abdominal stretch again. The next reversal lets Thatcher grab an ankle lock so Balor rolls out and hits a double stomp. Another double stomp sets up the Coup de Grace but the knee means there can’t be a cover. 1916 connects to give Balor the clean pin at 14:16.

Rating: B-. It was a good grappling match but the ending was a little flat. Balor just started hitting his moves and then won with his finishers. I didn’t think Thatcher was going to win (though maybe he should have) but I was hoping for something a little better than that. What we got was good though and I’ll take that over something completely flat.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are here.

Video on the North American Title ladder match, including everyone qualifying.

North American Title: Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Bronson Reed

Ladder match for the vacant title. It’s a brawl to start (duh) until Reed (in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear) and Priest are left alone. Dream comes back in to break it up with a DDT as Grimes pulls out the first ladder….which is about three feet tall. He isn’t pleased but gets knocked down by Priest, only to come back with a big kick to the chest. Gargano pulls in his own full sized ladder and Grimes brings in a second. It’s Grimes going up, only to get caught with a leg on each ladder as they are spread apart, leaving Grimes in the splits.

Reed comes back in and cleans house, including dropping a backsplash onto a ladder onto Dream’s chest. More house is cleaned as Reed sets up a ladder but he has to shoves Gargano up as he tries to climb the standing ladder. Gargano’s next attempt to go up is countered into a powerbomb attempt from Reed but Dream takes out Reed’s knee. Gargano wants Grimes and Dream to help him but goes up, only to get caught. Johnny: “I had to try it!”

It’s Grimes in trouble this time around until Gargano crotches Dream on top. Priest crushes Grimes into a ladder into Dream’s head but it’s Reed cleaning house to take over. The massive Tower of Doom is broken up and Gargano is the only one left standing. Reed takes care of him and Grimes is sent off the ladder and into the rope. Priest is all alone on top of the ladder but Dream makes the save. That means kicks to Gargano and Dream’s heads so Gargano hits the slingshot DDT to the ladder around Reed’s neck.

Gargano heads outside but gets caught with the standing flip belly to belly from Grimes. Reed dives onto them but Grimes is up first to load up the ladder inside. For some reason he sets it up next to the ropes and Priest runs up the bridged ladder to take out everyone with a flip dive. Grimes goes up but Candice LeRae runs in for the save. Corey: “Maybe Candice just wants directions to the moon.”

Candice tries a headscissors but Gargano goes with a ladder to Grimes’ head for a more effective move. Gargano goes up so Reed knocks him off, only to have Candice climb onto his back. Reed dives off onto Gargano for the big triple splash (Corey: “The Wednesday night’s been squashed!” Since Gargano is mostly dead, Reed goes up but Priest is waiting on him. Grimes has his own bigger ladder as Reed is knocked down. Reed sends Grimes off the big ladder onto the regular one but Dream makes a save, only to get his leg tied into the falling ladder.

Dream is back up to bridge a ladder from the middle rope into the standing one before going up. The title is swinging away so Dream can’t get it, allowing Priest to shove him down. Priest drops down and knocks Reed down, only to have Grimes hit the Cave In. Grimes climbs until Gargano hits a powerbomb to send him into the bridged ladder. Instead of climbing, Gargano fires off superkicks but the One Final Beat is countered by Dream into a Dream Valley Driver onto Priest onto a ladder.

It’s Dream climbing this time but Reed shoves the ladder over, sending Dream bouncing off the top rope and over the barricade for the huge crash of the match. Grimes is up on the ladder for the title with Gargano making the save this time. Priest and Gargano go up and the title is unhooked, with Priest knocking Gargano down to win the title at 21:16.

Rating: B+. This was long and chaotic, which is exactly what you want out of something like a five way ladder match. I had Grimes winning but Priest is the second best choice as Gargano doesn’t need the title, Reed isn’t ready, and Dream probably shouldn’t be near….well anything at the moment. That Dream spot was great and there’s something special about seeing him in extreme pain at the moment. Good, long match here and I liked it more than I expected.

We recap Pat McAfee vs. Adam Cole. McAfee mocked Cole for being small on his podcast and for thinking that he’s the king of NXT. Then McAfee invaded NXT and punted Cole in the face for a big knockout. McAfee went on to have some of the best promos in NXT and the match was made for tonight. As has been the case throughout: McAfee has been a great heel, but that doesn’t make me want to cheer for Cole, which is holding things back a bit.

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

Cole comes to the ring but we cut to the back where McAfee, with his football players, says he’s got this and promises to destroy Cole once and for all. The other players come out with McAfee, though Cole is on his own. Well that’s somewhat noble. Cole grabs a headlock to start and McAfee can’t do much here. That means Cole can send him into the corner and tease a kick of his own so McAfee asks for a timeout.

Back up and the threat of a superkick sends McAfee outside for some trash talk. Cole follows so the players get in his way, which draws out the rest of the Era. McAfee uses the distraction to go up for the big dive onto everyone, meaning the trash talk is back on. Back in and McAfee slugs away in the corner as commentary starts being amazed by every single thing McAfee does. A slam, with squats, gets two on Cole and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up after longer than you might expect and Cole gets fired up in the corner.

They slug it out with Cole pulling the shirt over McAfee’s head and slugging away before kicking McAfee in the head for two. The shock at the kickout sends Cole up top but Cole shoves him down…with McAfee landing on his feet. Cole is STUNNED and it’s even worse when McAfee runs the corner for a top rope superplex into a near fall. Cole’s head is hung over the apron so McAfee loads up the punt, which only hits the steps.

Back in and Cole grabs the Figure Four, sending McAfee over to the ropes for the break. Cole goes after him in the corner but a quick low blow puts Cole down. Now the Punt connects for two, sending McAfee up top. That takes too long though (It could have been the MCAFEE BAY BAY!) and Cole superkicks him out of the air, setting up the Panama City Sunrise for the pin at 16:20.

Rating: B-. It isn’t really shocking that McAfee was impressive, but I’m not sure people were expecting him to be this athletic. This was a good effort from both and Cole winning is the right call so they didn’t go too far. They had a pretty quick feud and while Cole is far from a face so far, it went about as well as could be expected.

Post match Cole looks at McAfee in the corner before turning to the camera to pose.

Drew McIntyre is here and picks Keith Lee to win the main event.

We recap Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai for Shirai’s Women’s Title. Kai has been extra evil as of late and is ready to beat Shirai, because she is in her head. That and having the monster Raquel Gonalez in her corner.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai

Kai is challenging and has Gonzalez with her. Shirai goes with the double leg and starts kicking at Kai’s leg, including a dragon screw leg whip on the mat. A Gonzalez distraction lets Kai go after the arm though and wraps it around the arm. Shirai kicks her in the arm sets up an arm trap choke over the ropes and then stomps her down a bit. The armbar goes on, followed by one with Kai’s legs.

Shirai gets out and hits a kick to the face, followed by the 619 into a missile dropkick for two. Another armbar is broken up with a kick to the head but Kai breaks up a German suplex and sends her hard into the corner. Shirai is right back up with the running knees in the corner but the moonsault takes too long. Kai gets shoved down though and a double stomp gives Shirai two. The Kairopractor gives Kai two though and we hit the armbar, with Shirai having to get over to the ropes for the break.

Shirai is sat on top for a fireman’s carry into a kick to the head for two more with a foot on the ropes saving the title. Kai kicks the referee down by mistake so Gonzalez comes in to plant Shirai, giving Kai two. The Crossface goes on but Gonzalez makes the save. That means a moonsault to the floor to take both of them out, followed by the regular version for the pin to retain the title at 16:12.

Rating: B. Good showing here with both women looking awesome. Gonzalez added a lot here as there is only so much that you can do with Shirai vs. Kai on their own. Shirai is a monster who can destroy Kai on her own but the monster makes things that much more interesting. That turned this into a solid back and forth match and I had a good time with it, which was more than I expected.

Post match Gonzalez goes after Shirai again but Rhea Ripley runs in for the save. The staredown is on but Kai and Gonzalez run.

Damien Priest jumps in a hot tub with some women to celebrate.

NXT UK is back on September 17.

Tommaso Ciampa is back on Wednesday.

We recap Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross for the NXT Title. Lee won the title at the Great American Bash and Kross didn’t seem happy. Kross then choked out Lee’s friend Dominick Dijakovic so Lee wanted revenge. That resulted in a fireball to Lee’s face to get us slightly away from the Rocky IV theme. Now it’s about revenge and the title.

NXT Title: Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee

Kross, with Scarlett, is challenging and we get the big intro. Lee knocks him straight back to start and unloads with right hands in the corner to put Kross in early trouble. They head to the floor with Kross hammering away but Lee’s right hand busts up the Plexiglas by mistake. Lee’s arm gets caught on another swing though and the champ is hurt early on. Back in and Kross cranks on the arm (as he should) before putting him down for two. The armbar goes on again but this time Lee powers up.

That’s fine with Kross, as he sends the arm into the buckle to put Lee down again. It’s a hammerlock to put Lee down on the mat again and Kross cranks on it even harder. With that not working, Kross tries a cross armbreaker so Lee latches his hands together for the block. Lee hits a running splash in the corner and muscles him up for a spinning powerslam into the near fall. Back up and Lee misses a charge in the corner but Kross can’t Saito him. Kross can hit a DDT for two but Lee blocks the Saito again.

Lee hits a suplex of his own for a slightly delayed two of his own and they get back up. After what looked to be a little miscommunication, Kross hits a hard clothesline for two more. They slug it out until Lee is knocked to his knee, only to come back with a heck of a clothesline. Kross kicks him in the face and Lee isn’t happy. The Grizzly Magnum is blocked though and now the Saito connects for two.

Scarlett is furious about the kickout so the Crossjacket goes on, with Lee’s arm almost hitting the mat. A groggy Lee gets over to his stomach and finally makes the rope for the save. Back up and Lee headbutts him in the chest, setting up the Spirit Bomb for two. Lee goes up but Kross catches him with a shot to the arm. The super Doomsday Saito gives Kross the pin and the title at 21:56.

Rating: B+. This started slowly but they wound up going with what was the best possible choice. Kross would have been dead in the water if he had lost here and Lee is someone who can bounce back from a big loss. They didn’t quite go with the hoss battle the whole way but they got it working by the end, which is what matters here. Kross should have won, and I have no idea where Lee goes next. As for who is next for Kross….that Takeover machine Finn Balor sounds like a smart choice no?

Overall Rating: A-. As I’ve said about Dynamite before, if this is their bad show, they’re going to be fine. This wasn’t even close to what Takeover can do but it was still a rather good show with nothing resembling a bad match. There were some memorable moments and you can see where some things are going, but it was lacking that show stealer and it stuck out pretty badly.

In addition, there are some things here that make it clear the times have changed. One thing that NXT made look easy was having each match feel different. While they were different matches, there was something off about the last two matches being built around the champion’s arm being hurt. It feels like NXT should know better, but maybe that’s just the past talking. Still though, very good show, but not up to the old standards.

Results

Finn Balor b. Timothy Thatcher – 1916

Damian Priest won a ladder match – Priest pulled down the title

Adam Cole b. Pat McAfee – Panama City Sunrise

Io Shirai b. Dakota Kai – Moonsault

Karrion Kross b. Keith Lee – Super Doomsday Saito

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s that time again. There may not be a series of wrestling shows with the reputation of NXT: Takeover. The shows have hovered somewhere around great and often moved up to show of the year on a number of occasions. Saturday will see a milestone version with the thirtieth edition, but things aren’t as hot as they usually are. NXT has had that feeling before, but I’m not sure if they can shake it off this time. Hopefully I’m wrong though so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Legado del Fantasma vs. Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

This is for a future Tag Team Title shot, assuming you can remember who the Tag Team Champions even are at the moment. The tag division has taken some major hits over the last few months and this is the second straight Takeover without the titles being defended. I can’t say I’m overly surprised as Imperium aren’t the most thrilling challengers, but they need to do something sooner rather than later.

I’ll take Burch and Lorcan to win here, as they haven’t been around much lately but it is going to be a little easier to take them seriously than Imperium. Throw in that they would give Imperium a better match than Breezango and this should be an easy pick. That is assuming they aren’t going to give the rest of Legado the titles to make all three members champions, which is certainly a possibility. Either way, I’ll take Lorcan and Burch with pretty minimal confidence.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai(c) vs. Dakota Kai

This one hasn’t been all that thrilling so far as Kai seems dangerous, but not dangerous enough to be a real threat to win the title. It was like she needed something extra to boost her chances of winning the title, like someone who could give Shirai more of a run for her money. Maybe a monster enforcer who could be a physical threat to Shirai and who destro…yeah you get what I’m going for here. Raquel Gonzalez is back and Shirai could be in trouble.

I want to go with Kai here but I can’t bring myself to say it. Therefore I’ll take Shirai to retain, as Mercedes Martinez seems destined to be the next big threat to come after the title. Kai has been a heck of an even woman in recent months and throwing Gonzalez in helps a lot, but I don’t think it’s enough to get her the title. Considering how goofy and innocent Kai used to be, her transformation has been remarkable but it isn’t enough to get her to the promised land just yet.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Finn Balor

Sometimes you need a good grudge match and that’s what we have here. This is also the kind of match that the show needed to help boost things up and hopefully that is what we are going to be getting. Balor and Thatcher both lost to Dexter Lumis in a North American Title qualifying match and Thatcher isn’t happy as he took the fall. He cost Balor his second chance match and here we are.

Give me Balor to win here, as somehow he needs to get back on track. At the same time, Thatcher is someone who needs his second big win as he has only defeated Matt Riddle in the cage match. That being said, Balor has only lost in one singles match ever at Takeover and I’m not sure I can see Thatcher adding his name to the Samoa Joe list. Balor wins here, but I’m really not convinced.

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

This is being treated as more of the main event than anything else on the show. It’s the old wrestler vs. football player match, but in this case, McAfee might be the best talker in the promotion. I’ve wanted to hear someone shut him up because he really is that great of a villain, but I don’t want to hear Cole be the one to shut him up. Cole has spent a year as the top heel in the promotion. I need a reason to cheer him, not just to boo McAfee.

Of course I’ll go with Cole here, as there isn’t much of a reason to have him lose to the outside here. Cole can be turned face (anyone can) but having him getting beaten down by McAfee isn’t an idea that has legs. Go with what makes sense here in the big mess, as McAfee has a weapon in the big kick but doesn’t need to win here. Then again there is a chance that he could as he could have something bigger in mind as part of Cole’s redemption, but I’ll play it safe and go with Cole winning here.

North American Title: Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream

Sometimes in wrestling you need a new champion and the best solution is to hang the title above the ring so a bunch of wrestlers can try to climb a ladder and pull it down. Ok so wrestling can be a little strange at times but that’s what makes it so much fun. That is what we have here as Keith Lee vacated the title after winning the NXT Title, meaning it’s time for some multiman carnage.

You could go in a bunch of ways here but I’ll take Grimes to win as he has been rather impressive for a long time now. Gargano is fine without the title, Dream is….moving on, Reed and Priest don’t make the most sense as winning here and Grimes has been outstanding as of late. Go with the best choice and someone who could get a long way with the title, which is where Grimes comes in.

NXT Title: Keith Lee(c) vs. Karrion Kross

And now we have a heck of a hoss fight to wrap things up. Lee won the title back in early July and Kross has targeted him ever since. Kross has since choked out Dominick Dijakovic and burned Lee with a fireball, meaning it’s time for a big fight. This could be an interesting way to go as they both seem unstoppable, which is where you can tell they have a good match going.

I think I’ll go with Kross to win the title here as there is no reason at all to have him lose so soon. Having him overcome the monster Lee is a way to make him look even more unstoppable, but I’m not sure where things go from there. The key thing here though is Lee can absorb a loss a lot more than Kross, though if there was ever a place for a non-finish, this would be it. Kross wins, even if it’s the second best option.

Overall Thoughts

I’m trying to get excited about this show but it isn’t working this time around. The two hour deal has hurt NXT quite a bit and while it makes WWE a lot of money, it doesn’t exactly help with the quality of the show. That being said, you never bet against Takeover and you would be crazy to do so here. They know how to do these things and hopefully that’s what happens again here, as it probably will.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 5, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

We’re coming up on Takeover and that means it is time to continue with the series of triple threat matches on the way to the North American Title match. Tonight it’s Ridge Holland vs. Damian Priest and Oney Lorcan. We probably need to set up some more stuff for the card and we might get there tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley

The winner gets Io Shirai for the Women’s Title at Takeover. Ripley starts fast with a dropkick into the corner and the big shoulders to the ribs. A wheelbarrow faceplant puts Kai down again and Ripley pounds her down in the corner again. Ripley grabs a bodyscissors for a bit before blasting her with a clothesline for two. They head outside with Ripley electric chair dropping Kai face first onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Kai hitting a pump kick to the face for her own two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on but Ripley fights up and knocks her to the floor.

An electric chair drop sends Kai face first onto the apron but Kai is back with a scorpion kick. Ripley tosses her into the air for a big faceplant though and the yelling ensues. Riptide is countered into a hard DDT for two though and Ripley is stunned. The Kairopractor is blocked and Ripley grabs the Prism Trap. That’s broken up with a roll into the corner and Kai hits her running boot to the face. The referee yells at Kai and here’s Mercedes Martinez to kick Ripley in the face. Kai hits the GTK for the pin at 15:26.

Rating: B-. That’s how this should have gone as Kai has not exactly established herself as the next big thing in the women’s division. She needed something to get her built up and a win over Ripley, even a cheating one, is a good step to get there. Couple that with setting up Ripley vs. Martinez and everything went well here.

Post match Martinez takes Ripley out again.

Earlier today, Pat McAfee talked with Shawn Michaels.

Bronson Reed vs. Shane Thorne

The much bigger Reed shoves him around to start so Thorne hits him in the face a few times. Reed hits him with a heck of a forearm of his own so Thorne tells him to bring it. A dropkick puts Reed on the floor and there’s the suicide dive. Reed shrugs that off and full nelson slams him onto the apron. Back in and Reed gets crotched on top, setting up a running dropkick to hang him upside down.

The running Cannonball hits Reed’s back and there’s a Shining Wizard for two. Reed gets back up and runs him over with pure power, setting up the running backsplash for two of his own. Thorne kicks him in the head so Reed turns him inside out with a clothesline. The Death Valley Driver sets up the top rope splash to crush Thorne at 4:29.

Rating: C-. Reed is someone who might not have the most complicated character in the world but man alive he is getting good at this kind of match. He’s a big man who can move well enough and that splash looks awesome. Thorne belongs in NXT still and he moves well enough to keep him around. Not too bad here, as Reed is fun to watch.

Earlier today, Legado del Fantasma jumped in the parking lot and kidnapped Fandango.

Videos on Ridge Holland, Oney Lorcan and Damian Priest.

The Robert Stone Brand says Rhea Ripley may be done with them but they aren’t done with her.

We look at the end of last week’s qualifying match with Dexter Lumis winning and Finn Balor laying out Timothy Thatcher after the match.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ridge Holland

Holland has a jaunty hat and a club to go with the nice coat. They trade strikes to the head with Priest getting the better of things and hitting a running elbow to Lorcan in the corner. Holland follows with a splash and then kicks Priest to the floor. Lorcan knocks Holland outside as well and hits his own big running flip dive. Back in and Holland sends Lorcan flying with a suplex, headbutts Priest, and suplexes him as well. A clothesline puts Priest on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Priest and Holland slugging it out until Lorcan flip dives in from the top to take both of them down. Lorcan hits running elbows in the corner to both, followed by a running double Blockbuster. The half crab has Priest in trouble and the running uppercut gives Lorcan two. Holland is back up to run Lorcan over and hits an exploder suplex for two.

Priest can’t hit the Reckoning on Holland, who muscles him up for a gutwrench powerbomb for two more. Lorcan and Holland slug it out and certainly seem to enjoy themselves until Lorcan’s running uppercuts take him down. Priest can’t hit the chokeslam as Lorcan slips out and chops him in the back. A hard running clothesline puts Lorcan down and now Priest can chokeslam Holland. The Reckoning to Lorcan sends Priest to Takeover at 10:16.

Rating: B. These guys beat the fire out of each other and Holland looked like a star in the making. Lorcan was there to take the fall though and they need someone a little more established like Priest in the ladder match. Good, hard hitting brawl here with everyone getting in some good shots, and Holland showcasing himself very well in his big chance.

Adam Cole and Pat McAfee are all cool after their blowup on McAfee’s show.

Cameron Grimes vs. Keith Lee

Non-title. Lee takes the vest off and glares at Lee before stalking him into the corner for a hard stare. Grimes bails to the floor and Lee is smart enough to not follow him. Back in and they do the same thing again with Grimes telling Lee to not mess with him. Back in again and Grimes goes for the leg, which works as well as you would expect. Grimes forearms away so Lee grabs him by the sides of the head and throws him down. A shoulder drops Grimes again and Lee stays serious.

This time Lee knocks him over the top and follows, with Grimes kicking the knee out. Lee it sent knee first into the steps and the middle rope moonsault connects as we take a break. Back with Lee getting mad again and hammering Grimes down without much trouble. The Spirit Bomb is escaped and the Big Bang Catastrophe is countered into a small package for two. Grimes’ rollup with feet on the ropes gets the same and there’s an enziguri.

A middle rope crossbody is calmly pulled out of the air so Grimes hits his spinning crossbody slam for two more. The Cave In doesn’t work and the Grizzly Magnum puts Grimes down again. Grimes slugs away and gets Grizzly Magnumed again, setting up a hard clothesline. Lee doesn’t let go of his hand though and hits even more clotheslines, setting up the Spirit Bomb for the pin at 12:28.

Rating: B-. I liked this as Lee was completely focused on Kross and destroyed Grimes with no emotion on his face as a result. What matters here though is Lee getting to show how dominant he is, which makes Kross feel like something even bigger for getting under Lee’s skin. Or maybe it’s Lee not liking that Grimes abandoned the Lee name.

Post match we hear Scarlett’s voice and see Kross, who says he needs to do something to make this happen. Several bodies are seen out cold on the floor as Kross walks away.

General Manager William Regal announces that Dexter Lumis has an ankle injury and is out of Takeover. Therefore, Johnny Gargano, Finn Balor, Ridge Holland and whomever is not pinned in next week’s match facing off in two singles matches. The winners will go on to the ladder match.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for a chat and they carry Fandango out with him. Escobar talks about how they come out here every week and try to explain that they are just better because lucha libre is not a gimmick. Fandango is thrown over the barricade and then inside, with Escobar talking about Breezango playing dress up. They spit in the face of Escobar and the disrespect stops right now. The rest of the team goes after Fandango and cut off an invading Tyler Breeze as well. Escobar says anyone who speaks his name again will face the same future.

Video on the Undisputed Era’s dominance of the tag team division and their issues with Imperium.

Damian Priest is ready for Takeover and knows the risks. Bronson Reed pops up to say he’ll see Priest at Takeover. Priest says Takeover won’t be another fluke so the match is made for later.

Pat McAfee sits in on commentary.

Tegan Nox vs. Indi Hartwell

They yell at each other to start until Nox forearms her in the head. A chop in the corner has Hartwell screaming but she drops Nox face first onto the buckle. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a hard shot to keep Nox down. We hit the chinlock for a second time but Nox fights up again. This time Hartwell kicks her in the face for two, only to have Nox start the comeback. Nox hits the Shiniest Wizard for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C-. Just a quick way to keep Nox around in a good way as she is someone who could be a big star in the future. She has a good look and a ton of charisma, plus the in-ring abilities. What more could you need from someone in this spot? The match was quick too and it’s not like Hartwell was knocked that far down by the loss.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Imperium vs. Undisputed Era

Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, with Adam Cole, are challenging for the Era here and McAfee is still on commentary. The rest of the Era is here too and it’s O’Reilly slugging it out with Aichner to start. Kyle strikes away in the corner but the crossbody is countered into a hard backbreaker. The armbar doesn’t last long as it’s off to Fish, who is armbarred b Barthel.

O’Reilly comes in for the double kicks to put Barthel down as Beth is arguing with McAfee over his comments on his show. Barthel kicks Fish down and we take a break. Back with Fish backdropping Aichner out to the floor as Cole is glaring at McAfee. A backdrop gets Fish out of trouble and it’s O’Reilly coming in to pick up the pace. O’Reilly beats up both champs at once, including a dragon screw legwhip to mess with Barthel’s knee.

The top rope knee drop sets up the kneebar on Barthel, sending him over to the ropes. Fish drops a top rope elbow to keep Barthel down but Aichner springboard moonsaults in for the save. Cole finally goes over to McAfee, saying he can hear him from 20 feet away. McAfee says he’s just talking trash and Cole throws water on him. Referees and HHH come out for the save until we cut back to the ring, with the European Bomb hitting Fish to retain the titles at 10:45.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t the point here as the whole thing wound up being a backdrop for the angle with McAfee. What we had was fine because the teams involved are going to be able to do some good stuff, but there isn’t much you can do with so much of the limited time they had being spent on something else.

Post match McAfee is told to leave but goes after Cole again, as Shawn Michaels and HHH keep trying to separate them. McAfee says Cole will always be a tiny b**** so Cole charges, earning himself a punt from the former NFL kicker. Cole is out cold and McAfee leaves, calling this place unprofessional. Shawn checks on Cole to end the show. I’ll put this one in the “if we have to” category as I’d like to see something better for Cole coming off his title loss. McAfee is a guy I only know in passing from Kickoff Shows and now he is doing this?

Overall Rating: B. Another solid show here with good action throughout and some stories being pushed forward for Takeover. I’m not interested in Cole vs. McAfee so far, but it was smart to have him use his football skill in something like this. The North American Title situation is interesting as they could have someone sneak into the ladder match and there are some nice possibilities. Overall, it was a solid night and they moved stuff forward for Takeover, so well done.

Results

Dakota Kai b. Rhea Ripley – GTK

Bronson Reed b. Shane Thorne – Top rope splash

Damian Priest b. Ridge Holland and Oney Lorcan – Reckoning to Lorcan

Keith Lee b. Cameron Grimes – Spirit Bomb

Tegan Nox b. Indi Hartwell – Shiniest Wizard

Imperium b. Undisputed Era – European Bomb to Fish

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

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