IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 14, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Takeover: WarGames II and the card seems to be mostly set. This time around there might only be four matches, but one of them will be 2/3 falls and another is WarGames so things should be fine. Tonight is the big final push towards the show and that should make for a fun show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim

This was set up last week in a backstage argument. Belair grabs her by the hair to start and throws Mia down without too much effort. Mia is right back with a headlock takeover and some trash talk, followed by the knee strikes. A pair of dropkicks have Belair in trouble and two more knock her down but Mia gets sent outside. Back in and Belair cranks on the neck, which does as much damage as you might expect. Some choking in the corner keeps Mia down but Belair spends too much time bragging to the crowd.

A missed legdrop lets Mia start the comeback, including sending her face first into the middle buckle. An assortment of kicks are cut off by a spinebuster to give Belair two but Mia is back with palm strikes. The cannonball in the corner connects and looks to set up Soul Food, which is reversed into the KOD to give Belair the pin at 8:04.

Rating: B-. This started slow but got much better by the end in a good match. Belair has all the natural talents you could ask for and the character work is coming along. A veteran like Yim is more polished and that’s always something valuable to have around. They’re testing Belair more every time and it’s becoming very fun to watch.

Ricochet and Pete Dunne argue over who will face a member of the Undisputed Era in the match for an advantage in WarGames. Hanson gets tired of the argument and says he’ll take the spot himself.

Long video on Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano with clips of the investigation spliced together with clips of Johnny’s big explanation last week and Gargano’s obsession with Tommaso Ciampa. It’s very, very impressive to weave three stories together like that and they knocked it out of the park.

Matt Riddle talks about how awesome his time here has been so far when Kassius Ohno comes in. Why hasn’t Riddle challenged him to a match yet? When Ohno came back to NXT, he challenged Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode but Riddle hasn’t done a thing. Riddle is cool with that and the match is set for next week.

Karisa Rivera vs. Lacey Evans

Rivera is a second generation wrestler. A drop toehold takes Karisa down and that means some pushups on her back. Rivera comes back with a dropkick for one, which just annoys Evans. She rams Karisa’s head into the mat over and over, followed by the Woman’s Right for the pin at 1:50.

Post match Lacey says so many ladies have forgotten about sophistication, but she’ll lead by example.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream, which also spun off from the Aleister Black attack. Ciampa, who talks to his title, wants everyone out of his spotlight and you just don’t say that to the Dream. Lars Sullivan isn’t mentioned at all.

Video on Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler. They’ve feuded for over a year now and what should be the final showdown is 2/3 falls with Baszler defending again. Sane holding up her empty treasure chest is a great visual and exactly what you would expect from her.

Takeover rundown.

Hanson vs. Kyle O’Reilly

The winners team gets the WarGames advantage. Kyle’s early right hands have no effect and Hanson screams at him. After a shoulder puts him down, O’Reilly tries sitting on the mat and kicking from his back. Hansen picks him up without much effort and puts him on the corner for some slaps to the chest. O’Reilly finally gets smart by kicking at the knee but not being able to get a half crab.

Instead he slaps Hanson in the head a few times and then chop blocks the monster down. The kneebar goes on so Hanson uses the free leg to kick O’Reilly square in the jaw. Hanson is up with a swinging powerslam for two and O’Reilly bails to the floor, only to get caught with a suicide dive. O’Reilly is dead and here’s Adam Cole for a distraction, causing Hanson to miss a moonsault.

A running knee gives O’Reilly two and it’s off to an ankle lock. Hanson makes the rope and Cole hits an enziguri to give O’Reilly two more. Cue Rowe to take care of Cole, allowing Hanson to clothesline O’Reilly down. Fish and Strong come out to take care of Rowe, drawing Dunne out as well. Ricochet comes out and hits a big flip dive over the referee to take everyone out. The distraction lets O’Reilly hit Hanson with a title for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. Nice match here with all of the interference being appropriate for once. You had to know the Undisputed Era was going to win here because it’s WarGames, but it was nice to have the match actually be fun. It helps that all of the Undisputed Era can put on a good match so throwing them out there in singles works just fine.

One last WarGames video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. Good wrestling, very good build towards Takeover, angle advancement and a big match being set up for next week. What else could you ever ask for out of a go home show? This show did everything it could be asked to do and that made for a really easy show that made me want to see Saturday’s show. That’s as good as it gets and NXT nailed it again.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Mia Yim – KOD

Lacey Evans b. Karisa Rivera – Woman’s Right

Kyle O’Reilly b. Hanson – Belt shot to the head

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 7, 2018
Location: Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re continuing the British theme this week with two more episodes of NXT UK. It’s a big show this time around two with the United Kingdom Title on the line as Danny Burch challenges Pete Dunne. Someone has to take the title from Dunne eventually and there are worse options than Burch. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dave Mastiff vs. Damien Weir

Weir looks scared. They’re doing the Earthquake bit with the camera shaking every time Mastiff takes a step during his entrance. Weir bounces off of Mastiff to start and there’s a huge backsplash. A one armed delayed vertical suplex drops Weir again and a really big Cannonball finishes him off at 2:26.

We look back at Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers joining forces last week.

Video on Ligero.

Video on James Drake.

Video on Jinny, a fashionista. I’ve heard good things about her elsewhere but the fashionista part wasn’t mentioned.

Ligero vs. James Drake

Ligero drives him into the ropes to start and Drake hides for a bit. Back in and Drake forearms him in the mask so Ligero comes back with some of his own (Drake must have messed up the horn), followed by a spinwheel kick for one. Drake throws some heavy shots in the corner and it’s off to the chinlock. Ligero comes back with some more kicks and a Code Red for two, only to miss something off the top. A running corner dropkick gives Drake two of his own but Ligero is right back with a springboard tornado DDT for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: C-. Ligero is fine for the local luchador while Drake is another name on the long list of heels who don’t stand out in the slightest. He was billed as Mr. Mayhem, even though he did nothing that made him stand out or came off as mayhemish in the slightest. Just a match really, but Ligero is going to get a following.

Toni Storm is ready to face anyone who comes out her, including Dakota Kai. This brings Kai in, to say she’ll be that much better next week. They seem cool with each other.

Video on Ashton Smith.

Zack Gibson will be back next week.

Smith comes out for a match but gets jumped by Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers. Joe talks about being upset about what happened in the Royal Albert Hall and now he sees people with similar views as his. If you’re not on their level, they will eliminate you. There is no more British Strong Style and there will be no more Big Strong Boys. This is their kingdom. Not bad, though the addition of Wolfgang brings them down a few notches. They need a story of some kind like this though as you can only have one off matches for so long.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are ready to fight the Coffeys. Smith comes in and says he’s doing this with them. The trio goes in to see Johnny Saint.

Sid Scala vs. Eddie Dennis

I’ve been looking forward to this one. Dennis, a rather tall guy who is a little lanky, kicks him in the ribs to start but gets kicked in the knee. That just earns Scala another forearm and some right hands to the head. The cravate goes on and a jumping knee drop gets two. Dennis shouts about waiting a decade for this moment and wants better competition. Scala slaps him in the face and gets one of his own off a high crossbody. That’s about it for him though as a Razor’s Edge buckle bomb sets up an inverted implant DDT to finish Scala at 3:29.

Rating: C. Dennis has intrigued me since his first vignette and he more than lived up to the hype here. He has a good look (the height makes him stand out) and the backstory does him a lot of good. That’s the first new character who has stood out to me on this show and that’s what this place needs.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch

Burch is challenging and we get Big Match Intros. Dunne takes him down by the leg to start and gets in a kick to annoy Burch. The test of strength goes to Dunne and it’s time to crank on the finger while hammerlocking the other arm. Burch fights up with a suplex and goes for Dunne’s hand, sending the champ into the ropes.

Back up and Dunne’s leapfrog is pulled down by the leg but Dunne escapes the Crossface. They head to the floor with an X Plex dropping Burch onto the apron to put him in real trouble. It’s time to crank on the arm again and Dunne hits a hard kick to the elbow. Dunne ties the arm around his leg and rips at Burch’s face. Burch fights back with chops and a middle rope dropkick sends Dunne flying. A rather snappy nipup sets up a powerbomb, followed by a knee to the face to give Burch two.

Dunne is right back with another stomp to the arm and it’s time to head outside again. The arm is sent into the steps (you can’t say Dunne isn’t focused) but Burch is right back with a German suplex. Back in and Dunne grabs a triangle, which is countered into a buckle bomb. A German superplex gets two and they pull themselves up on the ropes for the big slugout. Another X Plex sets up an armbar but Burch reverses into a quickly broken Crossface.

Burch hits one heck of a clothesline and they’re both down again. It’s Dunne up first and stomping away at Burch’s head but Burch gets up again for a headbutt. The hanging DDT gets a close two and you can hear the fans sounding shocked. The Crossface goes on again in the middle of the ring but Dunne grabs the nose (egads) for the break. The Bitter End gets two and it’s time for a triangle with the finger bending to make Burch tap at 16:20.

Rating: B+. More Dunne greatness with Burch more than holding up his end of the match. These guys beat the heck out of each other and it was cool to see the arm playing into the ending. As usual, I have no idea who takes the title from Dunne but it’s nice to see them going so hard with his title reign as the title change is going to be huge.

Overall Rating: B. That’s probably the best show they’ve done so far with a big title match and a good debut from Dennis. They’re starting to set up some stories here and that makes the show much better. There are some people I want to see and if they can keep doing that, everything is going to start getting better.

Results

Dave Mastiff b. Damien Weir – Cannonball

Ligero b. James Drake – Springboard tornado DDT

Eddie Dennis b. Sid Scala – Inverted implant DDT

Pete Dunne b. Danny Burch – Triangle choke

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Nikki Cross vs. Mercedes Martinez

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

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

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

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

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

The Mighty vs. Street Profits

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

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

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

The Profits regain the cup.

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

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

Luke Menzies vs. Matt Riddle

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

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

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

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

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

Next week: Sullivan vs. Dream.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Nikki Cross b. Mercedes Martinez – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Street Profits b. The Mighty – Frog splash to Thorn

Matt Riddle b. Luke Menzies – Bromission

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

So over the last few years, WWE has been going over to the UK for some one off shows and they’ve been pretty good. Since it’s WWE though, that means it’s time to start a whole new weekly show (currently their fourth show on Wednesdays) under the NXT banner. I’m not sure what to expect here so let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the history of WWE in the UK and HHH talks about how ever empire has a beginning.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the show. Dang Joseph is way taller than I thought.

Mark Andrews vs. Joe Coffey

Coffey is a big guy who has his brother Mark in his corner. The brothers were rather violent back at the UK Title Tournament shows back in June so they’re certainly villains. Coffey powers him to the mat to start and gets two off a test of strength grip. The much smaller Andrews gets in a shot to the face and a springboard hurricanrana has the fans right back into things.

Coffey is right back up with some hard shots to the face and just plows through Andrews with a shoulder. A swinging butterfly suplex gets two and we hit a cross arm choke to keep Andrews in trouble. Mark Coffey is about to get in a cheap shot but gets caught, leaving Joe to run Andrews over instead. Back in and Andrews slugs away for all he’s got, capped off by an enziguri to put Coffey down.

A double stomp to the ribs sets up a standing corkscrew moonsault for two and Andrews is running out of steam. Coffey has had it with Andrews and hits a pop up powerslam for two of his own but the Stundog Millionaire gets Andrews out of trouble for the moment. Mark Coffey saves Joe from the shooting star so Andrews dives onto both of them for the big crash. Back in and Mark Coffey offers another distraction, allowing Joe to hit a hard belly to belly into a discus lariat for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C+. Good choice for an opener here as you need something entertaining to get the fans into the feel of the show. The Coffey Brothers are going to be solid heels as they’re bigger than most of the people on the show and work well together. On the other hand you have a high flier like Andrews, who is always going to be worth a look. Nice match here and it even sets up some stuff going forward. Not bad at all and a smart move to put Joe over someone who has been on the main roster.

Post match the double beatdown is on but Flash Morgan Webster makes the save with his helmet as payback for the brothers beating him down back in June.

Eddie Dennis is the Pride of Wales and has been friends with Andrews and Pete Dunne for years. He’s got some stories.

Here’s the very popular Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) to talk about this being the most important day in the history of British wrestling. This is the birth of NXT UK so let’s pause for the UK chant. Just a few months ago, they stood in this very ring and became the NXT Tag Team Champions. Since then, HHH has mentioned something about some NXT UK Tag Team Titles. There’s just one problem: there aren’t any other tag teams in NXT UK. There is however a boat load of talent in the back so let’s have some of them become teams to give Moustache Mountain some competition. Posing and cheering ensue.

Dave Mastiff, a big man with a huge beard, is coming to show what he’s made of. Mastiff has to weigh at least 350lbs if not more. That’s certainly a bit different.

Clip of Noam Dar returning in June and becoming #1 contender.

Sid Scala vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff’s entrance gets a gasp. Scala on the other hand doesn’t get much of a reaction because he’s just a guy in trunks. Mastiff drives him into the corner as the announcers aren’t even pretending that this is going to be competitive. A big toss sends Scala flying and Mastiff hits a rather impressive dropkick to cut him down. There’s a release German suplex into the Cannonball in the corner for the pin at 1:58. Exactly what it should have been.

Nina Samuels is ready to show what she can do.

Nina Samuels vs. Toni Storm

You can feel the star power from Storm. Toni takes her down by the head to start, drawing a rather positive chant from the crowd. Back up and Samuels slaps her in the face, earning a series of strikes into the corner. Storm misses a charge though and a running knee gives Samuels two.

Some stomps keep Storm in trouble so she fights up with forearms to the face. A kind of sloppy tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Samuels two and it’s time to start mocking Storm. Naturally that fires Storm up (Samuels kind of had it coming) and it’s a release German suplex into Storm Zero (White Noise onto the knee) to give Storm the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. Oh yeah Storm is going to be a star and there’s no stopping that. She has a great look, the charisma, the presence and can work in the ring. Not bad for someone in her early 20s. Samuels got to show off a bit here and wasn’t very impressive. Her offense was very basic and nothing she did really stood out.

Next week: Tyler Bate vs. Wolfgang.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Noam Dar

Dar is challenging and General Manager Johnny Saint is in the ring for the introductions. Dunne gets a hero’s welcome, as you had to expect. Feeling out process to start but hang on because the fans need to sing Happy Birthday to Dar. That’s not cool with Dunne so he blasts Dar with a clothesline, which is fine with the fans as well. Dar sends him outside for a hard soccer kick to the arm and Dunne in in some sudden trouble.

Back in and Dunne hits a quick X Plex for a breather and unloads in the corner. Dar kicks him with the face so Dunne flips out of a German suplex and gets two off a powerbomb. A northern lights suplex gives Dar the same so Dunne goes for the fingers like a true villain who the fans cheer anyway. Dar is right back with a release fisherman’s suplex onto the apron and they’re both down. Stereo dives beat the count at nine as the fans declare this awesome.

Dunne goes to the fingers again so Dar spins around into an elbow to the face. A leglock is reversed into a cross armbreaker but Dar reverses that into an ankle lock. Dunne staggers him with an enziguri so Dar forearms him in the back of the head for the double knockdown. Dar kicks the leg out but the Nova Roller is forearmed out of the air. The Bitter End is reversed into a kneebar with Dunne having to dive for the rope. That’s enough for Dunne, who bends the fingers back again and stomps on the arm, setting up the Bitter End to retain at 11:35.

Rating: B. This didn’t have the drama or the emotion (or the time) that a lot of Dunne’s matches have but Dar more than showcased himself here. They’re doing a very good job of having Dunne get closer and closer to losing the title but surviving in the end. Whoever eventually figures out the puzzle is going to look like a star and that’s the point of such a long title reign. Good first main event here.

Post match Dunne offers a handshake but the injured Dar sticks his pinkie up, which Dunne seems fine with as he returns the gesture and smiles.

Overall Rating: B+. This is a situation where the wrestling and the content weren’t exactly the point. The purpose of this show was to start off strong and they did just that. You got an introduction to several characters and that’s going to be the case for the first few weeks. The main event was a solid match and we know Dunne is the man around here, while the rest of the show was about setting up a foundation. This was a success, and while there’s a long way to go, they’ve started well.

Results

Joe Coffey b. Mark Andrews – Discus lariat

Dave Mastiff b. Sid Scala – Cannonball

Toni Storm b. Nina Samuels – Storm Zero

Pete Dunne b. Noam Dar – Bitter End

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 10, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

It’s title night around here with the North American Title being defended in a triple threat as champion Ricochet defends against both Adam Cole and Pete Dunne. That alone should carry the show as far as it needs to go but NXT should have more than enough to make a full night of awesome wrestling. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick video on the triple threat. This should be great.

Opening sequence.

Here’s NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to get things going. Ciampa says the greatest sports entertainer of all time now has the greatest music of all time. It has brought silence to the sheep, but there is one who always breaks away from the pack. In this case, that would be the Velveteen Dream. Well now the Dream has Ciampa’s attention, but he’s gone about it the wrong way.

Cue the Dream to say this is all amusing, especially the idea of Ciampa being the best of all time. Since we’re on the subject, Dream doesn’t like what Ciampa is suggesting. The people are looking for a true experience, not a guilt trip from an angry little bald man. Ciampa says he may be bald, but he has a shiny title belt. Dream might seem to want the title, but Ciampa thinks it’s all about attention. The title says Dream just isn’t tough enough. Dream says he’s more man than Ciampa can handle, so all he needs is a moment with the title.

Cue Nikki Cross of all people so the fans chant TRIPLE THREAT. Cross gets up next to Ciampa and then grabs at Dream’s jacket. She says she knows what Dream did but listens to the title and knocks the mic out of Ciampa’s hands. Cross drops to her stomach and says she knows what Ciampa did too. Ciampa goes to pick it up but Nikki kicks it away and says I KNOW over and over again. Fans: “SHE KNOWS! SHE KNOWS!”

Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves

Reeves yells about being the finest to start and the fans are really not impressed with him. Lee gets taken into the corner where Reeves shoves his face, earning a heck of a chop to the chest. One heck of a toss over the top sends Reeves to the floor as the dominance is beginning. Back in and Reeves kicks him in the face to take over, meaning it’s time for the chinlock. Some right hands to the face just annoy Lee so he runs Reeves over and hits the Supernova for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: D+. Reeves is looking better and better every week and now he’s beaten a slightly better opponent than usual. The Supernova is a good finisher and Lee could go a long way with his overall skill set. I’m hoping he gets a big time match on the next Takeover, because someone like him deserves that kind of a spotlight.

Video on Shayna Baszler, focusing on her rise to the top of the card and the NXT Title. Brooklyn was a misstep and she celebrated just a bit too early. She should have beaten Sane and she will next time. People not understanding that makes her mad and she’ll prove everyone wrong.

Kairi is so excited and says Shayna’s training isn’t going to matter.

William Regal says he needs answers about Aleister Black’s attacker and needs to talk to Cross. Kassius Ohno comes up and still wants to know when Regal’s new toy gets here. Maybe the guy isn’t the competitor that Regal thinks he is. Maybe he was the one who attacked Black. Regal goes into his office and Cross pops up again, saying she knows what Ohno did.

Video on the War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era for the Tag Team Titles next week.

Also next week: Cross vs. Bianca Belair.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

Ricochet is defending and Dunne’s United Kingdom Title isn’t on the line. Dunne and Ricochet hammer Cole down in the corner to start but the partnership breaks down in all of ten seconds. Dunne gets knocked to the floor so Ricochet can start flipping around, capped off by a dropkick to Cole. Another shot puts Dunne back on the floor but Cole puts Ricochet out there as well.

Back up and Dunne clotheslines Cole to the floor, only to be replaced by Ricochet. They’re certainly moving out there. They fight over a wristlock and get to a standoff and some applause, only to have Cole come back in and get taken down into a surfboard double knee stomp. Ricochet seems impressed and offers a handshake, so Dunne punches him in the face for his efforts. It’s time for Dunne to start in on the fingers and a hard stomp to the arm has the champ in even more trouble.

Ricochet is right back with a cross between a Texas Cloverleaf and a Tequila Sunrise, only to have Cole come back in for the save. Cole sends Ricochet outside and kicks Dunne in the face for two. Dunne is right back up with an enziguri but here’s Ricochet again with a springboard headscissors to send Dunne outside. That means a middle rope moonsault, followed by the springboard European uppercut to Cole. Everyone is back in and it’s Dunne kicking Cole in the head, setting up a half crab to both of them at once.

Since that doesn’t work, Ricochet puts Dunne in a Black Widow, only to have Cole break it up with a Backstabber. The three way slugout is on until Cole kicks Dunne to the floor and knees Ricochet in the face for another near fall. Dunne comes back in and breaks up a near fall off a running shooting star.

Ricochet tries the springboard moonsault, only to get double superkicked out of the air while upside down. That looked awesome. Dunne wins a slugout with Cole and stomps on his fingers so Cole DDTs him onto the apron. Cole superkicks the steps by mistake though and gets his arm crushed in the steps. Ricochet kicks Cole in the face but Dunne superkicks him, setting up the moonsault to the floor.

Back in and the X Plex gets two on Ricochet and it’s both challengers heading up. Ricochet joins in on the fun and hurricanranas them both down at the same time (good grief), followed by a botched reverse hurricanrana on Dunne. The jumping Downward Spiral gets two on Dunne but Cole breaks up the 630.

Dunne Bitter Ends Cole so Ricochet comes off the top with a shooting star, right into the triangle choke. A powerbomb doesn’t break the hold so Dunne breaks the fingers. The Last Shot sends Ricochet outside and the suplex neckbreaker gets two on Dunne. The Bitter End plants Cole again but this time it’s Ricochet springboarding in with a 450 to pin Dunne and retain at 18:31.

Rating: A. Oh what else were you expecting? These three went nearly non stop for the entire match and it was one of the most entertaining things that I’ve seen in a very long time. This could have been on any given Takeover and likely would have stolen the show, but this time it’s on a regular TV show because NXT has that kind of awesomeness. Great match and worth your time.

Overall Rating: B. The main event alone is more than enough to make this show work and the Cross story is rather interesting as well. They’ve got a lot of good stuff going here as we head towards Los Angeles where there’s WARGAMES as a bonus. This was another very easy show to watch and that main event is outstanding. Check that out if you have time as all three looked awesome.

Results

Keith Lee b. Kona Reeves – Supernova

Ricochet b. Pete Dunne and Adam Cole – Springboard 450 to Cole

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for one of those huge matches that you actually get around here with North American Champion Ricochet facing United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne in a title for title match. What more could you ask for from a show? Well given that it’s NXT, I have a feeling we’ll get a few other bonuses. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening talks about the title (Titles?) match and treat it as a major deal, which it really is.

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai/Deonna Purrazzo vs. Lacey Evans/Aliyah

Fallout from an argument last week. Evans and Purrazzo start things off with Purrazzo taking her down off a headlock. Evans manages to slip out but Purrazzo pops to her feet with ease and offers a little bow. It’s off to Aliyah for some kicks to the ribs as Purrazzo gets taken into the corner. The villains stay on the ribs but Purrazzo spins out of a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a failed Fujiwara armbar attempt.

Aliyah forearms Purrazzo into the corner and screams a lot, which is more than most of her matches tend to have. Evans adds a slingshot Bronco Buster as the dominance continues. A kick to the arm knocks Purrazzo away from the hot tag attempt but Kai comes in to break up a cover anyway. Instead Aliyah goes with an armbar until Purrazzo kicks her away and makes the hot tag to Kai. That means kicking abounds but a blind tag brings in Evans for the Woman’s Right to knock Kai cold for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C. Not a great match or anything but it keeps Evans strong and that’s exactly the point here. The more I see of Kai the more I believe she could be a huge star but the less likely it seems that NXT is going to push her. Still though, entertaining little match, and that’s all this needed to be.

Velveteen Dream is glad that he defeated Johnny Gargano and denies attacking Aleister Black.

The Street Profits are ready to get back at the Mighty.

We look back at the end of last week’s Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair match with Cross attacking her after the match.

Belair seemed shaken up by the loss but reminds herself that she’s undefeated.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Jaxson Ryker

Ryker throws him into the corner to start and stomps away as we seem to be firmly in squash territory here. The chinlock goes on early and doesn’t last long, allowing Ryker to ax handle him out of the air. A slingshot powerbomb finishes Carrillo at 2:14. Nice squash.

Candice LeRae offers William Regal her version of what happened the night Black was attacked. She thinks it sounds like Tommaso Ciampa though. Ciampa has been cleared, so Regal asks about Gargano being the attacker. LeRae says Gargano had asked her to wait while he got cleaned up and they left together. Regal doesn’t seem convinced but lets her go for now.

We recap Ricochet vs. Dunne. They both wanted the other’s title and then Ricochet accidentally ran over Dunne in a tag match. The match was set.

Video on Keith Lee. He talks about being limitless, which is both physical and mental. Because of that, his future in NXT is limitless as well. Bask in his glory.

Clip of EC3 accusing Lars Sullivan of attacking Black and being destroyed for his efforts.

North American Title/United Kingdom Title: Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne

Both titles are on the line and the fans are split, as you had to expect. Ricochet’s armdrag just earns him a headscissors counter and we’re at an early standoff. An exchange of wristlocks has Ricochet in trouble as the fans start to get more behind Dunne. It’s time to start cranking on the wrist as is Dunne’s custom but Ricochet reverses into something like a standing Crossface. A leglock keeps Dunne in trouble and it’s off to an exchange of leg cranking on the mat.

Ricochet manages to get the shoulders down, only to have Dunne reverse into what appears to be Jamie Noble’s old Trailer Hitch (a modified Indian deathlock). A surfboard keeps Ricochet in trouble until he bends back into a cover for two. More mat grappling goes to Ricochet (I’m as surprised as you are) with Ricochet working on the arm and shoulder. Dunne has had enough of that and forearms the heck out of Ricochet, who goes right into the flipping to set up a dropkick.

That means a suicide dive to the floor as Ricochet is much more comfortable with the accelerated pace. Back in and Dunne goes for the leg, but uses it as a diversion to kick him in the hand again. Dunne stays on the arm as he continues to break Ricochet down. The wrist and fingers are bent horribly (Mauro: “Pete Dunne must have something against piano players.”) and Ricochet is in trouble in the corner.

The jumping stomp to the arm misses though and it’s a rolling clothesline to drop Dunne. A 619 in the corner sets up a springboard elbow to the jaw for two as the pace picks up again. Dunne is fine with that as well and moonsaults over him in the corner but Ricochet flips out of the X Plex. A running shooting star to the back gives Ricochet two and the fans are rather impressed.

Another flip is reversed into a cross armbreaker though and Dunne works the hand over even more. Ricochet’s knees are fine enough to smash into Dunne’s face but Dunne forearms him out of the air. The X Plex connects for two and they’re both down. Dunne gets kicked to the floor though and Ricochet tries a step up moonsault, only to get caught in an X Plex onto the apron.

Back in and the Bitter End is reversed into a reverse hurricanrana for two and Ricochet can’t believe the kickout. They trade kicks to the head until Dunne turns him inside out with a clothesline. The Bitter End is reversed again and a handspring into a tornado DDT gives Ricochet a crazy close two. Both guys go to the top and Dunne works on the arm again, only to get pulled down with a super hurricanrana.

Rating: A. It takes something special to make you forget the most obvious ending in the world and that’s exactly what they did here. You knew they weren’t going to have either guy lose the title here and that left them with a very limited path to get to that extra special level that these two could reach.

However, that’s EXACTLY what they did with an incredible chess match with Ricochet trying to wrestle with Dunne but then going with the high flying that got him to where he is today. Dunne was ready for it though and Ricochet had to gut through it, showing the heart of the champion that Dunne didn’t seem to think he had. Insanely entertaining match and a great story told throughout.

The War Raiders hit the ring to make the save and the champions give a respectful stare to end the show. I think you know where this is going.

Overall Rating: A-. It helps when a third of your show is spent on an incredible match. This was one of those shows with a dream match instead of the run of the mill episode and egads did they nail that one big match. The rest of the show wasn’t great, but really, does it matter with a main event like this?

Results

Lacey Evans/Aliyah b. Deonna Purrazzo/Dakota Kai – Woman’s Right to Kai

Jaxson Ryker b. Humberto Carrillo – Slingshot powerbomb

Pete Dunne vs. Ricochet went to a double DQ when the Undisputed Era interfered

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 29, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

Every now and then you get a match that sounds so awesome on paper that it has to be great no matter what they do. That’s what we have tonight in the form of Pete Dunne teaming up with Ricochet to face the Undisputed Era in an all champions match. Other than that, the hunt for Aleister Black’s attacker continues. Let’s get to it.

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

William Regal is outside his office where a bunch of people are working. Tonight, he’s starting the investigation into who attacked Black. They’re being very smart by not just having Tommaso Ciampa do it and making an angle out of that. On the main roster, it would have been “Aleister is injured and he’ll be back in a little while.” Here, it’s turned into a big angle because it’s an opportunity presented to them. I know WWE loves to tout its own brilliance, but if you’re handed something like this, run with it and enjoy the free chance.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Johnny Gargano on a crutch for a chat. Gargano says the fans have always had his back and a JOHNNY WRESTLING chant cuts him off. He doesn’t deserve that right now and it’s a dueling YOU DESERVE IT/NO YOU DON’T chant. Johnny made a lot of promises like bringing the NXT Title back but he didn’t live up to his words. He lost both the match and himself and now he doesn’t know what to do.

After everything he’s been through, he doesn’t know what’s left. In Brooklyn, he became Tommaso Ciampa and now he’s in Gargano’s head. Johnny doesn’t know how to get him out and he has to be better for everyone. As Gargano is about to snap, here’s Regal to interrupt. Regal gets straight to the point: did Johnny attack Aleister Black? Gargano says you tell me so Regal asks him again.

Cue the Velveteen Dream to say he’s tired of hearing Woe Is Johnny. Tonight shouldn’t be about Johnny because it should be about the experience. It’s the experience that stole Brooklyn and tonight should be about the Velveteen Dream instead of Johnny Failure. That’s not cool with Johnny, who says his knee is just fine and throw the crutch at Dream. Regal says they fan fight next week. I completely support this.

Dakota Kai vs. Aaliyah

They lock up to start with Aaliyah using the hair to take her down. Kai kicks away and gets one off a double stomp but Aaliyah is right back up. Some shots to the back set up a camel clutch as the fans are split on Aaliyah here. Aaliyah runs her over for some more right hands, followed by the bodyscissors. Kai powers up and drives her into the corner for the break and hits some running kicks to the face. A hair takedown drops Kai again though and Aaliyah calls her stupid. That’s just rather mean so Kai hits her sunset flip Backstabber for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C. I liked this more than I was expecting to as Aaliyah has found something with the aggression. She’s been around for a long time now and this is the closest she’s gotten to being anything. Kai is still around but she’s nowhere near as hot as she used to be. Not a bad little match though and Aaliyah looked stronger than usual.

Regal clears Dream in the Black situation for now. The Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler, Wesley Blake and Jaxson Ryker) come in and say a security guard saw them in the parking lot at the time of the attack. That’s ok with Regal, who says they’ll have a tag match next week. Of note: Regal has his brass knuckles in a display on his desk.

Lars Sullivan seems to have attacked EC3.

Regal asks Nikki Cross what she saw from the roof during the attack. She says she saw it and knows who the attacker was but stops to answer the phone. The phone wasn’t ringing, but Cross talks into it anyway. Bianca Belair storms in to complain about being kept waiting and yells at Nikki for trying to touch her hair. Belair deserves a title shot and tells Regal to let her know the right decision when he’s done with his pet. She leaves and Regal says he has lots more questions for Cross. As usual, Cross comes off as actually nuts instead of the scripted nuts.

Raul Mendoza vs. Lars Sullivan

Sullivan is taking EC3’s place. Mendoza jumps Lars before the bell and gets destroyed, including a pop up powerslam. The Freak Accident leaves Mendoza laying. No match.

Tommaso Ciampa is in the back and says when he left about a year ago, he promised to come back as the ultimate SOB. He’s exceeded his own expectations though and is the greatest sports entertainer of all time. The title is his proof and it takes someone special to climb to the top of the mountain. It takes something even more to stay there though and that’s why he’s the main event.

Keith Lee vs. Luke Menzies

Menzies has some size to him and used to play professional rugby. Lee wastes no time with the hurricanrana and tells Luke to stop so he can bask in the glory. A few right hands have Lee rocked but he runs through Menzies in an impressive pounce. The Spirit Bomb (sitout Last Ride) is good for the pin on Menzies at 3:02.

Rating: C-. Lee is a crazy talented guy and there’s little reason to not push the heck out of him in short order. You don’t have someone who can do hurricanranas and sitout Last Rides and not do something with him. Thankfully NXT seems to get that idea and there’s some serious potential there.

Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan are back in two weeks.

Ricochet/Pete Dunne vs. Undisputed Era

Non-title. Actually hang on as Adam Cole wants Ricochet and asks Kyle O’Reilly to sit this one out. Fans: “EVERYBODY!” Dunne clotheslines the heck out of Cole to start and goes for the fingers, meaning it’s off to Ricochet vs. Strong. With Cole shouting that his loss was a fluke, Strong sends Ricochet face first into the middle buckle to take over. Ricochet is right back with a jumping neckbreaker to Strong and a rolling clothesline to Cole.

Since Dunne is fine with letting Ricochet do this on his own, Strong sneaks in with a backbreaker to take over. Cole hits a neckbreaker of his own and Strong adds a gutbuster to keep Ricochet in trouble. Strong grabs a cobra clutch as the fans are split between Ricochet and Cole. It’s back to Cole, who simplifies things with a chinlock. Ricochet fights up and kicks Cole away, allowing the hot tag off to Dunne.

Everything breaks down and it’s an X Plex to Strong but the Bitter End is broken up. Dunne’s triangle attempt is countered into a failed Stronghold attempt, with Dunne hitting a sitout powerbomb for two instead. Strong takes out Ricochet but Dunne takes out Strong, followed by the middle rope moonsault to take the Era out. That leaves Ricochet alone but he dives onto Dunne by mistake. O’Reilly throws Dunne back in and the Last Shot gives Cole the pin at 9:51.

Rating: B-. Well of course this was pretty good and setting up Ricochet vs. Dunne is a great idea. There are multiple options for where this story could go with Cole seeming to be a challenger as well. No one seems capable of beating Dunne one on one so doubling up on the challengers is as good of an idea as they have.

Ricochet gets beaten down as well but the War Raiders chase the Era off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they were setting up things for the future instead of doing things now and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m really interested in seeing where the Whodunit story goes as there are almost endless suspects, including people who might not have even been around when the attack happened in the first place. Other than that we could be in for some very good TV in the next few weeks as there’s no Takeover for nearly two months, meaning a lot of this will play out on the regular shows. In other words, things are going to be getting even better.

Results

Dakota Kai b. Aaliyah – Sunset flip Backstabber

Keith Lee b. Luke Menzies – Spirit Bomb

Undisputed Era b. Pete Dunne/Ricochet – Last Shot to Dunne

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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 22, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

This is another one of the special post-Takeover shows and that means we’ll be seeing a lot of Takeover instead of what we usually see around here. We do however have Pete Dunne defending the United Kingdom Title, which is a pretty good backup plan instead of a regular show. Let’s get to it.

Here are the Takeover results if you need a recap.

We open with the traditional long Takeover recap.

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Deonna Purrazzo

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

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

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

Video on EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream.

Velveteen Dream puts a crown on Cathy Kelly and asks what she’s doing on Wednesday. She can find out what he’s up to next on this week’s show.

EC3 says he and Dream are yin and yang but Dream was the better man tonight. He’s here for victory after victory, not victory after loss. All of the matches where he’s lost before are not over because they don’t end until he wins. That’s the top 1% mindset. When asked about the Aleister Black attack, he remembers the chaos but wants to know why no one is noticing Lars Sullivan standing around. Oh and he’s not Keyser Soze.

Video on the Undisputed Era retaining the Tag Team Titles on Saturday.

Video on Adam Cole losing the North American Title to Ricochet.

Ricochet talks about Cole running out of places to hide when Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly come in. Violence is teased but Pete Dunne scares them off. Dunne says he’s not Ricochet’s friend, but Ricochet has something he wants. That sounds fine to Ricochet. This feels like the groundwork for WarGames.

There is some new footage of Black’s attack. It’s not clear who did it, but Nikki Cross was watching from the roof.

Video on Zack Gibson, who is quite the talented brawler.

Video on Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler. The more I think about that match the more I like it.

Baszler, with the Four Horsewomen, says she beat herself and Kairi didn’t win anything.

Long video on Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa.

United Kingdom Title: Zack Gibson vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne is defending and gets a roar from the crowd. The fans chant for the UK as Gibson works an armbar to start. Dunne flips him down to break a wristlock but Gibson hits him hard in the throat to take over. That just earns Gibson a hammerlock and Dunne cranks back on the fingers to make it worse. With that not working, they lock legs and stand on their heads to slap each other in the face. British wrestling is weird at times.

Dunne gets the better of it and kicks the arm but Gibson hits a hammerlock faceplant to take over. A belly to back suplex sets up another armbar as Gibson really isn’t hiding his style here. The cobra clutch goes on for a few moments until Dunne has had enough and forearms him in the face. A moonsault over Gibson sets up an enziguri and the X Plex sets up a quickly escaped cross armbreaker.

With Gibson bailing to the floor, Dunne moonsaults down onto him for the big crash and a double knockdown. Back in and a sitout powerbomb gets two, only to have Gibson kick a moonsault out of the air for the same. Dunne blocks another chop though and stomps on the hands. Stereo enziguris give us a double knockdown though and let’s pause for the standing ovation.

Dunne is up first and tries a superplex but Gibson twists it into one of his own. The Shankly Gates seated armbar goes on so Dunne lunges for the rope. Gibson pulls him back so Dunne bites the rope for the break. Dunne’s mouthpiece gets knocked out so Gibson goes to throw it out, only to have his finger snapped. The Bitter End retains the title at 13:38.

Rating: B. So uh….who is supposed to beat Dunne? He’s been champion longer than CM Punk was and while people give him a run for his money, you could see him holding the title indefinitely. I mean, other than Cole (if they’re coming up on the WarGames match that seems to be the case), is there anyone who seems likely to do it? Anyway the match was more good stuff from these two, though it would be nice to have the NXT UK people beat someone other than themselves.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event is more than watchable and carries enough of the show but these things are always hard to rate. It basically comes down to the strength of what is being recapped and since Saturday’s show rocked, it’s kind of hard to find something to complain about. We’ll be back to normal next week and that’s perfectly fine.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Deonna Purrazzo – Torture rack faceplant

Pete Dunne b. Zack Gibson – Bitter End

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night Two
Date: June 19, 2018
Location: Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back in England after yesterday’s tournament wrapped up. The tournament crowned a new #1 contender for the United Kingdom Championship and that means we need to have a title match. In addition to Pete Dunne defending against Zack Gibson, we’ll also be seeing some NXT Title matches and a few other matches to fill out the card. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last night’s show, including Gibson becoming the new #1 contender. The NXT wrestlers will also be featured tonight.

NXT opening sequence.

The announcers run down the card.

NXT Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

The Era is defending. Bate dropkicks Strong to start and it’s quickly off to Seven for some arm cranking. As usual this goes badly for Seven but everything breaks down with the champs sending them outside. Back in and the fans are split as Strong chops away at Seven in the corner.

We’re already into the chinlock but Seven kicks O’Reilly to the floor. Like a smart champion, O’Reilly runs around the ring and pulls Bate off the apron to take over. As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later, allowing Bate to come in and clean house. O’Reilly saves Strong from the airplane spin and jumps on Bate’s back, so Bate German suplexes Strong at the same time, just because he can.

Seven comes back in and gets kicked in the face for two, sending O’Reilly into fits of frustration. A discus forearm knocks Seven into Bate for the tag and the dragon suplex/clothesline combination (how they beat O’Reilly yesterday) gets a close two. Back up and O’Reilly’s brainbuster gets two on Bate but Seven sends Fish to the floor. A hard shot rocks O’Reilly and a torture rack neckbreaker/top rope knee drop combination finishes O’Reilly for the titles at 10:40.

Rating: B. That’s the way to fire up a crowd and it doesn’t matter if the title reign is just for the live crowd and they drop the belts right back in short order. Moustache Mountain is a fun team and the fans in both America and England love them. This was a perfect opener and that’s all you could have asked to see.

The new champs celebrate in the crowd.

Johnny Saint has made a new #1 contenders match between Flash Morgan Webster, Travis Banks and Mark Andrews.

Killer Kelly vs. Charlie Morgan

Morgan, who is rather skinny, works on a wristlock to start but they spin around into double nip ups for a standoff. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Morgan two but Kelly starts in with the power to take over, including an elbow to the back of the head. Kelly grabs a dragon sleeper to nearly break Morgan in half, only to kick her away in frustration.

Morgan comes back with a springboard body block but Kelly throws her into the corner with ease. A running dropkick in the corner rocks Morgan again and Kelly loads up a suplex, only to get reversed into a rollup for the pin at 7:07. The ending is as sudden and out of nowhere as it sounds.

Rating: D. I really wasn’t feeling this one as while it wasn’t terrible or even bad, it was pretty dull and uninteresting. It was a standard power vs. speed match but I don’t have any reason to care about either of them or what they were doing. Not terrible or anything, but just not very interesting.

Christian is here.

Mark Andrews vs. Travis Banks vs. Flash Morgan Webster

The winner gets a title shot at some point in the future. Hang on a second though as Saint comes out to announce a fourth participant.

Mark Andrews vs. Travis Banks vs. Flash Morgan Webster vs. Noam Dar

This is Dar’s return after a lengthy layoff due to a knee injury. Banks still has a bad shoulder. It’s a brawl to start because thankfully there are no tags. Dar, who is looking ripped, and Webster exchange armdrags but Andrews comes back in to stomp on Webster. That leaves Dar to start in on Banks’ shoulder on the floor, leaving Andrews to hit a corkscrew moonsault onto everyone else.

Back in and Andrews hits a Sliced Bread on Webster and a reverse DDT on Dar at the same time. Banks makes a save with a top rope double stomp and everyone kicks everyone else in the face for a four way knockdown. Webster and Morgan are left alone in the ring with Andrews flipping out of a super hurricanrana and grabbing a reverse hurricanrana for a close two. Dar is back in with a kneebar on Andrews but Banks comes in to add to choke.

Dar’s part is broken up so Webster has to grab Andrews’ hand to break up a tap. Banks hits the Slice of Heaven but Andrews reverses the fisherman’s buster into the Stundog Millionaire. The shooting star misses though and Dar sends Banks’ arm into the post. Dar kicks Banks in the chest for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Just a match here with a bunch of spots and nothing connecting them together. In other words, it’s perfect for an indy style match but the people here should be capable of so much better. Dar is a surprise, but he never did anything for me in the first place and I don’t really find him to be anything of note here. I do like him a bit better as a face though.

Post match the Coffey Brothers run in and attack Andrews and Banks. Dar eaves without helping.

Wolfgang promises to take the Adam Cole’s North American Title.

North American Title: Wolfgang vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and gets powered into the corner by the much bigger Wolfgang to start. To be fair though, how many people aren’t much bigger than Cole? A kick to the face gives Cole two and he stomps away in the corner. Cole’s neckbreaker gets two more but Wolfgang is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. He’s smart enough to go with a waistlock to stay on the ribs and another gutbuster cuts off a comeback attempt.

More shots to the ribs in the corner have Cole in trouble but Wolfgang takes forever going up, earning some loud booing. Cole uses the delay to superkick him out of the air and gets two off a Backstabber. There’s the fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two more and Cole shrugs off a Wasteland. A hard clothesline puts Cole down but he gets the knees up to block the Howling (swanton). The Last Shot retains the title at 10:14.

Rating: C. I get the potential they see in Wolfgang but he doesn’t do much for me more often than not. He’s a big guy who can move around well enough, but every time he’s out there I expect more from him. Cole being the face in the match isn’t that surprising and he could be holding the title for a good, long time.

Moustache Mountain can’t believe they won the titles.

Velveteen Dream/EC3 vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black

Dream is, again, the most over guy in the match. Ricochet and Dream start things off and this time it’s a Ricochet chant. Hang on though as Dream has to rip his shirt off. He wants to face Black though and the champ is down for another round of one of the best feuds of last year. That goes nowhere either so EC3 comes in instead. The fans think this is awesome even with pretty much nothing going on in the first two minutes. Black has a seat in the middle of the ring and EC3 isn’t sure what this is.

The confusion seems to work though as Black gets taken into the wrong corner, only to have Ricochet make a blind tag and springboard in to take over. EC3 bails so Ricochet backflips into his pose for a cool visual. Black moonsaults into his pose as well with Ricochet having a seat next to him as it’s all good guys so far. That’s finally enough for Dream to break up a springboard though and Ricochet is in trouble for the first time. A suplex stays on Ricochet’s ribs and it’s off to a seated top wristlock.

Ricochet dropkicks his way over for a tag but Dream grabbing a chair distracts the referee so it’s Ricochet staying in trouble for a smart move. The fans chant VAR, meaning they want a replay. Both villains come in at the same time so Ricochet beats them both up, capped off by a neckbreaker/DDT combination. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Black and it’s time to use the legs.

A quebrada takes out EC3 and Dream for two on the former but Dream hits one heck of a spinebuster to cut Black off. The Purple Rainmaker slips though and EC3 clotheslines Black’s head off instead. Everything breaks down and a series of strikes to the face sets up a quadruple knockdown for a nice ovation. Ricochet is up in a hurry though and hits a big dive to take Dream out.

Back in and the STO DDT gets two on Black and a Death Valley Bomb puts Ricochet down as well. Ricochet slips out of the Top 1% though and gets two off a running shooting star. The forward DDT (really not liking that move) drops Ricochet but Dream walks away from a hot tag attempt. EC3 yells at him, knows what’s behind him, and turns into Black Mass for the pin at 15:52.

Rating: B. This got a little too wild at the end but they were all working hard and got to show off for a long time. Having some of the more established names out there can show what the top stars can do and that’s a good idea. Give the fans a taste of what they might be able to get later on and make them want to come back. Smart move and a rather good match.

Post match Ricochet looks at the NXT Title before handing it back.

Toni Storm is ready to win the NXT Women’s Title.

NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler vs. Toni Storm

Storm is challenging. They trade headlocks to start with Baszler getting the better of it. The fans are behind Storm as she fights up and gets in a front facelock. With the fans singing about Storm, she sends Baszler outside for a suicide dive but the champ posts her to take over. Back in and Baszler starts toying with her before getting serious by taking the knee out.

A running knee in the corner gets two and it’s time to stat punching Storm in the face. Baszler stomps her on the foot and grabs a gutwrench superplex but Storm knees her in the head. Storm Zero plants Baszler but the knee gives out again, meaning it’s a delayed near fall. Baszler is right back up with a jumping knee to the face for two and the Kirifuda Clutch goes on again. Storm makes the ropes and falls to the floor, giving Baszler the countout win at 12:18.

Rating: C. Storm is clearly someone with star quality and could be a player in the future, though she needs some more seasoning and a trip to the Performance Center full time could do wonders for her. They made sure to protect her with that finish too and that’s one of the best things that could have happened to her.

Post match Baszler leaves but runs back in to choke Storm out again.

Video on Dunne vs. Gibson, which is more about Dunne than anything else, mainly due to how little we’ve seen from Gibson around here.

United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne vs. Zack Gibson

Dunne is defending and wastes no time in going for the fingers. A crank of the fingers have Gibson in trouble and we’re back up for a standoff. The fans sing to the guys as they’re still in first gear until Dunne blasts him with a clothesline. Gibson goes with the grappling and takes Dunne to the mat with a suplex, only to have Dunne reach for the ankle. That goes nowhere so Gibson suplexes him over by the arm.

They head outside with Dunne being sent shoulder first into the barricade. Back in and Gibson pulls on the leg some more, which just seems to tick Dunne off. A shot to the face rocks Gibson and Dunne is starting to do that creepy smile of his. There’s a running enziguri in the corner and the X Plex gets two. A hard kick to the head rocks Gibson and a double stomp to the face sends Gibson out to the apron.

That means a DDT onto the apron but Dunne bangs up his already injured arm again. The arm goes into the steps but Helter Skelter is countered into another X Plex to plant Gibson one more time. Back in and Dunne is all ticked off while still hanging onto the arm. With his defenses lowered, Dunne takes a shot to the neck and Gibson pummels away in the corner. Dunne gets back up and puts the mouthpiece in, meaning it’s time to fight. Gibson is beaten down in short order but a clothesline turns him inside out.

Of course Dunne is up fast enough for a clothesline of his own and they’re both down. Another slugout puts both guys down again and the fans are rather pleased. Dunne hits a snap German suplex and gets two off the Bitter End, much to his shock. The Ticket to Ride off the ropes gets another close two and it’s off to the Shankly Gates, sending Dunne straight to the ropes.

The fans tell Nigel to sit down but a super Helter Skelter gets both their attention back as well as a near fall. Shankly Gates go on in the middle of the ring and somehow Dunne makes the rope again. For some reason Gibson thinks it’s a good idea to slap Dunne in the face, earning himself a snap of the finger. Dunne punches him out of the air and the Bitter End retains the title at 17:44.

Rating: A-. Sweet goodness Dunne is amazing and there’s no other way to put it. He’s seemingly incapable of having a bad match and now he’s expanding outside of the performances with Bate. Gibson looks great and it’s hard to argue with him losing after wrestling three times yesterday. He’ll be fine, but Dunne was ready to move up to the main roster months ago.

HHH and the locker room comes out to celebrate with Dunne. The boss says this is the next chapter in British wrestling history and this is the fans’ brand.

Overall Rating: B. Another very solid show though I liked yesterday’s edition more. There’s a lot of talent out there and the UK brand should be a lot of fun. Throw in some stories and more action like this with a more compact form and everything will be fine. Two good shows in a row built up a lot of good hope the potential is high. Well done again.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 13, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Chicago and that means it’s time to put the final touches on everything. The five match card is already set and this week’s show will feature a focus on the NXT Title match between Aleister Black and his monster challenger Lars Sullivan. The match doesn’t need a lot of focus but at least they can have something to get us to Takeover. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

War Raiders vs. Ricky Martinez/Justin Storm

Hanson shoves Storm into the corner to start and cartwheels away from a charge to show off a bit. Martinez comes in and tries a forearm on Rowe but hurts himself in the process. The shotgun knees send Martinez into the corner and Rowe tosses Hanson onto him for good measure. The yet to be renamed Fallout ends Martinez at 2:38. Total squash.

Post match the Raiders call out TM61 and beat Storm up. They didn’t want him to feel left out you see.

Adam Cole yells at a cameraman for filming Undisputed Era without his permission.

Long recap of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, focusing on the time from their first match in New Orleans through now. Gargano won the unsanctioned match but Ciampa wasn’t done, attacking Gargano a few weeks later. Now it’s time for a street fight, though Johnny’s wife Candice doesn’t approve. Candice got take out in one of the fights and both guys were more than a little shake. Now it doesn’t have to be a wrestling match because they can just hurt each other.

EC3 vs. Kassius Ohno

This was set up last week when EC3 interrupted Ohno’s photo shoot. Ohno shoves the smiling EC3 down to start but EC3 is right back with a ram into the corner and some forearms of his own. The neck crank doesn’t last long as Ohno fights up with a knee to the face. Three straight backsplashes keep EC3 in trouble until he snaps Ohno throat first across the top rope. The 1%er (TKO) ends Ohno at 4:07.

Rating: D+. Just a quick win for EC3 here, which is a good thing as he doesn’t have a feud at the moment and has nothing else to do other than win random matches. That’s exactly why Ohno is here too as he’s more than fine enough to put on a good performance in a loss that isn’t going to hurt his credibility.

Bianca Belair vs. Aliyah

Aliyah takes some time to show off her new fire look and gets the bandanna forearmed off of her head. Belair runs her over in the corner and talks trash out of her blue lips. A guillotine doesn’t get Aliyah very far as Bianca suplexes her down instead. Belair deadlifts her into a gorilla press and a torture rack into a sitout faceplant is good for the pin on Aliyah at 2:52. Another squash.

Video on Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross. Baszler came in and broke all the rules but Cross doesn’t live by any rules in the first place and seems to want Baszler to hurt her. It also seems to be part of the bigger Baszler vs. Dakota Kai feud with Cross standing up for her.

Kai is proud of standing up to Baszler but Belair comes in to take over the interview because she’s awesome. Belair talks a lot of trash about how great she is and how Kai is nothing but a Team Kick catchphrase. They set up a match for next week.

United Kingdom Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne is defending and has a taped up leg. The fans are way into this as they tease kicking each other to start. A test of strength drives Dunne to the mat but he reverses into a failed double wristlock attempt. They head outside with an X Plex dropping O’Reilly onto the apron before Dunne takes it back inside for a double fish hook. Dunne loads up the moonsault out of the corner get but gets kicked in the bad knee to bring him back down.

It’s already off to the kneebar but Dunne gets to his feet and enziguris his way to freedom. Now the moonsault out of the corner works and Dunne goes back to the arm. The Bitter End is blocked and O’Reilly is back on the knee. That’s reversed into an X Plex, only to have O’Reilly go after the kneebar again. Dunne breaks that up as well and they trade enziguris until a right hand drops O’Reilly. Another shot to the face sets up the Bitter End to retain the title at 10:20.

Rating: B. Another good match from Dunne, even if there was no doubt that the title was safe. O’Reilly is great as some who can go after a body part without being a threat to win a big match most of the time. It’s almost like a Ken Shamrock without the crazy insanity that came along with him. Dunne looked great again here, and that’s all you can expect him to be anymore.

Post match the Undisputed Era runs in but Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan make the save.

Here’s Aleister Black for a chat to end the show. Black says that nothing is too powerful to be stopped by Black Mass and he will fade to black. Cue Lars Sullivan and the fight is on in a hurry. Black slugs away but gets clotheslined down, followed by the Freak Accident. A second and third Freak Accident plant Black so Sullivan can take him up to the announcers’ table. Black is out as Sullivan poses above the champ to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a perfectly acceptable go home show with everything on Sunday getting some time in the form of either a promo, a video or a match. I was already fired up to see Takeover and with a nice push towards the NXT Title match, there’s not much else left to do. Good show tonight with a strong main event as NXT does it again.

Results

War Raiders b. Ricky Martinez/Justin Storm – Fallout to Martinez

EC3 b. Kassius Ohno – 1%er

Bianca Belair b. Aliyah – Torture rack into a facebuster

Pete Dunne b. Kyle O’Reilly – Bitter End

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

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

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

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