Takeover: WarGames
Date: November 19, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

It’s time! After nearly twenty years of waiting, we’re FINALLY back to the biggest gimmick of them all. Well at least to the WWE version of the thing. Tonight there will be three trios involved in the match, which could make for a rather interesting edition of WarGames. At least it’s here though. Let’s get to it.

The opening video of course has a war theme, with clips of President Roosevelt declaring a state of war, peppered with clips from the build to tonight’s show. The rest of the card is thrown in at the end, which is how it should go.

The two ring structure is so odd to see in WWE>

Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan

Sullivan is an unstoppable monster who needs better competition. Ohno gets driven into the corner without much effort to start and a forearm to the jaw has no effect on Lars. They head outside with Ohno being dropped face first onto the apron, only to have Sullivan charge into a boot in the corner. An enziguri staggers the monster but a clothesline turns Ohno inside out. A pop up powerslam plants Ohno and Mauro is freaking out at the power display (fair enough).

Back up and Ohno slugs away with some solid success, including a flying forearm to the back of the head. The cyclone kick actually drops Sullivan for two (which was necessary to make the fans believe this could happen). Ohno STOMPS HIM IN THE HEAD over and over and drops a backsplash for one. Some discus elbows don’t have much effort though and it’s the Freak Accident for the pin on Ohno at 5:35.

Rating: C. Not a great match but EXACTLY how it should have been booked. Sullivan looked like he was in some trouble but then barreled his way through Ohno for the win. That’s all this should have been as Ohno is basically just a fresh meal for Sullivan, who has some serious potential. Well booked match here.

Some of the UK wrestlers are here.

We recap Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream. Black was ready to make an announcement but Dream interrupted him, saying that everything that fades to black will one day come to light, like the light of the Velveteen Dream. Black wouldn’t acknowledge Dream, which has Dream obsessed with getting Black to say his name.

Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream

Black does his still awesome rising up entrance. Dream debuts some custom made tights with himself on one leg and Black on the other ala Rick Rude back in the day. The fans are rather pleased with Dream, even as he slaps Black in the face. They hit the mat to start with Black working on an armbar before grabbing something like an Octopus hold. Dream slips out and actually tries to turn it into a striking match, earning himself a trip to the floor.

That allows Black to backflip into his sitting pose, right in front of Dream. A hip swivel doesn’t seem to get on Black’s nerves, but he does look away a bit. Dream sits down as well as the fans chant SAY HIS NAME. Black crawls forward like Dream did a few weeks back, freaking Dream out for a change. Dream actually snaps his throat across the ropes to send Black outside, meaning it’s time for more posing.

Back in and Dream gets two off a good looking superkick before we hit a reverse chinlock (Dream: “SAY IT! SAY IT!”). Black gets tied up in the ropes as the fans really want him to say it. Dream slaps him though and that’s just not a good idea. Black speeds things up with some strikes and a springboard moonsault press for two (SWEET, according to the annoying fans).

A quick Death Valley Driver gives Dream two so he tries a super version, only to get kicked down. Black knees him in the face for a close two, only to get caught in a Sister Abigail into a DDT for a delayed two. The Purple Rainmaker lands on a raised boot though, sending Dream into the ropes. Black kicks him in the face but walks into a superkick. That’s enough for Black though and it’s Black Mass for the pin at 14:41.

Rating: B+. Who knew Dream had that in him? This was all about the mind games at first but at the end of the day, you (mostly) knew it was going to be Black Mass wrapping this up. Black seems ready to become a huge deal around here and Dream….I’m not sure where he goes from here actually. Really good match though.

Post match Black takes the mic and says “enjoy infamy….Velveteen Dream.” I’m not sure what to make of that. Sign of respect maybe?

Asuka, Funaki and Finn Balor are here. What a random trio.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Asuka had to vacate the Women’s Title upon moving up to the main roster so it’s time for a four way to crown a new champion. Kairi Sane won the Mae Young Classic and the other three won qualifying matches.

Women’s Title: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ember Moon

The title is vacant coming in and it’s one fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start with everyone fighting everyone at once. They head outside with Sane diving onto Royce, only to have Moon dive onto both of them. Naturally Cross is right there but Moon powerbombs her on the floor (THUD).

Back in and Kairi hits a running spear in the corner on Moon but Royce is back in with a half nelson over the ropes, using her leg instead of the arm. Back up and another spear cuts Royce down, sending Sane up top rather early. Moon is right up there but Royce makes the save with a Tower of Doom for a huge crash. Cross is back in though and dives onto all three at once. Sane gets caught in the Tree of Woe for some stomping but Royce makes the save for some reason.

Cross’ fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two on Sane with Moon making a diving save. Royce is back up with a fisherman’s suplex for the same on Cross as Sane makes the save. Sane piles up Royce and Cross for a double Insane Elbow. This time it’s Sane making the save but Moon sends her outside. That sends Moon up top for the Eclipse to Royce and Cross at the same time for the pin and the title at 10:09.

Rating: B-. Good match but rather shorter than I was expecting. Moon was my pick to win and she makes sense after getting so close, though having her lose over and over to Asuka and then win the title without Asuka around doesn’t look great. At least there are some solid challengers to come after her in the near future though, which is a great sign.

Asuka presents Moon with the title.

Takeover: Philadelphia is on January 27.

Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe are here.

We recap the NXT Title match. Drew McIntyre won the title back in August and didn’t really have a major feud. Enter Andrade Cien Almas, who has recently been recharged by new manager Zelina Vega. Drew said come get a shot so here we are.

NXT Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Drew is defending and again towers over Almas. Andrade wastes no time in sending him outside for a hurricanrana attempt from Vega….who is calmly planted back on the apron. Drew knocks a dive out of the air but gets his throat snapped back across the top rope. We hit a triangle choke over the ropes into a Fujiwara armbar as Almas has an early target. A snap belly to belly gives Drew a breather though and a top rope clothesline sends the champ into a nipup.

Drew misses a charge in the corner though and gets caught in a reverse tornado DDT for two. A reverse hurricanrana is countered into a reverse Alabama Slam but Almas avoids another charge to send him outside. With Vega screeching, Almas scores with a moonsault press to the floor for a very close two back inside. Almas catches him in the Tree of Woe for the top rope double stomp, followed by the running knees in the corner for two.

Drew has had enough of this getting beaten up thing and comes back with a hard Batista Bomb for a near fall of his own as they’re both a bit spent. Future Shock out of nowhere gets two more but Almas sends him hard into the corner for another double knees to the back. Almas heads outside and grabs the title, allowing Vega to score with a hurricanrana driver.

The hammerlock DDT gives Almas a crazy close two and the crowd is losing it. Back up and a Claymore out of nowhere gets two with Vega putting the boot on the ropes. Another Claymore hits ropes though and Drew is in trouble. He heads up top for some reason but gets caught in an inverted draping DDT to give Almas the title in a big upset at 14:43.

Rating: B+. Well I’m surprised. This felt like a pit stop on the way to McIntyre vs. Adam Cole in Philadelphia but sweet goodness that was a shock. There’s a good chance that this is pretty much it for Drew in NXT as there’s just no reason to keep him toiling down there when he was ready for the main roster the day he debuted. Really good match here too with an even better ending.

Drew is dejected and Almas holds up the title on the announcers’ table.

Long recap of the main event. Undisputed Era showed up a few months ago and started attacking everyone on the roster, including Sanity. They tried to get Roderick Strong to join them but Strong wasn’t interested. The Authors of Pain had a rematch for the NXT Tag Team Titles but the Undisputed Era interfered. Therefore, Strong joined forces with the Authors to make it a three way feud.

There are some different rules than in regular WarGames matches. Three men will start with their partners in individual shark cages. After five minutes, one team will be allowed to send in its remaining two members. Then, after three minutes each, the other two teams will be added in as well. It will be the first pinfall or submission to win and if you leave the cage, you forfeit the match.

Dustin Rhodes and Arn Anderson are here.

Sanity vs. Undisputed Era vs. Authors of Pain/Roderick Strong

There’s no roof on the cage. Strong has an Authors of Pain outfit this time, which doesn’t quite suit him. Eric Young, Adam Cole and Strong start things off and this is SO strange to see in WWE. Cole tries to bail to start but they all wind up in the same cage. Young sends Cole into the cage and it’s a double team to keep Cole in early trouble. He’s able to crotch both of them on top though and everyone is down.

Back up and Strong starts slugging away, sending everyone into a cage until Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish are the first team in. Strong and Young are in very sudden trouble thanks to a series of strikes from the fresh team. Fish and O’Reilly send both of them against the cage and crash into them over and over as this is one sided at the moment. That sounds like time for a fresh team, which in this case is the Authors of Pain. Undisputed Era can’t hold the door closed and the destruction is on in a hurry.

Everyone is sent into another ring with the Authors LAUNCHING Strong onto the pile for a big old crash. Young and O’Reilly are caught in the Tree of Woe, leaving the Authors to give Cole and Fish Death Valley Drivers to untie them. The clock counts down and it’s Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain completing the field. Wolfe is smart enough to bring in a nightstick to beat down the Authors while Dain throws in some weapons. As Sanity cleans house, the fans want tables so Dain, who hasn’t gotten in yet, pulls one out. Dain finally gets in and locks the cage….before eating the key.

Dain beats on the Authors in the corner, including a shotgun dropkick with a backslash. That’s not enough so Dain climbs the cage for a huge crossbody and a near fall on Strong. Cole swings a cane at Dain with Fish coming in for a failed save attempt. Dain picks up O’Reilly and Fish for a fall away slam/Samoan drop combination while Razar does the same thing in the other ring. The slugout it until Dain crossbodies him down. Akum comes back in with a powerslam to Dain but O’Reilly walks the cage for a tornado DDT.

Strong gets caught in Chasing the Dragon for no cover. Instead Fish and O’Reilly clean house with a bunch of kicks before Kyle ties Wolfe up with a chain. Using said chain, O’Reilly puts on a cross armbreaker with Young making a fast save via a top rope elbow. Fish is back up with a moonsault and everyone is down at once. The Authors are back up with a Super Collide as Dain is a little busted open.

Young is back up with a Death Valley Driver to send Akum into Razar for two more. Strong pops up with the backbreakers and an Olympic Slam on Dain for the same. Everyone heads into the corners of the different rings, meaning stereo Towers of Doom. Cole managed to stay on the ropes though, meaning he’s the only one not destroyed at the moment. Smart man Cole. The Authors crotch him on the top though….and grab the tables. Wolfe is up though and for some reason saves Cole, who climbs up to the top of the cage.

Akum gets German superplex through the tables and Young neckbreakers Razar off the top. With Cole still on top, Dain cleans house and grabs a trashcan….FOR A COAST TO COAST ON O’REILLY!!! Ok so it was more like Coast to the Ohio Valley but not bad! Cole stands up on top of the cage but Strong is looking up at him. Strong climbs up as well (Fans: “PLEASE DON’T DIE!”)…..for a superplex onto the pile!

Strong covers Cole for two as we see Wolfe still down with a referee checking on him after the German superplex, which was nearly five minutes ago. Razar and Dain slug it out between the rings until Akum comes in for the Last Chapter out of nowhere. Something like Total Elimination drops Akum but Sanity takes out O’Reilly and Fish. Strong gets wheelbarrow suplexed into the cage but Cole knees a chair into Young’s face for the pin at 35:54.

Rating: A. Oh yeah it still works. This felt like the war it was supposed to be and that’s exactly what they were shooting for. Throw in Dain and Cole looking like killers and the Undisputed Era looking like stars, especially as we’re coming up on what will probably be their crowning night in Philadelphia. It says a lot when I’m actually tired after watching a match but that’s what happened here. Definitely check this one out as it more than lives up to the WarGames reputation.

Overall Rating: A. Well that was amazing. With the main event being outstanding and two other matches rocking as hard as they did, it’s about as good as you’re going to get. The worst match was a perfectly acceptable (and short) match with the perfect booking. Aside from that, this is good to excellent the rest of the way

Results

Lars Sullivan b. Kassius Ohno – Freak Accident

Aleister Black b. Velveteen Dream – Black Mass

Ember Moon b. Kairi Sane, Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross – Eclipse to Cross

Andrade Cien Almas b. Drew McIntyre – Hanging inverted DDT

Undisputed Era b. Sanity and Authors of Pain/Roderick Strong – Running knee into a chair to Young

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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We’re off to war! The latest NXT Takeover special is focused on one match, which is kind of a shame as the rest of the card looks great. If there’s one thing NXT can do better than anything else, it’s rise above the expectations coming in and knock the show out of the park. If they can come close to that, we’re in for a treat. Let’s get to it.

Lars Sullivan vs. Kassius Ohno

This is the a pretty logical step for the unstoppable monster known as Sullivan. He’s dominated jobbers for months now and it’s not like Ohno is there for anything other than to to people over. I don’t think anyone is expecting them to shatter through the glass ceiling here but that’s been said about many an NXT match and wound up being completely wrong before.

I’ll of course take Sullivan to win in the only thing we have on the show that could be considered a guarantee. There’s no reason for Ohno to win and Sullivan shrugging off his best shots would be a good way to keep getting him over as a monster. That’s the key to him at the moment as he could be quite the threat down the line. Once he loses for the first time a lot of that goes away, but at least we can get something like this out of him at the moment. Sullivan wins, as he certainly should.

Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black

Here’s where my love of NXT comes from. I was looking through the card and thought Black winning was an easy win. Like seriously, Black is going to beat Dream into the ground right? The more I got to thinking about it though, the less sure I was. Dream has been pushed very strong as well and the whole “say my name” stuff has me wondering how it’s going to go.

I’m going with Black, though this is where NXT shines: it really could go either way. Both guys are undefeated and a win would make one of them look like a much bigger deal. Black can take a loss more than the Dream with that awesome kick, but Dream losing makes the most sense. If nothing else I’m looking forward to how Black will say Dream’s name without giving Dream what he wants. I’d have Black kick his head off and then say Dream’s name so he can’t hear it live. If that doesn’t mess with Dream’s mind more than anything else, I don’t know what would.

Women’s Title: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross

The title is vacant coming in after Asuka moved up to the main roster. Remember how I said the previous match could go either way? That’s the case here but double the options. You really could go with any of the four and my goodness that’s a fun feeling to have. I’d assume that there’s a name you can write off but it might not be the one you’re thinking.

I’m going to go with Moon to win the title but I’m really not sure about it. I can’t imagine they want to go with Sane as she might come off like a simple replacement from Asuka. She’ll get there someday but it’s not quite yet. Royce seems to be the least likely but if there’s ever a match for her to steal the title (perhaps to be destroyed by Sane later), this is it. Cross could win also, partially due to just being crazy enough to pull it off. Therefore I’ll go with Moon, who seems to be the heir apparent to the division, likely with the Eclipse to Royce. This should be a blast though.

NXT Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Andrade Cien Almas

This is another one where I’m a bit more sure, though still not entirely. The story here is rather simple as the big main event is spent on something else so let’s have the champ go through a simple title defense. Almas has gotten WAY better after acquiring Zelina Vega as his manager, mainly due to how great of a talker she’s become (and she can get physical when necessary).

I’ll take McIntyre to retain, mainly because it seems that we’re heading for McIntyre vs. Adam Cole for the title down the line. Almas is a better opponent than I was thinking, but at the end of the day it’s a Claymore to retain the title. On a side note, McIntyre still needs some physical opponents to defend against though as someone like Almas, who again isn’t very large, looks tiny compared to the huge champion.

Sanity vs. Undisputed Era vs. Roderick Strong/Authors of Pain

HERE WE GO! This is the match that old school fans have been waiting the better part of twenty years to see in WWE and….I guess they’re doing it right. This is WarGames, which was such a big deal that they’ve changed the name of the show upon announcement. It’s a three team feud with Strong and the Authors of Pain being added for the sake of giving us another trio. The other two are pretty firmly established though and that makes the match all the more interesting.

That being said, I’m going with Undisputed Era, as they make the most sense. If nothing else it sets up Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly getting the Tag Team Titles, likely in Philadelphia in January. Sanity has a chance as well, but they seem to be there for the sake of taking a fall to set up a future match. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here again: the fact that Strong and the Authors are easily the weakest of the three teams but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them win. That’s a great feeling to have and you rarely get it outside of NXT.

Overall Thoughts

Just in case you didn’t catch on to the idea yet, I love the fact that so many matches on this card are unpredictable. You really could go multiple ways with most of the matches and that’s why I’m so interested in this show. NXT has a great track record with this series and this one has the potential to do something special all over again.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

NXT
Date: November 1, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re less than three weeks away from Houston and by now a lot of the card can be figured out in advance. The big story from last week is the addition of the Authors of Pain to the main event mix, making things even bigger than they already were. The major match for Takeover hasn’t been announced yet but you know what’s coming. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Andrade Cien Almas will officially challenge Drew McIntyre at Takeover. Their contract signing is later tonight.

Taynara Conti vs. Nikki Cross

They’re not wasting time this week. Cross goes right after her and knocks Conti to the floor for some forearms to the chest. Back in and Conti uses the legs for some kicks to the arm, only to get dropped by a short arm clothesline. A Scorpion Death Drop sets up the swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Cross the pin at 2:38. Energetic while it lasted but you knew Cross wasn’t losing this close to a title shot.

Mercedes Martinez blames her failures on Ember Moon.

Fabian Aichner vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano takes him to the mat to start and grabs a rollup for an early two. A standing dropkick gets the same as Johnny is moving out there early on. Aichner sends him outside though and we take a break. Back with Johnny elbowing his way to freedom and scoring with a rolling kick to the face.

Aichner makes the mistake of sending Gargano to the apron and then charges into the slingshot spear for two more. The slingshot DDT doesn’t put Aichner away either so he grabs a heck of a powerbomb for two. Gargano is back up with a running kick in the corner but the Gargano Escape is countered into a rollup to give Aichner the clean pin at 9:14.

Rating: B-. Aichner gets a big win and a huge upset but the more interesting story here is Gargano, who is trying as hard as he can but still can’t win a bit match. That has the potential to be a heck of a setup for when Ciampa returns (which should be in the next few months) and I’m really curious to see where they go with that idea.

Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream is official for Takeover.

Earlier today the Street Profits were admiring Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss’ very expensive car when Tino and Riddick showed up. Trash was talked but nothing gets physical.

It’s time for the contract signing. Drew comes out holding the contract but Andrade jumps him and signs the contract. Zelina hands Andrade her gum, which he uses to stick the contract to Drew.

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay are upset about Billie not being in the title match when Kairi Sane, with her pirate wheel, comes up to scare them.

Tag Team Titles: Sanity vs. Authors of Pain

Sanity is defending with Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young representing the team. There’s no Paul Ellering at ringside. Wolfe hammers away on Akam in the corner as Mauro talks about Wolfe starting “sports entertainment training” at thirteen. I get not calling it wrestling in a general sense but does ANYONE outside of Vince think that sounds natural or good? Just say training. Anyway Wolfe gets hammered down in the corner and the slow beating begins. We hit a chinlock and take an early break.

Back with Ra’zar holding Wolfe in a front facelock until a double clothesline allows the double tag to Young and Akam. Young cleans house in a hurry and gets two off the top rope elbow. Wolfe comes back in with a top rope clothesline but everything breaks down and the Authors hit the Super Collider. The Last Chapter takes Young down but the Undisputed Era runs in for the DQ at 10:28.

Rating: C+. This was getting good near the ending but you could feel the Undisputed Era interference coming (which isn’t a bad thing). The Authors have gotten their title rematch out of the way and that’s what matters most in all of this. Good main event, but bigger things coming after are more important.

Killian Dain runs in but gets taken down as well. Roderick Strong comes out and puts on the Era’s armband, only to lay them out a few seconds later. The Authors are back up and help Strong clear the ring. Cue William Regal to make the big announcement: a triple threat match at Takeover inside WARGAMES. The fans are stunned and the Takeover: Houston logo turns into Takeover: WarGames as a YES chant takes us out. Mauro: “Houston, we have a WarGames.”

Overall Rating: B. Well that worked. I knew the WarGames announcement was coming and I still got excited when they finally said it. They’re pushing a lot of stories at once here and I’m genuinely interested in how things are going to go in Houston. The Authors and Strong are the weakest of the trios and it’s still entirely conceivable to have them win. Good show this week and a lot of stuff was advanced.

Results

Nikki Cross b. Taynara Conti – Swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker

Fabian Aichner b. Johnny Gargano – Rollup

Authors of Pain b. Sanity via DQ when the Undisputed Era interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

NXT
Date: October 18, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s the Undisputed night as the Undisputed Era are back in the ring this week. Tonight it’s going to be the Undisputed Era vs. Sanity in a six man tag. The question though is how does this help us set up the upcoming Takeover: Houston and how the NXT Title will factor in. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick look at Sanity vs. Undisputed Era.

Opening sequence.

Sonya DeVille vs. Ember Moon vs. Ruby Riot

The winner is in the four way title match at Takeover. Riot hurricanranas Ember to start but gets lariated down by DeVille. Sonya is sent outside and it’s Ruby flipping Ember around into a standoff. The springboard crossbody gets two on Sonya and a kick to the face gets the same on Riot. Ruby it sent outside and Ember gets kicked down and we take a break. Back with Sonya suplexing them both down, only to be headscissored into Ember for two more.

Riot and DeVille slug away at each other until Sonya is knocked outside. It gets even worse for DeVille when she gets kicked out of the air by Ember. Moon is down as well though, only to have Ruby dive onto the two of them. She comes up with a horrible ankle though and things slow way down. Riot is still able to get inside, only to have DeVille slap on an ankle lock. The hold stays on for a good while until Moon comes in off the top with the Eclipse on Sonya and a pin on Riot at 11:34.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one for the most part as it felt disjointed for the most part. The injury at the end was fine and it seems that Riot’s ankle is fine. It’s not terrible but they didn’t have the best chemistry and it showed. Ember or Sane is the best option for the title at this point and it makes sense to have Moon make the title match. If nothing else it means another chance to see the Eclipse.

The Undisputed Era talked to Roderick Strong outside the Performance Center but we couldn’t hear what was said.

William Regal is about to announce how the fourth participant in the Women’s Title match will be chosen but the Iconic Duo comes up to interrupt. Regal gets around to saying that there will be a battle royal next week.

Aleister Black vs. Raul Mendoza

Before any contact, cue the Velveteen Dream on the apron with Black’s vest. The distraction lets Mendoza knee Black to the floor, setting up a running flip dive to the floor. A springboard Swanton gets two on Black but the rapid fire kicks take Mendoza down. Black Mass puts Mendoza away at 2:10.

Dream leaves with the vest with Black glaring at him.

Drew McIntyre had a sitdown interview and is thrilled with his title reign so far. It’s everything he had hoped it was and he’s been feeling pretty good. A few years back he was released from his dream job and it took him a long time to get things together. He was always a wrestler and even his father never understood things. Somewhere along the line his fire went out and now he’s back here to build something special.

Cue Zelina Vega to take over the interview to say Drew and Andrade Cien Almas have a lot in common. She was Andrade’s second chance and thinks Drew has been avoiding him. Drew suggests going to William Regal because he’d love to give Almas a shot. If Andrade is serious, come see the champ himself.

Kassius Ohno vs. Cezar Bononi

They strike it off to start until Bononi hits a dropkick for two. Another dropkick puts Ohno on the floor, followed by a suplex for two back inside. A third dropkick misses though and Ohno scores with his backsplash. Ohno kicks him in the jaw and the rolling elbow is good enough for the pin at 3:05.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here but Ohno is always going to get a reaction from his theme song alone. Bononi seems like someone who is ready to become a big star if he’s given the right push or character. You can last a long time on a look like that and Bononi hasn’t even scratched the surface yet.

Sanity vs. Undisputed Era

Fish and Wolfe start things off with Fish striking away, only to get tossed into the corner. O’Reilly has about the same level of success and it’s off to Dane to uppercut Kyle in the corner. The fast tags continue with Young adding a middle rope forearm to the chest for two. It’s back to Fish, who scores with more kicks and right hands to Young as the beating takes us to a break.

Back with Cole grabbing a chinlock until his partners work on Eric’s arms. O’Reilly gets two off a double suplex and some kicks keep Young down in the corner. Kyle is smart enough to kick Wolfe off the apron and bring Dain in, allowing him a chance to pull Young to the corner again. Not that it matters as Eric kicks O’Reilly away and makes the hot tag off to Dain.

That means it’s time for the big man offense, including a hard running dropkick and some corner splashes. Fish and O’Reilly get tossed at the same time but Cole superkicks Dain in the back of the head for the save. A belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination puts O’Reilly down and Cole is quickly surrounded. Sanity takes him inside….and here are the Authors of Pain to jump Sanity for the DQ at 13:31.

Rating: C+. I liked this one, though it didn’t hit the level I was hoping it would. The ending is interesting as it could set up a potential three way feud, which often means a heck of a story. The Undisputed Era wasn’t destroyed here as there was a reasonable chance that O’Reilly and Fish could have gotten back into it for the save. Good stuff here but it’s a step on a long path.

The Authors destroy Sanity as the Undisputed Era leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was the most interesting part of the show but more importantly we’re starting to see the card for Takeover forming. That makes for some interesting shows as we’re getting ready for the rest of the card. Just let us have a good special event and the TV feels even better than it already does. Solid show this week but nothing too great.

Results

Ember Moon b. Sonya DeVille and Ruby Riot – Pin on Riot

Aleister Black b. Raul Mendoza – Black Mass

Kassius Ohno b. Cezar Bononi – Rolling elbow

Sanity b. Undisputed Era via DQ when the Authors of Pain interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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

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NXT
Date: September 27, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s NXT bay-bay as Adam Cole is making his in-ring debut tonight against Sanity’s Eric Young. While you can almost book the screwy finish from here, that doesn’t mean it won’t be entertaining along the way. Other than that we’re starting to get ready for the next Takeover in Houston. Let’s get to it.

William Regal opens the show by announcing a four way for the vacant Women’s Title at Takeover: Houston. Kairi Sane is already in the match and in two weeks, we’ll be having three qualifying matches for the other spots.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a ticked off Sanity to open things up. They wrote the book on showing up to make their mark and all that matters is the chaos. Tonight, Young is taking Cole to the edge of Sanity.

Lars Sullivan vs. Oney Lorcan

This should be hard hitting. Before the match, Lorcan says he doesn’t like Sullivan coming in here like he owns the place. Lorcan gets run over to start but comes back with a dropkick. Sullivan easily shrugs it off though and sends Lorcan outside with ease. Back up and Sullivan gets sent outside again, where he catches Oney’s over the top dive in midair like he’s nothing.

Lars charges into an elbow in the corner so Lorcan hammers away, including some running European uppercuts. Those are shrugged off too though and one heck of a clothesline turns him inside out. The standing Boss Man Slam ends Lorcan at 2:54. This was a heck of a fight and Sullivan looked more like a monster than usual.

Lars goes after him again but Danny Burch pulls Oney out.

Ruby Riot is ready to face the Iconic Duo again but she is NOT friends with Nikki Cross.

Heavy Machinery vs. Demitrious Bronson/Patrick Scott

Scott and Knight start things off and I’ll let you guess which one is tossed down. Knight lifts him up in a wristlock so it’s off to Bronson, who gets run over with a double shoulder. Bronson gets in a good looking dropkick but dives into an overhead belly to belly. Otis even stops for a little dance and it’s the Compactor for the double pin at 3:15.

Rating: D+. I like Heavy Machinery a lot as they’re just a fun act. They don’t come off as anything more than two big guys who can do impressive power stuff and there’s no reason to try anything else. Not everything has to be some high concept and this is as entertaining as it can be for what it is.

Regal gave Johnny Gargano a rematch with Andrade Cien Almas in two weeks. He also has a special idea for Houston.

Roderick Strong is ready for his NXT Title shot next week. Drew McIntyre knows what he’s in for. It may be business, but all business is personal. It’s personal to him because he wants to be NXT Champion.

Liv Morgan vs. Vanessa Borne

Both of them say they’ll be the next Women’s Champion. Feeling out process to start until Liv gets two off a backslide. Vanessa’s clothesline is avoided by a Matrix so Borne just slams her head into the mat a few times. A drop toehold sends Borne into the ropes and an enziguri makes things even worse for her. Back up and Borne lifts her up, only to get caught in a Codebreaker for the pin at 3:42.

Rating: D. As usual, Morgan makes sense on paper but she really isn’t doing much for me. Then again I’m not sure how strong they’re going to push her as there are far better options to go after the Women’s Title. I could see her in the four way but she didn’t really show me anything here. The same is true for Borne, who didn’t stand out in the Mae Young Classic either.

We look back at Velveteen Dream interrupting Aleister Black last week.

Black doesn’t want to see someone acting like they’re special in this age of individuality.

Video on Fabian Aichner from the Cruiserweight Classic.

Fabian Aichner vs. Kassius Ohno

Ohno cravates him to the mat but gets caught in an armbar. A big boot sends Aichner to the floor but he comes right back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. One heck of a springboard dive to the floor takes Ohno down and there’s the old NXT chant. The aggressive Aichner can’t pick him up for a powerbomb (shocking) and Ohno grabs a small package for two. A powerslam drops Ohno but he avoids a double springboard moonsault. The Cyclone kick puts Aichner away at 4:49.

Rating: B. If he doesn’t have one already, I’d be stunned if Aichner doesn’t get a job out of this. He showed off a great mixture of power and speed here which isn’t something that’s done this impressively most of the time. Ohno getting the win makes sense but Aichner was definitely the star here.

Drew McIntyre is ready for Strong and whomever is next.

Video on Kairi Sane winning the Mae Young Classic.

Adam Cole vs. Eric Young

Cole’s normally tiny arms are already starting to look bigger. Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly and Sanity are all at ringside. Before the match, Cole asks how this place survived without him. You can feel the change in the air and the shock to the system is the three of them. Cole says they are undisputed and this is their era. So there’s the name for the first time.

They stare at each other to start with Cole demanding that Young fight him. Young takes him down without too much effort and grabs a swinging neckbreaker. The guys get in a staredown on the floor though and Cole gets in a cheap shot to take over. Cole’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he enziguris Young to the floor instead.

Another staredown on the outside lets Cole knee him in the back and we hit the second chinlock. That goes nowhere so Young fights up and hits another neckbreaker. The fight on the floor finally breaks out so Young dives onto them instead of dropping the top rope elbow. Back in and a running knee to the face ends Young at 5:35.

Rating: C. The ending was actually a bit of a surprise as it’s far more of a clean finish than I was expecting. You had to give Cole the upper hand to end this one and him winning was the right call. Young didn’t really lose clean anyway and it’s not like this is heading anywhere other than a really big tag match, likely having Undisputed Era winning the Tag Team Titles at some point in there.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was actually one of the weaker matches on this show as the opener and Ohno vs. Aichner were both really entertaining. This was more about showing some of the new talents around here and setting up stuff for the future. They set up the NXT Title match next week as well, making this quite the use of an hour.

Results

Lars Sullivan b. Oney Lorcan – Standing Boss Man Slam

Heavy Machinery b. Demitrious Bronson/Patrick Scott – Compactor

Liv Morgan b. Vanessa Borne – Codebreaker

Kassius Ohno b. Fabian Aichner – Cyclone kick

Adam Cole b. Eric Young – Running knee to the face

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

NXT
Date: September 20, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

This week should be centered around the fallout from last week with the Undisputed Era attacking the British contingent, which could set up a heck of a six man tag somewhere down the line. Other than that we need to find out where the NXT Champion Drew McIntyre ties into this as well. Let’s get to it.

In Memory of Bobby Heenan.

Opening sequence.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tino Sabbatelli

Gargano beat Tino’s partner Riddick Moss last week. Tino drives him into the corner and messes with Johnny’s head, earning himself a hard shot to the face. A dropkick takes Johnny down but the fans still think Tino sucks. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Johnny fights up and heads to the apron. The sunset flip is countered into a powerslam but Tino doesn’t cover due to reasons of inexperience. The delay lets Gargano hit a superkick and grab the Gargano Escape for the tap at 3:48.

Rating: C-. Gargano getting a win here is the right call but it’s an interesting idea to not have him mow through everyone as people tend to do around here. It was cool to see Gargano clear out some people, though I’m glad seeing Sabbatelli and Moss get some ring time. Tino looked better of the two and I’d like to see him make a few more appearances.

William Regal gives Roderick Strong a title shot in two weeks.

We look at Asuka vacating the Women’s Title.

Sonya DeVille says she never fought Asuka because Asuka knew what would happen if they got in the ring. If anyone has a problem with that, they can put their hair up and square up. That’s a really bad catchphrase.

Bianca Belair vs. Lacey Evans

Belair wastes no time in taking Lacey down and slowly stomping away with a good cocky attitude as a bonus. Evans bails to the floor so Belair pulls on the arms for a bit. Back in and Evans takes her down and gets two off a legdrop as the fans aren’t the most interested in this so far. Some clothesline and a slingshot Bronco Buster have Belair in trouble and the backflip into a splash (kind of a moonsault minus the jump) gets two. Belair whips her with the hair (still not liking that) and hits an Alley-Oop (powerbomb but she drops Evans backwards onto her face) for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for Bianca and that’s far from surprising. She looked great in the tournament and I could see her going quite far around here, especially with the hair thing. Evans has a gimmick but I’m not sure she has enough to back it up in the ring, at least not that we’ve seen so far.

Here’s Aleister Black (rocking the heck out of a suit) for his first promo in the NXT arena. Fifteen years ago, he started a journey that brought him here to NXT. He’s seen a lot of things and he’s put a lot of them on his skin to remember them by. His journey in NXT is just beginning…and here’s Velveteen Dream to cut him off.

Dream says everything that fades to black will one day come to life. Even with all this light surrounding the Dream, he doesn’t see anything in Black. In Black, he sees a man full of woe and skin covered in lies. Black must be afraid of the light but Dream knows that he has a heart, even if it’s in the wrong place. Black kicks him in the face and sits down, only to have Dream drop to his knees right in front of him. Dream crawls backwards to quite the reaction.

We look at Lars Sullivan attacking No Way Jose more than once.

Dakota Kai is new around here but wants to be Women’s Champion.

No Way Jose vs. Lars Sullivan

Jose goes right after him to start but his crossbody has no effect. Some knees to the ribs have Jose out on the floor and Sullivan drives him ribs first into the apron. Back in and we hit the neck crank as this is a squash so far. Jose fights up and jumps on his back for a chinlock but one heck of a shoulder takes him down. Sullivan adds a top rope headbutt, followed by the standing Boss Man Slam to end Jose at 3:11.

Rating: D+. They might have something with Sullivan though it’s a shame that it came at Jose’s expense. I know he might not be the most popular guy in the world but the dancing gimmick is an anchor around him. Sullivan could be great as a wrecking ball and built up as someone to be slayed later on. Good performance here.

Trent Seven/Tyler Bate vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish

Kyle and Bobby have Adam Cole in their corner. Bate and O’Reilly start things off as we hit the MOUSTACHE MOUNTAIN chant. Tyler spins out of a wristlock and hits a good looking dropkick into a nipup. It’s off to Seven vs. Fish but Kyle won’t let Trent try a big dive. The distraction lets Bobby run him over and it’s time for the knee strikes. Seven’s arms get cranked at the same time and a double kick to the chest gets two.

Trent finally gets in a kick of his own but Kyle breaks up a hot tag attempt. Like any good villain, Cole offers a distraction so Fish can drive Seven into the barricade. Back from a break with Seven still in trouble but being able to escape a fireman’s carry. A hard clothesline is enough for the hot tag to Bate, who comes in with a springboard European uppercut.

Kyle charges into a t-bone suplex and a standing shooting star gets two. Everything breaks down and a belly to back suplex/powerbomb combo (cool) is good for two more on Kyle. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a guillotine choke though as Fish takes care of Seven. The unnamed Chasing the Dragon gets two on Bate thanks to a foot on the ropes. A second attempt doesn’t work as well as Bate sends them into each other and makes the desperation tag. Seven grabs a half crab on Kyle but Cole takes out Bate. Something like Total Elimination ends Seven at 12:32.

Rating: B. This was the good match you probably expected it to be and that’s all you can ask for. Assuming this story continues, it’s all about the addition of Cole and Pete Dunne, which could turn into one of the most entertaining six man tags in a very long time. Of course that’s assuming Cole isn’t busy fighting McIntyre for the NXT Title.

Speaking of McIntyre, here he is to chase off the Undisputed Era. The trio stands in front of a curtain and that can’t end well. Sanity walks through said curtain and the trio bails while Drew stands in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a great example of putting a bunch of stories into one show and capping if off with a big match at the end. They have a bunch of ways to go for Houston and that makes for a much more interesting show in a way. Cole could get the title shot but at the same time it’s hard to imagine Black not getting into the title hunt very soon. Then again it’s hard to imagine Drew being champion for very long as he seems to be a much better fit on the main roster than around here. Anyway, good effort this week and I’m interested in where this stuff is going.

Results

Johnny Gargano b. Tino Sabbatelli – Gargano Escape

Bianca Belair b. Lacey Evans – Alley-Oop

Lars Sullivan b. No Way Jose – Standing Boss Man Slam

Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish b. Trent Seven/Tyler Bate – High/Low to Seven

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

It’s that time of year again. Summer is wrapping up and that means WWE is heading to Brooklyn New York with its little buddy NXT in tow. It’s time for NXT’s biggest show of the year as we’re ready for “Takeover: Brooklyn III”. This show really doesn’t seem to have the same pop that a lot of the series’ entries have had, but there’s one thing I’ve learned watching NXT: never bet against them blowing you away.

Tag Team Titles: Authors of Pain(c) vs. Sanity

This is a match that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention but the more I think about it the more interesting I think it could be. The Authors have run roughshod over the NXT tag team division since they won the titles about seven months ago, but the key is they’ve won them against teams who are going to come at them with a logical plan. TM61, Revival and DIY are all smart teams, but they’re also teams you can plan for. How do you plan for a pair of crazy monsters? Can the Authors really hang on against these two?

Yeah I kind of think they can. The more I think about it, the more I think Sanity is better suited for the main roster (imagine them as part of a re-energized Wyatt Family or just something more like them) than the Authors. The problem is the Authors aren’t exactly the most in-depth team in the world and I’m not sure what they would do on the main roster. Once they lose a match, a lot of their mystique goes away. Sanity has a lot more depth and that would suit them better on the main roster, perhaps as the people tormenting Breezango? The Authors retain, pinning Wolfe in the process.

Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami

This is all about who can kick the hardest and while the ending may look pretty obvious, that doesn’t mean the match won’t be entertaining. Itami has had a much better edge in recent months, all starting back when he lost to Bobby Roode in Chicago. Black on the other hand has turned into one of the best characters on the roster as he’s just freaking cool. His entrance is awesome, his calm is sweet and that Black Mass kick looks like it could stop anyone.

In what isn’t the most surprising choice in the world, I’ll take Black to win after one heck of a hard hitting (or kicking in this case) match. It’s pretty clear that Black is going to be one of the bigger stars going forward and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him getting the title at a big show in the future. Itami’s floundering continues but there’s nothing wrong with being the heel gatekeeper who you beat on your way to becoming a bigger star down the line. Black wins, likely with a great looking Black Mass.

Women’s Title: Asuka(c) vs. Ember Moon

If NXT timed this to coincide with the lunar eclipse on Monday, they’re some of the most brilliant people I’ve seen in years. I don’t think that’s actually the case but you know Mauro Ranallo is going to mention it about a million times on Saturday. Asuka has been a dominant force for well over a year now but WWE has built up the Eclipse as the deadliest weapon in NXT. Moon isn’t as great overall as Asuka, but Asuka doesn’t have anything that can hang with that one big move.

I’ll take Moon to become the new champion but it doesn’t feel like she’s ready to win the thing just yet. The problem here is Asuka has been built up as completely unstoppable and that makes it really hard to take the title off of her. Moon is going to need a lot more than just one move to make her a champion and that needs to be showcased in this match. The pinfall is going to be a big deal but if they don’t earn their way there, it’s risking a major failure. Asuka needs to go straight to the main roster after this as there’s just no reason for her left to do in NXT.

Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Now this one actually interests me more than almost anything else all night long for one simple reason: I’m not completely sure who is going to win. There’s no reason to believe that either of them should lose as Almas has grown a lot as a heel while Gargano has gotten one heck of a rub since the DIY split. You really could go with either of them winning here, which really isn’t something you would expect most of the time on a Takeover.

I think I’ll actually take Almas as Gargano seems like someone who can bounce back up from a single loss with a lot less effort. By putting Zelina Vega out there so recently, it would be a huge question mark to have Gargano beat Almas so quickly. Let Almas get a big win for a change and then Gargano can come right back with a win later on. Granted you could say the exact same thing with the names reversed, but I’ll take Almas to win here in a pick likely to go wrong.

NXT Title: Bobby Roode(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

The more I think about it, the less I’m sure that McIntyre wins here and it’s because of the Roderick Strong match coming up. There isn’t much of a story to McIntyre rising up to the title but Strong is right there ready to defeat Roode and take the title. Then you can have McIntyre go down the ladder a bit and rise back up to get the title later. McIntyre keeps talking about how he took things too lightly back in the day and now he needs to be more serious. What better way to test that than by having him lose here and build himself back up?

I’ll take Roode to retain the title here, likely through something other than a clean win. Have him get a pin with his feet on the ropes or something like a DQ but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him retain the title. McIntyre’s day will come, but I have a feeling it’s not coming just yet. We’ll go with Roode retaining the title, but don’t be surprised if they go with McIntyre winning for the feel good moment to end the show.

This is a show where everything is going to come down to the booking. We could have some great matches and that’s all that it needs to have an awesome show, but the right choices really need to work at the same time. It doesn’t feel like the biggest show of the year but that’s definitely how NXT sees Saturday night. The 15,000 people in the crowd probably won’t hurt either.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

NXT
Date: July 26, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

With less than a month to go before Takeover: Brooklyn III, it’s time to start getting things ready for the biggest show of the year. We already have the NXT Title match set as Drew McIntyre will challenge Bobby Roode for the title but we need a bit more than that to fill out a card. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Ember Moon vs. Lei’D Tapa

Oh come on didn’t I have to watch enough of Tapa in TNA? Tapa runs her over with a clothesline to start but Moon shrugs it off. Moon loads herself up for a superplex but spins around into a regular suplex of her own (Bad News Barrett used to use that move). The Eclipse puts Tapa away at 1:22.

Ember wants Asuka and promises to give her some real competition.

Aleister Black video.

David Ramos/Timothy Bumpers vs. Authors of Pain

Non-title but hang on a second as Nikki Cross blocks the Authors’ path. Cue Sanity in the ring to beat up the jobbers as the Authors and Paul Ellering look on. The Authors hit the ring and the fight is on (Mauro: “LIKE DONKEY KONG!”) with the champs cleaning house without too much effort. No match of course.

The Street Profits are coming.

We look at Cezar Bononi shocking Andrade Cien Almas. Last week, Almas attacked Bononi again at the behest of the now named Zolita Vega.

Earlier today, Vega threatened No Way Jose with Almas’ wrath.

Velveteen Dream vs. Cezar Bononi

Dream pounds him down without much effort but gets kicked in the jaw and punched in the face. A Falcon Arrow gives Bononi two, only to have Dream come back with a Death Valley Bomb (a Death Valley Driver landing on the back instead of the head). The top rope elbow (Purple Rainmaker) for the pin at 1:39.

Post match Dream calls the NXT audience ugly and says their experience will have to wait.

General Manager William Regal officially makes Moon vs. Asuka for the title in Brooklyn.

Here’s McIntyre to talk about his upcoming title match. There are four weeks until Brooklyn and that’s not a lot of time. Drew doesn’t have a backwards button because he only goes forward. When he was in WWE before, he was the Chosen One and expected to have everything handed to him. That’s why he failed though. Once he was gone from WWE, it became clear to him that he had to be the hardest worker in the world. Now McIntyre looks at Roode and sees nothing but entitlement. This isn’t Roode’s NXT because it belongs to all of the people here. He wants everyone to stand up with him because WE ARE NXT.

Raul Mendoza is ready to face Johnny Gargano next week. Maybe we’ll be talking about his rise instead of Gargano’s return.

Kassius Ohno vs. Hideo Itami

Ohno takes him down by the arm to start and they hit the mat for some grappling. Itami shrugs off a chop so Ohno hammers away even more, including a basement dropkick to the head. Ohno flips onto the apron but gets kicked in the chest, followed by a middle rope Fameasser. Back from a break with Itami dropping a knee for two and kicking him in the back with a sneer.

A chinlock set up a few more kicks to the chest and it’s right back to the chinlockery. Itami dives into a chop though and Ohno runs through a kick, setting up a Shining Wizard. The cyclone boot and a backsplash give Ohno two but Itami is right back with a suplex. The GTS doesn’t work so Ohno kicks him in the jaw, only to have Itami kick him low for the DQ at 11:44.

Rating: C+. They beat the heck out of each other here and I dig the ending with Itami taking the cheater’s way out and attacking Ohno when he thought he couldn’t beat him. That’s a great way to push his heel turn and makes him look like a changed man instead of someone willing to fight with honor. Ohno continues to be a fine upper midcard face who isn’t going anywhere in the long term and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Itami unloads on him with kicks post match and adds a trio of GTS’s with the third landing on the steps.

Overall Rating: C+. This was kind of an odd show as they had some big stuff announced but a lot of the show was spent on stuff that didn’t seem to make the biggest difference. It wasn’t bad by any means though and I’m kind of glad they didn’t push things when they didn’t need to be pushed. NXT has found the right balance of focus and not overdoing things and that’s very helpful as we head towards Brooklyn. Two matches are official and I think you can figure out most of what else is coming without too much effort. Not bad with about a month to go.

Results

Ember Moon b. Lei’D Tapa – Eclipse

Velveteen Dream b. Cezar Bononi – Purple Rainmaker

Kassius Ohno b. Hideo Itami via DQ when Itami kicked him low

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

NXT
Date: July 5, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

The title shows continue as we have the NXT Title on the line tonight. Bobby Roode has gotten far underneath the skin of Roderick Strong, including talking about Strong’s wife. The title is up for grabs tonight with a ticked off Strong wanting both the title and a measure of revenge. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Strong and his family arrived earlier today.

Sanity vs. Kassius Ohno/Hideo Itami

Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain for Sanity here. Ohno blasts Wolfe into the corner to start and it’s off to Itami for the kicks in the corner. Dain offers a distraction though and it’s Wolfe snapping Itami across the top to take over as we take a break. Back with Itami still in trouble as Dain easily cuts the ring off to keep him down. Itami comes back with kicks and Ohno is ready for the tag but Itami doesn’t even go near him. Instead it’s a Falcon Arrow to Wolfe but Ohno gets knocked outside by Dain. The GTS knocks Wolfe silly, only to have Dain crossbody Itami for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C+. Fine storyline advancement here with Itami wanting to prove himself to continue making up for his loss to Roode. I can go for the long form story like this, though I’m not sure where it’s going to end. Itami might get a future title shot but a heel turn seems to be in his way first. Well, after a match with Ohno of course.

Ember Moon is training for her comeback at the Performance Center when Ruby Riot interrupts the mini press conference (in the Performance Center mind you) to say she should get the title shot instead. Moon doesn’t seem to mind.

We look back at the awesome Last Woman Standing match.

Video on Drew McIntyre.

Drew wants the winner of tonight’s title match.

We look at DIY splitting.

Johnny Gargano is back next week.

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were annoyed that Peyton was the only one to remember Billie’s birthday when Andrade Cien Almas got into an argument with his unnamed female associate (Thea Trinidad).

Last week in an untelevised match, Bianca BelAir defeated Aliyah to qualify for the Mae Young Classic.

Video on Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong, which is the wealthy/powerful one vs. the family man who has worked to get here.

Strong has victory on his mind.

Roode says Strong is about to face reality.

NXT Title: Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Roode

Strong is challenging. Roode gets the better of an amateur exchange and does his GLORIOUS pose, earning himself a pair of dropkicks. A half nelson backbreaker drops the champ and we take an early break. Back with Roode grabbing a Blockbuster and stomping away, only to take another backbreaker.

Roode bails to the floor again but sends Strong’s knee into the steps to take over. It’s time to really work on the knee in the Ric Flair style, including a kick to the knee to cut off a comeback. We come back from a second break and come back with Strong kicking out of a leglock and sending Roode into the buckle.

The Angle Slam and another backbreaker give Strong two but Roode is right back with a chop block to take over again. The knee is wrapped around the post but Strong catches him on the top and shoves the champ out to the floor in a crash. A quick Glorious DDT gets two on Roderick and you can feel the crowd getting into things again, mainly because they knew better than to buy one finisher as the pin.

Now it’s Strong popping back up with knees to the face and a backbreaker for the pin…..with Roode’s foot underneath the ropes. That was a heck of a false finish with Strong all the way outside hugging his wife when he was told it wasn’t over. Roode knocks him off the apron and hits a Glorious DDT on the floor (with a sneer at Strong’s wife), followed by another inside to retain at 25:34.

Rating: B+. I’ve said this before and it’s still true: Roode doesn’t do anything flashy but he does everything so smoothly and simply that the style works. The leg work took away from Strong’s backbreakers and the Sick Kick, throwing off his entire offense. Couple that with a false finish and Roode being the kind of jerk that glares at a man’s wife before dumping him on his head and there’s very little to complain about here. It seems that Drew is waiting for the title and that sounds like a great main event in Brooklyn. Strong is similar to Ohno back in May: a one off challenger who will go back into the midcard after a nice rub in the title scene.

Strong hugs his wife to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a lot of setting things up for later and that’s all fine considering we already have the Authors of Pain vs. Heavy Machinery next week. The main event was over half of the show and that meant it had the time that it deserved. That’s much better than the main shows where no matter what the main event is, it’s rarely going to get more than fifteen minutes. Good show here with a really solid main event.

Results

Sanity b. Kassius Ohno/Hideo Itami – Crossbody to Itami

Bobby Roode b. Roderick Strong – Glorious DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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NXT
Date: June 28, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a new taping cycle here and that means a major change in the commentary team. This time around Mauro Ranallo has taken over the lead play by play role which should help for tonight’s main event. Tonight, Asuka defends her Women’s Title against Nikki Cross in a Last Woman Standing match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the Women’s Title match and how Cross is a different kind of challenger.

Opening sequence.

Nigel welcomes Mauro to the announcers’ team and we preview the title match.

Velveteen Dream vs. Hoho Lun

Lun kicks and strikes away to start, earning himself a boot to the face. Dream easily powers him up for a Jackhammer and the top rope elbow puts Lun away at 1:54.

Asuka was arriving earlier today when Cross jumped her car. Security made the save but Asuka got out for the staredown. Why the car didn’t keep going when Cross was no longer in front of it isn’t clear.

We look back a few weeks at Hideo Itami attacking Oney Lorcan until Kassius Ohno made the save.

The Authors of Pain and Heavy Machinery are in William Regal’s office where he makes a Tag Team Title match in two weeks.

Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan

Lorcan knocks him into the corner at the bell…..and Itami’s nose is bleeding so badly that the match is stopped at 1:19, about 60 seconds of which was Itami being checked.

We recap Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Roode with some clips from Strong’s bio videos from a few weeks back. Strong has a newborn son and wants the NXT Title to complete his family but Roode laughs off the idea of Strong moving up that fast because Strong isn’t on his level. Roode then went a step further by making a bit of a pass at Strong’s wife, officially sending Strong over the edge.

Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan

Itami has his nose taped up and kicks Lorcan in the jaw at the bell. A running knee to the back of the head knocks Lorcan even sillier and we take a break with Oney down on the floor. Back with Lorcan hitting his running European uppercuts and a Blockbuster gets two. The GTS is broken up and Itami snaps the throat across the top. Lorcan goes down holding his knee but the GTS finishes him off anyway at 6:45.

Rating: C. This was an entertaining fight with two of the stiffest workers in the promotion. I’m not sure if this was supposed to make Itami look like a face or a heel though as fighting through an injury is going to get you cheered but that GTS to an injured opponent was rather heelish. I’d assume the match would have gone the same way with or without the bloody nose though I’d assume the heel turn is still happening.

Post match Itami calls Ohno out….but here’s Sanity to go after both of them. Itami is thrown out side (where he lands on Lorcan) as Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain leave Ohno laying. Wolfe says we need to get rid of these false friendship and Eric Young knows how to do so.

Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Nikki Cross

Asuka is defending and this is Last Woman Standing. Nikki gets beaten up against the ropes and out to the floor but Asuka’s baseball slide gets caught in the ring skirt. She hammers on the champ and builds up a pile of chairs as we take a break. Back with Asuka not being able to suplex Nikki onto said pile but getting sent into the steps instead. Nikki goes into the steps again but Asuka sends her into them as well.

It’s trashcan time and that means an ECW chant. Asuka puts the can over Nikki’s head and kicks away, followed by a missile dropkick for good measure. They fight over a chair with Asuka being sent outside, only to have Nikki dive into a knee to the head. Another pile of chairs is stacked up in the ring and Nikki is slammed off the top onto the pile for a seven count.

We take another break and come back with Asuka kicking her in the chest, drawing laughter from Nikki. Cross grabs four straight fisherman’s neckbreakers (because she’s a bit crazy and actually acts like it for a change) but Asuka is up at nine. Nikki grabs the belt but gets it kicked back into her own face.

She’s up at eight and laughing even more before blocking a suplex to the floor. A powerbomb onto the pile of chairs on the floor gets nine on the champ. They stagger up the ramp with Asuka hitting the hip attack off the stage for nine. Nikki picks her up and hits a hanging swinging neckbreaker off the barricade for a sick thud. She’s up at nine again and Nikki is looking crazier than usual. A spinning backfist sends Nikki staggering into the back and it’s table time.

Nikki sets one up near the announcers’ table and grabs a ladder to make things worse. They both climb the ladder and Asuka superplexes her through the announcers’ table for a huge crash and the HOLY S*** chant. Nikki is DONE and Asuka beats the count at nine to retain at 26:00.

Rating: B+. It takes something special to know the ending to a match (if nothing else it’s hard to believe that anyone other than Ember Moon is taking the title) and still get completely sucked into it. These two beat the heck out of each other in one of the longest women’s matches in WWE history and it was all good stuff from start to finish. They kept building up to bigger and bigger spots until the last one finally put the psycho away. I had a blast with this one and it was a heck of a match. Check this out if you get the chance.

Medics come out to check on a smiling Nikki to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event easily carries this as we wrap up the first ever week with women main eventing every WWE show. The rest of the show helped set up some stuff going forward and has me looking forward to the NXT Title match next week and the Tag Team Title match in two weeks. Add in Ember Moon likely getting ready to go after the title again and things are looking up for NXT again, especially when Strong is out of the way and you can have your pick of great challengers to go after Roode’s title.

Results

Velveteen Dream b. Hoho Lun – Top rope elbow

Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan went to a no contest when Itami was injured

Hideo Itami b. Oney Lorcan – GTS

Asuka b. Nikki Cross – Superplex through the announcers’ table

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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