IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: August 1, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

Last week, evil won. Tommaso Ciampa defeated Aleister Black to become the new NXT Champion, thanks to an accidental belt shot to Black’s head at the hands of Johnny Gargano. That is Gargano’s, as well as a lot of other people’s, worst nightmare and it’s going to make for an interesting future. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Nikolai Volkoff and Brian Christopher.

Long recap of last week’s title change. The crowd energy really did make that so much better, as is normally the case around here.

Opening sequence.

Heavy Machinery vs. The Mighty

The Mighty have new black coats and throw them at Heavy Machinery’s faces. Those coats are thrown back at them and followed by right hands before the bell even rings. Otis spins Miller around before planting him with a slam but Thorn is right back with a high dropkick (to a not very high Otis) to take over. A double belly to back suplex gets two and Thorn starts in on the arm.

Rating: C-. Very formula based tag match here until the main roster style finish, which isn’t the best sign in the world. The good thing is that it doesn’t happen around here very often so maybe it’s just a one off thing instead of the crutch that it has become on the main roster. I like the Profits too so this is a positive sign, especially with the division getting some more depth.

Moustache Mountain vs. Matt Knotts/???

Bate starts with the bigger Knotts, who mocks the wave. That means one heck of a left hand to Knotts’ jaw and Seven comes in for the chops. The unnamed jobber (Mauro: “His opponent.”) comes in and gets chopped as well, setting up a dragon suplex. Bate’s t-bone suplex drops Opponent and the top rope knee/Burning Hammer combination is good for the pin on Opponent at 2:21. Mountain looked great.

Post match Moustache Mountain apologizes to the fans for losing the titles. Bate apologizes for throwing in the towel but they’re invoking their rematch clause for Takeover: Brooklyn. That’s going to be a VERY interesting crowd reaction.

EC3 vs. Kona Reeves

I don’t have to say this very often around here, but please make it short. Reeves can’t get out of a headlock to start as Nigel actually tries to compare him to Barry Windham. Thankfully EC3 hits a good looking elbow to make me forget about how ridiculous that statement was.

A cobra clutch (the Kona Clutch) has EC3 in trouble for all of a few moments before coming back up with left hands. EC3’s running flip neckbreaker but here’s the Velveteen Dream (DON’T START DOING THIS NXT!) who says someone still can’t get over Royal Albert Hall. Dream points behind EC3 and the Hawaiian Drop gives Reeves two. Reeves yells a lot and the One Percent finishes him off at 5:32.

Rating: D+. EC3 looked good but my goodness Reeves is just lame. He doesn’t have a great look (it’s fine), his offense is really dull and his character feels like he’s ripping off a few other wrestlers. Hopefully this is it for him, as his finisher couldn’t get a win and Reeves didn’t look good otherwise. Dream on the other hand is one of the best things about NXT at the moment but PLEASE tell me these distractions aren’t going to become a thing. At least it didn’t lead to a loss.

In the back, EC3 says he’d love to join Dream’s experience because he knows it’s going to turn into a fight. He is the best here, he is the best there, he is the best anywhere.

Shayna Baszler vs. Candice LeRae

Non-title. Baszler offers LeRae a chance to leave and gets dropkicked for her efforts. LeRae goes for the arm but gets tossed outside, setting up a whip into the steps. That means Baszler can start in on the arm, bending it all over the place and stomping on it to bend it in rather painful directions. An enziguri gives LeRae a bit of relief and she takes Baszler down with a one armed snapmare.

Baszler staggers up and walks into a spinning middle rope Downward Spiral for one. A suicide dive has Baszler in even more trouble and the jumping tornado DDT gets two. Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride is pulled down into the Kirifuda Clutch (the same way Baszler beat her in the Mae Young Classic) but this time LeRae grabs the rope. An Unprettier sets up a Lionsault but LeRae only hits mat. Baszler kicks her in the arm and the Clutch is good for the tap at 7:57.

Rating: B. They were working here and that made for a very good match. LeRae is similar to her husband: it’s so easy to get sucked into her matches because she plays a great underdog and that’s what happened here. I was wanting to see her get the win here and that’s a great sign for a regular TV match.

Baszler goes after her again after the match but Kairi Sane makes the save. Sane checks on LeRae and Baszler kicks at her again, meaning referees have to hold Sane back as Baszler leaves.

Moustache Mountain is ready to beat the Undisputed Era again. They run into the War Raiders, who says they’re coming for whoever leaves Brooklyn with the titles.

Regal makes EC3 vs. Dream and Adam Cole vs. Ricochet for the North American Championship for Brooklyn.

Next week: Ricochet is back and Keith Lee makes his in-ring debut.

Here’s Ciampa for his first comments as champion. Mauro says Ciampa makes Thanos look like the Wizard of Oz. Now that’s a great line. Ciampa is reveling in being the champion and points at individual fans, laughing about his win and saying he told us so. Once he’s in the ring, Ciampa says he and the title make a beautiful couple. He’s a man of his word and won’t be listening to the fans telling him to shut up.

This is what happens when the most dangerous man in NXT takes his place at the head of the table. The fans chant at him even more so Ciampa complains about how heavy the title is on his shoulder. The icing on the cake was Gargano proving himself to be a failure because Ciampa won again. Ciampa was the magic answer to Black and now Black and Gargano can bicker about who is 2A and 2B. It doesn’t really matter because the gap between 1 and 2 has never been stronger. NXT will forever be the A show because he is the greatest sports entertainer (erg) of all time.

Ciampa sits in the ring and here’s Black to interrupt. Gargano sprints past him though and the fight is on with Ciampa being knocked to the floor. The champ bails through the crowd (that can’t be safe) and Gargano says he’s the reason Ciampa is champion. Black superkicks Gargano and the fans think Gargano deserved it. Well yeah he pretty much did. Black agrees with Gargano being to blame to end the show.  Great ending here, with both challengers having a legit reason to go after the title and Black wanting to take out Gargano for what he did.  The triple threat is the right call here and it should be awesome.

Overall Rating: B. Good main event and a hot ending to the show make this the kind of show I look forward to from NXT. The opening matches weren’t the best but they were short enough to not really hurt things. On top of that we had matches made for both next week and Takeover, as the card comes together in a hurry, as it only seems to do around here. This was a very easy show to watch as the time continues to fly by.

Results

Heavy Machinery b. The Mighty – Compactor to Miller

Moustache Mountain b. Matt Knotts/??? – Top rope knee/Burning Hammer combination to ???

EC3 b. Kona Reeves – One Percent

Shayna Baszler b. Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch

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: July 25, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big match night as we have a rare NXT Title defense. Aleister Black is putting the title on the line against Tommaso Ciampa, who would make a rather terrifying champion. We’re less than a month away from Takeover: Brooklyn IV and that means it’s time to start putting things together. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the setup for Black vs. Ciampa, with both of them talking about being the devils of NXT. Ciampa says he needs one chance to win the title and his ascension will be complete.

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole vs. Sean Maluta

Non-title. Maluta goes straight for a rollup before switching to a neckbreaker to bang Cole up. That’s about it for Maluta’s offense as Cole kicks him in the ribs and superkicks him out of the air. The Last Shot puts Maluta away at 2:15. Just a squash.

Cole passes and leaves so Ricochet calls him a coward again. That’s too far for Cole so he goes back to the ring but Ricochet is ready for him, sending Cole back to the floor while Ricochet flips into the superhero pose. That brings out Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong but the War Raiders are right behind them. Was there any reason to not push them straight to the title picture? Actually there is, as Moustache Mountain pop up to chase the champs into the crowd. I could go for moustaches vs. beards for the title shot. Going from one Takeover match to three in about fifteen minutes is pretty nifty work.

Earlier today, William Regal (welcome back) held the contract signing for Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane. Baszler didn’t want to call this a rematch because not only has she beaten Sane since the Mae Young Classic but she’s not the same person. Sane hasn’t done anything since then and things are going to change. Sane signs and says they both know she can win. Baszler sneers that off because Sane is just a fake pirate. She signs as well and seems rather annoyed at what Sane said.

We look back at Velveteen Dream walking out on EC3 during the UK show.

Tenilla Price vs. Lacey Evans

I can’t find anything about Price but she gets an entrance. Lacey throws her into the corner for the slingshot Bronco Buster but a moonsault hits knees. That’s it for Price as the Woman’s Right is good for the pin at 2:04.

Bianca Belair is injured but doesn’t need to explain anything. She’s still way ahead of everyone else and she’s un-de-feat-ed, which she says four times in less than thirty seconds.

Candice LeRae tries to go after Shayna but gets held back.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black

Ciampa is challenging and still has no music. He even breaks up Black’s pre-match poses like a real villain. They lock up hard to start with Black getting the better of a technical exchange on the mat. It’s almost weird to see Ciampa wrestling but it makes sense because his hatred is at Johnny Gargano alone. A small package gives Black two as they’re still firmly in first gear. The hanging DDT is quickly broken up and Black hits his first kick to the chest to keep Ciampa down.

More kicks have Ciampa on the floor and Black moonsaults into the seated position so he can mock Ciampa’s wave. Back in and Ciampa gets in his first real shots to put Black on the floor for a whip into the steps. Now it’s Ciampa’s turn to mock Black’s pose because what’s good for one devil is good for another. Ciampa stays on the back with a backbreaker and an abdominal stretch.

Nigel is right there to talk about how this will weaken the Black Mass because it’s based on core strength because Nigel actually knows how to analyze a match. A Texas Cloverleaf switches over to the legs but Black is in the ropes pretty quickly. Black is fine enough to escape a super White Noise and a collision gives us a double knockdown, continuing the odd theory of one move balancing out a long stretch of offense.

More kicks have Ciampa in trouble and the standing Lionsault gets two. A hard kick to the head is good for the same and some kicks to the chest (Black: “TWEET ABOUT THIS!”) rock him even more. He’s fine enough to hit a top rope DDT for two but Black is right back with kicks to the head. A big spinning kick to the head sets up a German suplex for a near fall and Ciampa bails to the floor. Black misses a moonsault though and Ciampa sends him into the cameraman.

Back in and the hanging DDT gets a VERY close two so it’s time to pull the ring mats up. The referee starts yelling so Ciampa comes back in, only to be shoved into the referee, knocking him to the floor. Black Mass connects but there’s no one to count. Ciampa goes for the eye and grabs the title but here’s Gargano to superkick him. Gargano tries to take the belt away, sending it square into Black’s head. Ciampa sends Gargano outside and a lifting sitout Pedigree (Christopher Daniels’ Angel’s Wings, a FAR better finisher than that lame neckbreaker Ciampa was using) finishes Black at 22:18.

Rating: A-. It’s basically Shawn/Bret/Undertaker at Summerslam 1997 and that’s not a bad place to be. You could easily get to a triple threat from here and for once I like that idea instead of going with the trilogy. Black vs. Gargano could be awesome on its own and you could really milk the build to Gargano vs. Ciampa III where Gargano goes back to his normal self (how fitting of a first line to his theme music: “Be yourself, can’t be no no else.”) to defeat the evil once and for all.

The match itself was a great piece of drama with Black knowing he had the big weapon ready to win in the end but getting caught by outside interference and Ciampa being evil enough to take him down. Black is kept very strong as he knocked Ciampa cold and didn’t lose clean, making this another near perfectly booked match.

The lack of music makes it all the more eerie and thank goodness the fans boo him out of the building instead of the YOU DESERVE IT stuff. Ciampa poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Sweet goodness they know how to do this stuff. This was a tremendous episode from a storyline advancement perspective as we now have a big time main event plus several other midcard feuds ready to go. You can pretty easily see the Takeover card from here, which says a lot given how little of it was set coming into tonight. The main event is great and worth seeing, but now I’m a lot more interested in Takeover than I was. They always have that one show to draw you in and that’s what they did here.

Results

Adam Cole b. Sean Maluta – Last Shot

Lacey Evans b. Tenilla Price – Woman’s Right

Tommaso Ciampa b. Aleister Black – Lifting sitout Pedigree

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole vs. Danny Burch

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

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

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

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

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

Kairi Sane vs. Vanessa Borne

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Adam Cole b. Danny Burch – Last Shot

Kairi Sane b. Vanessa Borne – Anchor

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

====

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

Kona Reeves vs. Max Humberto

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

Clip of Moustache Mountain winning the titles.

Candice LeRae vs. Lacey Evans

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

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

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

Heavy Machinery cooks some food and wants the Mighty.

Next week: Gargano vs. EC3.

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

Moustache Mountain vs. Dave Dixon/Carl Axelrod

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

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

Ricochet/Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Kona Reeves b. Max Humberto – Hawaiian Drop

Candice LeRae b. Lacey Evans – Lionsault

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kairi Sane is here.

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

Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Title: Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler

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

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

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

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

EC3 is here.

Keith Lee (making his debut) is here.

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

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

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

Ricochet b. Velveteen Dream – 630 Splash

Shayna Baszler b. Nikki Cross – Kirifuda Clutch

Aleister Black b. Lars Sullivan – Black Mass

Tommaso Ciampa b. Johnny Gargano – Hanging DDT

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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 6, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

It’s rubber match night as we have the unlikely third match between Lacey Evans and Kairi Sane. Evans has come out of almost nowhere with a gimmick that makes you want to see someone take her head off while Sane has gone from what looked like a very fun woman full of potential to just another name on the roster. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Shayna Baszler, who has her belt back. With the fans chanting QUEEN OF SPADES, Baszler talks about forcing Dakota Kai to face reality. It doesn’t matter who stands up to her because she’s tougher, she’s stronger and she’s better. The strong will always beat the weak, but there’s always one. There’s always someone who thinks the rules don’t apply to them and in this case it’s Nikki Cross.

Cue Nikki, who is almost shaking at ringside. She gets in so Shayna calls what Nikki did last week a joke. The only place where Nikki is better is in her whacked out little brain and Shayna can put her to sleep in a heartbeat. She throws the mic and Nikki, who lets it hit the ground, only to pick it up and shout DO IT over and over. Nikki growls at her to make Shayna drop the belt and the fight is on.

Shayna covers up in the corner but gets in a right hand when Nikki goes for the belt. Nikki is right back up and knocks Shayna to the floor, drawing some blood from the mouth. This was a heck of a segment as Shayna is a great cocky heel and Nikki is as crazy as I’ve seen in a long time. I want to see them fight now and that’s exactly the point of this. Well done indeed.

TM61 vs. Mike Hughley/Robbie Grand

Miller chops Hughley to start and it’s off to Thorn with a boot on the back of the head. An awesome looking dropkick takes Grand’s head off as the fans are split between the jobbers and the Aussies. Back up and Miller throws Grand into a HARD forearm to the back of the head for the pin at 2:16.

Post match TM61 lists off the teams they’ve defeated (all two of them) and says they can beat any team around here.

We look back at Lars Sullivan beating up Aleister Black last week.

Earlier this week, Sullivan was training at the Performance Center by beating up some rookies. TM61 can be seen walking in, seeing what Sullivan is doing, shaking their heads and leaving.

Roderick Strong vs. Danny Burch

They hit the mat to start with Burch spinning out of some hammerlocks and tossing a frustrated Strong into the ropes. Strong knees him in the face a few times and scores with some backbreakers but misses a running knee in the corner. It turns into a slugout and you just don’t do that against a British wrestler. Burch takes over so here’s the Undisputed Era for a distraction. That’s quickly cut off by Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan so Burch can slap on a Crossface. Adam Cole adds another distraction though and Strong hits another backbreaker for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C. I’m kind of surprised that the challenger lost so close to a title match but at least it wasn’t a clean pin. Burch and Lorcan aren’t likely to win the titles but they’re fine for some one off challengers. It’s very impressive that NXT can keep building these teams up in short order like this and they’ve done it again with Lorcan and Burch.

Post match Strong poses but gets punched down by Dunne until Kyle O’Reilly hits Dunne in the knee with a title.

Kassius Ohno is at a photo shoot when EC3 comes in. Insults are thrown and Ohno promises to knock him 99% unconscious next week. The challenge is accepted.

Video on Aleister Black, who is ready for Sullivan.

Ricochet talks about being known only for his flips for fifteen years and now it’s time to be more than that. He’s risen to the top of every place he’s been and he’ll do it here too. Velveteen Dream says sure Ricochet can flip all over the place but he can’t make people feel it like the Dream can.

Ricochet wants to see Dream prove it, because the only setback he’s had is being eliminated from a reality show (Dream: “The Dream has no memory of that.”) and getting a contract anyway. Dream talks about Ricochet being the king because he’d rather be the prince. The king may have been good once, but the prince knows that a greatest crown awaits. Again, this should be a lot of fun.

Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans

Lacey’s hand actually has Sane’s name on it. Sane ducks some early swings and headscissors Lacey down before stomping on the hand. Smart move indeed. Instead it’s a knee to the face and a slingshot elbow for two on Sane, followed by just driving the hand into Kairi’s face. It’s off to a cobra clutch with Lacey swinging her around in a circle for good measure.

Lacey even does pushups during a cover but Sane avoids a moonsault. Three straight spears and a top rope forearm set up a cross armbreaker but Lacey stacks her up for the break. Not that it matters as an Alabama Slam (Mauro: “From Japan!”) and the Insane Elbow end Evans at 6:27.

Rating: C+. Fine match to blow off the feud and Evans has already gotten a lot as out of this. Sane winning is the right idea as she could be a good next challenger for Baszler, especially given their history. If nothing else it’s nice to see Sane get some fire inside her again as it’s been lacking in recent months, if not since all the way back at the Mae Young Classic finals.

Here’s Tommaso Ciampa to be booed out of the building all over again. A few PSYCHO KILLER chants are drowned out by the YOU TAPPED OUT chants until Ciampa says the fans gave up on him way before he gave up on them. Ciampa tells the fans that he’s going to talk no matter what they chant. Fans: “YOU STILL SUCK!” Ciampa: “That’s awesome.” They switch to JOHNNY WRESTLING so Ciampa tells them to save the Psycho Killer chants before going on about how Johnny always makes it about himself.

Last week Johnny just had to make a big presentation about how he signed a contract because a week before that, he nearly killed his wife. On June 16 in Chicago, it would be better if Gargano didn’t show up. The fairy tale is coming to an end and it won’t be a happy ending because Ciampa is winning.

Cue Gargano and the fight is on with a suicide dive knocking Ciampa into the crowd. Ciampa knees him in the ribs with the brace but Johnny dives off the bleachers to stay on him with more left hands. They get back in the ring and Ciampa gets in a few shots, setting up the Gargano Escape. Referees break it up and Gargano beats him up on the stage, setting up the real Gargano Escape to make Ciampa tap to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Some good action and all five Takeover matches getting attention, including some outstanding showdown segments. This was a great hype show for the big event next week and I want to see more than one match a lot more than I did coming into this week’s TV. That’s an awesome usage of an hour and that’s what NXT does best. There’s no “building momentum” or whatever WWE loves to say. This was a bunch of people getting ready to have their big matches and making the fans want to see those matches. That’s using wrestling TV properly and NXT does it to near perfection.

Results

TM61 b. Mike Hughley/Robbie Grand – Forearm to the back of Grand’s head

Roderick Strong b. Danny Burch – Backbreaker

Kairi Sane b. Lacey Evans – Insane Elbow

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: May 23, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

The build to Chicago is slowly taking form with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch looking likely to challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Other than that, we really don’t have anything set up yet. That being said, NXT has an amazing track record of being able to catch up in a hurry so it’s not like they’re in any real trouble. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Coachman is in the front row.

Heavy Machinery vs. TM61

Dozovic goes with the power to start and runs Thorn over with a shoulder, followed by a double shoulder to give Knight two. Everything breaks down for a few seconds with Miller being run over as well while Thorn is put in the Tree of Woe. That allows Miller to be driven into his partner’s ribs as this is one sided so far. A shot to the back cuts Knight off though and the fans stay completely behind Heavy Machinery.

Mauro makes a rare mistake by saying TM61 made it to the finals of the first Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (it was the second) as the beating continues, including a clothesline to the back of Knight’s head. A double suplex takes both Miller and Thorn down in an impressive power display and it’s back to Dozovic to speed things up. The Caterpillar Elbow gets two on Miller but Dozovic takes WAY too long going up, even stopping to wipe himself down. The delay allows Thorn to kick him in the face so Miller can get a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 7:23.

Rating: D+. Cheating wins are better than boring matches where I can’t remember what happened so this is an upgrade for TM61. I still like Heavy Machinery but they’ve hit their ceiling and are falling back to earth. To be fair, it’s not like the team had much of a chance to go very far in the first place. At least they’re still fun and the fans seem to like them quite a bit.

Video on Bianca Belair. Next week, we get a special sitdown interview.

Video on EC3. He brags about taking over NXT in just three matches, so imagine what he can do in number four.

Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans

Sane dropkicks her in the face at the bell so Evans hits one of the loudest chops in recent memory. A reverse DDT gets two on Evans but she kicks Sane down and grabs a chinlock. Evans starts in on the arm and keeps being aggressive with a bunch of stomping in the corner. We hit a neck crank for a bit before Sane fights up for a running ax kick. There’s the Interceptor spear and the sliding forearm in the corner, sending Lacey outside. Sane goes up but dives into the Woman’s Right for the big upset pin at 5:03.

Rating: C. Evans getting a win is a major boost for her and that’s what the women’s division needs right now. Sane continues to wait for the big push off but it just doesn’t seem to be in the cards. You would think her challenging Shayna Baszler for the Women’s Title would make sense but at the moment, we’re still waiting for it to take off.

The injured Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae arrive and have an announcement on his future. They’ll make that in the ring in front of the people though.

We look at the end of last week’s show with the Undisputed Era losing to Pete Dunne/Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch.

Lorcan and Burch want a title shot.

The Undisputed Era blow the loss off as the luckiest night of the British guys’ lives. There’s no reason to give them a title shot but Strong wants to face Burch next week.

Lars Sullivan vs. Velveteen Dream/Ricochet

Fallout from Sullivan interfering Dream vs. Ricochet last week. Ricochet can’t do anything with the power to start so Dream comes in for some alternating right hands and a double dropkick. That’s not enough to put the big guy down so Ricochet goes up for a springboard missile dropkick to finally get Sullivan off his feet.

They stay on him with the running forearms in the corner and a kick to the head gets Ricochet out of trouble. Superkicks put Sullivan down for a double two but he won’t stand for a double suplex. One heck of a clothesline puts Ricochet on the floor and Dream gets tossed away. We hit the chinlock with Sullivan throwing in some crossface shots for good measure.

Dream fights up and tries for the tag, only to be thrown right back down. A top rope headbutt gets two on Dream with Ricochet making a save. That doesn’t sit well with Sullivan and the distraction lets Dream kick him down and make the hot tag. More kicks to the head set up a standing shooting star for two. Ricochet nails a springboard 450 but Dream turns on him with the Death Valley Bomb. Dream walks away and the Freak Accident gives Sullivan the pin at 9:47.

Rating: B-. That’s a smart way to end the match and really, there’s not much of an excuse for Sullivan to not be #1 contender. Seeing Aleister Black trying to kick him in the head could be interesting and the drama could be awesome. Dream vs. Ricochet in Chicago should get quite the reaction and give one of them a big win.

Next week, Dakota Kai gets a Women’s Title match.

Kai is worried but ready to fight because this is what means so much to her. Baszler comes in and says Kai has no chance. She makes fun of Kai for being scared and leaves with Kai almost cowering in fear.

Here are Gargano and LeRae for their big announcement. Gargano talks about being here last time and everything that happened to him while he was here. After the attack by Tommaso Ciampa, he sat down with Candice and started to think about his future. With everything that’s happened and after talking to Candice, he knows it’s worth it and wants Ciampa out here RIGHT NOW.

Candice tries to talk him out of this but the neck brace is off. Cue Ciampa on the stage as LeRae runs through the crowd. Ciampa comes to the ring and here’s LeRae again with referees to get between them before anything can happen. Candice gets him away but Ciampa says be a good little boy and listen to your wife. Gargano charges the ring but gets knocked off the apron, right into Candice, who is slammed onto the ramp. Even Ciampa looks like that was too far and everyone checks on Candice to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Some good wrestling and even better storyline development makes it another solid hour of NXT. Chicago should be a lot of fun and the card is starting to come together. You can get to five matches without much trouble and the crowd is going to more than carry any issues the show might have. Another good outing this week, as expected.

Results

TM61 b Heavy Machinery – Rollup with feet on the ropes

Lacey Evans b. Kairi Sane – Woman’s Right

Lars Sullivan b. Ricochet/Velveteen Dream – Freak Accident to Ricochet

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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: May 16, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

We’re a month away from Takeover: Chicago and that means we need a card. If there’s one thing NXT is capable of doing, it’s putting together a card in a hurry. There’s a bunch of stuff already set up and that’s enough to build a show in just a few weeks. If nothing else you can probably set up Gargano vs. Ciampa II. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Johnny Gargano’s music starts but it’s Tommaso Ciampa instead for a swerve. He says that he’s won the war with Gargano because Johnny has been broken and dispatched. Now there is only Ciampa. This brings out Candice LeRae to say that she’s done. She’s done putting up with the man who stood next to her and her husband on their wedding day. All Ciampa has to remember is that Gargano was better than him.

Ciampa says that Johnny may be better than him, but he’s more of a man than Gargano. That’s why Johnny sent Candice out here to do this for him. Candice talked about their wedding and it made Tommaso wonder how she was marrying Gargano. That earns him a slap to the face and Ciampa walks away. I know NXT is smart enough to not consider turning LeRae, but that’s what it felt like they were planting seeds for here.

Brandi Lauren vs. Lacey Evans

Lauren appeared in TNA as Ava Storie. Evans sends her into the corner for a chop and punches her down, setting up a picture perfect middle rope moonsault. A hard right hand (the Woman’s Right) is good for the pin on Lauren at 1:23.

Post match Kairi Sane runs out and spears Evans, who bails from the threat of an Insane Elbow.

We look back at Ricochet and Velveteen Dream’s exchange last week.

Aleister Black says if Ricochet thinks he’s the one and only, come prove it. He’s ready for them both.

Dakota Kai doesn’t know what’s up with Nikki Cross, who pops up with her own phone like a reporter and asks when Kai will be facing Shayna Baszler. As usual, Cross sounds like a psycho and says fight over and over.

Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet

The fans like both of these guys, even as Ricochet works on an armbar. Dream can’t nip out of a headscissors so they trade headlocks instead. Back up and Dream armdrags him to the floor but Ricochet slides in for an enziguri. The threat of a dive has Dream sliding back in and landing right in front of Ricochet in the superhero pose. They fight into the corner and here’s Lars Sullivan to jump Ricochet for the DQ at 3:43, though they’ll call it a no contest because he beats Dream up a few seconds later.

Rating: C. It was fun while it lasted but this was angle advancement instead of a big time match. I’m glad they went with this ending because this could be a big time match and they would be foolish to put it in the middle of a regular episode of NXT. Ricochet is so smooth in the ring and Velveteen is like a more athletic Goldust from the 90s (well, the PG version at least) and that’s a very interesting combination.

Lars beats them both up and, indeed, it’s announced as a no contest.

Kona Reeves vs. Raul Mendoza

Reeves cranks on the arm and runs Raul over before going more aggressive with a bunch of stomping in the corner. A falling middle rope elbow hits Mendoza (ala Ted DiBiase, who Mauro was comparing Reeves to at the time) and it’s off to a cobra clutch, which can’t be a coincidence. Raul breaks out with a jawbreaker and an enziguri but Reeves kicks him out of the air. The Hawaiian Drop puts Raul away at 3:47.

Rating: D. I still have no idea what they’re seeing in Reeves because it’s not coming out here. There’s no real edge to him and his work isn’t great, especially that rather bad finisher. If they went with the Million Dollar Man idea it would at least be something but this is just “hey he’s Hawaiian”. If nothing else have him use different people’s offense every week or something. Just….more than this.

Ricochet is trying to get into Regal’s office when Dream shows up to do the same. They both want Sullivan and go into the office together.

Heavy Machinery talked about eating steaks with their mothers on Mother’s Day when they ran into TM61, who make fun of Machinery eating too much. A match is set up for next week. Otis says anyplace anytime, but I think he means at Full Sail and he’s specified a time.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch/Pete Dunne vs. Undisputed Era

Strong bails from Dunne to start and it’s off to O’Reilly vs. Burch. Danny takes him to the mat without much effort and grabs a headlock. O’Reilly gets him into the corner and it’s time for the rotating villainous knees to the ribs. They start in on the arm but Burch slips out of a fireman’s carry and drags Strong to the corner for the tag to Dunne. It’s time to start cranking on the arm and goes for the fingers, even as everyone else comes in.

Everything breaks down and Burch gets two off a clothesline. Dunne gets sent outside though and it’s a fireman’s carry backbreaker into a running kick to Burch’s chest for two. With everyone else on the floor, Burch snaps off a Crossface on O’Reilly. Everyone else comes back in and Dunne armbars Cole while Lorcan gets a half crab on Strong.

Roderick kicks Lorcan off and the domino effect finally breaks up the Crossface. Dunne and Cole fall to the floor and the regular teams slug it out inside. O’Reilly hits Cole by mistake though and Lorcan Blockbusters both of them at the same time. A wheelbarrow DDT ends Strong at 11:22.

Rating: B-. This feels like a preview for the British Strong Style vs. Undisputed Era match that has to be coming. If nothing else it sets up the Tag Team Title match at Takeover and you could probably make Dunne vs. Cole down the line (if nothing else, at Takeover as well) as a bonus. On the top of the list though, it’s NXT taking two people with talent but not doing much and turning them into something. That’s nice to see being done properly.

Next week: Dream/Ricochet vs. Sullivan in a handicap match.

The Brits want the belts to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a storyline development show and it came at the right time. They needed to start setting things up for next month and that’s exactly what they did here. Instead of doing random matches that don’t get you anywhere or a week of stand alone stuff, NXT put together a show that addressed multiple stories at once and probably gave us three matches for Takeover that can be announced in the coming weeks. As usual, well done.

Results

Lacey Evans b. Brandi Lauren – Woman’s Right

Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream went to a no contest when Lars Sullivan interfered

Kona Reeves b. Raul Mendoza – Hawaiian Drop

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan/Pete Dunne b. Undisputed Era – Wheelbarrow DDT to Strong

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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