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.

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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:

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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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: May 9, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

We’re in that odd period of NXT as we’re too far away from the next Takeover to really start building there but too far from the previous Takeover to deal with fallout. NXT is capable of pulling off something in the meantime though and that should be more than enough to bridge the gap. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Ricochet to get things going. Everywhere he’s gone in his career, he’s tried to have people talking about him. Over Wrestlemania weekend, his goal was to leave people talking. You can call it confidence or cockiness but it’s who he is. Now the only thing on his mind is the NXT Championship but here’s Velveteen Dream to interrupt. Dream says no no no and wants to know who gave Ricochet the authority to come out here and ask for title shots. He needs Ricochet to take a step back and asks about the One and Only nickname.

Dream questions if Ricochet makes things look good because Ricochet is looking at the one experience. Ricochet can jump around all he wants but remember he’ll land in the back of the line behind the Dream. Ricochet says Dream is a lot, but he’s not Ricochet so enjoy the spotlight while you can. That’s fine with Dream, because anything Ricochet can do, Dream can do better. Ricochet: “Prove it.” Dream teases throwing a punch but drops to the mat instead, leaving after Ricochet winks at him. I could go for this feud, but I’m not sure where Dream goes if he loses another big match.

Raul Mendoza vs. EC3

Mendoza grabs a headlock to start, followed by a missile dropkick. EC3 is right back with a reverse bulldog driver (I’m not sure how much that would hurt) and sends him face first into a buckle. A TKO is good for the pin (with two hands on the chest for the cover) at 2:44.

Post match EC3 says he doesn’t care about losing at Takeover because adversity makes a man. The only thing you’ll see out of him going forward is victory after victory. Then this place will be NX3.

Last week Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch told Pete Dunne that they don’t like him but they’ll have his back because they don’t like Undisputed Era either. Dunne leaves without saying anything. That’s about what I expected.

Dakota Kai vs. Vanessa Bourne

Kai hits a running dropkick but misses a running version in the corner. Bourne is right back with a kick to the ribs and a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. We hit the double arm crank for a bit before Kai is back up with more kicks. Now the running kick in the corner rocks Bourne, followed by a running sunset flip into a Backstabber (cool) for the pin on Bourne at 2:36.

Post match Shayna Baszler comes out and Kai is terrified. Shayna drops the title and chokes Bourne off as Kai leaves in fear (with Baszler staring her down) instead of making a save. When Kai stands up for herself, many months from now, the pop is going to be crazy.

Back from a break with Kai being unsure what just happened. Baszler comes in and tells her to do something about it. Kai still can’t move so Shayna laughs and leaves. Kai hears more laughter and Nikki Cross is hanging from piece of metal and laughing at her too. Now that’s kind of interesting.

Heavy Machinery vs. War Raiders

Rowe and Dozovic start things off and it breaks down into a four way forearm slugout in no time. Knight gets sent outside and Dozovic gets kneed in the ribs. He’s still able to suplex Hanson down so it’s off to Knight vs. Rowe. Hanson is right back in with a suicide dive to Dozovic, leaving Knight to take Fallout for the pin at 2:52. That’s all this needed to be.

We look back at TM61 cheating to defeat the Street Profits.

The Profits are training because this is serious.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Kassius Ohno

Still no music for Ciampa. Ohno takes it to the floor early on and sends Ciampa into the barricade. One heck of a right hand sends Ciampa back into the ring but he snaps Ohno’s throat across the top rope. A running knee to the head rocks Ohno again and a kick to the side of the head puts him down as Ciampa asks if Ohno is Gargano’s big brother. Ohno blocks a chop and hits a bicycle kick. It’s time to go simple as Ohno stands on Ciampa’s head and then drops an exposed knee onto Ciampa’s damaged eye.

A shot to the face knocks something out of Ciampa’s mouth and puts on a cravate choke into something like a Bubba Bomb (with a cravate instead of a full nelson) for two. Ciampa is right back and pulls at Ohno’s eye, setting up a running knee to the back of the head for a near fall of his own (I thought that was it). A clothesline sets up a neckbreaker into a faceplant to put Ohno away at 9:32. Mauro is LIVID that Ciampa won.

Rating: C+. I can appreciate the idea of Ciampa as a violent guy who wants to injure people but sweet goodness he needs to switch those last two big moves up. A neckbreaker faceplant is a move that anyone could use and doesn’t look nearly as good as the running knee. It doesn’t fit the violent nature that Ciampa had been going for all match and didn’t feel like the end of the match. The rest was the right call with Ohno out for blood to avenge his friend and Ciampa not caring because he wanted to hurt someone. Just fix that finish.

Post match Ciampa hits Ohno in the back of the head with his knee brace and chokes him with it. Ciampa shouts that he broke Johnny’s spirit and broke Candace’s heart so the Gargano fairy tale is over.

Overall Rating: B. What more could you ask for? They covered about six stories in less than an hour and didn’t even touch the Undisputed Era or Aleister Black. As I’ve said before, if there’s one thing NXT knows how to do, it’s make everything feel like the most important thing in the world. This show flies by and that’s far more than you get anywhere else. Another very good show here that makes me want to see what they have in store.

Results

EC3 b. Raul Mendoza – TKO

Dakota Kai b. Vanessa Bourne – Sunset Backstabber

War Raiders b. Heavy Machinery – Fallout to Knight

Tommaso Ciampa b. Kassius Ohno – Neckbreaker into a faceplant

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

After a few weeks of insanity on the main roster, it’s rather nice to see how things are going down in NXT. This week we have the first defense of the North American Title as Adam Cole defends against Oney Lorcan, but there’s a slightly bigger title match. Tonight we have Aleister Black making his first defense of the NXT Title against Johnny Gargano. The shenanigans should be high with this one. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Undisputed Era to open things up, with Roderick Strong officially announced as a Tag Team Champion. Adam Cole talks about how much gold the team has, which is what happens when you back the team into a corner. NXT has fought against them from the start but ladies and gentlemen, here they stand.

Bobby Fish talks about having the deck stacked against them every time but they’re always winding up in front. Strong says he isn’t here to pat himself on the back so everyone else can do it for him. For once he did something for himself by taking the safer long term prospect. All Pete Dunne cares about is the United Kingdom Championship so how long would it be until he turned on Strong?

During the match, Strong had an epiphany: it’s always Roddy vs. the world, but why fight on your own and come up short? They are done being backed into a corner and now they can’t be stopped. Cole is ready to defend the North American Title on his own, just like he won it. It’s not like he needs any help defeating Oney Lorcan. Now why is it so hard to get an explanation for actions like the one Strong just gave us?

North American Title: Oney Lorcan vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and has heavily taped ribs. Lorcan is smart enough to go for a waistlock to send Cole bailing to the floor. Mauro’s analysis: he doesn’t think Cole is at 100%. On the way back in, Lorcan shoulders him in the ribs to keep the champ in trouble. Cole comes back and stomps him down before hitting a chinlock.

The fireman’s carry neckbreaker plants Lorcan again but he’s right back up with a running elbow. The running Blockbuster gets two and Cole gets dropped ribs first onto the top rope. Cue Kyle O’Reilly with a trainer to throw up the X, followed by a belly to back suplex to put Lorcan on the apron. Cole is just fine and the Last Shot retains the title at 5:54.

Rating: C-. They did the smart path here with the Lorcan staying on the bad ribs. Having someone come out and throw up a fake X is a smart idea and something I don’t remember seeing before. The Undisputed Era could be around for a long time and that’s going to make things interesting in the future. These first few title defenses aren’t the most thrilling but the logic was sound.

Post match Danny Burch runs in for the save but gets superkicked down.

Video on Shayna Baszler.

We look at Candice LeRae defeating Zelina Vega last week.

Video on Bianca Belair, who faces Candice next week.

Heavy Machinery vs. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss

I don’t say this often (if ever) in NXT but yes, again. Knight headlocks Moss to start and double shoulders put Sabbatelli and Moss on the floor early on. Back in and Heavy Machinery rams them into each other before standing on their chests to pose. Things finally settle down and Moss hammers Dozovic into the corner to take over. It’s back to Sabbatelli to throw some punches but Dozovic launches him to the floor. Moss comes back in and slugs away but Sabbatelli walks away, leaving Moss to take the Compactor for the pin 4:07.

Rating: D+. Good. Not only is the team finally done after not having any chance to go higher than they were, but now we don’t have to watch this match anymore. There’s nothing left for Sabbatelli and Moss to do as they’re not all that interesting as so many of their stories were about that car. Sabbatelli could be ok on his own, but neither is exactly jumping off the page at me. Splitting the team is the right move, even without much upside.

Post match Heavy Machinery calls out the War Raiders, saying they’re going to eat all the steaks and lift all the weights. If the Raiders are ready to face them, Heavy Machinery is ready for war.

Video on the women’s division.

Dakota Kai doesn’t want to talk about Shayna Baszler and her injury. Baszler comes in and demands that Kai looks at her. Kai came all the way here but needs to understand that the women’s division under Baszler is Kai’s worst nightmare. If they go through with this, Kai rising up to fight Baszler could be money.

Kona Reeves is coming.

Video on Lacey Evans. Dang there are a lot of these tonight.

Next week: TM61 vs. Street Profits and Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong.

NXT Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black

Black is defending.

Hang on though as Tommaso Ciampa, now with face paint (or maybe tape), jumps Gargano from behind. Johnny fights out of White Noise through a table though and dives onto Ciampa. The beatdown is on until Ciampa gets in a low blow. White Noise through another table leaves Gargano laying. A stretcher is brought out with Candice LeRae out to help her husband too. We follow the stretcher to the back with Kassius Ohno (in a Larry Sweeney shirt) holding Gargano’s hands. The ambulance leaves and Ciampa is shown standing on a production truck, watching it leave. Heck of an angle here and the rematch will rock.

Back in the arena, here’s an angry Aleister Black to take a mic. Black calls out Ciampa but gets….Sanity? Eric Young says Gargano provided hope in the chaos. Out of the chaos we will find sanity but Black cuts him off, asking if Young is looking for the title. If so, let’s do this.

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Eric Young

Young is challenging. They take each other down and Young grabs a headlock. That goes nowhere so Young elbows him down instead. Black knocks him to the floor and moonsaults into the seated pose to remain calm. Back in and Young gets caught in an armbar but Alexander Wolfe offers a distraction to get him out of trouble. Some choking has Black down and Young gets two off an elbow.

Black fights out of the chinlock and hits a big boot for a breather. A running knee knocks Young silly and more strikes make things even worse. Black gets two off a Lionsault to a standing Young and grabs something like an Octopus hold, albeit with Young standing straight and Black hanging to the side. A Death Valley Bomb gets Young out of trouble for two and he goes to the top. That’s broken up so Young tries his slide through the legs into the sunset flip, only to eat Black Mass to retain the title at 8:51.

Rating: B. It’s amazing how much easier Young is to watch in this role. He has more than enough skill to make the matches work and keeping his talking short is the best idea NXT could have for him. Black was strong here as well, showing that he can work with anyone and hitting Black Mass is going to get him out of any trouble. Good match here and better than I was expecting.

Post match the rest of Sanity gets Black Mass as well to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting things up for the future and oh my did they do a good job with that. On top of the great angle with Ciampa and Gargano, there’s the potential for War Raiders vs. Heavy Machinery, someone coming up to challenge Undisputed Era and Kai vs. Baszler (that’s more long term). I’m interested in all of those things and that’s a rare feeling to have. Takeover: Chicago should be a lot of fun and as usual, I fully believe NXT can pull that off.

Results

Adam Cole b. Oney Lorcan – Last Shot

Heavy Machinery b. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss – Compactor to Moss

Aleister Black b. Eric Young – Black Mass

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

Takeover: New Orleans
Date: April 7, 2018
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

As is so often the case with Takeover, the card for this show looks incredible. As isn’t so often the case with Takeover, Wrestlemania looks very good as well. I don’t remember the last time WWE outdid NXT but maybe that can be the case tonight. You know, assuming NXT falls apart at one of these for the first time ever. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the go home show if you need a recap.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the lower bowl on the hard camera side with the ring on my left.

We open with the lights off and a few glow sticks in the air. There were supposed to be far more as Mike Rome announced that everyone should have gotten some. A WE WANT GLOW STICKS chant broke out and the scene really isn’t as good as it should have been. Anyway, Cane Hill performs a heck of a theme song with It Follows. This was great and a solid way to open the show, especially rather than doing the performance in the middle of the show.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Velveteen Dream

Ladder match for the inaugural title with Ricochet and EC3 (who is still said to be coming from a rich family) making their in-ring debuts. Cole is the heavy crowd favorite with Ricochet a close second but anyone is a potential winner. The fans declare this awesome before the opening bell, and can you really blame them?

EC3 bails to the floor and it’s Dain/Sullivan clearing the ring for the big showdown. The two of them head outside as well, leaving Ricochet to springboard into a shooting star press to drop them in short order. Now that we’re a minute into the match, it’s time to go for the first ladder but Dream pulls Ricochet down. Back in and Ricochet moonsaults into a headscissors before snapping off a dropkick. He’s already one of the smoothest high fliers you’ll ever see in NXT and this is a heck of a first impression.

Cole pulls Dream off the ladder, setting up the fireman’s carry neckbreaker. EC3 comes in but Sullivan and Dain are right back to clean house. Dain suicide dives onto Sullivan (because a man his size can just do that) and picks up EC3 and Ricochet at the same time. Cole makes the save but Sullivan throws a ladder at everyone else to clear the ring. It’s time to hammer away with said ladder, including the Terry Funk ladder around the head to swing away. I’ve missed that spot.

Dream gets dropped ribs first onto the ladder and it’s time for Sullivan to climb. That’s actually booed out of the building, which really surprised me. Ricochet, EC3 and Dream powerbomb him off the ladder but Dain pulls Cole off the ladder. Dain backdrops Ricochet onto a ladder in the corner and it’s time for EC3 and Cole to team up for some house cleaning. They bridge a ladder from the announcers’ table to the apron and there’s no way this could end well.

Back in and EC3 does Cole’s pose, earning himself a trip into the ladder as well. Superkicks abound and Cole shows us how to really do the pose. Dream comes in with some Purple Rainmakers, including one to Ricochet after the referee moves the ladder. Sullivan and Dream are left alone with Lars charging into a ladder shot….and it’s time to climb the big ladder. In the spot of the match (so far), Dream drops the HUGE Purple Rainmaker (getting ABOVE THE TITLE), possibly breaking everything in the process.

EC3 is up with a powerbomb to put Dream onto the ladder though and it’s time for another climb. This time it’s Cole making the save, earning himself a TK3 (TKO) off the ladder for a huge crash. The fans declare this awesome (perceptive crowd) as Dain gets up and crushes EC3 with a Vader Bomb onto a ladder onto EC3. Dain loads up another one, but this time Cole jumps on his back. That means a DOUBLE VADER BOMB onto the ladder onto EC3. A quick look into EC3’s mind likely sees him screaming “I LEFT IMPACT FOR THIS???”

Ricochet breaks up another Sullivan vs. Dain fight but Sullivan throws him across the ring. Dain picks him up (Fans: “THROW HIM BACK!”) and does just what the fans want, meaning it’s the big slugout at last. Sullivan plants him and goes up with Ricochet making the save. Ricochet goes up but the ladder is shoved over….so he MOONSAULTS OFF AS IT GOES DOWN, taking out Dain and Cole in the process. I don’t even know how you do that but he pulled it off like a good Kentucky boy.

EC3 chops Ricochet in the ring but gets kicked down, setting up a shooting star onto the ladder. Dream FINALLY comes back in (after spending a long time being attended to on the floor thanks to being busted open earlier) and is promptly punched in the face. A ladder is bridged between the standing ladder and the corner so Dream hits the rolling Death Valley Driver to drive Ricochet onto but not through the bridge. Egads that was a scary looking one, but compared to everything else in the match it was almost tame. That’s nuts.

We haven’t had carnage in all of ten seconds so Sullivan puts Dream on the bridged ladder outside the ring and gives EC3 a Freak Accident through Dream through the ladder. Mauro absolutely loses his mind (again) and the three of them are dead. I’m not sure why Sullivan is but that’s WWE for you. Dain isn’t about to be outdone and puts Ricochet on another bridged ladder and hits a World’s Strongest Slam on Cole, driving him through Ricochet to put all six down at once.

The fans want them to fight forever but settle for Sullivan and Dain climbing the ladder inside. EC3 slows them down with some ladder shots to the ribs and climbs another with Cole going up the other side. Of course Dream and Ricochet climb their own ladder, putting all six up on ladders at the same time. Cole gets knocked off but climbs back up to grab a Russian legsweep on EC3.

Dream touches the title but Ricochet neckbreakers him down as well. A Freak Accident brings Dain down as well and all six are on the mat again. Sullivan, with blood coming down the side of his face, goes up but Ricochet springboards up and lands on his back, breaking one of the ladders in the process to put everyone down again. Cole turns the ladder over and gets the title for the win at 31:25.

Rating: A+. Like this could possibly get anything else. There are matches where they have a major story going on and all kinds of stories tied in at the same time. Then there are matches with so much carnage and violence with near title grabs and crazy spots. This would be the latter and my goodness it was incredible. These six guys left EVERYTHING they had in the ring and there was so much stuff that made your eyes bug out. It also helps that the match was a complete pick em coming in, making this one of the best ladder matches I’ve ever seen. Watch this as soon as you can.

Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega are in the back. Not exactly noteworthy but this cut off in the arena.

We recap Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon. Baszler has run roughshod over the division so far but got caught in a quick fall against Moon. Baszler talked about ignoring the system and getting exactly what she wanted in the process. She got underneath Ember’s skin and Ember challenged her to another match. Tonight is the rematch with Baszler a little more experienced and ready to take the title.

Ronda Rousey and Jessamyn Duke are in the front row (in the same spot as all other guests tonight) to cheer Baszler on.

Women’s Title: Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler

Moon is defending and gets played to the ring. It’s not bad but pales in comparison to the pretty awesome opening song. Moon misses a charge at the bell and gets punched right in the face. They head outside early on with Moon sanding her into the steps, followed by a middle rope Codebreaker for two back inside. Baszler catches a kick from the apron though and sends Moon face first instead.

Back in and the chinlock doesn’t last long, allowing Moon to get in a hard palm strike. They’re certainly going back and forth here and that’s not the worst idea in the world. A knee to the face gives Baszler two but her rear naked choke is countered as Moon drops her down onto the mat for a break. Baszler steps on her hand and loads up a big stomp but Moon switches places (like a magician) and stomps on Baszler’s arm instead.

Shayna is in real trouble as her arm is hanging there but catches Moon on top and kicks her in the face. With Moon down, Baszler RAMS HER OWN SHOULDER INTO THE POST to pop it back into socket. Well that certainly….works? I think? Baszler rolls outside and gets caught with the Eclipse (Moon is going to shatter her tailbone one day) to the floor. Moon can’t follow up so Baszler grabs the Kirafuta Clutch back inside before switching into a triangle choke.

That’s broken up by a powerbomb for two and Moon is either shocked by the pain or the near fall. The second Eclipse is countered into another Kirafuta Clutch (first time it’s been countered) with one arm (didn’t notice that live). Ember goes for the ropes and fights for a very long time, even cranking on the bad arm, before eventually collapsing, giving Baszler the title at 12:55.

Rating: B. There was a story being told here with Moon being angered to the point of trying to play Baszler’s game instead of going with what brought her to the dance. Baszler had also studied the Eclipse since last time and was ready for it this time around, allowing her to catch Moon and win the title. It was a heck of a fight with Moon trying, but there was no doubt that Baszler was getting the title here. Throw in the spot on the card (this was the only thing that could have followed the ladder match) and this was a rousing success.

Baszler celebrates with Rousey and Duke.

Paige introduces us to a clip from the movie about her family. I saw this so many times over the weekend that I’ve almost memorized Rock’s joke.

Adam Cole isn’t sure he can wrestle the Tag Team Title match. This also cut off early in the arena.

We recap the Tag Team Title match/Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic final. The Undisputed Era interfered in the final so it was turned into a triple threat for both the trophy and the titles. Adam Cole is filling in for the injured Bobby Fish as William Regal continues to stick it to the Undisputed Era.

Tag Team Titles/Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Roderick Strong/Pete Dunne vs. Authors of Pain vs. Undisputed Era

The Era is defending (and challenging for the trophy at the same time). The Authors won the tournament two years ago (the most recent edition) and Strong and Dunne have been thrown together. Cole is heavily taped up and the Authors waste no time in slugging away to take over. They send Cole outside for a double powerbomb through the announcers’ table for a huge crash as we’re still not even two minutes in.

O’Reilly dives off the apron with a knee to Razar as reality has struck him very quickly. Back in and Dunne goes for O’Reilly’s arm but Kyle is more than capable of escaping. Strong is up with a backbreaker to Kyle and a running knee to Akum. O’Reilly grabs a guillotine to slow Strong down before switching to a triangle choke. Since that’s not enough, Kyle grabs an ankle lock on Akum at the same time. Razar is back up though and powerbombs Dunne onto the pile for the big break.

Everyone else is cleared out so Razar grabs a choke on Strong as this actually turns into a tag match. I’m as shocked as you are. Kyle comes in but walks into a German suplex. He pops up with a shout….and then collapses to the floor in a funny bit. Strong finally kicks him away and it’s off to Dunne with the hot tag. Dunne flips over Kyle and kicks him in the back (with O’Reilly pretty clearly sitting there waiting on it, even looking over his shoulder for the contact).

Rating: B. Not the best match in the world but my goodness that was the right call. Strong just was not working on his own and having him join the Undisputed Era is the best fit for him. He won’t have to talk and O’Reilly needs a new partner with Fish out injured. This was another wild brawl and I’m glad they didn’t bother wasting time trying to have a match. Sometimes it’s just not needed and that was the case here.

Post match Strong takes Cole’s armband and puts it on to officially join the group. The trio heads up to the trophy with Fish joining them, meaning they won a tournament they weren’t even in (notice Vince Russo frantically scribbling things down).

Of note, Goldust and Jeff Jarrett were watching this from the front row. Shane McMahon was on the hard camera side (at least from before this match on) and ran over to hug them during a video package.

Nita Strauss is here.

We recap the NXT Title match, meaning Gargano vs. Ciampa is in its rightful main event slot. Aleister Black wants the NXT Title and has yet to be pinned in a singles match. Andrade Cien Almas, with manager Zelina Vega, has rocketed up the charts and become a heck of a champion in his own right. I could see this one going either way, which isn’t often the case in the title matches.

NXT Title: Andrade Cien Almas vs. Aleister Black

Black is challenging and misses a running boot at the bell. Instead he goes with strikes anywhere he can hit them to put Almas on the floor. The moonsault into the seated position doesn’t rotate enough so he lands on his stomach, only to pop up and moonsault onto the floor to take Almas down again. Some right hands have Almas on the run but Vega hits a hurricanrana off the apron to send Black into the steps. I’m not sure how the referee couldn’t see that but wrestling is funny that way.

Back in and Almas stomps away (Mauro: “Nothing tranquilo about the champion tonight.”) before sending Black shoulder first into the post. The fans are split as Almas gets a backbreaker out of the corner for two and it’s off to a chinlock with an arm crank. Back up and Black knees Almas out of the air and both guys are down. A Lionsault gives Black two more and the fans sounded like they were into the kickout.

Almas kicks him outside for a springboard corkscrew plancha but still can’t put Black away. That means it’s time to bring in the belt as a distraction so Vega can hit another hurricanrana with Black going head first into the mat. Back up and Black Mass hits out of nowhere with Vega putting the foot on the ropes. The heat is strong with this one.

Vega interferes for a FOURTH TIME with a distraction allowing Almas to crotch Black on the ropes. The Alberto Del Rio double stomp connects, thankfully not driving Black down to the apron in the process. Almas scores with the running knees in the corner for a VERY close two and Vega is panicking on the floor.

Black Mass is countered with a dropkick to the back and it’s out to the apron again, this time with the running knees driving Black into the post. Black sends him outside but a quick hammerlock DDT….gets two? Vega has had enough and goes up top, only to get caught by Almas instead. The opening lets Black Mass knock Almas silly for the pin and the title at 18:20.

Rating: A-. I know Johnny Gargano is getting all the praise, but these two deserve some serious consideration for Wrestler of the Year at this point. They just tore the house down and if not for the opener, this would have stolen the show so far. Vega was a great addition here and the ending makes perfect sense: Almas got where he is with Vega’s help and her interference became his downfall. Great match here and I can see why they went with Black, as he’s on fire right now.

We recap Gargano vs. Ciampa, which is nearly a year in the making. They’ve been friends for years and came to NXT as a tag team. After rising all the way to the Tag Team Titles, they came crashing back down, followed by Ciampa tearing his ACL. Ciampa accused Gargano of making the team all about himself even though Ciampa was carrying it. With Ciampa out, Gargano tried to get back to his peak but Ciampa was always in the back of his mind.

Then Ciampa cost him his NXT career, sending Gargano into a rage against Ciampa, stalking him at the Performance Center and even at his house. Ciampa went to William Regal to get rid of Gargano, setting up tonight’s unsanctioned match. If Gargano loses, he’s gone forever. If he wins though, he’s back in NXT. This is an INCREDIBLE build to the point where everyone wants to see Gargano kill Ciampa after everything he’s done but Ciampa looks that dangerous. In other words, this is the main event, full stop.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Anything goes and the referee isn’t in his regular gear because this isn’t sanctioned. Ciampa nails the entrance, slowly walking out with no music and just soaking in the utter hatred from the crowd. This is Ciampa’s first match since May and he looks absolutely chiseled. The place goes nuts for Johnny but it’s not as strong as the hatred for Ciampa. His entrance was just great stuff but it’s all working anyway.

They stare each other down to start and it’s time for the slugout with Gargano getting the better of it (of course). The slingshot spear cuts Ciampa in half and more left hands have him in trouble. Gargano stomps away in the corner as this is ALL Johnny to start with the fans loving him more every time he hurts Ciampa. A clothesline puts Ciampa on the floor for a suicide dive, followed by a trip over the barricade. Johnny dives onto him but gets dropped ribs first onto the barricade.

Back at ringside and Ciampa goes VERY old school by pulling back the floor mats. I haven’t seen that one in a long time. Gargano throws him over the announcers’ table and takes Mauro off headset in the process. Don’t worry though as the fans are right there with the MAMA MIA chant to make up for it. Ciampa isn’t done yet though as he grabs a suplex off the table to the floor (SICK thud) and they’re both down again. These guys are beating the heck out of each other and the hatred is awesome so far.

In a unique spot, Ciampa picks up the top of the table and suplexes Gargano through it, breaking the wood in the process. Back in and Ciampa rips at Johnny’s face before stomping on the hands. The fans aren’t letting up on Ciampa a bit here, even as he sends Gargano hard into the corner. A Texas Cloverleaf starts on Johnny’s leg for a change of pace and the rope break DOESN’T COUNT BECAUSE NXT IS ACTUALLY SMART WITH THIS STUFF. It always drives me crazy when that breaks a hold in a No DQ match and thankfully NXT got it right.

Johnny crawls to the apron for the break so Ciampa stomps him down and applauds the crowd. The fans refer to Ciampa by a rather mean term (in England at least) and he makes it worse by STEALING A FAN’S CRUTCHES. I mean, the fan was placed there before the match but still, great visual. Johnny takes it away though and knocks Ciampa silly, followed by a kick to the head for a double knockdown. The slingshot DDT onto the apron is broken up so Gargano POWERBOMBS HIM ONTO THE CONCRETE. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” I almost lost it at that chant.

Back in (since Ciampa is somehow not dead), they both grab the crutch in the middle of the ring with Gargano coming away with it. Some HARD shots to the ribs and knee set up the slingshot DDT for two. The middle turnbuckle pad is taken off but Ciampa gets two off a torture rack powerbomb. With Johnny on his knees, Ciampa does the DIY pose and hits a running knee to the back of the head for two more. Now the fans want tables, because this brawl isn’t enough for them or something.

They slug it out with neither getting the better of it until a clothesline drops Gargano. A reverse hurricanrana doesn’t quite work as Ciampa lands on Gargano’s back but the Gargano Escape goes on anyway. Ciampa makes the ropes to no avail so he goes to the eyes for the real escape. With wrestling not working, Ciampa takes off the wrist tape but Gargano grabs onto it and they slug it out while joined together by the tape. Nice visual there. Ciampa gets out punched so it’s a low blow and crutch to the back.

Project Ciampa (powerbomb into double knees to the back) gets two more but Gargano is back with two superkicks, followed by the DIY superkick for a red hot near fall. They head up top for a change of pace and a super Project Ciampa….gets two. I had bet on that as the finish, especially with Ciampa banging up his knee even more in the process. Ciampa takes the knee brace off but Gargano picks it up and hits him in the knee with it instead.

Now he picks up the other crutch (which the referee had placed in the ring) but stops as Ciampa begs off (ala what Ciampa did to Gargano in the Cruiserweight Classic). Ciampa grabs the brace and swings away, only to get pulled into the Gargano Escape. Gargano gets the brace and wraps it around Ciampa’s face for an STF and the tap at 37:00.

Rating: A+. Of course that’s what it gets. This match was built up like nothing else has been in NXT and they hit every possible point they could have done here. It was incredibly entertaining and one of the hardest hitting fights I’ve seen in a long time. The symbolism at the end was great and called back to almost every major point that these two have had since coming to WWE. Gargano winning to put Ciampa away (I can’t imagine there won’t be a rematch) for now was the right call, but I really wasn’t sure at times. Incredible match as Gargano’s outstanding runs continues.

Candice LeRae runs out for the celebration. This went on for a long time, even after the show ended. The pair eventually went up the ramp to pose, only to have Johnny look over his shoulder to make sure Ciampa wasn’t back. One more pose ended the night.

Overall Rating: A+. I knew this was going to be great but I didn’t know it was going to be this. We had one of the best pair of opening and closing matches that I’ve ever seen, an any other show stealing classic NXT Title change and two other matches that were very good in their own right. Somehow this topped Dallas as the best show I’ve ever seen and is probably the best Takeover of all time. Incredible night here and something they’re going to have to work hard to top, if they even can (which I would have said about their other top efforts as well, though it happened here too). Watch this as soon as possible.

Results

Adam Cole b. Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain, Velveteen Dream, Ricochet and EC3 – Cole pulled down the title

Shayna Baszler b. Ember Moon – Kirafuta Clutch

Undisputed Era b. Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong/Pete Dunne – End of Heartache to Dunne

Aleister Black b. Andrade Cien Almas – Black Mass

Johnny Gargano b. Tommaso Ciampa – STF

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