By Liz@Ms_Deathwish
Intro:
This week’s NXT opens with a promo for tonight’s main event, a Triple Threat title match between Adam Cole, Pete Dunne and Ricochet, for the North American Championship. I think that the entire world has been waiting for this match with baited breath. Three men who are currently at the top of their game, locked in that age old conflict to try and determine who should be at the top of the mountain.
First Segment:
To kick off the show at the brand’s home of Full Sail University in Florida, the music of the current NXT champion, Tomasso Ciampa, plays to a rowdy crowd. On commentary we have the usual team of Mauro Ronallo, Nigel McGuiness and Percy Watson. As Tomasso takes to the stage we are told that he won NXT’s top prize in only his 10th singles match on the yellow brand. He treats his belt as if it is a sentient being and gazes at it with such love and reverence. I’m sure many people wish they had someone who looked at them like that. The crowd’s “boo” is deafening, as has become standard whenever the Sicilian psychopath tries to say anything.
Ciampa has really found his voice since becoming champ and issues a convincing and passionate promo yet again this week. He references the suspicions that surround him regarding the attack on the previous champion, Aleister Black, and calls out one person in particular who has been vocal in his accusations. That person is Velveteen Dream. He calls out the young, rising star which gets a pop from the crowd before Dream’s music inevitably hits.
Personally I find Dream absolute gold on the mic. He oozes charisma, far more than many at his age. He faces off against Ciampa in the ring, calling him an “angry bald little man” while the crowd chants “Velveteen!” over and over, showing just how much the crowd is behind him. Following some verbal sparring where the attack on Black is alluded to and Ciampa gets in a dig referencing Dream’s past experience on the old WWE show “Tough Enough”, we hear the entrance music of the seemingly knowledgeable Nikki Cross fill the arena.
Nikki makes her way down to the ring, grinning like a maniac and visibly bristling with energy. Previous weeks have seen many backstage segments featuring Nikki where she alludes to “knowing” something. There is the implication that this knowledge is crucial to the Aleister Black investigation, but who really knows what goes on in that head?
When she arrives in the ring she is greeted by chants of “Triple threat” from the crowd, referring to the possibility of her inclusion in a title match for the main gold. I know we are probably a long way from the WWE allowing intergender matches, especially with championships involved, but this is clearly something the fans, myself included, would love to see. The next chants from the crowd proclaim “Nikki knows a secret”, and I wonder for a minute if she is finally going to reveal her hand. No such luck unfortunately as all she does is tell each superstar that she knows “what they did” and reiterates her current catchphrase of “I know! I know!”
Despite barely saying anything at all, Nikki’s energy still manages to steal the show for me in this part. I’m very excited to see exactly where they intend to take this and what her part will be in the story. Both men really don’t seem to know what to make of this turn of events, looking in equal parts disturbed and confused. The segment draws to a close with the crowd repeating “She knows! She knows!”
Match 1: Keith Lee vs Kona Reeves
Previous weeks have seen a budding rivalry between these two promising stars. Lee is a relatively recent signing, hot from the indie scene, while Reeves has been with NXT a little longer but has yet to do much outside of a “jobber” type of role.
Keith Lee comes out to a supportive crowd, a contrast to the negative reaction of the “bratty rich kid” style heel character of Kona. With the crowd behind him, Keith Lee seems pumped and ready, which prompts his opponent to unleash some trash talking to kick things off. Lee has a clear power advantage and quickly seems to gain the upper hand with a massive double chop to Reeves in the corner. He then dominates Reeves, tossing him out of the ring with an excellent belly to belly throw.
Kona makes an aggressive comeback and exhibits some real promise in the ring with a nice sequence of kicks and strikes, ending with a flying back elbow from the corner. He is really beginning to show he can carry a decent portion of a match on his shoulders, I believe he has great potential and he sells the heel angle well. Lee’s power however, proves too much for “NXT’s finest”. After taking a fair bit of punishment, Lee shows why he is “limitless” and gets to his feet, his opponent’s blows eventually having no effect other than to anger the big man. He takes Kona down with a HUGE pounce and hits his “Supernova” to finish with a very emphatic pin victory.
Intermission:
Following what I would call a very solid match, we are treated to an advertisement for the upcoming all women’s PPV, Evolution. They push the match between the NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane, and challenger (and previous champion) Shayna Baszler. We see a training montage with the very confident Shayna talking about her plans going into the match and then a short interview segment with the always effervescent Kairi who is no less confident in her ability to retain. This match promises to be an awesome showing of two very different women, who wrestle very different styles, and is one of my picks for match of the night at Evolution at the end of October.
Before the second match, and this week’s main event, we cut to a backstage segment with William Regal being asked about the Aleister Black investigation and his opinion on the earlier events involving Nikki Cross, Dream and the champ. During this segment the NXT general manager is approached by Cassius Ohno, who has been unhappy with his booking for a few weeks. He seems to hint at a possible heel turn with the way he talks about how he isn’t being taken seriously or being seen as “a threat”. He also mentions a potential new signing and “bro-mance” involving this new star and the manager. Knowing that indie star and newest signee Matt Riddle has started performing at house shows, and that he carries the moniker “Super-king of bros” you can’t help but wonder if Ohno is referring to him and that this is the set up for a rivalry once he debuts on TV. I guess we’ll have to just wait and see..
Main Event: Triple Threat for the North American Championship – Ricochet (champ), Pete Dunne and Adam Cole
I’ve been looking forward to this match since it was announced and it did not disappoint at all. All three men enter the ring to a positive response from the crowd. This is one of those matches where most people really don’t care who wins, we just know we’re in for a treat.
An early alliance forms between Dunne and Ricochet as they both round on Cole in the opening minutes of the action. Both of these superstars have gripes with the Undisputed Era frontman so a temporary alliance at some point was predictable. Anyone who has watched a triple threat match will know that such alliances never last and it’s not long before Adam Cole has turned it around forcing Pete Dunne to run straight into Ricochet, ejecting the Bruiserweight from the ring.
Ricochet continues to showcase his ridiculous athleticism, with a beautiful array of aerial assaults. Pete Dunne lives up to his “Bruiserweight” name with a powerful barrage of attacks eventually leaving Adam Cole out of the running for a while.
Ricochet and Dunne engage in a really nice sequence with some great grappling, proving that Ricochet is far more than just an excellent high-flyer. This is Dunne’s wheelhouse though so he quickly gains the advantage over the two other men. He dominates Ricochet with his signature manipulation of the fingers and other joints, hyperextending them brutally and leaving the One and Only writhing in pain.
What follows is a pure exhibition of class from all three athletes. Blows and strikes from all angles, with no one superstar managing to maintain an advantage for long. Ricochet pulls off an exceptional springboard hurricanrana on Cole, quickly followed by a step up moonsault from Dunne. A couple of near-fall pin attempts help to build the excitement of what is proving to be an excellent match. Dunne has a great spot where he manages to lock in a single leg crab on both men at once. Ricochet manages to squirm free and counters with an octopus hold of his own. Cole breaks them up with a backstabber whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
Further back and forth strikes from all three men climax with a running shooting star press from Ricochet and a reversal that leaves all three out on the floor. As they catch their breath, the crowd erupts into mainstay mic-man Mauro Ronallo’s signature exclamation. “Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia!”
The next confrontation leads to both Cole and Dunne being outside the ring. The UK star shows his vicious side, using the steps to his advantage and putting some serious hurt on Adam Cole with a series of stomps and blows into the hard steel.
This title bout really is just a highlight reel and it would be impossible for me to detail everything that happens (so PLEASE go and watch it if you haven’t). Some real stand out moments in the latter part of the match include a X-Plex, powerbomb combo from Dunne and a spectacular double Frankensteiner from Ricochet. Cole lives up to his heel persona with a cheeky pin attempt putting his feet up on the ropes (the match is no disqualification so this would technically be legal). He gets another near-fall (we’re talking milliseconds from victory) following his signature Ghostbuster move, but Ricochet eventually picks up the win by pinning Pete Dunne following a stunning springboard 450 splash.
This match really was PPV quality and shows, yet again, why so many hold the NXT brand in such high regard when it comes to WWE programming. The Wednesday show is frequently the highlight of my wrestling week and this episode was no exception.
