By Liz@Ms_Deathwish
This week’s episode opens with General Manager William Regal speaking with a group of “security” guards (keep your eyes peeled for these guys in a few year’s time) outside the building. He warns them that former champion Aleister Black will be showing up tonight and tells them to make sure that the first thing he does upon arrival is go and see the manager in his office. Following on from the apparent revelations of last week, where Nikki Cross seemed to whisper the identity of the mystery attacker to him, it stands to reason that the sinister Black will be out for blood this week.
Undisputed Era
The first superstars we see this week are the Undisputed Era. All four members come out to the group’s theme tune, including Bobby Fish who has only recently returned from a long standing injury.
Adam Cole kicks things off on the mic, lamenting the victory of Ricochet in the triple threat championship match featuring himself and NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne. His complaint is that Ricochet pinned Dunne, not him, so he wants his one on one rematch for the gold.
Cole is interrupted by EC3’s music as the “Top 1%”makes his way down the entrance ramp. EC3 states that Cole doesn’t deserve a rematch as he lost his previous chance to reclaim the championship. The two trade a few barbs resulting in one calling for a ref so they can work it out in the ring. Regal makes the match official and the first match of the night starts.
Adam Cole vs EC3
Many people would question EC3’s sanity in accepting this challenge. One on one, I have no doubt it would be a very competitive match. However with the added factor of THREE superstars in Cole’s corner, things aren’t looking good for EC3.
After the bell rings, Cole takes an early advantage with a series of well placed stomps and kicks. EC3 manages to claw it back powering through a run of chops in the corner, showcasing his impressive strength and high impact style. EC3 continues to dominate, nailing an emphatic elbow in the centre of the ring, followed by a clothesline taking both competitors over the top rope and onto the floor.
The other three members of Undisputed Era make their presence known, looking to take down EC3, or at least try and distract him to give their leader the upper hand. It’s not that simple though as Cole is taken out by a ferocious facebuster on the apron, meaning EC3 retains control of the match for now.
Once back in the ring however, Cole makes a comeback of sorts. After coming out of a grappling series on top and grabbing a pin attempt off the back of a powerful pump kick, he repeatedly uses the ropes to his advantage. Using the ref’s full count multiple times to rain down blows on his opponent, he finishes this spot off with a beautiful neckbreaker, bringing EC3’s full weight down onto his knee.
EC3 recovers well, carrying out a great high impact series featuring a lovely deadlift suplex, powerful German suplex and finishing off with an explosive sit out power-bomb. This series leads to EC3 going for the pin, but Adam Cole shows he still has some life left by kicking out at a count of two.
Adam Cole has a last gasp attempt at victory by planting a vicious super-kick right on EC3’s jaw, but is stopped in his tracks with a clothesline that takes him off his feet. Cole’s minions try and come to his rescue by jumping up on the apron for another distraction but are soon knocked back off by the pumped up and hungry EC3. He dodges Cole’s attack and rolls him up for a pin, claiming a surprise victory.
Following the match, Undisputed Era take advantage of the fact the referee no longer has any control and all rush to attack the victor in a show of dominance. They taunt EC3 while throwing up the UE hand signs and stomping on him on the stage. Bobby Fish breaks rank briefly to grab a steel chair and returns to smash the downed EC3 repeatedly with a series of chair shots. His team-mates stare in disbelief, laughing at the scene unfolding in front of them. As the jubilant team exits the stage, EC3 seems to be holding his knee, hinting at a potential injury resulting from the fracas.
I’m very interested to see where they are taking this story and budding rivalry. With NXT Takeover: War Games looming on the horizon, fans are waiting to see exactly what the brand has in store for the War Games style match. It makes sense to have Undisputed Era face a band of challengers and there seems to be a group of likely suspects forming. We have EC3, Ricochet, even Pete Dunne could be a potential opponent. There’s even the possibility of bringing War Raiders into it to set up for more tag title matches. However this would mean a lot of the gold involved in one match so I’m not sure if that’s the way they will go. Whatever they choose, I’m sure the match will not disappoint.
Intermission:
Before the next match we are informed of an announcement from William Regal regarding the NXT Championship Match at NXT Takeover: War Games. If we consider the opening segment with Regal, it is apparent that this statement from the manage will probably feature an appearance from the former NXT Champion. As a fan who has missed seeing the charismatic performances of Aleister Black, I am pleased to see him back on our screens.
Following this information, there is a video promo introducing one of NXT’s newest signees, hot off her performance in the Mae Young Classic, the “Blasian Baddie” Mia Yim. I was pleased when I heard of her signing and look forward to seeing how she fares in NXT.
We then have another cutaway to the security from the opening segment. They are being circled by a frantic Nikki Cross, laughing like a maniac and shrieking “he’s coming” repeatedly, before she scampers off giggling to herself. I wonder if “he” is Aleister Black? Who knows?
Mia Yim vs Aliyah
Next up we have a women’s match between Aliyah, playing a new, more aggressive character, and the debuting Mia Yim. She is taking to this new heel persona well, casting derisive looks at the crowd and sneering at all and sundry. Mia Yim comes out to an enthusiastic and positive response from the crowd, while Aliyah looks distinctly unimpressed.
The action kicks off with Mia Yim getting the advantage early on with a nice series of arm drags culminating in a dropkick that shows her impressive athletic ability. Aliyah puts her newly found aggression into practise and tries to take back control by overpowering her opponent. She manhandles Mia with a series of holds before attacking with a barrage of strikes and blows. She pulls off a very competent Northern Lights Suplex into a bridge pin attempt before Mia kicks out. Aliyah retains control with a submission hold, attempting to knock the breath out of Mia. She escapes the hold and inflicts a series of powerful kicks finally knocking Aliyah down. Once she manages to build up some momentum, Yim becomes pretty unstoppable and it isn’t long before she secures the victory with her finisher, Sole Food.
This was a solid debut from Mia Yim. I have seen her work in the past and really enjoyed her dominant performances in the Mae Young Classic. However the standout performance for me in this match was honestly Aliyah. I was really impressed with her new attitude. She has been stuck in forgettable “jobber” mode for far too long and a change was needed. She really filled the role of arrogant heel well and I hope this is the start of a better run for her in NXT. She proved here she is capable of much better than she has been booked for in the past.
Intermission:
This next segment comes with a promotional video from “The Lady Of NXT” Lacey Evans. She is taking to the new role of traditional 50s housewife who just so happens to be an ex marine really well. She riles up the feminist in me something rotten which is exactly what she’s supposed to do. Great heel work from this lady.
After this we have some Evolution hype in the form of an advertisement for the PPV and a montage of Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler to promote the NXT women’s championship match that is taking place there. This promises to be an excellent match and one of the ones I am most looking forward to.
There is also a tribute video for WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. It wouldn’t feel right writing this piece without taking a minute to address his situation. He revealed on this week’s Raw that he has been dealing with leukemia for 11 years. It went into remission but is now back, meaning he has to vacate the title and take some time off for treatment and recovery. This announcement was a shock to everyone and prompted an outpouring from everywhere in the wrestling world. As someone who has been affected by cancer through the loss of my parents, I would like to take a minute to send my best wishes to Joe and his family. You got this dude.
Justin Xavier vs Kassius Ohno
In recent weeks, Kassius Ohno has been less than happy with the competition he has been given in NXT. He has expressed this to William Regal on multiple occasions but his frustration is obvious. He comes out this week to face a man called Justin Xavier who I don’t believe I’ve seen compete before. He is wearing new black and yellow ring gear. Such a change of appearance is often an indicator of a change in attitude. Sure enough he is not behaving in his usual face-like way, scoffing at his opponent and dismissing him. I have been predicting a heel turn for Ohno for quite a while now, so maybe this is the start of that coming to fruition.
As the action kicks off, Ohno’s power advantage is apparent while Xavier tries to mount a successful assault. A lovely spinning elbow from Xavier seems to surprise Ohno briefly after he had been openly mocking his much smaller opponent. Justin shows some impressive athleticism but the power game is far too stacked against him and Kassius takes him off his feet with a brutal kick. Ohno follows up with a relentless series of punches and high impact moves showing an unprecedented level of aggression we haven’t seen before from the Knockout Artist. He lands a solid leg drop and a couple of powerful sentons on the plucky young Xavier before securing the win with his patented rolling elbow.
This was a quick match, mainly to build on the story of Ohno’s frustration and his displeasure at his current booking. Xavier certainly showed some promise, although he was barely given a chance to shine in this match. A full on heel turn for Ohno is not far away I don’t think.
Regal’s Championship Announcement
At the end of the previous match, Nikki Cross makes her presence known again by coming out to the ring and continuing with her statements of “I know” and “he’s coming”. Knowing what is coming up, it is a foregone conclusion that Aleister Black will feature in this final segment in some way.
We start this announcement with Regal in the ring. It isn’t long before Ciampa’s music hits and the champ makes his way down to the ring. He mocks Regal, playing the heel to perfection, showing little concern for whoever Regal has picked to be his opponent at Takeover: War Games. His tirade is interrupted by Velveteen Dream’s entrance music and the flamboyant superstar saunters down to the ring. He and Ciampa have been circling each other for a few weeks. He tells Regal that he wants him to “say his name”, making reference to his infamous rivalry with Aleister Black that ended with an outstanding match at a previous Takeover event.
In turn, Dream is interrupted by Lars Sullivan, the behemoth from the Rocky Mountains. He has been dominant in many matches recently and considers himself the best pick for the title shot, which he quickly makes known to the general manager and champion. These three take verbal shots at each other, finally interrupted by the ubiquitous Nikki Cross for one last time. Her arrival, along with shrieks of “he’s here” brings with it the revelation that Aleister Black has arrived at the building.
We cut to footage of him assaulting the security outside the building, leaving them laid out on the floor. He rampages through the building, decimating everyone in his path, before eventually reaching the arena and leaping into the ring. He hits Lars Sullivan with his Black Mass kick, a move I have missed seeing so much. Marching up to William Regal, he grabs him, only to be blindsided by a returning Johnny Gargano! Johnny stands above Black, who is flat on his back, and says the words “I’m right here”, ending the episode.
So, what does this mean? It would appear Black’s attacker has been revealed, but what if it’s not that simple? Gargano certainly had motive for taking Black out. It meant that the triple threat title match, ended up being a one on one between him and Ciampa, giving him a better chance of winning, as well as an opportunity to face his former friend alone. To find out more, we shall have to keep watching as events continue to unfold.
