By Wynter@WynterStorm24
It’s Thursday so you know what that means! It’s time for my weekly NXT review. I had a few technical difficulties with the Network last night as it seemed like WWE Shop was intent on making me buy more stuff, but I did eventually manage to watch. Let’s take a look at what went down on our lovely black and gold power hour.
Adam Cole started the show off and said he beat four of the best to earn his title opportunity and said he had a million reasons why he could beat Johnny Gargano. He invited Gargano to the ring and he wanted to know these “million reasons”. There were dueling chants of “Johnny Wrestling” and “Adam Cole”. Cole said he didn’t need the crowd’s support, but Gargano said he loved the chants. Gargano went on to talk about how he scratched and clawed his way both to NXT and to this title match. Cole left the ring and then mocked Gargano. The rest of Undisputed Era appeared on the ramp and Cole said he was going to be champion.
Thoughts: Whew, that was a fantastic opening segment! The chants lasted for almost a full two minutes; they probably would’ve kept going had Cole and Gargano not actively tried to deflate them. You can tell the crowd is really into both of these guys and they’re going to be super into the match itself!
Grade: A+
Aliyah and Vanessa Borne vs Kacy Catanzaro and Lacey Lane
The crowd really liked Catanzaro and Lane and as a bonus, this was Lane’s first NXT television appearance. There wasn’t much of a match though as Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke showed up. Catanzaro tried to fight them off but got locked in the Kirifuta Clutch for her efforts.
Winner: No Contest
Thoughts: I was actually looking forward to Catanzaro and Lane having a full tag team match, but I think having Baszler interrupt was a good idea. She seems like an omnipresent threat this way. I wish they’d do something more for Duke and Shafir other than being Baszler’s lackeys but at the same time, they might not be ready for it.
Grade: C+
Matt Riddle vs Kona Reeves
This was a fairly standard match. Riddle showed off his striking ability and he did a great senton. Velveteen Dream arrived about mid-way through the match on a couch pulled by some pretty women. Reeves tried to take advantage of Riddle’s distraction, but wasn’t successful and Riddle won the match with the Bromission. Dream announced Riddle as the winner and the King of Bros drank out of Dream’s cup before pouring it out and saying he’d see him in New York.
Winner: Matt Riddle
Thoughts: I still can’t get over Dream and his whole couch. Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely love Dream’s extra-ness? At first I wasn’t all too invested in the North American Championship but these two have piqued my interest and I think I’ll be happy no matter who walks away with the belt.
Grade: B+
Aleister Black and Ricochet vs The Forgotten Sons
The match started off with a brawl, but once the bell rang Black and Blake started the match off. The match itself was pretty good with all four men in the match looking getting a chance to shine. We saw Black’s striking, Ricochet’s flips, and the Forgotten Sons using double teams and heel tactics. The Sons’ third member even got ejected for shoving Black’s foot off the ropes. Black hit a Black Mass on Blake, keeping him from getting involved again as Ricochet finished off Cutler with a 630. Black and Ricochet are officially going to take on the War Raiders for the Tag Team Championships.
Afterwards, the War Raiders and Black and Ricochet had a standoff.
Winner: Aleister Black and Ricochet
Thoughts: I was so skeptical of Black and Ricochet as a team at first but they’ve definitely shown their chemistry and have really figured themselves out as a team. It’ll be interesting to see how well they do against War Raiders, a team with a lot of chemistry and history together. As for the Forgotten Sons, they did well in this tournament and I think they’re solid workers but they’re still otherwise…forgettable.
Grade: A-
Final Thoughts
Takeover: New York is shaping up to be awesome like most of its predecessors. All the championship matches seem like they’re going to be great. But we still have another week before Takeover and things can change. I know NXT isn’t generally affected by what happens on the main roster but there’s still the possibility of changes next week.
Overall Grade: A-
