NXT 1/30/19
What’s good, wrestling fam? Your favorite babyface authority figure is back again to talk about the yellow brand! NXT aired from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, the site of NXT Takeover: Phoenix, Monday Night Raw, and Smackdown Live. I’ve finally come down from the high of Rumble weekend so let’s dive in to our hour of Wednesday night action!
We got a recap of Takeover that ended with Gargano and Ciampa raising their titles at the end of the event. I’m not going to grade this but I have to say this was a spectacular visual live.
Io Shirai and Kairi Sane vs Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir
Io and Kairi’s team is called the Sky Pirates! They were on point and in sync in this tag match. The UFC horsewomen had some considerable size advantage, but it was all about the Sky Pirates. We got some opposing boos and yays for a ground and pound sequence. Io managed to fight her way out of a dragon sleeper. Ultimately the match was won by Kairi as she the insane elbow off the top rope onto Marina.
Winner: Io Shirai and Kairi Sane
Thoughts: Io and Kairi’s team name is adorable. Marina and Jessamyn had a pretty good showing even if they’re still really green. I can’t wait to see what the Sky Pirates do against other tag teams; maybe they’ll get a tag team championship run later on.
Grade: B
We got a series of videos recapping Takeover again with the announcers calling it. Highlights included the War Raiders saying the Undisputed Era earned their respect, the dramatic NXT Championship match video, the backstage brawl, and the NXT talent who appeared in the rumble matches.
Thoughts: If you watched Takeover, this part was repetitive and unnecessary. But if you didn’t watch the event, it was a good recap and gave you everything you need to know moving forward. I’m not sure if the backstage brawl was aired on the Network but I am glad that they have a six-man tag team match for SuperBowl Sunday.
Grade: B
The Street Profits vs The Forgotten Sons
There was a little bit of chaos in the beginning as all the match participants got in the ring, but once the match was underway, the Profits had a hot start. The Sons did a double Rock Bottom. Montez did a straight vertical leap into a tope con hilo which garnered the wonderful NXT chant from the crowd. The Sons won the match with a reverse DDT and double stomp combination, which is called the Memory Remains.
Winner: Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake
Thoughts: I didn’t have much for the Forgotten Sons when they first banded together as a stable, but this match has gotten my attention for them. If they are indeed being set up as the next challengers to the War Raiders, it’ll be an uphill battle for them.
Grade: B-
While NXT wasn’t firing on all cylinders this week, nevertheless it was a solid show. I think there was too much focus on recapping the weekend for how short of a runtime there is and not enough forward momentum. Most of the viewers have some form of social media and probably know what happened even if they didn’t watch Takeover.
Overall grade: B
-Wynter
