NXT 2/6/19
Hi wrestling fam! It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for my weekly NXT review! I quite enjoyed our yellow brand power hour. We’ve officially moved on from the events of Phoenix so it’s time to start our build toward the next big thing. Cue Brock Lesnar’s music!
Johnny Gargano, the new NXT North American Champion, comes out and basks in the crowd’s adoration of him. Tommaso Ciampa comes out and takes credit for Gargano’s accomplishment. However Gargano says that he’s wrong and that he just came out at the end of Takeover as a way to say that he didn’t need Ciampa. And then Velveteen Dream, the Worlds Collide tournament winner, made his appearance. He dismissed Ciampa and his beloved Goldie and instead challenged Gargano for the NXT North American Championship.
Thoughts: That was a nice twist, having Velveteen Dream go for Gargano instead of Ciampa. The NXT North American Championship is still very new; as of press time, only three champions have been crowned. Having the Dream challenge for it helps elevate it even more.
Grade: A
Jaxson Ryker vs Mansoor
There wasn’t much of a match here. It was a total squash match meant to make Jaxson Ryker look strong and dangerous. He did a cool sit-out chokeslam powerbomb, called No Remorse, for the win and then did another one just because.
Winner: Jaxson Ryker
Thoughts: The match did what it was supposed to. Ryker looked like a threat and those of you that know me, know how much I love a good sit-out powerbomb.
Grade: C+
Backstage, we learn that that Adam Cole and Ricochet are going to wrestle each other to figure out who’s going to get a rematch for the North American Championship. We also learn that Gargano and Dream’s match is in two weeks.
Thoughts: Cole has lost a little bit of stock since losing the North American Championship. Hopefully this puts some more wind in his sails.
Not Graded
Drew Gulak vs Eric Bugenhagen
This was a pretty basic wrestling match, minus Eric Bugenhagen’s theatrics. Bugenhagen only seemed to piss Drew Gulak right off and the match ended quickly once Gulak applied the Gulock.
Thoughts: Music based gimmicks don’t always do so well here. Hopefully Bugenhagen has some more stuff in his arsenal that we’ll get to see.
Winner: Drew Gulak
Grade: C
Drew Gulak vs Matt Riddle
After Gulak defeated Bugenhagen, Matt Riddle arrived to say that he needs to leave or he’ll make him leave. Riddle took his flip flops off and the two started their match. There was a lot of grappling and suplexes and some unique submission holds. One of my favorite sequences was a bridging German suplex from Riddle that Gulak then rolled into a Fujiwara armbar. Riddle won the match with the Bromission.
Winner: Matt Riddle
Thoughts: I am quite relieved that we have moved on from Kassius Ohno for Matt Riddle. I think Gulak and Riddle had a fun match. Perhaps Gulak should stick around NXT for longer…and maybe bring back the powerpoints.
Grade: A-
Io Shirai, Kairi Sane, and Bianca Belair vs Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir
We finally got to see three of the four MMA hoursewomen in match together on television! The Sky Pirates and Bianca Belair got a lot of good offense in. Belair did eventually tag herself in to get to Shayna Baszler. Kairi Sane did a sweet dive onto Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke on the outside. Io Shirai won the match with a springboard moonsault onto Baszler, though Belair did not seem to be as thrilled with the win.
Winner: Io Shirai, Kairi Sane, and Bianca Belair
Thoughts: Duke and Shafir fared a little better in this tag match as they also had Baszler with them. Again, working together and with more experienced talent can only help them grow. Baszler and Shirai could potentially be a championship bout and I would be excited to see it. Some interference from a bitter Belair would only add to the feud.
Grade: B+
I had a fun time with this week’s NXT, even with the two squash matches. I’m not sure when the next Takeover event is going to be, but I’m looking forward to the builds. In particular, I’m hoping to see more of the Gargano and Dream feud and the possible Io Shirai and Shayna Baszler feud.
Overall grade: B+
-Wynter
