NXT 3/13/19
It’s Thursday so you know what that means! It’s time to review the black and gold power hour known as NXT. There was lots of wrestling action on this episode as we had both Dusty Rhodes Classic semifinals matches and a number one contender’s match for the women’s championship. So let’s take a look at what went down!
Forgotten Sons vs Moustache Mountain
The big strong bois vs the sleavy biker gang is not something I would’ve anticipated seeing, but here we are. There was a lot of good back and forth action in this match, made better I think by the amount of technical wrestling involved. One of my favorite parts of the match was definitely the airplane spin that Tyler Bate did with both of the Forgotten Sons on his shoulders. Talk about a big strong boi! The reverse DDT/stomp combo won it for the Sons, but Moustache Mountain deserves a lot of credit for their work in this match. They made the Sons look like a very credible tag team.
Winner: Forgotten Sons
Grade: B+
Bro!
Matt Riddle was interviewed about confronting Velveteen Dream. Adam Cole called him delusional for thinking he’d be the next champ so Riddle challenged him to a match.
Grade: Not Graded
Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair-#1 Contender’s Match
Continuing from their heated confrontations over the last couple of weeks, both Shirai and Belair got great crowd responses. There were dueling chants for both competitors during the match. Shayna Baszler was also providing color commentary, of which she did a great job. Both Shirai and Belair showed off some gymnastics prowess. We got Shirai’s famous moonsault as well as Belair’s hair whip. After Shirai ate a spear from Belair, Baszler pulled Shirai out and caused a disqualification. Then she choked out Belair. Kairi Sane came out, but Baszler choked her out too before choking out Shirai. This was a great match and I think Baszler came off looking like an absolute monster!
Winner: No Contest
Grade: A
The Plot Thickens
We were shown highlights from the match between Dominik Dijakovic and Keith Lee. The two men had a confrontation at the performance center so they will have a match next week. Baszler was informed that her title will be defended in a fatal four-way match at Takeover.
Grade: Not Graded
Evil DIY vs Aleister Black and Ricochet
Black and Ciampa started and commentary reminded us of their match at the last Takeover event. DIY followed up last week’s bout with the same intensity and teamwork; even with their breakup, they haven’t missed a beat and work so well together. Black and Ricochet also continued to deliver, a great juxtaposition of flips and striking ability. That double backflip taunt they do is so cold, I hope they keep it around for the duration of their tag team. Gargano did some good selling of a knee injury, making for a dramatic time where Ciampa had to go it alone. In the end, a Black Mass and 630 won the match for Black and Ricochet.
After the match, Johnny was comforted by Candice LeRae and Ciampa. They helped him up the ramp. Ciampa went to throw Gargano into the LED board, but Gargano stopped him and shoved him into the board instead. Revenge! Candice smiling in the background was just the icing on the cake.
Winner: Aleister Black and Ricochet
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
I think this is the last taping before Tommaso had to leave to have his neck surgery. He must have been in so much pain, he’s such a trooper. We’ve got our women’s championship match set for Takeover. I’m wondering who is going to come out on top in that match; with the addition of the women’s tag belts, it’d make sense to keep the Sky Pirates together. Is Baszler ready for the main roster jump? There’s also intrigue as to what we’re going to do with the NXT Championship now that Ciampa is out for the foreseeable future.
Final Grade: A-
-Wynter
