The NXT Tag Team Championships are on the line between The Undisputed Era and Heavy Machinery. Plus, we finally get the much anticipated Fatal Four Way Match to determine who will face Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.
Let's Do This!
NXT Thoughts (Recorded as Viewed)
- We start off with the #1 Contenders Fatal Four Way Match to determine who will face Shayna Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix for the NXT Women's Championship. Io Shirai vs. Lacey Evans vs. Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair. Yim and Shirai team up early on to take out Belair. Io Shirai nearly kills herself diving onto Belair on the floor. But thankfully, she's ok. Yim and Shirai team up on Evans until Yim takes out Shirai by accident. Evans now goes to work on both Yim and Shirai, overpowering both women. In all honesty, this is the most impressive performance I've seen from Evans.
Eventually Belair gets in the match and helps Evans for a bit. But that lasts about as long as a politician in a lie detector test. Eventually, all four women get impressive moves on the other. A pop-up attack by Shirai on Evans opens her up seconds later to a spear by Belair. Shirai gets the momentum going against Belair, including a 619 and a top rope dropkick. Yim gets knocked down by a big fist by Evans, but Shirai breaks it up. Moonsault by Shirai on Evans, but Belair WHIPS Shirai with her elongated hair!!!! The K.O.D. leads to the victory for Bianca Belair! She gets the shot at Baszler.
A very good four way match here despite my problems with how NXT introduced the women in the match. Belair will be a great opponent for Baszler. Will she defeat her? Maybe by DQ to remain Un-Da-Fea-Ted. I see Belair possibly winning the belt at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn during WrestleMania Weekend.
- Mitch Taverna (?) takes on The Forgotten Sons' Jaxson Ryker. This seems to be a dark match added to the show. There's been no commentary for the last 5 minutes on the show, and the crowd seems darkly lit. Ryker wins by hitting a massive Powerbomb, bouncing the opponent off the ropes before sending him crashing to the mat, for the win. Meh match. Completely skippable.
- A video package plays for the Velveteen Dream, putting over his past year and the legends who have taken notice of his rise.
- We get a replay of last week's Steel Cage Match where Ciampa helped Gargano get a victory over Aleister Black. Ciampa cuts a promo backstage. He's a man who keeps his word and his promises. Last week was his vindication. Last week was proof that someone was listening. Gargano listens and follows his lead. That led him to pin Aleister Black last week. He says Johnny should have an opportunity at a title. Not Ciampa's but maybe the North American Heavyweight Championship. It's time for those two to end TakeOver running NXT. Ciampa continues to be a great heel champion on the brand. His work has been beyond criticism. Nothing redeeming whatsoever. No cool heel schtick.
- The NXT Year-End Awards are coming next week as is Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno 2.
- The main event for tonight is Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic) taking on Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly (complete with air guitar on the belt) from The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Typical match you would expect here to start off with Heavy Machinery using their size and power to get an advantage on Heavy Machinery. Tucker Knight gets caught on the apron by O'Reilly grabbing the leg. This opens up Strong to hit a sick looking back suplex backbreaker on Knight on the apron. Knight takes the brunt of The Undisputed Era's offense here as Strong and O'Reilly effectively cut the ring in half. Knight gets Roderick Strong down and tags in Otis Dozovic.
Dozovic mows over The Undisputed Era and nails The Worm/elbow drop on Strong. All four men are involved now. Knight gets the tag. A moonsault by Tucker Knight misses. (Big moonsault, by the way.) Dozovic gets the tag. Strong hits bunch of kicks. Clothesline by Dozovic gets a 2. He climbs up the top rope but gets hit with a Step-Up Enziguri. The Undisputed Era hits a Suplex/Powerbomb on Dozovic for a 2 count. O'Reilly takes out Knight. The Undisputed Era double team Dozovic but only get a 2 after a bunch of strikes. They take out Knight again. High/Low finally puts Dozovic away.
To be honest, that wasn't exactly a great match by any stretch of the imagination. If you ask me, Heavy Machinery still needs work. They didn't exactly wow me with their performance. They can do big moves off the corner, but something just didn't connect on this match from their end. I never really got invested in anything that they did. Sure, they are two big men who can move around. But they did nothing to get me to buy into them, to FEEL for them either way. Meanwhile, I felt that The Undisputed Era carried more than their fair share of the work here and continue to be reliable hands in the ring.
Overall, this was mostly a skippable episode of NXT. The only thing that is worth checking out for a one-time viewing is the Fatal Four Way match to start the show (if only just to see how Belair became #1 Contender). Hopefully, next week's NXT will get the show back on track.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Let's Do This!
NXT Thoughts (Recorded as Viewed)
- We start off with the #1 Contenders Fatal Four Way Match to determine who will face Shayna Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix for the NXT Women's Championship. Io Shirai vs. Lacey Evans vs. Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair. Yim and Shirai team up early on to take out Belair. Io Shirai nearly kills herself diving onto Belair on the floor. But thankfully, she's ok. Yim and Shirai team up on Evans until Yim takes out Shirai by accident. Evans now goes to work on both Yim and Shirai, overpowering both women. In all honesty, this is the most impressive performance I've seen from Evans.
Eventually Belair gets in the match and helps Evans for a bit. But that lasts about as long as a politician in a lie detector test. Eventually, all four women get impressive moves on the other. A pop-up attack by Shirai on Evans opens her up seconds later to a spear by Belair. Shirai gets the momentum going against Belair, including a 619 and a top rope dropkick. Yim gets knocked down by a big fist by Evans, but Shirai breaks it up. Moonsault by Shirai on Evans, but Belair WHIPS Shirai with her elongated hair!!!! The K.O.D. leads to the victory for Bianca Belair! She gets the shot at Baszler.
A very good four way match here despite my problems with how NXT introduced the women in the match. Belair will be a great opponent for Baszler. Will she defeat her? Maybe by DQ to remain Un-Da-Fea-Ted. I see Belair possibly winning the belt at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn during WrestleMania Weekend.
- Mitch Taverna (?) takes on The Forgotten Sons' Jaxson Ryker. This seems to be a dark match added to the show. There's been no commentary for the last 5 minutes on the show, and the crowd seems darkly lit. Ryker wins by hitting a massive Powerbomb, bouncing the opponent off the ropes before sending him crashing to the mat, for the win. Meh match. Completely skippable.
- A video package plays for the Velveteen Dream, putting over his past year and the legends who have taken notice of his rise.
- We get a replay of last week's Steel Cage Match where Ciampa helped Gargano get a victory over Aleister Black. Ciampa cuts a promo backstage. He's a man who keeps his word and his promises. Last week was his vindication. Last week was proof that someone was listening. Gargano listens and follows his lead. That led him to pin Aleister Black last week. He says Johnny should have an opportunity at a title. Not Ciampa's but maybe the North American Heavyweight Championship. It's time for those two to end TakeOver running NXT. Ciampa continues to be a great heel champion on the brand. His work has been beyond criticism. Nothing redeeming whatsoever. No cool heel schtick.
- The NXT Year-End Awards are coming next week as is Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno 2.
- The main event for tonight is Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic) taking on Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly (complete with air guitar on the belt) from The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Typical match you would expect here to start off with Heavy Machinery using their size and power to get an advantage on Heavy Machinery. Tucker Knight gets caught on the apron by O'Reilly grabbing the leg. This opens up Strong to hit a sick looking back suplex backbreaker on Knight on the apron. Knight takes the brunt of The Undisputed Era's offense here as Strong and O'Reilly effectively cut the ring in half. Knight gets Roderick Strong down and tags in Otis Dozovic.
Dozovic mows over The Undisputed Era and nails The Worm/elbow drop on Strong. All four men are involved now. Knight gets the tag. A moonsault by Tucker Knight misses. (Big moonsault, by the way.) Dozovic gets the tag. Strong hits bunch of kicks. Clothesline by Dozovic gets a 2. He climbs up the top rope but gets hit with a Step-Up Enziguri. The Undisputed Era hits a Suplex/Powerbomb on Dozovic for a 2 count. O'Reilly takes out Knight. The Undisputed Era double team Dozovic but only get a 2 after a bunch of strikes. They take out Knight again. High/Low finally puts Dozovic away.
To be honest, that wasn't exactly a great match by any stretch of the imagination. If you ask me, Heavy Machinery still needs work. They didn't exactly wow me with their performance. They can do big moves off the corner, but something just didn't connect on this match from their end. I never really got invested in anything that they did. Sure, they are two big men who can move around. But they did nothing to get me to buy into them, to FEEL for them either way. Meanwhile, I felt that The Undisputed Era carried more than their fair share of the work here and continue to be reliable hands in the ring.
Overall, this was mostly a skippable episode of NXT. The only thing that is worth checking out for a one-time viewing is the Fatal Four Way match to start the show (if only just to see how Belair became #1 Contender). Hopefully, next week's NXT will get the show back on track.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Comments
Post a Comment