I've finally defeated a cold. So, it's time to play "Catch Up!" With NXT TakeOver Phoenix coming Saturday 1/26/19, I've got 2 episodes to watch. So, here's the first episode which features Keith Lee taking on Kassius Ohno. Will we bask in Keith Lee's glory?
NXT Thoughts
- Street Profits take on the Metros. The Metros look like some knock-off Deuce and Domino. In fact, one of them looked like a knockoff Kenny Omega from 2015. The interesting part to me was when Street Profits were doing a bunch of pushing in the ring to hype each other up, and Dawkins pushed Ford down hard to the mat. Ford didn't know what to think of it. (Possible split tease here for down the road?)
After the Street Profits put away The Metros, The Forgotten Sons sneak attack The Street Profits and leave them laying. The fans chant "We Forgot You" and "Stay Forgotten" at the Forgotten Sons.
(Interesting opening here with The Street Profits looking dominant in their match, yet teasing a break-up in the future as well. And The Forgotten Sons continue to be an afterthought in NXT compared to the others on the roster. It's also not a good sign when the fans let them know that they literally forgot about them.
- We get another "dark smoke-filled room" promo from Aleister Black. He's taking back his championship at NXT TakeOver. (He should be worried that Bray Wyatt or The Undertaker might come looking for rent money.) He wants to start the fight early next week at Full Sail.
- Bianca Belair comes out next. She talks smack about taking the NXT Championship at TakeOver. The Horsewomen come out to interrupt with leader NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler leading the way. Baszler calls Belair not the "smartest" person in NXT. Baszler threatens to tear off her arms. Baszler threatens to turn her vocabulary from "Undefeated" to "Overrated." (And wow. Half the crowd chants "Overrated.") BELAIR SLAPS THE TASTE OUT OF BASZLER'S FACE! DANG! She ends up fleeing the scene of the crime, as it were.
(Belair looked out of her element here. The dig about her being "overrated" catching on with the audience is not a great sign either. Belair has grown on me as a performer. But I don't think she's ready to be NXT Women's Champion. If Baszler is moving to the main roster, she may get the title. But she won't be a strong champion if she gets overshadowed by her fellow performers.)
- Adrian Jaudde takes on Dominik Dijakovic in our next match. Jaudde, a 17 year Amateur Wrestling Champion in Portugal, uses some of his wrestling skills to ground Dijakovic early on and force him into the corner. Dijakovic gets his offense in with some big hits and a large suplex throw. Bloodline (a vicious lariat) decks Jaudde and puts him on the mat. Jaudde gets a knee bar in, but it does nothing for him. Feast Your Eyes (A Torture Rack into a Go To Sleep) gets the win for Dijakovic.
(Dijak as Dijakovic continues to look really good on NXT. I can imagine a 70-something man in Stamford going "Damn, Pal! Look how large that man is! He's going to be my next superstar!")
- We get a video promo with War Machine somewhere with torches. They promise to burn The Undisputed Era's legacy to the ground at TakeOver.
- The next match is Johnny Gargano taking on Humberto Carrillo. Carrillo really impresses here in the opening minutes with some nice counter wrestling with Gargano followed by some nice flips and kicks. Gargano stops Carrillo's offense with a spear through the ropes. Gargano continues to press the attack with an abdominal stretch. Carrillo gets out of it and eventually pulls a "Vintage Tajiri" with the Handspring Back Elbow. He follows that up with a dive over the ropes to Gargano on the floor and a top rope dropkick to Gargano back in the ring. Carrillo moonsaults into the knees of Gargano and eats a superkick. Gargano long-darts Carrillo into the corner and executes a Slingshot DDT to get the win. Johnny tells Ricochet (through the camera) to come next week, and he'll give him all the respect Ricochet wants.
(Very good match here with Carrillo impressing me with some great high-flying moves. Gargano, for his part, did a good job of making Carrillo look good along the way.)
- Tommaso Ciampa says that THEY WILL wait until NXT TakeOver. A champion waits for the big stage to handle their business. He does tell Aleister to be careful what he wishes for.
- The main event sees Keith Lee take on Kassius Ohno. Keith Lee gets a few good shots in early on including a nice float-under into a crossbody to a running Ohno. Ohno gets back-body-dropped in a high elevation. But a mistake by Lee in the corner allows Ohno to charge and take advantage. Big boots by Ohno to Lee, putting the big man down. Running senton by Ohno. Ohno uses a lot of submission moves on Lee, and eventually Ohno runs for another senton. This time, Lee gets his knees up. Lee gets back up and tosses Ohno around. He hits a Slingshot Crossbody for a 2 count. Ohno begs off. Lee clubs the back of Ohno. POOOOOOOUNCE BY LEE! Ohno throws Lee backwards into the referee and hits a low blow. The elbow shot by Ohno knocks out Keith Lee for the win. Matt Riddle runs out to the ring after the match and chases off Ohno.
(So, I get the fact that they want Kassius Ohno to look good going into his match with Matt Riddle. But Keith Lee has lost a LOT of momentum since coming to NXT. Losing to Lars Sullivan was bad enough. But now, he's lost again. One has to wonder if Lee's NXT tenure is going to be a failure in the long term. We shouldn't have to worry about basking in his glory. We should be worrying about his future.
As for the Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno match at NXT TakeOver, one has to seriously consider the fact that Matt Riddle might be taking his first loss at the show to further elevate Ohno in this feud. )
Overall, this was just an average show. It felt more like a holdover show than anything, something to just maintain the status quo going into TakeOver. But here's the thing: it was loaded with several segments to get talent out on TV. It's amazing to me how NXT can continue to do so much with such little time, a testament to the formatting of the show and those who orchestrate it. So, I'm going to give this show a thumbs up despite it not being a noteworthy show.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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