Here's the deal, ladies and gentlemen. This show is literally a recap show of 2018 with one new match tacked on at the end. As a result, I'm not going to bore you with recaps of matches that already happened or may have been edited down to fit the time frame. Instead, I'm going to share a link to the awards on WWE.com and provide full big-match coverage of the Ohno vs. Riddle rematch at the end of this. So, without further ado...
NXT Thoughts (1/2/19):
- We are taken to the NXT "Event Center" to show off some of the matches and awards. The following matches are shown during this show, either edited down or in their entirety (listed in chronological order):
From NXT Takeover New Orleans
- North American Championship Ladder Match (edited)
- Gargano vs. Ciampa (highlights only)
- Almas (c) vs. Black- NXT Chamionship (highlights only)
NXT TakeOver: Chicago
- Lorcan and Burch vs. O'Reilly and Strong (c) (NXT Tag Team Championship) (shown in entirety) (Note: I had forgotten just how awesome this match was.)
- Ciampa vs. Black (c)- NXT Championship (July 25, 2018) (highlights)
(They follow this up with the review of the "Who attacked Aleister Black?" storyline along with the Nikki Cross "I Know" awesomeness.)
-Bianca Belair vs. Deonna Purrazzo (August 22, 2018) (entirety)
From NXT TakeOver WarGames
- Riddle vs. Ohno (entirety)
- Gargano vs. Black (highlights)
2018 NXT Awards
For the nominees and to vote, click on this link: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/nxt-2018-year-end-awards
And FINALLY, we get to our match.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
NXT (1/2/19)
The bell rings. Riddle goes for the knee again, but Ohno side-steps him. Riddle attacks with kicks in the corner. Flying forearms into the corner now. Exploder Suplex by Matt Riddle. Running senton. Riddle continues to dominate now with a series of strikes and attacks to Ohno. Ohno gets a right hand and a release suplex. So, he's officially had more offense than he did last time. That's a positive, right?
Ohno continues to attack Riddle in the corner. Boot to the face. Rolling senton by Ohno. Reverse Atomic Drop. Ohno continues to dominate the match now. Riddle hits a Deadlift Bridging German Suplex for a 2 count. Riddle now attacks with kicks to Ohno's chest. Cyclone Kick by Ohno. Both men exchange blows now in the middle of the ring. Pump Kick and Senton Splashes to Riddle by Ohno. Ohno goes for a 3rd one and gets caught in the Bromission. Ohno taps.
Winner: Matt Riddle
Match Grade: D+. I enjoyed the first match a lot more, even though it was just one move and shock value. This didn't do much for me. Ohno and Riddle may not be a match that works for either guy, despite both supposedly being "knockout artists." Maybe these two will improve on this in a future match, but for me, this just didn't live up to the build that it got.
After the match, Riddle offers his fist from the ring to Ohno on the floor. Ohno walks off. Then he walks into the ring. He gets on one knee and offers his fist. Riddle goes to offer his fist back, but Ohno takes it and uses it to throw Riddle into the ring post. He continues to attack Riddle on the floor by throwing him into another ring post and the ring steps. "You Still Tapped"- NXT crowd to Ohno. Ohno hits the Roaring Elbow to Riddle. Then, Ohno does the fist bump to a hurting Riddle.
Overall, this was an episode of NXT that you should consider skipping. While Riddle and Ohno had a match, it wasn't necessarily a good one. Nor was it one that you can't get caught up on in a future NXT show. The rest of the show is just highlights and meaningless award nominations. For a 2 hour NXT show, I was hoping for at least another fresh match or two. Hopefully, NXT will return to its usual awesomeness next week after a couple lousy (by their standards) episode.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
NXT Thoughts (1/2/19):
- We are taken to the NXT "Event Center" to show off some of the matches and awards. The following matches are shown during this show, either edited down or in their entirety (listed in chronological order):
From NXT Takeover New Orleans
- North American Championship Ladder Match (edited)
- Gargano vs. Ciampa (highlights only)
- Almas (c) vs. Black- NXT Chamionship (highlights only)
NXT TakeOver: Chicago
- Lorcan and Burch vs. O'Reilly and Strong (c) (NXT Tag Team Championship) (shown in entirety) (Note: I had forgotten just how awesome this match was.)
- Ciampa vs. Black (c)- NXT Championship (July 25, 2018) (highlights)
(They follow this up with the review of the "Who attacked Aleister Black?" storyline along with the Nikki Cross "I Know" awesomeness.)
-Bianca Belair vs. Deonna Purrazzo (August 22, 2018) (entirety)
From NXT TakeOver WarGames
- Riddle vs. Ohno (entirety)
- Gargano vs. Black (highlights)
2018 NXT Awards
For the nominees and to vote, click on this link: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/nxt-2018-year-end-awards
And FINALLY, we get to our match.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
NXT (1/2/19)
The bell rings. Riddle goes for the knee again, but Ohno side-steps him. Riddle attacks with kicks in the corner. Flying forearms into the corner now. Exploder Suplex by Matt Riddle. Running senton. Riddle continues to dominate now with a series of strikes and attacks to Ohno. Ohno gets a right hand and a release suplex. So, he's officially had more offense than he did last time. That's a positive, right?
Ohno continues to attack Riddle in the corner. Boot to the face. Rolling senton by Ohno. Reverse Atomic Drop. Ohno continues to dominate the match now. Riddle hits a Deadlift Bridging German Suplex for a 2 count. Riddle now attacks with kicks to Ohno's chest. Cyclone Kick by Ohno. Both men exchange blows now in the middle of the ring. Pump Kick and Senton Splashes to Riddle by Ohno. Ohno goes for a 3rd one and gets caught in the Bromission. Ohno taps.
Winner: Matt Riddle
Match Grade: D+. I enjoyed the first match a lot more, even though it was just one move and shock value. This didn't do much for me. Ohno and Riddle may not be a match that works for either guy, despite both supposedly being "knockout artists." Maybe these two will improve on this in a future match, but for me, this just didn't live up to the build that it got.
After the match, Riddle offers his fist from the ring to Ohno on the floor. Ohno walks off. Then he walks into the ring. He gets on one knee and offers his fist. Riddle goes to offer his fist back, but Ohno takes it and uses it to throw Riddle into the ring post. He continues to attack Riddle on the floor by throwing him into another ring post and the ring steps. "You Still Tapped"- NXT crowd to Ohno. Ohno hits the Roaring Elbow to Riddle. Then, Ohno does the fist bump to a hurting Riddle.
Overall, this was an episode of NXT that you should consider skipping. While Riddle and Ohno had a match, it wasn't necessarily a good one. Nor was it one that you can't get caught up on in a future NXT show. The rest of the show is just highlights and meaningless award nominations. For a 2 hour NXT show, I was hoping for at least another fresh match or two. Hopefully, NXT will return to its usual awesomeness next week after a couple lousy (by their standards) episode.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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