With shows like this, it is no wonder that the main roster wants a little shine from the Black and Gold brand.
NXT Thoughts (2/20/19)
- We open up to a video to promote the NXT North American Championship Match tonight.
- Our first match is Aleister Black vs. Roderick Strong. As you would expect, Strong takes the fight to Black consistently. The action spills to the floor and Black takes a big hit back-first on the steel steps. Strong continues the attack on Black relentlessly in the ring and around ringside. Eventually Black gets the advantage in the match, hitting the Asai Moonsault. Big Suplex DDT by Black gets a 2 count. Strong fights kick to kick with Black keeping up with his pace. Black gets hit with a Gutbuster. Black gets launched from a Torture Rack position back-of-the-head first into the turnbuckle while Strong is on the apron. Strong is keeping a good pace with Black until he gets waffled with Black Mass.
(A very good, hard-hitting match to start off the match. Strong is another great performer that kind of gets lost in the shuffle of NXT, but matches like this prove just how great he is as a singles act. Strong is a guy I can see getting elevated into the North American or NXT Championship contention. As for Aleister Black, he was as good as he ever has been. I just hope he is protected a little bit while working the main roster in terms of his mic work. But as you can see, his in-ring work needs no protection. He more than held his own part of this match.)
After the match, The Undisputed Era rush the ring to attack Aleister Black. Ricochet comes out and dives on The Undisputed Era in the ring. Black and Ricochet fight them off and out of the ring.
- We get a Performance Center video with The Horsewomen getting into a confrontation with some of the newer recruits to the NXT Women's Division. Mia Yim was there to make sure they backed off.
- We get a breaking news story: THE DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC IS BACK! The winners will be challenging The War Raiders for the NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT TakeOver.
- The next match is Mia Yim taking on Xia Li. The two shake hands before wrestling. Back and forth match to start off with neither woman being able to get a clear advantage. Li gets some good offense in, including some good kicks. Yim gets a running dropkick and a Cannonball into the corner. These two start trading blows, which Li is able to get the advantage. Swinging kick by Li gets a 2 count. Spinning back fist by Yim knocks Li down. Protect Ya Neck gets the 1-2-3 for Yim (think a head pulled down to the opponent's knee). The Horsewomen jump Yim in the ring. The trainees come out to help Mia, but they get beaten down by The Horsewomen. Baszler tells her to respect her. And she kicks her down to the mat.
(Good dominance by The Horsewomen after the match. As for the match itself, I liked what I saw from Xia Li. She performed on the Royal Rumble, but this is the first time I had a chance to see her work a match. A good first match on the NXT show. As for Mia Yim, I thought she looked good as well. But eventually, I feel she is going to need to do more to break out from the pack.)
- We see Candice talk to Johnny Gargano. Ciampa runs in and says he's there to help Johnny if he needs him. Gargano tells Ciampa that he doesn't need him. He's going to do what he does best: be Johnny Freaking Wrestling. Ciampa will be watching.
- Matt Riddle gets interviewed by Jeremy Borash (his first NXT performance I believe). The full interview is on YouTube... or RIGHT HERE!
- The main event is Velveteen Dream challenging Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship.
NXT North American Championship
Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Velveteen Dream
The bell rings. Velveteen and Gargano wrestle into the ropes for the first break. Gargano takes the match to the mat where he gets an advantage. Both men start trading arm locks back and forth for a good minute or 2. Velveteen flips out of an armbar and SLAPS THE TASTE out of Gargano's mouth! Gargano paces the floor feeling his mouth for any lost teeth.
Gargano returns to the match. Test of strength results in a headlock for Dream. Dream uses it to continue having the momentum and plays mind games with Gargano. Double Ax Handle off the corner by Dream. 2 count. Dropkick to Gargano. Dream continues to work over Gargano around the ring. Chops by Gargano. Velveteen gets caught on the ropes and is sent crashing to the mat below.
Big running dropkick by Gargano to the back of the head. Gargano continues to press the attack on Dream around the ring. Shoulders to the ribs, forearms to the back, neckbreakers, and kicks to the head: all weapons of Gargano's abuse of Dream. Now, Gargano pulls the arms back behind Dream and tortures him by hyperextending them almost together behind Dream's torso. He even uses the ropes at one point to help add even more torque to his attack. Dream starts trying to fight back, but he takes the classic "Triple H Float-Over-The Turnbuckle-To-The-Floor" spot. (Could that be a subtle nod to him?) Gargano continues to attack Dream around ringside and throws him back in the ring. Dream gets locked in an Abdominal Stretch, holding both arms to add more pressure. Dream starts to fight back. Spinebuster by Dream to Gargano.
Velveteen Dream starts getting the offense now. Big kick to Gargano's face. Clothesline sends Gargano to the floor. DREAM FLIES OFF THE TOP ROPE ONTO GARGANO ON THE FLOOR. Famouser by Dream in the ring. 2 count. (Ciampa is watching all of this from above the ring in some secluded area.) Dream puts Gargano on the corner. He climbs up. Gargano flips over and kicks the knee of Dream. Twisting Sister Abigail off the middle of the corner by Gargano on Dream. 2 count. Dream and Gargano smack heads, sending both falling back to the mat. Dream gets superkicked on the apron by Gargano. Dream avoids the Slingshot DDT with an uppercut. Dream Valley Driver avoided by Gargano. SUICIDE DIVE BY GARGANO! But back in the ring, SPINNING DDT by Dream! 2 count. PURPLE RAINMAKER MISSES! SUPERKICK BY GARGANO! 2 count! Gargano climbs up the corner, but Dream stops him from diving off initially. Gargano headbutts Dream viciously, but Dream gets a shot in to stop the headbutts. Dream climbs up the corner and puts Gargano on his shoulders. Gargano elbows him repeatedly! DREAM VALLEY DRIVER OFF THE CORNER BY DREAM! 1-2-KICKOUT!
An ovation from the crowd along with a "This is Awesome!" chant. Gargano catches Black flying at him from the corner to the floor with a superkick!!!!! He smacks Dream against the ring steps and hits him against the stage! SLINGSHOT DDT IN THE RING! 1-2-KICKOUT! GARGANO IS IN SHOCK! Gargano is decking Dream around the throat. A superkick by Dream is met with a clothesline seconds later by Gargano! Another Superkick! DREAM VALLEY DRIVER! A ROLL-THROUGH! A SECOND ONE! DREAM CLIMBS UP! PURPLE RAINMAKER!!!! 1-2-3!!! WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!
Winner: Velveteen Dream (NEW NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A. This was a TakeOver worthy match for the NXT show. I really enjoyed how they built up to the last ten minutes. Excellent pacing that set the stage for the craziness that happened. Gargano and Dream are such great performers that they cannot help but deliver in these big time moments. I like where this takes Gargano as a character as well. He's lost the NXT North American Championship. Now, will he continue his fragile alliance with Ciampa or will he set his sights on getting revenge against Ciampa and taking the NXT Championship in the process? This could be very entertaining. As for Dream, this is a crucial step in his evolution. I'm interested in seeing what he does with the North American Championship. Will he change the strap to a purple one? Also, how long of a reign will he have? I know one match I'd like to see sometime down the road after tonight: Dream vs. Strong. Purple Rainmaker vs. End of Heartache. Excellent match nonetheless.
Dream celebrates with the title with elation. (He's definitely the youngest man to hold the North American Championship at this point, being only the fourth champion overall to hold the title.) Ciampa looks on shaking his head in disappointment.
Overall, a very good edition of NXT. While I was disappointed that the "breaking news" was just the announcement of the annual Dusty Rhodes Classic, we got a lot of good business done on this show. Strong and Black had a very good opener with some hard-hitting action and great moments for both performers. Ricochet and Aleister Black have an alliance out of necessity against The Undisputed Era. The Horsewomen had an opportunity to look strong. We saw a little bit more out of Xia Li in her first match on NXT. And how can anyone not love the Dream-Gargano match for what they did in the ring and what they set up for the next few NXT shows?
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness. And Dream On.
 |
Don't Jump Down Towards Johnny Wrestling
WWE NXT; 2/20/19
WWE Network
|
NXT Thoughts (2/20/19)
- We open up to a video to promote the NXT North American Championship Match tonight.
- Our first match is Aleister Black vs. Roderick Strong. As you would expect, Strong takes the fight to Black consistently. The action spills to the floor and Black takes a big hit back-first on the steel steps. Strong continues the attack on Black relentlessly in the ring and around ringside. Eventually Black gets the advantage in the match, hitting the Asai Moonsault. Big Suplex DDT by Black gets a 2 count. Strong fights kick to kick with Black keeping up with his pace. Black gets hit with a Gutbuster. Black gets launched from a Torture Rack position back-of-the-head first into the turnbuckle while Strong is on the apron. Strong is keeping a good pace with Black until he gets waffled with Black Mass.
(A very good, hard-hitting match to start off the match. Strong is another great performer that kind of gets lost in the shuffle of NXT, but matches like this prove just how great he is as a singles act. Strong is a guy I can see getting elevated into the North American or NXT Championship contention. As for Aleister Black, he was as good as he ever has been. I just hope he is protected a little bit while working the main roster in terms of his mic work. But as you can see, his in-ring work needs no protection. He more than held his own part of this match.)
After the match, The Undisputed Era rush the ring to attack Aleister Black. Ricochet comes out and dives on The Undisputed Era in the ring. Black and Ricochet fight them off and out of the ring.
- We get a Performance Center video with The Horsewomen getting into a confrontation with some of the newer recruits to the NXT Women's Division. Mia Yim was there to make sure they backed off.
- We get a breaking news story: THE DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC IS BACK! The winners will be challenging The War Raiders for the NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT TakeOver.
- The next match is Mia Yim taking on Xia Li. The two shake hands before wrestling. Back and forth match to start off with neither woman being able to get a clear advantage. Li gets some good offense in, including some good kicks. Yim gets a running dropkick and a Cannonball into the corner. These two start trading blows, which Li is able to get the advantage. Swinging kick by Li gets a 2 count. Spinning back fist by Yim knocks Li down. Protect Ya Neck gets the 1-2-3 for Yim (think a head pulled down to the opponent's knee). The Horsewomen jump Yim in the ring. The trainees come out to help Mia, but they get beaten down by The Horsewomen. Baszler tells her to respect her. And she kicks her down to the mat.
(Good dominance by The Horsewomen after the match. As for the match itself, I liked what I saw from Xia Li. She performed on the Royal Rumble, but this is the first time I had a chance to see her work a match. A good first match on the NXT show. As for Mia Yim, I thought she looked good as well. But eventually, I feel she is going to need to do more to break out from the pack.)
- We see Candice talk to Johnny Gargano. Ciampa runs in and says he's there to help Johnny if he needs him. Gargano tells Ciampa that he doesn't need him. He's going to do what he does best: be Johnny Freaking Wrestling. Ciampa will be watching.
- Matt Riddle gets interviewed by Jeremy Borash (his first NXT performance I believe). The full interview is on YouTube... or RIGHT HERE!
- The main event is Velveteen Dream challenging Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship.
NXT North American Championship
Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Velveteen Dream
The bell rings. Velveteen and Gargano wrestle into the ropes for the first break. Gargano takes the match to the mat where he gets an advantage. Both men start trading arm locks back and forth for a good minute or 2. Velveteen flips out of an armbar and SLAPS THE TASTE out of Gargano's mouth! Gargano paces the floor feeling his mouth for any lost teeth.
Gargano returns to the match. Test of strength results in a headlock for Dream. Dream uses it to continue having the momentum and plays mind games with Gargano. Double Ax Handle off the corner by Dream. 2 count. Dropkick to Gargano. Dream continues to work over Gargano around the ring. Chops by Gargano. Velveteen gets caught on the ropes and is sent crashing to the mat below.
Big running dropkick by Gargano to the back of the head. Gargano continues to press the attack on Dream around the ring. Shoulders to the ribs, forearms to the back, neckbreakers, and kicks to the head: all weapons of Gargano's abuse of Dream. Now, Gargano pulls the arms back behind Dream and tortures him by hyperextending them almost together behind Dream's torso. He even uses the ropes at one point to help add even more torque to his attack. Dream starts trying to fight back, but he takes the classic "Triple H Float-Over-The Turnbuckle-To-The-Floor" spot. (Could that be a subtle nod to him?) Gargano continues to attack Dream around ringside and throws him back in the ring. Dream gets locked in an Abdominal Stretch, holding both arms to add more pressure. Dream starts to fight back. Spinebuster by Dream to Gargano.
Velveteen Dream starts getting the offense now. Big kick to Gargano's face. Clothesline sends Gargano to the floor. DREAM FLIES OFF THE TOP ROPE ONTO GARGANO ON THE FLOOR. Famouser by Dream in the ring. 2 count. (Ciampa is watching all of this from above the ring in some secluded area.) Dream puts Gargano on the corner. He climbs up. Gargano flips over and kicks the knee of Dream. Twisting Sister Abigail off the middle of the corner by Gargano on Dream. 2 count. Dream and Gargano smack heads, sending both falling back to the mat. Dream gets superkicked on the apron by Gargano. Dream avoids the Slingshot DDT with an uppercut. Dream Valley Driver avoided by Gargano. SUICIDE DIVE BY GARGANO! But back in the ring, SPINNING DDT by Dream! 2 count. PURPLE RAINMAKER MISSES! SUPERKICK BY GARGANO! 2 count! Gargano climbs up the corner, but Dream stops him from diving off initially. Gargano headbutts Dream viciously, but Dream gets a shot in to stop the headbutts. Dream climbs up the corner and puts Gargano on his shoulders. Gargano elbows him repeatedly! DREAM VALLEY DRIVER OFF THE CORNER BY DREAM! 1-2-KICKOUT!
An ovation from the crowd along with a "This is Awesome!" chant. Gargano catches Black flying at him from the corner to the floor with a superkick!!!!! He smacks Dream against the ring steps and hits him against the stage! SLINGSHOT DDT IN THE RING! 1-2-KICKOUT! GARGANO IS IN SHOCK! Gargano is decking Dream around the throat. A superkick by Dream is met with a clothesline seconds later by Gargano! Another Superkick! DREAM VALLEY DRIVER! A ROLL-THROUGH! A SECOND ONE! DREAM CLIMBS UP! PURPLE RAINMAKER!!!! 1-2-3!!! WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!
Winner: Velveteen Dream (NEW NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A. This was a TakeOver worthy match for the NXT show. I really enjoyed how they built up to the last ten minutes. Excellent pacing that set the stage for the craziness that happened. Gargano and Dream are such great performers that they cannot help but deliver in these big time moments. I like where this takes Gargano as a character as well. He's lost the NXT North American Championship. Now, will he continue his fragile alliance with Ciampa or will he set his sights on getting revenge against Ciampa and taking the NXT Championship in the process? This could be very entertaining. As for Dream, this is a crucial step in his evolution. I'm interested in seeing what he does with the North American Championship. Will he change the strap to a purple one? Also, how long of a reign will he have? I know one match I'd like to see sometime down the road after tonight: Dream vs. Strong. Purple Rainmaker vs. End of Heartache. Excellent match nonetheless.
Dream celebrates with the title with elation. (He's definitely the youngest man to hold the North American Championship at this point, being only the fourth champion overall to hold the title.) Ciampa looks on shaking his head in disappointment.
Overall, a very good edition of NXT. While I was disappointed that the "breaking news" was just the announcement of the annual Dusty Rhodes Classic, we got a lot of good business done on this show. Strong and Black had a very good opener with some hard-hitting action and great moments for both performers. Ricochet and Aleister Black have an alliance out of necessity against The Undisputed Era. The Horsewomen had an opportunity to look strong. We saw a little bit more out of Xia Li in her first match on NXT. And how can anyone not love the Dream-Gargano match for what they did in the ring and what they set up for the next few NXT shows?
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness. And Dream On.
Comments
Post a Comment