I felt like I knew what to expect from this week in NXT: Johnny Gargano addressing the loss of his North American title, Velveteen Dream preening with his new title, and the grudge match between Mia Yim and Shayna Baszler. And we got all of those things, but we also got a lot more, so let's get into it!
Johnny came out first to cut a promo to put over his appearances and wins on Raw and Smackdown Live, but had put on a brave face about how he lost but he still felt like a champion. He put over Velveteen as he called it one of the toughest matches he's ever had, and when the crowd started chanting "Johnny Failure", Gargano embraced it somewhat but says that he preferred the "Johnny Champion" chant. He also said that his loss felt like a let-down to the NXT Universe, and was about to address more issues but was interrupted by Tommaso Ciampa and Goldy. Blackheart came out and told Johnny that when they tagged together on Raw and Smackdown, they proved they were better together, and that Johnny should have taken Ciampa's advice from the previous week when he said he'd be there if he needed him for the NA title match. But he went on to continue selling the idea of them working together, and said that if they entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, they would be the winners and they would go into TakeOver New York and come out as NXT tag champs once again. Tommaso extended his hand as the crowd chanted "DIY" and Johnny dropped his mic and shook the champ's hand. This whole segment was great because it is extending the story of Gargano and Ciampa in a different fashion. It's a little weird to not have Ciampa get the same levels of heel heat that he has been, but Tommaso hasn't done anything overtly evil lately. And again, it was terrific character work when, instead of just dropping the mic to his side, Johnny let go of it. There's a reason that Aleister Black calls Ciampa the "puppet master" and it isn't a Metallica reference. There's something about Tommaso that has had Johnny in his thrall over the past few months, but now, it seems different. Does Johnny maybe have plans of his own?
Then Ricochet was backstage with Dasha (in an awesome suit) and they talked briefly about him working with Aleister on main roster shows, and said that there was still unfinished business between the two of them and Undisputed Era, and that he was going to go talk to Mr. Regal about getting in the Dusty Classic with Black as his partner. And then, we had Tommaso and Johnny stepping outside for a moment, and Candace was there waiting for Johnny, and Tommaso took the hint and kept walking, and Candace wondered why Johnny was doing this to himself again, but Johnny told her to trust him, because he has a plan... so don't worry, folks; the epic story of Gargano and Ciampa isn't over by a damn sight.
Then we got Vanessa Borne and Aliyah tagging against Taynara Conti and Xia Li. This was one of those matches that NXT was really actually made for. I know that NXT has become synonymous with being the best brand in WWE with the best matches, and that's very true, but that's partly because for the last couple of years, a vast majority of the main highlights and very best matches have been performers already proven in other promotions, and I know I've gone on about this before but I feel that we need to give competitors in what WWE refers to as its developmental brand the chance to, y'know, develop. And that's what this match was all about; getting some seldom-seen talent the chance to get some TV time and work on their in-ring abilities. This was far from a great match, and there were some moments that were stiff and a botch here and there, but these women could have a future with the right characterization and the right push. Li is always a lot of fun to watch and was easily the most dynamic performer of the four, and the finish looked off, but Borne and Aliyah pulled off the win over Li. Again, far from perfect, but I've also been barking on a weekly basis that the women of NXT need to get more stories and angles, and this match was a good continuation of the story they're telling with Conti, Aliyah and Borne, and adding Li to the mix was a good call.
Then we got an outdoor segment with Velveteen Dream coming up to "reporters" who were asking how he celebrated his win, but he was quickly interrupted by all the members of Undisputed Era, and while Adam Cole did most of the talking, saying how the reporters should be interviewing Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly about how they were going to win the Dusty Classic for the second year in a row and eventually get their tag titles back from War Raiders, it was Fish and O'Reilly who stole the show with some of the goofiest behavior, particularly when Kyle addressed Dream as "Velveeta Dream", and when Dream talked about how Cole is without his entourage, Bobby Fish said, and I quote, " You're farting up the wrong tree" and I laughed my bollocks off. And when Dream referred to them as "boys", O'Reilly stormed off with the rest of UE, muttering "Boys? We're men! Ugh... so mad!" KOR is really the unsung hero of Undisputed Era. Then that cut to Dasha outside Regal's office but there were some more backstage issues with Bianca Belair and Io Shirai, shouting over each other as far as to who should be the next to challenge Shayna for the title.
Then we got Dominik Dijakovic vs Keith Lee in one of those matches that really paved the way for being the grudge match to see at TakeOver New York. The pacing of this match and the story being told was just spot-on. It was a test of strength and dexterity as Lee continues to shock with his agility (that recovery from the monkey flip was just awesome) and Dijakovic can really go the distance with a bruiser like Lee. This whole match that got both these competitors over as hell. They both looked great and especially looked tough as nails. And they both had insane spots, particularly with Lee's sky-high uranage of Dijakovic and Dominik hitting an Asai Moonsault on the outside that had both of them down and unable to get back into the ring to beat the 10-count, and Full Sail was pissed for all the right reasons. We wanted to see these two continue to beat the hell out of one another, but it left everyone wanting more, and that's how you start to create a great rivalry. Really excellent work.
Then we got the finalization of the Dusty Rhodes Classic with the previously confirmed Ricochet and Aleister Black, "Dark" #DIY, Moustache Mountain, and Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, and the bracket is Aleister and Ric vs Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel, Oney and Danny vs Forgotten Sons, Street Profits vs Moustache Mountain and Undisputed Era vs#DIY. This is going to be fascinating to see how this ends up shaking out for the Dusty Classic. And I'm going to call it: it's going to be #DIY vs Forgotten Sons for the Dusty Cup. Then the news broke that Mr. Regal tweeted out that Io and Bianca will have a one-on-one for who gets to take on Shayna Baszler at TakeOver New York.
Then we got Sasha Banks and Bayley making a surprise appearance back home at Full Sail to cut a promo on becoming the first Women's Tag champs and the crowd popped like mad. This was just a really great moment to bring them back and announce that they would be defending these titles on Raw, Smackdown and NXT in the future!!! That's just cool as hell, and I'm here all day for Sasha and Bayley coming back to NXT every once in a while.
Then we got our main event with Mia Yim taking on Shayna as retribution for how Shayna has been treating the NXT women's locker room and to avenge the beatdown she suffered the week before from Baszler and the Horsewomen. Baszler dominated early, but the HBIC came in like a house on fire but it was to no avail as The Queen of Spades took back over with some brutal submissions. But this was a chess match because both women were hurt early; Shayna with her right hand and Mia with her right leg, and this would figure more into the match as Yim was forced to fight from underneath even when it seemed like she was gaining momentum. Baszler even got Yim into the Kirifuda Clutch (had to Google that spelling) but Mia worked on Shayna's injured hand to break it, and shortly after, Yim hit the Eat Defeat kick on Shayna but wasn't able to fully capitalize. Ultimately, Yim's injured leg would prove to be too much of a target for The Submission Magician as she locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for a second time, and even though Mia would go after her injured hand again, Shayna used her leg to trap Yim's arms and forced the tap. This was another tremendous match that was booked extremely solidly, because it made Yim look like a genuine future star and serious contender and it also kept Shayna looking strong as well. She's had to depend a little too much lately on the Horsewomen to bail her out of trouble, but thankfully, they were nowhere to be seen in this match, because it makes Shayna look more desperate than dangerous, and Shayna is absolutely at her best when she scares you, and this was scary, dominant Shayna, not the bail-me-out Shayna we've been seeing lately.
Wow... I'm happy to say that this has been the very best week of WWE programming I've seen in a very long time. Every show was either very good or pretty fucking great, and that's not something I think anyone could say very often at all. And this week's NXT was pretty fucking great; we got the advancement of key storylines to head into TakeOver New York, and four different segments involving the women's roster! Now I know that the next several weeks are going to be devoted to the Dusty Classic, so we won't get to see the women as often as we did tonight, but it sure was refreshing to see an episode of NXT that didn't just push the men's stories.
So that's it for this week, everyone! I did gain some new Wrestling Twitter followers today, so hopefully you'll be stopping by if you're liking what you're reading. I'll be back next week with the recaps of the go-homes for Raw and Smackdown leading into Fastlane, and of course, my NXT recap, and also next week, you'll get my standard pre-PPV Hopes and Predictions column for Fastlane and the late Sunday night/early Monday morning "live reaction" blog to the matches at this PPV, so look out for those!
Until next time, kids...
Johnny came out first to cut a promo to put over his appearances and wins on Raw and Smackdown Live, but had put on a brave face about how he lost but he still felt like a champion. He put over Velveteen as he called it one of the toughest matches he's ever had, and when the crowd started chanting "Johnny Failure", Gargano embraced it somewhat but says that he preferred the "Johnny Champion" chant. He also said that his loss felt like a let-down to the NXT Universe, and was about to address more issues but was interrupted by Tommaso Ciampa and Goldy. Blackheart came out and told Johnny that when they tagged together on Raw and Smackdown, they proved they were better together, and that Johnny should have taken Ciampa's advice from the previous week when he said he'd be there if he needed him for the NA title match. But he went on to continue selling the idea of them working together, and said that if they entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, they would be the winners and they would go into TakeOver New York and come out as NXT tag champs once again. Tommaso extended his hand as the crowd chanted "DIY" and Johnny dropped his mic and shook the champ's hand. This whole segment was great because it is extending the story of Gargano and Ciampa in a different fashion. It's a little weird to not have Ciampa get the same levels of heel heat that he has been, but Tommaso hasn't done anything overtly evil lately. And again, it was terrific character work when, instead of just dropping the mic to his side, Johnny let go of it. There's a reason that Aleister Black calls Ciampa the "puppet master" and it isn't a Metallica reference. There's something about Tommaso that has had Johnny in his thrall over the past few months, but now, it seems different. Does Johnny maybe have plans of his own?
Then Ricochet was backstage with Dasha (in an awesome suit) and they talked briefly about him working with Aleister on main roster shows, and said that there was still unfinished business between the two of them and Undisputed Era, and that he was going to go talk to Mr. Regal about getting in the Dusty Classic with Black as his partner. And then, we had Tommaso and Johnny stepping outside for a moment, and Candace was there waiting for Johnny, and Tommaso took the hint and kept walking, and Candace wondered why Johnny was doing this to himself again, but Johnny told her to trust him, because he has a plan... so don't worry, folks; the epic story of Gargano and Ciampa isn't over by a damn sight.
Then we got Vanessa Borne and Aliyah tagging against Taynara Conti and Xia Li. This was one of those matches that NXT was really actually made for. I know that NXT has become synonymous with being the best brand in WWE with the best matches, and that's very true, but that's partly because for the last couple of years, a vast majority of the main highlights and very best matches have been performers already proven in other promotions, and I know I've gone on about this before but I feel that we need to give competitors in what WWE refers to as its developmental brand the chance to, y'know, develop. And that's what this match was all about; getting some seldom-seen talent the chance to get some TV time and work on their in-ring abilities. This was far from a great match, and there were some moments that were stiff and a botch here and there, but these women could have a future with the right characterization and the right push. Li is always a lot of fun to watch and was easily the most dynamic performer of the four, and the finish looked off, but Borne and Aliyah pulled off the win over Li. Again, far from perfect, but I've also been barking on a weekly basis that the women of NXT need to get more stories and angles, and this match was a good continuation of the story they're telling with Conti, Aliyah and Borne, and adding Li to the mix was a good call.
Then we got an outdoor segment with Velveteen Dream coming up to "reporters" who were asking how he celebrated his win, but he was quickly interrupted by all the members of Undisputed Era, and while Adam Cole did most of the talking, saying how the reporters should be interviewing Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly about how they were going to win the Dusty Classic for the second year in a row and eventually get their tag titles back from War Raiders, it was Fish and O'Reilly who stole the show with some of the goofiest behavior, particularly when Kyle addressed Dream as "Velveeta Dream", and when Dream talked about how Cole is without his entourage, Bobby Fish said, and I quote, " You're farting up the wrong tree" and I laughed my bollocks off. And when Dream referred to them as "boys", O'Reilly stormed off with the rest of UE, muttering "Boys? We're men! Ugh... so mad!" KOR is really the unsung hero of Undisputed Era. Then that cut to Dasha outside Regal's office but there were some more backstage issues with Bianca Belair and Io Shirai, shouting over each other as far as to who should be the next to challenge Shayna for the title.
Then we got Dominik Dijakovic vs Keith Lee in one of those matches that really paved the way for being the grudge match to see at TakeOver New York. The pacing of this match and the story being told was just spot-on. It was a test of strength and dexterity as Lee continues to shock with his agility (that recovery from the monkey flip was just awesome) and Dijakovic can really go the distance with a bruiser like Lee. This whole match that got both these competitors over as hell. They both looked great and especially looked tough as nails. And they both had insane spots, particularly with Lee's sky-high uranage of Dijakovic and Dominik hitting an Asai Moonsault on the outside that had both of them down and unable to get back into the ring to beat the 10-count, and Full Sail was pissed for all the right reasons. We wanted to see these two continue to beat the hell out of one another, but it left everyone wanting more, and that's how you start to create a great rivalry. Really excellent work.
Then we got the finalization of the Dusty Rhodes Classic with the previously confirmed Ricochet and Aleister Black, "Dark" #DIY, Moustache Mountain, and Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, and the bracket is Aleister and Ric vs Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel, Oney and Danny vs Forgotten Sons, Street Profits vs Moustache Mountain and Undisputed Era vs#DIY. This is going to be fascinating to see how this ends up shaking out for the Dusty Classic. And I'm going to call it: it's going to be #DIY vs Forgotten Sons for the Dusty Cup. Then the news broke that Mr. Regal tweeted out that Io and Bianca will have a one-on-one for who gets to take on Shayna Baszler at TakeOver New York.
Then we got Sasha Banks and Bayley making a surprise appearance back home at Full Sail to cut a promo on becoming the first Women's Tag champs and the crowd popped like mad. This was just a really great moment to bring them back and announce that they would be defending these titles on Raw, Smackdown and NXT in the future!!! That's just cool as hell, and I'm here all day for Sasha and Bayley coming back to NXT every once in a while.
Then we got our main event with Mia Yim taking on Shayna as retribution for how Shayna has been treating the NXT women's locker room and to avenge the beatdown she suffered the week before from Baszler and the Horsewomen. Baszler dominated early, but the HBIC came in like a house on fire but it was to no avail as The Queen of Spades took back over with some brutal submissions. But this was a chess match because both women were hurt early; Shayna with her right hand and Mia with her right leg, and this would figure more into the match as Yim was forced to fight from underneath even when it seemed like she was gaining momentum. Baszler even got Yim into the Kirifuda Clutch (had to Google that spelling) but Mia worked on Shayna's injured hand to break it, and shortly after, Yim hit the Eat Defeat kick on Shayna but wasn't able to fully capitalize. Ultimately, Yim's injured leg would prove to be too much of a target for The Submission Magician as she locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for a second time, and even though Mia would go after her injured hand again, Shayna used her leg to trap Yim's arms and forced the tap. This was another tremendous match that was booked extremely solidly, because it made Yim look like a genuine future star and serious contender and it also kept Shayna looking strong as well. She's had to depend a little too much lately on the Horsewomen to bail her out of trouble, but thankfully, they were nowhere to be seen in this match, because it makes Shayna look more desperate than dangerous, and Shayna is absolutely at her best when she scares you, and this was scary, dominant Shayna, not the bail-me-out Shayna we've been seeing lately.
Wow... I'm happy to say that this has been the very best week of WWE programming I've seen in a very long time. Every show was either very good or pretty fucking great, and that's not something I think anyone could say very often at all. And this week's NXT was pretty fucking great; we got the advancement of key storylines to head into TakeOver New York, and four different segments involving the women's roster! Now I know that the next several weeks are going to be devoted to the Dusty Classic, so we won't get to see the women as often as we did tonight, but it sure was refreshing to see an episode of NXT that didn't just push the men's stories.
So that's it for this week, everyone! I did gain some new Wrestling Twitter followers today, so hopefully you'll be stopping by if you're liking what you're reading. I'll be back next week with the recaps of the go-homes for Raw and Smackdown leading into Fastlane, and of course, my NXT recap, and also next week, you'll get my standard pre-PPV Hopes and Predictions column for Fastlane and the late Sunday night/early Monday morning "live reaction" blog to the matches at this PPV, so look out for those!
Until next time, kids...
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