23rd Jan2020

‘WWE NXT’ Review (Jan 22nd 2020)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this indy-fed rip-off continues on thanks to Vince McMahon funding it. This may not be the real thing, but I do enjoy it for the matches we get. Speaking of which, let’s get to those damn matches.

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Match #1: The Grizzled Young Veterans def. NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed ERA – Dusty Classic Semi-Finals Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Call it a surprise, call it an upset, call it whatever you’d like, but The Undisputed ERA will not be taking home the Dusty Cup this year after being knocked off by The Grizzled Young Veterans thanks to some help from Imperium. The UE landed the first blow ahead of Saturday’s Worlds Collide showdown with NXT UK’s most dominant faction, but Imperium returned fire with a vengeance. Suddenly appearing at Full Sail, NXT UK Champion WALTER and his allies captured the attention of Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly long enough for Zack Gibson & James Drake to seize their moment with the Ticket to Mayhem, advancing to the finals of The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Meanwhile, the NXT Tag Team Champions’ defeat only added fuel to their already flammable issue with Imperium.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was quite good. Wrestled like it mattered, this match was a fine addition into the tournament. A victory for GYV was the right call, as the winners have needed a big win for their credibility to be maintained/increased. They might need to book these guys again, because this was good, really good.

Match #2: Toni Storm def. Io Shirai (Disqualification)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Last week’s Battle Royal figured to provide some clarity in the black-and-gold brand’s Women’s Division, but chaos continues to rule the day. Days before her chance to knock off NXT Champion Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm looked to add another feather to her cap with a victory against Io Shirai. Storm claimed the win, but not in the manner she wanted, as it came through a disqualification after Bianca Belair attacked her.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – This was far too short for so strong a pairing. I hated seeing a DQ for a match that had some very brisk, brutal action. All that hard work just gets tossed in the trash when you do a DQ finish. F—. Any-way, this was doing good until it got shot in the foot by the booking.

Match #3: Finn Bálor def. Joaquin Wilde

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Ilja Dragunov and Johnny Gargano: You’ve been put on notice. Finn Bálor indeed delivered a statement to his two rivals with a dominant win over Joaquin Wilde complete with his hubris on full display. Taking the time to berate the promising Wilde while pummeling him, NXT’s Prince issued an audible warning to Dragunov and Gargano — his opponents for WWE Worlds Collide and NXT TakeOver: Portland, respectively — before planting him with the victory-clinching 1916 DDT. The message was simple but stern: You come at Finn, you better not miss.

My Opinion: 2.2 out of 5 – This was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too short for a pairing this good. I’m going all “broken record” on this sucker, aren’t I?

Match #4: Shayna Baszler def. Shotzi Blackheart

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Shayna Baszler was incensed after being dumped from last week’s Battle Royal by the up-and-coming Shotzi Blackheart, but she didn’t wait long to get retribution. The Queen of Spades taught Blackheart a lesson in the squared circle with a methodical attack en route to a tap-out victory via the Kirifuda Clutch after dodging a top-rope senton. Before the match, Baszler emphatically declared that Shotzi was only the first in a long line of victims on her march toward a third NXT Championship reign.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was fine, but it was too sho…f— this.

Match #5: The BroserWeights def. Imperium – Dusty Classic Semi-Final Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Despite being the field’s least experienced team, Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne are one win away from taking home the Dusty Cup. The BroserWeights had another impressive outing, this time picking up a win over the Imperium tandem of Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner. That means they’ll square off in next week’s final with The Grizzled Young Veterans, who were quick to take the stage to interrupt Riddle & Dunne’s latest triumph with some trash talk and a promise of victory. Riddle & Dunne were more than ready to engage the NXT UK duo in the war of words, responding in kind with verbal barbs of their own, though they seemed more interested in settling things in the squared circle next week.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was another fine match in the tournament that is making Cody Rhodes more money than the WWE (Vince had to pay Cody for the right to use Dusty’s name for the tournament). Who would have thought the BroserWeight thing would have been a hit like this (me actually)? This match went off without a hitch. Hell, it even went for more than a minute. Like my Michael York when I look at Dita Von Teese, this match was a real Raymond Burr.

Match #6: (Main Event) Keith Lee def. Roderick Strong – NXT North American Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The NXT Universe is basking in the glory of a new North American Champion. Keith Lee maximized his opportunity, taking the title off Roderick Strong for his first taste of gold in WWE after a thrilling battle. It was far from an easy hill to climb for The Limitless Superstar, whose ankle was smashed between the steel steps and ring apron in the early going, seemingly debilitating the challenger. Lee overcame not only that, but a continued onslaught that also included a top-rope Olympic Slam from The Messiah of the Backbreaker and attempted interference from The Undisputed ERA.

My Opinion: 3.6 out of 5 – This was an excellent main event that gave Lee the big victory he has been in need of. Strong put Lee over from bell to bell. The whole match was one big crowning achievement for the man who has gotten over naturally. This was some damn good s—.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

This was a fun show that had some excellent wrestling and some build toward some big matches for later on.

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