Nerdly » ‘WWE NXT’ Review (Oct 7th 2020)

08th Oct2020

‘WWE NXT’ Review (Oct 7th 2020)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Takeover 31 turned out great. I didn’t get around to reviewing it yet, but Chris Cummings wrote a great review about the show that summed up my feelings on the matter. The CruiserWeight Title fight was a 4 for me, KUSHIDA/Dream was a 3.3, Gargano/Priest was a 4.1, Shirai/LeRae was a 4.4 and Balor/O’Reilly was a 5 out of 5. Why can’t NXT’s weekly show be that good? Wink Martindale is one bad mudder-fugger and NXT starts…Michael Winterbottom’s nickname is Mikey Coldass.

Match #1: Tommaso Ciampa def. KUSHIDA (Disqualification)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Much has been made of Kushida’s seemingly newfound, more vicious demeanor, but he faced a tough test against one of the most vicious Superstars in NXT history. The bout with Tommaso Ciampa was every bit as hard-hitting as one would imagine. Velveteen Dream cut their battle short, though, trying to take out Kushida, the man who defeated him Sunday at NXT TakeOver 31. However, he errantly struck Ciampa instead, ending the match by disqualification. NXT’s resident Time Splitter wound up getting the better of Dream yet again, pummeling him on the outside of the ring until he retreated. Meanwhile, Ciampa appeared incensed with the result.

My Opinion: 4.2 out of 5 – Before the lame run-in from The Purple Goob, this was a fantastic match. Everything was one smart attack after another, with each hold linked to another in a tight array of gripping action. There was tension, suspense and enough peril to make you question the result down to the last…shit, Velveteen Dream. I like Dream (except for his alleged sex crimes), but he just feels like a buzz-kill at this point. Dream is always interrupting the good matches and delivering fights of his own that are lazy and dull. Dream may very well be the definition of “resting on your laurels”. I’d love to see Dream start painting himself purple with some glitter. Dream needs a face-lift…and to stay out of the good matches, damn it! Ciampa and KUSHIDA have the natural chemistry together to make for a nice rivalry, if they can get to finish any of their matches.…mmmmmmmmmm.

Match #2: Killian Dain & Drake Maverick def. Ever-Rise

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Killian Dain & Drake Maverick are anything but a well-oiled machine, though they still found a way to claim victory over Ever-Rise. Drake spent much of the bout being beaten down by the much more experienced duo of Chase Parker & Matt Martel until Dain powerbombed his own partner onto Parker, leaving Maverick in position for the pinfall. Dain still wasn’t quite ready to celebrate with Maverick afterward, instead leveling him with yet another post-match haymaker. But The Beast of Belfast did show some sympathy this time, slinging Drake over his shoulder before heading to the backstage area.

My Opinion: 1.3 out of 5 – This was a waste of time that made both teams look stupid.

Match #3: Austin Theory def. Leon Ruff

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

“All Day” disposed of Leon Ruff in short order.

My Opinion: 1.7 out of 5 – This was a waste of Ruff, but Theory looked good in this squ…squ…no…SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Match #4: Dexter Lumis def. Austin Theory

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Austin Theory is making a habit of biting off more than he can chew. “All Day” disposed of Leon Ruff in short order before issuing another open challenge, only to find the returning Dexter Lumis answering the call. Still, Theory found a way to seize control before getting himself in trouble with too much grandstanding, giving Lumis an opening to eventually plant him with a Uranage and put him out with Silence.

My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5 – Lumis may still be a lousy wrestler, but Theory is talented enough to know how to take what Lumis has and make it into gold. I liked this. It felt competitive and rough, but never at the expense of technique. You get a lot of sound grappling in conjunction with swift strikes and slams. I don’t like Lumis winning, but perhaps Vince doesn’t want Theory (who still stands accused of a sex crime), getting too much of a push. Well, at least this match was top-notch action on a brioche bun.

Match #5: Ridge Holland def. Danny Burch

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Ridge Holland impressed against a fellow Brit in Danny Burch, emerging victorious after a quick but hard-hitting affair.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – Way too short, but good for the brief time it got.

Match #6: Shotzi Blackheart def. Xia Li

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Shotzi Blackheart came away with another win, as the host of the upcoming NXT Halloween Havoc put Xia Li away after hitting a top-rope senton.

My Opinion: 1.6 out of 5 – This came and went after a few minutes. Either fighter looked bad, but neither fighter got much time to do all that much either.

Match #7: (Main Event) Ember Moon & Rhea Ripley def. Dakota Kai & Raquel González

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Ember Moon may have not competed for more than a year, but you’d never know it from watching her performance tonight in her official return to the black-and-gold brand. She joined forces with Rhea Ripley to forge a dream team of sorts, albeit one with competing interests as they both eye Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship. But on this night, they put their differences aside, operating seamlessly as a unit at several junctures. Ripley and Raquel González battled on the outside before toppling over the broadcast table, occupying Dakota Kai’s attention momentarily. Moon took advantage, hitting a picture-perfect Eclipse for the win.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – This picked-up in the last act of the match, but nothing before that was any-thing better than you would have gotten from a Teddy Long tag match…playa. Moon looked pretty good in her return, but Rhea was the big star here. Kai was okai and Raquel hates the movie “Willow”, so screw her. As main events go, this did the job, but not with much style.

News Of The Night:

Ridge Holland got hurt while brawling Oney Lorcan.
KUSHIDA and Velveteen Dream are still feuding.
Killian Dain and Drake Maverick are still being booked as a reluctant comedy tag team.
Cameron Grimes attacked Dexter Lumis to kick-start that feud.
Austin Theory is still calling out Adam Cole.