Nerdly » ‘WWE NXT’ Review (July 18th 2018)

19th Jul2018

‘WWE NXT’ Review (July 18th 2018)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s WWE NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and I say we should get right to the action!

Match #1: Lacey Evans def. Dakota Kai

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Lacey Evans has thrown plenty of shade at Dakota Kai, and tonight she showed she can back it up, too. The Lady of NXT controlled much of the action in this insanely physical contest, a rematch of their bout in February, which Kai won. She was anything but ladylike in doing so, leveraging shortcuts (such as tying Kai’s foot to the turnbuckle as she hung upside-down in the corner) to punish Kai.

The Kiwi Superstar tried to match Evans’ ferocity once she found an opening, blasting Evans with a barrage of kicks to the face. However, Evans, a former U.S. Marine, is nothing if not tough. She survived The Captain of Team Kick’s brutal onslaught, and, after ducking an enzuigiri, slugged Kai with a Woman’s Right out of the blue to pick up the win. The victory did nothing to quell Evans’ motormouth, as The Lady of NXT continued to show her class, or lack thereof, as she berated the down-and-out Kai.

My Take: I didn’t feel like there was too much to this, but it was a solid match with very crisp moves and lots of energy.

Match #2: Kassius Ohno def. Rick Ramirez

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Kassius Ohno is a dangerous man. Searching for an emphatic win after suffering recent tough losses against the likes of EC3 and Tommaso Ciampa, The Knockout Artist hit the mark against an outgunned Rick Ramirez. The match lasted mere seconds. Ramirez’s ill-fated attempt to outwrestle Ohno was quickly shaken off, and then Ohno, proving he can end a match in the blink of an eye, uncorked the Rolling Elbow to bring Ramirez’s night to a painful close.

My Take: If you blink your eyes then you could miss this one. At least Ohno won the match.

Match #3: Kairi Sane def. Nikki Cross and Candice LeRae in an NXT Women’s Title No. 1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler now knows her opponent at TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, and it happens to be one of only few Superstars who holds a pinfall victory over the dominant Queen of Spades on WWE Network. Kairi Sane, who defeated Baszler in the Finals of the inaugural Mae Young Classic last summer, earned the coveted title opportunity by overcoming Nikki Cross and Candice LeRae in a thrilling No. 1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match.

The electrifying showdown was nonstop action from bell to bell, and with such high stakes, each competitor left it all in the ring. Cross was at her sadistic best, wrapping Sane’s body around the steel ring post and thrashing The Pirate Princess with a series of back-breaking suplexes. LeRae demonstrated the laser-focus that she’s preached in recent weeks, bringing Sane and Cross crashing to the mat with a Tower of Doom out of the corner and, later, an innovative DDT/flatliner combination. Sane, meanwhile, was unyieldingly resilient, withstanding incredible punishment and returning it in kind.

The NXT Universe showered the Superstars with chants of “This is awesome” and “NXT,” while the coldblooded Baszler, who joined the commentators at the announce desk, looked on, unmoved and unimpressed. LeRae appeared to be on the brink of victory when she nailed Cross with a high-arching quebrada. The only problem was that she lost sight of Sane. As LeRae covered Cross, The Pirate Princess sailed off the top rope and crushed both women with the InSane Elbow before pinning LeRae to snare the all-important win.

Sane defeated two of the black-and-yellow brand’s toughest Superstars in one fell swoop, but can The Pirate Princess do what no other competitor has achieved so far and dethrone The Queen of Spades when they collide in Brooklyn?

My Take: This could be the best WWE match of the week. These three women fought like there was no tomorrow and made sure no one could forget their work. Congratulations to all three of these women for having an excellent main event.