26th Jul2018

‘WWE NXT’ Review (July 25th 2018)

by Nathan Favel

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Welcome to this week’s WWE NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a major main event to cover, so let’s do so.

Match #1: Adam Cole def. Sean Maluta

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

NXT North American Champion Adam Cole showed that he’s on another level against Sean Maluta, downing the Cruiserweight Classic alum in short order thanks to his devastating final blow, the Last Shot. Cole’s night, however, was far from over. After the win, The Panama City Playboy boasted that he is the most buzzworthy Superstar in sports-entertainment, prompting Ricochet to enter the scene. The One and Only accused Cole of ducking his challenge, called Cole a “coward” and dared the Undisputed ERA front man to change his mind by agreeing to a title match against him at TakeOver: Brooklyn 4.

Cole dodged the challenge and opted for an exit, though he grew emboldened as soon as NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong arrived as backup. As the trio began to move on The One and Only, The War Raiders, their sights clearly set on O’Reilly & Strong’s tag title gold, marched into Full Sail Live. Undisputed ERA’s flight response kicked in, but before they took their leave through the NXT Universe, another tandem with championship ambitions, Moustache Mountain, cut them off at the pass. Tyler Bate & Trent Seven landed a few strikes before Cole, O’Reilly & Strong finally ran for the hills. Everybody, it appears, wants a piece of Undisputed ERA.

My Take: This was a quick victory for Cole, who looked like a star here. Cole has really come a long way from when he and O’Reilly worked as Future Shock for Ring of Honor. Maluta ain’t too bad neither. Well, golllllllllllly… me and Mema beens goins tuez duz ‘rasslin’ shows for years to find out which wun of da trash cans in da lobby is muh Papa… she told me ta toss her ass in each wun and roll ‘er around ta help her jog her memory! Boy, I really need to get that back-space and/or delete button before I go full Jethro on all y’all.

Match #2: Lacey Evans def. Tenilla Price

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Once again Lacey Evans displayed a total lack of manners inside the ring, and once again it resulted in a painful night for The Lady of NXT’s opponent. In this instance, Tenilla Price suffered the brunt of Evans’ hard-edged attack. After using some innovative tactics to brutalize Price (including tying her hair to the top rope), Evans thwacked her adversary with the Woman’s Right as Price attempted a handspring elbow in the corner. The pinfall was academic from there. Though she barely broke a sweat decimating Price, Evans wiped her brow with a handkerchief. Always a lady …

My Take: This was a quick squash that gave the winner a nice boost.

Match #3: Main Event – Tommaso Ciampa def. Aleister Black to win the NXT Championship

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Tommaso Ciampa, the scourge of NXT, defeated Aleister Black to become the new NXT Champion, and Johnny Gargano — the one man who insisted that outcome could not be allowed to happen under any circumstances — is to blame. Gargano’s involvement, which inadvertently swung the tide in his arch-rival’s favor, came in the waning moments of a wild and thrilling title bout in which The Dutch Destroyer and The Blackheart battered each other with every weapon in their arsenals. Black laced Ciampa with a wide assortment of kicks, but The Blackheart endured more of The Dutch Destroyer’s attack than any of Black’s previous challengers, forcing Black to employ rarely used maneuvers to try to take down Ciampa.

Ciampa pushed Black to his absolute limit, too, clamping on punishing holds and resorting to extreme (and underhanded) measures. As both Superstars brawled on the floor late in the contest, Ciampa pushed Black into a member of NXT’s ringside production team. While referee Drake Wuertz checked on the fallen third party, Ciampa nailed Black with his now-infamous crutch behind Wuertz’s back, though Black kicked out of the ensuing pin attempt. Wuertz was knocked off the ring apron moments later after another fiery exchange. The Dutch Destroyer then wiped out Ciampa with Black Mass and had Ciampa’s shoulders pinned to the mat, but the referee was unable to administer the count.

Ciampa clawed his way back into the fight, literally, by gouging Black’s eyes. With the referee still down, The Blackheart grabbed the NXT Championship, presumably to clobber Black with, at which point Gargano entered the ring. Gargano superkicked Ciampa and ripped the title out of his hands, but accidentally hit Black on the backswing. Ciampa discarded Gargano from the ring and then planted a dazed Black with a double-underhook facebuster, just in time for the newly revived Wuertz to re-enter the ring and count the fall. You can call the victory ironic, you can call it fateful, but by any description, there’s no denying that with Tommaso Ciampa as NXT Champion, the black-and-yellow brand will never be the same.

My Take: Well, this may be the best WWE match of the week, if not of the year. These two guys are a great pairing, for both wrestling skill and character appeal. Two of wrestling’s most unique people being allowed to be this unique under the auspices of the WWE is remarkable, considering how few people are allowed to run on all cylinders like this (AJ Styles, Steve Austin and The Rock are the lone few who are allowed to work to their full potential in the WWE). Ciampa and Black are one of the best booked pairings of the year and could really yield a refreshing rivalry that is different from any-thing else out there. This is one of those matches you owe your-self to watch.

News of the Night:

  1. Ricochet and Adam Cole are teasing a feud for the NXT North American Title.
  2. The War Raiders want to destroy the Undisputed Era.
  3. Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane for the NXT Women’s Title is official.
  4. Johnny Gargano accidently cost Aleister Black the NXT World Title by trying to hit Ciampa with the strap, but hitting the champion instead.

Final Verdict: This was an excellent card, thanks to a great main event. Ciampa as the champion will be a fun ride that gives a very deserving fighter a chance to show what he can do.nxt-logo

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