‘WWE NXT’ Review (Sept 19th 2018)
Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a big main event to get to. Let’s get right to The Brady Bunch Movie! If the brothers and sisters kiss, does the show get cancelled or just moved to Canada? I don’t know what that joke even means, so who cares?
Match #1: Lacey Evans & Aliyah def. Dakota Kai & Deonna Purrazzo
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Dakota Kai & Deonna Purrazzo may have formed a bond over their shared disapproval of Lacey Evans & Aliyah’s antagonistic ways, but when it came time for the two sides to square off, Evans & Aliyah proved to be the better unit. The Lady of NXT and the “sincerely spoiled” Aliyah isolated Purrazzo for much of the contest. Staying true to their cutthroat nature, Evans & Aliyah had no problem bending the rules to maintain the advantage over the gifted technician. The Virtuosa eventually broke free and tagged in The Captain of Team Kick, who unloaded big boots on Aliyah’s face, but Evans stopped Kai’s subsequent pin attempt. Evans & Aliyah slyly managed a blind tag as Kai rolled up Aliyah moments later. Unaware that Evans had re-entered the match, the unsuspecting Kai was left open for Evans to slug with the Woman’s Right for the win. The NXT Universe might not like Evans & Aliyah’s attitudes, but there’s no denying their potency as a team.
My Take: 2 out of 5 – This was a simple match that set up the winners as a threat to the rest of their division. Deonna was still the star here, but she wasn’t the focus, so there was only so much time spent on her here. Over-all, this was a good opener.
Match #2: Jaxson Ryker def. Humberto Carrillo
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
In a battle of NXT newcomers, Jaxson Ryker (the heavy hitter of The Forgotten Sons) and Humberto Carrillo (a proud member of the lucha libre’s famed Garza dynasty) each looked to start his NXT career off on the right foot. Ryker succeeded. The incredibly intense Ryker pulverized Carrillo from start to finish. He overwhelmed Carrillo with brute strength and used ruthless tactics, like scurfing Carrillo’s face on the canvas, to keep the upper hand. Carillo tried to turn the tide by launching himself off the top rope, but Ryker swatted him out of the air like a fly. Ryker then put Carrillo out of his misery with a slingshot powerbomb to score the decisive victory.
My Take: 1 out of 5 – This felt like a waste of two potentially interesting people. Squash matches don’t put money in the bank, so why book them?
Match #3: Main Event – Ricochet and Pete Dunne’s Champion vs. Champion Match ended without a winner when Undisputed ERA interfered
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
NXT’s first-ever Champion vs. Champion Match between NXT North American titleholder Ricochet and WWE U.K. titleholder Pete Dunne lived up to its historic billing and then some, resulting in one of the most unbelievable matches ever contested at Full Sail Live. The only thing missing was a winner, a grave injustice for which the NXT Universe has Undisputed ERA to blame. For more than 20 minutes, The One and Only and The BruiserWeight fought tooth and nail in the goal of becoming a dual champion. The mesmerizing bout moved from the mat (where Dunne would be expected to have the edge) to the air (Ricochet’s domain), but neither Superstar gave an inch. The one-time tag team partners showed no mercy as they exchanged vicious strikes throughout the match, whether it was Dunne clobbering Ricochet with forearm smashes or Ricochet raining down an axe kick on the U.K. Champion’s head.
Late in the match, after Dunne countered a springboard 450 Splash by locking Ricochet into a triangle hold, The One and Only reversed the submission into a ring-shaking powerbomb. Dunne, however, kept hold of Ricochet’s arm and cranked it into a keylock (bending Ricochet’s fingers for added leverage and to inflict further pain). Ricochet again countered, deadlifting Dunne into a brainbuster. With their gas tanks depleted, Ricochet and Dunne were sitting ducks for what came next. Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong ran in and ambushed both champions, causing the match to end abruptly. War Raiders, who are on the hunt for O’Reilly & Strong’s NXT Tag Team Titles, ran off the unruly interlopers, but the damage had already been done. We might never know who would have prevailed had Undisputed ERA not interjected themselves into the match, but there’s no denying that NXT’s first Champion vs. Champion Match was nothing short of magical.
My Take: 4 out of 5 – This was a hell of a match that had all sorts of great moments of action throughout. These guys went for every kind of offensive move possible and made great use of every kind of counter possible, as well. The only bad part was the ending, which was par for the course in the WWE, but came along only after they had done some great work together. Overall, if it wasn’t for the finish, this awesome match could have been truly incredible.
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Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 – The main event made this card notable. Why NXT only does one good match a show is beyond me, but it’s their league (Vince’s league), so they (Vince) can do what they (Vince) wants (John Cena).
