‘WWE NXT’ Review (Aug 21st 2019)
Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a brand that is about to debut on the USA Network soon. I wish it good luck, because if the ratings go down, Vince McMahon will get far more involved than many of us were ever hoping for. Okay, let’s make like Helen Hunt and get Mad About You…Mad About You bay-bay! Yeah!
Match #1: Damian Priest def. Mansoor
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite operating at a severe size and strength disadvantage against Damian Priest, Mansoor showed that he’s got the determination, technique and heart to stand toe-to-toe with the mighty Archer of Infamy. Mansoor brought the fight to the big man, stunning Priest with hard-to-predict aerial strikes and eye-popping reversals. Slick maneuvers and boundless courage, however, were not enough to propel Mansoor to victory on this night. After shrugging off Mansoor’s attempt at a tornado DDT, Priest launched the blue-chip prospect across the ring with a Razor’s Edge that would make Scott Hall proud. The sinister Superstar then wiped out Mansoor with the Reckoning en route to claiming another victory.
My Opinion: 1.5 out of 5 – I didn’t have a real problem with this, but it simply wasn’t very good.
Match #2: Mia Yim def. Vanessa Borne
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Vanessa Borne relied on outside interference from Aliyah, her own ruthless tactics and a heaping helping of trash talk to get off to a hot start against Mia Yim. But when The Vision dared to label Yim a “lower,” literally — affixing a sticker with her favorite epithet onto Yim’s backside — The Head Baddie in Charge grew enraged. Not one to suffer such an indignity without response, Yim fired off rapid-fire knife-edge chops. A cannonball and Protect Ya Neck later, and Yim found herself being announced the victor. After the match, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler sauntered to ringside and, surprisingly, gave Yim props for the toughness she displayed at TakeOver: Toronto. The Queen of Spades then invited The HBIC to join her as an ally, just as Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir climbed onto the apron and surrounded Yim, suggesting Baszler’s overture wasn’t entirely gracious. The Head Baddie in Charge made her answer (a strong no) known by knocking Duke to the floor. The numbers soon got the best of The HBIC, however, as Yim fell victim to a two-on-one beatdown by Baszler and Shafir that only ended once referees broke up the melee.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This wasn’t very much, but it was something…and really short. Hopefully, we’ll get longer matches in NXT on USA.
Match #3: Shane Thorne def. Bronson Reed
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With Bronson Reed proclaiming himself “NXT’s resident thicc boi,” it should come as no surprise that Aus-zilla unloaded a hoss-forward offense against his longtime mate from Down Under, Shane Thorne. The Worst had serious trouble controlling Reed’s burly frame, and even evading Reed was a tough proposition, as Thorne found out when his leap-frog attempt was countered into a ring-rattling spinebuster. While Thorne couldn’t match Reed’s size or sheer power, he did find success with more underhanded strategies, like raking Reed’s eyes and fish-hooking his maw. He compounded the damage with less controversial, but no less impactful, moves, such as a senton into the corner and a picturesque leg lariat. Reed nonetheless stayed in the fight, flattening Thorne with a quick-pivot powerslam and a girthy Thesz Press. The pace stayed breakneck throughout the back-and-forth contest, but after having his top-rope attack intercepted, Reed was a sitting duck for Thorne’s wicked kick to the chest, which struck with the force of a cast-iron skillet. With a handful of tights for added leverage, Thorne pinned Reed, bringing The Worst’s record against Breakout Tournament competitors to 2-0.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was good for what it was, but it always felt stunted, just a little bit. Okay, maybe more than a little bit, since I gave it only two stars.
Match #4: (Main Event) Killian Dain def. Matt Riddle
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a match so hard-hitting that viewer discretion would be advised, Killian Dain put down Matt Riddle for the three-count, dealing the former UFC fighter a rare loss inside the squared circle. And when that wasn’t enough to stop the double-tough Riddle from wanting to continue the fight, Dain kicked his ruthlessness into overdrive and laid out Riddle in a vicious scene that won’t soon be forgotten by the NXT Universe. Riddle entered the contest at less than 100 percent to begin with, sporting bandaged ribs thanks to his and Dain’s brawl at TakeOver. That fact wasn’t lost on Dain, who used surgical precision to attack Riddle’s ribs and mid-section throughout the match. Although Riddle gritted through the pain and delivered a truly gutsy performance, even his most high-octane offense — such as the Final Flash knee strike — appeared to have less force than normal and couldn’t keep Dain down. The match took a sickening turn when Dain delivered a senton splash onto Riddle on the ring steps and then followed up with a Vader Bomb off the ring apron onto the floor. Riddle spat out blood after that impact, causing the announcers to speculate that he had suffered internal injuries. Dain then rattled off three more Vader Bombs inside the ring before pinning The Original Bro.
My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a mean match and I mean “mean”. I used the same word three times. I have an OCD thing about that. Step on a crack and break your mother’s back. Any-way, this looked like the world’s greatest bar-room brawl, with full Road House $#!@ going on here. These clobbered each other like there was no tomorrow. If you want to see what it looks like when a beached whale gets into a fight with Wyatt Russell, then this is your lucky day. Overall, Matt got beat to death and still looks like a teenage girl’s wet dream.
News Of The Night:
- Mia Yim refused to join Shayna Baszler, so Baszler and her friends (Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke) beat the hell out of her.
- Donavan Dijakovic fights Keith Lee, next week.
- Velveteen Dream is still feuding with Roderick Strong.
- Adam Cole defends the NXT Championship against Jordan Myles in a few weeks.
- The Street Profits defend their NXT Tag Team Titles against Undisputed Era, next week.
Final Verdict: 3/5
This was a nice show that ended strong, thanks to Matt and Dain trying to kill each other.
