‘WWE NXT’ Review (Sept 18th 2019)
Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this is the big one. The first two hour NXT show is here and…only the first hour is on USA. Yeah. So much for competing with All Elite Wrestling on TNT. Screw it. More good wrestling on national TV is still important in its own right. There was this guy who used some condoms with his wife and lost one outside somehow. A kid picked up the banana-looking/colored one and the guy tried to take it from the kid. The guy ends up paying the kid for it and he gets the thing back. The kid goes home and his mom sees the money and asks him where he got it from. “Some guy bought a Twinkie from me that I found on his lawn…but not before I sucked the cream out. Loser” It’s amazing the stuff you learn from kids when they’re in school. What’s also amazing is that’s time for NXT on USA! Okay, let’s make like The Fiddler and get on the damn roof.
Match #1: Candice LeRae def. Mia Yim, Io Shirai and Bianca Belair – Fatal 4-Way Match For NXT Women’s Title Shot
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Candice LeRae entered the high-stakes battle intent on getting even with bitter foe Io Shirai, but she emerged with something even more precious, a guaranteed title opportunity against NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler. The historic and thrilling first bout of NXT’s USA Network live premiere moved at a furious pace. Each Superstar scored near falls during the free-for-all, but Shirai appeared to have the match in hand as she prepared to hit LeRae with the Moonsault. The sinister “joshi Judas” was denied takeoff, however, when the crafty Mia Yim swooped in and pushed Shirai to the floor. The now-recovered LeRae quickly capitalized, striking Yim with a poison hurricanrana and a quebrada to claim the deciding fall, dealing a tough blow to three other pillars of the Women’s division. Afterward, the ruthless Queen of Spades entered the arena to get a closer look at her next challenger, and in stark contrast to so many Superstars who’ve come eye-to-eye with Baszler in the past, Tenacious C showed no fear.
My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This was a fun ten minutes of action that was, mostly, just big moves, but they looked really effective. Candice winning is the right move and any-one who says otherwise is a dink. Kevin Spacey is a dink. Do you wanna be like Kevin Spacey? Then shaddap. Candice is the best choice. Just because I’m wrong and stupid, doesn’t mean I’m not twice pathetic as you know I am. Over-all, this was a good way to begin this two-hour era of NXT. Roger Moore is dead.
Match #2: Cameron Grimes def. Sean Maluta
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Cameron Grimes is done messing around. Hellbent on making up for his loss in last month’s crucial NXT Breakout Tournament Final, The Technical Savage made an example of Sean Maluta, decimating the former Cruiserweight Classic competitor in the blink of an eye. Maluta sped at Grimes as soon as the bell rang, but Grimes immediately spiked him with a leaping foot stomp to score the decisive win in less time than it took you to read this recap.
My Opinion: 1.1 out of 5 – A squash?! Are you kidding me? Eat me. Eat me raw. Wait, eat me NXT. See? I’ve got my eye on the prize/pizza. I love wrestling/pizza. NXT is great/I want pizza.
Match #3: Roderick Strong def. Velveteen Dream – NXT North American Championship
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Prophecy fulfilled. Some nine months after The Undisputed ERA guaranteed that all four of its members would be “draped in gold” within the year, Roderick Strong turned the bold prognostication into reality, defeating Velveteen Dream to capture the North American Title. The Messiah of the Backbreaker, however, didn’t do it alone. The champion and challenger tore into each other with vigor — the epic duel bringing the NXT Universe to their feet — but the complexion changed once Dream broke free from the Strong Hold and the rest of the Undisputed ERA arrived at ringside. Strong pulled Dream into the referee, opening the door for his teammates to run interference. The enigmatic “North American Dream” initially kept them at bay and even kicked out of the End of Heartache after the referee regained his senses. The Undisputed ERA’s underhanded antics weren’t over, though, and with the referee distracted, NXT Champion Adam Cole was free to level Dream with a superkick, allowing Strong to follow up with another End of Heartache to snare the win and set off The Undisputed ERA’s long-awaited celebration.
My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5 – This was very strong match that served as the first big bout of the night, while also acting as the NXT/USA main event. Strong was as strong as ever. Hey, I used the same word three times and got a pun out of it. The match they worked was all about heart and guts, which is also how Chicken McNuggets are made. The More You Know. This match had all of the indy-style kicks and bumps that wrestling fans have gotten addicted to in the last decade, so much so that my eyes hurt from watching the fight. You know, that might just be the glaucoma. Dream felt like a poor man’s Black Machismo here, but that’s still a compliment. Strong was as well-rounded as ever, transitioning from move to move like rapids crashing on the shore of a sandy, sun-lit beach some breezy Summer morning. What the hell was that? I outta shove myself in a locker after writing that. What I’m getting at here is that this was the kind of match that should be appearing on TV on a regular basis. Plus, Strong won the title. Long overdue for a guy who is a success whereever he goes. What a great match and give me $50 bucks.
Match #4: Pete Dunne def. Arturo Ruas
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The gritty, hard-hitting in-ring action that makes NXT the gold standard in sports-entertainment was on full display as former WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne fought skilled martial artist Arturo Ruas. Despite Ruas’ ferocious striking ability and impeccable technique on the mat, the Brazilian Superstar was no match for Birmingham’s BruiserWeight. After doling out a steady diet of suplexes and joint manipulation, complemented by an X-Plex, Dunne locked Ruas in a triangle hold and forced the submission by splaying Ruas’ fingers.
My Opinion: 2.8 out of 5 – Dunne looked really good here and Ruas was not too far behind.
Match #5: Xia Li def. Aliyah
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Accompanied by her pompous partner-in-crime “The Vision” Vanessa Borne, Aliyah had every intention of making a “lower” out of her opponent, Xia Li. Li, the self-described “Spicy Girl” from China, had other plans in mind. Using elusive tactics and a litany of kicks to her advantage, Li stayed one step ahead of Aliyah, much to the dismay of the Boujee Superstar and her ringside accomplice. After uncorking a wicked tornado kick that had enough heat on it to register on the Scoville scale, Li picked up the three-count.
My Opinion: 2.4 out of 5 – This came and went without much to say either way, but some matches do better when the context is different altogether. Whoa. I rhymed and sounded stupid. Anyway, as for the match, it had solid work from both of these gals and that’s enough, in this case.
Match #6: Lio Rush def. Oney Lorcan – #1 Contender To The WWE Cruiser-Weight Title
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Lio Rush is back — both in the ring and, now, in title contention. Returning to WWE TV for the first time since April, The Man of the Hour received a “Welcome back” chant as he faced the double-tough and fearless Oney Lorcan in a match to decide the next challenger to WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak. True to form, The Boston Brawler exercised total and complete reckless abandon as he raged full steam ahead at Rush. Yet, even Lorcan’s dangerous attack couldn’t stop the fleetfooted and endlessly innovative Man of the Hour in his surprise return. After enduring a targeted attack on his left knee, as well as a deluge of vicious open-hand chops, Rush caught Lorcan in a standing Spanish Fly, which was followed by the Dragon’s Call Frog Splash and the pinfall. Even after a prolonged hiatus, Rush continues to be The Man of the Hour, and following his latest triumph, the hour is nigh.
My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was quite good for ten-something minutes. This was every bit as exciting as it should have been and my face looks like a parrot sucked into the vacuum of outer-space. Polly wants in. Polly wants in! Rush deserves this second chance to live-up to his potential in the WWE and NXT seems to be the best place to do that. Oney still has a stupid name, but at least he isn’t being called Craig McSteve on the main roster. Wait, Triple H hates the term “main roster”. Yeah, well I hate that he looks like Barbra Streisand. Papa, can you hear me? Yeah! Shut up! Splish splash we were taking a bath and this match jumped a cannonball right into the deep end of my heart.
Match #7: (Main Event) Matt Riddle versus Killian Dain – Street Fight Match (No Contest)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The much-anticipated Street Fight between Matt Riddle and Killian Dain failed to determine a winner or who the tougher man was — if anything, it intensified their scorching animosity — but it did succeed in giving The Original Bro and The Northern Ireland Nightmare another chance to brutalize one another. They weren’t alone, either. The no-disqualification smashmouth brawl saw Riddle and Dain clobber each other with Kendo sticks and fight throughout the NXT Universe. The chaos spiraled further out of control with each passing second, eventually sprawling outside the arena, near Superstar bystanders. That’s when the fuse detonated.
WALTER and Imperium soon joined the fracas, attacking Riddle. The Street Profits weren’t far behind, giving Riddle an assist. Before long, virtually the entire NXT roster was entangled in the tempest, with everyone from The Forgotten Sons to Pete Dunne, Bronson Reed and Danny Burch getting involved as the fight spilled back to ringside. Security personnel intervened but wound up pummeled for their efforts. Although Riddle and Dain tried in vain to reignite their showdown, all hope for containing the melee was lost as the ring swelled with competitors. The Beast of Belfast mowed down a group of Superstars with a supersized suicide dive, but even that fell short of stopping the carnage. Fists continued to fly as NXT went off the air, ending the black-and-gold brand’s historic live premiere with one of the wildest, most out-of-control frays ever witnessed at Full Sail University.
My Opinion: 3.1 out of 5 – This was far too short and ended with a no contest, which is supposed to be impossible with a stipulation match like this one. Dumb WWE logic. The brawl was going really well, but the finish just further served to establish that this feud is just a smoke and mirrors thing to kill time. Oh well. At least they hit each other really hard.
News Of The Night:
- KUSHIDA and WALTER are teased to be in a feud, thanks to a brawl with Imperium against KUSHIDA.
- Dakota Kai returns, next week.
- Candice LeRae versus Shayna Baszler happens in two weeks.
- Keith Lee fights Dominik Dijakovic, next week.
- Triple H started off the show by talking during the opening vignette…and sounding like a twit.
Final Verdict: 3.4/5
This could have been a lot better, but the atmosphere was fantastic and the North American Title Match was great, so that works for me. Christian, do your work.
