Nerdly » ‘WWE NXT’ Review (Oct 21st 2020)

23rd Oct2020

‘WWE NXT’ Review (Oct 21st 2020)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and my hopes of being a plus-sized stripper-pole dancer went down in flames like the Hindenburg. We’ve got a big Tag Team Title main event that makes me feel like a natural woman…but not a big bitch on tall pole! I wanna strip ‘n shake my ass! Why does the floor cave in when I spin my ass around like a chubby spinning-top?! Liza gets to do it! Damn it! Well, while I cry, why don’t you go on down the list and enjoy the matches.

Match #1: KUSHIDA def. Tommaso Ciampa and Velveteen Dream – Triple Threat Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Tommaso Ciampa wasted no time targeting Velveteen Dream’s cast-covered left arm in a wild bout that was breathtakingly fast-paced from the start. Kushida also targeted Dream’s injured limb, forcing him to tap out unofficially on the outside of the ring with an armbar. Dream’s cast led to Kushida’s victory, as he practically knocked The Blackheart out with a strike to head before Kushida pinned Ciampa with a German suplex.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – You’re not getting a lot of psychology here, but you’ll get a lot of break-neck action that was often in favor of Ciampa, but ended-up serving KUSHIDA even more in the end by him actually winning. Dream was the punching-bag for his opponents and…it felt pretty good. Dream still gives me the creeps, but I’m trying to trust his goofy ass again. Ciampa and KUSHIDA…you gotta keep them together. If you’re looking for an intense pairing, Ciampa and KUSHIDA are a great candidate for that kind of action. No offense to The Purple Pervert, but I want Ciampa and KUSHIDA as a long-term rivalry and I don’t really care if Dream gets to stay involved with them. All in all, this was a nice way to give KUSHIDA a big victory over a big-time fighter like Ciampa and it was well-deserved.

Match #2: Ember Moon def. Jessi Kamea

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Ember Moon continued to look as good as ever, defeating Jessi Kamea with a unique deathlock-chinlock combination in her first singles match in more than a year. But afterward, Moon felt the wrath of Dakota Kai, who vowed that Moon wouldn’t use her as a stepping stone.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This wasn’t very much, but the right person won and that’s important.

Match #3: Bronson Reed def. Austin Theory (twice)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Aus-Zilla had to beat “All Day” not once, but twice just to shut him up. First, Bronson Reed won with a top-rope Tsunami, though that only drew derision from Austin Theory, who demanded a rematch. But Reed made even quicker work of him the second time around, pinning him after a massive Samoan drop.

My Opinion: 2.4 out of 5 – This was two squashes linked together. Do you wanna watch two squashes in a row?

Match #4: Legado del Fantasma def. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jake Atlas & Ashante “Thee” Adonis

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

This Six-Man Tag Team battle broke down in a hurry — and so did Legado del Fantasma’s initial strategy to surround their foes in the ring. Jake Atlas scored a massive blow against Santos Escobar, spiking him with a cartwheel DDT on the outside, but that left Ashante “Thee” Adonis all alone in the ring for a devastating step-up kick-legsweep combination by Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza.

My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This had an awful lot of movement and some fine spots, but this was not on the level of those great trios matches that The Shield was having several years ago. I’d call this very mechanical, but pleasantly so. There’s a lot of huffing and puffing at a certain point, but when you go from one stunt to another, you lose some steam out of the wrong part of the engine. I enjoyed the match, but it was not enough to be more than just a series of moves and a finish.

Match #5: Ever-Rise def. Killian Dain & Drake Maverick (Disqualification)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Killian Dain may still not be the biggest fan of Drake Maverick’s choice of theme music, but Drake seems to be slowly winning over The Beast of Belfast. Chase Parker locked Dain in a single-leg crab while Matt Martel made Drake watch from ringside, but Maverick eventually broke free and wielded a chair against both opponents. Though it cost he and Dain the match, Dain was impressed by Drake’s fire.

My Opinion: 1.6 out of 5 – Boy did this not have anything happening here. Why are we still doing this dumb comedy angle with Dain and Drake? How many people will actually pay to see this? Why not just have Drake go after the Cruiserweight Title? I still wanna see that major prize fight on the marquee. Well, at least this didn’t have a dumb fini…wait…it did.

Match #6: Kacy Catanzaro def. Xia Li

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Xia Li once again came up short in a match she called a “must win,” succumbing to a crafty pinning combination by Kacy Catanzaro. Li savagely attacked her opponent afterward, but Raquel González arrived moments later to dismantle both as well as Kayden Carter, sending a message to Rhea Ripley before their match at NXT Halloween Havoc.

My Opinion: 2.3 out of 5 – I wanted to like this, but it was too short and it was all in the name of pushing Li’s heel turn, which was ruined a second after by Raquel’s attack.

Match #7: Timothy Thatcher def. Anthony Greene

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

What started as a live Thatch-As-Thatch-Can demonstration turned into an impromptu match, but it ended in the way Timothy Thatcher prefers: with ruthless brutality. Thatcher forced Greene to tap out after taking advantage with a cheap strike before the bell sounded, once again making an example of a “student.”

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was a waste of two talented people in a match that went about a minute or so. Thatcher is a machine in that ring, but he often has to just go a mile a year just so he doesn’t exceed Vince McMahon’s speed limit. Greene has loads of potential, but if they’re just going to make him look weak to the veterans, then how do you expect to make the most of him? Next time, just have these guys wrestle each other for a nice chunk of time and let the good times roll.

Match #8: (Main Event) Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan def. Breezango – NXT Tag Team Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Pat McAfee shockingly appeared to be in cahoots with Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan, perfectly executing a scheme that played out over the course of the night. First, Bobby Fish was found attacked backstage, then Roderick Strong, rendering Undisputed ERA unable to compete against Breezango as originally scheduled. A masked man pushed Fandango off the top rope while Burch hit Breeze with a low blow behind the official’s back, leaving him vulnerable for an assisted elevated DDT to crown The Brit-Am Brawlers as new champions.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a fun match that got ruined by the finish, even if it meant that the right winners were crowned. Breezango worked hard to keep-up with Burch and Lorcan, but the challengers are on a different level these days. I’m glad that this stuck to the ground and was largely grounded, but this always felt like a bait-and-switch kind of deal, which the finish confirmed. Overall, this was a good main event, but it lacked the urgency that a prize fight has.