This week should be another fun, action-packed episode of NXT. A brief video package promoting the start of the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament, with TM61 vs AOP beginning this year’s edition how we ended the 2016 tournament. Also on this episode will be the inevitable encounter of Aleister Black vs Killian Dain. I’ve a feeling I might enjoy that one…
So we begin the show with the Authors of Pain and their manager Paul Ellering on the way to the ring, followed by their opponents Shane Thorne & Nick Miller. This was as expected, AOP showing off their power & both members of TM61 demonstrating their fight and athleticism. Akam and Rezar took turns at different points to isolate both Miller and Thorne, although Thorne flying over the ropes onto both of AOP on the outside and later a lariat followed by a cannonball and a rolling suplex from Shane Thorne that got a nearfall looking really impressive. However the Australian tag team were met with a PAINful downfall; Shane Throne was powerbombed onto the apron before Nick Miller was a victim of the Last Chapter tag team finishing move and the Authors of Pain picked up the win. For a 5 or so minute match this was pretty entertaining stuff. But it was as expected and AOP march on, and whatever push TM61 were being given to promote their return (they missed over a year of action due to injury) seems to be over for now…
Next we see NXT General Manger William Regal in a typical NXT impromptu press conference/interview… thing… somewhere in the parking lot area of the arena. He’s asked for his thoughts and favourites for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic but stops short of offering his tips, Pete Dunne then walks by and is asked by the “reporters” about his UK title status? The Bruserweight says his title isn’t going anywhere, his former challenger Roderick Strong then enters the fray and admits Dunne was the ‘better man’ in their previous match but says he cannot wait to do it again. ADAM COLE ‘BAY BAY’ then walks by with his Undisputed Era stablemates (the NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) and greets both men, winding up Strong to a point in which Pete Dunne tells Cole that “You haven’t won anything since you’ve been here”. The apparent tension prompts Regal to re-enter the picture and ask if there was a problem. Cole smugly says there isn’t…… OOOOOOOOOOOO I LIKED THIS! … Wonder where it will lead us…
Bianca Belair is briefly shown warming up and preparing for her upcoming match backstage. Before that though we see Sanity cut a promo in the inner-area of the arena, Eric Young promises ‘CHAOS’ as he talks up his team’s chances in the upcoming Dusty Classic, Alexander Wolfe similar, a possessed Nikki Cross at this point jumps on Wolfe’s back and does her usual, sadistic laugh at the prospect of her team unleashing more destruction. Finally a typically angry looking Killian Dain tells his opponent for later in the evening, Aleister Black, that “CHAOS WILL WIN”. I really do love Sanity, collectively and individually they are so, so great! Next back in the ring we have Bianca Belair’s match against a jobber. She does some really impressive looking power moves, all whilst swinging her oh-so-long Ponytail in delight, before winning the match rather quickly with a Fallaway Powerbomb. Another showcase for the “est” of NXT (the gimmick being that whatever superlative you can think of can be applied to her; strongest, fastest etc. you get the idea). She’s getting some kind of push, what the end game is and how far it goes remains to be seen. I’d like to see her now against more established competition before I’m fully convinced by her as a performer and by this gimmick though.
Next we have the ‘Lady of NXT’ Lacey Evans talking backstage at an NXT live event, her gimmick is that she is a class above everyone else and is not afraid to flaunt her glamour and class in her opponents faces. She’ll face fellow Mae Young Classic competitor Dakota Kai next week on NXT and in this interview she claims she will ‘test how much her arm has healed’ following the gruesome stomp on it by Shayna Baszler a few weeks back in their match. And right on time enters the Queen of Spades herself, this quickly prompts Evans to leave, as Baszler explains with no surprise to her that we are now in “another week without a word from Ember Moon (the NXT Women’s Champion that Baszler called out for another match against last week)”. She says the silence makes it clear what Moon’s answer is. Not much to say about this really, Evans character is a good one that she pulls off well, and the same and then some for Shayna Baszler. Good stuff all round.
We then were ‘treated’ to a short promo of Heavy Machinery at the Performance Centre gym talking up their chances in the Dusty Classic. I was always told not to say anything if you have nothing nice to say, so my thoughts on Heavy Machinery: .
Tommaso Ciampa then appeared dragging his crutch on the entrance rampway, to a chorus of boos from the Atlanta crowd (you’ll be more than aware by now that Ciampa had previously cost his former tag team partner Johnny Gargano the NXT Championship and his NXT career). He would then make his way, methodically-slow, to the ring with his crutch over his shoulder, not to any music by the way with only the fury of the NXT fans to accompany him (something which I thought worked really well here). As the chants of “WE WANT JOHNNY” ring around the arena Ciampa attempts to speak through the microphone he had grabbed on a number of occasions, only for each time to be stopped by the volume of boos from the crowd (think Roman Reigns the night after Wrestlemania when he had beaten The Undertaker, this was a similarly negative reaction and situation for the man in the ring). Furious at this response Tomasso Ciampa threw his mic to the floor and left the ring without saying a word, he’d try again only for the same reaction to stop him from speaking. He gazed at some fans in the crowd that were wearing Johnny Wrestling T-shirts before throwing his mic once more and making his exit. “HEY HEY HEY, GOODBYE” was the crowd’s thoughts on this or as one fan in particular was clearly heard saying “you’re so bad, you’re so mean” which I found very amusing. Ciampa would then tear up and then beat with his crutch a fan’s sign of Johnny Wrestling before marching his way out of the NXT arena area. This whole segment was BRILLIANT! It’s a really interesting story they are telling here, this will really help build the hatred towards Ciampa, as will his outstanding work via his official twitter. More super stuff.
It was then announced that on next week’s NXT we will have the following matches: Pete Dunne defending his United Kingdom Championship against Adam Cole (WOW, YES), Sanity vs Riddick Moss & Tino Sabatelli (only half brilliant, and I don’t mean Moss & Sabatelli) and ‘Street Profits’ vs Heavy Machinery (meh, who cares) in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Before it was finally time for our main event!!!
Perhaps the coolest superstar in the whole of WWE right now Aleister Black made his entrance first, closely followed by the Beast of Belfast himself; Killian Dain. These are two of my absolute favourites in the whole of wrestling, so forgive me if there isn’t too much technical analysis of this one. I just wanted to sit back and enjoy it to be completely honest. As you may expect this match was a battle of Dain’s power and surprisingly high athleticism against the pure striking and technical wizardry of Black, demonstrated by a move more commonly used by Finn Balor (who is almost 200 pounds smaller in weight) when Dain dropkicked Black into the corner of the ring for a nearfall in the opening exchange of the match. Black though showed plenty of what he had to offer, in particular a glorious (Roode, 2016) looking moonsault from the top rope to take down Big Damo (he will always be Big Damo, his name before he came to WWE, to me) on the outside. The Northern Irishman would continue to utilise his ferocious power but a now wounded Black would continue on the offensive, Dain repeatedly telling his opponent that this was “my path” (to the NXT Championship). Dain would hit a Vader Bomb but only got a 2 count, he then would place Black in an electric chair position but this was countered into a roll up nearfall. And then as the monstrous Dain returned to his feet he was greeted with the ever vicious–looking Black Mass kick and that was enough to give Aleister Black the win. Good match this one, both of them outstanding talents and showed off their impressive move and skill sets here. So with this victory it is surely now Aleister Black who awaits the NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas in the championship match at NXT Takeover: New Orleans the night before Wrestlemania.
And that was yet another episode of NXT in the books. If you’ve read all of my reviews of this wonderful show so far you won’t need me to tell you how good it is. This episode didn’t disappoint.
Key Points to Take Home:
. AOP should be on the main roster yesterday. Would be a great answer to The Bar’s Wrestlemania open challenge.
. ADAM COLE VS PETE DUNNE, NEXT WEEK!
. I REPEAT: ADAM COLE VS PETE DUNNE, NEXT WEEK, AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!
. Tomasso Ciampa may be the most despised man in the company. Which means as a heel he is doing his job, and doing it very, very well.
. The Black Mass is the best finisher in WWE right now, FIGHT ME!
Conclusion
NXT as I have said never fails to disappoint, and this week was no exception. The way it is booked, the weight of the card each week is just really well done. And, in my opinion, the 2 key parts of any wrestling show are both done here tremendously well; the storytelling and… the wrestling! The story that is being told with Tomasso Ciampa is really something special, who knows how it’ll conclude and where Johnny Gargano factors in. And as demonstrated by Aleister Black and Kilian Dain in the main event, the quality of wrestling on display is out of this world! Next week promises to be more of the same, with 2 of the very best going at it; Pete Dunne vs Adam Cole. 1 year ago Adam Cole was Ring of Honor World Champion, and Pete Dunne was still a few months from claiming his UK title. Now next week they will face each other in a WWE NXT ring, crazy! But WWE is a good kind of crazy at the moment, and NXT is the epitome of that. Who knows what awaits us as the weeks go on and we get closer to Takeover; New Orleans, and a Takeover means after there will be new arrivals to the brand as others depart for the land of Raw or Smackdown. With abundance of talent in WWE’s “developmental” brand at the moment it could not be a better time to be a fan, and if you don’t already; start watching this show now! I assure you it will not disappoint!
Josh.