I’ve been saying that I want to watch NXT again for the better half of this year, and it finally happened. I went into this PPV knowing little to no wrestlers, no background on their feuds and no idea what was happening, but that didn’t make it any less magical.
When the lights fell on the arena, there was not one, but TWO rings! I knew I was in for a good night, or in my case two days. I don’t have as much free time as I used to so I had to watch these matches in segments. Sad, I know.
We kicked things off with an apparently unscheduled match with Matt Riddle and Kassius Ohno. The match literally lasted a second, maybe. I’ve been following Matt Riddle on IG since I heard he would sign to the WWE because you know, wrestlers with long hair are my weakness so I was happy to see him in action for the first time. I really wish the match was longer. I’d love to see what both men are capable of. Matt Riddle def. Kassious Ohno.
sourceNext, we had Shayna Bazsler vs. Kairi Shane for the NXT Women’s Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Where the first person to pin their opponent twice wins. The match was off to a great start with Kairi on the top rope on more than one instance. However, like a repeat from Evolution, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke got involved and started attacking Sane, which helped Bazsler secure a win.
source: WWE.COM
Io Shirai and Dakota Kai came to Same’s aid in an indescribably brilliant fashion. But, Baszler still retained the title.
A few things I should mention about this match: at this point of the PPV, I was not a fan of the commentators, perhaps because it was not a voice I was used to. Also, while I’m very happy to see Duke and Shafir in action, I’d really prefer it if they broke away from the 4-Horsewomen gimmick they have going on. it leaves very little space for originality.
Then, there was Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano. I quite enjoyed this match. Both men were taunting each other and bringing out the best in them. Johnny Gargano’s attire was Marvel inspired, which made me really happy because you know, I love Marvel. I did, however, note that their entrances were way too long, and since I was in a hurry it didn’t help at all. But the match was proper good. It was fun and physical, and what more can you ask for. Aleister Black def. Johnny Gargano
Then there was NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream. I’ve been waiting to see the Dream in action for so long. I watched him on his season of Tough Enough and I really wanted to see what kind of energy he would bring to the WWE and I wasn’t disappointed. He’s the kind of extra I aspire to be. I’ve heard of Ciampa, but never really knew anything of him till I watched this match. Both men put an amazing show with so many near falls. You usually tend to know which way a match is leaning but at the pace this was going, the ball was on both their courts. This match had me so hooked that when my Wifi connection died in the middle of the match, I ran to the store to pay the bill just to come and finish this. Ciampa def, Velveteen Dream and retained the title. Note, the Dream’s top rope maneuvers are so effortless, it’s mesmerizing.
The Main Event was a War Games match with Ricochet, Pete Dunne & The War Raiders vs. The Undisputed Era. What is a War Games Match? Well, let me tell you because I had no idea until I checked the rules out.
Source: WWE.COM
It was the first time I’ve seen a match like this, and I was excited. Two rings in a cage? Sign me up. The match kicked off with Adam Cole and Ricochet, both men who I have never seen in action but impressed the actual life out me. Ricochet has such a dope entrance but what on earth is a North American championship? Forgetting that for now, every couple of minutes one person from each team would enter and literally demolish everyone around. It was incredible. I held on to every minute like my life depended on it. I’ve also never heard of the War Raiders, but they were brilliant, relentlessly brutal and worked so well together as a team.
I was familiar with one person in the match, Roderick Strong, but only because I saw him in the Royal Rumble and he was great. I credited him to wanting to watch NXT again. Bobby Fish was the last guy from Undisputed Era to enter the match and on his way to the ring, he stopped by the other team’s cage, which contained Pete Dunne. He conveniently chained Dunne’s cage and threw away the key so when it was his time to enter there was an array of referees desperately trying to open the cage. They ended up bringing bolt cutters and freed the already furious Dunne, who ran to the ring and threw every possible weapon into the ring including tables, chairs, trash cans, and kendo sticks. At this point, my mind was obliterated. The match that followed was physically mapped up perfectly. Excellent use of the weapon and all the space in both rings. And by god, the high flying had me weak in my knees. It was exciting, entertaining, relentless. Everyone surprised me. The War Raiders, Ricochet & Pete Dunne def. The Undisputed Era.
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