WWE NXT April 25, 2018 Results and Review The Best of The Best

Ciampa Stands Tall - SRC WWE 

I don’t usually cover NXT but since I’ve been on a new tear for this blog, I decided to give it a shot, and well, I am delighted about what has gone down last night with the throwdown of NXT. Let’s discuss the quick show that had a lot of action, and was well paced overall.

WWE NXT April 25, 2018 Results and Review The Best of The Best

The Undisputed Era came out and cut a promo about how cool they are and that they are going to run rough shot over NXT for good. This was a good little segment, but I never liked a lot of talking with my wrestling, but that’s the norm these days, I guess.

Adam Cole defeated Oney Lorcan in the NXT North American Championship Match

This was a stellar affair, although quick. Lorcan really connects fast and hard with the moves he has, and is a slippery fellow. Adam Cole didn’t have much of an answer to him for a few spots, and he was selling a rib injury, but with the help of his cronies, he was able to pick up the big win. If it wasn’t for them attacking Lorcan while the ref was turned, this would’ve turned out a lot differently.

Heavy Machinery defeated Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli

This was an interesting little match, as it featured Heavy Machinery throwing their weight around, no joke. They eventually would get the win as Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli are going their separate ways, as one refused to tag in, and left the other for dead.

Johnny Gargano was stretchered out of Full Sail after Tommaso Ciampa attacked

Ciampa attacked Gargano with a serious frenetic pace that was nothing short of insane. It was a killer beat down that goes down deep into the ages of the world of wrestling. It was a nice intense fight and at the end of the day Ciampa got the last laugh by throwing Gargano down a table with a finisher that looked just as brutal as ever.

Aleister Black defeated Eric Young

Since the title match didn’t happen, Eric Young and Sanity came down the ramp and challenged Black and he accepted. This was a good overall television match with lots of back and forth action, and some stellar offense and defense from both men. Black was able to control some of the match, but not all of it, with a great deal of maneuvering overall. Young was able to fly through the air, and got a little help from Sanity, but it wasn’t enough because Black Mass hit and Young was thrown down as he is now going to Smackdown with his crew.

Overall, the night of wrestling felt crisp, and within only 1 hour, I was fully vested into the happenings that are going on with WWE NXT, that’s for certain.

NXT Takeover New Orleans April 7, 2018 Results and Review

Shayna Baszler NXT Takeover 2018 - source WWE 

I’m excited that I will be seeing NXT in Chicago later this year. I am excited to see the product in person, and if it is anything like this one, I’m going to be in for a great treat for sure. As for all of that, let’s start with our take on this past weekend’s big event. We will be talking about NXT Takeover New Orleans.

NXT Takeover New Orleans April 7, 2018 Results and Review

Adam Cole defeated EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Ricochet, and Velveteen Dream in a Ladder Match for the NXT North American Championship

This was a stellar 30 minute match that had everything you’d want from a ladder match, with the sole exception of blood. That’s just a small nitpick, but other than that, you’re going to find that there was a lot of greatness, that featured these guys killing themselves for a title. There’s so much to explore in this match that I can’t list everything I liked, it’s just one of the best ladder matches that I’ve seen in a long time. Ricochet here, holy crap, Velvet Teen Dream, holy crap, and you know what, amazing.

Shayna Baszler defeated Ember Moon for the NXT Women’s Championship

I disagree with nearly every podcast that I heard talking about NXT Takeover. I loved this match, and loved Shayna Baszler’s improvement from the past match that she had with Ember Moon. Shayna has improved so much that I saw shades of Zack Sabre Jr. and he’s my favorite wrestler right now. Shayna Baszler improved so much that she was able to counter some of Ember Moon’s offense and eventually get her to pass out in her finisher. I was so glad to see the change that I may pick up a Shayna Baszler shirt, even if I’m the only one wearing one.

The Undisputed Era defeated Authors of Pain, and Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong for the NXT Championship and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Trophy

This was a stellar match with a lot of upside. I loved the process that was going on in this three way dance for the title and trophy. It was going well until Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne and caused this match to go down hill. The match dropped a heel turn for Strong, and he joined The Undisputed Era and is now part of the championship category of NXT. Dunne, however, was laid out as a result. Good match, and I appreciated the turn.

Aleister Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas for the NXT Championship

Aleister Black put on a show against Almas, and Almas stuck with him every single turn. I loved it. I appreciated the work the two put into this match, and the counters that worked through the various stages of this incredible match for the title. I was going for Almas, so when he lost in a sequence that was quite good, I was impressed. Aleister Black was able to get the Black Mass strapped on with ease and won the match. A good one.

Johnny Gargano defeated Tommaso Ciampa in an Unsanctioned Match

Holy hell, perhaps the best match I’ve seen this year. I thought Okada versus Zack Sabre Jr. was good, but it goes second now. Gargano and Ciampa put the boots to each other and left it all out in the ring. Ciampa and Gargano’s finish was great, both sitting in the middle of the ring, and then the Gargano lock with Ciamapa’s knee brace across his own face was great to see. This 37 match was stellar above all else, and was absolutely the best thing I’ve seen all weekend, now that I take it all in.

NXT Takeover New Orleans is what the WWE should be all the time, and yet it is not. This is one hell of a show and something that you need to really see, as there were some great moments here, and it’s just a great overall rundown of programming that you will love as a wrestling fan, simple as that.

NXT Takeover Brooklyn III Results and Review The GOAT of WWE Shows Up

Black vs Itami - SRC wwe.com

The WWE is a massive company, and their mainstream offerings on a weekly basis are not exactly always good. I don’t keep up with NXT nearly as much as I will be doing in the future, but I did manage to take a break from my writing to see this show this morning, and well, I’m blown away by a lot of things. The WWE got something right, and it’s interesting to see it, but there are some imperfections here and there.

WWE NXT Takeover Brooklyn III Results and Review

Andrade “CIen” Almas defeated Johnny Gargano

Did someone tell Almas that his job was on the line? He not only seemed a bit more fit, he was taking on Gargano in a serious fashion. The back and forth between the two was accelerating, and quite fascinating to see. However, the quick “no selling” by both men kind of took me for a loop. Some call it “indie”, I call it poor selling. I’m sure that it is warranted now and then, but even Ric Flair’s flurries would end with him falling on his face in fatigue after attacking his opponents sometimes. Almas here got the better of Gargano, but not without cheating, and that is perhaps telling. Gargano gets a DIY shirt thrown at him, and boom, Almas capitalizes. Almas is a great wrestler, if the WWE would let him just explode like he did in Mexico. This was as close as you’re going to see to his original charismatic self, but it took Gargano putting on a clinic for him to reveal it.

Sanity defeated The Authors of Pain for the Tag Team Championships

I love Nikki Cross. She is one hell of a performer, and a beautiful lady if you ask me. But this is about the match, and the Authors of Pain putting on a show with Sanity. Sanity brought out all of their tools, and the two brawled until we started to see the wheels come off. Sanity played the numbers game, and Nikki Cross with Dame’s interference was amazing. The logic of this match was great with that finish. Cross jumps off the top rope on the outside and gets caught by one of the Authors of Pain, then Dame runs straight for them both, tackling them into a table! That leaves one guy open against 2, and that ended the match, before the “indie” darlings showed up. I’m not impressed by those guys yet, but it should be interesting to see what goes down moving forward. Great match, with some solid concepts, and a great finish, and again I love Nikki Cross.

Aleister Black defeated Hideo Itami

Black and Itami put on a strong style showcase and I enjoyed it greatly. Black was not backing down and Itami wasn’t either, breaking Black’s nose at one point. Jim Ross doing commentary was great, but the match itself was hard hitting, and showed the future of WWE in some sense. The counters the two put on, quick thinking, and smart psychology ruled in this match. There was even spots that didn’t take away from one wrestler’s fatigue, but was desperation, like Bret Hart’s reversals sometimes. I loved the way they blended together, and how Itami mocked Black at one point. I don’t like Black’s finisher, but hey, it is what it is. This match was hard hitting, but not with a lot of slow down, though it did appear. Black is great here, but WWE will surely screw him up like they did with Corbin.

Asuka defeated Ember Moon

Ember Moon put on a major show against Asuka. While I did not like this match as much as the Nikki Cross vs Asuka Last Woman Standing match, I did appreciate this for what it was. Moon not being able to put away Asuka. However, the natural conclusion of this match should have been when Moon hit her finisher, dead center of the ring. I don’t know where you go from there. Asuka won after trying to cheat, and eventually made Moon tapped out. I would’ve like Asuka to win by cheating, and develop that side of her character, leading to a match where she couldn’t cheat, but nope. Moon loses, and Asuka’s title reign continues.

Drew McIntyre defeated Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship

This match was hard hitting, and perhaps one of the best I’ve seen from Roode. Roode took on McIntyre’s best here. The bagpipe players from the NYPD were amazing for Drew, and he looked poised to get the big win here. He did it, but not without taking on Roode at every possible configuration of moves. That included the outside, off the top rope, and several DDTs. While there were moments of slow down, it wasn’t so bad that I wanted to stop watching. The two really did well together, and Roode may be poised for other things. Roode seemed to have suffered a nice big bruise on his quad, which looked nasty.

Post-match Adam Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly came out to beat up McIntyre. They are indie darlings from what I hear, and well, I didn’t care, I had already seen 6 or so hours of Summerslam and didn’t want to watch any more.

NXT Takeover Brooklyin III was certainly a great show. After seeing Summerslam, I can say that this was a better showcase of the WWE talent roster. I did not like Summerslam nearly as much. While the lack of fireworks was lame, the live performances were great, and the future looks bright for WWE, assuming they don’t homogenize these guys on the main roster like they have with Corbin, and Nakamura.

WWE NXT March 30, 2017 Results and Review Phoning In The Show

WWE NXT is really hit or miss, and this week, it had everything shoved into a short span of time. It didn’t feel special at all, and you know what, maybe the whole show was phoned in. Let’s consider this show and then I’ll put up a review of the first ever WCW Nitro, then will be posting my predictions for Wrestlemania.

WWE NXT March 30, 2017 Results

Dash Wilder defeated Johnny Gargano and Akam in a Triple Threat Match
Heavy Machinery defeated Jonathan Ortagun and Mike Marshall
Asuka and Ember Moon signed a contract for Saturday’s Big Show
Kassius Ohno defeated Elias “The Drifter” Samson in a Loser Leaves NXT Match

WWE NXT March 30, 2017 Review

Dash Wilder defeated Johnny Gargano and Akam in a Triple Threat Match

The smartest play I’ve seen in wrestling in a long time. Dash Wilder ran to the ring after Akam and Gargano fought each other. The two battled each other, and eventually Wilder ran in and picked up the quick win. Wilder and his partner didn’t stay for the match, but only ran in at the end, smart move.

Heavy Machinery defeated Jonathan Ortagun and Mike Marshall

Looks like Disorderly Conduct from WCW is back. This was a jobber match.

Asuka and Ember Moon signed a contract for Saturday’s Big Show

Asuka’s English is horrible. I can’t wait to see her get booed out of the building or get the “WHAT” chants on the main roster.

Kassius Ohno defeated Elias “The Drifter” Samson in a Loser Leaves NXT Match

This was not a great match. Samson threw up a few good shots, but it was all Ohno here. Ohno’s outfit is not flattering, but the dude can go so well, that you ignore it. Samson wasn’t that great, but it looks like he’s going up to the main roster. I think he has an upside, he was able to go through some great offense, and get the crowd to hate him. Good stuff.

At the end of the day, this was a phoned in show. Kassius Ohno is fun to watch, and he did put on a good show with The Drifter. He also smashed a guitar at the end of the day. Great stuff there, but at the end of the day, it felt like it was phoned in to me.