SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
This week’s episode of NXT was their “Best of NXT 2017” show to where some of this year’s best moments were highlighted. Overall, it was a very good recap that could have been better with some minor (possibly major) tweaks. Many stories were retold that we witnessed throughout this year that captured the highs and lows of many of the starts that we have seen week after week last year.
HITS
Drew McIntyre vs. Adam Cole with Special Guest Referee Shawn Michaels (NXT Championship Match): We were treated to this match as it was a replay of their battle at a house show in San Antonio, Texas one day before NXT: War Games. It was great storytelling as the valiant champion went up against a villainous heel with his counterparts in tow. Drew McIntyre looked very strong oversizing Adam Cole who had to result to dastardly tactics to keep up with the NXT Champ. As the Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) interfered early in the match, they were ultimately sent from the ring area by Shawn Michaels, leaving it to Cole to forge forward alone. This is where Cole started to shine. He became very whiney and devious as we have seen before by being the heel that he is, taking cheap shots (even spitting in McIntyre’s face) to gain an advantage. He even yelled at Michaels to “do his job” while taunting and mocking him. But it didn’t seem to have any avail as McIntyre countered his attack with power moves. Even with those moves, he could not keep Cole down as he kept pushing forward with resiliency. One of the highlights came when Cole hit Michaels (accidently) with his own signature move, the Superkick. Then the UE returned to assist Cole, but it did not help as Michaels did away with Fish and Superkicked O’Reilly out of his shoes, which brought the crowd to their feet. It was fun to see that Michaels could still take a bump as he took several of them from both sides. McIntyre showed resiliency of his own as he managed to fight off the rest of the UE and hit Cole with the Claymore to pick up the win.
The Ember Moon Segment: This segment was fantastic as the viewers really got to know Ember Moon. It spoke of her humble beginnings in a small Texas town, how her love for wrestling was born through intimate moments with her grandfather and her uphill battle to live out her dreams of becoming a successful wrestler. It also highlighted her independent wrestling life and NXT debut. One of the compelling stories was her rivalry with Asuka. Even though she took two loses to her foe, she managed to keep her head up and keep striving as she went on to live out her dream of becoming NXT Women’s Champion. The viewer really got an in depth look at this young lady and what she is made of, leaving the viewer with more of an appreciation for not only her talent, but her as a person as well.
The Johnny Gargano Segment: This segment was in told in excellent fashion as it went from his days in #DIY, with both the highs and the lows. It then focused on his road of redemption as he fought back from injuries succumb due to his former best friend and tag team partner, Tomasso Ciampa, as well as his unlucky losing streak paralleled with his frustrations of not just giving it his all, but to become victorious. He spoke how he needed to become himself again as he went on basically a soul-searching mission to become the wrestler that not only he believes he can be, but the fans as well. It was seen later how his luck would change as he managed to fight his way back into relevancy with a major victory in the Fatal 4-Way Match that resulted in him becoming the number one contender to the NXT Championship.
MISSES
Johnny Gargano: As mentioned above, the segment on Johnny Gargano was excellent, but unfortunately, he wasn’t. This was mainly because he showed no emotion whatsoever as he discussed his past year. His tone remained the same from the beginning to end, and one would expect more emotion as he discussed the breakup of #DIY and the beatdown that he received from his former best friend. How could someone who was distracted twice in his matches with the future NXT Champion with a vintage #DIY shirt remain so nonchalant when speaking of his former partner and the situation? In addition, he remained in the same mood as he spoke of his battle back to relevance and becoming the number one contender. No change in emotion in any way as the average person would have shown delight, etc. It is obvious that Johnny Wrestling is amazing in the ring, but mediocre in speaking and promos. Honestly, it is the only thing that is holding him back from reaching the upper echelon that he is so desperately seeking.
The Sequencing of Segments: Overall, NXT did a great job in the telling of last year’s past events, but the order that they were told just seemed off. For instance, there seem to be a lot of jumping around from one wrestler/situation to another only to come back to that same wrestler/situation. The beginning was fine as it spoke of Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura, but it then bounced around from Drew McIntyre to #DIY, then back to McIntyre capturing the NXT Championship, then to the Undisputed Era. It then went to speak of the tag team division to the rivalry of Aleister Black and the Velveteen Dream. Then back to McIntyre and his rivalry with Andrade “Cien” Almas to the house show that he had with Adam Cole. After that, it went back to the rivalry and loss of his title to Almas. The tribute to Asuka was nice, but then the women’s division was highlighted, but mashed together with no real separation of the Mae Young classic, just some vignettes of the contestants. It then goes back to Gargano and ending with Ember Moon. There were also some spots left out, like Sanity. How important were they this year? Very much so but it was not highlighted of how they captured the tag team titles from the unstoppable Authors of Pain (who were not really discussed that much as well). Roderick Strong and his story was not told either as he had a very decent year. Overall, it just didn’t seem to flow, like it was not correctly pieced together chronologically or properly.
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: NXT HITS & MISSES 12/27: Ember Moon defends against Sonya Deville, Lars vs. Gargano vs. Aleister vs. Killian Dane
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