1/17 NXT TV REPORT: Gargano’s landmark promo, AOP vs. Profits, Heavy Machinery vs. Moss & Sabatelli, Strong vs. Aichner

By Justin James, PWTorch contributor


SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

NXT TV REPORT
JANUARY 17,  2018
TAPED IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

[Q1] The announcers remind us that there is a match between The Authors of Pain and Street Profits for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Heavy Machinery is out, they are facing Riddick Moss and Tino Sabatelli. Inset reminder of how this match get set up. Spoiler, it involved a Maseratti.

(1) HEAVY MACHINERY (TUCKER KNIGHT and OTIS DOZOVIC) vs. RIDDICK MOSS and TINO SABATELLI – Tag Team Championship

Dozovic sends Sabbatelli to the mat on a lockup, so Sabbetelli hits a dropkick. Dozovic is angry and runs him over. Sabbatelli tries a crossbody, and Dozovic catches him and hits a body slam. Knight tags in, slingshot senton, cover for one. That should be a finishing move, sorry. Front facelock giant swing from Knight. Knight lets Moss tag in, then immediately moves to mat wrestling. Cheap shots on the ref break give Moss an advantage, but he jaws too much, and takes the front facelock giant swing too. Dozovic is in. Dozovic does the caterpillar into an elbow drop, Sabbatelli breaks up the cover, Moss chop blocks Dozovic, and Dozovic is down. This may be the first time he came off his feet. Dozovic is isolated. Knight tags in. Even hits a hip toss, then a drop kick to Sabbatelli. Knight with a choo choo splash in the corner, hip toss and clothesline send Sabbatelli out, but Moss has a sudden schoolboy, feet on the ropes, and Moss gets the win.

WINNERS: Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss in 4:35. Wow, this was a pretty fun match. Amazing to see Sabbatelli breaking out cruiserweight moves. I feel like we are in a real golden age for tag team wrestling on NXT, with multiple levels of the card being well represented, multiple feuds, etc. I like it.

Backstage promo with Undisputed Era. Adam Cole claims he will “mangle and embarass” Aleister Black. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish talk about how they will beat either The Authors of Pain or Street Profits and they don’t care which is will be.

[ J.J.’s Reax: One thing I like about these promos is they are trying something new with the cameras. The wrestlers speak directly to the camera in front of them, but there are quick shots to other camera angles, giving it a sense of dynamicism which is often missing. ]

[Q2]

(2) RODERICK STRONG vs. FABIAN AICHNER

I would like to see Aichner start gtting some wins, but this match feels like it is either a setup for some other feud, or a chance to give Strong a win. Leaping leg lariat gets Strong one. There is a lot of back-and-forth. Aichner catches Strong in mid-air and hits a huge powerslam. [c]

Aichner has another powerslam for one right after the break. Aichner stomps Strong in the corner, then wants a powerbomb, Strong escapes and goes to the attack. Strong drives Aichner into the corner and continues the offensive. Aichner escapes an Olympic Slam, gets caught with a backbreaker for two. Aichner has a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker of his own. The announcers plays up Aichner as an equal to Strong. Aichner springboards, gets caught, backbreaker Strong locks in the Stronghold (full Boston Crab) for the submission win.

WINNER: Roderick Strong in 4:32. Fine back-and-forth match, but Aichner got way too much offense to make Strong look good.

Post-match, Strong has a mic. He says that last week, someone came out who is always looking for a fight. And Strong says he has conquered in NXT. He’s calling that force out, and says, “I’m calling you out, Lars Sullivan.” This will be a fun feud, and will tell us how WWE really feels about Strong.

Ranallo throws to a package on TM61. Lots of outtakes from them trying to cut a backstage promo, positioning them as funny jokesters. Action shots of them in the ring. They talk about wreslting being uncommon in Australia when they grew up, so they met in Japan and became friends after a rocky start. They talk about working with Harley Race, which got them to WWE. They were not at the WWE’s level, talking about Xavier Wood, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins being there. They went back to workinghard in Japan. They promise part 2 of the video package next week.

[ J.J.’s Reax: We’ve discussed on the PWT NXT podcast how valuable these “Who are XYZ” packages are, and this re-proves it. We know more about TM61 after 5 minutes than we did after their previous pre-injury run put together. ]

[Q3]

(3) ALIYAH vs. LACEY EVANS

Lots of back-and-forth. Aliyah with a jacknige for two, then a crucifix for two. Evans heels it up a bit, slingshot elbow drop gets her two. Evans traps Aliyah’s head in the ropes with her leg to the five count. Clothesline off the second rope, suplex with a bridge to give Aliyah two. Big right fist knocks Aliyah out. Evans seems shocked at the win and that she won with a punch.

WINNER: Lacey Evans in 3:22. Fun, quick match to establish Evans as a heel and give her a finishing move.

Post-match, Evans says that William Regal needs to keep the trash out of NXT and let a powerful, sophisticated woman like her to clean house. She wants to start with Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, or Kairi Sane. Before she finishes, Shayna Baszler comes out and Evans just looks and runs away. Baszler comes to the ring and Baszler drags her by the hair to the middle of the ring and submits her on the mat. Aliyah is tapping out, then passes out. Ember Moon makes the save after Aliyah passes out. Baszler is so calm and collected, she is able to grab her sunglasses off the mat before ducking out. Ember Moon gets the mic and dares Baszler to try to do the same to her, and challenges Baszler to a match right now. Baszler begs off, saying she isn’t in her ring gear. Moon tells Baszler to pick a time and a place, and Moon will “bring my title”. Baszler says she will do it if the title are on the line.

Backstage in William Regal’s office. He confirms that despite his better judgement, he will book Baszler and Moon for the title. Zelina Vega comes in, and tells St. Cloud to stay around. Vega says that Johnny Gargano doesn’t deserve the title shot, and that Velveteen Dream made good points last week, and that Gargano should put his title shot up against Velveteen Dream. Regal says that doesn’t sound like a good plan. Vega says that this isn’t a problem, that she is happy to see Almas demolish Gargano.

No Way Jose re-introduces himself to the TV audience. Based on the reaction that he has gotten in the last two NXT Live events I have been to, no one has forgotten him and he is super popular.

The announcers are talking at the booth. Johnny Gargano comes out. Big pop. He has a mic and looks angry. He says he saw the conversation between Vega and Regal. He says he has been hearing the whispers. He says that Vega, Dream, and maybe even Regal doubt he can beat Almas. Gargano is tired of not being taken seriously, he is not a broken man, he is not a loser, this is not a fluke. Incredible passion and fire from Gargano. This is his time, his opportunity, and no one will stop him. He says he will put his #1 contender spot on the line against Velveteen Dream next week. He is sure of who he is, “I am Johnny Gargano! I am Johnny Freakin’ Wrestling! And I am the next NXT Champion!”

[ J.J.’s Reax: Talk about silencing the doubters. We had discussed on the PWT NXT podcast recently that we didn’t know if Gargano who cut that big promo, and he just knocked this out of the ballpark and broke a windsheild in the parking lot. Fantastic promo that should put any doubters back on Team Johnny. ]

[Q4] Recap of last week’s attack by Undisputed Era on Sanity.

(4) STREET PROFITS (ANGELO DAWKINS and MONTEZ FORD) vs. THE AUTHORS OF PAIN (AKAM and REZAR w/Paul Ellering) – #1 Contender Tag Team Match

This match is starting with less than 10 minutes in the episode, pointing to a dirty finish or a quick AOP win. Akam wrecks Ford. Akam catches a cross body, sets Ford on top of the ropes in the corner, tags Rezar, cover for one. Ford is just stuck. Full nelson from Akam and Ford is in trouble. Ford can’t get any traction against the former Tag Team Champions. [c]

Ford is still isolated after the break. Ford is somehow about to move Rezar to the corner, and escapes to tag in Dawins. Dawkins manages to take on Akam and Rezar. Dawkins stuns Rezar, holds him up for Ford to hit a dropkick, but Akam breaks the tag up. Super Collider. The Last Chapter to Ford.

WINNERS: The Authors of Pain in 6:45. This was the expected ending, with Street Profits getting just enough offense that it did not feel like a total squash. There is no harm to the Profits in this loss, AOP has been such a dominant force that lasting 6 minutes against them is an accomplishment all by itself.


NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 1/10 NXT TV REPORT: Undisputed Era defend NXT Tag Titles against Strong & Aleister, Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler

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