WEEKLY OVERVIEW – NXT (thru 10/18): Latest news, injuries, live event results, schedule of live events, next big show line-up, noteworthy social media posts, closing commentary on War Games & NXT’s titles

By Robert Doherty, PWTorch Specialist

Full Sail University NXT TV studio

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

The following is the latest in a new series of weekly in-depth articles exclusive to PWTorch which will help put in perspective major wrestling promotions with a weekly overview, looking at news and roster developments, results, future line-ups, social media activity, key interviews, plus a timely commentary at the end. We will be featuring similar features on other promotions each week and each will be updated weekly.


•PWTORCH LIVECAST – LATEST WEEKLY “PWT TALKS NXT” EPISODE


•Top Stories of the Week

– WWE announced seven new NXT signees reporting to the Performance Center.  Notably among those is the King of Bros himself Mr. Matt Riddle.  Check out the rest of the new signees and their bio HERE.

– General Manager William Regal announced via NXTs official Twitter page that ten NXT wrestlers have been added to the Dec. 26 WWE house show at Madison Square Garden. Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, Ricochet, Aleister Black, and Velveteen Dream will (oddly) team up to face all four members of Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish) and Tomasso Ciampa.  The MSG crowd will get to see ten of NXTs best in one match. Not. Too. Shabby.

-Speaking of the Undisputed Era, Bobby Fish made his return from a torn ACL/torn MCL on NXT TV this week.  Fish has been out since suffering the injury way back on Mar. 4.  It’ll be an interesting dynamic with all four members of The Undisputed Era back healthy and expect Michael Hayes and the Fabulous Freebirds to be mentioned a time or two in the coming months.


2. Live Event Results

Oct. 12, 2018 in Ocala, Fla.

  1. Stacy Ervin Jr. beat Kona Reeves
  2. MJ Jenkins & Taynara Conti beat Kavita Devi & Deonna Purazzo
  3. Rowe beat Dan Matha
  4. Jeet Rama beat Boa
  5. Keith Lee & Luke Menzies beat Eh Nois (Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi)
  6. Vanessa Borne beat Mia Yim
  7. Matt Riddle beat Dominik Dijakovic 
  8. Shayna Baszler & Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke beat Jessie Elaban, Lacey Lane and Io Shirai

(Results courtesy of F4Wonline.com)

Oct. 12, 2018 in Southaven, Miss.

  1. The Street Profits beat The Forgotten Sons
  2. Candice LeRae beat Aliyah
  3. Lars Sullivan beat Raul Mendoza
  4. Ricochet beat Velveteen Dream to retain North American Championship
  5. Kairi Sane & Dakota Kai beat Reina Gonzalez & Lacey Evans
  6. Tommaso Ciampa beat Kassius Ohno to retain NXT Mens Championship Johnny Gargano & Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch beat The Undisputed Era (Cole, Strong, O’Reilly)

(Results courtesy of F4Wonline.com)  

Oct. 13, 2018 in Tamp Fla.

  1. Humberto Carrillo beat Rinku Singh
  2. Vanessa Borne beat Lacey Lane
  3. Rowe beat Dan Matha
  4. Stacey Ervin Jr. & Babatunde beat Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi
  5. Matt Riddle beat Luke Menzies
  6. EC3 beat Manor Al-Shehail
  7. Mia Yim & Io Shirai beat Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir
  8. Keith Lee & Heavy Machinery beat Kona Reeves & The Mighty

(Results courtesy of wrestling-news.net)


3. Upcoming Major Show Line-up: NXT Takeover WarGames 2

NXT Takeover WarGames 2
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018
Los Angeles, Calif. at Staples Center (3:15 P.M. Start Time)

Projected Lineup:

– Tommaso Ciampa (Champion) vs. Velveteen Dream

– The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Ricochet & Pete Dunne & War Raiders

– Kairi Sane (Champion) vs Shayna Baszler 

– Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

– Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano (or whoever else attacked him, Johnny is my guess from day 1)


4.  Upcoming Events

Thursday Oct. 11 – Family Arena – St. Louis, Mo.

Thursday Oct. 11 – Maxwell Snyder Armory – Jacksonville, Fla.

Friday Oct. 12- Landers Center – Southaven, Miss.

Friday Oct. 12 – The Reserve Pavillion at Hilton Ocala – Ocala, Fla.

Saturday Oct. 13 – University Area CDC Gymnasium – Tampla, Fla.

Wednesday Oct. 17 – TV Tapings – Full Sail Live – Winter Park, Fla.

Thursday Oct. 18 – Bartow Academy – Bartow, Fla.

Friday Oct. 19 – Mark Lance Armory – St. Augustine, Fla.

Saturday Oct. 20 – Venice Community Center – Venice, Fla.

Thursday Oct. 25 – Cocoa Armory – Cocoa, Fla.

Friday Oct. 26 – Minnreg Hall – Largo, Fla.

Saturday Oct. 27 – Orlando Live Events – Casselberry, Fla.

Thursday Nov. 1  – Palm Beach County Convention Center – West Palm Beach, Fla.

Friday Nov. 2 – Havert L. Fenin Center – Fort Perice, Fla.

Saturday Nov 3 – Fieldhouse at Watso Center – Coral Gables, Fla.

Thursday Nov. 8 – Crystal River Armory – Crystal River, Fla.

Friday Nov. 9 – University Area CDC Gymnasium – Tampa, Fla.

Saturday Nov. 10 – Midtown Cultural & Educational Center – Dayton Beach, Fla.

Thursday Nov. 15 – SJSU Event Center – San Jose, Calif.

Friday Nov. 16 – Visalia Convention Center – Visalia, Calif.

SATURDAY NOV. 17 – STAPLES CENTER – LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (TAKEOVER WARGAMES 2)

Thursday Nov. 29 – The Reserve Pavillion at Hilton Ocala – Ocala, Fla.

Friday Nov. 30 – Maxwell Snyder Armory – Jacksonville, Fla.


5. Latest TV Highlghts: 10/17 NXT TV Report

– (1) War Raiders beat The Undisputed Era via disqualification after Bobby Fish made his return and attached with chair. The Undisputed retain NXT Tag Team Championship (5:47 – 18:33)

– Nikki Cross backstage promo (21:09 – 21:43)

– (2) Shayna Baszler beat Britt Baker by absolute mauling (23:18 – 24:38)

– Regal backstage discussing Aleister Black assault investigation (27:18 – 27:40)

– (3) Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch beat Bing and Rocky via pinfall (29:52 – 32:21)

– (4) Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross ends in No Decision after Aleister Black appears in middle of ring. (38:14 – 49:04) After Cross whispers Black’s attackers into his ear, he sits seething in ring.


6. NXT in the Media

  • Amazing article on one of NXT U.K’s brightest stars, Toni Storm.  She talks about her early beginnings (wrestled professionally at 13) and if she thinks there’s a chance for her to headline WrestleMania. STORY LINK
  • NXT founder and Senior Producer Triple H speaks about the launch of NXT U.K. to the UK Sunand gave a very interesting (joking?) opinion of Vince McMahon’s wrestling viewing habits, saying he “wasn’t sure if Vince McMahon would watch a full episode of the all-new NXT UK” because “I don’t know that he’s ever even watched a full episode of NXT start to finish. He’s busy. … He will pick up a lot from bits and pieces from what he sees. To me it’s always amazing – his insight of things. I realize he just saw a snippet but what he will say about that snippet is a bigger overall arc to the entire product, and I’m like, ‘That’s really right.’ I think it’s great that he doesn’t see all of it because it gives him a different perspective. It gives him an outsider view on it.”

7. Social Media Scene:

– I feel like this is the narrative across profession wrestling:

– Preach on Dijak…preach on.  Riddle vs. Dijak.  Yes. Please.

– Cedrick Von Haussen vs……

– Lawyer Thomas Whitney has headlined 3 NXT Takeovers in a row.  Awesome. Stuff.


•Thoughts and Comments:

– They are putting a lot of work into building Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch back up after their failed run for the tag titles earlier this summer.  Between video packages, interviews, and squash matches they are getting a ton of positive attention.  Can I ask why?  They had their feud for the titles, they lost, and now they need to go to the back of a very talented line.  The NXT Tag Team division is pretty deep, even with Mustache Mountain departing for NXT U.K., and I can’t help but wonder if another team should be given the spotlight for a few months… Street Profits, The Mighty, Heavy Machinery, The Forgotten Sons all could be fresh faces to the top of the card.  I can’t see the War Raiders-Undisputed Era feud going away anytime soon either so what exactly is the end game for the Lorcan & Burch duo?

– I hate nitpicking the stacked WarGames lineup, but I do have one legitimate gripe. I pined and pined and pined for NXT to give the NXT men a secondary title to chase.  They finally do and then don’t have it defended on two out of the last three Takeovers.  Was there a need to lump Ricochet into this War Raiders-Undisputed feud?  Couldn’t they have branched him off at some point and started a feud with someone else other than Cole?  I definitely think so.  It’s the same problem I have with the main roster right now.  Seth Rollins (IC Champ) and Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre (Tag Champs) are both wrapped up a feud where they never have to defend their titles.  Title matches are made for PPVs and big event, so don’t deprive the fans of those matches just because the writers can’t come up with storylines for everyone individually.  There are only five NXT Takeovers in 2018. Every title should be defended at all five.

– But still… even with all that being said… HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THE MAIN EVENT FOR WARGAMES GOING TO BE?!?!


NOW CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS IN-DEPTH WEEKLY OVERVIEWS ON IMPACT, ROH, WWE, NXT, and NJPW HERE: PWTORCH WEEKLY PROMOTIONAL OVERVIEW LISTING

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