SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
GREYSON WALLER vs. APPOLO CREWS
Since returning to NXT, Apollo Crews seemed somewhat directionless until his feud with Greyson Waller started a few weeks ago. Since then, its gotten personal with Waller even taking shots at Crews’ family, saying that they aren’t proud of their daddy not being able to cut it on Monday or Friday.
I think Crews does his best work as a babyface, the role he’s returned to since coming back to NXT and I think putting a shine on Waller is a great spot for him. He’s got the klout from being on the main roster so his presence does feel important. Waller is a great heel, and he and Crews have played very well off of one another.
Midway through the match, Waller poked Crews in the eye making it hard for Crews to fight back. That turned into the story of the late match, and ultimately played into Waller’s victory.
NXT has been starting each week with a high caliber match, and this week wasn’t any different. Solid opener.
Verdict: HIT
KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN KARTER vs. IVY NILE & TATUM PAXLEY
Nile & Paxley got a chance at the NXT Women’s Champions, Carter & Chance in a non-title opportunity. Toxic Attraction was watching from their Toxic Lounge and interfered in the match pretty early on allowing Carter & Chance to pick up the win.
After the match, the champs said they didn’t have opponents to face at Worlds Collide when Nikki ASH and Doudrop made their way to the ring and challenged for the NXT Womens Tag Titles at Worlds Collide.
Verdict: Lukewarm HIT
PRETTY DEADLY & LASH LEGEND vs. JOSH BRIGGS, BROOKS JENSEN & FALLON HENLEY
Since winning the NXT UK Tag Titles, Briggs & Jensen have been in the crosshairs of former champs Pretty Deadly. The Cowboy’s cowgirl, Fallon Henley has also been feuding with Lash Legend who aligned with Pretty Deadly, leading to this match.
As far as a mixed six person tag goes, this wasn’t half bad. The gender rule does kind of break the flow of the match, where if a woman tags in then the men have to tag out and vice versa. But they actually booked the match in a way where the action really didn’t stop.
Gallus showed up at the end of the match, distracting Briggs and Jensen and allowing Pretty Deadly to get a quick win. It looks like they’re setting up a four way between Gallus, Pretty Deadly Briggs & Jensen and The Creeds at Worlds Collide to unify the NXT UK and NXT Tag belts.
Verdict: HIT
ANDRE CHASE vs CHARLIE DEMPSEY
Charlie Dempsey was teaching a class at Chase U last week, and wound up working them a little too stiff. Dempsey called Chase’s students soft, and they decided to do what you do in pro wrestling. Settle it in the ring.
UK talent, Charlie Dempsey, wrestled circles around Andre Chase with some incredible old school technical wrestling. Bodhi Haywood got a little too close to the action and Dempsey shifted focus to him which ultimately lost him the match. Chase rolled Dempsey up and proved that Chase U wasn’t S-A-W-F…. uh… I mean… Soft.
Verdict: HIT
KIANA JAMES vs. ZOEY STARK
What a weird couple weeks for Zoey Stark, eh? First she’s in the main roster Women’s Tag Team Tournament with Nikkita Lyons. Then she’s out due to “injury”. Now she’s back to singles action against one of the relative newcomers on the roster, Kiana James.
Earlier in the night, Kiana James got a minute long vignette where she continues to tout her intelligence and how that is going to be the edge over her opponents. It was a well produced and decently acted segment and I feel like it did help to make James look like a bigger deal. James also was able to get quite a bit of offense in against Stark throughout the match, who is much higher on the card than James. She may have lost in the end, but I feel like this is the beginning of James as a talent who has much more focus on her going forward.
She went to attack Stark after the match, and Lyons made the save for her partner showing that they are still indeed unified. For now.
Verdict: HIT
GALLUS vs. DIAMOND MINE
The 2nd six person tag of the night saw Gallus take on The Creed Brothers & Damon Kemp representing Diamond Mine.
After Gallus interfered in Pretty Deadly and Briggs & Jensen, I was expecting some shenanigans during this match as well. Either from one of those teams, or from the Benedict Arnold of Diamond Mine, Roderick Strong.
And while we’ll get to that, what we got in the build to the finish was an absolutely brutal looking war between two hoss teams. I have YouTube TV and every so often when I fall behind watching NXT, I’ll watch on 1.25x speed until I catch back up live. It makes the wrestling look fast and silly, but it works to cut some time if I need to. There were two seperate times during this match that I thought I was watching on 1.25x speed, that’s how fast and stiff these two teams were working at times.
Roderick Strong did wind up making his presence known, waving a cell phone around in the air for some reason and yelling at Damon Kemp. Pretty Deadly and Briggs & Jensen then hit the ring with a plethora of security guards, and a massive brawl broke out with the entire locker room clearing out to break up the fight.
Verdict: HIT.
I wonder if Roddy is still looking to leave.
Anyone know?
Roddy should never talk. Ever. I thought Kiana James’ segment was done really well. She seems comfortable on camera.