Hello everyone, I am one half of your Irn Bruiser weights bringing you your NXT Review. So let's get into it.
We are a week away from the first half of the Great American Bash and we don’t have much on the card thus far. The good thing is that the show has two nights so we can get something set up and still have a week to get it ready for night two. Hopefully, this week works as well though.
Here is Trick Williams, coming from the parking lot and passing by Cedric Alexander and Ashante Thee Adonis to talk about how he wants his NXT Title back. Cue Alexander to say Williams is being blinded by his passion, so here is Adonis to say he is here to pick up the ball Williams dropped. Williams says Adonis couldn’t pick up the ball even if he had a whole group. Williams: “HIT ROW!” Alexander tries to calm things down but Williams doesn’t want to hear it. A match is set but Adonis isn’t impressed, earning himself a quick beating.
Ethan Page doesn’t like Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont suggesting he almost lost last week. They aren’t worth his time.
Match 1 - Josh Briggs vs. Brooks Jensen
No DQ and Jensen jumps him in the back to start this fast. They fight into the arena with Briggs knocking him over the top. Briggs sends him through the announcers’ table and we take an early break. Back with a bunch of weapons in the ring and Jensen catapulting him face first into the top of the announcers’ table draped over the ropes.
A piledriver onto the steps is blocked and Briggs suplexes him onto the same steps. They slug it out for a double knockdown until Briggs knocks a chair away from him. Cue Shawn Spears for a distraction so Jensen can unload with a chair (on Briggs’ back, which has some NASTY welts). A DDT onto the chair finishes Briggs at 10:10.
Official Winner - Brooks Jensen
Official thoughts - This was what Jensen has been needing, as you can only be so interesting, even as a wild recluse, if you keep losing. Beating his former partner has a personal touch to it and maybe this can give him a good step forward. If nothing else, those welts on Briggs’ back made Jensen look all the more violent as those things looked terrible.
The Rascalz interrupt Nathan Frazier and Axiom, with the former saying they never lost the Tag Team Titles. A match seems to be made, but we’ll make it a six man instead. Axiom mentions being in the next Speed tournament and Frazier isn’t happy. Or maybe he’s kidding.
Sol Ruca/Karmen Petrovic/Lola Vice and the women of Meta Four have one of those arguments in the back that is only designed to set up a match later to set up a match later.
Match 2 - Lexis King vs. Eddy Thorpe
Thorpe strikes away to start and fires off chops in various corners. A backbreaker into a running kick to the chest has King in more trouble but he’s back up with a superkick. The Coronation is countered into an implant DDT to give Thorpe the pin at 2:30.
Official Winner - Eddy Thorpe
Post match King jumps him, including a stomping of Thorpe’s hand on the steps. So this isn’t done.
Trick Williams says he’ll fight anyone to get his title back. Pete Dunne asks if that is so.
Match 3 - Oro Mensah vs. Ashante Thee Adonis
The rest of Meta Four is here too. Mensah starts fast and hammers away in the corner but gets draped over the top rope. Mensah’s comeback is cut off by an elbow to the face for two but Mensah strikes away. An axe kick connects, only for Adonis to grab a spinebuster for two more. Back up and the running spin wheel kick finishes for Mensah at 4:34.
Official Winner - Oro Mensah
Official thoughts - Not much time here but this felt like a way to get Mensah ready for what might be a title shot against Ethan Page. Adonis isn’t much of a main roster star but it’s better than beating up another low level NXT name. Mensah is probably not going much higher on the car than this, but he’ll work in a quick spot.
Post match Mensah says he wants Ethan Page.
Wren Sinclair threatens to tell what she saw if the No Quarter Catch Crew doesn’t help her win tonight. The D’Angelo Family approves.
Match 4 - Carlee Bright vs. Wren Sinclair
The No Quarter Catch Crew, the D’Angelo Family and Kendal Grey are all here too. They trade headlocks to start until Sinclair takes her down. A bow and arrow is broken up and Sinclair hits a running shoulder, only to get dropkicked for two. Myles Borne’s interference doesn’t work so Sinclair tries a rollup, with Charlie Dempsey helping out for the pin on Bright at 3:29.
Official Winner - Wren Sinclair
Official thoughts - Another short one here but again it was all about the Catch Crew trying to make Sinclair happy. This would work so much better if there was some kind of mystery to it, but there is no reason that we shouldn’t know what she saw. Otherwise, it’s just making the Crew look like they’re wrapped around her finger, which seems to be the point.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger have Halloween Havoc ideas.
Je’Von Evans will be Axiom and Nathan Frazier’s partner tonight.
Chase U is regrouping and Ridge Holland even has new shirts for them.
We get a sitdown interview with Thea Hail, who is ready to get the NXT Women’s Title. She praises Ridge Holland for helping her get here and wants to win the title for all of Chase U and her fans.
Match 5 - Trick Williams vs. Cedric Alexander
Williams powers him into the corner to start but gets taken into an armbar for his efforts. Back up and Williams slams his way out of trouble before elbowing Alexander in the face. A nice dropkick staggers Alexander again but he knocks Williams to the apron for a clothesline.
We take a break and come back with an exchange of kicks to the face leaving them both down. They strike it out again until a flapjack puts Alexander down. The Michinoku Driver gives Alexander two but he can’t get a cross armbreaker. Instead, Williams escapes and hits the Trick Shot for the pin at 10:43.
Official Winner - Trick Williams
Official thoughts - The more matches that Williams can have like this, the better he is going to get. Wrestling for ten minutes with an established name like Alexander, who can work well with anyone, is going to be a good thing for him. Williams still isn’t the most polished worker, but if he can keep improving, his natural charisma will be enough to carry him the rest of the way.
Post match, respect is shown but Pete Dunne runs in to jump Williams.
Ethan Page talks to the underbosses and is told to go deal with Oro Mensah.
Wendy Choo stalks Kelani Jordan and Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to ask some of the women for medical help. Then he smiles.
Match 6 - Meta Four vs. Sol Ruca and Karmen Petrovic
Petrovic kicks Jackson into the corner to start and hands it off to Ruca, who gets taken down with a reverse X Factor. Legend comes in and gets caught with a quick hurricanrana for two. Ruca’s slingshot X Factor gets two but Legend kicks her down to take over. Everything breaks down and stereo superkicks get two on Legend. Jackson gets kicked to the floor but Legend punches Petrovic in the face. An over the back faceplant finishes Petrovic at 4:39.
Official Winners - Meta Four
Official thoughts - It’s kind of amazing to see how far Legend has come in the last few months. She went from one of the worst things in NXT to someone who knows how to use her size and athleticism to make it work. This was another nice match and Meta Four looked good enough in there, even over a bigger star like Ruca.
Post match Meta Four issues a challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.
Trick Williams asks Shawn Michaels for an NXT Title shot. Shawn will work on it. Roxanne Perez comes in to yell about not getting an interview like Thea Hail, with Shawn trying to calm her down.
Video on Joe Hendry’s rise to prominence and the work he has put in. Next week, he’ll be having a concert. Can WWE just buy his contract out from TNA already?
Gallus wants Hendry next week and then freaks out when they find fliers for his concert.
Ethan Page says Oro Mensah pinning him last week doesn’t count and a referee agrees, which is what he wanted to hear.
Here is Page, with the referee, in the ring to say that while this does NOT bother him, he wants the referee to reiterate that it doesn’t matter. Then Oro Mensah comes in and rolls him up for another pin.
The D’Angelo Family mocks the No Quarter Catch Crew, but in honour of the Olympics, Olympian Tavion Heights can have a Heritage Cup shot next week.
Here’s what’s coming next week.
Match 7 - Je’Von Evans, Axiom and Nathan Frazier vs. Rascalz
Axiom and Miguel start things off by going to the mat until Axiom snaps off a dropkick. Frazier is in for a fast shot of his own, only to have Miguel kick him in the face. The Rascalz come in for a triple team on Frazier but it’s off to Evans for a dropkick. Evans and Lee slug it out and everything breaks down and the Rascalz hit some dives as we take a break.
Back with Frazier hitting a running shooting star press for two on Wentz, allowing Axiom to grab a chinlock. A triple superkick gets two on Wentz and Evans puts on the cross arm choke. Wentz fights out and knees Frazier out of the air, allowing the tag to Lee to pick up the pace.
The alternating kicks put Axiom down and a triple dropkick gets two on Frazier. Evans is back in with his top rope cutter to Miguel and the super Spanish Fly into the frog splash gets two, with the rest of the Rascalz making the save. A backbreaker/double stomp combination hits Axiom and Hot Fire Flame (an assisted standing moonsault) gives Wentz the pin at 15:24.
Official Winners - Rascalz
Official thoughts - This was six guys being told to go out there and go nuts with flips and athleticism and it worked as expected. The Rascalz work so well together and the other three can more than mesh with that style. I had a blast with this and they knew exactly what they were trying to do.
Respect is shown post match.
Ethan Page comes up to Ava and wants to get rid of Oro Mensah. He’ll even make it a title match. Ava says the contract signing can be next week and the title match can be the week after. Works for Page.
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