Sometime I wish I could give a practical grade and an emotional one. Does that give you some indication of where this review is going?
Either way, NXT is going to London. Let's tag along, shall we?
Recap:
The Realest Guys in the room (and Hottest Chick in the ring) are all business for the opener against John Skyler & Corey Hollis. Intensity remains the theme when they get microphones post-match, as Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady see Dash & Dawson's attack on them as a threat to their livelihood, and promise to get even by finally claiming the tag titles at TakeOver.
Backstage, Tom Phillips catches up with Emma and Dana Brooke. The Aussie keeps up the tone set by Zo & Cass, as she resents Asuka's treatment and the lack of respect she gets for starting the women's movement in NXT. Dana is still Dana, and makes Tom hunch over so she can pat his head. They promise to check on Asuka's match later.
Quick reminder that Tye Dillinger scores as high as possible on his own ten point scale, and then it's on to the Japanese newcomer vs. Deonna Purrazzo. That's pretty much all Asuka as she dominates with kicks and arm locks until Emma & Dana appear on stage - and then it ends quickly when a head kick knocks out the Jersey youngster.
Reactions:
- Well, we've all wondered what non-goofy Enzo & Big Cass would look like...and now we know. It definitely worked in a small dose, and they should only ever have to mix it in occassionally (or maybe never if they get to the main roster, where tag feuds don't last long enough to get personal).
- I liked Amore's delivery better than his content - maybe because putting food on the table is Kevin Owens' schtick, and everyone in WWE talks about family too much these days. Vice versa for the seven-footer, who basically got a sports movie monologue, but I'm not sure how much you can do shaking with anger before it gets silly instead of scary.
- In addition to the "everybody's pissed" theme, another NXT trait this episode reminded us of is that most of the heels have relatable complaints. We got both in Emma's promo, where she reminds us of the legitimate reason she has for being angry at WWE and any woman they treated better than her.
- That she chooses to do that as Dana's mentor is truly evil, though. Seriously, Brooke has blossomed as one person in talking segments instead of having to carry them by herself - and really figured out how to channel her annoying mannerisms instead of just letting them lay there like another reviled female character who returned tonight. "Scrunch down, Tom" was just greatness.
- Mr. Perfect 10 needs an actual feud a heck of a lot more than he needs a vignette.
- Uh, Asuka is terrifying. Not sure what else to add. Emma should have known that main roster distraction crap wasn't going to fly with the taker of arms and kicker of heads.
- The non-verbal storytelling by everyone in this feud is something special. With limited English, Asuka has to, and has the smarts and charisma to pull it off with ease. But the heels have been called on to get across a range of emotions and motivations with a glance or reaction shot several times over the last couple of months, and they've nailed it every time. Emma and Dana displayed cockiness, shock, fear and determination in a few seconds of cut-aways. Kudos, ladies.
- Ummm, I liked Emma's outfit. A lot. Just sayin'.
Recap:
Dueling promos establish that Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley only have wrestling in common and that Alexa Bliss is not at all happy with her boys. Both teams are confident heading into their match tonight, with Bliss motivating Blake & Murphy by blaming their and her latest titles loses on them.
After another song from Elias Sampson, Hype Bros pick up a big win over BAMF when an eye rake on Rawley doesn't give them much of an advantage, and Blake ends up being pinned by Ryder after their tandem finisher.
Promo from Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin re-establishes their issues with their TakeOver opponents...Joe is upset that Finn Bálor didn't give him a title shot; Corbin dislikes Apollo Crews' indie background.
Peyton Royce debuted a heelish mannerism as she repeatedly sniffed a flower she brought to the ring, and then she got in a fair bit of offense against Women's champ Bayley. A shortlived comeback from the Hugster ends with a jawbreaker and a nearfall, but a Bayley-to-Belly OUT OF NOWHERE wins it.
During the celebration, Nia Jax & Eva Marie appear on stage. All Red starts to call back to her title match while getting her standard chorus of boos, but Jax takes the microphone and tells Bayley the title will soon be hers.
Reactions:
- Just days after I give them props for their act, Mojo and Zack deliver a #2 of a promo. If they're to be faces, Rawley has to either be less of a douche or Ryder has to be more clearly repulsed by him. They both missed the mark tonight.
- Their opponents, however, did not. Bliss is 98 pounds of deadly sin, and the guys proved they can do offended just as well as they do dumb.
- We need to talk about a couple aspects of BAMF's appearance. One, I dig the Freddy Kruger homage, but it probably shouldn't be combined with Christmas colored tights. Two (and I apologize in advance if I use any insensitive language here. If I do, it's not my intent to offend, just my ignorance of the proper vocabulary), is Wesley Blake playing with gender presentation? I thought the pigtails were just a goofy way to get heat, but the earrings and midriff-baring tops feel like more than that. If the person behind the character is really transitioning, that's cool. If it's being used as part of a gimmick...I don't really trust WWE - even NXT - to go there.
- Not going to rage about the Sampson videos, because NXT has run stuff into the ground to good effect before ("Nia Jax is coming", Baron Corbin squashes). But the Drifter better be a heel, because I will not be cheering his Kris Kristofferson-wannabe ass when he strolls to the ring.
- Our first tag match of the night was...fine. They worked the standard WWE formula well. Really hope they're not breaking up BAMF, but I'd understand if they were in order to push Alexa. If they're bringing her relationship with Murphy into kayfabe (how great was "don't 'babe' me"?), does he go with her?
- Might be mad at Mojo's promo, but I'm really proud of all involved for removing the ass from his offense. Asuka does it better, anyway.
- By-the-books promo work from London's man male heels. Joe's a dick, but he's not wrong. I've seen some concern that Corbin was stepping into some racist territory with his lines. I didn't take it that way, but even if he was...he's one of the more clear cut bad guys on the show. As long as he's not overtly throwing slurs around, I don't have a problem with it.
- Acting like a Batman villain is cool and all, but Peyton better not be getting a push before Billie Kay. Or I might just be a Jessie McKay mark from way back. Anyway...this was Royce's best showing on NXT. Partially because of who she was facing, and partially because her offense looked like it was connecting more than it has in her previous outings.
- Not crazy about Bayles' matches adhering to formula as much as this one did, but I'm resigned to it. Good that we didn't see signs of her phoning it in, which is a risk when doing the Hogan/Cena comeback story week after week. She's gonna be doing this for a long time to come, so stay tuned.
- If Eva Marie can continue to draw boos like that by just standing there, by all means, have her do that. Plus, when/if they decide to turn Nia face, all she has to do is destroy her manager physically instead of just doing it verbally like she did here.
- Jax held her own on the microphone in a big spot with a lot of distractions. I didn't love it, but just maintaining composure this time was a victory, and a reason to optimistic about her future on the stick.
Recap:
The men's champ is getting loose backstage when his tag partner for tonight walks up to him. Crews is upset that Finn didn't return his calls all week, but Bálor say he's focused on Joe. Apollo agrees to take care of their opponents tonight, but reminds the Irishman they have unfinished business after London.
Replay of Sami Zayn answering John Cena's open challenge in Montreal on Raw is shown as a reminder that the Likeable One is back next week.
In the main event, Apollo plays face-in-peril for much of the seven minute match, with Corbin especially working him over as the heels cut the ring in half. Samoa Joe meets Finn after the hot tag and sets up a chaotic finish where the Lone Wolf breaks up an attempted Coup de Grâce. That leads to Crews and Baron brawling on the outside, so no one can save the champ when Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch yet again and submits Bálor...yet again.
The Samoan Submission Machine poses with the title as we head to TakeOver.
Reactions:
- Another thing I saw discussed in our comment threads and on Twitter was the notion that Finn's performance in his scene with Crews indicates an impending heel turn. I'm not so sure. It's established NXT continuity that carrying that belt is a chore because of the target it puts on your back. If I were Bálor, I wouldn't be chatting on the phone with a known rival, and I would sure as heck cast side-eye at tag partners who slap my belt considering the last one who did that is currently choking me out once or twice a week.
- If anyone rubbed me the rudo way in the scene, it was Crews. I've said it before, but there's an aggressive edge to his overt friendliness that reminds me of a lot of bully-types I've known in my life. That can be mined to good effect, but if he's gonna be pushed as a mega-good guy the way many seem to think, it should be tampered down a bit.
- Really, really hope Zayn's return returns some of the magic to this show for me. More on that in a second.
- Last match of the night, like pretty much everything on the show, did its job. That we haven't seen these guys in a ton of official matches with one another gave it a special feel, and things like Corbin's (here's that word again) intensity sold both this bout and the ones next week.
- Not sure if it, or any of tonight's events, raised the stakes for TakeOver: London, but only because they were already firmly established. I am even more intrigued about the outcomes of all the matches - especially the NXT title. Every jaded smark bone in my body says that Bálor will retain, because they went overboard in selling Joe as someone on whom he couldn't get the upper hand. But it also wouldn't be the first or last time Triple H and team subverted expectations by using our "knowledge" of the business against us.
- Because as much as intensity and drive are recurring themes of NXT, so is knowing that your audience cares about booking and backstage dealings, and tweaking the age-old pro wrestling formula to turn smarks back into marks. And I really hope they've got something big up their sleeve to do it again in London.
I can't put my finger on why exactly, but I do not feel nearly as connected to the show (or brand) as I did earlier this year. Everything about tonight was technically sound; I only half-jokingly referred to it as "the platonic ideal of a 'go home' show" on Twitter.
As much as I love Joe, he doesn't feel like "my" guy/gal the way Sami or Bayley did. In a lot of ways, NXT doesn't feel like "my" show anymore. Maybe it's the old phenomena of being among the first to discover something and losing passion for it as more fans find it. Maybe it's a carry over from how fatigued the main roster is making me right now.
Good a time as any to tell you that, for the first time in almost three years, someone else will be reacting to NXT for cSs next week. The mid-afternoon start time and a commitment made a long time ago will make it impossible for me to watch TakeOver: London in a timely fashion. Maybe it's the right time for a small break. I'll be back the next week, and may even provide some thoughts on the December 16 show after the fact.
For now, the last episode before NXT's historic trip to the United Kingdom did everything I thought it should. So I won't penalize it too much because it didn't move me the way I thought it would.
Grade: B
What did NXT do for you, Cagesiders?