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I could have swore the women's bout was announced as a #1 contenders match last week, but the intro says no. Oh well, as long as it's Bayley vs The Boss, I'm down.
Segment One
Recap:
- Fan favorites The Ascension get their YAH-YAHs off with a win over Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger.
- Supposed-to-be-fan-favorite Hideo Itami runs into a two-on-one beatdown from Viktor & Konnor, and the crowd goes mild.
- Everyone's dreams have now come true, because CJ Parker and Mojo Rawley were involved in the same segment. They may be involved in the same program with Tyler Breeze, too. Prince Pretty defeated CJP and then mocked the silently staring Hype Man as he left the building.
- #1 contender Titus O'Neil promised to abuse Adrian Neville's body and then showed off his spelling skills.
- Lone wolf Baron Corbin's promo video gets more dialogue, and may be threatening a race war.
Reactions:
- Was that a new 'tron for The Ascension? I don't recall seeing it before, so I'm assuming it was. Like their current theme - and anything that moves us away from reincarnated pharoah wraiths or whatever I like it.
- Very much appreciate that NXT has teams like Jordan & Dillinger and Murphy & Blake. They're clearly enhancement talent, but they're not jobbers. It gives them some experience and fans some exposure to what they bring to the table. They're a step higher up the rung than Aiden English or Baron Corbin were at this time last year, but they get the same benefits - and offer a lot more to the teams they're working with in terms of build.
- Here's the problem with Viktor & Konner as Itami's introductory feud. The NXT Zone has decided it's fun to cheer these guys. They don't see their path of destruction as something to chide them for - they love it. This tendency hurt the Lucha Dragons program. It, combined with some ring rust/injury/trouble adapting on the former KENTA's part, is killing his roll-out. The crowd was hot for the match, there was a small pop for Itami's music and a little Hi-de-o chant, and then there was silence and occasional jeers.
- Itami's character has gone from 'cool bravado' to 'foolishly self-destructive' in the course of a month, too, which doesn't help. His body paint wearing, English-speaking back-up can't arrive soon enough.
- Can't tell if it's completely wishful thinking on my part or not, but booking Breeze in a heel vs. heel match against CJ only encourages me to root for his face turn. Parker got a decent amount of offense in, too, which almost allowed Prince Pretty to make a técnico comeback. Of course, the alignment dynamics were muddied by the presence of...
- The intense stalker version of Mojo Rawley, back from the shortest "I'm gonna need to take some time off" since John Cena's marriage counseling vacation of 2012. Sometimes I dog the NXT Zone for cheering heels (and in the case of Breeze, I'm as guilty as anyone), but when the bookers do things like put the Duke of Delish opposite Mojo...what do they expect?
- Tyler not shirking from a staring contest with Rawley, and even taunting his shoulder injury, was a prime example of why I love him. His transformation into a male model who is also a bad ass has just been so satisfying.
- The new backstage interviewer is Dasha Kuret (née Gonzalez) probably shouldn't have been quite so smiley and giggly while interviewing a bad guy like Titus, but she's showing the right tendency towards being animated and doing more than just nodding. O'Neil's promo was...weirdly sexual. And why would they rename the venue or the show the show "NXTitus champion"?
- Unless he is really working a werewolf gimmick, they might want to rethink giving a white biker the catchphrase "it's up to my kind to destroy your kind".
Segment Two
Recap:
- The announcers really want you to know that The Vaudevillains are heels now. Full Sail Live doesn't care, and very much enjoys their breaking out a new finishing combination to dispatch
Team ThickBlake & Murphy. - Bayley controls the action for much of the latest chapter of her rivalry with Sasha Banks, but gets sloppy when she can't finish The Boss and has to tap to the Bank Statement.
- A post-match assault appears to be stopped by Becky Lynch, but after a hug, we learn that it was only postponed, as the Irishwoman proved to be easily swayed to the dark side by Banks.
Reactions:
- Rich Brennan, Alex Riley and Jason Albert did everything but call Simon Gotch & Aiden English heels during their commentary. They have a "new edge". They seem "sinister". They referenced the theme change with the ominous William Regal vibe. It even seemed like the guys worked a slower, less splashy style (the finisher switch to a European uppercut to the back of the head and a neckbreaker is not only less pop-worthy, but also a tad dishonorable). But, as with The Ascension, there's a total disconnect between that presentation and the crowd's perception. Matching them up against a team that was ostensibly playing rudo last week against the champs doesn't help, either.
- No offense Wesley Blake, but you're the Jannetty.
- If Bayley and Banks could be more head-and-shoulders above every other female in WWE, somebody let me know. This wasn't even their best match, and it was probably my favorite women's match since...their last match together. As good as Charlotte, and Becky Lynch, and Jessica Havok, and Gail Kim, these two have some of the best chemistry I've seen since Trish and Lita.
- Bayley's charges, and Sasha's trash-talking in-between ducking out through the ropes. The Hugster's rebound elbows, and The Boss' answering with the rebound slap. B's second rope elbow. Banks' counter into the Bank Statement - including adjusting so that Bayley couldn't reverse the crossface again...these are a few of my favorite things.
- Just like last time a depth-free babyface jobber was corrupted by a title contender, I could have stood to see morepersuasiveness from Banks and conflict for Lynch before the full-blown turn. But they make such a good looking team - and Becky's "dirt of my shoulders" gesture is so on point - that I'm willing to overlook the fast forwarding of her betrayal.
Segment Three / Main Event
- Enzo gets Carmella a match with Emma, but she only has only has eyes for that nice guy, Big Cass, and Amore is denied...AGAIN.
- Adrian Neville successfully defends the NXT title in a match that hinged on a vicious shove, because Titus O'Neil.
- Congratulations are offered by Sami Zayn, along with a challenge. Neville accepts, and then burns the Likeable One like he was Carmella and Sami was Enzo, saying he's not worried because Zayn can't win the big one.
Reactions:
- Emma's gonna job to Carmella, isn't she? There will be cursing.
- Poor Enzo. His public failure to woo the Princess of Staten Island is even affecting the enthusiasm of his delivery. That 4G line was money, and the sad bastich barely even sold it. (How you doin?) Not hard to see why, though. Big Cass is not only getting his lady's attention, but he's getting the best lines. I'm pretty sure there is not a better possible answer to "where's my sugar?" than "in your tea with William Regal, bro".
- We're done with Titus on NXT now, right? He accomplished something that I didn't think was possible, and that's making Brodus Clay's run in Winter Park look like a success.
- Because, holy schnikes, what the heck did I just watch? The go to commercial spot was a hard push! Even his patented bear hug blew! God bless Jason Albert for trying to sell the minute where O'Neil was basically just gently holding Neville under his armpits by saying "it's moving up his rib cage!" Like the Gator's earlier promo, this stretch of the match was oddly romantic. But it mostly just blew chunks.
- Slapping Titus to prompt a charge was decent psychology. That's all I got in terms of praise for this match. Knees up into Red Arrow is the laziest finishing sequence I have seen booked since 1988. And I don't even care, because it means the match ended - and that's all that mattered.
- We're done with Titus on NXT now, right?
- Somebody get Zayn a steak or a cold compress for that eye.
- Now, I understand that Neville didn't turn heel at Takeover II. And I very much enjoy both the writing and performance of his uber-confident fighting champ. But I can't wait to see him get his ass kicked.
Hey look! An episode of NXT anchored by a strong women's match, that featured decent angle advancement but was ultimately dragged down by a lackluster visiting main roster star. We haven't seen one of those in...almost two weeks!
No show with a Titus O'Neil main event is going to score very well for me, and my advice to casuals is to watch Becky vs. Bayley (and the Port Authority segment conveniently placed right after it) and skip the rest.
Grade: C+
What stood out, worked better or fell flatter for you?