ADAM COLE VS. SEAN MALUTA
As I’ve mentioned before I really don’t like all the cheers that Adam Cole gets. Mr. Cool Heel is bullshit. When he has to do real heel work it doesn’t work right because of how he plays his character. He’s not even on Miz’s level because Miz can get boos when he really wants them.
A lackluster match, Cole hits a superkick when Maluta jumps off the top rope then a Last Shot to the back of the head. I hope they aren’t planning on pushing Maluta anytime soon because he looked really weak in this match. I wouldn’t say he got buried but it did him no favors. He cuts a promo after the match about being a fighting champion, and before he can finish asking if anyone wants to challenge him, Ricochet comes out. For no reason at all, Ricochet further buries Maluta in his promo saying Cole beat a guy “whose name you can’t even remember.” He challenges Cole to a title match in Brooklyn. I’ll be there!
Match Rating: Two Gold Medals
Cole punks out and actually does get roundly booed. Ricochet calls him a coward. The crowd chants “coward” at Cole. Ok so maybe I was kind of wrong about his ability to get boos. He still shouldn’t act like a cool heel, but at least he’s getting a heel reaction here.
Undisputed Era come out to back up Cole, but War Raiders come out, undoubtedly to get a look at the NXT Tag Team Champions. Undisputed Era backs right into Mustache Mountain, and the Brits attack. UE makes an escape. I’m thinking we may get a triple threat tag team match in Brooklyn, or, dare I dream, a War Games match? I doubt that, as they’d probably save that for a War Games PPV.
Richochet Promo Rating: Seven Stone Colds
Adam Cole Promo Rating: Nine Roddy Pipers
Booking Rating: Nine Dustys
SHAYNA BASZLER & KAIRI SANE CONTRACT SIGNING
Sane’s English is pretty good and Shayna’s promos sound very natural. Good shit talking by both women here. I’m excited for this match.
Shayna Promo Rating: Seven Roddy Pipers
Kairi Promo Rating: Six Stone Colds
Kona Reeves wrestles EC3 next week and I just don’t give a SHIT about that feud
TENILLA PRICE VS. LACEY EVANS
RIP Tenilla. Percy said she has a degree in criminology, which makes her awesome in my book. Evans has star written all over her. Her look, attitude, charisma, and in-ring talent are tremendous, she’s the total package. I’d like to see what Tenilla Price can do because I’m always interested in new talent, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Evans completely dominates in a squash.
Some innovative corner moves, including tying Price to the ring rope by her hair, showcase Evans’ talent, and Price hasn’t gotten a move in yet. Price gets her knees up on a splash attempt, but the only move was one handspring, and her handsprung(?) right into a Women’s Right. Game, set, lights out, match. Excellent work by Evans.
Match Rating: Seven Gold Medals
BACKSTAGE PROMO: BIANCA BELAIR
My GIRL! I had no idea she was hurt. She says she’s going to come back and “get what she deserves” because shes “UN—DUH—FEE—TED”. I can’t wait to see her in main events.
Promo Rating: Five Roddy Pipers
Candice LeRae confronts Shayna Baszler backstage but is dragged away by I think a trainer, pretty sure it was Sara Del Ray. I can’t wait to see those two get down and dirty. Make that some type of no DQ match when it finally happens.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: TOMMASO CIAMPA VS. ALEISTER BLACK (c)
I can see Tommaso winning the title tonight, and Gargano getting his shot in Brooklyn. Just imagine the pop of Johnny winning the title from Ciampa. I think Brooklyn may be the place to do it, but they may drag it out longer. Or they may not do it at all. Black might lose tonight and get a rematch at Brooklyn. Or Black might retain. I really think Gargano and Ciampa have to main event Brooklyn for the title. I LOVE Aleister Black, he’s my favorite wrestler right now. I don’t want him to lose, but I REALLY want to see Johnny beat Ciampa for that title. That’s my official prediction. Maybe Johnny comes down and costs Ciampa the match to set up a match in Brooklyn that doesn’t involve the title. Lots of possibilities, we’ll see what happens. The bottom line is, eventually, Gargano HAS to win that championship.
Ciampa seems to have gotten in Black’s head more than any other wrestler thus far in his NXT career. The crowd is all over Ciampa from the moment he walks out. I really love that he doesn’t have entrance music. I can’t explain why but it just fits his “black heart” attitude, and there’s nothing to drown out the crowd’s hatred of him. A lot of grappling and basic moves in the match, very smooth with a good match flow. Ciampa is well-prepared and continually ducks Black’s attacks until finally a brutal kick on the outside takes him down and sends him retreating around the ring.
Ciampa enters the ring first, and gets the advantage with a strike on Black as he slides back in, but Black continues to nail him with crushing kicks. Black does his patented flip of the ropes, sits cross-legged in the middle of the ring, and does the Ciampa “bye bye” wave. I love the mind games. This is a terrific match. A couple more big kicks by Black, I don’t know how Ciampa takes them and is still standing. He follows Black to the ropes and dumps him to the outside, instantly changing the momentum in the match. Ciampa throws black into the barricade and then into the steel steps.
The pace smartly slows down with Ciampa now in control. The crowd tries to cheer Black to his feet when Ciampa has him down in a submission hold, but getting to his feet only means taking a backbreaker. An absominal stretch with Ciampa near the ropes, he gets caught using the ropes for leverage, but the damage is done to Black. Black releases a suplex attempt but his back is too injured to lift Ciampa for a German Suplex. Ciampa locks in a Cloverleaf but Black gets to the ropes. This is AWESOME.
Black gets back into it by kicking Ciampa off the top rope. After an exciting exchange with both men attempting pins, they take each other down and the crowd shows it’s appreciation. Black has recovered enough to really pick up the pace and go on a kicking spree followed by a springboard backflip splash from the middle rope for a two count. With all these kicks, I can’t believe Ciampa has any teeth left. Ciampa somehow kicks out again. We need to see a Black Mass, Ciampa is definitely set up for it and Black needs to strike. Too bad Ciampa puts his hand up for mercy and retreats to the corner. He eats three more kicks in the corner. God damn. I love kicks and I am in my glory here.
Ciampa is able to take out Black’s legs so he hits his back on the ring apron, then hits some kind of innovative move off the top rope, I think it was some kind of DDT, but Black kicked out at two. A crushing clothesline from Ciampa gets other two count. He goes for a knee strike but Black hits one of his own for another close two count. Holy shit this is awesome. Frenetic pace and terrific action. Black sets up Ciampa for the Black Mass, Ciampa rolls him up and grabs the tights, Black kicks out at two. Black hits a Meteora from the top rope, yet another kick and a Bridging German Suplex for ANOTHER two count. Shit I’m not normally a blow by blow guy but this is too awesome not to put in here.
Crowd is going nuts at this point and on its feet. Black misses a moonsault to the outside and Ciampa shoves him into the cameraman. With the ref attending to the cameraman, Ciampa hits Black with a crutch and we have a NEW…. TWO COUNT!!!! Ciampa plants Black with the same Hanging DDT he beat Johnny with in Chicago, and Black again kicks out at two. That followed a bitchin suicide dive by Black. Ciampa pulls up the padding on the outside to expose the concrete and we’re getting. He argues with the ref, Black knocks him INTO the ref, and the ref falls onto the exposed floor. Black hits the Black Mass but there’s nobody to count the pinfall.
Ciampa drives his finger thumb into Black’s eye with the ref still out and grabs the NXT Title.. Johnny Gargano shows up, SUPERKICK! He accidentally hits Black with the belt, Ciampa knocks Johnny out of the ring, hits a double underhook faceplant suplex on Black, and we get a 1..2………………3! Wow, I really called that. Tommaso Ciampa is the NEW NXT Champion. Holy shit. Now I just pray to my gods that we get Johnny challenging and beating him for it in Brooklyn. This match was incredibly brutal. Ciampa makes the referee put the belt around his waist. Funny enough it complete covers his shorts and he looks like he’s naked but for the belt. Is it fucked up that I have a picture where I AM naked except for the a WWE Championship belt? I digress. That match was EVERYTHING.
Match Rating: Fifteen Gold Medals
Overall Show Rating: Nine Gold Medals
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