Some complications have clogged up the works at Mondo
Headquarters. Therefore this past week’s NXT report is delayed, but I am
determined to serve it up. Last week’s report also fell by the wayside so we’ll
start this edition of NXT Toki with highlights of the show the week before.
NXT 4.22 Highlights
Finn Balor ran through Ty Dillinger in a straight up squash
match, establishing a routine series of moves that spell out success for the
former NJPW Bullet Club breakout star. Things started with him floating over Ty
as he attempted a charge in the corner and chopping him across the chest. We
also see Finn hit the Sling Blade (a move in the arsenal of NJPW’s Hiroshi
Tanahashi), a massive Drop Kick that blasts the oponents off his feet and into
the corner, and the coup de grace (double foot stomp off the top ropes)
finisher for the win.
As Balor made his way up the ramp, Tyler Breeze appeared on
the monitor to cut a more sulky less arrogant promo on how he is sick of the
attention Balor has been getting and plans to return the attention to himself.
It’s an effective visual that sets up an interesting program between the
quickly made Balor and the long time NXT competitor looking to break out in
Breeze.
Bailey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte had a fantastic triple
threat match for the number one contender spot to the women’s title. The match
started out with the women hitting each other hard. It soon shifted to a battle
of submission holds, with Charlotte and Becky both working over Bailey’s legs.
Lynch tried to get Bailey into a Superplex but Charlotte walked her away from
the ropes on her shoulders, setting up for Bailey to hit an elbow off the top
as Charlotte dropped Becky with a Power Bomb. This was a huge spot that looked
like the Road Warriors’ Doomsday Device at first, but was really something even
more devastating. Charlotte later trapped Bailey in an amazing improvisation on
the Figure Four called the Figure 8, which finds her applying her father’s
classic submission and propping herself way up on extended arms to exert more
pressure. Becky, still devastated from the double team move and a Belly to
Bailey Suplex crawled over and put an arm over Bailey for the win.
Hideo Itami defeated CJ Parker in another fairly one sided
fight. Most notably, Hideo added a new move to his repertoire: a lightning
quick leg sweep that starts with the CJ’s leg being grabbed to set up for a
Dragon Screw Leg Whip, but is then switched to Hideo’s other hand as he lowers
himself, spins, and sweeps out his leg. I’m fairly certain this is an old move
from Itami’s Kenta days as I got a flash of an arcade game I played in a Tokyo
Game Center around 1999 featuring All Japan and NOAH Wrestlers. I can recall
with near certainty a character with yellow tights pulling off this same sharp
looking move.
Kevin Owens once again defeated Alex Reilly. This time, when
Owens went to hurt Reilly after the match, Zayn made a sudden appearance and
dived onto Owens from the top turnbuckle to break up the attack. It was a
moment that got the fans psyched for this red hot feud to once again resume.
And Now for this past Wednesday’s edition of NXT:
The show begins with footage of Owens defeating Alex Reilly
and being attacked by Sami Zayn before he could inflict post-match damage
injury on his opponent.
Owens comes to the ring, calmly belittles the crowd as they
launch into a lengthy ‘ole’ chant in support of Zayn, and challenges the former
NXT champion to come to the ring. Regal appears instead and confronts Owens in
the ring, followed by the arrival of Zayn himself.
Regal makes a match between the two for the title at Arrival
on May 20. But Owens answers with some wonderfully weasel-ish heel techniques,
saying he wanted a match but never offered for it to be for the title. He
questioned what Zayn had done to deserve it, and even asked how wrestlers can
earn title shots just by attacking people by surprise, which is exactly what
Owens had done himself in his debut.
Zayn gets in Owens’ head, first suggesting that for 12 years
Owens has been living in Zayn’s shadows, and then coming right out and saying
it directly. Owens is goaded into
agreeing to the match and the two are set for this much anticipated rematch
from the last NXT special.
Carmella is sidled up to by the tag tea champions Blake and
Wesley who ask her how she’s doing? She
shoes them away, leading to an Alexa Bliss with shades of an attitude
adjustment questioning her manners. Carmella smacks her, and Bliss and the tag
tea champs appear as though they may be on the same page. And wow, the WWE
Performance Center has a lovely spacious and modern kitchen lounge area, where
this vignette took place.
An unhinged Alex Reilly barges into Regal’s office as Zayn
signs the contract for his rematch. Reilly demands another shot at Owens to
which Zayn suggests Reilly back down for the time being. Reilly, feeling
condescended to by Zayne’s suggestion to ‘hang in there’ tells the former NXT
Champ to stay out of it, and quickly a match between these two is made.
Enzo Amore and Collin Cassady VS Blake and Murphy
Cass and Amore with Carmella come to the ring. Amore has
stepped up his look with a leopard print gangsta kerchief pulled up over his
face. ‘Team dubstep’ come to the ring next. Cass and Amore’s promo leads the
crowd to chant ‘sweet boys’ at Blake and Murphy.
Enzo starts in the ring against Blake and after a lock up,
Enzo is quickly slammed down into the tag team champs’ corner. Enzo tries to
hit a big splash on Blake and Murphy but they side step. Blake turns his
attention to Carmella, allowing Cass to hit a big boot off the distraction.
Amore and Cass hit their finisher, with Cass passing Amore overhead and down
onto Blake for the pin. This nontitle match win will likely lead to a title
match between the two teams at Takeover.
Becky Lynch has a promo in the back about how much winning
the NXT Women’s championship would mean to her.
Bailey is in the backstage area with Devon and is frazzled
by a need to find her accessories, which apparently Emma has and prepare for
her match.
A video promo is shown of Baron Corbin, yet another wrestler
who seems to be getting the attitude adjustment treatment; seems NXT is quick to
try something new when members of the roster lose momentum. He has a Sons of
Anarchy-esque type font in the background and talks of rules not applying to
him.
It’s a battle of terrible sound-alike entrance themes as an
Owl City sound alike (Bailey) takes on an Evanescene sound alike (Dana Brooke).
As much as I don’t like the themes, both do seem appropriate in matching the
energy these wrestlers carry themselves to the ring with.
Bailey puts Brooke in an arm bar but Brooke reverses and
slams Bailey down by her hair. Brooke hits an impressive looking slam out of a
fireman’s carry on Bailey. Bailey hit a big leaping charge into Brooke in the
corner and somersaults backwards out of it. As Bailey is poised on the top
rope, her music suddenly hits and out comes Emma with her missing gear. Bailey
continues her assault but can’t shake the distraction by Emma. Brooke capitalizes
and wins with the Avalanche.
Regal announces a triple threat number 1 contenders match
for Takeover between Hideo Itami, Finn Balor,and Tyler Breeze, which is bound
to be excellent and very competitive.
Hideo Itami VS Adam
Rose
The two lock up. Rose escapes and rolls around and around and
around the ring. Itami answers the spectacle with a hard chop. Hideo hits this
amazing looking reverse leg sweep after catching his opponent’s leg in what
looks like a Dragon Screw Leg Whip set up, also featured in his match on last
week’s show. It’s followed by a pose that is strikingly similar to Okada’s
Rainmaker stance. The Shot Gun Kick follows soon after for Itami to pick up the
quick victory.
Bailey is searching backstage for Emma, telling someone
behind a camera that she is getting her stuff back.
Becky Lynch VS Sarah
Dawson
The two lock up in a test of strength. Becky gets the
advantage and a leg lock, which is reversed into a roll up by Dawson. Becky
answers with a drop kick. Lynch locks in an arm bar, which she switches up, putting
Dawson’s arm between her legs and wrenching it way back to pick up the
submission. It is another display of versatility on the part of Lynch, who has
shown off numerous ways to make opponents tap out during her stint in NXT thus
far. If things take their course and she has a 1 on 1 match with current NXT Women’s
champ Sasha Banks, it is also destined for greatness.
Rhyno is in what looks like a basement by the building’s
circuit breaker, for some reason, and says he heard what Baron Corbin is about.
Rhyno tells him that he enjoys inflicting pain and these two are also apparently
set to collide.
Alex Reilly VS Sami Zayn
The two lock up and Zayn is backed into a corner. The
grappling continues with Reilly landing an arm drag and keeping the pressure on
Zayn’s arm. Owens has joined the commentary team and in his cool demeanor, runs
down both Zayn and Reilly. Reily hits a fireman’s carry into a cutter maneuver
and attempts a pin.
Zayn reversed the momentum with a tope onto Reilly on the
outside, when he is bashed from behind by Owens. Owens feigns walking away and
then he runs back toward Reilly and power bombs him on the ring apron. Owens
walks backward up the ramp leaving Zayn hurt as the show goes off the air.
-----------------------------------------
A LOT is being packed into 1 show these days, with this
episode being the most busy of to date, but not at all in a bad way. Matches
are few in number but give a good taste of action. There is a good dose of 1
sided matches showcasing the abilities of some talent while slightly more
competitive matches are held to build up toward the feuds that will be given a
more substantial length to play out on the special. Meanwhile, there are
numerous quick moving promos and segments for the short attention span set. The
feud between Owens and Zayn has escalated with Zayn referencing the pair’s past
and Owens doing a fantastic job playing a calculating villain with signs of
insecurities threatening to unravel his demeanor.
Twitter: @mondocurrymark
Facebook: Mondo Pro Wrestling
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