NXT MARCH 25TH 2018
The show began with Undisputed Era making their way out for a promo. You know how wrestling fans sometimes take unkindly to the new names wrestlers get given. Undisputed Era just seems normal to me now. Maybe we angst too much. I guess they really could be CFO$ now, if they change Roddy’s surname ever so slightly.
Anyway, Cole said Undisputed Era had backed them into a corner and tried to prevent their success from standing, but here they stood. Fish claimed they were thrown to the wolves in War Games and in New Orleans, but they remained one step ahead and dripping with championship gold. Strong explained joining them by saying, for once, he did something for himself and he made the best decision of his career. He could have won the titles with Dunne, but asked how long it would have been before Dunne turned on him, because all he cared about was the UK Championship, where-as Undisputed Era would take a bullet for each other. That’s why he had an epiphany during the match that instead of Roddy vs. The World, he could fight with them and take over NXT. O’Reilly said they were done being backed into a corner, they couldn’t be stopped, times were changing and they were leaving everyone else in the dust. Cole then said he’d defend his title on his own tonight and sent the other three to the back to watch, because he didn’t need any help beating Oney Lorcan anyway. Again, I much prefer hearing these guys without the faux-NWO stylisation.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Adam Cole (c) vs. Oney Lorcan
Cole wrestled with taped ribs, selling the effects of the Takeover ladder match. This was a fairly standard match, but did feel like a bigger deal for having a title on the line. Oney got on a roll late in the match, but after dropping Cole’s ribs across the top rope, the rest of Undisputed Era brought a doctor out to check on him. With the ref distracted, Strong hit a back suplex on the apron to Oney, at which point Cole made a miraculous recovery and hit the Last Shot to retain. The fun pay-off made up for the lack of an all-out match. Undisputed Era really felt like they lost their way a bit after debuting, but this first part of the show felt like a turning point. Having titles to defend and some more focus really does help and all four are entertaining guys, in and out of the ring, so them being arrogant but weasly works.
Strong and O’Reilly attacked Oney post match, until Burch tried to make the save, only for Cole to hit a superkick. Burch and Lorcan both ended up laid out and Cole, Strong and O’Reilly posed with the belts.
Hype video for Shayna.
Recap of Candice’s win over Zelina last week. They then aired a hype video for Bianca Belair, ahead of a Belair versus Candice match on next week’s show.
Heavy Machinery vs. Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli
Rematch from their match in New Orleans that was interrupted by War Raiders. These two teams have had fun matches before and this was another fun one while it lasted. Heavy Machinery still haven’t fully ironed out their act yet to figure out which things they do are fun and which are a bit too goofy. But here, they had the right balance. They ran rings around Moss and Tino early, but there was no dancing or patty-caking or belly-bumping. Which I’m not completely opposed to them doing, but they were doing a bit too much of it. Tino and Moss briefly took control, before Tucker made a comeback. Tino then walked out on Moss when he went for the tag, so that’s the official break-up taken care of. Heavy Machinery finished off Riddick with the Compactor for the win. I’m glad they finally split Tino and Moss if that’s where they were going. That’s not a singles match I’m particularly clamouring for though. Memories of Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger’s not-so epic feud.
Heavy Machinery called out War Raiders after the match, asking if they were man enough to face them in the ring.
Video on some of the potential contenders for Shayna Baszler now that she’s champion, with comments from Nikki Cross, Aliyah and Kairi Sane. Dakota had a separate backstage interview with Cathy, saying she didn’t want to talk about what happened with Shayna last week. Shayna walked in and said a women’s division run by her was Dakota’s worst nightmare, with Dakota looked scared the whole time.
Teaser video for Kona Reeves.
A second video on Shayna’s potential challengers had comments from Lacey Evans, Vanessa Borne and Candice. This was a nice little way to both re-set the scene of the women’s division and make Shayna more important, as the goal everyone’s after.
The main event was supposed to be Gargano challenging Black for the NXT Title. But, Ciampa jumped Gargano during his entrance. Ciampa teased the air raid crash through the announce table but Gargano fought out and hit a dive off the table. Ciampa recovered with a low blow on the stage, before hitting Gargano with a running knee to the side of the head and an air raid crash off the stage through two production tables. Candice came out to check on Gargano and he was stretchered out. They stuck with this and followed the scene out of the arena, passing Aleister Black as they loaded Gargano into the ambulance. As it drove off, the camera then panned up to Ciampa on top of a production truck, waving Gargano off.
Back in the arena, Black came out and began to call Ciampa out, but was almost immediately interrupted by Sanity’s music hitting. Young said some rambling stuff about hope and chaos, until Black thankfully cut him off and asked if Young was looking for the NXT Title and if he was let’s do this.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
Aleister Black (c) vs. Eric Young
So, Sanity were suddenly heels here. Presumably they won’t be on many NXT shows going forward, if any, so it doesn’t really matter, but it as abrupt turns go this was pretty abrupt. The match itself was fine, but lacked any real dynamism when Young was on offence. I never enjoyed Young as a serious heel when I saw it in TNA and I think he’s got much stronger suits. Wolfe got involved at one point to allow Young to get the advantage with a hanging choke. Black would come back though and things did pick up in the closing minutes with Black more on the offensive. Young got a near fall with a DVD, before Black would hit the Black Mass out of nowhere for the win.
Wolfe tried to jump Black post match but took a Black Mass as well, before Dain suffered the same fate. This gave Black a successful title defence to his name and had him look strong at the expense of three getting called up, so this was at the very least smartly booked with the angle preceding it, even if it meant Sanity going heel again for the night.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING: A very strong show from a directional standpoint. The first chunk of the show with Undisputed Era was very entertaining, the angle with Ciampa and Gargano was very well done and it leading into the write-off for Sanity made a lot of sense. The tag match in the middle furthered two stories and everything involving Shayna set the tone nicely for the women’s division going forward. The matches themselves served as back-drops for where things needed to go somewhat, but it was more than made up for by everything surrounding them.
NXT WEEK: Pete Dunne versus Roderick Strong, TM61 against Street Profits, Candice LaRae versus Bianca Belair and Kona Reeves’s re-debut.