NXT ‣

[Deco90]

What a treat, an NXT & NXT Evolve to review.

I've been looking forward to checking out these shows man and right off the bat - the presentation as always is beautiful and the GFX just make everything pop so nice man!

NXT #468 REVIEW:

- Good opening to the show starting with the 'Megastar' LA Knight - Yeeaaaaahhh! I actually really like Knight giving Cal a new name, and a nick-name to boot. I don't know, 'The Mountain' - Just makes him sound like somebody already. Gives him some importance. The rivalry bubbling along nicely with the Champ-Champ, big Bronson Reed too.

- Nice win for the Way with Gargano & Lumis back on terms again. Hit Row observing the action too.

- Simple segment but effective with 'Big Mami Cool' preparing for her Warriors Way Match. Nice way to just add some anticipation and build up while retracting the story of what Raquel is in this fight with Tian Sha

- Bold from Sterling as he looks to challenge KUSHIDA next week! Don't see him winning but I'm fine with this and maybe it opens up a match slot for KUSHIDA to defend the Title at the PPV should he retain also.

- Big win for Theory overcoming aggressive style of Oney. Honestly, so pumped for this lucky 7 ladder match! Shaping up with great with the entrants and we've got the town hall promo to come too.

- Indi telling the challengers it's going to take more than matching neon hair colors to defeat her and Candice haha!

- I'm liking Nigel as the head honcho of NXT and how he's running the show. Match set for next week and no doubt some hijinx to come from LA Knight to make sure the match doesn't go smoothly as one on one.

- It wasn't looking good for Jiro & Grey, and that came to light with losing to Adonis & Top Dolla. The fall out peaking most of the interest here though with the appearance of Curt Stallion - Interesting!

- Cool segment with Legado seemingly on this rebirth path, returning to their roots in Mexico. Interested to see what this leads too, and where they go from here.

- As expected, KUSHIDA accepting the match and we are on!

- Could we really have a town hall segment without it ending in a brawl? of course not! I did enjoy this though - Man, Joe came across as a savage with his words Haha! Telling O-Reilly to find himself another tag partner to carry him once again was a highlight for me. Good stuff here and it created more excitement for the match to come. Job done.

- I LOVE what you are doing with Bobby Fish Haha! This promo with Grimes was fun.

- Main Event time! That graphic is so nice - One of my favourites that you have done. I've enjoyed how much you have used Tian Sha and what you are doing with the group, because I do feel like it was a missed oppertunity IRL despite what started off pretty good. I like how you set the tone describing how the arena looked, and really capturing that Chinese feel.

Really fun match man! A lot of moving parts with people getting involved but this was expected and needed to be honest. Dakota Kai returning and almost exercising her demons in the form of Mei Ying was a nice touch and ending the show with her and Raquel standing tall in celebration was cool.

Overall; Good show and a super easy read. We are bubbling nicely to High Stakes which I really cannot wait to read. The Lucky 7 match and how you book the Bronson/Knight matches are particularly exciting and interesting to me. Show presentation is always on point and the GFX were beautiful.

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NXT EVOLVE #5 REVIEW:

- Firstly, I dig the colour change of the logo.

- McGuinness blaming the chaos of the lucky 7 town hall on Regals regime Haha!

- First match and it's a BIG test for 'The Mountain' up against Josh Briggs. As expected, it's a win for the newly named Cal Lannister and that's obviously the right call ahead of facing the Champion, Bronson next week on NXT.

- Interesting that you are using Cora alongside Baxter as they were a couple around this time when they both joined NXT. It's also a good way to slowly introduce Cora. I quite like Trey Baxter, and with the Cruiserweight Championship, I feel like he's going to have a place on the show long-term but we will see.

Rust seemingly cutting ties with Bivens is interesting too.

- Good win for Thatcher bouncing back from the Lucky 7 Qualifying loss last week. I loved the finish of him reversing the powerslam into the Fujiwara armbar and securing the win via submission.

- Nice little hype promo for KUSHIDA vs Sterling

- I like the pairing of Grey & Stallion. Very cutting words in regards to Drake & Jiro.

- Welp! A plucky start from Baxter before Dain cuts the fun and games and takes care of business by destroying 'All Heart' with three Vader bombs to really show his dominance. Out comes Thatcher to stop any further damage. LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!

- Enjoyed that segment and what you are doing with Diamond Mine and using someone like Ruas. Good stuff, man.

- Main Event Time! Seeing Carmelo on this show really shows how much talent you have to play with, and is still yet to come from the performance centre without even the need to bring anyone in. Kinda crazy.

Oh wow! I was not expecting that ending! Hayes on course to win the match but Kona seemingly debuting his own faction. The Kona bloodline haha! I'm going to assume it's Solo & Quinn? If so, I'm totally down! Again, I do love how you use and showcases the less obvious characters and get them involved - it's definitely a real booking strength you have.

Overall; Good show again bro! Evolve is such a nice side-show to NXT and just gives you the chance to use some of the newer faces and lesser known talents. It works well and you've got the blend right without totally making it an obvious B-show by keeping it interesting with it's own feuds and such happening on the show.

 

[Looking Glass]

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• [FEATURED STORY:] Earlier today, WWE posted a digital exclusive featuring the NXT Women's Champion, Raquel González, alongside Mercedes Martinez and Dakota Kai. The champion appeared to be banged up following the brutal Warrior's Way match but that didn't prevent her from celebrating the defeat of Mei Ying and Tian Sha. Raquel thanks Mercedes for keeping Xia Li and Boa at bay and stepping up when no one else in the locker room would. Turning to Dakota - who played a pivotal role in the match result - González says that even through Dakota's eye injury, she is still the toughest, most resilient woman in NXT. The champion exits briefly to grab a water bottle.

"The Brass City Badass" begins to interrogate the New Zealand native. Firstly, she gives kudos to Kai for her part in the match, she then asks how she could tell that it was Ying she was striking with her cane, even with her impaired sense of vision. Kai smirks, turning just enough to come face to face with Mercedes and says that since she and Raquel are so close, she just had a feeling that the person in front of her wasn't her friend. Martinez scoffs that it's just as well that Kai isn't cleared to return to the ring yet, otherwise she might be trying to challenge for the belt.

Returning to the room, González appears optimistic to see the pair interact unaware of Martinez's doubts. Mercedes asks Raquel if she remembers their deal (about her being first in line to compete for the title next). Raquel confirms that she's a woman of her word and says she will speak to Nigel McGuinness about granting a match between the pair. However, before any deal can be done, a knock is heard at the door and the General Manager enters. McGuinness says that he was on his way to congratulate Raquel on her title defence when he overheard the deal being done.

Nigel says that he is the man who makes things official and while he admires Mercedes' tenacity and all her years of hard work on the independent scene, she will have to prove herself if she wants to compete at NXT TakeOver: High Stakes. Outraged, both Martinez and González ask the former ROH Pure Champion to reconsider. McGuinness says that the women's division is on fire right now and he wants to do it justice by featuring top-tier women's wrestling on his show, so next week there'll be two contender matches, with the winners going on to the go-home show to determine who will be going to Vegas. Kai looks silently smug as she listens to the twist of events unfold. An unimpressed Martinez asks who she has to beat first, to which McGuinness confirms the 'resident rock star' and 'trailblazer' of NXT, former UK Women's Champion and Mae Young Classic trophy holder, Toni Storm.

The segment ends with McGuinness wishing Martinez luck as the champion tries to remain positive for her. Kai on the other hand, tries to hide how hilarious she finds the whole affair.

Mercedes Martinez will collide with Toni Storm next Tuesday on NXT. Sarray vs. Franky Monet has also been added to the card. Both winners will face each other the following week for a shot at Raquel González for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: High Stakes.

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• Despite mixed reactions from the fans, backstage officials were pleased with the presentation of Tian Sha and the overall execution of the Warrior's Way match. The stipulation of the match was designed to allow Mei Ying to lose cleanly without having to take the pin, although as of writing there are no solid plans to bring "The Mother" back. Boa and Xia Li are still expected to make appearances, although the stable as a whole may be rested while creative decide which direction to take the stable next (if any).

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• Both Hit Row and The Way (Dexter Lumis and Johnny Gargano) won their qualifying matches to be added to the triple threat tag team match at NXT TakeOver: Hight Stakes. The two teams will now face MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) for the NXT Tag Team titles in Las Vegas. Despite Ashante Adonis and Top Dolla competing in the qualifier match, it was indicated that Hit Row may use a variation of the freebird rule (typically used to allow tag champions to alternate defences between stable members) to allow Swerve Scott to compete at the event.

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• This past week also saw tensions boil over between the Lucky 7 Ladder match competitors (Samoa Joe, Finn Bálor, Kyle O'Reilly, Pete Dunne and Austin Theory). NXT General Manager, Nigel McGuinness, later announced on NXT Evolve that he intended to punish the talents involved for breaking the no-contact rule. While it's likely that a multi-man tag team match will be announced over the next few weeks, there are also rumours that this punishment has been used to introduce a new match could the premium live event.

Next week, Cameron Grimes will look to outsmart "The Infamous" Bobby Fish in the penultimate qualifying match before a final entrant will be determined a last chance fatal four way the following week.

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• The main event of Thursday's NXT Evolve saw Carmelo Hayes defeat "The Finest" Kona Reeves via disqualification following outside interference from two unknown men. Recent episodes have seen Reeves taken issue with Melo after the latter snubbed his offer of an alliance. It now seems that the Hawaiian-born Superstar has exacted his revenge by recruiting two new Superstars to help in Hayes' takedown.

The first figure has been identified as the Performance Center's Daniel Vidot, a former National Rugby League player in Australia. Vidot is of Samoan descent and has previously represented Samoan team between 2013 and 2015 and has been signed with the company since 2018. The second man is recent signee, Joseph Fatu, son of Hall of Famer, Rikishi, and younger brother of Jimmy and Jey Uso (and cousin of WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns). Fatu has been active on the independent scene since 2018 and is seen as a rising star, hence the quick debut. Accordingly to the backstage sheetlist, Vidot will be going by the name Xyon Quinn and Fatu has been named Solo Sikoa.

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• There are discussion of bringing back the NXT Breakout Tournament sometime in the year. The tournament was initially introduced back in 2019 and won by Jordan Myles, who would go on to unsuccessfully challenge Adam Cole for NXT Championship. While Myles would later depart the company, the tournament introduced a number of recognised talents such as Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Joaquin Wilde and NXT Champion Bronson Reed. While further details are not known, the premise of using the tournament to introduce new talents could mean that we'll see it hosted on NXT Evolve.

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• [THIS PAST WEEK ON NXT UK:]

Blair Davenport def. Xia Brookside: Blair Davenport continued her winning streak by defeating Xia Brookside. Davenport dominated most of the match, showcasing her prowess with a basement dropkick and vicious knee strikes. After the match, Davenport further humiliated Brookside by dropping her head-first onto a symbol in the ring.

Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff def. Danny Jones & Josh Morrell: The new tag team of Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff had an impressive debut, defeating Danny Jones and Josh Morrell. Combining power and speed, Starz and Mastiff overcame their opponents, with Mastiff scoring the pinfall after a running headbutt from Starz and a cannonball.

A-Kid def. Jordan Devlin (in a 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match): In a heated rivalry, A-Kid triumphed over Jordan Devlin in a 30-minute Iron Man match with a 2-1 score. Devlin initially led with a submission, but A-Kid equalized with an armbar and took the final lead with a verbal submission. Despite Devlin's desperate attempts in the final moments, A-Kid held on for the win.

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UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS ‣

NXT TAKEOVER: HIGH STAKES [TAKEOVER #36] ‣ SUNDAY 22 AUGUST, 2022
SAM'S TOWN HOTEL & GAMBLING HALL ‣ LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

CONFIRMED MATCHES:

CHAMPION vs. 'CHAMPION':
WINNER TAKES ALL MATCH FOR THE NXT, NORTH AMERICAN & MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONSHIP
BRONSON REED vs. LA KNIGHT

THE LUCKY 7 LADDER MATCH:
HIGH RISK. HIGH REWARD.
SAMOA JOE vs. FINN BÁLOR vs. KYLE O'REILLY vs. PETE DUNNE vs. AUSTIN THEORY vs. 2 SUPERSTARS TBD

TRIPLE THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH:
FOR THE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
MSK [NASH CARTER & WES LEE] vs. THE WAY [DEXTER LUMIS & JOHNNY GARGANO]
vs. HIT ROW [ASHANTE ADONIS/SWERVE SCOTT/TOP DOLLA] w/ B-FAB

TAG TEAM MATCH:
FOR THE NXT WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE WAY [CANDICE LERAE & INDI HARTWELL] w/ PERSIA PIROTTA
vs. SHOTZI & TEGAN NOX

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[Looking Glass]

NXT [EPISODE #469] ‣ "WHAT'S NeXT" PREVIEW​

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We are one week away from NXT TakeOver: High Stakes, and tensions between our double NXT Champion, Bronson Reed, and the Million Dollar Champion, LA Knight, continue to soar. Last week, the number contender solidified his alliance with the newly renamed, Cal Lannister, who turned on Reed the week before. The young Superstar's betrayal seems to have woken Aus-Zilla as the champion vented his frustrations on The Mountain, while the Megastar made a getaway.

In response, NXT General Manager, Nigel McGuinness, made a judgment call to allow the double champion to compete against Lannister just days ahead of the premium live event in Las Vegas. While Reed has shown us before that he's not afraid to take on allcomers, will Knight's presence on commentary stack the odds further against the NXT Champion?

Speaking of Nigel McGuinness. If you tuned into NXT Evolve last week, you would have heard the General Manager apologise to the WWE Universe for the altercation that took place between the Lucky 7 Ladder match participants in the town hall meeting. McGuinness has stated that he isn't going to let his roster run riot across NXT like his predecessor, whether you agree with that statement or not, Mr McGuinness has confirmed that he will be addressing the WWE Universe this week and intends to set an example...

The Exclamation Point of NXT, Ari Sterling, has set out to make an impression since his debut back in May. Unlike many number one contenders *cough* LA Knight *cough*....Excuse me. Unlike many number contenders, Sterling has opted to pay respect to the champion, assisting the Time Splitter, Kushida, on more than one occasion. However, respect aside, Sterling had decided there was no time like the present and set the challenge to the champion to fight for the title this Tuesday - a challenge Kushida would accept.

Despite having a target on his back, the NXT Cruiserweight Champion has been dominant in his matches, overcoming the likes of independent talent, Alex Shelley, NXT UK's Jordan Devlin and even Raw Superstars, Mansoor and Mustafa Ali. But will this Tuesday mark the end of Kushida's dominance over the cruiserweight division or will Sterling merely be another number in the champion's winning record?

The Lucky 7 Qualifiers are nearly at an end, with the penultimate match airing on this week's NXT. Since losing the Million Dollar Championship, Cameron Grimes has been trying to fight his back to glory, only to be ridiculed and critiqued by "The Infamous" Bobby Fish. In recent weeks, Fish has seemed to isolate himself from the rest of the NXT locker room with his scathing reviews and general obnoxiousness, pitting himself as a cut above the rest.

Not one to be deterred, Grimes personally requested the opportunity to showcase his skills against the pompous veteran and make him eat humble pie. However, it's not just bragging rights up for grabs in this bout, the winner will join Samoa Joe, Finn Bálor, Kyle O'Reilly, Pete Dunne and Austin Theory, claiming the sixth spot in the Lucky 7 match. So will Grimes be able to hit the jackpot or will he be upstaged by "The Infamous One" yet again?

As confirmed last week, there will be a contact signing for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship match at NXT TakeOver: High Stakes. United by mutual enemies, Shotzi and Tegan Nox have found some tag team chemistry over recent weeks, culminating in their victory in the contender's gauntlet match - much to the annoyance of Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae.

Don't forget that the reason for the contract signing to take place public was to ensure that the Women's Tag Team champions couldn't pull any stunts ahead of their match, this follows "The Wicked Stepsisters" shifty behaviour as of late. So will all involved be able to sign their names without any conflict or will it end up like so many contract signings before it and devolve into chaos? I guess you'll have to watch to find out.

Mercedes Martinez has found herself an unlikely ally to the NXT Women's Champion, Raquel González, in her pursuit to take out Tian Sha. Having helped the champion to achieve that in last week's brutal Warrior's Way Match, "The Brass City Bruiser" decided it was time to call in her debts and remind "Big Mami Cool" what she was owed. However, Nigel McGuinness had other ideas and reaffirmed that he was the one who was paid to make the matches. In a digital exclusive, the GM announced that there will be two women's matches this week, with each winner entering a number one contender's match on the go-home edition of NXT next week.

Now, just two matches stand in the way of Martinez and a shot at the title but her opponent - Toni Storm - has her own point to prove. Armed with her Mae Young Classic trophy, Storm has positioned herself at the top of the NXT Women's locker room and is demanding the WWE Universe give her the flowers she deserves. With both women jockeying to become the number one contender, who will walk out the better woman?

Since Sarray arrived in NXT, she has both wowed the WWE Universe but found herself on the wrong side of both The Brand and in particular Toni Storm. Now, "The Warrior of the Sun" has an opportunity to contend for the NXT Women's Championship and score some revenge on the CEO of The Brand, Franky Monet. Both of these ladies have managed to remain undefeated in singles competition, making a victory even more essential. However, we've often found things between these competitors spiral out of control due to the taunting and tactics of Monet, Jessi Kamea and Aliyah. With Zoey Stark in her corner, will her friend's presence with a help or a hinderance when she squares off against "The Premiere Blonde".

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[Stojy]

Have finally caught up with everything in here and think you're doing a really good job. The Reed/Knight feud has been built well and the repacking of Cal Lannister has worked well too. Intrigued to see how Nigel lays down the law after everybody in the Lucky 7 match ignored him and fought each other last week. Kushida title reign has been fun so far and I expect it to continue after a win over Sterling, and I'm a fan of the character you've given Bobby Fish in here. Needless to say, hoping he qualifies. Indi and especially Candice not wanting to defend the tag titles has been a solid enough angle, so this contract signing planned works well. It did feel like Martinez should be the next challenger, then these matches got thrown together. I expect her to get through anyway, as she seems like the most interesting challenger due to her current alliance with the champ, unless you're playing long game with that.

Anyway, just some quick rushed thoughts, because you're doing a good job here. Looking forward to the next show, and FINALLY getting to High Stakes. Literally years in the making lol...