Alright so right off the bat we get the NXT Cruiserweight Championship match. Loved this battle. Angel Garza’s charisma really shined through in this match. He’s someone who I thought was pretty raw and nondescript when he first showed up, but the last couple of weeks he has proven to be a really strong total package who should have a very bright future. Lio Rush still doesn’t really do much for me from a character standpoint, but I give him all the credit for being an exciting in ring worker. Clearly with that finish, this feud isn’t over just yet and since a lot of the big stars on the brand will be tied in the two War Games matches, hopefully Rush and Garza’s rematch takes place at TakeOver.
I’m a Xia Li fan. I love her look and her moveset. Aliyah… ehhhh. There’s some potential there and honestly, I could see them doing something with this “Gen Z icon” thing they touched on. But it’s gonna need some refinement. The match itself here was really just whatever. They both looked incredibly green. I saw Aliyah got busted up from that finishing kick but it still looks to me like Li got her in the shoulder and then her shoulder hit her face. Regardless, I’m pretty sure Aliyah and Vanessa Borne’s comments on Twitter about Li being unsafe were a work. You know, because they’re boujee Gen Z-ers so they have to be extra soft and have a poor work ethic, yada yada yada. I’ve always felt like when you get a legit injury in wrestling, you might as well take it and run with it, so kudos to them if that is indeed what they’re doing.
The whole War Games-focused portion of this show was great. Balor and Riddle’s stuff was great. The war between Keith Lee and Roderick Strong was muy bueno. Strong is one of my top picks for Wrestler of the Year in 2019. Dude has always been a sensational worker but these last two years as part of TUE, he has been absolutely killing it. Now, I’m not real sure about Dijakovic becoming the final member of the face team at War Games. He’s been heel for the longest time, and though you could say this wasn’t a face turn and instead he just wants a chance to be in on the action, I just think he’s a weird fit alongside those other guys, minus Lee who has a deep history with. At the same time, there aren’t a lot of options out there but if it were up to me, I would have gone with Isaiah Scott instead. But I’m quickly becoming a bit of an Isaiah Scott stan so I’m biased in that regard. With Matt Riddle out of the match too now, maybe Scott can fill his spot.
And speaking of Scott, I was happy to see him pick up the win over Bronson Reed. Both of these guys have the makings to be big time players down in NXT. They have that exciting brand of offense that the Full Sail crowd eats up. I think this match showed that the brand is in good hands going forward. Scott needs a new theme though because that late early 90s pseudo-hip hop electro “Pump Up The Jam” style song seems pretty damn unfitting for him lol. I mean if they’re going to rip off Travis Scott for his name and nickname, at least give him a more brooding, trap sounding entrance theme.
I really thought the scene with all the War Games women laid out was pretty hilarious honestly. People just running around screaming for medics, like that shit was super unrealistic and exaggerated. In that situation I feel you only need like one or two people yelling for medics, not a whole flock of people scrambling around like someone just opened fire out there. I mean, it’s a harmless segment in the grand scheme of things, I just thought it was really hilariously carried out.
As for the main event ladder match, I was definitely into it. I thought it was great to see the fans behind Mia so aggressively, although I don’t care for her myself. The match had a good amount of drama and was laid out really well. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s one of the best ladder matches I’ve seen in years but it probably is the best women’s ladder match I’ve ever seen. There certainly aren’t any others springing to mind at the moment. I thought Mia’s bump off the ladder through the ladder on the outside looked absolutely devastating. I don’t feel any particular way about Kay Lee Ray joining War Games since I don’t follow NXT UK much and Bayley’s appearance at the end of the show was a dud for me since I think she’s been poor as champion.
Anyways, hell of a show this week. NXT seems to be getting better and better lately, which I’m happy to say after my interest in the show kinda fell off earlier this year. It’ll be real intriguing to see what comes after War Games and Survivor Series. Seems like there’s a healthy chance Keith Lee could be next in line to challenge Cole, which I’d be very much down for. The women’s division is a different situation. Is Rhea going to be a permanent fixture on NXT going forward? If so, I’m definitely pulling for her to finally dethrone Shayna.
