NXT HITS & MISSES 12/13: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black, Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce, Almas vs. Aichner, Lorcan & Burch

This marks another triumphant episode of NXT as it seemed that they were playing to a certain theme – that being that there were no real losers in each bout, only winners.  These matches played to the strengths of each wrestler, highlighting their strongest characteristics.  No one’s position was in jeopardy, only the reinforcement of their in-ring personas while displaying a terrific clinic in the art of wrestling.

HITS

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Fabian Aichner: For a match that was basically to serve as a squash for Andrade “Cien” Almas, it most certainly was not.  It appeared to be that way when the match began as Almas hit a missile dropkick to Fabian Aichner in the corner as soon as the bell rang, but when Almas went for another move, he was met with an impressive Tilt the World Backbreaker.  Aichner looked very impressive, following up the backbreaker with a springboard high cross body press to Almas outside of the ring.  The impressive part was that he used the top rope as a springboard.  He used the top rope again when he returned to the ring with a Tornado DDT for a two count.  Almas then hits Aichner with an explosive chop that could be heard on Mars, but when he went for a leap frog, he was caught by Aichner and received a Power Bomb from Aichner for another two count.  Aichner then went to the top rope, but was distracted by Zelina Vega and pushed over the top rope by Almas.  Almas then rammed Aichner into the steel steps, returned him to the ring and hit him with a Hammerlock DDT for the three count.  What was great about the match was that it played to both men’s strengths. It was a good win for Almas as it was his first televised match since winning the NXT Championship and, even though at times he looked vulnerable, he still displayed that viciousness that he is known for whereas, even though Aichner did not win, he put on an impressive showing of strength and speed that he exhibits so well, giving a glimpse of what may come from him.

Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. The Authors of Pain:  This match was another squash that served a purpose.  Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch looked determined to prove that they belong in the tag team division as they took the fight to the Authors of Pain with a fury of forearms and chops, not backing down for one moment.  Even though their offense was somewhat unorthodox, it was getting the job done for the time being until the tables were turned on them and AOP went on an offensive strike of their own, hitting the Super Collider on both men.  AOP concluded the match with the Last Chapter, emerging victorious to no one’s surprise.  Lorcan and Burch played the role of underdog well, looking gusty in their performance.  The win was good for AOP, coming off their loss at War Games to put them back in the driver’s seat of the tag team division.

Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce:  Even though this match was not televised on the USA channel airing of this week’s NXT program, it still followed the theme of the previous two matches.  Ember Moon was looking to solidify her victory at War Games as a strong champion while Peyton Royce played her role of the ungrateful heel that she is known to be.  The match was a back and forth action of skills put on display that did not disappoint.  Royce did a great job of selling the moves that Moon gave her while being frustrated every moment she did not pick up a victory.  Moon was a resilient champion as she battled both her opponent in the ring while keeping the other half of the Iconic Duo, Billie Kay at bay.  When Royce controlled the match, she seemed very vindictive and condescending.  Moon then took advantage of a missed spin kick from Royce, leading her to perform a stomp from the top rope before hitting her with the Eclipse for the win.  After the match, the Iconic Duo attacked the champion only to be thwarted by Nikki Cross who made the save.  A brief stare down between Moon and Cross took place foreshadowing a possible match between these two powerhouses.

Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole (Qualifying Match for the Fatal Four-Way No. 1 Contender Match):

This match was sheer brilliance.  It was a total contrast in style as the heavy hitting Aleister Black was going up against the cocky veteran Adam Cole.  It must be said that this was somewhat of a breakout performance by Cole as he has not been seen in this fashion since his days in ROH.  He was very arrogant and over confident, often not taking his opponent seriously.  He kept taunting Black with annoying tactics while chanting, “Adam Cole Bay-Bay” every other moment.  Black then took control of the match with hard hitting kicks that sent Cole out the ring.  Cole then regained control as he tried to slow down Black with a cross face grip, only to be broken up by the ropes.  Cole kept taunting Cole with trash talking and stomping Black on the ground. Black then took control with more kicks and forearms.  He tried to go for the Black Mass, but Cole evaded it, attempting to go to the top rope only to be kicked on the way down.  Cole then hit an impressive enzuigiri and a backstabber to only get a two count.  Cole tried to give Black everything he had with a superkick and a fireman’s carry into a neck breaker.  One could sense the frustration in Cole’s face as he was stunned that he could not keep his opponent down.  Black then hit Cole with a knee strike and right after Cole did more taunting with “C’mon, what do you got,” he was hit with the Black Mass, leading to his defeat.

Once again, following this week’s theme, both men looked strong.  Black came off as a menacing foe that cannot be stopped while Cole played the cocky heel that still looked good in defeat.  The match played to both of their strengths, leading one to believe that this will not be the last collision that we see between these two wrestlers, but will the outcome be the same?

MISSES

Once again, there were none.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: NXT HITS & MISSES 12/6: Gargano vs. Ohno in the main event, Trent Seven vs. Killian Dane, Riott vs. Deville