SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV REPORT
APRIL 18, 2018
TAPED AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
[Q1] Pre “Now-then-forever” silent tribute to Bruno Sammartino. No pre-credits video. With both Drew McIntyre and Andrade “Cien” Almas debuting on the main roster this week (along with Ember Moon, The Authors of Pain sans Paul Ellering, Sanity – though possibly without Nikki Cross, IIConics, No Way Jose)
Johnny Gargano and Candice LaRae start the show and get a thunderous reception. He thanks the crowd, then says that Tommaso Ciampa defined him for the last year. He does a lot of thanking. Then he brings up LaRae. They hold hands and he tells her thank you and they hug. He sayd that “Johnny Wrestling and Candice Wrestling” have one last piece of unfinished business. LaRae takes the mic and says that tonight she has a one-on-one match with Zelina Vega. Gargano says he will be in her corner to make sure Almas doesn’t interfere. After they deal with Vega, Gargano says he has one more place to go, there is a new NXT Champion, and he is the first challenger.
[ J.J.’s Reax: Gargano should end up with the title at some point to cap off his NXT career, but I don’t think his record justifies a shot right now. ]
Killian Dain in one of their outdoors videos, he vows to defeat Lars Sullivan in their no-DQ match tonight, and he will do it without the rest of Sanity with him.
Ricochet with his very unique entrance, smoke and lasers. He’s facing the talented Fabian Aichner. McGuinness is out of the booth due to the bith of his daughter.
(1) RICOCHET vs. FABIAN AICHNER
[Q2] Rapid moves at the beginning to start things off. Aichner catches a leapfrog into a fireman’s carry into a gutbuster. Aichner is so underutilized. Aichner is compared to Sammartino due to him being born in Italy. Tiltawhirl backbreaker gets two for Aichner. Aichner preps a powerbomb, but Ricochet slips out and starts to rally. European uppercut in the corner from Aichner, but Ricochet gets boots off in the opposet corner to get a break. Ricochet fires up. 619 in the corner, springboard uppercut, standing shooting star press for two. Ricochet heads to the top, but Aichner knocks Ricochet down and looks for a superplex. Big slap from Ricochet knocks Aichner off. Ricochet ends it with a 630 senton.
WINNER: Ricochet at 4:38. Good match to show off Ricochet’s moveset, and Aichner maximized his minutes. Ricochet kept his moveset reasonable, and he came off as a credible threat.
Ricochet gets an on-ramp interview from Kayla Braxton. He says it feels great to make his Full Sail debut where he has seen so many greats come through and mentions Bayley, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins.
Recap of War Raiders debuting, and they are next. Vignette on EC3. The character is in th
Outside video of Lars Sullivan. He is thrilled that tonight’s match is no DQ because he will get to do whatever he wants. He declares himself to be a real-life freak of nature while spittle dribbles out of his mouth.
War Raiders come out. Mauro Ranallo drops a Raiders of the Lost Ark reference, that’s even older than Michael Cole is willing to go.
(2) WAR RAIDERS (Hanson & Rowe) vs. JC & CHRIS – Tag Team Match
JC and Chris look like the police from Mad Max, minus the leather jackets. OK, that reference is about as old as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Hanson manages a cart wheel then a “clothesline from Hades” as Ranallo calls it. Rowe pops up the opponent and Hanson catches him into a powerslam. Rowe holds the opponents up and Hanson hits a leg drop from up high to end it (the Fallout).
WINNERS: War Raiders at 1:48. What a shame that AOP isn’t around to have a big match against these two.
“Earlier this week” with Shayna Baszler. She kind of brags about being late to a meeting, then barges in to mouth off to Serena Deeb, and declares that it is her locker room. She rips Ember Moon’s name off the locker and repalces it with a Queen of Spades. She tells them to get in line or get out. Dakota Kai leaves and Baszler gives her grief. Baszler tells the locker room that they will get run over.
[ J.J.’s Reax: I cannot remember ever seeing a camera enter a woman’s locker room on WWE. ]
[Q3] Vignette of someone who looks like what you would get if you dressed Pete Dunne up like Tyler Breeze and made him do a Sonny Crocket impression. It’s Kona Reeves, re-debuting in two weeks.
The camera catches up with UK Champion Pete Dunne. He vows revenge on Strong.
(3) KILLIAN DAIN vs. LARS SULLIVAN – No Disqualification Match
Ranallo bulls this as King Kong vs. Godzilla. The match started with a headbutt to Sullivan. Dain clears Sullivan over the top ropes, but Sulivan yanks Dain out of the ring. The brawl on the outside. Sullivan is whipped into the steps. Dain and Hanson make one two many wrestlers with leather kilts in NXT. Dain tries a suicide dibe but Sullivan catches him, smashes him into the ring post, and hits a suplex on the outside. Sullivan smashes Dain over and over in the ring. Sullivan stands over Dain, then looks for, and hits, a German suplex. Dain rolls outside the ring, Sullivan to the top, and delivers a flying clothesline. Dain is bleeding from the nose, likely off that move. Sullivan rolls Dain into the ring, diving headbutt gets two. Sullivan looks under the ring and starts throwing chairs into the ring. The crowd wants tables, Sullivan says “Lars Sullivan’s territory”. Is that next to Suplex City? Sullivan puts the chair into Dain’s midsection. He charges up for a corner-to-corner move, but Dain hits a dropkick. Dain’s face and body have a fair amount of color now. They trade forearm shivers. Dain ducks, Belfast Blitz, Vader Bomb for two. Dain rolls outside. The crowd still wants tables, and like War Games, Dain delivers. Dain brings the table into the ring, and slams a chair onto Sullivan to keep him down. Dain sets the table up in the corner, then whacks Sullivan again with a chair. Dain wants to put Sullivan into the table, Sullivan elbows out and throws Dain into the mat. Sullivan puts a chair onto Dain, goes to the top, Dain rolls and Sullivan headbutts the chair from the top. [ Who thought that spot was a good idea? ] Sullivan catches a running crossbody, powerslam for one, Dain hits a bicyle kick then crossbodies Sullivan through the table. Great looking sequence. The ref helpfully pulls the table off Sullivan. Dain puts a chair on Sullivan, then kicks it a bunch. Dain sets up a chair on Sullivan, then goes up for a coast-to-coast dropkick. Sullivan recovers, wants to hit Dain with the chair, Dain kicks it into Sullivan’s face. Sullivan manages to drop Dain with the Freak Accident onto a chair for the win.
WINNER: Lars Sullivan at 10:44. These two big men put on a hard-hitting match that made you really feel like they really did not like each other and were willing to do whatever it took to win. Lars Sullivan really is the top male heel in NXT right now, next to Ciampa and Adam Cole.
[Q4] Video package on the rivalry between Johnny Gargano and Candice LaRae, and Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega.
Undisputed Era are shown in the Full Sail hallways getting ready for a photo shoot. Bobby Fish looks like he is off crutches, but wearing a very large leg brace. Ranallo promises us answers for Strong’s turn next week. Also next week, Adam Cole faces Oney Lorcan for the NXT North American Championship. I guess NXT is now the “Land of Opportunity” too?
Video package on Make A Wish, featuring John Cena.
LaRae is all-smiles on her way out. She practically prances to the ring. Looks like the referee has to show LaRae which corner to go to and she apologizes for the mistake.
(4) CANDICE LaRAE vs. ZELINA VEGA
Vega mouths off to LaRae then shoves her, LaRae shoves Vega to the mat. The announcers talk up Vega’s history with wrestling. LaRae catches a kick, hits a facebuster. LaRae to the top, Andrade Almas appears on the apron to distract LaRae, letting Vega get the upper hand. Gargano comes out and stares Almas down. Vega gets a two count in the first cover of the match. Vega with a tight sleeper. Dropkick in the corner, then double knees earns two for Vega. Vega thinks hammerlock DDT, LaFae rolls into a cover for two, then chops Vega to the corner. Running backsplash, then LaRae to the top for a missle dropkick, cover for two-and-a-half. Vega with sudden offence. LaRae into the Gargano Escape, Almas wants to interfere, Gargano locks the Gargano Escape onto Almas as well, Vega taps out.
WINNER: Candice LaRae at 3:33. Fun match to put the bow on the Garganos vs. Almas/Vega feud, though I hate that in a number of ways, the men overshadowed the match.
Post-match, Gargano high-fives LaRae and says it was awesome. Gargano says that now that Almas and Vega are done with… he calls out Aleister Black. Before he is even done, Black’s music hits and Gargano looks thrilled. Black strolls out in a totally black suit. Black looks around. Big chant for Black. “You want it? Then next week, you shall have it.”
FINAL REAX: NXT wrapped up a ton of feuds tonight, and it looks like either Gargano or Black may be going after the match next week as well. It makes no sense to have Gargano lose another match but stick around NXT, or for Black to lose right after getting the title, unless one is heading to the main roster.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 4/11 NXT TV Report: Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans, Heavy Machinery vs. Moss & Sabatelli taped in New Orleans before Takeover
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