SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV REPORT
JUNE 13, 2018
TAPED AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
[Q1] No pre-credits video this week. Tonight sees Kyle O’Reilly facing UK Champion Pete Dunne for the UK Championship. NXT Champion Aleister Black is booked as being “here, live tonight” for what that’s worth.
The War Raiders start the show. They are acting like babyfaces and getting a big reception from the crowd.
(1) WAR RAIDERS (HANSON & ROWE) vs. RICKY MARTINEZ & JUSTIN STORM
Storm starts against Hanson. Hanson does a cartwheel, but it is so lumbering it doesn’t look like an effective move to me. Rowe clobbers Storm, then drags him into his own corner and dares Martinez to tag in. Martinez tags in, hits Rowe, and sems to hurt his hand. Rowe invites another shot, but cuts it off with a clothesline. Hanson tags in. Rowe ends up picking up Hanson and throws him onto Martinez in the corner. Rowe tags back in. Storm tries to ambush Hanson and gets knocked out. Hanson tags in, War Raiders hit their team finisher.
WINNERS: War Raiders in about 2 minutes. Another fine squash match for the War Raiders, but they need more to chew on, seeing as they have already beaten established NXT teams like Heavy Machinery.
Post-match, War Raiders cut a promo threatening The Mighty.
Undisputed Era are outside yammering. Adam Cole gets in the camera and yells at them to not tape Undisputed Era without his permission.
Video package on the feud between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. New sit down talking parts, as well as a new interaction with Candice LaRae telling Gargano he shouldn’t be taking a street fight with Ciampa.
[Q2] EC3 comes out to a decent face rfeaction. Him singing his song as he does his entrance is so hammy, I can’t tell if he is supposed to be a parody of a wrestler or not. I might just be spoiled because I remember his Derrick Bateman days and something like this would be right in line with that character.
(2) KASSIUS OHNO vs. EC3
Ohno immediately knocks EC3 down. EC3 grins at him but gets taken down again. Ohno wrestles EC3 to the mat but EC3 escapes to the outside. Ohno keeps EC3 on the outside for chops then throws hi into the ring. Big shots from Ohno. Ohno bounces out fo the corner for a running elbow. EC3 gets knees up to block a running senton and goes on the attack. EC3 with boots in the corner to the five count, then again. Ohno catches a kick, then delivers one of his one, EC3 with a comical face. A series of kicks, finally the cyclone kick and a running senton splash, then a second. EC3 rolls out of the ring. Ohno sticks another senton on the outside. EC3 uses his momentum to catch Ohno’s throat on the ropes. EC3 hits Ohno with the Top One Percent for the win.
WINNER: EC3 in 4:04. Fine match with Ohno filling his gatekeeper role just fine, and EC3 doing his part. EC3 needs to work on his mannerisms so he actually comes off as a true heel, instead of a face pretending to be a heel as a joke.
Bianca Belair gets a strong reaction on her way out. Aliyah is out, minus the cat’s ears, and a new outfit, to a decent pop.
(3) BIANCA BELAIR vs. ALIYAH
Belair is simply dazzling in this match, and Aliyah plays the victim role just fine. Aliyah actually tries a guillotine and Belair just suplexes out. Belair deadlifts Aliyah into an overhead press, walks around the ring, hits Snake Eyes from distance, sitout facebuster for the win. Belair isn’t even breathing hard.
WINNER: Bianca Belair in 2:53. Belair… wow. The only NXT wrestler who gets as much praise on the PWT Talks NXT podcast is Velveteen Dream.
Video package on NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler’s upcoming defense against Nikki Cross this weekend at Takeover: Chicago. She talks about how did loved the fear in the locker room when she become champion. Lots of clips of her bullying the other wrestlers, William Regal, referees, and trying to stomp arms and ankles into bone fragments.
[Q3] Slide to Nikki Cross being the only wone to intimidate Baszler. This package really highlights just how far Baszler has come on the mic.
Pete Dunne is shown getting ready for his match against Kyle O’Reilly.
Backstage with Dakota Kai. She says she is happy she had the chance to stand up to Baszler and was seconds away from winning. If she had another chance she would definitely win, and would adopt some of Cross’ crazy. Belair interrupts and delivers a string of things that she is the EST of. Then she mocks Kai and says Kai will just cry and rollover. Kai says she won’t be intimidated by Belair and challenges her to a match. Belair accepts.
O’Reilly come out to face Pete Dunne. Good reaction for O’Reilly as the announcers debate the idea of a non-UK wrestler holding the UK Championship. Monster pop for Dunne. Dunne gets the hell corner for some reason. His leg is taped. With them both out, Dunne has the whole crowd behind him.
(4) NXT Tag Team Champion KYLE O’REILLY vs. UK Champion PETE DUNNE – UK Championship Match
O’Reilly looks to pick a leg but Dunne evades. O’Reilly with a strike to the taped leg. Test of strength which moves to the mat, cover on Dunne for one, then two more. Dunne suddenly with a double wristlock, O’Reilly transitions to an armbar, Dunne reverses to an armbar, then breaks. O’Reilly fights from the mat, but Dunne transitions to his finger work. Dunne demonstrates a variety of holds within a few moments. Clothesline takes O’Reilly down. Dunne and O’Reilly move to the apron, O’Reilly with back elbows, Dunne kicks his arm then X-Plex’es him onto the apron. Dunne continues to work limbs. Dunne tries his climb the turnbuckle jumpover, but O’Reilly kicks his legs out. O’Reilly viciously goes after the injured leg. O’Reilly tries a leg hold, Dunne transitions it to an anklelock. They break. O’Reilly catches a kick, Dunne and O’Reilly brawl while O’Reilly maintains the capture, until an enziguiri breaks Dunne free. Reset to their feet and rapid strikes from Dunne. Released Garman from O’Reilly, Dunne lands on his feet. Sitout powerbomb from Dunne, two, O’Reilly shifts to a triangle, Dunne shifts to a cover for two. Dunne with a body scissors and wristlock, O’Reilly reverses into a standing triangle, they break, stiff kick from O’Reilly gets two.
[Q4] These two are murdering each other. Dunne is slow to get up, but weathers knees and kicks to stand up, keeps taking stout kicks, big right sends O’Reilly flying into the corner. Dunne thinks Bitter End, O’Reilly transitions to a body scissors, Dunne, tries to try out, Dunne reverses, X-plex into an armbar, O’Reilly reverses into an anklelock. Dunne wants to break out, O’Reilly with a right, Dunne has O’Reily locked up, headbutt drops them both.
The ref starts a double count. O’Reilly is totally out of it, they get to their feet. They stumble into each other, and trade strikes. Massive right from Dunne, knee from O’Reilly, they trade axe kicks and enziguris and big rights and O’Reilly is down and Dunne can’t capitalize. Dunne looks to work the fingers, O’Reilly punches Dunne’s face in but Dunne doesn’t release the hold on the hand. O’Reilly takes Dunne’s mouthgaurd out, but the distraction lets Dunne recover, yank the fingers, and hit the Bitter End.
WINNER: Pete Dunne in 10:41. What an incredible match. The volume was at 11 the whole time. O’Reilly and Dunne are two incredibly talented people. You must see this match.
After the match, Adam Cole and Rodering Strong come out to beat Dunne down. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan make the save. It’s an all out brawl. Dunne beats Cole to the back, face off in the ring and Lorcan and Burch beat O’Reilly and Strong out of the ring and stand tall.
Kai vs. Belair and War Raiders vs. The Mighty are both booked for next week. Presumably they will be the Takeover: Chicago matches that take place before Takeover begins streaming live on WWE Network.
Aleister Black makes his way out to cut a final promo for what is a super under-hyped match. He says that Sullivan doesn’t have his number, he caught Black Mass which he has always used. Black acknowledges that he was rattled, but Sullivan will feel the full force of Black Mass on Sunday. Sullivan will fade to black. Sullivan’s music hits and he saunters out without a microphone. Black prepares for a brawl. Sullivan charges the ring, takes strikes from Black. Clothesline turns Black into a pile of mush, then the Freak Accident. Black is twitching in the ring. Black starts to stir, another Freak Accident. Sullivan picks Black up for a third Freak Accident. Sullivan tosses the title aside, drags Black to the apron, then goes outside. Sullivan picks up Black like a sack of potatoes, the title, then sets Black on the announcer booth and yells at him. Sulivan picks up the title and stands over Black’s body. Black is out cold. Sullivan is certainly booked to look undefeatable going into Sunday.
FINAL THOUGHTS: this episode of NXT had a Belair match and a Pete Dunne title defense, making it amazing TV. Sullivan is booked so strongly that I cannot believe that he will actually beat Black on Sunday. Black hasn’t had the title long enough for a move.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 6/6 NXT TV Report: Shayna Baszler-Nikki Cross angle, Ciampa appears, Velveteen Dream-Ricochet vignette, plus Dakota Kai, TM61, Roderick in action
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.