NXT HITS & MISSES 7/4: Gargano vs. EC3, Dakota Kai vs. Santana Garrett, Shayna Baszler promo, Bianca Belair promo, Velveteen Dream vs. Dijak

HITS

Dakota Kai vs. Santana Garrett:  This was a very entertaining match that began with some really strong arm locks from each competitor that overall had decent story telling elements with Kai playing the underdog.  This is a position that the Leader of Team Kick has been playing for a while as she was most recently tormented by the Queen of Spades, Shayna Baszler.  But it was Santana Garrett who was truly impressive as she showed promise with her extensive stretching holds and outstanding ring work.   She controlled the match mostly until Kai made a comeback with a flurry of kicks that she is known for and finished the match with an amazing finisher.  The match shined mostly because to Garrett as she will be an elite member of the NXT Women’s roster in due time, but it is Kai’s moment as the company is really behind her and her character (it’s ironic, but her character is reminiscent of Bailey…) as the focus is on her as one of the leading forces in the division right now by her story alone.  With the storylines of Gargano and LaRae, NXT might want to be careful of overextending the underdog story as it can get stale, but for right now, so far so good.

Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair Promos:  This was a very good sequence of promos as one seemed like an extension of the other.  Baszler was first as she made her way to the ring in cocky fashion to address the crowd of her dominance.  She exemplified the win at Takeover: Chicago II over Nikki Cross and then ran down all the other women in the division including Belair (it is funny how both mentioned Candace LaRae being in disarray due to the Gargano/Ciampa drama).  Baszler basically set up an open challenge to the ladies’ locker room daring any of them to step up to the challenge.  With the next promo, Belair seemed to respond to the champion’s promo as she laid out the reasons for her being the rightful number one challenger (she’s undefeated) and she also called out the rest of the locker room (her response as she had to hold back and refrain from calling the rest of the roster a certain name was priceless).  This will make for a great feud as both are match pretty well with Baszler’s MMA skills and Belair’s strength and athleticism.  She is also a formidable opponent for the championship as mentioned before, she’s undefeated and has also rolled through the roster as well.  Unlike all of Baszler’s previous opponents, Belair seems believable in actually being able to dethrone the Queen of Spades and take the title.  This will make for a wonderful rivalry.

Velveteen Dream vs. Chris Dijak:  Very hard hitting match with kicks, punches, forearm strikes, etc.  Both men put it on the line, but it was Dijak who was the star of the match.  By controlling the majority of the match and showing real promise through a mix of great in the ring moves (the super kick to the Dream while he was on the top rope, brutal clotheslines and chops and superior trash talking), Dijak proved that he was worth the call up to the NXT and is living up to his name that he has built in other promotions and the independent scene.  After receiving the brunt of the beat down, the Dream was able to mount a comeback when he swept the leg out from under Dijak causing him to hit the steel steps face first.  He never recovered after that as the Dream picked up the win with a DDT.  I was expecting to see something different from the Dream because of his loss at Takeover: Chicago II and his cryptic promo a couple of weeks ago, but it was the same Dream who was filled with the usual amount of charisma and confidence.  With Dijak being on the rise, this match was not a real loss for him in the progression sense, but for the Dream, where does he go from here?  It seems that he will be moving onto a feud with EC3 because of the actions during their tag team match in the UK.  This lead to this week EC3 running the Dream from the ring after his match to begin EC3’s match with Johnny Gargano.

EC3 vs. Johnny Gargano: This match is an addition to the Gargano/Ciampa storyline that I do enjoy, but it’s starting to run a little long now.  What was outstanding out this match was not the in the ring performances, although this is the best that I have seen EC3 since making his debut, but that Johnny Gargano is going through a massive change and is becoming something that he never wanted to become.  This is seen in his over aggressiveness during this match, especially at the beginning.  The match had great story telling showcasing this as EC3 would remind Gargano during the match that he is not Ciampa and to settle down as he was being over eager.  EC3 really showed his in the ring presence with his brute strength as he handled Gargano for a long duration of the match.  Gargano then snapped as he thought he was being mocked and really kicked it into overdrive as he gave it to EC3.  He then ended the match in the same fashion that his was ended at the recent Takeover with a DDT from through the ring ropes.  Gargano looked perplex after the match as he does not know what he has become, but it will be interesting to see how this effects not only his persona in the ring but outside as well.  For EC3, not a bad showing as he looked good in the ring and the loss is not in vain as it helps to progress another high profile storyline.

MISSES

None, a pretty good week.  Some moments better than others, but none that I would consider a total miss.

FINAL THOUGHTS…

Another good week by the promotion.  We saw a handicap match with the Mighty and one half of Heavy Machinery, Otis Dosovich.  Even though the Mighty have a long was to go in being a premier tag team and Heavy Machinery seemed to be spinning in their wheels, the match was very entertaining and at one point one would have thought that Otis was going to pull it off.  There was also a promo from the War Raiders that really showcased their talents and proved why they are in NXT in the first place.  Hopefully the promotion will stand behind this and highlight them in a more consistent light.  The Undisputed made an appearance to mock Danny Birch to where Birch then challenged Adam Cole for a North American title match.  Overall, very decent week that continues to move different angles forward to a conclusion that NXT is known for, something spectacular.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: NXT HITS & MISSES 6/27: Aleister Black promo, Ricochet & Mustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era, Gargano’s big miss