SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT LIVE EVENT
DECEMBER 13, 2018
CASTLEBERRY, FLA. AT ORLANDO LIVE EVENTS CENTER
REPORT BY TOM STOUP, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Estimated Crowd: Roughly 500.
Big Boa & Luke Menzies wanded fans at the entrance to Orlando Live Events.
Kacy Catanzaro, M.J. Jenkins, and Lacey Lane did the pre-show meet & greet, which was moved to the larger, brighter lobby as opposed to a dark area of the main jai alai arena where it has taken place previously.
Sarah Schreiber greeted the crowd and introduced new NXT ring announcer Alicia Taylor.
Britt Baker was spotted in the crowd – a common sight when Adam Cole is scheduled to be in action.
Shayna Baszler, Candice LeRae, and Ricochet were three of four wrestlers advertised for this event in a Dec. 10 e-mail blast but did not appear (the fourth was Kassius Ohno).
(1) Velveteen Dream pinned Stacey Ervin. Ervin is trying on disco-inspired characteristics. Dream shut down cheering fans as well as Ervin’s comeback, winning with a superkick after Ervin rolled through a missed moonsault.
(2) Humberto Carillo & Raul Mendoza defeated Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel via pinfall. Mendoza won with a driver after getting the hot tag in what was an effective heels vs. faces matchup.
(3) Punishment Martinez pinned a wrestler named something Cruz who enthusiastically worked an ‘80s rocker gimmick with a Freddie Mercury mustache and Macho Man cosplay pants. After withstanding a number of submissions, a babyface Martinez won with a chokeslam.
(4) Mia Yim pinned Jessamyn Duke. In an even contest between two of the “Best Roommates Ever” that featured as many stiff kicks as it did roll-up attempts, Yim found victory with a modified Seoul Food.
Jaxson Ryker of the Forgotten Sons took the mic to a sea of “please don’t talk” chants. Ryker introduced himself “in case anyone forgot” and called out Aleister Black, referencing a prior losing effort against the former NXT champion.
(5) Aleister Black defeated Jaxson Ryker via disqualification. There’s no denying a change in energy when Black hits the room. After an energetic contest Johnny Gargano interfered, stomping Black in the corner so hard he had to adjust his sneaker. Gargano taunted the weary Black by sitting cross-legged in the middle of the ring before leaving. Ryker set up for a Slingshot Powerbomb on Black but ate a Blxck Mass for his efforts. Black grabbed a mic that didn’t work, so he shouted to the crowd that Gargano is a dead man walking and promoted the already-taped cage match between them that airs in six days.
Intermission. With the usual replica belts and t-shirts (including a conspicuous Mark Andrews shirt), more novel merchandise was being sold including strap bracelets in the shape of the NXT title belt, cute felt pouches of Kairi Sane’s doubloons, Kairi Sane tricorn pirate hat replicas, and pendant necklaces with the Undisputed Era logo and Aleister Black designs, respectively.
(6) Matt Riddle submitted Kassius Ohno. Ohno feigned a leg injury to sucker Riddle in. At one point Ohno hit a gnarly elevated powerbomb, then whiffed on a moonsault. Riddle capitalized with a roll-up to top off what was an excellent match. Ohno stared Riddle down as he backed away from the ring.
(7) Lacey Lane pinned Reina Gonzalez. Gonzalez jawed with the crowd after hanging Lane out to dry. Gonzalez continued to dominate Lane but Lane nailed her with a DDT for the win. Gonzalez spurned fans’ mercy as she left in a huff.
Sarah Schreiber announced the fan of the night, who won a Velveteen Dream shirt, tickets to the January 12th Orlando house show, and a photo op with Carillo & Mendoza.
(8) Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) defeated Heavy Machinery & Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch via pinfall. This was Undisputed Era’s first time in Florida officially wrestling a match as a four-man team. A brawl began the eight-man affair before the official gained control and the showdown commenced proper with Otis Dozovic and a protesting Roderick Strong. Each competitor got in their tried-and-true schtick with seamless transitions between sequences before Dozovic got a hot tag and cleaned house. Eventually Burch fell to a high-low from the tag champs O’Reilly and Strong. The heels swarmed Burch after the bell, drawing the ire of their other opponents. Heavy Machinery and Lorcan & Burch hit their respective team finishers on O’Reilly and Strong before the Era sulked away together, taking solace in closely clutching their precious title belts. Dozovic, Tucker Knight, Lorcan, and Burch signed a few autographs for select fans as the show came to a close.
Deonna Purrazzo could be seen taking pictures with fans as the crowd filed out.
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