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WELLS’S NXT TV REPORT
DECEMBER 18, 2019
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix
[HOUR ONE]
-Tonight’s opening match, Cole-Balor, is being presented without commercials. Lots of recap shots from last week, setting up the three main matches we’ll see tonight.
(1) ADAM COLE (c) vs. FINN BALOR – NXT Championship match
Challenger entered first, and Mauro ran down the year he had. Cole followed and was given the same treatment. Mauro added that it’s a first-time matchup under the WWE banner. Formal intros took place in low light.
“Undisputed”/”Let’s go Finn” dueling chant. Finn was favored around 60-40 or better. Finn grabbed a headlock and grounded Cole. The chant continued at full voice, so it might be another one of the silly “loudest fan” contests. Cole drove Balor to a turnbuckle but ate a dropkick after a sunset flip attempt for two. Hammerlock by Finn. Chops by Finn. Basement dropkick got two. Finn stomped on Cole, who bailed. Finn hit a dropkick through the ropes, then wanted a PK but Cole caught Finn with a kick and dropped him to the apron.
Cole tossed Balor into the ring and hit a hangman’s neckbreaker. He mounted Finn and pounded away. Snap suplex, float-over, one count. Mudhole stomp in the corner by Cole. Cole posed for a second, then took down Finn with a headlock. Balor broke out with a jawbreaker, then wanted a dropkick but Cole hit Finn’s knee. Cole slammed Finn for two, then went into a triangle choke. Balor bridged for two but Cole took him down again. Cole charged into Finn’s waiting feet. Finn slammed Cole for two.
Chop by Finn. Irish whip and another chop. Again. Side headlock by Finn but Cole reversed and hit a backstabber for two. Enzuigiri by Cole. Sling Blade by Finn. Superkick by Cole for two. The audience counted along like they could believe it was done, but we’re still under ten minutes yet. “This is awesome” chant. Both failed at suplexes and traded strikes instead. Pele kick by Balor, and both fell in a heap – Cole on top – and it got two.
Reset. Cole hit a kick to Balor’s knee. Panama sunrise and 1916 were countered. Cole hit an ushigoroshi for two. Loud “let’s go Finn” chant broke out with some scattered boos mixed in. Double stomp by Balor, who was selling damage to the left leg. Dropkick in the corner by Finn. Finn went up but Cole superkicked him to the floor. Cole broke referee Drake Wuertz’s count and Beth tried to frame it as arrogant. They did a barricade spot on the outside with some Performance Center plants. That’s getting overused. Back in. Finn missed Coup de Grace and Cole hit The Last Shot for a believable near-fall. Cole exposed his knee and went for another, but Finn was playing possum and hit a lariat. Balor went up and hit Coup de Grace. He set up for 1916, but was distracted by someone on the ramp. Big pop as the camera revealed Johnny Gargano. Cole escaped, hit a low blow on Balor, and hit one more Last Shot to retain.
WINNER: Adam Cole at 15:13.
Gargano grabbed a chair from the barricade wreckage and got three shots on Balor, who got out of the ring. Gargano hit two more shots with the chair and Balor hightailed out.
(Wells’s Analysis: The match was a good one, though I thought it might go another ten minutes or so. The late-match distraction always rings pretty false, and I thought it put Johnny in a tough position. He already has a hard time with a segment of Full Sail’s crowd, and they weren’t overly forgiving of the fact that he “ruined” a potential title change.)
-Earlier today, Rhea Ripley arrived. So did Shayna Baszler, who had her two cronies with her.
(2) DAMIAN PRIEST vs. KILLIAN DAIN
Priest was making his return from injury; he had the ribs taped up to act as a handy target for Dain. There was no commercial after the opener; not sure how long we’ll go before the first break.
Action was fast into the corner to start. Priest couldn’t lift Dain due to the rib injury, and Dain hit The Divide (his low cross-body) and then threw elbows to Priest’s injured ribs. Priest fought to his feet but walked into a bear hug. Priest threw some punches but got driven to a turnbuckle. Dain draped Priest across the second rope and dropkicked him to the floor. Dain followed Priest out and ripped off some of the tape from Priest’s ribs. Priest sold agony as they went back in the ring and Dain covered for two.
Back suplex by Dain. He stepped on Priest’s ribs, then rolled him over for a rear chinlock. Priest got to his feet and threw a couple of kicks, then failed on a suplex again. Dain hit a stomach breaker, then mounted Priest to batter his ribs again to boos. Senton. Dain flipped off the crowd to feed into it. “Shave your back hair” chant. He splashed Priest’s back and covered for two. Suplex by Dain, float-over for two. Priest got to his feet again and hit body shots and one to the face, but Dain hit a dropkick. The first commercial happened at 36 past the hour, but went to split-screen, six and a half minutes into the match. Dain continued to dominate throughout the break.
Back to action just as Priest got back in it with a flatliner. “Priest” chant. A couple of forearms, then a flying back elbow by Priest. Lariat by Priest. Flying back elbow in the corner. Priest wanted the suplex but couldn’t. He fired himself up and finally hit a suplex. Dain lay in a heap as Priest went up, but Dain rolled out of the ring the opposite way. Springboard tope con giro by Priest. Back in, South of Heaven uranage by Priest for two. Priest wanted The Reckoning, but it was escaped. Dain dropped an elbow on Priest for two. Dain stalked Priest and splashed him in the corner. Electric chair, but Priest hit a victory roll for two. Cyclone kick by Priest. Priest wanted a powerbomb but couldn’t. Slam and senton by Dain, but he missed the Vaderbomb and hit knees instead. Priest hit The Reckoning for the win.
WINNER: Damian Priest at 14:17.
(Wells’s Analysis: Kind of a surprise result – Dain has seemingly been a big priority, and Priest was given an out with his rib injury, but he went over anyway. Priest worked face throughout, which is kind of a bummer since his heel act was working so well of late. The match told a good story, though it wasn’t a marvel of workrate)
-Hype and call for voting for the NXT Year-End Awards.
-Kushida and Cameron Grimes were backstage preparing for their match. This show isn’t letting up anytime soon.
-The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic returns in 2020. Teams will be announced on the January 1st show.
(3) KUSHIDA vs. CAMERON GRIMES
Grimes didn’t have his hat, of course, after Kushida swiped it last week. Kushida threw it on and walked to the ring to a good pop and chant as Grimes looked on with disgust.
Mat wrestling to start. Wristlock by Kushida. Grimes grabbed a front chancery but Kushida reversed and rolled around Grimes’s back. Armbar by Kushida. Shoulderblock by Grimes, but he jumped into a slam by Kushida. Kushida worked the arm. Grimes bailed and Kushida hit him with a dropkick. Some tool in the crowd was yelling out Akira Tozawa’s “Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Dropkick by Kushida and a rolling crucifix for two. The match went to commercial and some of it was split-screen. Grimes took control.
[HOUR TWO]
Back to action, Grimes got a two count. He stood on Kushida’s back in the corner. He dropped a knee on Kushida’s back. Brief dueling chant. Grimes worked the back, draping Kushida over his knees. He hit some forearms on Kushida’s back, and then a pendulum backbreaker. Kushida threw fists to escape and hit a handspring back elbow. Forearms by Kushida. Arm drag and basement dropkick. Flatliner for two. Cross armbreaker by Kushida but Grimes rolled to the ropes.
Kushida dropkicked Grimes’s arm for the Hoverboard Lock, but Grimes reversed and slammed Kushida for two. Both guys were selling on the mat. Kushida hit a blade runner on Grimes on the second turnbuckle. Grimes with a delayed German for two. Both were selling. Grimes charged into a boot and got dumped. Kushida went up and hit a senton (kind of; he rolled over Grimes, mostly) to the outside. The ref counted to seven and Kushida rolled Grimes in and followed. Both went up the turnbuckle and Grimes fought off the Hoverboard Lock. Kushida powerbombed Grimes from the top for two (and a “that was three” chant).
Grimes escaped a couple of big moves and then hit his Caveman Stomp for the win, relatively out of nowhere. He took his hat back after the win.
WINNER: Cameron Grimes at 13:58.
(Wells’s Analysis: Excellent technical match with a lot of counters, as you’d expect. I figured Grimes for the win because he was due, but also because he had to take back his hat.)
-Tale of the tape for the Women’s Championship match. A lot of people just went “Whoa, they’re both only five foot seven?!”
(4) SANTANA GARRETT vs. IO SHIRAI
Garrett was wearing kind of a Wonder Woman getup (which she’s done sometimes in her career). “Io’s gonna kill you” chant.
Headlock by Shirai. Shoulderblock. Santana hit an armdrag and floated over for two. Garrett worked the arm, then hit a headscissors on Io but Io rolled through and landed on her feet. Thrustkick by Garrett. Headbutt by Garrett but Io got back into it and chopped Garrett in the corner. Io missed double knees in the corner and Garrett hit an axhandle. Russian leg sweep for two.
Garrett hit a a handspring elbow in the corner. She caught Io in a submission move but Io reached the ropes. Double knees hit in the corner and the moonsault finished.
WINNER: Io Shirai at 3:59.
(Wells’s Analysis: A bit of a breather after three long matches and at least another to come. Garrett looked strong in there, after a very rough match with Taynara a handful of weeks ago, after which neither had been on TV until now. I know it’s comparatively easy to have a good match with Io, but Santana’s offense was sharp and crisp on a level that it wasn’t previously)
-Hype for Worlds Collide.
(5) PETE DUNNE vs. TRAVIS BANKS
Wristlock by Dunne. Banks rolled through but got caught again. Dunne stepped on Banks’s head as he worked the arm, then floated over into an armlock. Rolling crucifix got two. Reset. Travis rolled Dunne up for two. Weird collision in the ring as Banks went for a senton and Dunne mostly overshot it. Dunne hit rapid-fire chops in the corner. Enzuigiri to a kneeling Banks, who then bailed. Dunne suplexed Banks to the apron leading into commercial. Split-screen, just as all other breaks during matches tonight.
Back to action, Dunne was in control, but missed a charge in the corner and Banks hit a dropkick and a cannonball. Dunne bailed and Banks hit a tope. Back in, springboard dropkick and double stomp by Banks for two. Banks’s chest was seriously lit up by chops. Banks wanted Slice of Heaven but Dunne reversed and hit his X-Plex for two. Both guys hit high kicks. Up the turnbuckle. Banks hit a sunset flip from the top but Dunne flipped through. Bitter End attempt, but Banks reversed. Slice of Heaven was blocked and reversed. Kiwi Crusher by Banks for two. “NXT” chant.
Banks charged the corner but Dunne hit a powerbomb. Up the turnbuckle, X-Plex from the top. Bitter End.
WINNER: Pete Dunne at 10:54.
(Wells’s Analysis: What a match; I wish it hadn’t had to go split-screen. I expected to lament that Banks came over for a Worlds Collide preview and ended up facing a guy who’s spent most of his time in NXT:UK, but when familiarity leads to an awesome match like this, it’s hard to complain)
Fist bump after the match.
-Cathy Kelley caught up with Dakota Kai. She has eight staples in her head, but who won the match? She’ll continue to beat every woman in the division until she’s NXT Women’s Champion.
-Next week, on a very special episode of NXT, Roderick Strong holds an Open Challenge to the North American Championship. Plus, Lio Rush and Keith Lee take on Damian Priest and Tony Nese. So Priest is still a heel after all.
(6) RHEA RIPLEY vs. SHAYNA BASZLER (c) – NXT Women’s Championship match
Plenty of time remaining for a long match. My DVR says there’s an eight-minute overrun tonight and it’s 17 to the hour. Ripley was out first and she drew the line in the ring as she waited for Shayna. Shayna was given the long introduction from backstage, meeting with Duke and Shafir at Gorilla Position before leaving them there on her way to the ring. Formal introductions. This is as one-sided as the Full Sail crowd ever gets.
416 days in this reign for Shayna. 132 in the previous. Her combined total has surpassed that of Asuka. Shayna worked the arm to start and wanted the stomp spot, but Rhea caught the leg. Rhea feigned a punch and Shayna flew back to the turnbuckle in fear. Slap by Shayna and Rhea kicked Shayna out of the ring. Early split-screen commercial. Shayna dominated the break.
Back to full screen, Shayna charged and missed in the corner. Electric Chair drop on the turnbuckly by Rhea. Ripley hit knees in the middle of the ring but Baszler tripped Rhea. Baszler threw haymakers in the ring until Ripley hit a dropkick. Up the turnbuckle and Ripley hit a superplex for two. Horsewomen hit the ring, but Ripley cleared them out and then yanked Shayna to the outside. Rolling senton to Duke and Shafir as Shayna moved out of the way, then hit a PK to Ripley’s jaw. Baszler stomped on Ripley’s arm against the stairs to tease injury.
Ripley reached the ring a the five count. Shayna wrenched Ripley’s arm and worked her digits on the left hand. Ripley screamed in agony as she got to her feet. Baszler yanked Ripley to the mat and Ripley bailed leading into the last commercial. Curiously, this was the one break during a match with no split-screen all night.
During the break, Duke and Shafir were thrown out, and a doctor checked on Rhea. Back in the ring now, Shayna was kicking Rhea’s bad arm, then her chest. Rhea caught Shayna’s leg and went for Riptide, but it got reversed. Rhea threw Shayna back and it took out the ref. There was nobody to count Riptide, and Rhea tried to wake the ref as Shayna bailed. “We want Drake” chant. Rhea went to the outside and Shayna caught her. They rammed into a barricade. Baszler grabbed a chair and put it in the ring.
Rhea and Shayna jockeyed for it, and as Rhea went for it, Shayna DDT’d her on the chair. The ref came two but it was a two count. Kirifuda Clutch, escaped. Shayna hit it again, but Rhea got to her knees and crawled over to the ropes. Shayna was able to pull back into the middle of the ring, and Rhea was fading. She got to her knees again and got near a rope but Shayna rolled back again. The crowd tried to will back into it with a relentless “Rhea” chant. The ref lifted Rhea’s arm, but instead of dropping, she grabbed the ref’s shirt and shook her head.
Rhea escaped and pounded down on Shayna. She trapped Shayna in The Prism, but Shayna turned around and dropkicked Ripley to the corner. She took Ripley up in the corner, and waited too long and Ripley hit a headbutt. Ripley lifted up Shayna for Riptide from the top for one of the biggest Full Sail pops you’ll ever hear.
WINNER: Rhea Ripley at 20:49.
Rhea pounded the mat and very effectively sold the thrill of the victory. The show threw too quickly to replays – I’d rather they stayed in the ring for the celebration. After the replays, the ring had filled with wrestlers and fans, who were holding up Rhea as she surfed the crowd. Rhea was clearly emotional as she stood in the corner and displayed her title.
(Wells’s Analysis: What a match, and what a payoff at the end of one of the best title reigns in NXT history. The psychology of the match was fantastic and it’s incredible what Rhea Ripley has done to improve and become one of the top stars in such a short time. I’ve been predicting Shayna loses this match, then moves up to the main roster and faces Becky Lynch at Wrestlemania. Halfway there.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Although the outcomes of the two main matches probably won’t surprise anyone who was watching week after week, the moment at the end of the show was still well-earned after such a strong match, with effective teases of a title retention. Plus, after a reign that long, you can never be quite sure if the title change is really happening. At 79 minutes in the ring, this is one of the most wrestling-heavy episodes of NXT in the USA era, and it generally all delivered. With a TakeOver that was satisfying but had little in the way of championship implications, this show came off as a TakeOver on TV, with very little in the way of extra segments as the show kept bringing it in the ring. There were some little things to like about elevation and direction, but all in all, this was most definitely Rhea’s night after a year that’s hard to top in terms of becoming a star.
Follow me on social media @spookymilk. Tonight on PWT Talks NXT, I’ll cover this episode with Nate Lindberg and the first Rhea mega-fan, Tom Stoup. If you want to hear me on a less beamingly positive podcast, I also host the NWA-focused Ten Pounds of Talk on the Torch, and tonight’s recording was…something. Next week, I’ll have a report, but it’s unlikely to be live. Safe travels, everyone.
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