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MORGAN’S NXT TV REPORT: ALT PERSPECTIVE
JULY 22, 2020
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY NICK MORGAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips
[HOUR ONE]
– William Regal started off the show introducing Keith Lee who wanted to speak with the fans. Lee referenced his former trainer Killer Brooks and how he prepared him to win the North American Championship and then the NXT World Championship. Lee announced that he will be relinquishing the North American Championship. Lee wanted as many people as possible to have a shot at the North American Championship. Regal came on after Lee’s announcement and stipulated that there will be a series of Triple Threat matches culminating in a championship ladder match at NXT Takeover 30 on August 22, 2020 to crown the new North American Championship. The first match coming later in the show, between Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed, and Roderick Strong.
(Morgan’s analysis: A great angle to build excitement over the next few weeks, leading up to Takeover.)
(1) DEXTER LUMIS vs. KILLIAN DANE
Killian Dain lay in a couple of elbows. Dexter Lumis went to the outside of the ring and after some offence by Lumis; Dain took over, throwing Lumis around the floor. After draping Lumis over the middle rope Dain delivered a guillotine leg drop. The action continued on split-screen while the broadcast went to commercial [c]
On split-screen, Dain continued to punish Lumis with various holds and joint manipulations in the middle of the ring. Back to full-screen, Lumis continued to take punishment while the announcers pushed the idea that Robert Jones was involved in setting up this match. Lumis mounted a major comeback, getting a near-fall with a back suplex, but missed with a top rope moonsault. Dain battered Lumis into the corner and hit him with a cannon-ball, a power-bomb and an elbow for a near fall.
Lumis mounted a comeback and both men traded moves, leading to an attempted top-rope suplex which Lumis converted to a senton after knocking Dain to the mat. Lumis followed up with a body slam and applied his kata gatame choke hold for the win.
WINNER: Dexter Lumis in 12:00.
(Morgan’s Analysis: Solid action and a good opening match with lots of action and a believable finish.)
-After the match, backstage, McKenzie Mitchell snagged Roderick Strong for his thoughts on tonight’s triple-threat match, with Strong touting that it is an opportunity for the Undisputed Era to regain the spotlight. He was interrupted by Bronson Reed, who claimed that it was an opportunity for everyone, especially him. Johnny Gargano also made an appearance and was at his obnoxious best laying claim to being the one who will win the North American Championship.
After a quick clip of Io Shirai winning last week, Dakota Kai made a quick appearance in a selfie promo laying out her desire to win the championship. [c]
(Morgan’s Analysis: Found both promos to be a bit generic and did not do a great deal to generate excitement.)
(2) BREEZANGO (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) vs. EVER-RISE (Matt Martel & Chase Parker)
Breezango came to the right dressed as Canadian Mounties. After some standard collar and elbow tie-ups and rope-running, and Breeze attacking Parker on the apron, Martel laid into Breeze. After several tags, Fandago took our both Martel and Parker with the Mountain Dive and Breeze and Fandango gave stereo super-kicks to both members of Ever-Rise and Breeze got the pin.
WINNER: Breezango in 4:00.
(Morgan’s Analysis: A good deal of athleticism from Breezango, but not much else. A definite pallet cleanser, if you will.)
Tom Phillips did a quick recap of the night so far and hyped the upcoming triple-threat match and the Dominik Djokovic vs. Carrion Kross match. Phillips was followed by a quick interview of Djokovic by McKenzie Mitchell, where Djokovic said that unlike last week when Kross attacked him and slammed his head into the concrete barricade, Kross will have to contend with a 100 percent Djokovic. [c]
(Morgan’s Analysis: Strong and quick promo. Excellent.)
-Prior to the next match, Beth Pheonix read a tweet from Io Shirai directed at Dakota Kai, saying, in effect, “bring it on”, in response to Kai’s earlier promo.
(3) ALLIYA (w/Robert Stone) vs. SHOTZI BLACKHART
Robert Stone hammed it up trying to climb the ring stairs with his broken ankle, while Shotzi Blackheart drove he tank into the steps knocking Stone down.
Once the action started Blackheart took the fight to Aliyah, welcoming her to the “ball pit” as she did a double leg drop onto Aliyah’s thighs. Blackheart tried to knock Alyiah off the apron but ended up distracted by Stone while Aliyah delivered a face plant to Blackheart out on the floor after coming off the apron.
Aliyah hit several suplexes getting a couple of near falls before putting Blackheart in a camel clutch. Blackheart was able to escape and got a one-count with an Oklahoma Roll. She followed up with several strong moves including a face-plant into the ring. Aliyah escaped a double chicken-wing, and rammed Blackheart into the turnbuckle, then rolled her up, putting he legs on the ropes for leverage. The ref saw this and broke the pin attempt.
After some botched interference by Stone, helped along by a vicious knee from Blackheart, Blackheart hit a diving senton from the top rope and got the win.
WINNER: Shotzi Blackheart in 8:00.
-After the match, Blackheart drove her tank onto Robert Stone’s “broken” ankle. At that point Mercedes Martinez come out of nowhere and kicked Blackheart right in the face. After staring down a knocked out Blackheart, Martinez took a long, mean look at Aliyah and Stone and proceeded to walk up the ramp. [c]
(Morgan’s Analysis: Some good action, but the whole Robert Stone thing left me cold and just take away from the match. Both women can perform, and really don’t need Stone to spice things up.)
(4) JOHNNY GARGANO vs. BRONSON REED vs. RODERICK STRONG
The first of the triple-threat matches leading up to the North American Championship Ladder match at the next NXT Takeover on August 22, 2020.
All three contenders made their way to the ring, pausing briefly to stare at the championship belt that was on display.
Bronson Reed is the big guy in this matchup. Johnny Gargano and Roderick Strong on the outside try to make an alliance against the bigger man. As they are both heels, it doesn’t work out so well, as Reed shows some “strongman” moves and knocked both men out of the ring as the show went to full screen commercial. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
Back from commercial, Reed is still in control. Reed put Gargano on the floor and appeared to be going for a tope, but Strong intercepted him with a hard knee to the head. After some back and forth, Strong tried to take down Rood, but Gargano grabbed Strong’s legs and using Strong’s head, gave Reed a low blow and knocked him out of the ring. Gargano proceeded to take out Strong and hit a tope to Reed on the outside. Strong caught Gargano in a double-under hook back-breaker and tried to get Gargano in the Stonghold, but Reed re-entered the ring and in an impressive show of strength, used Strong to slam into a prone Gargano.
All three men got in several moves, including Strong with his running elbows while Reed was tied up in the ropes. Gargano knocked Strong out of the ring and followed up with an attempt at a slide kick but was caught by Strong. While they were engaged on the floor, Reed flew out of the ring and took both Strong and Gargano out. The show then went to full screen commercial. [c]
Back to the action all three traded chops to the chests, until Reed clotheslined both Gargano and Strong. Reed stacked up both men on his shoulders and delivered a Samoan slam to both men. Gargano and Strong battled on the top turn buckle. Reed came up and put Gargano in the electric chair but Gargano was able to reverse the move and flip Reed right over onto his head. Before Gargano could cover Reed, Strong lay in a knee and attempted to steal the pin, but Gargano super kicked Strong breaking up the pin.
As all three wrestlers struggled to regain their senses, Gargano went after Reed’s knees and had him in position for a slam from the apron to the floor, when Strong landed a knee to Reed’s face which ended up with Reed going splat on the floor. With Reed out of commission, Strong and Gargano exchanged major move after major move with several near falls. The final sequence had Gargano lawn-darting Strong into the corner, followed by an attempted super kick, which Strong countered into a Power Breakers. Gargano was able to get enough space to land a DDT and was poised for the pin, when Bronson Reed, from out of nowhere landed a giant splash from the top turnbuckle onto Gargano and got the three-count for the win and a spot in the Takeover ladder match.
WINNER: Bronson Reed in 21:00.
-Reed did a quick promo standing next to the belt and promised to take it home.
-After a quick Tom Phillips promo for the next match between Oney Lorcan vs. Timothy Thatcher, the show went to commercial. [c]
(Morgan’s Analysis: What you would expect from Strong and Gargano, and Reed was surprisingly good, managing to keep up with the two other men for most of the match. I like the decision to put Reed over as it adds some suspense to the championship match. Without Gargano or Strong, there are just that many more options.)
(5) TIMOTHY THATCHER vs. ONEY LORCAN
The first couple of minutes were an exhibition of chain wrestling with move, counter-move, counter-counter-move. Timothy Thatcher went for the pin after a belly-to-belly but only managed a one-count. The announcers are selling the pain and expertise needed for the ‘catch-style” wrestling. Both wrestlers started throwing knees and elbows and ended up outside the ring on the floor, where Lorcan rammed Thatcher into the ring post and we cut to commercial. [c]
Back from commercial, Thatcher has Lorcan in a half-nelson and lands several elbows, Lorcan follows up with a flying European Uppercut from the corner. Thatcher was favoring his left arm and Lorcan focused in on the apparent injury. As Lorcan continued to concentrate on the arm, Thatcher was able to drag Lorcan down to the mat using Lorcan’s trunks and secured the three-count for the win.
WINNER: Timothy Thatcher in 14;00.
(Morgan’s Analysis: A good wrestling match without any big moves or high spots. Not for everyone, but for fans of this style very good. Not quite a master class, but good.)
-We are now backstage again with Robert Stone and Aliyah hamming it up. This time Mercedes Martinez approaches Stone to “hire” him to handle the out of the ring stuff. I can totally do without this stuff. It is just not my cup of tea. [c]
-Coming out of commercial, we are graced with a quick Black and While Promo with Finn Balor for next week’s triple threat match featuring Finn Balor, Dexter Lumis, and Timothy Thatcher. Okay. Sign me up.
(6) DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC vs. KARRION KROSS (w/Scarlett)
After their entrances, both men circled each other and turned to face each other in the middle of the ring. A slow start with a couple of collar and elbow ties ups, Karrion Kross is backed into the corner and while Dominik Djokovic appeared to be breaking clean, Kross kicked him in the gut and locked him up into a front face lock. Djokovic worked out of the hold and knocked Kross out of the ring. Outside, Kross missed with a punch to Djokovic’s face and nailed the Plexiglas. Back in the ring, Djokovic goes for a shoulder into the corner, but Kross nailed him with a kick and a knee, followed by vicious DDT. The action moves to split screen as we moved to commercial. Action is mostly a side headlock in the middle of the right. [c]
Back from commercial, Kross landed a couple of shots followed by a side destroyer suplex. Both men exchanged hard shots with Djokovic landing a choke slam for a near fall. Kross left the ring to recover but Djokovic flipped over the top rope taking Kross down. Kross recovered and threw Djokovic into the steps and then proceeded to kick the steps slamming them into Djokovic’s head.
Kross dragged a pretty much out Djokovic into the rings and proceeded to slam fists and elbows into Djokovic’s head. Keith Lee came out to the ring and asked whether Djokovic wanted to end it. Kross continued his abuse of Djokovic. Kross slapped on the sleeper hold while staring at Lee. Djokovic finally passed out and ref stops the bout. Lee and Kross stared at each other mouthing all sorts of threats and promises of destruction. Angle is definitely setting up a battle between Lee and Kross.
WINNER: Karrion Kross in 14:00.
(Morgan’s analysis: As a match to forward the inevitable battle between Lee and Kross, this totally worked. It made Kross a madman and a beast and only Lee can stop him. As a stand-alone match, I felt it came up a bit short. I think Djokovic should have had a bit more offence. Yes, Kross is supposed to be a monster, but just a while ago, so was Djokovic. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I just thought it could be some much better.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: The best of the night was the triple-threat match. If you can only watch one match, that is the one to watch. The Lorcan vs. Thatcher match was a good (not great) example of the more “scientific” catch wrestling style. While a strong match to move the upcoming Lee vs. Kross main event forward, the Kross vs. Djokovic match tonight was at least a triple, as a stand-alone match it left me a bit flat and kind of ended the night on depressing note, instead of a hopped up, super-stoked, go running into the street screaming note.
The other matches were okay, everyone worked hard and were fun to watch, but nothing worth standing on the roof and screaming about.
One really bad note: GET RID OF THE ROBERT STONE SCHTICK. It is stupid and really has nowhere to go. Just have him walk off into the sunset and say good night Gracie, or Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.
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