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VON WAGNER vs BRON BREAKKER – NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
Aww, our little Cal Bloom has grown up! Now known as Von Wagner, after more than three years in the NXT system he’s made his way to an NXT title match. He’s been being built up as a monster heel for months now, and I had a feeling he’d tussle with the main event scene before long.
Bron Breakker has been a dominant champion, though his reign has felt stale for some months. But was Wagner the person to take the title off of Breakker? We need a good heel have a run with the title to give Breakker or another face to chase. JD McDonagh would have been a great choice, yet that wasn’t meant to be.
Their match was better than I expected. Sometimes having two big hosses get in the ring doesn’t translate to a banger match. This certainly wasn’t a banger, but it was more entertaining than I gave it credit for prior to the bell ringing.
Von Wagner gave Breakker a run for his money, on the offensive for the majority of the match. Classic wrestling booking, Breakker made his comeback towards the end of the match after kicking out of everything Von Wagner threw at him. Spear. Roman wins. Err…. I mean. Breakker wins.
Verdict: 75% HIT – I don’t think anyone believed that Bron Breakker was going to lose his title on NXT TV and not at an NXT PLE. Due to the predictability, I can’t give it a full HIT.
INDUS SHER RETURNS
I don’t even think they gave us the names of the two jobbers that were fed to Veer Mahan and Sanga.
I’m actually pumped to see Indus Sher back as a team. Sanga and Mahan seemed somewhat directionless on their own. Sure, they both had singles angles. But they both went nowhere. As a team, they’re an intimidating powerhouse duo who could theoretically dominate the tag team division.
Dominate. As they did to these two jobbers tonight. It’s a good thing this is a work, or these two would certainly be feeling it in the morning. Heck, they may still be feeling it in the morning.
Verdict: HIT
JD MCDONAGH vs APOLLO CREWS
Earlier in the night, both Crews and McDonagh approached Bron Breakker separately backstage and laid claim to his NXT Title. Now, the two of them clash and we get to see which man comes out on top and is deserving of a title shot.
If you like fast-paced, technical wrestling, mixed with methodically working your opponent then this match was for you. Crews and McDonagh are two incredible athletes and as it turns out, they have fantastic chemistry together.
This was a match where you really couldn’t predict who was going to win. False finishes galore from both competitors. Crews wound up getting the win after a massive slam to McDonagh. With this win, he does have a bit of a claim to Breakker’s NXT title.
After his win, Breakker came out and stood on the stage to stare down his new number one contender. Well, presumed number one contender anyway.
Verdict: HIT
JOSH BRIGGS & BROOKS JENSEN vs. THE DYAD
Joe Gacy and Ava Raine accompanied The Dyad to the ring as they took on Brooks & Jensen, who had Fallon Henley in their corner.
I think Bruce Lee Hazelwood put it best in our PWT Talks NXT group chat. “Holy Sh!t. That was one of the most boring matches I’ve seen in awhile.”
Yes. Yes it was. The tag action was mediocre playing into a mediocre finish that saw Kiana James come to the ring and continue her beef from previous weeks with Fallon Henley. Of course, that distraction led to Brooks and Jensen on the losing end.
You have Ava Raine right there! Why not use her in the finish instead?!
Verdict: MISS
TATUM PAXLEY (w/ Ivy Nile) vs. INDI HARTWELL
This match felt like an afterthought. No entrances for either woman nor did they mention the match at all throughout the night. Which is a shame, as Indi has been on a journey as of late to seem a bit more relevant and that she can be a solid singles competitor. I would have liked to see them give her a bit more time tonight.
She did pick up a pretty decisive win over Paxley tonight, as she should have. But this match really felt more like a bathroom break before the main event.
Verdict: 50/50 – The match was an okay squash for Indi, but the poor booking and lack of focus on the two women was a disappointment.
ALBA FYRE vs. MANDY ROSE – LAST WOMAN STANDING – NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
And finally, the rematch I’ve been waiting for since Halloween Havoc. Last week, Alba Fyre took out Toxic Attraction which means that Mandy Rose had nobody to back her up tonight. Nobody to help her cheat and keep her title.
Mandy Rose wore red and black attire in a style that was a clear nod to Nikki Bella. I started looking a bit deep into this nod, thinking that maybe it was a nod to Bella’s 301 day Diva’s title reign, signaling that Mandy may lose her title tonight. The odds were certainly not in her favor, anyway.
No DQ in this match, and they wasted no time bringing baseball bats, trash cans and ladders into the mix. Mandy Rose was favoring her right knee, and it seemed to buckle while trying to get Alba Fyre into a fireman’s carry position. It seemed like a worked angle, but also kind of came out of nowhere. Possible that Rose tweaked her knee but could still continue the match.
Fyre was about to put Rose through the announce table when Isla Dawn showed up and put Fyre through the table instead. Fyre couldn’t get up before the 10 count, and Rose retains.
Mandy Rose’s reign has become very stale at this point, and I would have loved nothing more than to see Fyre be the one to defeat her for the title. With Isla Dawn now seemingly in Mandy Roses corner, will she join Toxic Attraction? Her gimmick certainly does not seem like it lines up with Toxic Attraction’s style whatsoever.
Verdict: HIT
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