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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Chase U Celebration: Hit
This group is exactly what I would have considered eye-rolling for years and yet I love the campiness of the group. They excel in in cheesy segments, because of their wholesomeness. Thea Hail in particular is a joy to watch with her over-exaggerated movements and over joyous celebrating. In the back of mind, I still see some form of dissension in the ranks, but for tonight everyone was on the same page leading into the next match…
Chase U (Duke Hudson & Riley Osborne) vs. Axiom & Nathan Frazer for (maybe) a shot at the Tag Team Titles: Hit
Fun match between these two teams. I like that there sometimes seems to be a teeny bit of heelishness on the part of Axiom & Frazer when they speak, but are loved once they go high octane in the ring. I still believe that Duke Hudson is one of the most overlooked and under rated guys on the roster. I’m always surprised that he hasn’t gotten a solo push either in NXT or the main roster. The rematch for the titles at No Mercy should be a blast to watch. As I stated above, maybe it’s then we’ll see the dissension within the ranks of Chase U costing them the gold.
Lola Vice vs. Wendy Choo: Hit
I wasn’t sure how I would rate this match when it started, but by midway through they won me over. Not a technical masterpiece, but there was enough raw aggression to make it a Hit in my book. I like Choo’s new dark character and Vice continues to improve every time she gets into the ring. They gave the women a decent amount of time in the ring to tell a decent story. Jordan’s involvement made sense with Choo eyeing that North American title and Vice won’t be hurt by the loss. I went back and re-watched a few segments and realized that Jordan was looking frantically for something, so the mystery of what was in the bag made sense (I’m sorry I missed those segments on first watch!)
The Fatal Influence vignette: Hit
I liked this, a lot. And even though told from a heel’s perspective, it makes total sense that here are two women who struggled to make it into the business, only to be overshadowed by ‘entitled’ women from other walks of life, who were given the opportunities based on their credentials outside of wrestling. This might be the best Fallon has been as a heel and how Nyx fits into the group was logical. I’m cautiously opportunistic about what could be a sort of Toxic Attraction 2.0.
Gauntlet Eliminator: Hit
Based on the overall combined lack of long-time experience from all the competitors involved, this exceeded my expectations! There were a few miscues and sloppy exchanges, but overall the match itself was entertaining. I think this was the first time I’ve seen Rizzo in the ring and color me impressed. She looked great and I’m surprised she’s been just a background character for so long. She lost to Ruca, but she shined in her short time in the ring. At the beginning of the match, my pick was Ruca to win the whole thing, but Parker winning wasn’t a complete surprise. Parker has become a bit of a fan favorite lately, so I think it’ll be easy for her to work as the face in her matchup with the heel Perez.
Hank & Tank vs: The Good Brothers: Hit
Okay, I wanted to give this a Miss, because it was way too short and I dislike Gallows & Anderson putting over SO many teams in NXT, BUT…I genuinely smiled and laughed at the sheer exuberance by Hank & Tank following the win, especially their interaction with Vic Joseph. I shouldn’t have liked this, but I did. Damn it. Actually, I wouldn’t mind these two teams trading wins a few more times, leading to a big payoff. Hank & Tank have become this generation’s Bushwhackers, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They are a comedic undercard, feel good bunch of goofballs. Seriously, I thought I outgrew this??
Dion Lennox vs. Ashanti Thee Adonis: Minor Hit
Nice to see NXT do something with Ashanti (even though he acts like such a creepy SOB back stage). He was an overlooked talent in Hit Row and it’s nice to see him get a little bit of shine.
Pete Dunne vs. Wes Lee vs. Joe Hendry for the number one contender ship to the NXT title: Hit
Say his name and he appears! And wins! Okay, before I get into the match, Ethan Page is the smarmiest, sneakiest, wormiest NXT Champion…and I love it! He is so old school chicken crap heel and his constant interference with the officials was so on point. Now, back to the match: it was well worked with good near falls and moments of drama. Hendry is ridiculously over with the crowd and I can only imagine what a large scale audience will sound like at No Mercy. The Trick interference plays into his continuing feud with Dunne and Lee loses nothing in being taken out of the match. Do I think they’ll pull the ultimate plug and put the belt on Hendy and create one of the most unexpected crossovers being NXT and TNA? No, I truly don’t, but my goodness would I come out of my seat if they did. Page has been an absolute blast as heel champ, so even if it was a temporary title change before putting the belt back on Page, I’d be okay with that. This was a great main event with so many working parts.
Surprise Hit of the Night: Booker T on commentary
If you follow my column, you know I have crapped on Booker’s commentary on numerous occasions, but with the exception of a few lines, tonight I found him entertaining (“stay out of the parking lot!”) and heelish with his repertoire with Ethan Page was great. I think I need a shower now after giving this a Hit…
RECOMMENDED NEXT: NXT TV RESULTS (8/20): Wells’s live report on Hendry vs. Dunne vs. Lee #1 Contender’s match, Women’s #1 Contender Gauntlet, Lola Vice vs. Wendy Choo, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s NXT Hit List: Joe Hendry vs. Wes Lee vs. Pete Dunne for a shot at the NXT Title at No Mercy, gauntlet match for a shot at the NXT Women’s Title at No Mercy
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