SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
NXT ON USA REPORT
OCTOBER 2, 2019
WINTER PARK, FLA.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuiness, Beth Phoenix
-The new WWE Then, Now, Forever brand stamp vignette aired.
Corey Taylor/Slipknot narrated, “Now is the time. The future has arrived. If you are asking who is NXT, I will tell you who we are? We are hellacious. We are a ruthless dream. We are the kings and queens of kicking wholesale ass. And we are undisputed. Let us not forget where we came from, but make no mistake, there is no going back. From now on, we are the most exclusive brand of combat in the world. If you’ve been looking for something more, welcome home.” They showed images of the wrestlers who those adjectives applied to along with fan reactions to big moves. The NXT logo was then shown covered in flames.
-They cut to a chant of “NXT!” by the fans in the crowd as Mauro introduced the show. He said there were three championship matches headlining “a massive two hours of combat action tailor made to your satisfaction.” He also touted the limited commercial interruptions and said the first 30 minutes would be commercial-free.
(1) ADAM COLE vs. MATT RIDDLE – NXT Title match
They showed Riddle coming out and fist-bumping G.M. William Regal as he entered through the curtain. After he entered the ring, they showed a clip from last week’s show of Riddle beating Killian Dane to earn the title shot followed by Adam Cole getting in Riddle’s face and saying he’ll never be NXT Champion followed by Riddle putting him in an armbar and Cole screaming in agony before Riddle released it. Nigel said Cole suffered a fractured wrist. He said he’s been cleared to wrestle, but he will be wearing a cast tonight. (Foreshadowing the finish, using the cast to his advantage?) Cole made his ring entrance with a light cast on his right write. Mauro said Cole has been the golden child everywhere he has competed around the world. Phoenix said he doesn’t lack confidence and he’s had the finest gyms and finest lifestyle. Cole stood on the ring apron and waited for the climax of his music for the signature “Boom!” as Riddle jogged in place behind him. Then came “Adam Cole Bay-Bay!” Formal ring introductions took place. They lowered the house lights and the two wrestlers, with spotlights over them, stood a few feet away and stared at each other with the referee between them a few feet back in a shadow. It was a cool effect, and smart as it draws attention away from the smaller setting as a counter to AEW’s massive visual advantage. They also cut to a wide shot from as high up in the corner of the Fun Sail setting as possible just before the bell that gave a sense of depth to the venue.
Riddle went for Cole’s arm at the start. Cole took it to Riddle in the corner. Riddle gut-wrenched Cole and tossed him around a couple times and scored an early one point. Riddle kicked Cole out of the ring to the floor. When Riddle went after Cole on the floor, Cole hit a jumping roundkick and then threw him hard into the ringside steps. An “Undisputed / Let’s Go Bro!” dueling chant broke out. Mauro touted the DNA of the crowd and said it’s a special atmosphere at Full Sail Live. Cole landed an ushigoroshi mid-ring for a two count, then locked on a figure-four around Riddle’s head. Mauro finessed bagging fallen leaves into an analogy of Riddle wanting to bag the biggest win of his career. Riddle rallied with some kicks and a senton for a two count. Fans were really into the match (although the atmospheric difference between this and AEW was stark, despite a lot of slick production techniques and camera angles and crowd heat to try to make up for it). Riddle landed an Everest German suplex into a bridge for a two count. Cole landed a back-stabber out of mid-air for a two count, reversing a Riddle fireman’s carry set-up. Both were slow to get up. They showed it on replay.
Riddle thrust kicked Cole. Cole landed a sidekick to the head. Riddle landed a nasty looking knee strike. Cole came right back with an enzuigiri. Riddle then gave Cole a released German suplex. Yikes, what a sequence and what a final bump by Cole. They weren’t done. Cole then gave Riddle a sudden ushigoroshi for a near fall. The crowd was going bonkers and chanted “NXT! NXT!” Riddle set up Cole for a spot on the ring apron, but Cole elbowed out and bicycle kicked Riddle to ringside. They were 15 minutes into the show at this point and this would have been a likely spot for a mid-match break. Instead Cole leaped off the ring apron, and then Riddle caught him mid-air with knee. Riddle then threw him into the ring and went for a Floating Bro, but Cole lifted his knees. Cole gave Riddle a Panama Sunrise next for a near fall. “Incredible!” gasped Mauro. Fans chanted “Holy shit!”
Cole went for another Panama Sunrise, but Riddle countered with a Go To Sleep and a powerbomb into a knee strike. Cole was pent inhale. Riddle landed the Floating Bro, although he overshot a bit. He scored a near fall that was sold as a possible finish by Mauro. Fans bought it, too. “Fight forever!” chanted fans. Both were slow to get going. Riddle knocked Cole of the middle rope with a chop and then flipped into the ring, but Cole caught him with a superkick. Cole hit another Panama Sunrise. Riddle ducked the Last Shot and then riddle applied a Bromission mid-ring. Mauro said they’d declare a new NXT Champion. Fans stood and cheered. Cole countered and leveraged shoulder’s down. Riddle went right into the Fujiwara armbar on the injured arm. Cole maneuvered to the bottom rope, so Riddle yanked him toward the middle. Cole leveraged him into a crucifix and applied another Fujiwara Armbar. Cole hit Riddle with his cast and then a Last Shot for the clean win. Oddly, Mauro said he hit him with an elbow and missed the whole “cast as a weapon” aspect of the backstory leading to the tainted finish. On the replay, Nigel said it was the cast that would be the deciding factor and called the irony of al ironies.
WINNER: Cole in 14:00 to retain the NXT Title. (****)
(Keller’s Analysis: Tremendous match start to finish.)
-As Cole celebrated mid-ring with his title, Finn Balor interrupted. “What the hell?” gasped Mauro. Nigel said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” They showed fans looking in amazement as Balor made his return. He extended his arms and fans joined in as Cole looked in shock from the ring. “Holy shit!” chanted fans. Balor had a new hairstyle. He faced Cole mid-ring and his music faded. “Welcome back!” chanted fans. Balor said, “As of now, Finn Balor is NXT.” He dropped the mic and took a step toward Cole, who fired some words back at him off-mic before backing away. Balor played to the hard camera as Mauro said he is the longest reigning NXT Champion in history. Nigel wondered what this means now. Cole stood on the ramp and angrily yelled back at Balor. Balor smiled down at Cole. Mauro said Cole looks like he’s seen a ghost. f
-They went to the announcers at the desk who talked about Shayna Baszler vs. Candice LeRae. Then a video package aired from an NXT live event in Des Moines, Iowa last Thursday with Baszler scouting LeRae. LeRae said Baszler likes to intimidate people and is like the big bully on campus. Baszler said people don’t just lose matches against her, they lose days off their career. LeRae said in the past she hasn’t had luck beating Baszler, but she wasn’t herself and now she is ready. Baszler said live in front of millions, she will show everyone what exactly she “won” by getting the title shot.
-They showed LeRae doing resistance band arm curls and warming up. Then they showed Baszler warming up with boxing gloves and Marina Shaffir and Jessamyn Duke.
-The Velveteen Dream sat on the stage, lounging surrounded by women. He asked the women if they feel it, one at a time. He stood up and said what they are feeling seeping into their souls is the Velveteen Dream Experience. He spun around, arms extended. He said that feeling they were experiencing was “the climax of life.” He said Roderick Strong and his Undisputed buddies tried to steal it, “but the Dream has never, ever complained about being able to take on more than one man at a time.” The crowd “ohh’d.” He called Strong “Rod” and said, “The Dream has eyes for you.” He said this is a challenge for the North American Championship. He said it’s an opportunity for Strong to step into his spotlight again and be a man and perform all on his own “unless you are afraid to step out of the shadow known as the Undisputed Era.” He said that can’t be it because when he looks deep into his eyes, everyone knows the next thing he knows is Dream… Over. He snapped his fingers and the lights went out.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was really good. A little syntax snafu here and there, but he worked right through it without pause and kept the confidence and exuded his self-assured confidence and suggestive inferences. Good promo to set up the rematch.)
-They went to a video package on Lio Rush going after Drew Gulak’s Cruiserweight Title next week on NXT TV. Rush said he’s not wasting this second chance. Gulak said no matter how impressive Rush is, he is constantly evolving. Well produced. It made the match feel big. Gulak has a really vicious demeanor he conveys better now than ever.
(2) IO SHIRAI vs. MIA YIM
Mauro plugged “The Purge” and “Treadstone” on USA Network during Shirai’s entrance. Phoenix said Shirai won’t let anyone cast a shadow on her career again. Mauro said she was upset and frustrated at her inability to become NXT Champion and took it out on her best friend, LeRae. Yim slidekicked Shirai at ringside a minute in and chopped away at her. A couple minutes in, they cut to a break but stayed with the action on split-screen. Shirai took over on Yim and scored near fall. She stayed on offense throughout the break. [c]
“More fun than playing games on your phone, we are NXT, we are bad to the bone,” Mauro said. Yim eventually came back with some kicks, but Shirai then countered with a sudden huracanrana into a roll-up for a near fall. Shirai then hit a 619. Then she hit a springboard dropkick for a near fall. Nice sequence. Yim hit Code Blue suddenly for a two count, with Mauro yelling, “It’s over!” during the ref’s count. Yim then dove through the ropes and tackled Shirai on the floor. They cut to another break, but stayed with the action on split screen. There was no transition by the announcers. It was abrupt. The women were slow to get up during the break. They rolled into the ring. Yim crawled over and covered Shirai for a two count. They oddly shifted into a fun screen ads mid-break 46 minutes into the hour. Then returned to a split screen ad after that with an in-house USA ad. [c]
Yim climbed to the top rope. Shirai punched away at her on the top turnbuckle. “Like a dentist and a carpenter, tooth and nail,” said Mauro. Shirai superplex Yim to the mat. She slowly crawled over for a cover, but Yim kicked out. Shirai then landed a moonsault for the win.
WINNER: Shirai in 14:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Really good match. Two for two tonight.)
-They showed Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in the front row. Mauro said as members of the NWO, they can appreciate what Undisputed Era have done in NXT.
-They showed The Street Profits arriving. Montez Ford was with Bianca Belair, whom Nigel noted is his wife.
-They went to the announcers. Mauro speed-talked into a segment on Tegan Nox, noting that she is snake-bitten. They showed her suffering injuries and crying in the back as she was tended to. She said she often thought she might not return, but it ultimately lit a fire and she’s worked hard and it’s her time to shine. They showed some nasty scars on her knees and surgeries.
Check out the latest episode of “PWT Talks NXT” with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
(3) “BLACK SWAN” SHANE THORNE vs. JOHNNY GARGANO
-Johnny Wrestling made his way to the ring as his music played. Mauro said Johnny has “more heart than Valentine’s Day” and he is “loyal to NXT soil.” Mauro said Thorne has proven to be as annoying as auto-correct. The bell rang here 53 minutes into the first hour. Mauro said a win against Gargano would send him to new heights. They cut to a break a minute in, but stayed with action on split screen. Thorne took control and grounded Gargano with an armlock. Thorne then wrapped Gargano’s head around the ringpost and twisted from the floor. Thorne methodically worked over Gargano throughout the break. [c]
Back to full screen, Mauro talked about the return of Finn Balor and Cole retain the title and now Gargano showing why he earned the name Johnny Wrestling. Phoenix said he’s the heart and soul of the NXT fanbase. (Refreshingly, no WWE speak tonight. No “sports entertainment” or “NXT Universe” or the like.) Gargano went on sustained offense. When he went for a Thunderstruck DDT, Thorne caught him and landed a leg lariat and a cannonball in the corner. Then he gave him a high-angle sitout powerbomb for near fall. Fans chanted “Johnny Wrestling!” Some nice back and forth exchanges got a rise out of the crowd. Thorne landed a high round kick, but Gargano came back with a rana and then a superkick. Thorne was out and Gargano scored the clean win. Mauro said Thorne showed he can hang with one of the best ever to step in an NXT ring.
WINNER: Gargano in 8:00.
-Back to the announcers, the announcers reflected on Gargano’s win. Then they shifted to a plug for The Rock returning to Smackdown on Fox. (It’s no longer “Smackdown Live,” which is nice.) They also plugged Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon and Kofi Kingston vs. Brock Lesnar.
(4) SHAYNA BASZLER vs. CANDICE LERAE – NST Women’s Title match
The announcers talked up Baszler’s dominance as NXT Champion. LeRae landed an early step-up enzuigiri. Baszler sat on the ring apron to check her jaw. LeRae then basement dropkicked to the floor and then springboard body pressed Baszler on the floor. They cut to a break, but stayed on split screen. LeRae went for a jackknife cover in the ring for a two count. Baszler then made a comeback by side-stepping a charging LeRae. LeRae came right back, though, and landed a senton for a two count. A couple commercials were also full screen (commercials filled by the individual cable/satellite companies). c]
Back live, Baszler shoved LeRae off the top rope, then into the ringside steps. Mauro said Baszler is the reason chiropractors are so busy. Baszler put LeRae’s left hand in the opening in the steps, then kicked it. Mauro said people say Siberia is the coldest place on the Earth, but nothing is the colder than the heart of Baszler. Baszler hit a running knee to LeRae in the corner and scored a two count. A minute later LeRae reached the bottom rope to force a break on a torquing wristlock. LeRae went for a suplex off the ring apron, but Baszler blocked it. LeRae then face-planted Baszler on the ring apron instead. LeRae then leaped through the ropes and tackled Baszler against the ringside barricade. She did it a second time and the crowd roared. Then a third to more applause. LeRae climbed to the top rope next, but Baszler high round kicked her. LeRae knocked Baszler to the mat on an apparent slip. Fans chanted “Old champ / New champ.” Baszler then regrouped and gave LeRae a salto suplex off the top rope. They went to a commercial on split screen. They battled back and forth throughout. [c]
Back from the break, LeRae countered a Kirifuda clutch attempt with her own Kirifuda clutch. Fans popped. Baszler escaped after a few seconds. Nigel said if anyone knows how to escape that hold, it’d be Baszler. Baszler then applied a hanging Kirafuda clutch in the corner. LeRae slipped out and landed a swinging neckbreaker off the ropes for a near fall. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Baszler then applied a Kirifuda clutch and leveraged it into a two count. LeRae quickly hit a Slop Drop. She went for a cabrada, but Baszler moved and then applied a Kirifuda clutch id-ring. LeRae tried to stand, but she just fell backward. LeRae tapped.
WINNER: Baszler in 15:00 to retain the NXT Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Tremendous match. They told a really good story start to finish with each wrestler conveying their personality through their approach in the ring, their offense, their selling, and their overall body language. The crowd was into it the whole way. It was a little less reliant on matwork than most Baszler matches, and it worked.)
-They showed Alundra Blaze, Stephanie McMahon, and Mark Henry standing and cheering in the front row.
-They went to the announcers who hyped Hell in a Cell and WWE Network. Then they shifted to a video feature on Imperium’s actions the last two weeks on NXT. They then hyped Kushida vs. Walter next week on NXT.
(5) PETE DUNNE vs. DANNY BURCH
“A pint and a fight is a hell of a night for Danny Burch,” said Mauro. Nigel said this will be an absolute classic between two of his favorite “superstars.” (So much for dropping WWE Speak entirely.) Some early back and forth and then they cut to an early break, but stayed with action on split-screen for most of the break. [c]
Burch was in control after the break. Mauro said, “This is British Strong Style, with the emphasis on Strong.” They continued to exchange strikes. Dunne did the finger snap and then landed a Bitter End for the win.
WINNER: Dunne in 6:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good showcase for Dunne even with the give-and-take throughout.)
-After the match, Damien Priest attacked Dunne from behind. He gave Dunne a twisting neckbreaker and then stood over him and posed. His name showed up on the big screen right after he shot an imaginary arrow toward it. Mauro said he hopes to become an even bigger star by targeting Dunne.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Adam Cole backstage. (Hey, alert the authorities! An actual interview on NXT.) When she brought up his cast, he interrupted her and said his cast is required by WWE Medical. He said he beat Riddle with The Last Shot, not the cast. In walked the rest of Undisputed Era and Roderick Strong complained about Finn Balor. Cole said they have to stay focused on the prophesy remaining fulfilled, so focus on the tag team title match. He said, “Stay in the zone, you guys are the best.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Effective interview. Cole established the cast is his new Bob Orton Jr. gimmick. He was defensive about using it. It also promoted the tag title match and established Cole is the leader the Undisputed Era faction who keeps them on task.)
-Nigel plugged that the tag team title match was up next. [c]
(6) KYLE O’REILLY & BOBBY FISH vs. THE STREET PROFITS (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins w/Wale)
The Sweet Profits made their high energy ring entrance amongst the crowd and sang their entrance some with the phrase “We Want the Smoke” over and over. The crowd was totally into it. Then O’Reilly & Fish made their ring entrance. O’Reilly, as usual, stole the scene with his over-the-top air guitar. Mauro said they have more chemistry than a periodic table. They turned down the house lights and did formal ring introductions as the two teams stared each other down. Ford grabbed his red plastic cup and held it up. The bell rang 46 minutes into the second hour, but NXT planned an overrun. They cut to a break a couple minutes in, but stayed with the action on split-screen. [c]
Back from the break, they continued with back and forth high-aped action. O’Reilly took over and taunted Dawkins the ring apron. Ford kipped up and went after O’Reilly. O’Reilly, though, took over again. Ford surprised him with a small package. O’Reilly came back with a kicking and sweep sequence, then tagged in Fish who stayed on offense. They cut to another break very late in the hour, but stayed with the action for most of the commercials. [c]
After some battling at ringside, Fish took over on Ford mid-ring. Mauro said the match will continue on USA Network until they have a resolution. “We could be here all night, Nigel!” he said. There was one minute left in the second hour at this point.
[OVERRUN]
Fish ran over and yanked Dawkins off the ring apron just as it appeared Ford would be able to make the hot-tag. O’Reilly then stayed in control as a result, landing some rolling butterfly suplexes and then tagging in Fish. They executed a double-team sequence and Fish scored a two count. “I don’t know if I call that cohesion, I call that cheating,” said Phoenix after some help from Fish on the ring apron. Ford finally hot-tagged Dawkins and he took on both Fish and O’Reilly with a flurry of offense. “The bodies are hitting the floor!” said Phoenix. Dawkins speared Fish, but O’Reilly then landed an awe kick. Dawkins came back with a punch and then a leg capture suplex for a two count. Dawkins backdropped O’Reilly onto Fish at ringside. He crawled over to tag Ford, but Ford was not in his corner. O’Reilly then landed a top rope flying knee onto Dawkins. He shifted into a leglock. Fish yanked them back to mid-ring. The ref yelled at him. Ford entered the ring, so Fish went over to him. The ref didn’t force O’Reilly to break, despite Fish’s interference, which was dumb. Fish put Ford in a standing guillotine in the ring. Ford drove Fish into O’Reilly to break his hold on Dawkins. Chaotic, but it made the ref look incompetent for a minute there.
Dawkins lifted Fish into an electric chair. O’Reilly kicked Dawkins from behind before Ford could leap off the top rope. They brawled at ringside. Ford dove onto a crowd with a flip dive. The fans chanted ;Holy shit!” When he climbed to the top rope again, Roderick Strong ran out and grabbed his leg. Dawkins speared Strong off the ring apron. Fish tagged O’Reilly back in and they hit the high-low for the win.
WINNERS: O’Reilly & Fish in 20:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Really good match. O’Reilly is still one of the most underrated performers in this industry in every facet – demeanor, selling, and diverse offense. NXT doing the overrun is a great strategy to at least capture some of the viewers who choose to watch AEW live. They learned from the Monday Night Raw that you can use that exclusive post-two-hour period to win over some new viewers and give a big boost to the viewership at the end of the show.)
-Cole stood on the stage and held up his belt and saluted his partners. Then out walked Tomasso Ciampa. Mauro said he is the former champion who has the relinquish the title due to injury. He circled Cole and stared at his belt as the show ended.
FINAL THOUGHTS:NXT had the better wrestling start to finish than AEW. The Full Sail fans kept the energy level up. The returns of Balor and Ciampa added news. Really good show.
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s NXT Hit List: Kelani Jordan vs. Wren Sinclair for the NXT Women’s North American Title, Grayson Waller and Austin Theory vs. Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander, Ridge Holland vs. Riley Osborne
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