SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE NXT TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 27, 2019
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
STREAMED LIVE ON WWE NETWORK
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuiness
-They opened with Josiah Williams announcing that NXT won at Survivor Series. He led a bunch of NXT wrestlers to ring while singing. Undisputed Era stepped onto the stage. Adam Cole said they’re celebrating like they accomplished something, but NXT’s success was all due to UE, “so for the love of god, please shut your mouth.” Tomasso Ciampa, Dominic Dijakovic, Keith Lee, and Matt Riddle stood in the ring while everyone else stood at ringside. He said they are champions and should thanking them, but instead they’re chanting “We Are NXT!” He said they aren’t NXT, Undisputed Era is NXT. Fans chanted “You suck!” at Cole. Cole said they dominated War Games and Survivor Series and they’re just getting started. He said they’re the iron men of NXT. He said they’re not going to put their feet up and rest on their success. He said they’re putting their titles on the line tonight because that’s what they do.
Ciampa interrupted with three “Wows.” He said for four guys who just got their asses whipped at War Games, they sure seem confident. He said War Games was just the beginning – the beginning of the end for Undisputed Era. He said they stand there today with all the gold, but tonight the collapse continues. He said it begins when Dijakovic & Lee take the tag team titles. He said Strong’s days are numbered as champion. He then pointed to Goldie around Cole’s waist. He said the war is over and Daddy won, so it’s time to bring Goldie home. He told Cole to look him straight in the eye. He said there’s not a single man in UE standing in his way. “And that’s undisputed, bay-bay!”
Finn Balor’s music then played and he strutted out onto the stage and walked in front of UE. “It looks like I’m standing in your way,” he said. Ciampa said tonight the Prince will meet his king. He challenged him. Fans chanted “Yes! Yes!” Fans chanted “Ciampa’s gonna kill you!” Lee then told Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly to get into the ring because “it’s basking season.” Fans sang “Go bask in his glory!”
-They went to the announcers at the table. Beth Phoenix introduced the show and said Mauro Ranallo isn’t there this week, but they look forward to seeing him next week.
(1) KYLE O’REILLY & BOBBY FISH vs. KEITH LEE & DOMINIC DIJAKOVIC – NXT Tag Team Title match
O’Reilly and Fish jumped Lee and Dijakovic at the start. They knocked Dijakovic out of the ring, then double-teamed Lee. Lee made a comeback and pressed Fish in the air and threw him onto O’Reilly on the floor. [c]
They stayed with the action on split screen during the break. Fish entered the ring, but immediately leaned in the corner and tagged out. He returned to the back and Strong took his place in the match. Back from the break, Dijakovic had O’Reilly reeling and then tagged in Lee. Nigel commented on a replay of Fish’s landing, noting his knee got hurt when he hit the mat. Nigel said this isn’t fair, as Strong has had no time to warm up. About 7:00 in, Dijakovic and Lee had a tense moment and stared each other down, although there wasn’t really an apparent reason for it. Strong and O’Reilly circled and attacked. Dijakovic and Lee got the better of them and worked together well. Dijakovic suplexed Lee onto both Fish and O’Reilly. Fans chanted “NXT!” Strong eventually took control against Dijakovic by clipping his knee and focusing on it. They cut to another break. [c]
Back from the break, O’Reilly was twisting on Dijakovic’s leg. He took a cheat shot at Lee on the ring apron. Lee shot him a look. Dijakovic hot-tagged in Lee a minute later. A crawler announced that Balor vs. Ciampa had become official for tonight’s main event. Fish and O’Reilly avoided a Lee dive and then swept his leg and kneed him into the time keeper’s area. They rolled Lee back into the ring. Lee, though, headbutted O’Reilly out of mid-air. Lee staggered over and tagged in Dijakovic. O’Reilly caught Dijakovic in a triangle. Dijakovic lifted O’Reilly and gave him a sitout powerbomb as he one-arm choked slammed an interfering Strong, leading to a two count.
Dijakovic flip dove onto Strong and O’Reilly on the floor a few minutes later. As fans chanted “NXT!” Strong officially tagged in, but Dijakovic gave both heels one-arm chokeslams. Cole came out to interfere, but Lee checked him on the ramp and Cole took a flying bump into the second row of “fans.” (I assume they had some plants there.) Fans chanted “Holy shit!” Two women in the next row had classic reactions to the crash landing. O’Reilly and Strong then gave Dijkovic a high/low for the win.
WINNERS: Strong & O’Reilly in 21:00 to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: This felt a little discombobulated at times, which is understandable given the substitution early in the match. Some spots seemed a bit off, but overall it was really good.)
-They went to the announcers at ringside who threw to freeze-frames from War Games of the women’s War Games match including Mia Yim being knocked out of the ring, then Dakota Kai replacing her, and finally Dakota turning on her partners. Phoenix described it as “shocking the world,” which is a double overstatement. It didn’t even shock NXT fans, much less the world. She called the attack “despicable.” Phillips said Kai was fined by William Regal for putting her hands on him. They showed Tegan Nox’s tweet saying she is banged up and needs time to heal, but what happened hurt her emotionally more than physically.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Candice LaRae backstage. She said all anyone is talking about since WarGames is Dakota Kai. She said Tegan Nox is like a sister to her, and she didn’t expect Dakota to betray them like that. [c]
-They went to a drone shot of the exterior of Full Sail’s campus as Phillips hyped the main event. Then they showed a clip of Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush two weeks ago. Then they showed Rush attacking Garza backstage at the War Games Kickoff Show match. They showed Tozawa and Rush warming up backstage for the Cruiserweight Title match later tonight.
(2) SHANE THORNE vs. MANSOOR
Nigel said Thorne’s moment has been halted with recent losses to Johnny Gargano and Bronson Reed. They aired clips of Mansoor beating Cesaro at Crown Jewel. Thorne dominated early, then Mansoor made a comeback after catching a charging Throne with a kick. He landed a flying forearm through the ropes to the floor, then finished him with a diving neckbreaker for the three count.
WINNER: Mansoor in 3:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: WWE is clearly getting behind Mansoor, and he’s shown signs of having a nice upside. I’m surprised to see Thorne being cooled off considerably. He seemed to be on the rise and performing pretty well in the process. Not sure what derailed it, but he’s largely playing the role of a gatekeeper at this point. Having a few wins before taking on this role, though, gives a sense that beating him counts for something.) [c]
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) CANDICE LERAE vs. DAKOTA KAI
Kai came out with a new demeanor. She brought the knee brace with her that she had ripped off of Tegan Nox after attacking her last Saturday night. LeRae got in the obligatory dive through the ropes to tackle Nox at ringside. (Will there ever be another nationally televised live wrestling match that doesn’t have a dive to ringside ever again?) Kai was aggressive as she took over against LeRae. As she rammed LeRae’s head toward the ring apron, LeRae did as bad of a job as you’ll see masking the fact that her hand was slapping the mat to make a noise while her head was nowhere near hitting the mat. It looks awful. Kai scored a two count back in the ring. After a couple kicks to the head by Kai to LeRae, Drive-By Style, they cut to a break. [c]
Kai landed a sitout powerbomb after the break for a near fall. When LeRae gave Kai a belly-to-back suplex off the ring apron, Kai barely grazed the edge of the ring and ended up crashing all the way to the floor instead. Phoenix said LeRae not picking Kai wasn’t personal, she was just trying to build the best team she could for WarGames LeRae made a comeback and climbed the ropes. Kai met her up there and they exchanged forearms. LeRae went for a sunset bomb, but Kai blocked her. When Kai reached for the knee brace she brought to the ring, LeRae blocked her then gave her a running powerbomb for a two count. Kai avoided a LeRae springboard moonsault, then gave LeRae a Kai-Ropractor for a near fall. LeRae surprised Kai with a Gargano Escape mid-ring. Kai pushed her way to toward the bottom rope and rolled to the floor. Kai got frustrated and hit LeRae with Nox’s knee brace. The ref saw it and DQ’d her.
WINNER: LeRae via DQ in 14:00.
-Kai attacked LeRae afterward. She threw a ringside security guy off of a chair and then went to smash LeRae with it. Rhea Ripley ran out and kicked the chair out of her hands. Kai fled. Fans chanted “Rhea!”
-Kelley interviewed Ciampa backstage about facing Balor later. Ciampa said he issued the challenge because he wanted this match. He said he knows Balor is the longest reigning NXT Champion in history, but he turned NXT into the A-show and “turned Goldie into the most prestigious title in all of sports entertainment.” [c]
-A vignette on Trevor Lee. (It seems like forever since he was a regular on this show.) It showed him roaming near a creek, talking about scratching and clawing to try to be a WWE Superstar. He said he’s said some things wrong along the way and probably will continue to do that. He said he’s not a Bay-Bay or a Bro. He said he’s six-feet-tall and 220 pounds and 26 years old, and he’s going to do what he was raised to do – cave in the competition in NXT.
-They went to the announcers. Nigel said to expect big things from Country Power. Then they threw to clips of Ripley at Smackdown, Takeover, and Survivor Series. Phoenix said a star was born over the weekend.
(4) LIO RUSH vs. AKIRA TOZAWA – Cruiserweight Title match
Tozawa held up a Raw t-shirt on the stage. Phillips said that won’t go over well at Full Sail. Phillips said Tozawa wasn’t pinned in the triple threat match at the Kickoff Show on Sunday, so he’s getting his title match here. As Rush made his way to the ring, Phillips asked how much Angel Garza is in his head. They cut to a break at 3:00 when Tozawa blocked a Rush sunset flip off the top rope and then landed a senton on the ring apron. [c]
Rush had Tozawa on the mat. A few minutes later, Tozawa gave Rush a released German suplex off the ring apron to the floor. They both rolled into the ring to barely beat the ten count. Back in the ring, Rush kicked Tozawa and then springboarded backwards off the middle rope, but Tozawa wasn’t where he apparently was supposed to be. It was an awkward landing. Tozawa came back with a snap dragon suplex and then a back suplex into a bridge for a near fall. Tozawa went for a top rope senton, but Rush lifted his knees, then frog splashes Tozawa on his back. He went to the other corner and leaped off the top rope with another frog splash for the win. Nigel noted fans were giving Rush a standing ovation, “and deservedly so.”
WINNER: Rush in 13:00 to retain the Cruiserweight Title.
-Kelly interviewed Balor backstage. He said tonight Ciampa is living in his world, and it’s a dark place. He said tonight Ciampa will meet the Prince. [c]
-They showed tweets and headlines regarding the Cole vs. Pete Dunne match at Survivor Series including praise from Shawn Michaels.
(5) XIA LI vs. VANESSA BORNE
Nigel was excited for Borne’s entrance. Phillips told him to chill out. Phillips noted that Borne challenged Li to a match because Li broke Aliya’s nose. They showed a black and white picture of a bloodied Aliya. Phoenix said there was no malice when Li broke her nose. Nigel disagreed. Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shaffir walked out. Li noticed them, then finished Borne with a kick to the back of her neck for the win.
WINNER: Li in 1:00.
-After the match, Baszler & Co. attacked Li three-on-one. Li made a comeback against Baszler with rapid-fire kicks, but she was soon outnumbered and taken down. Baszler said everyone is trying to take credit for NXT’s success over the weekend, but nobody did more than she did. She said she beat Bayley and Becky Lynch in the same match. Fans taunted Baszler with a chant of “Rhea Ripley!” Baszler said she’d held her title for over a year. Ripley’s music interrupted. Baszler was agitated. When the heel trio retreated, Ripley asked where they were going. She said she had something to say face-to-face. Baszler stood on the ring apron. Ripley walked up to her and smiled as she said congratulated her for beating Bayley and Becky, “but when you went face-to-face with me, I beat you.” More “Rhea!” chants. She said she’ll do it again, but next time it’ll be for the NXT Women’s Championship. Fans sang, “Rhea’s gonna kill you.”
Baszler entered the ring and said she has heard this song and dance before. She said Ripley might be the nightmare, but she’s the reality. “And the reality is you’ll be napping or tapping, just like the rest of them.” She dropped the mic and left. Ripley asked her, “Why don’t you do it now?” Baszler paused, but then left after all. Fans booed. Ripley said she knows if she steps back into the ring, “I’ll drop ya’.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Nicely done segment. A badass likable babyface standing tall in front of a badass but less likable heel in a match that feels important.) [c]
-Phillips commented on the triple threat match with Damien Priest, Killian Dain, and Pete Dunne at War Games. They went to training room footage of Priest who was told that he had one or two cracked ribs. Nigel said Dain battles Priest one-on-one next week.
(6) FINN BALOR vs. TOMASSO CIAMPA
Phillips said Balor is very different than the fans are used to. He said it’s his first match back in NXT in over three years. Balor slidekicked Ciampa to the floor a couple minutes in. They battled at ringside. Ciampa catapulted Balor into the ringpost and then patted himself on the shoulder as they cut to a break. They stayed with the action on split-screen. [c]
They battled back and forth during the break. After the break, Ciampa fought out of a Balor chinlock and rallied, leading to a near fall.
[OVERRUN]
Phillips reset the match for viewers tuning in at the top of the hour, perhaps switching over from AEW Dynamite. Balor connected with a sling blade and then clotheslined Ciampa over the top rope to the floor. He dropkicked Ciampa into the ringside barricade next. Ciampa blocked a Balor DDT at ringside and drove him back onto the mat. Balor barely beat the ten count, but immediately ate a knee. Ciampa then gave Balor his Project Ciampa backbreaker for a near fall. Fans chanted “This is awesome!” Balor blocked a Fairy Tale Ending and landed a double stomp. They battled on the top rope. Ciampa landed a top rope Air Raid Crash for a near fall. Cole ran out. Ciampa knocked him off the ring apron. Balor rolled him up from behind. Balor grabbed the NXT Title that Cole brought to the ring. The ref yanked it away from him. Ciampa rolled up Balor for a two count. Balor then gave Ciampa an inverted DDT onto the belt. The ref determined it was inadvertent and counted a pin. Ciampa kicked out. As the ref got rid of the belt, Cole landed a leaping round kick to Ciampa’s head. Balor then delivered the 1916 for the win. Cole smiled at ringside.
WINNER: Balor in 13:00.
-Cole entered the ring and had some words with Balor mid-ring as Ciampa recovered on the mat. Cole retrieved his NXT Title belt. Both stood over Ciampa. Balor then surprised Cole with a Pelé kick as Cole was patting him on the back. Some fans chanted “Finn! Finn!” Nigel said Balor stands alone.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good TV main event. They’re going with Balor as “his own man” and establishing he’s not part of a faction. I’m curious to see where they go with him. Although I’m not crazy about another multi-person match, I don’t feel the Cole-Ciampa-Balor three-way set-up is forced or purposeless. I think it’s going to be a vital chapter in the story of all three wrestlers entering 2020.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Good show. It followed up sufficiently on the Survivor Series NXT victory without dwelling on it, using the NXT win on Sunday to propel Undisputed Era into establishing themselves as heels by trying to take credit for what happened. Ciampa is coming across as a real alpha, but the foursome on top of the babyface roster depth chart – Ciampa, Riddle, Lee, Dijakovic – is a strong core that’s being utilized well.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: 5 YRS AGO – TNA IMPACT TV Report (11-19-2019): Valkyrie & John E. Bravo vs. Jordynne Grace, plus Brian Cage, Moose, Rich Swann, Michael Elgin, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s NXT Hit List: Ridge Holland vs. Andre Chase for a shot at the NXT Championship at NXT Deadline, Iron Survivor Challenge qualifiers
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.