SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 14, 2018
TAPED IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuiness, Percy Watson
[Q1] Bianca Belair is out for a match to start the show. With focus on fans dancing and the smile on her face, it feels like a babyface presentation. She is facing Mia Yim, set up last week.
(1) BIANCA BELAIR vs. MIA YIM
Yim wants a lockup so Belair paintbrushes her. Yim wants another lockup, Belair chokes her. Belair takes Yim down and taunts her, but Yim comes back to ground Yim. Belair is presented as a cocky heel. Yim dodges a dropkick and lands knee lifts and a trio of dropkicks… then a fourth. Belair dumps Yim out of the ring. Vic Joseph sounds like he is throwing to break, but he isn’t. Belair gets a one count, then a neck crank. The announcers discuss that Belair is un-duh-feet-ted and how she should have a title shot. Yim tries some covers, then Belair. Belair is starting to get frustrated. Belair puts Yim in the corner and delivers elbows, then a choke in the corner from the top. She covers Yim with her foot for two. Belair straddles Yim and taunts her more, then sits on Yim’s back like she is the quarter ride outside the food store. Yim trips Belair as she jaws. Belair stacks Yim up for two. Belair is just dominating this match. Nasty looking three-quarter nelson from Belair. Yim dodges a leg drop and starts a rally. Drop toe hold puts Belair’s face into a corner. The crowd is totally flat for Yim’s comeback. Gutwrench suplex gets Yim two. The crowd is finally warming up, a spinebuster from Belair earns her two. Shoulder to the middle in the corner, then a slap. Yim suddenly has a flurry of offense including a Pele kick for two. Belair is struggling to stay up, she falls in the corner and Belair somersaults into her. Kick from Belair, KOD (torture rack into a facebuster), Belair with the win.
WINNER: Bianca Belair at 8:07. If you thought Yim got buried in her verbal battle last week with Belair, she got trounced even worse in the ring here. The only saving grace is that I think she lasted longer than anyone other than Nikki Cross against Belair. Belair makes it look so easy.
Backstage, Cathy Kelley asks War Raiders, NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne, and NXT North American Champion Ricochet who will represent their team tonight. Dunne and Ricochet start arguing, Rowe yells, and Hanson says he has it.
[Q2] Video package on the upcoming match between Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black.
Cathy Kelley with Matt Riddle. He says that it is amazing and pronounces debut “de-butt.” Kassius Ohno runs in wants to know where he match challenge is, and that when he confronted Riddle that was a test. When Ohno came back to NXT he confronted champions and they took action. He calls Riddle trash. Riddle says he will take Ohno’s test next week and knock him out. Riddle acts cocky to Kelley a bit after Ohno leaves.
Sanson is facing Kyle O’Reilly later tonight.
Karissa Rivera is in the ring with her entrance music halfways done. She is facing Lacey Evans. I feel like Evan’s music has new lyrics and perhaps a bit of a change up? It’s her music, just tweaked to feel a bit more rock.
LISTEN TO THE NEW “PWT TALKS NXT” PODCAST REVIEWING THIS EPISODE AND PREVIEWING WAR GAMES…
“On the Eve of War.” This week Harley R. Pageot, Tom Stoup, and Justin James discuss the final build to TakeOver: War Games II including their full card predictions. Plus thoughts on Bianca Belair, the Kassius Ohno-Matt Riddle feud, the tag team midcard division, possible post-TakeOver matches and stories, and eight listener emails.
-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “PWTorch” or “Pro Wrestling Torch” on your podcast app of choice
(2) LACEY EVANS vs. KARISSA RIVERA
Evans wags a finger telling Rivera to bring it. Evans knocks Rivera down and does pushups on Rivera’s back. Percy Watson doubts Evans’ ladylike manners. Evans pulls the hankie out of her top, wipes her face off and drops it on Rivera. Rivera suddenly lands offense to yield a one count. Evans looks furious, hits a bulldog then smashes Rivera’s face into the mat over and over. The Women’s Right ends it.
WINNER: Lacey Evans at 1:48. Another effort to keep Evans looking strong.
Post-match, Evans gets a mic and says that NXT is filled with a bunch of “classless nasties.” And that “these girls” do not know how to act sophisticated, but she will be a leader. Evans vows to teach some lessons in class and manners with the Women’s Right. Nigel McGuinness says he salutes Evans, Watson asks him if he really thinks that is class.
Video package on just about the worst built match in forever, NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream. This match is riding solely on the strength of the characters and how they connect with the audience rather than any actual build.
[Q3] Video package on Kairi Sane facing NXT Champion Shayna Baszler. She says it isn’t fair that Baszler’s friends got involved in the match, causing her treasure box to be empty. Sane says that Sane can’t beat her twice, Baszler won’t have her friends, and she will re-capture the championship.
Hanson is out first. Timing suggesting this will be a long match, or involve shennanigans after the match. He comes out alone. That seems like a mistake. O’Reilly is out alone too.
(3) HANSON vs. NXT Tag Team Champion KYLE O’REILLY
O’Reilly dances around Hanson then tries some kicks at a distance. O’Reilly lands an elbow, then turns Hanson around in the corner, but Hanson comes out strong and sends O’Reilly to the ramp. O’Reilly does his trick of fighting from the mat, then picks a leg. Hanson blocks a headlock takeover. O’Reilly runs into a shoulder and gets knocked down. Hanson rolls O’Reilly into the ring but takes a kick, then O’Reilly leg screws him into the ropes. O’Reilly with stiff strikes and Hanson is on the ground selling a leg. O’Reilly mounts Hanson and lands strikes. O’Reilly crushes the leg, but a cover gets one and the kick out sends O’Reilly outside the ring. Hanson tries to rally but whiffs a splash. Chop block from O’Reilly, cover for one.
[Q4] Hanson struggles to get to his feet. Another leg screw. O’Reilly knocks Hanson down again and sinks into a kneelock. Monster backdrop to O’Reilly. Sidewalk slam and a splash. Powerslam gets Hanson two. O’Reilly attacks the knee again. Hanson kicks O’Reilly out of the ring, then hits a suicide dive. Bronco Buster knocks O’Reilly out. Hanson heads to the second rope. Adam Cole comes down the back to yell at Hanson. Hanson ignores him and sets up a top rope moonsault, but the delay gives O’Reilly time to recover, he rolls under, stuff knee tot he face for two, arm bar transitions to an ankle lock, but Hanson gets to the ropes. Cole kicks Hanson through the ropes, axe kick and an elbow get O’Reilly two. Come on the apron, and Rowe finally shows up to take Cole out. Took him long enough, was he in catering?
O’Reilly wants a takedown, runs into a knee, lands strikes, clothesline from Hanson. Rowe thrws Cole into the ringsteps, but Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish jump Rowe. Dunne stomps down and takes out Strong and Fish with one punch each, then works Cole’s hand but Fish knocks Dunne down. The numbers game catches up until Ricochet shows up. O’Reilly takes advantage of the chaos, nails Hanson with the title belt, and gets the three count.
WINNER: Kyle O’Reilly at 11:57. Hanson looked like a complete chump there. O’Reilly had his number the whole match, slowly and methodically picking him apart and potentially wrecking his knee before Takveover: War Games on Saturday. The babyfaces looked confused and disorganized.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was the night for babyfaces to look like they didn’t stand a chance against the heels. Nothing great here, and I feel like the build to War Games isn’t as good as last year. With only four matches on the card, there is time for a surprise or some very long matches. Ohno vs. Riddle is now “next week,” presumably in the pre-War Games matches, which is quite the let down after the long build.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 11/7 NXT TV REPORT: Velveteen Dream vs. Lars Anderson, Heavy Machinery vs. The Forgotten Sons, Dakota Kai vs. Tayanara Conti
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