SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV REPORT
APRIL 3, 2019
TAPED IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
No pre-credits video this week. The announcers remind us that Bianca Belair is facing Kairi Sane tonight.
War Raiders kick the show off. Have they had a match since Takeover: Phoenix? I suspect not. They are more absentee than Brock Lesnar, I think, if you count Paul Heyman as partial credit.
(1) WAR RAIDERS (HANSON & ROWE) vs. JOBBERS – Tag Team Match
Rowe starts by running over one jobber, then he drags the other in the ring just because. Tag to Hanson, the legal jobber gets fed for a spinning heel kick. Rowe throws Hanson into the jobber in the corner. Rowe sends the legal opponent skyhigh for Hanson to get and powerslam for the win.
WINNERS: War Raiders at 1:03.
Post-match, they cut a short promo, and demand another pair of opponents. They get Cesar Bononi with a Gomez Adams mustache and Adrian Jaoude.
(2) WAR RAIDERS (HANSON & ROW) vs. CESAR BONONI & ADRIAN JOAUDE – Tag Team Match
Another quick squash.
WINNERS: War Raiders at 1:21.
Video package on Walter facing NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne for the NXT UK Championship at Takeover: New York.
Interview with a smiling Candice LaRae outside the arena. She says she is excited for Johnny Gargano’s match, and she says she wants a title. Aliyah and Vanessa Bourne come from behind and say that Gargano will lose and she will be a failure too. LaRae says that she will earn a title shot, and will start by beating up Aliyah. Aliyah stomps off.
(3) ONEY LORCAN (w/Danny Burch) vs. JAXSON RYKER (w/Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler)
Ryker immediately forces Lorcan to the corner. Nigel McGuinness tries to claim that Lorcan has never faced someone the size of Ryker. Lorcan tries chops and shoulder blocks by Ryker no sells it, picks him up and throws him on the ropes, Lorcan lands outside. Burch runs over to protect Lorcan from Blake and Cutler. Overhead press into a gutbuster gets Ryker two. Ryker blocks a sunset flip attempt, then cinches in a bearhug. Lorcan grabs a fistful of beard and punches Ryker to escape, then delivers a series of chops and running uppercuts to inject some much-needed motion into this match. Lorcan runs into a clothesline, then takes a sitout slam/powerbomb for the loss.
WINNER: Jaxson Ryker at 5:25. This was a slow, plodding mess that had no business on the final build for Takeover: New York.
Flashback to Triple H announcing that NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa has vacated the title and that Johnny Gargano will face the winner of a Fatal Five-way at Takeover: New York for the NXT Championship, with Adam Cole winning the match.
Video package on NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream defending his championship against the undefeated Matt Riddle at Takeover: New York.
Flashback to five weeks ago when Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic fought to a double countout. The the Performance Center altercation a week later. Triple H said on a conference call last week that their rematch was delayed by something outside of their control, but did not elaborate. Interview “earlier today” with Keith Lee. Lee says there was some chaos and they were “bumped from the event”. Lee says he is the event, they are not chosen, but he made sure he was the first in line to talk to William Regal, but the match will happen in two weeks, and Dijakovic will bask in his glory.
Street Profits and European Union will face each other next week. Next week will also feature Candice LaRae against Aliyah.
(4) KAIRI SANE vs. BIANCA BELAIR
Lockup with a divided audicence. Sane tries a rollup, Belair backflips out. They tell each other to bring it, Sane with a big chop. Sane dodges Belair then mocks her. Interceptor spear followed by a low dropkick and a sliding knee send Belair to the outside. Sane lands an elbow outside, then marches up the stairs. Cover in the ring gets Sane two, then Sane moves into the Anchor, but Belair gets out and hits a leaping powerslam for a two count. Belair gets two again, then puts Sane in an abdominal stretch. Belair lifts Sane up, backbreaker for two again. Belair covers Sane with her foot while saying “ahoy” and gets two. Sane tries an octopus mid-ring. Sane gets caught on a crossbody attempt and Belair counters with a fallaway slam, then tries a splash mid-ring but Sane gets knees up. Sane low-bridges Belair then dropkicks her off the apron. A flurry of offense from Sane, with a pair of running neckbreakers. Sane hits the sliding knee in the corner, goes up top for an elbow drop and gets two. Superplex from Belair, who stays in the tree of woe position, lifts herself up, standing moonsault into a trio of two counts. Sane looks for a triangle, Belair lifts her up for a powerbomb, Sane escapes. Double chickenwing lift, then NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler interferes to end the match, with backup from Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir.
WINNER: No Contest at 8:25. Fine match to hype the women’s championship match at Takeover, I like that neither Sane nor Belair looked like they were just biding time for the interference, and were really trying to win in a very personal match.
Post-match, Io Shirai makes the save. Then the women’s locker room pours out and they all gang up on the Three Horsewomen to clear them out. Belair overhead presses Shafir and throws her out of the ring, then Shirai knocks Belair outside and moonsaults the crowd.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall, this was a very weak final show before Takeover: New York. There was no good reason to put the Lorcan – Ryker match on this show at all, that time could have been better used, and it makes me fear that next week we will see Lorcan and Burch facing Blake and Cutler, a match I have zero interest in seeing.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 3/27 NXT TV REPORT: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals, Gargano-Cole Contract Signing, Riddle vs. Reeves, Takeover hype
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