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Our preview for tonight's WWE NXT on USA, where Chase U will defend the NXT Tag Team Titles against former champs Tony D'Angelo and Stacks.
Posted in: Sports, TV, USA Network, WWE | Tagged: Bron Breakker, NXT, NXT 2.0, NXT Championship, NXT Recaps, pete dunne, recaps, tommaso ciampa, USA Network, war games, wrestling, wwe, WWE Recaps
NXT 2.0 Recap 11/9: A Wrestling Show Focused On… Wrestling?!
Hey gang! So far, the NXT 2.0 era has produced inconsistent results. One week we'll get some pretty solid matches and a look at a promising up-and-coming talent, only to follow that up the next week with an episode filled with silly comedy and a very little amount of wrestling. I'm a firm believer that any wrestling show is at its best when it's as simple as possible and a show like NXT, which is supposed to just be a showcase for young talent cutting their teeth in WWE, well that should be even more simple. NXT 2.0 has seemingly gotten away from that and I don't think it's necessarily helping anyone and certainly isn't helping the product. But it's a new week and a new episode, so let's see if they can right the ship… for this week at least.
Io Shirai, Kacy Catanzaro, & Kayden Carter vs Toxic Attraction
Hey! A wrestling match to open the show!
An ok opening tag match here, even though the babyface team of the sadly under-utilized Catanzaro/Carter duo and Shirai (arguably the best wrestler in the world) are worlds ahead of their opponents talent-wise and are clearly carrying all of the weight here.
Jayne again has a diving through the ropes issue (though at least this one wasn't a dangerous situation) when she tags in and tries to perform a diving roll through the ropes, but again her feet hit the ropes. Someone should really tell her to stop doing things like that before something goes really wrong.
I am going to note a segment in the middle here, where Rose locks Catanzaro up is a waist lock with her thighs on the mat, and let's be clear, this is a move you would never see men doing on each other. What I'm getting at is how with NXT 2.0, we're really starting to veer back to the "male gaze" of women's wrestling where it has to have sexiness to it. Again, can you imagine Roman Reigns doing this move to Brock Lesnar? No, because it looks sexually suggestive and in the minds of the drooling old men in the back, two women doing it is hot, whereas two men doing it is gross.
Ultimately, Carter gets on a roll against Dolin and heads to the top rope, but when she's distracted by Jayne on the outside, Dolin whips her off the top rope and then performs a sort of STO into a roll-up for the pinfall.
Winners: Toxic Attraction
We now go to a backstage interview with Pete Dunne, who says if Tony D'Angelo wants him, he can go face-to-face with "the baddest man in NXT". Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes take issue with his self-complement and get in his face about it. Dunne then challenges Hayes to a match tonight.
Next, we get another dumbass video with MSK wandering around trying to find some guy.
Sarray vs Kay Lee Ray
A pretty decent back and forth battle here between two women who have had a lot of start and stop runs in NXT thus far. They get a lot in in about five minutes here, but Ray sends it home with the K.O. Bomb for the pinfall.
Winner: Kay Lee Ray
We go to a backstage interview with Joe Gacy now, where he says he's facing Boa tonight to help him realize he doesn't have to hide and can be himself. He then calls out to Harland and says tonight, he's doing it for "us".
Next, we get a video package from Bron Breakker, detailing his recent spot on the WWE UK Tour, where he was able to perform with some of the main roster talents. He ends it with a message for NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, saying he's getting a Ph.D. in kicking his ass (I guess that's different than John Cena's doctorate in Thugganomics) for when he gets back to the U.S.
Boa vs Joe Gacy
They're having a straight match here and then suddenly, things get all spooky when the lights start flashing red and Boa seems to snap, grabbing Gacy by the throat and choking him on the ropes, leading to the ref to disqualify him. As soon as Boa releases his grip, everything goes back to normal in the arena.
Ok so, this is going to be a divisive turn for Boa and it's all based on how you approach wrestling. If you want strictly realism and no silliness, then yeah you're not going to be on board. But if you're cool with a bit of heavy flavor in your fictional competition ala The Undertaker, then you might enjoy this.
Winner: Joe Gacy
We now go to the Diamond Mine training facility, where they're watching Kushida and Ikemen Jiro's promo from last week projected onto the wall as they work. Malcolm Bivens then cuts a promo hyping up The Creed Brothers ahead of their match with them tonight.
Next, we go to a backstage interview with Solo Sikoa, where he's interrupted by Grayson Waller and LA Knight, who argue with each other in front of him. Sikoa gets sick of it and challenges them to a Triple Threat match tonight.
Jacket Time vs The Creed Brothers
So of course Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard put the two Japanese guys together to make a tag-team that's totally played for laughs and has a really stupid team name. Some things never change…
The match itself is a fun one, with both teams looking good and getting their moments. The Creeds continue to look very impressive. Their strength and physical abilities are matched by their intensity and they are among the most believable presentations in all of NXT and maybe even WWE right now.
Eventually, Roderick Strong interferes and this allows Julius Creed to hit a big Gutwrench Powerbomb to Jiro to get the pinfall.
Winners: The Creed Brothers
After the match, Odyssey Jones runs out and throws Strong around and a brief brawl breaks out in the ring until Diamond Mine retreats.
We now go outside to catch Toxic Attraction as they're leaving the arena. They shut down the interviewer and talk some trash until Raquel Gonzalez interrupts them as she rolls up on a motorcycle that has the whole giant safety front attachment to it that makes it look like some middle-aged guy's midlife crisis "weekend warrior" bike, which really isn't cool at all and looks silly cause she really thinks it does. This is certainly a far cry from Undertaker looking like the legit biker badass he actually was.
Gonzalez then rides her Pow-Pow-Power Wheels prop into the arena and marches into the ring, where she cuts a promo on Dakota Kai and demands she get out to face her. Crazy Kai obliges her and as she talks about enjoying beating Gonzalez with a shovel at Halloween Havoc, she's jumped from behind by Cora Jade. Referees separate them and Gonzalez tells Jade that Kai is hers first.
We now go to Chase University, where Andre Chase does another lecture to a class of students about mental toughness. He eventually blows and curses out everyone. I just don't get this gimmick. Why does this guy have a "University" and who are these students and why the hell would anyone pay to learn from a guy who has accomplished nothing and appears to be a complete idiot and…
(Ryan reads about Trump University quickly)
Oh… Oh.
Next, we go to a video of the Grizzled Young Veterans doing some comedy schtick in public, where they're scamming people for food? This is completely asinine, to say the least, which I will.
Cameron Grimes vs Ru Feng
Man, Feng is an impressive-looking guy. A really big dude that looks like a Mortal Kombat character come to life.
And hopefully one day he can fight like one too, but right now he still appears to be pretty green and working on stuff. Which is ok! That's what NXT is supposed to be for! Grimes is a seasoned wrestler, so it's good that Feng has someone to work with that he can learn from and get better from the experience.
Duke Hudson makes his way out to ringside in the middle of this one and has a good view of Grimes hitting the Cave-In for the pinfall.
Winner: Cameron Grimes
After the match, Hudson grabs a mic and demands answers from Grimes as to how he beat him at Poker last week? The "WHAT?!" chants break out hard here, but it appears Hudson and Grimes are kind of playing into them. They have some tense words with one another and Hudson declares that next week they're going to have a "Poker Showdown".
Why are they playing Poker again? How about a wrestling match? You know, cause they're wrestlers and that's how these kinds of guys have settled issues for the past 100 years?
Solo Sikoa vs Grayson Waller vs LA Knight
This one starts with Waller and Knight arguing, which allows Sikoa to wipe them out.
They have a decent Triple Threat match from there. Sikoa looks like the legitimate threat throughout, but each of the other two gets their moments. They are ultimately undone by their obsession with one-upping each other, which allows Sikoa to hit the top rope Uso splash on Knight for the pinfall.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
We now head backstage to an interview with Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta, where they're interrupted by Tony D'Angelo who says he's going to destroy Hartwell's husband Dexter Lumis next week. He then hands her a fish with Lumis' name on it.
Now we get a video package detailing NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa's run on the WWE UK Tour, where he talks about what it takes to be Champion and has words of his own for Bron Breakker.
Elektra Lopez vs Erica Yan
It's squash time as Lopez just destroys Yan here and quickly.
Winner: Elektra Lopez
After the match, Lopez grabs the mic and demands Xyon Quinn come to the ring, which he does. She invites him to join Legado del Fantasma and he politely declines. Wilde & Mendoza then try to get rough with him, but Quinn wipes them out and tosses them from the ring. Lopez tries to strike him then, but he catches her and pulls her in tight for a very suggestive look.
We now get a trailer announcing the return of War Games to NXT 2.0 on Sunday, December 5, which will be a pay-per-view event, streaming on Peacock.
We go to a backstage interview with Kyle O'Reilly, where he says that he and Von Wagner have their eyes on the NXT Tag Team titles. He's approached by the current champs, Imperium, but Von Wagner appears behind him then to ward off a possible attack from the champs.
Pete Dunne vs Carmelo Hayes
A good hard-hitting bout here that brought out a tougher side of Hayes that we haven't seen before.
After a bit of opening back and forth, Dexter Lumis appears suddenly at the announce table and puts on a headset. The commentators try asking him questions and including him in the match coverage, but Lumis just sits there quietly.
Hayes has a nice run with some innovative offense, but Dunne is able to get back into things. They exchange strikes and moves and as Trick Williams tries to get involved, Lumis uppercuts him at ringside to take him out.
We then see a hand reach up from under the apron to grab Hayes' leg, which distracts him and gives Dunne the opening to hit The Bitter End for the pinfall.
Winner: Pete Dunne
After the match, we see Johnny Gargano rise up from under the ring, as he and Lumis extend thumbs up to each other. Dunne and Gargano then argue over who has claim to challenge Hayes for the NXT North American title as NXT 2.0 ends.
Ok, so this week's episode was obviously much, much better than last week's dismal output. Lot's of wrestling matches that drove the show and while there was still too much comedy and silly shit going on (and way too many of these "on the town" video segments), it didn't sink the show this week.
Till next time friends!
11/9 NXT 2.0
6/10
A really good main event match and a show that was mostly matches definitely made this week's episode a major upgrade over last week's awful display. I hope they continue to lessen the amount of backstage nonsense and they definitely need to do away with these silly video segments featuring wrestlers doing some side garbage out and about in the community, but overall, that didn't sink this week's show and the wrestling was front and center. That's always going to be a plus.
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