Peyton Royce def. Liv Morgan and Ember Moon in an NXT Women's Championship Triple Threat MatchIn theory, the Triple Threat stipulation definitely would have worked to their advantage so the three competitors could cycle out, but this was a glorified singles match with Moon out at ringside for a majority of the match. Morgan just isn't sympathetic as a babyface, so it's not as if the crowd rallied behind her here, but at least Royce looked dominant by being on offense throughout. Royce winning actually surprised me, but then again, the title match with Asuka will happen on next week's show, so I assume Moon will earn her shot at the strap sometime soon to set up that match. Pete Dunne def. MandrewsThis was one of my favorite matches from the WWE United Championship Kingdom Tournament last month, so I'm glad this was their introduction to the NXT fans. Mandrews is an amazing high-flyer while I'm a big fan of Dunne's intensity and hard-hitting style, so this was a truly terrific match. They told a solid story with Mandrews having to work from underneath, so the second half was excellent and the finishing sequence was fantastic. Here's hoping both men will be staples of NXT going forward.
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#AskGSM is a weekly Q&A video where I, Graham "GSM" Matthews answer fan questions from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in regards to the world of wrestling. Nothing is off limits, and this week’s edition touches upon a variety of topics including:
Silas Young def. Bull JamesI believe this was James' in-ring debut on ROH TV, and although he had a decent match with Young here, he didn't have as impressive of an outing as he probably should have. He isn't a bad wrestler by any means, especially for someone of his size, but in all honesty, the only thing about him that stood out as special was his "Bullfit" gimmick. When that's stripped away from him, it's pretty bland, and this match was just kind of there for me. Eating a loss in his first ROH match doesn't do him many favors, either. Colt Cabana def. The Boys in a 2-on-1 Handicap MatchAs I've said before, I'm glad they're moving forward with this feud between Cabana and Dalton Castle after their Final Battle bout two months ago. Despite turning heel, Cabana is still the same comedy character he was as a babyface, but at least he's entertaining, and he'll definitely elicit heat in attacking The Boys. He needed this win to build some credibility for himself, so I enjoyed this all around.
The Brian Kendrick def. Akira Tozawa by Count-outFar too often does it feel like Cruiserweights are limited in terms of what they can do in the ring, but it seemed Tozawa and Kendrick were able to let loose a bit and contest a pretty entertaining opener. As I've noted before, Tozawa is quickly winning over the audience with his charisma and exciting in-ring arsenal. In addition to the action being enjoyable, the psychology was solid as well and Kendrick tying up Tozawa's leg under the ring isn't something we see too often from heels. Thus, it was in line with what his character would do and kept the program alive. Noam Dar def. Mustafa AliThese two seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment, but at the very least, both of them are excellent athletes and this was a fun match. The biggest issue with having these guys trade victories back and forth is that they don't build any real momentum. And officials wonder why the crowds don't care about them for the most part. On a side note, the commentators acknowledged Alicia Fox's absence from ringside and Corey Graves said she was out sick.
Naomi Vacated the SmackDown Women's ChampionshipI hoped the injury Naomi discussed last week was a work, but apparently it's legitimate after all, which is a massive shame. She finally won the belt and then had it taken away from her because she got hurt. Bummer. She also must be out for a while if they're taking the title off her now and not waiting until WrestleMania. The emotion she showed here was real and was easily the best promo she has cut in her career. Alexa Bliss attempting to convince Daniel Bryan to simply hand her the belt back only for Bryan to put her in a match with Becky Lynch was well done. Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch to Win the SmackDown Women's ChampionshipThese two work well together, so although this was a good match, I don't understand why this wasn't a Triple Threat match also involving Mickie James. Didn't James beat Lynch on last week's SmackDown Live, anyway? It's a bout we've seen countless times before, so while it was nothing new from them, their latest in-ring encounter was solid for what it was. Bliss regaining the gold was the right call since she's the strongest character in the division at the moment.
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