 Johnny Gargano stretches out TJ Perkins. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Rich Swann def. Lince Dorado in a Second Round Match I had completely forgotten about Dorado from the first round. Not because he was bad, but rather because we have had so many notable names and exceptional performers in this tremendous tournament that it's difficult to keep track of them all. Swann has been one to watch and his crazy charisma should make him a fan favorite in NXT in no time. I liked how it was not only a great wrestling match, but their antics were entertaining as well with both guys dancing and whatnot. This was perfectly placed in the opening slot and I'm glad Swann advanced. Zack Sabre Jr. def. Drew Gulak in a Second Round Match Sabre's style of wrestling is different than everyone else's in this tourney, which is what I like about him because he's unique in that respect. His methodical pace can be boring for some and genius for others. In fact, I truly though this was a better match than what we saw from him in the first round, and that shouldn't be surprising simply because Gulak is great, too. It had an old school feel to it and the constant counters were a blast. I look forward to seeing Sabre go far into the finals, hopefully.
0 Comments
 Authors of Pain dominate their competition. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Tye Dillinger def. Wesley Blake As expected, Dillinger was mega over with the audience in Brooklyn, and I was hoping he would be included on the pre-TakeOver TV taping when I was there. In fact, his immense popularity was what saved the match from being a total bore because no one could care less about Blake, and why should they? It's amazing to think he was defending the NXT Tag Team Championship at last year's Brooklyn special. Oh, what a difference a year can make. The match overstayed its welcome by a few minutes, but thankfully, Dillinger was so over that he held the crowd's attention. The Authors of Pain def. TM-61 This marked my first time seeing either tandem in person, so that was a treat. TM-61 are a ton of fun to watch in the ring, and The Authors of Pain have plenty of potential to be a better version of what The Ascension once were. They sold quite well for TM-61 and this was the most vulnerable they have ever looked, producing their best bout in NXT to date. I figured this would be a full-fledged feud, and maybe it might be, but there was a decisive finish, so I suppose we'll see.  By Graham "GSM" Matthews
"Hangman" Adam Page def. Jonathan Gresham It's amazing how much more refreshed Page feels following his heel turn. I couldn't have cared less about him during The Decade, and while I initially thought having him join The Bullet Club would be overkill, it has been the best thing for him and the group. Gresham has performed well in the few times I've seen him on television, and this was a flashy, fun squash match to further Page's momentum. Coming off his clean victory over Jay Briscoe at Death Before Dishonor, I hope ROH fully intends to push him accordingly. Kamaitachi def. Stuka Jr. This was my first look at Stuka and he impressed me right off the bat. Kamaitatchi always excels whenever he's in action, but Stuka had a strong showing here and quickly made me take notice of him and his awe-inspiring aerial abilities. I would like to see Kamaitachi build more credibility with wins such as this so he's appears to be more than just the lackey for The Addiction.  AJ Styles goes to work on Dolph Ziggler. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon and SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan Introduced the New Tag Team and Women's Titles Well, we were all expecting this to happen eventually, and while I was originally in favor of having only one women's and one tag team title, this was necessary in ensuring Superstars aren't going back and forth between brands. The presentation of both belts was well done and I liked how they made two new matches for Backlash right off the bat. I'm not crazy about them using the same designs as Raw's women's and tag titles, but the blue color is fine, I suppose. Thanks to the Connecticut crowd for not crapping on the titles the same way Brooklyn did at SummerSlam. I appreciate that. Becky Lynch def. Alexa Bliss Bliss is still not the complete package in the ring just yet, but she does excel in just about every other area. As I've said in the past, in working with better wrestlers such as Lynch, she will be on that same level in no time. She had an impressive outing here against Lynch and I was fine with Lynch getting her win back following her team's loss at SummerSlam. Meanwhile, the bickering between Natalya and Naomi didn't do much for me on commentary, but at least it wasn't over-the-top.  By Graham "GSM" Matthews
#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:
|
Categories
All
Archives
February 2026
|
RSS Feed