WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
    • WWE Reviews >
      • Raw Reviews
      • SmackDown Reviews
      • NXT Reviews
      • Other >
        • 205 Live Reviews
        • NXT UK Reviews
        • Main Event Reviews
        • Superstars Reviews
        • ECW Reviews
    • AEW Reviews >
      • Dynamite Reviews
      • Dark Reviews
      • Elevation Reviews
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us

Columnist Corner

WWE NXT Review - April 29, 2020

4/29/2020

Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Isiah "Swerve" Scott def. El Hijo del Fantasma in an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match

I completely forgot until Scott mentioned it afterward that these two are Lucha Underground alumni. In fact, they actually faced off in that promotion at least one time from what I could gather. They had a really enjoyable match here and both guys had the chance to shine. Normally, I'd question Fantasma losing his second week in, but it was done in a way where he was protected in defeat. Plus, Scott needed the win after losing to Akira Tozawa two weeks ago.

Candice LeRae def. Kacy Catanzaro

LeRae getting new entrance music to match her new dark persona was a smart move, and I also like how Johnny Gargano is serving as her manager. We haven't seen a ton of Catanzaro on NXT TV lately, but I thought she had a solid showing here. It was a nice little match that successfully got LeRae over as a threat. I'm digging the duo of Gargano and LeRae and I think it has the potential to be the blast. On a side note, I'm looking forward to Gargano vs. Dominik Dijakovic next week.
Picture

Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) Attacked NXT Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher on The Newly-Bro Show

Personally, I liked this game show-style segment. I understand that it won't be for everyone (Byron Saxton was almost unbearable at certain points), but I found it funny and Riddle and Thatcher played off each other well. Imperium attacking Riddle and Thatcher should lead to them clashing for the NXT Tag Team Championship on an upcoming episode of NXT. I know Riddle and Pete Dunne were in the middle of a feud with The Grizzled Young Veterans before the pandemic happened, but I honestly wouldn't mind Imperium taking the titles from them if that's the direction they end up going in.

NXT Women's Champion Charlotte Flair def. Mia Yim (Non-Title)

I love that they went back to this six years removed from their first encounter on NXT (and no, it wasn't Flair's in-ring debut as she claimed at one point). The psychology was on-point and Yim was made to look like an equal to Flair in defeat. Granted, the outcome was never in doubt, but it was a competitive contest and Yim lost nothing here. She can lose to the bigger stars and still be considered credible. Flair vs. Io Shirai for the NXT Women's Championship next week should be stellar.

Dexter Lumis def. Shane Thorne

Lumis is still a work in progress, but he's coming along nicely and his character is definitely intriguing. I think he'd work better as as heel, but I'll reserve judgement until I see what they have in mind with him and Undisputed Era. While this was exactly what it needed as a showcase for Lumis, I question the decision to have Thorne be the one to get fed to him considering he and Brendan Vink will be facing Ricochet and Cedric Alexander again next week on Raw. Here's hoping that means MVP won't be their manager full-time and he'll be managing someone more important instead.

Drake Maverick def. Tony Nese in an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match

I figured there was a chance Maverick would win since his opponent was Nese (who has been a stepping stone in the Cruiserweight division for the past year) and I'm glad he did. They worked well together, produced a pretty good match, and hit all the right notes with Maverick being the sympathetic underdog and Nese attempting to end his Cinderella story prematurely. If Maverick can win his next matchup against Kushida, he very well could advance to the finals (and I believe he should).

NXT North American Champion Keith Lee def. Damian Priest

I feel these hoss battles suffer the most from not having a crowd (see: Lee vs. Priest vs. Dijakovic from earlier this month), as there's no one there to react to their incredible feats of strength and athleticism. Despite that, this was a hell of a match from Lee and Priest. Although Priest's character and mic work lacks at times (I'd argue he's been improving in that department lately), he never ceases to deliver in the ring, especially when he's in there with someone as talented as Lee. Priest winning the title was certainly a possibility, so the suspense and drama added to the outing. With Lee winning decisively, I'm curious who will be next to challenge Lee for the championship. He's already knocked off Roderick Strong, Dijakovic, Priest and Cameron Grimes, so Johnny Gargano and Karrion Kross might be viable options.

Overall Show

First of all, it was a treat to hear Mauro Ranallo and Beth Phoenix on commentary again alongside Tom Phillips. While they weren't there in person, they recorded their lines from home and, for the most part, you couldn't even tell. NXT struggles more from not having a crowd than Raw and SmackDown because the fans are a big part of what makes the shows so fun. That said, NXT has managed to remain entertaining on the whole in recent weeks and I thought this was one of their strongest shows yet. It felt focused, the matches and segments served a purpose and held my attention, feuds were furthered, and the hype for next week was well done. The lineup for that show looks outstanding on paper and is almost TakeOver worthy, so fingers crossed it's as epic as advertised.
Comments

    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2021 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
    • WWE Reviews >
      • Raw Reviews
      • SmackDown Reviews
      • NXT Reviews
      • Other >
        • 205 Live Reviews
        • NXT UK Reviews
        • Main Event Reviews
        • Superstars Reviews
        • ECW Reviews
    • AEW Reviews >
      • Dynamite Reviews
      • Dark Reviews
      • Elevation Reviews
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us