WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact

Columnist Corner

WWE NXT Review - January 29, 2020

1/29/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Finn Balor def. Trent Seven

When Balor attempted to ambush Johnny Gargano backstage at Worlds Collide, Moustache Mountain made the save, leading to this match. Balor's newfound aggression has been a breath of fresh air as far as his matches go and Seven was his usual excellent self. It was a very hard-hitting affair and Balor went over he should have. The outcome was never in doubt, but I enjoyed this for what it was.

Shotzi Blackheart def. Deonna Purrazzo

Blackheart eliminated Purrazzo from the Battle Royal two weeks ago and Purrazzo vowed revenge by attacking her backstage following last week's episode. Blackheart has a ton of potential and has boatloads of charisma, but she's a work in progress in the ring. Purrazzo is the better wrestler of the two, but she doesn't stand out nearly as much. This was a decent match that gave Blackheart a nice momentum-boosting victory.
Picture

NXT North American Champion Keith Lee Addressed the Audience; Dominik Dijakovic def. Damian Priest

Lee just radiates super stardom every time he makes his entrance. He's had a hell of a past week between winning the NXT North American Championship, facing off with Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble and now receiving this reaction from the Full Sail University faithful. He basically said he'll take on all comers before being interrupted by Priest and Dijakovic, who both own singles victories over Lee (which I'm surprised they didn't reference). Priest and Dijakovic had a really fun match that played to their strengths and featured a ton of jaw-dropping spots. It looks like Dijakovic may be next in line for a shot at Lee's title, which is fine by me.

Tommaso Ciampa Attacked NXT Champion Adam Cole

Ciampa and Cole have been feuding over the NXT Championship since Ciampa returned to action four months ago and it was clear NXT was holding off on having them clash for the title until the time was right. Well, TakeOver: Portland is as good of a time as any for the match to happen. Ciampa and Cole did a great job of heating their rivalry back up with this angle. Ciampa in particular looked like a total badass putting Cole through a table and subsequently signing the contract for their match at TakeOver: Portland with his own blood. For some reason, it didn't seem as corny as when The Fiend did it on SmackDown last week.

Tegan Nox def. Dakota Kai

I realize this was designed to be less of a match and more of an angle, but I wasn't a fan of how they went through with it instead of saving it for TakeOver. They brawled all around ringside and really brought the fight to each other, which I appreciated, but I could have done without Nox straight up pinning Kai. I'm well aware that she used the knee brace to beat Kai and Candice LeRae's interference made sense, but I think a non-finish would have worked better in this case.

Kayden Carter def. Chelsea Green

I mentioned the amazing week Lee's had, yet Green's week has been the complete opposite. Did her Royal Rumble appearance really mean anything when she lasted all of 10 seconds? Worse yet, she lost her debut match to someone who had never won on NXT TV before. The match was well wrestled for the most part, but Green didn't have the most impressive showing. We'll see where this goes, but Green isn't off to the strongest start in NXT.

The BroserWeights def. Grizzled Young Veterans to Win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

I wouldn't have had a problem with this happening at TakeOver, and in fact, I would have preferred it because of how outstanding it was. However, I understand Riddle and Dunne are being set up for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship in Portland. At least we got an above-average NXT TV main event out of it where it was all action from bell to bell and both teams had phenomenal performances. Grizzled Young Veterans have scored a few upsets throughout this tournament and it wouldn't have been a stretch for them to win the whole thing, so there was definitely some unpredictability surrounding the outcome. Riddle and Dunne have become such a stellar tandem in the span of a few weeks and it's been the best thing for both of them. Here's hoping they walk out of TakeOver as the new tag champs.

Overall Show

As enjoyable of an episode as this was on the whole, there were more questionable booking decisions than usual, specifically with the women. Green losing her debut match was odd and Nox vs. Kai felt rushed. Plus, we didn't hear from Rhea Ripley or Bianca Belair at all despite their newsworthy weekends. On the bright side, the main event was exceptional, Ciampa vs. Cole for the NXT Championship was confirmed for TakeOver, and there were two quality matches with Balor and Seven as well as with Seven and Priest. It's crazy to think TakeOver is right around the corner already given we just had Royal Rumble weekend, but I'm looking forward to it, nonetheless.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    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 Draft
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    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

©2023 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact