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
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews >
        • Shockwave Reviews
        • NWA PPV Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
    • Year in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us

Columnist Corner

WWE NXT Review - September 1, 2020

9/1/2020

Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Isiah "Swerve" Scott and NXT Tag Team Champions Breezango def. Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) in a Street Fight

These six stars have been at odds for a while now, so the Street Fight stipulation felt fitting. It was also a hell of a way to kick off the evening and send the message that it was a major show. Everyone played their roles well, they worked a frantic pace, and there were enough exciting spots to make it memorable. It was also the best Breezango match I've seen in some time. I'm happy Scott finally won as Legado del Fantasma has been unstoppable up to this point and this sets up Scott vs. Escobar in a rematch for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Candice LeRae def. Kacy Catanzaro

I believe these two faced off originally earlier this year when LeRae first turned heel and I praised the decision to put Catanzaro up against LeRae because of how well she sells. That was once again the case here. They had a nice little match that essentially served as a showcase for LeRae. Catanzaro has been great in the enhancement role, but I'd like to see her get a push of her own eventually. In response to what Tegan Nox said about her, LeRae invited Nox over to her house in an attempt to hash things out. Obviously, that won't end well.

Timothy Thatcher def. Bronson Reed

Both of these guys want the next shot at the NXT North American Championship. I almost wish NXT waited to bring back Austin Theory until now because of how he interrupted Reed in that backstage segment a week ago. That made the finish to this match fairly predictable, but I enjoyed the outing, nonetheless. Reed hasn't been pinned in a while, so the interference from Theory at least protected him in defeat. As for Thatcher, expect him to contend for Damian Priest's North American title sooner rather than later.

Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano in a 60-Minute Iron Man Match for the NXT Championship Ended in a Draw Between Balor and Cole

As entertaining as this was on the whole, the constant commercial breaks were a big problem. It's why we don't tend to see many 60-minute Iron Man matches on TV. I especially hated when they went to commercial with seven minutes left. That was annoying. The layout was strong and there was never a dull moment, but it felt like it didn't reach that next gear until the final stretch. Worse yet, the draw finish was a letdown. Why hype this up as one of the greatest matches in the history of NXT TV only to do a draw and save Balor vs. Cole for next week? I understood why they did it with next week's episode also taking place on a Tuesday, but surely they could have gone with a more satisfying conclusion than that. It's also obvious that Balor is winning since there's virtually no chance Cole regains it so soon. It should be Balor vs. Ciampa next week instead of Balor vs. Cole, unless the former is being saved for the next TakeOver special.

Overall Show

Obviously, this show centered around the Iron Man match, but the first hour of the episode was solid between the Street Fight, LeRae's quick win, Reed vs. Thatcher, and the build for Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez inside a steel cage next week. It's just a bummer that the main event ended in such anticlimactic fashion, even if it was to set up Cole vs. Balor for next Tuesday night. It was a quality edition of NXT and the Iron Man matchup lived up to its billing for me, but that lame ending is all anyone will be talking about coming out of it.
Comments

    Categories

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


    Archives

    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
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews >
        • Shockwave Reviews
        • NWA PPV Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
    • Year in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us