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BRM Reviews the 4/25/2018 NXT

Posted: Apr 26th, '18, 10:51
by Big Red Machine
UNDISPUTED ERA PROMO- great!
Undisputed Era came out with Roderick Strong wearing one of the tag belts and Roddy and Kyle being introduced as the tag champs. Roddy said he turned on Pete Dunne because he knows that all Dunne really cares about is his UK Title. He joined Undisputed Era because why should it be “Roddy vs. the world” when he can have people to fight on his side?
Cole and O’Reilly also spoke and were very good. Cole’s promo set up for the…

NXT NORTH AMERICAN TITLE MATCH: Adam Cole(c) vs. Oney Lorcan- no rating, good segment
Cole’s rips are heavily taped up. Lorcan worked them over and Cole sold very well. Undisputed Era and a trainer came out to check on Cole, which, of course, was a set-up to attack Lorcan while the ref was distracted (with Roddy doing the attacking), which allowed Cole to get the win. Danny Burch came out to help Lorcan but he got beaten down as well This did exactly what it needed to, which was get heat on Cole for his cheap win and for relying on interference when he said he wouldn’t need help, showing Roddy as a true part of the group, setting Lorcan up for a future title shot when Cole is healthier were Cole can beat him (preferably cleanly), and setting up for Roddy & Kyle vs. Lorcan & Burch.

SHAYNA BASZLER VIDEO PACKAGE- fine

BIANCA BELAIR VIDEO PACKAGE- GREAT!
She’s facing Candice next week in a match that should be given a lot of time so that it can help to start establish both women as top stars.

HEAVY MACHINERY vs. RIDDICK MOSS & TINO SABBATELLI- no rating, fine segment. Moss turns on Sabbatelli.

HEAVY MACHINERY PROMO- fine

NIKKI CROSS VIDEO PACKAGE- meh

CATHY KELLY INTERVIEWS BULLYING VICTIM DAKOTA KAI- Then Shayna Baszler shows up to bully her some more. Someone needs to show her some B.A. Star videos. John Cena can’t spare a day from his busy schedule to teach poor Dakota to stand up for herself?

NXT TITLE MATCH: Aleister Black(c) vs. Johnny Gargano- The match never happens because Ciampa assaults Gargano on his way to the ring and Johnny is stretchered off and sent to the hospital. I don’t like this, simply because that Takeover match was too good and too all-encompassing to not be a blow-off. Ciampa standing on top of the production truck and waving good bye looked really goofy.

SEGMENT TO SET UP A NEW MAIN EVENT- fine
Aleister Black comes out. He starts to call out Ciampa but is interrupted by SAnitY (minus Nikki Cross). Eric Young starts to cut some goofy promo until Aliester Black interrupted him and just cut to the chase, asking if he wanted a title match.

NXT TITLE MATCH: Aleister Black(c) vs. Eric Young- 6.75/10
Black gets the decisive win and fights off an attack from the rest of SAnitY as well, laying them all out with Black Mass.

This was a fine episode of NXT, moving things along and setting up for the future. My only issue with it is actually more of an issue with WWE than it is with NXT, and that is the fact that SAnitY’s call-up made tonight’s title match feel even more like a lame duck than it otherwise would have (same goes with last week’s Sullivan vs. Dain match)… and for what is essentially no reason because SAnitY haven’t even appeared on Smackdown, yet. The only reason their call0up was announced was because “it’s the Superstar Shakeup and that’s when we shake up the rosters so we had to announce it then,” which is, of course, a bullsh*t answer. Even by WWE’s own nebulous explanations, the Superstar Shakeup is when roster moves happen between Raw and Smackdown (“trades,” as they sometimes do and sometimes don’t call them). SAnitY are an NXT call-up so there is no reason they can’t happen at any point during the year. Hell… the very week RIGHT BEFORE THE SUPERSTAR SHAKEUP we had Ember Moon, No Way Jose, Billy Kay, and Peyton Royce all called up. If you’re not even going to use SAnitY on Smackdown and you’ve got them booked in matches on NXT over the next few weeks, why even announce the call-up at all and the kill the pop that you would get for them just showing up as a surprise? This one stupid move was bad for everyone involved, and all because of WWE’s adherence to this idiotic catchphrase show they’ve created. Yes, the Superstar Shakeup is a plot device to allow them to create fresh match-ups (as they all but had Coach explain to us on Raw a few weeks ago), but that doesn’t mean that such things must be announced ONLY during The Superstar Shakeup Episodes of Raw and Smackdown if it is something that you don’t need the kayfabe parameters of the Superstar Shakeup to do!

Re: BRM Reviews the 4/25/2018 NXT

Posted: Apr 26th, '18, 20:53
by KILLdozer
It's gonna be incredible to see Dakota Kai finally kick the living shit out of Bazler. I can already feel the excitement.

Re: BRM Reviews the 4/25/2018 NXT

Posted: Apr 26th, '18, 22:49
by KILLdozer
Also, going off The Iconics conversation from earlier, I'd say Knight is better, but it's somewhat hard to compare them. He's like the "straight man", and Dozovich is just such a fuckin' idiot lol.

Re: BRM Reviews the 4/25/2018 NXT

Posted: Apr 26th, '18, 22:51
by KILLdozer
Where has Nikki Cross even been lately? Lol.

Is she also going to SD or no?

You'd think, but her solo video package could make you think otherwise.