For a more detailed recap, check our live results post here.
#MoustacheMountain @Tyler_Bate & @TrentSeven are invoking their rematch clause, and they’re ready to see #UndisputedERA @KORcombat & @roderickstrong in Brooklyn! #WWENXT #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/Q92uHEjOIf
— WWE (@WWE) August 2, 2018
Heavy Machinery def. The Mighty via pinfall following Compactor, and a distracting party in the stands from Street Profits. Moustache Mountain win a squash, then get on the mic to declare they’re as united as ever and exercising their tag title rematch against Undisputed ERA in Brooklyn.
With the opener, it seems like they were attempting to do for the tag team midcard what they’ve managed to do for the women’s ranks over the past month. And I commend them for it. Not sure it worked, though.
The main reason is we haven’t been given any reason to take any of these teams seriously. The revamp of TM-61 has done wonders for their look and the heel turn for their attitude, but a new logo doesn’t change the fact War Raiders ran over them in Chicago, or that they struggled to beat Otis Dozovic in a handicap match. I did like the continuity of Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson and Nigel McGuinness arguing over what happened to Tucker Knight to force that two-on-one, though.
Heavy Machinery had a championship match against Authors of Pain last summer and haven’t worked their way back into the title picture since. And Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins have been off our screens for a while, and that after coming up short in their own shot at the belts and feuding with a bickering Tino Sabatellli and Riddick Moss. Something Dozer and Tucky did, too.
If I’m Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Hanson or Rowe (the six men who this and recent episodes make crystal clear are the top of the tag scene), none of these dudes scare me.
EC3 def. Kona Reeves via pinfall following One Percent, despite a mid-match interruption/invitation by Velveteen Dream to bask in his Experience to settle their differences from London. In a backstage interview, EC3 says he’ll accept Dream’s invite, but it’ll be a fight not discourse.
Kevin Dunn must have shipped some of his team down to Florida for this taping, because the entrance theme distractions were a real problem. In all seriousness, it wasn’t a major issue, but having that cliche used in two of the first three matches on one episode really drove home how little NXT relies on some of the tropes the main roster loves.
Have to imagine this was Kona’s swan song, because the gimmick change did nothing for him, and I don’t know where it could go from here. Maybe the debuting Keith Lee - if he’s not part of The Experience Dream is planning for EC3 - takes him out next week and he’s off to wherever Bull Dempsey is these days.
Regarding EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream... color me intrigued. The clash of egomaniacal tweeners makes the whole thing difficult to forecast. Who’s cheered or booed? Will they work a traditional match structure? Most crucial, I think, is what Dream can get out of the former Derek Bateman. And not so much in terms of in-ring work, where we pretty much know what to expect out of the 35 year old at this point. But can he bring a truly compelling character out of what, to date in NXT anyway, has largely been a cool catchphrase-spouting machine.
And I’m not knocking the cool catchphrase-spouting machine. I’d just like a better hook before he moves into any higher profile feuds. As it stands, I’m not sure he doesn’t put Dream over in New York before heading to the main roster to be a cooler Bobby Roode.
Shayna Baszler def. Candice LeRae via submission with the Kirifuda Clutch. When the Women’s Champ reapplies the hold after the bell, #1 contender Kairi Sane runs in to break things up, but gets shoved down in an ensuing melee and never gets a piece of Baszler. Moustache Moutain run into War Raiders outside the arena, and Hanson and Rowe warn them that whoever wins at TakeOver will eventually lose to them.
The folks in charge backstage usually know how to emphasize the stars’ strengths, and there’s no better example than how they book Shayna. The champ comes across so well as a bully, I’m not even sure they’re using her style to mask a learning curve any more. Baszler could probably go move for move with just about anyone, but she’s so menacing in this character there’s no need to ever show off any other chops.
Similar praise for the presentation and performance from LeRae here. As much as I’ve harped on (begged for?) NXT to detach her story from her husband’s, they excel at playing the same kind of character: the never-say-die underdog. The opening bit of this match, where Shayna mockingly offers Candice an out and gets a series of dropkicks in response, was exactly what I want to see from Mrs. Wrestling. Well, that and trying and failing to mount a one-armed comeback against a sadistic submission specialist.
Was amazed when I checked the counter and saw this was only around eight minutes long - it both felt longer and went by in no time at all. Then, in addition to a really good match, we got a reminder of TakeOver’s title match and a glimpse of a pissed off Pirate Princess (my favorite kind, personally).
General Manager William Regal announces EC3 vs. Ricochet and a North American Title match between Adam Cole and Ricochet for Brooklyn. We’re informed Ricochet will be in action next week, and Keith Lee will debut on the same episode. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa soaks up the jeers from Full Sail and declares himself the greatest sports entertainer in history. Aleister Black enters to retort, but is lapped by Johnny Gargano, who attacks Ciampa and sends him running. Gargano rants about being the reason why his nemesis beat Black for the title, and earns a Black Mass kick from the former champion. Aleister agrees it’s Johnny’s fault, and leaves him laying alone in the ring.
- Not to harp on things, but Mr. Regal doesn’t look (or sound) great and as much as I love him if he’s not well I want him resting at home and not coming in for pre-tapes. Sending positive vibes, you old villain.
- Also, lordy does that TakeOver card look good!
- And while we’re beating dead horses (not literally), this story!
What happened in the main event segment was (a) very simple, (b) exactly what should have happened based on everything we’ve seen from these characters for the last year-plus, and (c) spectacularly well-executed.
Ciampa so clearly relishes being a d!ck, I have no idea how he managed to pull off the “Roode Bomb” era of #DIY as fan favorites. We’ll have to see how it translates to larger arenas (or if he gets anything approaching this caliber of material to work with when he gets to them), but his ability to read, play and interact with the crowd is approaching Owens/Jericho levels. Sure, Full Sail is eager to participate, but we’ve never seen them respond like this.
And, as a wise (The) Wrestling Blogger said:
you don't need to be a racist or a sexist to get heat. all you need to do is antagonize the elderly, it's a formula old as time in wrestling, god it's so simple
— Shohei Wawa (@tholzerman) August 2, 2018
Of course Black was going to calmly walk to the ring and vow to reclaim his title, probably by following Moustache Mountain’s lead and getting a rematch made for Brooklyn (that’s one main roster conceit which is alive and well in NXT). And, of course, Johnny F’n Nimrod had to race in and make it all about him.
So what did he get? Kicked in the freaking mush. While a room full of folks who just a couple months ago were gleefully holding up the signs they’d been handed with his emoticon on them chanted “You Deserve It”. Because he did. It’s all his fault, and being determined to fix it by acting the same way you’ve been acting for months will do nothing but make it worse.
This story!
I don’t know exactly where it goes from here (except to the pretty obvious threeway dance for Barclays), and I don’t want to spend too much time thinking about it, honestly. They’ve earned the right to tell it at their pace, shooting for their themes and goals. Will Johnny be redeemed, or corrupted further? Can Ciampa ever be satisfied? When will Aleister kill them both?
Tune in next week, Cagesiders. Same black-and-yellow time, same black-and-yellow channel.
After a bit of a slow start, this delivered the same way NXT’s been delivering for months.
Grade: A-
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