Hype Video for the week - EC3 gets revenge on the man who tried to end his career, My boy Bobby Fish
Ricochet vs Mystery Opponent - US Title
Mia Yim vs Reina Gonzalez - winner qualifies for Fatal 4 Way number 1 contender match
BOBBY FISH (W/UNDISPUTED ERA) v EC3
Here comes one of the best themes in wrestling. Undisputed Era pose at the top of the ramp, will we get it? Will we get it? There it is! Kyle O’Reilly's belt air guitar. What a guy. For some reason Adam Cole does his BayBay despite not being in the match. He does then call EC3 the top 1% of morons which was good. He goes on to say 2018 was the start of a decade of dominance for the Undisputed Era.
EC3 interrupts Cole. Personally I would have preferred Fish to do the promo as he’s in the match. but Cole was good here. Sidenote - ReDRagon are the reason I first watched New Japan, are the only wrestlers I’ve ever paid for a photo of and I have 2 reDRagon shirts plus a Bobby Fish solo one. To Summarise I like ReDRagon.
EC3 brings Bobby in the hard way. Fish goes after the knee and EC3 just picks him up and power bombs him. All EC3 so far and the crowd is behind him. I don’t quite get EC3, he has a banging tune and is good on the mic but never really excites me in ring, bit like Adam Cole really.
All EC3 until Kyle and Roddy distract him and Fish takes out the knee he beat up with the crutch a month or so a go and goes to work. Both men coming in with knee strapping makes for an interesting dynamic as both have a target. Nice exploder from Bobby.
Fish neck snapped on the ropes following an Irish whip. That looked nasty. Hope he’s OK. Again, the Era distract EC3 and Fish goes back to the knee but an inside cradle by EC3 wins it! Beat down from the Era on Carter but here comes Heavy Machinery! They fight off the the heels and keep Kyle in the ring passing him to EC3 to hit the 1 percenter. Followed by a worm into an elbow drop from Dozovic.
Nice solid TV match to start the episode. Sets up Heavy Machinery for the Title shot they were talking about last week too.
DAKOTA KAI & IO SHIRAI INTERVIEW
Interview with Dakota Kai and Io Shirai. We’re not taking any more crap from Jessamyn Duke or Marina Shafir. We want them in a tag next week! Simple and effective...
ONEY LORCAN & DANNY BURCH v THE MIGHTY
Recap of The Mighty taking out Lorcan and Burch after their match 2 weeks ago. The two teams will go again. Next
I like the Mighty’s theme music. Oney Lorcan is one of the most underrated performers in wrestling. These two just look hard. Straight into brawling. Lorcan flies over the top and takes out the The Mighty. Lorcan catches a Rana attempt from Thorne into a Powerbomb transferred into the half crab. Lovely stuff.
Big spinebuster from Miller on Oney. Burch plants Miller with a punch, Lou Thesz on Thorne then another big shot on Miller followed by a ‘Do one ya mug’. Bloody loved that. Huge Lariat from Thorne on Burch, then he leaps into a powerbomb position on Miller who backs into the corner where Lorcan is on the top rope.
Thorne superplexes Oney whilst being powerbombed by Miller - that was pretty cool! Miller throws his partner on top of Oney, but Burch tackles Miller into the pin to break the 3. Great sequence. This match is cracking. Powerslam on Oney by Thorne who has a pinfall and Miller jumps on his back and cannonballs into Burch in the corner. This is great. These teams are ace.
Cannonball Poetry in Motion! Lorcan counters the double team finisher into a double DDT, then just starts wailing slaps to the face of the Mighty who return the favour - before Miller accidentally slaps Thorne when Oney moves.
Burch in. Big headbutt. Assisted DDT 1,2,3. The 1s and 2s win. What a match. That was awesome. Slaps, great Tag Team moves. Really enjoyed that. Check it out!
CIAMPA, GARGANO & BLACK RECAP
Love all this stuff. Hope we get the 3 way we never got either in Phoenix or at Takeover New York. Also, great highlight of FRG giving it to Ciampa following the Black Mass, think I missed that last week. Haven’t seen much of FRG yet this week but the action has been quality so I may not have noticed him.
Gargano vs Ciampa in a Cage match next week! That should be alright. Gargano responds ‘The ends justify the means’ He believes he’s in the right. They have unfinished business. Aleister is just in his way. Johnny will do whatever he has to to make sure the story ends the right way. Great stuff from Gargano. Quality heel work as he feels justified in what he is saying. If next week is anything like their Takeover match - we’re in for a treat.
DONOVAN DIJAKOVIC PROMO
Another Dijakovic promo video. He’s here next week.
SHAYNA BASZLER INTERVIEW
Interview with Shayna and the girls. She doesn’t care who wins the No.1 contender match. She’ll be going home with the title, the opponent will be going home with a medical bill. Marina and Jessamyn laugh at the challenge from Kai and Io and Shayna says they are ready.
MIA YIM VS REINA GONZALEZ
Regal announces Lacey Evans has qualified for the four way No.1 contender match. Video shown of her beating Xia Li at the weekend. Belair and Evans will be joined by the winner of this next match. I’m predicting its Mia Yim.
Reina Gonzales comes out with a Cowbell on a rope!!! Smashing it around on the floor and that. Going with a Cowgirl gimmick I guess. Mia firm favourite with the crowd. Early guillotine attempts from Yim both powered out of by Reina. Big Boot to the face by Gonzalez.
Nice trash talk from Reina. A Tower of Power says Mauro .Great chops by Mia leaves Reina wobbling. Eat Defeat and that is all. Reina Gonzalez had some good moments and a nice finishing stretch from Yim. Perfectly acceptable wrestling.
ALEISTER BLACK PROMO
Talks about the human race’s reliance on feelings, whereas he doesn’t feel. Johnny is beyond absolution and he must be annihilated. Johnny Gargano will have no feelings he’ll fade to black. Black coming at it from a different angle. Nice Promo.
RICOCHET v TYLER BREEZE
Here comes Ricochet. FRG looking excited as Ricochet poses. Who are we getting……………………………….Look everyone its Tyler!!!!!!
He’s back with the old entrance and song. Get in. Tyler Breeze back on NXT. Crowd going wild. This should be fun. Big Welcome Back chants for Tyler as he lies on the top rope taking selfies.
Duelling ‘Tyler’s Gorgeous’ ‘Ricochet’ chants. Would say Tyler slightly louder. Here we go. Lovely chain of counters ends in Headscissors and Dropkick from Ricochet. Forward roll into a clothesline from Ricochet who goes for a crossbody to the outside but is dropkicked out of the air by Tyler. Nice.
Great boot by Ricochet followed by a roll through dropkick. Ricochet misses corner 619 type thing and gets caught into a German duplex but uses his athleticism to land on his feet. Then he lands the corner kick, hits a huge springboard uppercut and a standing shooting star press for a 2. Great sequence from Ricochet. What a talent.
Breeze moves from Phoenix Splash but Ricochet lands on his feet into a Striking exchange. Big Mid Air collision off the ropes. Both men down. This is very good. Series of counters. SUPERMODEL KICK, reverse Rana! Ricochet kicks out! “This place is mine now, it's no longer yours” Ricochet tells Tyler.
Ricochet catches Tyler as he goes for the beauty shot and hits his scoop slam piledriver that I think he calls Vertigo for the win. Really good match.
Another top episode of NXT. Two back to back strong weeks. Two really good matches this week. A lot of story development and set up in the backstage segments and a nice reminder from Tyler Breeze of what he can do.
STARS OF THE WEEK
1. Ricochet
2. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
3. The Mighty
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