by JCH
We are 9 days away from Takeover. This time next week I will be in my New Jersey Airbnb ready to embark on a 6 day period of wrestling shows. It will be good times.
Tonight however we have the Dusty Theclassic final. The Forgotten Sons vs Aleister Black and Ricochet. Is there also a Lee vs Dijakovic match? And Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair? If so this will be a great show.
Here
We
Go
SHOCK THE SYSTEM
Here comes one half of the main event. Adam Cole. The title is in the middle of the ring. Cole is on the mic. He invites Johnny to the ring to face him like a man.
REBEL HEART and out comes the returning babyface Johnny Gargano. FRG holds his Gargano logo up with pride.
Long period of duelling chants. Who are these goobers cheering for Adam Cole. Adam Cole tells them he doesn’t; need their support. Top job Adam. Johnny says he loves the chants. Now its probably 80-20 in favour of Johnny. Well done Adam. Winning me round week by week. Gargano tells Cole he will find out why he’s Johnny Takeover. Cole says, he hasn’t won that often, maybe he should be called Johnny Participation. Nice line.
Cole runs us through his own Take-over credentials. Saying fittingly he will return to the spot of his debut to lift the title. He asks Johnny what he’s done to earn this. Johnny takes us on a trip down memory lane, telling the story of his journey to NXT. It’s a good story. Told no at a tryout, invite to Dusty Classic as an unsigned talent. Then worked his way up and up., whereas Cole got the intro in the crowd and a top spot from the beginning along with some cronies to have his back.
Good promo exchange. Gargano holding his own in there with a top talker like Cole. Really strong finish. They did a good job heating up a feud they have two weeks to build.
As Cole backs up the ramp, he begins to mock Johnny for his inspirational story and says you can do what you want but he’ll be Champ and here’s why….
Out come the Era to the top of the ramp. Takeover will be Undisputed.
Scene is set for Takeover. The added question of whether the Era get involved will be playing on Johnny’s mind going into this big shot.
Recap of the Forgotten Sons beating up Black and Ricochet after the show last week. Maybe people would remember you more if you attacked them when the show was still on TV. Clowns.
Here comes the tag team of Vanessa Borne and Aaliyah. They are both wearing terrible coats. Vanessa Borne looks like she’s been to the same Muppet skinner as Rob Lias and Aaliyah has taken style inspiration from Bianca off Eastenders.
Their opponents are. Lacey Lane. Who has some dramatic entrance music. Teaming up with The Ninja Warrior Kacy Catanzaro. That is an athletic tag team. Kacy and Lacey who will hereby be known as the Slaters, after iconic Saved by the Bell character A.C.Slater.
Terrible Jackets vs The Slaters
Lane with a triple rope jump arm drag on Borne. The more experienced duo of the shitcoats utilising quick tags and aggression as they ground Lane and keep her in their corner. Borne’s character work is great. She has that bitchiness down. Suddenly Duke, Shafir and Shayna turn up. Borne and Aaliyah wisely retreat and Baysler boots Lane out of the ring and then turns her attention to Kacy. She uses her athleticism to Parkour out of the kirafuda clutch, then kicks Duke and Shafir off the apron. She tries to attack Shayna who puts her to sleep in the clutch, this time grounding her by adding the body scissors.
The crowd are annoyed. I was enjoying that match, great character work from Shayna as she stands tall. Then she comes over and calls out Percy.
‘This will keep happening if the Champion of this company keeps getting mistreated’ Shayna stands on the commentary table to end.
Matt Riddle vs Kona Reeves.
Here comes the King of the Bros. Matt Riddle. Sauntering to the ring as only he can. Kona Reeves comes out wearing Headphones and sunglasses. He certainly has something about him during his entrance. Lets see what he has in the ring. Apparently he’s been back in Hawaii with Don Muraco and surfing to clear his head.
Reeves has the better of the early exchanges before Riddle sweeps him down. Reeves then ducks a running PK from Riddle, who then goes for standing moonsault, Reeves rolls away, Riddle lands on his feet and hits a Bro-ton. Just beautiful from Rids.
Follows it up with a big gut wrench then the Dream’s music hits.
This guy is ridiculous. He has two girls wheel him out lying on a sofa, with a goblet. It’s so over the top. I love it.
As Riddle is understandably distracted by this ridiculousness Reeves attacks him from behind. Reeves hits a big move and gets a close pinfall. Reeves then has the Kona clutch on, eventually Riddle fights out. Rids wins the striking exchange with open palm strikes, then a pele kick and a smooth transition into MY FAVORITE MOVE. The ripcord jumping knee. It just dawned on me how strange it is that I love knees to the face and am completely indifferent when it comes to Kenny Omega.
Rids looks at Dream as he starts raining elbows on Reeves, then into the Bro-Mission and it is over. Riddle operating on a different level right now.
The Dream interrupts the announcement of the winner and announces him as the winner himself.
Riddle walks up the ramp, takes Dreams goblet, necks it and then chicks it away. Dream looks shocked and Rids now takes the mic from Dream and tells him he’ll see him in New York bro.
Dream trying all his usual mind games, but Rids is so laid back then don’t get to him and Dream looks frustrated himself.
It’s a bit reminiscent of the Dream and Black rivalry. Riddle isn’t ignoring him completely like Black did, but he isn’t buying the shit Dream is selling. Really enjoyed the interactions between the two last week and this match should be good. Will be interesting to see who the crowd go for in that one. I will most probably be decked out in full Riddle gear so that will tip my hand as to which way I’m leaning….but Dream is ultra popular as well. Should be fun.
Sane vs Belair is next week. Excellent.
Dusty Classic Final
Forgotten Sons vs Black and Ricochet.
They give this one the big championship intro.
Black and Janetty start us off. Black and Ricochet take control and I’m not even going to try and write it down, they just do awesome stuff. Just so fluid at one point Cutler throws Ricochet back into the ring and he holds on to the bottom rope and spins fully round and kicks Cutler in the face. Then hits a Fosberry Flop, but he fully rotates so he lands on the Son with his chest. Ridiculous. Crowd and Black goes wild.
It’s all Ricochet until Ryker hammers him in the back and now the Sons take over. Series of backbreakers, solo and tandem from the sons to Ricochet. Cutler and Janetty cut the ring in half and continue to hit backbreakers. A springboard backbreaker from Cutler, then another double backbreaker after a tag. Ricochet fights back, goes to make the tag but Janetty interrupts, so Ricochet throws him out, then fights off Cutler goes for the tag but Blake pulls Ricochet away at the last second. Really great timing on that. Black into the ring, but the ref stops him and Sons back in control. Ricochet gets caught and Cutler launches him but Ricochet turns it into a tag. I’m not sure on the strategy of that move Steve.
Here comes Ali Black. Absolute rampage from Black. Until Cutler catches him and hits……a backbreaker. Roddy Strong may sue for gimmick infringement here. Then we get an everybody hist something bit. Janetty turns Ricochet inside out with a lariat then Black does a springboard meteor. It’s bloody brilliant. Blake and Ricochet then do the Boo/Yay spot but with Suplex attempts. Excellent. Loved that. Ricochet wins and hits a twisting vertical. Wesley Blake with a reverse frankensteiner off the top rope (he can have his name back for that) and Ricochet lands on his feet.
Black with a roundhouse to Blake who ends up on Ricochet’s shoulders. Ricochet sort of hits an f5 into a GTS then a big kick from Black, but Cutler pushes Ricochet into the pin at 2.
Cutler takes out Ricochet on the outside and Blake hits a backstabber on Black and holds him there as Cutler hits a diving elbow from the top. Ricochet in at the last moment to break it up. Great match. Sons have stepped up here. Blake power bombs Black into Cutlers knees, looking for their finish, but Black starts smashing faces. He fights off Blake as Cutler comes off the top and catches him with a JUMPING KNEE. Roundhouse on Blake then a Black Mass to Cutler. Big time from Black. Blake grabs him and hits a Powerbomb backstabber. Calm down Wesley.
Black’s foot is on the ropes at 2 but Ryker pushes it off. ROBERTS SEES IT! And he kicks Ryker out. Black Mass too Blake. Tag to Ricochet. Balck takes Cutler out with a moonsault to the outside. 630 and its over. Black and Ricochet are the Dusty Cup champions. Great effort from the Sons there. Really good match.
Black and Ricochet go on to what I presume is their last Take Over against the War Raiders who come out to the ring to join the new Dusty Cup Champions. Stare down ends the show.
Another strong episode. Gargano and Cole’s promos I think did a good job of heating up a programme that never had much time.
Shayna continues to dominate the women’s division.
Dream can’t get in Rids head, and Rids in the ring is looking dynamite.
Main event was great. The right team won, but the Sons I thought were really good tonight and played their part in a very enjoyable match.
Stars of the Week
1 . Aleister Black - Another great performance by the Dutch Destroyer.
2 . Ricochet - Every week he does something that makes me go WOW
3 . Johnny Gargano - Really good promo. His story with Ciampa was all written, he did a good job showing the difference in his NXT journey to the spoon-fed Cole’s and made the title the focus not beating Ciampa for it .
Humberto Carrillo award
It has to be the Forgotten Sons. Really impressed me this week and should have raised their stock with everyone. Great job guys.
I'm looking forward to Takeover. Will check in next week with a review from New Jersey.
Whilst your here check out NERD WATCH from last night and DomVanDam's recent 205 spree. Great reading.
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