WWE 205 Live Review // 6th March 2018

This week on 205 Live saw the conclusion of the Quarter Finals of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament as Mustafa Ali tangled with Buddy Murphy and Mark Andrews faced Drew Gulak. But how did it all go down in Green Bay? Lets take a look! 

Commentary - Nigel McGuinness & Vic Joseph 
Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton
Interviewer - Dasha Fuentes 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // 

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Before the match - In one of the best selfshot promos to date, Mustafa Ali let Buddy Murphy know that the most dangerous man in this world, doesn't fight for himself, he fights for others, in what looked like a gritty back alley. - WWE accidentally aired Drake Maverick fluffing his lines and resetting as he told Buddy Murphy that he'd made weight for his Quarter Final

In what might have been my favourite match of the tournament so far, Mustafa Ali pinned Buddy Murphy with a crucifix to take his place in the final four. The psychology and storytelling in this one were superb and considering the match didn't go all that long, Ali and Murphy packed it with narrative and worked extremely hard to create a rich and creative match-up. The start was all well and good, working with the idea that Ali was thrown by Murphy's pace or power with Murphy outmanoeuvring the Illinoisan and then nailing a wicked lariat, but it was once Ali changed tactics on focused on the Melburnian's left arm that the match truly hit its groove. The original 450 splash onto the arm as Murphy tried to pull himself up using the ropes looked brilliant and finally bought a crowd that had previously been shouting amongst themselves previously into the match as they got behind the former DREAMWAVE talent. The two then crammed in a number of beautifully done moments, using the arm as a catalyst, including Murphy being unable to hit a vertical suplex because of the arm, so instead dumping Ali to the outside and nailing a Tope con Giro. Murphy's selling was spot on and the injury really came into play down the stretch as despite coming off on the better end of a hard strike sequence, Murphy was unable to hit Murphy's Law, then attempted a backslide, only to be unable to keep Ali down, because of the injury, before Ali quickly took advantage and trapped the arm in a crucifix to get the win. The finish was right up my alley and each step along the way was done beautifully. It was great to see some more depth out of Mustafa Ali, who managed to fit his agility-based offence into a "working a body part" type story, working as a nice mirror image to his match with Gentleman Jack Gallagher a few weeks ago. Based on this display, both these men should have bright futures on the purple brand.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // 

Mark Andrews vs. Drew Gulak 

Before the match - Drew Gulak revealed he hasn't opened Microsoft Office in weeks in the saddest turn of events this year. 

A dragon sleeper saw Drew Gulak advance to the semi-finals of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, with Mark Andrews tapping out, after a good match. This was a much better showing from the ATTACK! star, who got to show off a much broader range of offence, whilst selling well for Gulak's brutal strikes. The match was a relatively standard technician vs. high-flyer bout, with a couple of nice highspots to accent the narrative. Gulak's reversal out of a Code Red and the rana off the apron from Andrews stand out as highlights, whilst the two also included a number of their signature spots in what was a short match for this tournament. I think that the briefness was the thing that ended up holding the match back from being one of the more memorable contest in the tournament, as the guys didn't have enough time to really explore Gulak's renewed viciousness and build upon his brutal victory over Tony Nese three weeks ago and whilst there were teases throughout like Gulak going to throw Andrews into the announce table, it never really developed into what it could have been with another five minutes. This was a good match and the nature of Gulak's victory continues to build his momentum in the tournament, but I feel that it had the potential to be very good to great with a little more time and perhaps a little extra smoothness as well in places.

Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali will happen on the 20th March episode.

Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa vs. Nemeth Alexander & Scott James 

Before the match - Drake Maverick explained to Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa that he'd put them together as a tag team, because he thinks they can bring the best out of each other. 

A quick squash victory for the newly formed Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa tag team over Nemeth Alexander (former FUW wrestler James Alexander) & Scott James, with Tozawa pinning James with a diving senton. This was a solid showcase for both Itami & Tozawa, with Tozawa hitting a wicked backdrop driver and Itami with a nice release fisherman's suplex as well. We've seen a few teams begin to form over the last few months on 205 Live, so perhaps WWE is considering introducing a Cruiserweight Tag Team titles, which should allow for more storyline depth on the show.

Also this week 

- Cedric Alexander cut a generic sit-down promo, ahead of his Semi-Final next week, claiming he'd be going to WrestleMania etc. 

- We saw Roderick Strong working hard in the Performance Center as he prepares for his Semi-Final match next week. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 6.00 out of 10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale 

WWE 205 Live Review // 27th February 2018

The Quarter Finals of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament began this week on 205 Live, as Cedric Alexander squared off against TJP and Roderick Strong and Kalisto met for the first time ever. But how did it all go down in Los Angeles? Lets take a look! 

Commentators - Nigel McGuinness & Vic Joseph
Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton
Interviewer - Dasha Fuentes 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // Cedric Alexander def. TJP // Pinfall 

Before the match - Cedric Alexander got an in-vision promo, but didn't say a lot - TJ Perkins was interviewed backstage and something very similar 

Cedric Alexander earned himself a spot in the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament semi-finals, as a Lumbar Check got him the pinfall in a very good match with former Cruiserweight Classic winner TJP. Whilst the match wasn't always as crisp as it could have been and at times came across as a bit scrappy, there was a shit tonne of high quality action, especially down the stretch, as the match was paced incredibly well. Watching TJP work over Alexander for a decent portion of the bout, after blocking a dive with a rolling armbar, could have been a little dull, but The Fil-Am Flash used a nice variety of holds, that kept things visually interesting, whilst Alexander's selling also helped, alongside a handful of early hope spots. For most of the match I was passively enjoying, but also waiting for the match to shift a gear or two and that's exactly what happened with the last two or three exchanges, where a number of signatures moves were first attempted and then hit, with a number of smooth reversals and quick near misses, including Alexander spending lengthy periods in the TJP Clutch. It was interesting to see TJP get a positive reaction from his billed hometown and perhaps that could've been explored more in the narrative of the bout, but that's only a minor criticism, as Alexander was definitely the right person to win after being one of the most consistent performers since the inception of 205 Live.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Quarter Final // Roderick Strong def. Kalisto // Pinfall 

Another high-quality match here, as Roderick Strong booked his place opposite Cedric Alexander in the semi-finals with a victory over former Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto. The bout set its stall out early with letting the two men show off their signature styles with a back and forth sequence, between the hard-hitting technician and the high-flying luchadore. Whilst the previous bout kept most of the action inside the ring, with a much more simplistic style, this one was peppered with big highspots on the outside and one from the top rope, feeling much more like a Cruiserweight variation on WWE's main event style than we've seen from 205 Live before. A rana into the barricade from Kalisto and a rolling release suplex onto the announce table from Strong stand out in particular. The match saw the two take a lot of risks with a number of spots, including a sunset flip powerbomb escape out of a double underhook position and an ridiculous spot where Kalisto reversed a powerslam in mid-air off the top rope to hit one of his own. Neither spot look exactly as clean as it could have, but both moments showed great creativity and still looked effective enough with the powerslam reversal in particularly getting a nice pop. At times I found Kalisto lack of selling, after Strong had hammered him with a number of moves to the back and ribs frustrating and its an area of his game that really should be much better over ten years into his career, but his ability to string together high quality action sequences is unquestionable as he combined with Strong wonderfully in the finish as the pair traded strikes, before Strong blocked a Salida del Sol attempt, nailed a jumping high knee, quickly nailed a backbreaker before transitioning even quicker into the End of Heartache for the victory. 

Also This Week

- Mustafa Ali chatted about his victory over Gentleman Jack Gallagher last week and his Quarter Final match with Buddy Murphy next week, saying Murphy wasn't "bad enough to break me" 

- 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick discussed his vision for the brand, which boiled down to wanting to offer the best Cruiserweight wrestling in the world. 

- Cameras caught up with Buddy Murphy leaving a building, with Murphy saying he was going to WrestleMania and that his match with Mustafa Ali would be brutal next week. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 7.25/10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale 

WWE 205 Live Review // 13th February 2018

The first round of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament continued on 205 Live this week, with former 'Zo Train members Drew Gulak and Tony Nese colliding in the main event. But how did it all go down in Bakersfield, CA? Lets take a look! 

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match // Drew Gulak def. Tony Nese // Submission

Drew Gulak found himself in the Quarter Finals of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament after a brutally dominant victory over former 'Zo Train partner, Tony Nese. A real different match to your typical WWE outing, full of unique offence, hard strikes and some lovely technical wrestling. The match was paced really well, with Nese initially trying to match Gulak's technique and striking game, often coming out on the losing end, before later on the match picked up the pace as Nese hit a beautiful Fosbury flop dive and went on to miss a 450 splash attempt. As much as Gulak looked dominant, Nese was particularly impressive here, there was also a lot of action that felt super fresh, Nese put on a gorgeous submission that seemed to wrap himself all over Gulak, whilst he also later hit an Alley Oop into the top turnbuckle and escaped an armbar attempt with a running powerbomb into the bottom buckle. Both men also sold the hard-hitting bout, with Nese out on his feet for much of the last third, whilst Gulak did some lovely detail work, moving his fingers to suggest a nerve issue towards the end of the clash. 

The finish was superbly done, making Gulak look like a real force to be reckoned with in the tournament going forward. Drew's facial expression after getting a slap from Nese on the outside told the whole story of what was about to happen next and then delivering on it. Gulak viciously threw his former friend into the lower half of the announce table twice, with Nese appearing to be completely out of it. The referee being unable to stop Gulak from assaulting Tony upped the drama and made Drew look like a bastard as he hit a massive lariat, two powerbombs and then locked on the Gu-Lock to seal the deal. As much as I enjoyed Gulak's powerpoint gimmick, it was great to see him return to this vicious and commanding in-ring style that made him a stand-out in places like CHIKARA and CZW. Gulak hadn't won one-on-one since October, but it appears he's set for a much brighter future under Triple H's watch.

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round Match // Mark Andrews def. Akira Tozawa // Pinfall 

Mark Andrews made his return to 205 Live, picking up his first singles match win in WWE since the United Kingdom Championship Tournament, with an upset win over Akira Tozawa. For me, this was the first match of this tournament that failed to live up to expectations. That isn't to say this wasn't an enjoyable match, because there was some very good action in the second half, but the first portion of the match didn't do a great job of setting out the stall and letting what would have been an unfamiliar audience know what Andrews is all about. A technical start followed up by a number of submission attempts from Andrews was alright, but it wasn't what I wanted to see between these two pacy highflyers and put Andrews in a weird position of looking like the stronger competitor, when perhaps he has always worked better as the underdog fighting from underneath. Considering the type of match that Gulak and Nese had in the main event, I would've preferred to see this match take on a much different tone to how it started, with a little bit of sloppiness on Mandrews part also not helping get the crowd onside. The conclusion was much improved however, with a series of lovely reversals, with the highlight coming as Andrews went for a frankensteiner, which was blocked by Tozawa who looked to counter with a powerbomb, only for Mark to hit a wicked rana from the middle rope. I'm happy to see Mark Andrews head to the Quarter Finals and hopefully we'll get to see him at his best next time round. 

Also This Week 

- A special look at Buddy Murphy, who'll be making his debut next week against Ariya Daivari.

- Drake Maverick told Gentleman Jack Gallagher that he was no longer allowed to wrestle in suits, telling Gallagher to "sort himself out" before next week's match with Mustafa Ali.

ATPW Scale Rating // 7.17 out of 10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

TV Review: WWE NXT #217 - Buddy Murphy v Wesley Blake

The 12th October episode of WWE's NXT show was headlined by former Tag Team Champions Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake facing off with each other for the first time, although Samoa Joe had other plans. TM-61 (Nick Miller [Mikey Nicholls] & Shane Thorne [Shane Haste]), Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss featured in the other high profile bout. After a less than stellar episode last week, would NXT show any signs of improvement? 

If you'd been watching the last few weeks of NXT then I'm sure you'd have been able to guess that Samoa Joe was about to interfere during Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake's grudge match. It just felt like the natural progression of the two storylines. Murphy and Blake were actually doing some pretty good work in the ring, telling a cool story of them both being very familiar with each other and I feel like the crowd was getting into it by the time Joe came charging down the ramp. There's definitely space to redo that match at a future date or even reform the team because of the attack. What followed with Joe calling out NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura once again was a brilliant watch. The King of Strong Style standing on the stage and removing his neck brace produced a great visual, before the stakes were upped in a pull-apart brawl. Joe and Nakamura brought the intensity in a brawl that had a very different feel to their pre Takeover: Brooklyn II brawl. In the end it was Joe who was left laying in the ring, after plenty of twists and turns. After wanting to fight Nakamura for weeks, it will be interesting to see how Joe reacts over the next few weeks. 

In the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, TM-61 defeated Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli to advance to the second round in a mostly dull encounter. This was Sabbatelli's debut and Moss's first bout in around a year and whilst they both looked great, I didn't see much from them to get particularly excited about. It was telling however that Full Sail Arena began dueling chants about Sabbatelli, instead of getting behind a TM61 side who are yet to get over with the audience, despite obvious talent. The contest felt like it was overly long for what felt like a foregone conclusion for a Miller & Thorne and despite the size of Moss & Sabbatelli they didn't have any convincing near falls across almost ten minutes of wrestling. In the Quarter Finals, TM-61 will face either Team Aries or Niko Bogojevic & Tucker Knight. 

 Best of the Rest

• Billie Kay [Jessie McCay] defeated Liv Morgan in a scrappy bout, after Peyton Royce had tripped Morgan. 

• In Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round action, the debuting SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe [Axeman] & Sawyer Fulton) def Bobby Roode & Tye Dillinger [Shawn Spears], with Roode leaving Dillinger and Eric Young and Nikki Cross [Nikki Storm] being revealed as the other members of Sanity.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.25/10 

Show in a Sentence - Great show ending angle, pedestrian elsewhere, except for SAnitY introduction, which needed more time.

Strongest Segment - Buddy Murphy v Wesley Blake interrupted by Samoa Joe 

Weakest Segment - TM61 v Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli 

Words - James Marston

TV Review: WWE NXT #211 - Tye Dillinger v Buddy Murphy 2

Aired - 31st August 2016

For the second week in a row, Tye Dillinger found himself in the main event of NXT, this time taking on former Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy, but would that be enough to end NXT's summer with a bang? 

This week's headline encounter saw "The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger continue to build momentum with a victory over Buddy Murphy in what was a solid outing for the pair. Whilst Dillinger is clearly a crowd favourite thanks to his Perfect Ten gimmick, I was particularly impressed with Murphy here, as he not only worked hard to allow Dillinger to look as good as possible, but also had a couple of promising moments himself. Whilst he may look like a boot-leg version of Triple H circa 2002, Murphy showed that he's got a little more about him this week, which included hitting a tasty meteora for a two count. Dillinger seemed to be resting on his Perfect Ten popularity to pull him through the match, as his comeback was especially basic here, not really containing anything to get too excited about, en route to getting the pinfall with the Tye Breaker [Fireman's carry neckbreaker]. I feel like if Dillinger wants to continue to main event NXT, then he needs to add a little bit more to his in-ring work, especially if working as a babyface. 

After thirteen previous attempt, Steve Cutler finally got himself a televised victory with a quick win over Kenneth Crawford, thanks to a Fisherman suplex slam, in the semi-main. I wasn't at all impressed with Cutler in his triumph however, as not only did he look like the budget lovechild of Baron Corbin and Corey Graves in his pre-commentary days, but he was pretty damn sloppy in the ring. The crowd clearly didn't have much time for him either, showering the bout with the sound of complete indifference. Crawford showed some moments of promise, including a nice running shooting star press, but also had his own fair share of slips and trips during the match. Considering Cutler has been in NXT since 2014, had a years worth of Indy experience before being signed and has faced talents now on the main roster like Baron Corbin, Chad Gable and Aiden English on a regular basis, he's nowhere near where you'd expect him to be at this point in his career. 

No Way Jose looked to build momentum following his Takeover: Brooklyn II loss to Austin Aries, with a swift success over Angelo Dawkins. This was a real nothing match, in which there seemed to be a vacuum on entertainment or anything notable before Jose got the pin with a Cobra clutch slam. If I'm going to criticise Steve Cutler for his tenure in NXT, then I need to bring up that Dawkins has been with the company since 2012 and lost 21 TV bouts in a row. His character is undefined as he comes to ring doing a weird stirring motion, whilst wearing two headbands like a shit Bobby Lashley and being extremely cocky for a chap who has lost 21 matches in a row. Jose finished things off by dancing in the crowd, which was nice. 

In his first appearance in the Full Sail Arena since winning the NXT Championship from Samoa Joe at Takeover: Brooklyn II, Shinsuke Nakamura came out and said a few words about his win. The crowd love The King of Strong-Style and they hang of his every word as he explained that he was still hurting from his match with Joe, but that doesn't matter because he has the belt in his signature charismatic style. It would certainly be impossible to criticise what was present on screen across the 6 minute segment, but I can't help feeling that it lacked any feel of drama and didn't advance anything in terms of story. As cool as it was to have Nakamura speaking directly to the crowd, everything that was done could have been done in a backstage interview, with this time given over to a lengthier main event or something with a bit more drive behind it. Closing the show with a promo that no matter how enthralling, was still a straight forward promo was a odd decision that didn't pay off completely. 

In the weakest contest of the evening, Liv Morgan and Aliyah worked a sloppy and illogical match in front of a crowd that was as dead as a dodo. There was some promise early on, but the match quickly showed up both women as not quite being ready for this kind of spotlight. Things like Aliyah not moving Morgan away from the ringropes when going for a pin shouldn't be happening by the time talents have come up to television, whilst Aliyah's wear down hold looked more like a finisher, which effected the flow of the contest and made it hard to believe that Morgan could actually have escaped it. Morgan picked up her first TV win with a nasty looking Reverse Roundhouse Kick, that needs a lot more polishing. With Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Emma, Charlotte and Carmella all departing the roster over the last year or so, it's left Asuka holding up a skeleton of a division that Morgan and Aliyah aren't ready to contribute positively to. 

Best of the Rest 

• With Johnny Gargano out injured, Tag Team Champions The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) to advantage of the situation, attacking Tomasso Ciampa during an interview before destroying him in the ring.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 2.95/10 

Man, this was not a good episode of NXT. When the highlights are an average main event between Tye Dillinger and Buddy Murphy and an inconsequential promo from Shinsuke Nakamura, you know that the hour of TV that you've just watched probably wasn't that good. The three squash bouts left a lot to be desired, with no one involved coming off all that well. There's some talent down the lower portion of NXT's roster that currently aren't up to scratch, which is worrying considering the length of time that some of them have been attending the Performance Center. 

I'd expect the show to improve over the next few weeks, there's plenty of stars on the roster to do that, but there's questions that need to be asked about why more home-grown talent like Steve Cutler and Angelo Dawkins aren't cutting the mustard.

Words - James Marston
Banner Credit - Kai Stellar

TV Review: WWE NXT #206 - Shinsuke Nakamura v Wesley Blake

After three weeks of big matches and having it's roster heavily depleted by the recent WWE Draft, NXT looked to re-build and quickly with just four episodes until the next Takeover event. With a more low-key card, could NXT still provide the quality of action it's fans have come to expect? 

This week's main event came at the top of the show as Shinsuke Nakamura went 9-0 in NXT with a victory over Wesley Blake. A dominant performance from Nakamura here, in an entertaining extended squash, as Blake continues to find his feet as a singles competitor. The match was much more a set-up for General Manager William Regal to come out to ringside and announce that Nakamura would be facing Samoa Joe for the title at Takeover: Brooklyn II on 20th August (more on that in a moment), than it was an attempt to have a brilliant match, but of course, anytime Nakamura is in the ring it's difficult to take your eyes of the screen. Blake put in a decent performance in his role, mimicking "The King of Strong-Styles"' offence and blowing kisses at him, which made the moment he got hit in the face with the Kinshasa all the more satisfying.

Kota Ibushi made his NXT debut with a victory over Buddy Murphy, in a short contest that managed to pack a lot action into it's diminutive screen time. A much more balanced contest than the earlier Nakamura v Blake match (with the Blake and Murphy being former tag partners comparisons between the two are inevitable) and therefore it was much more exciting fight to watch. The tempo was rapid, especially as the matches headed to it's near fall rammed conclusion, with the momentum shifting one way and then another. I much prefer this type of debut for Ibushi, to say an out and out squash match, as it shows the fans of the brand, what kind of matches they can expect and offers something to look forward to, whilst also giving him a debut victory. I'd like to see what else Buddy Murphy is capable of on his own, as he gave a good showing of himself here.

Steve Cutler continued his thirteen match, 2 year losing streak on NXT TV, with a defeat to No Way Jose in less than two minutes. There was some dancing and then Jose won with a cobra clutch slam, a real treat. The real story here though was Jose cutting a killer promo on rival Austin Aries. He brought some genuine depth to his character, that it definitely need if Jose wants to progress any further on the brand. Jose built the promo well, as it grew and began to tell a story about his background, explaining his motivations for fighting and dancing and just what that means for Aries. The exclamation point left me wanting to see Jose and Aries have a fight, which I previously had been completely mild for. 

The show would end with NXT Champion Samoa Joe voice his displeasure with having Shinsuke Nakamura as his Number One contender. Joe was on fire with his promo, not coming across as a cowardly heel who doesn't want to fight Nakamura, but coming across as someone who didn't believe Nakamura was good enough to get a title shot. Of course, the fans want to see the match, so Joe trying to block that makes him look like real bastard. Also, Joe referencing his own road to the NXT Championship gave the promo an extra dimension, where the viewer could see where Joe was coming from but still disagree with his opinion. Of course, by the end of the show, William Regal had forced Joe's hand and made sure the contest would take place, but somehow NXT managed to raised the stakes with this simple and effective piece of storytelling for a match that many had already labelled as must-see.  

Billie Kay got her first win on TV with a victory over Stardom's Santana Garrett in a match. It was a fairly basic encounter, that without having being told a lot about Kay over her 13 month run on TV was hard to get to into. To be honest, I was more convinced by Garrett's bubbly babyface character than I was by whatever Kay was doing, that looked a bit unsure. Perhaps an interview with Kay beforehand or after would have been a better way of introducing her character fully. NXT is in real need of bulking up it's roster of women on TV, since Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Eva Marie and Nia Jax were all bought up to RAW and Smackdown Live a few weeks ago, so it makes sense to start using girls like Kay in more prominent positions but this was a flat first victory for her. 

In the only tag team action on the show, TM-61 (Nick Miller & Shane Thorne) got themselves another victory, as they destroyed Rob Ryzin and Adrian Nails. After six weeks off TV, this felt like a way to keep Miller and Thorne in the consciousness of the audience, without NXT having much of a plan for either at this stage. Their opponents on the other hand were some of the worst enhancement talent who I can remember NXT using. I feel that these guys were just wondering around Full Sail University and got roped into wrestling a match. Nails wrestled in jeans, which is cool if you're known to the audience, but looks like you've just forgotten your gear if you're not. Then he took a fucking awful spinebuster, that looked like he'd never bumped in his entire life. The best thing I can say about this was that TM-61 came away unscathed and hopefully Ryzin and Nails won't be booked again anytime soon. 

Result 

Singles Match: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Wesley Blake in 4 minutes, 28 seconds 

Singles Match: Billie Kay def. Santana Garrett in 3 minutes, 8 seconds.

Tag Team Match: TM-61 - Nick Miller & Shane Thorne def. Adrian Nails & Rob Ryzin in 3 minutes, 4 seconds.

Singles Match: No Way Jose def. Steve Cutler in 1 minute, 52 seconds. 

Singles Match: Kota Ibushi def. Buddy Murphy in 5 minutes, 19 seconds.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 4.04

Clearly, this episode was never going to be as strong as the last three weeks of television NXT has produced, but this was a watchable episode that developed a couple of storylines and attempted to introduce or re-introduce a couple of competitors. Samoa Joe's promo and interaction with William Regal was the strongest part of the show with Joe delivering some great lines and creating an extra level of intrigue for his upcoming bout with Shinsuke Nakamura. The debuting Kota Ibushi's match with Buddy Murphy was the strongest match of the show, turning what could have been a rather straight-forward bout into an exciting sprint. 

The rating is pulled down by the shorter segments, involving the women's and tag team divisions, which either struggled to hold my attention or were let down by sloppy enhancement talent. 

With the Takeover: Brooklyn II card beginning to come together, the next few week's should begin to pick up in terms of storylines and new talent development as there's big spaces on the card left by American Alpha, Finn Balor, Nia Jax and others. It's an interesting time for the brand, let's hope that that translates as interesting television! 

All content by James Marston. 

TV Review: WWE NXT #201 (James Marston)

After last week's NXT saw Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor's interaction carry the episode, would the first NXT of the Summer '16 be able to show signs of improvement? Let's take a look, eh? 

The major segment this week was the beginning of a feud between Austin Aries and No Way Jose. After Jose remained undefeated by picking up a comfortable victory over the debuting Josh Woods, things would begin to get interesting with Aries coming out to have a word or two. The segment would quickly become a bait and switch situation with Aries initially claiming that Jose had reminded him that wrestling was about fun, only to later attack him on the announce the table. Aries' funky dance moves bought joy to my heart in a way that Jose has yet been able to manage. The attack produce a great visual of Aries nailing Jose with a roaring elbow on the announce table, even better was the Last Chancery on the entrance way. There's a chance for Jose to learn a lot from a feud with Aries, which is surely one of the main draws of having the former ROH World Champion on the roster, hopefully this will translate into some enjoyable moments and matches on television also.

Another undefeated streak continued this week as Shinsuke Nakamura went over the now solo, Buddy Murphy in a underwhelming closing match. Obviously, anytime Nakamura is in the ring it's a treat as he's just so fascinating to watch, because he kicks the shit out of people and does kooky shit with his arms. Despite this however, as the final item on the show there just wasn't enough substance to this to feel completely satisfied. As opponent Murphy was a technicality sound hand, but with less than no momentum after being no wins on TV since August and having lost his only televised singles match to Tye Dillinger two weeks ago. This match would have been better suited to a position earlier in the show, even considering the star power that Nakamura brings. With a big match with Finn Balor confirmed for three weeks time, I can see the logic behind giving Nakamura a dominant victory, but a win over Murphy really means nothing at all at the present time. 

The strongest match of the show came in the form of the aforementioned Dillinger clashing with Oney Lorcan (last seen as Christopher Girard in February).The match featured a cracking near fall though, with Lorcan hitting a series of european uppercuts in the corner, only to run straight into a superkick from "The Perfect Ten" getting a good reaction from the crowd for both the kick and the kick out. Following two losses on the bounce to Andrade Almas, there was some pleasing storyline advancement as Dillinger looked more aggressive and brought a more physical side to his game. The finish would also develop some new ideas for the former OVW Television Champion as he hesistated when starting to deliver the ten punches in the corner spot, allowing Lorcan to hit a leaping neckbreaker (similar in look to that of a blockbuster) and pick up an upset victory.

After just over a month off in-ring competition, Bayley was back in action this week in another simple squash victory, as pinned Deonna Purazzo following a Bayley-to-Belly. The former NXT Women's Champions style is particularly suited to this kind of match, but it was still a technicality sound as Purazzo proves to be a good hand in her enhancement role. It was a little disappointing to not see Bayley's "injury" that had supposedly stopped her from competing for the last month (although obviously live events are different) not played up here, either in Purazzo using the knee as her focus or even Bayley selling the injury. The extra touch would have made things much more interesting to watch here.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 3.63/10

Whilst last week's NXT manage to keep it's head above water thanks to a brilliant segment involving Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, this week's show didn't have anything anywhere that level. Tye Dillinger and Oney Lorcan had the best match of the show, but even that physical encounter was a little on the short side and featured a couple of slip ups. Austin Aries feuding with No Way Jose could do wonders for Jose, but the first signs of it still leave me feeling skeptical about his potential. Then the final bout on the show might as well have been Shinsuke Nakamura wrestling a crash test dummy (no offence meant to Buddy Murphy in terms of wrestling ability, but he had the opposite of momentum before this episode). 

If this is supposed to be the beginning to the next era in NXT's history, it's going to need to try harder than this.