NXT 282 Review // The Undisputed Era vs Aleister Black & Roderick Strong

On 11th January 2018, NXT aired its 282nd episode of NXT, taped at Center Stage, Atlanta, GA on 4th January. Our main event of the evening was set to be an NXT Tag Title rematch between SaNItY and The Undisputed Era but shenanigans would occur and, well, you can see in the headline what happened. The show also featured a few big debuts/ returns in the form of Lio Rush taking on Lars Sullivan, Kassius Ohno against Raul Mendoza and MMA star and MYC finalist Shayna Baszler taking on Dakota Kai. But was it any good?

We get a unique cold open as Adam Cole welcomes us to 2018, the year of the Undisputed Era, Bobby Fish says they closed 2017 in style by winning the tag titles, but that's just the beginning, in 2018 they prove to everyone why they're the baddest, Kyle O'Reilly talks of how their year of dominance begins tonight as they're going to take out SaNItY and Cole swears to take out anyone who gets in the way of him becoming NXT Champion.

Shayna Baszler def. Dakota Kai //Ref. Stoppage

Both of these women were in the Mae Young Classic with Kai being eliminated in the Quarter Finals by Kairi Sane and Bazsler by the same woman in the finals, we see backstage footage of Baszler bullying recruits until Kai steps in and most importantly, we get the NXT debut of Nixon Newell, heal up soon, Nixon. They lock-up to start as Baszler powers to the corner, holding the lock, she breaks just before 5 before sweeping Kai's legs out, Kai goes for a waistlock but is forced over into a double wristlock, Shayna wrenches at the finger and elbow joints before applying a leg stretch to the shoulder and hitting a knee to the head, she grinds down the hand with her foot and stomps out the shoulder leaving Kai defenceless for a referee stoppage.

Quick Squash m8. The first and certainly not the last of its kind for 2018 as Baszler announced herself as a cocky, destructive force with just a shade of a certain Bruiserweight to her heelish antics. While there's no story for her at the moment, I hope bigger things are to come for Kai who is too talented to be just developmental enhancement talent.

Post-match, Baszler locks in a Kirufuna Clutch (grounded sleeper) on Kai till Ember Moon comes in to break it up, Baszler walks away signalling that she wants Moon and most importantly, the NXT Women's Title around her waist.

The Authors of Pain speak, not just Paul Ellering but the actual Authors! They speak of being the baddest force in NXT and how anyone who gets in their way will suffer, Ellering says they don't care where or when or who but they want their titles back. How about in Philidelphia, Paul?

Christy St. Cloud backstage with Bazsler being asked about why she broke Kai's damn arm, William Regal turns up and tells her that going around bullying people, breaking arms and attacking people after matches, just call him Shania Twain because that don't impress him much, more importantly, it won't earn her a title shot. Baszler shrugs it off, she ain't shook, not one bit.

Kassius Ohno def. Raul Mendoza // Pinfall

Well, this was refreshing, a match with no outward storyline that wasn't just a quick squash (m8) and begins with a good ol' handshake, you crowds may chant 'this is awesome' but you know what is awesome? Respect. Mendoza starts in with a waistlock transitioning to a headlock but Ohno lifts him with his head to show dominance, Mendoza gets a sunset flip for a 2 but Ohno reverses it into a package of his own for a 2, Ohno with a lateral press for a 1 and throws Mendoza to the corner who flips the ropes, hits a shoulder tackle, goes up top, Ohno picks him up for a powerbomb by Ohno but Mendoza flips him with a hurricanrana, he lays into a seated Ohno with kicks but Ohno is nothin' to mess with and knocks his head off with a boot, in the corner, Ohno hits corner elbows for a 2, picks up Mendoza into a Gory special but Mendoza rolls through for a pin, Ohno is immediately back up and hits a forward slam and a senton for a 2, picking up Mendoza, he immediately springs to life with an arm drag, an enziguri, another arm drag and another enziguri for a 2, he jumps onto Ohno but is caught into an electric chair position, dropped onto the ropes and Ohno hits an elbow to the back of the head and another High Tension running elbow strike for the pin.

This was good work by both men, Ohno was his usual dominant self but he worked hard to make Mendoza look good and the offence that Mendoza got in was crisp and effective. Ohno seems to have been put into the Player Coach role for the forseeable but it works for him and if he can keep putting on enjoyable stuff like this, you won't hear me complaining.

Zelina Vega is getting the 'interview by disembodied hands' treatment. She speaks about how she and Andrade are more on the same page than ever and it's more work to stay the champ than to become it and at Philly, Andrade will put in the work. When asked about Johnny Gargano earning a title shot, Zelina says Johnny hasn't earnt a shot, he got lucky and took advantage of an opportunity, they've beaten Johnny twice and that Ciampa was always the success not him and that Andrade won't need to try to beat him again, when asked whether there'll be a change in tactics for match 3, Zelina refuses to disclose secrets but says there'll be no running for Johnny come Philly.  

Christy St. Cloud is with Jonny Wrestling, he acknowledges a lot of people didn't think he had a chance of winning his shot at the title, suddenly, a wild Velveteen Dream appears, Dream tells Johnny to say it, in this instance 'it' is not his but thank you for him getting lucky as Dream was meant to have the match with Kassius Ohno but he was injured, he tells him that he could have beaten Ohno in 30 seconds, not the twenty minutes it took Johnny, Johnny got lucky against Black and that he can't beat Almas, he tells Johnny that Dream earnt his spot and Johnny doesn't deserve it. I'm fully up for these two having a match, they're both great and I'm sure this match will be.

Street Profits stuff happens, they're backstage being all street and profitty, they eventually get to the point that they want a tag title shot, they go to Regal's office that is now just a table of water, they ask when they get a title shot, Regal announces that next week the Street Profits will take on Authors of Pain for the number one contendership. They seem happy about this.

Lars Sullivan def. Lio Rush // Pinfall

This is Rush's return to TV since he got into hot water for making jokes about Emma losing her job, my guess, this won't go more than a minute, Sullivan rushes but Rush dodges, moving around the ring lightning quick avoiding Sullivan, on the ropes and Rush hits a handspring heel kick, goes for a springboard but is caught and choke dropped by Sullivan, Sullivan whips Rush from one corner to the other, goes for a shoulder tackle but Rush dodges, Sullivan crushes him in the corner, goes for another but Rush dodges again, Rush goes in for an attack but is hit with a massive clothesline and the Freak Accident side slam for the pin.

Well, I was wrong, it lasted longer than a minute. Not by much, but it did. Rush being destroyed here was an appropriate act of comeuppance for him making a bad joke but give him his credit, I haven't seen a crowd get this hopped up by someone just dodging for a long time. Sullivan did his big man thing, it still works.

Post-match Lars is on the mic, he faced opponent after opponent in 2017, sometimes two at once and they all fell, but now he keeps going back to a force he'd never dealt with before but that brings him joy as he wants to destroy, he's going to take Killian Dain and break him like a toy, he grabs Rush, picks him up and hits a top rope Freak Accident on him to make a statement.

Backstage and The Undisputed Era lay out SaNItY or at least the male members. Where's Nikki Cross when you need her?

The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) def. Aleister Black & Roderick Strong // Pinfall

Before the match begins, The Era lads are in the ring and looking real smug because SaNItY aren't there to take their rematch after Cole & The Gang 'kicked the chaos out of them' and promised to do so to anyone who opposed them, before Cole can finish, out comes Nikki Cross who tries to murder everyone while two referees really fail to hold her back effectively, Cole says 'as I was saying...' but before he can finish, out comes Regal to announce that they will still have a tag title match tonight and, but before Regal can finish, out comes Roderick Strong to announce he'd fight them and that he's going to go backstage and, but before he can finish, out comes Aleister Black to announce he'll team up with him, they nod at each other and charge the ring, laying into Fish and O'Reilly as Cole flees just before Black kicks Fish out of the ring and into the ad-break, back from the break and the match proper starts, Black and O'Reilly start as Fish comes in and both members of the era take all the kicks, O'Reilly tries to go for kicks of his own but Black has All The Kicks and throws in some Muay Thai strikes and a knee for a 2, O'Reilly rolls out to recuperate but a wrecking ball dropkick from Strong takes them both out and he rolls O'Reilly back in and straight into an O'Conner roll for a 2, Black is straight onto the arm wrench, Pulled arm-first to the corner and a tag to Strong as O'Reilly is whipped into a single leg dropkick for a 2, Strong hits chops and a backbreaker for a 2, O'Reilly goes to escape but is pulled back again for a tag to Black who immediately goes for yet more kicks but O'Reilly dodges to the apron, Black follows but O'Reilly dodges back again, before Black can follow, his leg is swept by Fish onto the floor and into the second break, back again and Fish and O'Reilly are working quick tags, wearing down Black with a nice near fall off a modified figure-four/slingshot senton combo, Black goes to escape but O'Reilly leaps on him and just hits a shit ton of palm strikes, tag to Fish as O'Reilly runs at Strong knocking him off the apron, both men hit corner forearms on Black and an exploder suplex from Fish gets another good near fall, Fish immediately applies a cravat chinlock but Black elbows out, he's whipped to the ropes but on the rebound gets a sunset flip for a 2, and his back up, dropping Fish with a high knee, this gives Black the breathing room to get a tag, Strong bursts out hitting forearms and dropkicks, there's a lovely spot where he keeps throwing O'Reilly into Fish before chopping him on the rebound repearedtly before he hits a backbreaker on O'Reilly and a belly-to-belly on Fish and a high knee on O'Reilly but Fish breaks the pin, Strong throws Fish out and O'Reilly is back up with a roundhouse but Strong responds with another knee, Black crushes Fish outside and rolls him back in, he goes to follow but Cole pulls him out, Black doesn't like this and chases Cole up the steps but this leaves Strong alone in the ring with two men who hit Total Elimination for the pin.

This was a fun, little match with both teams working hard to pack a lot of content in. It's impressive considering common storytelling logic that Black and Strong were so good that I even thought they might pull it off and walk away with the titles. If I had to criticise the match, I did feel that it was a little too rushed, taking some of the drama and emotion out of proceedings as clearly, it was a lot of set-up for Black and Cole to have another match (and with a Number One Contender's match next week, it would seem odd to have a quick title change so soon before a TakeOver) but as an event in itself, still a lot of fun.

Post-match, Black comes back in and kicks away at the Era but Cole posts him, the three men hold down and batter Black with Cole hitting a shining wizard onto Black before using his foot to lift Black like Black does, Fish and O'Reilly hit another Total Elimination and Cole hits Last Shot onto a chair. Out comes Regal again who has really had enough of this shit for one day and announces that with Philidelphia's extreme history, there'll be a match between Aleister Black and Adam Cole at TakeOver: Philidelphia, and it will be Extreme Rules.

On The YouTubes

Lio Rush has had a lot of time to think since not being ready for everyone's response to his Asuka joke and now that he's come back and still losing, he's got a lot of re-evaluating to do...

Papa Hunter talks about meeting Dusty Rhodes for the first time at the venue we came to you from tonight.

William Regal checks on Black as he's helped to his feet, the audience gives him an ovation as he walks to the back.

Dakota Kai talks about how she's feeling after her match with Shayna Baszler. Not great, Bob.

Finally...

A good, entertaining start to the new year over here on the developmental brand. Not by any means a standout episode as everything was good but nothing was great but with some strong character work, especially by Baszler and Dream, 2018's looking good over here. The future's bright everyone and the future's not just now, the future's yellow.

Article By Jozef Raczka (@NotJozefRaczka)

NXT #269 Review - Johnny Gargano v Andrade Almas

On 12th October 2017, WWE aired its 269th episode of NXT, taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on 14th September. In our Main Event, the man they call 'Johnny Wrestling' took on the man who kept him from success in Brooklyn with year, Andrade 'Cien' Almas. The undercard had action from the Street Profits, Lars Sullivan, Danny Burch & the first qualifier for the NXT TakeOver: Houston Women's Title Fatal Four Way. But was it any good?

NXT Women's Title Match Contendership Triple Threat: Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kay) def. Nikki Cross & Liv Morgan (9 minutes or something like that)

As you'd probably expect, Liv and Cross begin by taking Royce out to the floor, Cross tries to take out Morgan but she dodges and takes her to the corner, Royce is quickly back in and straight into an enziguri, Cross locks in a sleeper but Morgan breaks in the corner, Cross shoves Morgan at Royce and both of them work over Cross before they begin going at each other, Royce gets the best of the back-and-forth nailing some knee strikes and holding on a tarantula submission until Cross breaks it up Dragging Royce to the floor, back in the ring and Cross hits a Missile Dropkick on Morgan and takes out the Iconic Duo with crazy strikes, Cross works over Royce with strikes until Morgan intervenes, Cross hits a neckbreaker on her for a 2 and is removed from the ring by Royce again, Royce sets Morgan up top but Morgan fights back, after some top-rope tussling, Cross turns it into a tower of doom but before she can do anything with it, In comes the Undisputed Era with Mae Young Classic first rounder Taynara Conti who they send in after Nikki Cross who takes her out immediately but Cross goes straight into a roll-up from Royce for a 2, Cross his a Hangman's Neckbreaker on Royce but Morgan breaks it up, Cross hits a Draping Neckbreaker on Morgan but Conti breaks up the pin, Cross chase Conti around the ring and back into a spinning heel kick and a Fisherman's Suplex from Royce for the pin. A fun opener with a surprising amount of psychology to it that never fell into just being a spotfest. It did suffer from a lack of convincing near falls and a slight adherence to the structural basics of a triple threat though little moments like Royce holding on the rope-hung tarantula, taking advantage of the lack of countouts helped elevate proceedings. Morgan continues to impress and looked confident against the two more seasoned performers. The Undisputed Era heel shenanigans were effective but in that the rest of SaNItY weren't there to back up Cross, it felt a bit weird.

Velveteen Dream def. Lio Rush (2.40), Quick Squash m8, still not a bad first showing for Rush, it was nice to see Jessika Carr is not just refereeing the women's matches.

Lars Sullivan def. Danny Burch (3.05) another Quick Squash m8, Danny hoped to get some retribution for his friend Lorcan's defeat last week. He doesn't.

We get a re-cap of the finish of last week's episode. There'll be a sit-down interview with Drew McIntyre next week. Fighting champion, everyone.

Street Profits def. Damien Smith & Maros Estrada (1.52) Even Quicker Squash m8, Full Sail are loving the Profits.

Next Week: Ember Moon v Ruby Riot v Sonia Deville to join Kairi Sane & Peyton Royce in the Fatal Four-Way at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. 

PLUS: SaNItY vs The Undisputed Era in Trios Action.

Andrade 'Cien' Almas (w/Zelina Vega) def. Johnny Gargano (About 14 minutes, I'll look it up in a bit)

These two worked one of the year's best non-title matches in Brooklyn so this has a lot of potential, lock-up to begin as Johnny does some wrestling, powering the larger (but not more cut, looking good Johnny boy) Almas to the ropes, Andrade escapes with a Crucifix and cuts off johnny's momentum with a shoulder block, Gargano looks to end things early with the GargaNo Escape modified crossface hold but Almas gets to the ropes, Gargano still goes at him with slaps, a hurricanrana and a dropkick for a 1, further slaps follow as they find themselves back on the apron, Almas manages to get in a suplex attempt but more like GargaYes Escape (sorry) as he slides out and straight into a big boot to send us into the ads, back from the break and Almas is working over Gargano with a rope-hung armbar but breaks the count, back in and Almas covers for a 2, Alms works over Gargano with strikes but Gargano responds with strikes, they trade strikes until Gargano strikes with an enziguri and heads up top, Almas tries to strike back up Gargano takes him down with a tornado flatliner, he goes for the slingshot spear but Almas counters it, going for a powerbomb but Gargano flings him out of the ring and hits a lovely tope suicido, brolls him back in and Almas hits a big boot and goes for a tornado DDT but Gargano counters, goes for the lawn dart but Almas rolls him up for a 2 and hits a low German suplex for another 2, Almas goes for the El Idolo hammerlock DDT but failing that tries for another rope-assisted armbar failing that, he settles for a superkick, more strikes are traded and Gargano hit a clothesline and a desparate superkick for a very close near fall, up top and Almas weaponises the ref to drop Gargano crotch-first onto the buckle, Almas works over gargano up top but Gargano fights out and hits a sunset flip powerbomb but Almas flips out of it but runs straight into a cozy as shit lariat and then Gargano breaks his face with the lawn dart before locking in the GargaNo Escape, Zelina Vega tries to distract Johnny by flashes the cut-off #DIY t-shirt she's wearing but Johnny refuses to let that distraction shit stop him and locks in further but Almas crawls to the ropes, Vega tries to do more distraction into an Almas roll-up but only for a 2, Almas picks him up for a bomb but a sunset flip from Johnny gets another two and another superkick but Almas smashes Johnny to the corner, hitting a pair of double knees and El Idolo for the pin. This was great, not quite as great as their TakeOver encounter but still streets ahead of so much that's going on in terms of performer chemistry, rock-solid heel-face dynamics, strong storytelling and the two guys just being real, damn good at wrestling. The need to have a slow start to build into the ad-break stopped these two going full sprint from the off and this maybe left the opening feeling a little awkward but it was quickly recovered and the ending stretch with Vega doing just enough shenanigans on the apron while giving Almas still a clean finish makes the team look both strong and effective. Generally though, this was real good stuff. 

On The YouTubes:

Taynara Conti approaches the Undisputed Era about fulfilling their half of their 'deal' but Adam Cole informs her that she's finished being useful to him. Bit mean.

Peyton Royce & Billie Kay celebrate Royce's success tonight even if Kay didn't do sh*t to help. Kay hopes to join Royce in the match to guarantee an Iconic Success.

Johnny Gargano is consoled by Wililam Regal after he lost to Almas. Again. Who is this Wililam Regal and does he know Trent Sevenc?

Another week, another solid opener and a near brilliant main event with a lot of wheel-spinning, quick squashing and next week set-upping in-between. Watch the first match if you want to, definitely watch the main event. Everything in-between, if you've got time it wasn't bad.

Article by Jozef Raczka (@NotJozefRaczka)

NXT #268 Review - Drew McIntyre vs Roderick Strong

On 5th October 2017, WWE aired its 268th episode of NXT, taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on 14th September. We were graced with an NXT Championship match this week as big Drew McIntyre took on on tiny boots Roderick Strong in a rematch from NXT #261. In other rematch news, we also saw the Iconic Duo of Peyton Royce & Billie Kay take on the uneasy partnership of Ruby Riot & Nikki Cross as well as first-time action from Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane and Mae Young Classic failed-to-qualifier Aaliyah, but was it any good?

Ruby Riot & Nikki Cross def. The Iconic Duo

Exactly like the first match these four had, Riot starts off alone leaving us all wondering if Cross is once again going to join the action (from the headline above, you might have guessed, she will) Kay starts for the Iconic Duo, lock-up to begin, Kay takes control, Riot powers out and Kay runs away to tag in Royce, Riot takes down Royce with an arm drag and a slam, Kay tries to use the numbers game but Riot takes her out as well and hits a top rope backwards senton for a 2. Royce scurries over to Kay for a tag, Riot rolls her up for another 2. Riot goes for some kind of rana but Kay slams her down for a 2 of her own. A series of short tags follows as The Duo work over the back, Royce is the legal woman as they hit a double team manoeuvre for the SHOCK ARRIVAL OF NIKKI CROSS. Riot fights back, Royce tags out as Riot powers to her corner for a reluctant tag to Nikki who runs wild over both of the Duo before hitting a reverse DDT for a 2. Royce leaps on Riot and more double teams happen on Cross but Riot makes the save giving Cross a chance to do more mental shit, tag to Riot who hits a double missile dropkick and her Wind-Up Pele Kick finish on Kay for the pin. This was good, the first match was good, this was just as good. Really, though, what did this achieve? It was the same match pretty much except for this time Kay was pinned instead of Royce. So Riot now has two victories over both of them. It feels like this is the same one character beat they've been playing out since Brooklyn. These four are all capable of a lot more, please give them something to do. Someone?

There's a recap of last week's Sullivan v Lorcan match. Lars is in the PC being interviewed after Danny Burch has challenged him. Sullivan responds that the one thing everyone should know is that he is always in control. He says people are afraid of him and they should be. So he accepts the challenge but warns Burch to stay in control of his fear. Big words from a big lad.

Zelina Vega is interviewed about next week’s Gargano vs. Almas match. She runs down Gargano, and says Almas will beat the golden boy again, getting him closer to the NXT Title.

Recap of Adam Cole vs Eric Young last week. In two weeks, trios action as SaNItY (Young, Wolfe & Dain) face The Undisputed Era (Cole, O'Reilly, Fish)

Next up is another NXT debut as Lio Rush takes on Aleister Black. Rush had a little chat on the YouTubes before the show.

Aleister Black vs Lio Rush Never Happens

Lio Rush, who if you don't know is a 22 year old recent signee who's only been wrestling three years but is already a two time CZW Wired Champion and a CZW Heavyweight Champion, comes out to a moderate pop of recognition from the crowd, as Aleister Black, who even in the smallest of matches gets a hero's welcome, makes his way to the ring, in comes The Velveteen Dream who begins stomping out (his former partner from MCW where they held the Tag Team Championships) Rush. He hits a clothesline and goes up top and hits a thunderous Purple Rainmaker elbow drop, Black heads towards the ring as Dream gives him a bit of 'come on then', as Black slides in Dream slides out, Black falls into his meditative position, Dream tells him to say his name but Black isn't saying shit, 'acknowledge me, you will say my name' screams Dream to no response from everyone's favourite tatooed Dutchman. While only a short segment, this deserved more than just the bullet point treatment as it not only successfully built towards Dream vs Black at the next TakeOver but played well on our expectations as in the form of O'Reilly and Fish, Black has been responsible for two previous ROH competitors debut TV matches, putting Rush into this position not only gets more heat on Dream as he ruins what could have been a great encounter but also plays well on Dream's own past as well what with the aforementioned Tag Team run, especially worth considering with the third Dusty Rhodes Classic potentially on the way.

Kairi Sane def. Aliyah

More elbow drops on the way as Kairi Sane's here, I can't remember if Aliyah had an entrance. Lock-up to begin and the two trade standing switches, Sane easily outwrestles Aaliyah and levels her with a rebound forearm strike, Aliyah fights back with kicks and a neck breaker for a 2. She hits a nasty pendulum backbreaker, holding it down for extra wrenching on the back, Sane comes in with knees but misses a spear and hits the post, Aliyah tries to work over Sane but she manages to hit the spear, she lands chops, a corner spear and a basement forearm before she goes up top for the (sigh) Insane Elbow drop for the pin. Perfectly adequate in ring action with Sane treated like a damn star but we really can't keep calling it the Insane Elbow, call it the Ship's Anchor, call it Hoisting the Flag, call it Shiver the Timbers, I don't know, something nautical just make it have something to do with Kairi Sane and not just The Insane Elbow, that's just a shite name. Get your act together, WWE Writing Staff.

Next week: Cross, v Morgan v Royce for a spot in the Women's Title match at TakeOver: WarGames. & The big rematch from what was possibly the best match of TakeOver Brooklyn III as Johnny 'Wrestling' Gargano takes on Andrade 'Cien' Almas.

NXT Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) def. Roderick Strong

McIntyre takes a knee, it's not clear if in protest or just so that he's not towering over poor, little Roddy for the spotlight shot. Lock-up to begin and to no-one's surprise, McIntyre has the power advantage and ragdolls Strong away, Strong looks to grapple down the big Scotsman but McIntyre shoulder blocks him down to send us off quickly to an ad break. Back from the break and Strong is still trying to control proceedings, he hits a dropkick but McIntyre responds with slaps and a belly-to-belly throw as things head to the outside, McIntyre slams Strong onto the barricade and slaps him some more but Strong retaliates with knee strikes before hitting an apron assisted high knee, McIntyre tries to fight back but takes a backbreaker onto the steel steps for his effort. Back in and Strongs hits a further backbreaker for a 2. He then hits yet another backbreaker for another 2. Strong tries to keep McIntyre down with kicks and stretches but he can't keep big Drew down forever and is slammed to the turnbuckles, McIntyre hits a corner splash and goes up top but Roddy follows with a leaping dropkick hitting Drew in the head from the top rope for a convincing 2 count. Strong once again tries to ground McIntyre but he gets up and they trade strikes, Strong hits a large forearm but McIntyre suplexes him straight into another ad break. Back from the break and McIntyre is hitting boots and throws all over the shop, getting a 2 count off a reverse Alabama slam. McIntyre goes for a Futureshock DDT but Roddy reverses it into an Angle slam, more back-and-forth, McIntyre hits a spinebuster for a 2. Roddy is put up top, he slides out and tries to hit a sunset flip but settles for an enziguri into a suplex for a 2. Back-and-forth leads into a hinted at tiger bomb for a 2, McIntyre responds with a headbutt to take both men down, McIntyre picks up Roddy and takes him to the top for a giant Celtic Cross (it's like an Air Raid Crash, but it's not called that) but Strong gets his foot on the ropes before three. McIntyre goes for the Claymore but Strong puts his educated knees to good use and hits a Sick Kick for another close 2. Strong is taken aback that his special kick wasn't enough, Strong goes for an apronicanrana but is caught into a ringpost bomb, back inside the ring and McIntyre hits the Futureshock DDT but Strong refuses to be dead so McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin. This was exactly the type of match I hoped McIntyre would be having in NXT. He's so much better when he has an opponent who can work at his speed and when they started sprinting, the action only really let up for the ad breaks. This isn't so much their fault but the booking didn't quite work to convince Strong could take the title as there hasn't been an NXT Men's Singles title change on standard television since Bo Dallas back in 2013. Still, the action came stiff, thick and fast with Strong not losing one iota of credibility in loss but McIntyre gaining so much. As to where he goes from here (*cough* please be Andrade Almas *cough*), let's see...

After the match, McIntyre & Strong would shake hands like the manly man they are. As McIntyre posed in the ring, The Undisputed Era would comfort Strong as he walked up the ramp to the perplexion of Drew. Is Strong going to join the UE? Is this going to be the same plot as AJ Styles & The Club? I still hope not.

On The YouTubes:

Kairi Sane is interviewed about having a Fatal Four Way, she's so happy to be part of NXT, and she's so excited to be the next NXT Womens Champion, bon voyage.

Liv Morgan knows opportunities like this (the Triple Threat next week) don't come around often, she's going to take the momentum of beating Vanessa Borne last week and go on to win that Fatal Four Way.

It will be an odd day when an episode of NXT with a title match that gets to run through two ad breaks and has a nice, clean finish isn't at least a bit satisfying and today is not that day. Up until the title match, everything had a hint of wheels being spun, the undercard matches were strong (it's nice that in a one hour show, NXT has time for two different women's matches. Take note, RAW) but not incredible and the Velveteen Dream-Aleister Black interactions are interesting but unlikely to be remembered as classic segments. Luckily Drew vs Roddy was the kind of match that McIntyre needs to be working with the just over 15m time limit working better for him than a 20m+ ever does. There's some good stuff at work here. Big question though, did Hideo Itami die from that Kassius Ohno low blow? He hasn't been seen since.

Article by Jozef Raczka (@NotJozefRaczka)

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: October 2016 Week One - SWE & Source

With another weekend of wrestling ahead of us, British wrestling just continues to move forward. This week we're looking at a couple of Southside Wrestling Entertainment shows, one on Friday in St Neots, Cambridgeshire and another on Saturday in Nottingham, as well as a Source Wrestling School event in Glasgow, also on Saturday. Of course, we also have alternative shows from around the country that this week features shows in Glasgow, Liverpool, so there's certainly a bit of something for everyone as we get Ready for the Weekend! 

Friday night kicks off the wrestling weekend with Southside Wrestling Entertainment hosting the first of five weekend events! This first event entitled Adrenaline Rush shall be held at The Priory Centre in St Neots. As is the norm with SWE, the card is packed with international stars alongside home-grown stars of the UK. 

One match that is the essence of international and domestic is Bubblegum vs Fenix. Bubblegum is one of the finest wrestlers in the UK. Simple as that. Numerous wrestlers name him as an example they wish to follow and learn from while others claim that the best matches they have had in their careers have been with him. He is constantly in the upper echelon of talent in the UK and has held numerous championships in British Wrestling, some on multiple occasions. His opponent, Fenix, is best known on these shores for his time in Lucha Underground where he is one third of the current Trios Champions. Fenix is an exceptionally fast competitor who utilises his Luchador style to perfection. Both of these men will be competing in the Speed King tournament the following day and may meet at some point. This match will give both men an idea of what they'll face should that happen and whoever wins this match, may well take a psychological advantage on any future contests. 

The war between Joseph Conners and El Ligero continues to grow ahead of their championship match on October 29th. Neither man is allowed to touch the other unless it is a competitive match. That being said, both men will meet in a tag team match this Friday. Now another scheduled match this weekend will see the duo of Ligero and Brian Cage face Conners and HC Dyer. Conners wasn't best please at Ligero's choice of partner and when this made it's way to “The Mexican Sensation”, he hit back claiming that he could beat Conners with anyone as his partner. Conners is one of the sharpest minds in wrestling and capitalised on that by challenging El Ligero to let him choose the partner. It was accepted and now Conners has an ace in the hole. We don't know who he will choose but it doesn't take a genius to know that it is unlikely to be someone that will be of aid to Ligero and most certainly will be an aid to Conners. 

Originally SWE had announced that Sami Callihan would be facing Will Ospreay. However due to Ospreay being unable to compete this Friday, this has created an opportunity. That opportunity will be heading to “Smashmouth” Chris Ridgeway who will be filling the void. Now Ridgeway is certainly not here to make up the numbers and he will know that this is a huge opportunity to not only test himself against a world-class calibre wrestler but also to send a message to everyone else. Ridgeway is part of the Speed King tournament this weekend and a win over someone like Callihan would do amazing things for his confidence and mindset. That being said, if Callihan does walk away with the win, it could motivate Ridgeway even more. “Smashmouth” hits hard to begin with, as does his opponent. When Ridgeway has confidence or anger in his mind, he's even more hard hitting.

This Friday will also see Damian Dunne taking on international star Lio Rush while Jessicka Havok is back in SWE where she'll compete against Alex Windsor. In a true international match, New Zealand's Travis Banks and Japan's Kazma Sakamoto will face each other in singles action. And finally, Southside Wrestling always like to have some multiple competitor matches on their shows and Friday will be no different as Chris Tyler, Robbie X, Chris Brookes and Nixon Newell all fight it out in a fatal four-way match in St Neots. 

Tickets Available £10-£25pp

Friday Alternatives 

Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum Live in Dennistoun 

Dennistoun, Glasgow 

Feat - Jack Jester v Lionheart

Tickets Available - £6-£10pp

 Britannia Wrestling Promotions Scouser Series 

Liverpool

Feat - Don Meacho v The Babyfaced Pitbull

Saturday shall see Source Wrestling School's second event in Bridgeton, Glasgow at the Bridgeton Community Centre. The first event they held their was a huge success with a loud crowd packed in the building. This Saturday's event look to be a repeat of that based on the matches that have been a announced so far. 

This weekend has a special extra layer as the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling, Atsushi Aoki shall be competing in Bridgeton as well as Source Wrestling School's other event in Govan on the Sunday. On the Saturday, Aoki will be facing one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in Europe in the shape of “Iron Man” Joe Coffey. Aoki will bring his experience of competing for over a decade in a true test for Coffey. While obviously a test, Coffey shall have an idea what to expect this Saturday as he has spent time in Japan himself and faced a number of competitors during that time. Aoki has not been in the UK for over 5 years and there is no indication of when or if he ever will return again. Matches like this are few and far between which makes them even more unmissable to wrestling fans. 

Tag team wrestling or more precisely tag teams are on fire right now in the UK. One of the top regarded teams in the UK if not Europe are the duo of Jackie Polo and Mark Coffey, better known as Polo Promotions. Now both of these men had success as singles competitors before joining together, but their success as a team has been even greater. Their opponents this Saturday in Bridgeton have had a similar beginning. Lewis Girvan and Aspen Faith are two of the finest young wrestlers in Scotland today. In fact scrap that, they're two of the finest young wrestling in Britain today! While they are known, the feel they aren't taken as seriously as they should be and have decided to join forces and form The Kings Of Catch. Now all four of these men are proven in the ring. They're all great individually. They're just as good as teams. Put both of those teams together in one match and we could have a match we're talking about for a long time after this weekend. Polo Promotions have proven themselves as one of the best team today. They've got the accolades to back it up. The K.o.C. may be new to the tag team circuit but Polo Promotions will know the quality that faces them. They'll probably see parts of themselves when they first began as a team in this new duo of Girvan and Faith. If Polo Promotions win, they'll prove again why they have their reputation. If The K.o.C. pick up the victory, they'll make a statement right out the gate that they're here to make people pay attention. 

Source are not only producing some of the best new wrestlers in Scotland right now but they're also showcasing some of the most promising talent in the UK. The match between Ryan Griffin and Danny Jones is a prime example of that. Griffin is a Source graduate who now holds the SWA Junior Heavyweight Championship with a reign of over 500 days. He's continued to improve and evolve his craft since his debut a few years ago. His opponent, Jones hails from South Wales and is a graduate of the Dragon Pro Wrestling Academy. He's been competing for a number of years under a number of guises but now he stands simple as himself. Jones is a quick moving, very entertaining wrestler to watch, much like  Griffin. These two men have never met in a match yet they do share a number of similar traits. This match encapsulates one of the Source Wrestling School's greatest positives. It's bringing two young, hungry, talented wrestlers together to let us the fans see what the near future holds for British Wrestling.

Also scheduled so far for Source's event at the Bridgeton Community Centre in Glasgow is a match between two wrestlers from other training schools in Scotland. Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum's C.S Rose shall be taking on Premier British Wrestling Academy's Aaron Echo in a match that will mark both men's debut for the Source Wrestling School.

Tickets Available - £6-£10 pp

As their big weekend continues, SWE present two event on Saturday in Nottingham, with Day of Reckoning 12.5 in the afternoon, whilst the show we're focusing on Speed King 2016 is in the evening. This is the fifth incarnation of the junior heavyweight tournament that boasts Marty Scurll, Martin Kirby, Jay Lethal and El Ligero as it's previous winners. The tournament takes the form of six singles matches, leading into a six way scramble to crown the winner. In a break from the norm, I'm going to be assessing the chances of six of the top contenders to the crown! 

Perhaps the favourite to take the crown is Will Ospreay, who has had the biggest year of his career, so far, after breaking into New Japan Pro Wrestling in April and winning Best of the Super Juniors XXIII. He's also reached the final of PWG's Battle of Los Angeles, HOPE's King of Flight and TNA's Joker's Wild, whilst also winning the RevPro British Cruiserweight Championship this year. The reigning Speed King Champion is undefeated in SWE since winning the belt from Andrew Everrett in August. Ospreay kicks off the day with a huge match against Brian Cage, before having a mouth watering clash with Lio Rush in the First Round! With The Aerial Assassins' appearances in the UK becoming sparser over the last few months, this is a rare opportunity to see a performer who has been on the tip of the wrestling world's tongues in 2016. 

Fenix will be making his SWE debut across the weekend, having wowed audiences on Lucha Underground, as well as reaching the Semi-Finals of Battle of Los Angeles this year. The Mexican star has already won the Lucha Underground Trios Title and PDM Light Heavyweight Championship (twice) in 2016 and is looking to make Speed King the centre piece of his debut weekend. He'll have his work cut out for him as he face Stixx on the afternoon show, before rolling on to face Sami Callihan for the second time in just over a month! Another performer who isn't often seen in Europe, let alone the UK, he'll be bringing a style that Nottingham may not be used, but will certainly have them loving the lucha thing on Saturday night! 

It's a big weekend for Martin Kirby, who celebrates his 100th SWE appearance on Sunday, but before that he'll be a major part of Speed King, as he goes up against Robbie X in the First round. Kirby already has a Speed King victory to his name as he defeated the likes of Kay Lee Ray, Ospreay and Pete Dunne to win the tournament in 2014. He's also had a run with SWE Tag Team titles in 2015, whilst winning the HOPE Championship and PCW Tag Team Championship this year and having more tournament success in GBP's Junior Heavyweight Cup in 2015, DPW's Tag Team Title Tournament in 2010-11 and 3CW's Free for All Rumble in 2008. Kirby's familiarity with SWE would have to elevate him to one of the tournament favourites, and his ability to entertain the crowd whilst wrestling a high impact style will make sure that his involvement will must-watch, no matter what. 

The dark horses for the tournament, includes Lio Rush, Mark Haskins and Sami Callihan. In just his third year in the business, Rush has had an incredible 2016, winning ROH's Top Prospect Tournament and MCW's Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup XVI, as well as winning CZW's Wired Championshion on two seperate occassions. Rush also making fan's sit-up and take notice with a breakout match with Jay Lethal at ROH Supercard of Honor X - Night 1, so he'll be looking to captilise on his momentous year, by taking the Speed King title back to Lanham, Maryland. Haskins has been collecting championship gold this year, winning the PROGRESS World Championship, Smash Wrestling Championship, 4FW Junior Heavyweight title and FNW British Championship all within one calendar year. However, he hasn't won a tournament since 2009, and despite tearing it up at the Battle of Los Angeles and all over Europe, Haskins will be looking to show that he can get it done against some of the World's best Junior Heavyweights, when he tackles Stevie Xavier in the First Round. Callihan has been a man on a mission since leaving WWE at the end of 2015, having great matches in PWG and EVOLVE, winning titles in AAW, PWX, FCP and PW 2.0 and getting to the semi-finals of wXw's 16 Carat Gold Tournament. He's arguably the most powerful wrestler in the tournament and will be looking to use that too his advantage, whilst also showing he's got plenty of speed to matches his opponents. 

Matt Cross, Bubblegum, Stevie Xavier, Robbie X, Chris Ridgeway and Chris Tyler complete the field for the tournament, but they certainly won't be there to just make up the numbers! They'll be chances for them to prove that as Cross will go up against Tyler and Bubblegum will tangle with Ridgeway with a win putting them straight into the final! Also on the card, El Ligero teams with Brian Cage to take on Joseph Conners and HC Dyer, whilst Nixon Newell will team with 3 time WWE Women's Champion Melina to face Kay Lee Ray and Alex Windsor. 

Tickets Available - £10-£30 pp

Saturday Alternatives 

Premier British Wrestling Live in Larbert 

Larbet, Falkirk

Feat - Rampage Brown v BT Gunn

Tickets Available - £10-£13 pp

4FW Live in Thatcham 

Thatcham, Berkshire

Tickets Available - £5-£10 pp

Sunday Alternatives 

Southside Wrestling Entertainment Kirbymania

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Feat - Martin Kirby v El Ligero

Tickets Available - £8-£18 pp

International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom Har-Low Can You Go

Harlow, Essex

Feat - Fabian Aichner v Sammy Smooth 

Tickets Available - £9-£12

HOPE Wrestling Savages

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Feat - Cy Gregory v Hustle Malone

Tickets Available - £3-£10 pp

That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!

Words - Andy Scotland & James Marston

Images - James Marston

Image Source - Facebook.com

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