Tonight’s show finds us in NXT’s home base of Full Sail Live for the first episode from two nights of taping (spoilers from which are here and here) which will take us all the way to TakeOver: Chicago 2.
Here’s what to expect.
The Headliner(s)
It’s hard to pick. By my estimation, the black-and-yellow brand has at least four really compelling feuds/storylines working right now:
1. The granddaddy of them all is Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, which is arguably the best rivalry in all of sports and entertainment right now. Gargano is sidelined again, this time with “career-threatening injuries” suffered after Ciampa’s last heinous attack (love how this year(s)-long story has allowed both men time without the other to establish their characters. Johnny got most of 2017 while the Blackheart was out after legitimate surgeries; Tommaso’s had most of this year with Gargano on the sidelines for kayfabed reasons). Yet Ciampa still managed to send a message to Johnny Wrestling when he defeated and choked out Kassius Ohno. Now we wait for Candice LeRae’s husband to respond…
2. It’s early, but it’s hard not to be really excited about the potential for the Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet feud. The duo have reportedly been tearing down houses on the road, and they delivered a compelling promo battle to start last Wednesday’s episode. In addition to being impressive in-ring showmen, this works because the characters – and maybe the men behind them – are different manifestations of the arrogant young man archetype wrestling’s been built on for decades. It’s a timeless clash of personalities mixed with revolutionary athletic skill. We want more, and we’ll start to get it as they’re set to face off tonight.
3. NXT is telling a different kind of bullying story with Women’s Titleholder Shayna Baszler and Dakota Kai, and it’s the kind of long-form, more subtle stuff the main roster just doesn’t do. Kai has been traumatized by Baszler since the Queen of Spades intentionally “injured” her arm last year. As part of her efforts to keep the whole division in line now that she has the belt, Shayna is making sure everyone sees how she’s broken Dakota. As almost a literal wild card, they’ve thrown a character they’ve shown can’t be cowed into the mix. Nikki Cross laughed off being put through a table off a ladder at the end of a war with Asuka – she’s not gonna be scared of Baszler. Dis gun be good.
4. This episode’s top billed match, and something which has been a focal point of the series since New Orleans, involves three of the brand’s belts and a whole bunch of jerks. Roderick Strong turned on United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne to join Undisputed ERA, right when The Bruiserweight was starting to trust him. Now Dunne has to accept help from a couple other guys to deal with Roddy, co-Tag Team Titleholder Kyle O’Reilly and North American Champ Adam Cole. But at least he knows Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch hate his guts. They’ll get a chance to go three-on-three with Strong’s new faction this week.
Pretty cool, huh?
The Title Scene
Strangely enough, the one belt not involved in an interesting program is the top one. Partially, that’s because the man Aleister Black beat for the NXT Championship debuted on SmackDown last night. The “lose the belt, head to the main roster” model leaves NXT with the task of constantly replacing main eventers. And that’s even more challenging when the top candidates are all involved in the above mentioned non-title programs.
Other stuff to keep an eye on:
– The biggest recent addition without a clear direction is EC3. He won a squash and cut an entertaining promo on the last episode, but we’re still waiting for something more.
– While Undisputed deals with Dunne and his reluctant allies, the tag division is in rebuilding mode. War Raiders have run over everyone whose been put in front of them and TM-61 are turning heel, while more homegrown talent like Street Profits and Heavy Machinery try to find their place.
– “The Finest”, Kona Reeves, makes his second televised appearance in his new gimmick. He’s shooting for a Dream-like rise to the main event. But bless his heart, he’s probably headed to a No Way Jose-like role elsewhere (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
NOTE: Spoilers are out there for these pre-taped broadcasts (including here), but many Cagesiders don’t partake. If you are going to post or discuss spoilers for this show before they happen, or results of future shows, please use the spoiler bar in your comment.
See you tonight for NXT, Cagesiders!
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