NXT Tampa 12-17-16

NXT finished its weekend loop by returning to its home away from home, the UACDC Gymnasium in Tampa. Outside of Orlando, this gym probably pulls in the largest amount of ardent NXT fans. This Saturday night would be no different as fans piled in the last Florida NXT show of 2016. By nature, these house shows at Christmas are delightfully weird, with odd booking and seemingly thrown together matches. With much of the roster touring or heading home for Christmas, it is often an all hands on deck skeleton crew.

Steve Cutler vs Adrian Jaoude

The night opened up with former marine Steve Cutler taking on with the Brazilian Adrian Jaoude. This opener started with Cutler dictating the pace by avoiding the Jaoude, eliciting a chicken chant from the crowd. The action begins with lots of arm drags and arm bars in the favor of the Brazilian Jaoude. Eventually, Cutler takes control after a cheap shot. He punishes Jaoude with a slow-paced offense culminating in a mean lariat and a painful looking double stomp. Adrian Jaoude would soon make a comeback showing off his aikido background with an impressive flurry of strikes before tossing Cutler with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Adrian Jaoude then defeated Steve Cutler with a fisherman’s suplex. This was a good opener. I like Cutler as a heel, I say give him a house show push and see what happens. Adrian Jaoude’s amateur background is obvious, and impressive… all the man needs is a connection with the crowd.

Nikki Cross vs Macey

Macey started with a surprisingly strong offense. Cross rethought her strategy and attacked only for Macey to thwart her again. Some of Macey’s offense is still worrisome to me, but she did do a nice 619 spot around the ring post. Much to my chagrin, it was an unusually one-side match. Finally, thanks to a distraction from Eric Young, Nikki took control and defeated Macey with a beautiful and brutal looking fisherman’s neckbreaker. Like I reiterate every blog post and to everyone that will listen, Nikki Cross is a gem of the women’s division, her body of work speaks for its self. Macey has a lot of potential but is getting pushed way too fast.

Kona Reeves vs Gran Metallik

This match had much of the high flying and impressive ringwork you have come to expect from Metallik. However, there were several blown spots too due to Kona having a hard time keeping pace with the speedy luchador. When the pace slowed, Reeves did fine grounding Metallik. After a back and forth battle Gran Metallik countered a fireman’s carry into a DDT for the win. I really enjoy Gran Metallik, he is easily going to be a major player in the cruiserweight division. Kona Reeves has the tools to go far, just a matter of honing them and finding a gimmick that works with the crowd.

Next, Kayla came out to interview Dan Matha. He’s in a bad mood and says all everyone is talking about is Roderick Strong. He makes fun of Strong’s size and the fact it took him so many years to make it to NXT. He claims that when he walked in they took one look at him and exclaimed “Your hired!” It didn’t take long for Roderick Strong to come out where they exchanged words before calling out a ref to make it official.

Roderick Strong vs Dan Matha

This match was your standard David and Goliath battle, with Strong much of the match unsuccessfully trying to control the much bigger Matha. Early on Strong did find an opening with a flurry of offense, but Matha caught him on an outside dive and drove him into the ringpost setting the pace for the rest of the match. Matha kept Roderick grounded for the most part, shutting down Strong’s comebacks with some hard punches or a big boot. Finally, Roddy makes a last attempt at a comeback, rocking Matha with a high knee in the corner, and ultimately finishing him with a single leg dropkick for the win. Roderick Strong is such an asset to NXT, in a few short weeks he has put on some of the most memorable house show matches of the year. This wasn’t one of them, but then again not every match can be a dream match. One of the reasons NXT works is because of established starts working with rookie talents. At 6’7” and 290lbs Dan Matha is eye catching and moves well for a big man. He’s also strong and confident on the mic. With all that said, I believe he is still very much a work in progress though.

The Authors Of Pain vs Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford

Dawkins and Ford are really melding well as a team, and it showed tonight. They came out and immediately took the fight to the Authors with a flurry of offense that included a beautiful running shooting star press from Ford. This match wasn’t as one sided as one would guess, and had a lot of back and forth. However, in the finishing melee Ford was tossed high over the top rope to the outside leaving Dawkins alone to suffer the Authors double team finish. I’m just going to say it, I’m not a fan of the Authors Of Pain… like it says in the bio, I am no critic… that’s just my personal opinion. Dawkins and Ford on the other hand are great together. Angelo Dawkins has been in developmental for a while, but Ford is bringing out something in him. It reminds me of when Jason Jordan was in the system forever, missing that something, until he was matched up with Chad Gable. Dawkins and Ford are going to get over, guaranteed.

Mandy Rose vs Daria Berenato

I’ve seen these two compete… a lot. However, the two have a lot of chemistry and it shows. Daria started off strong with some nice MMA striking, but Mandy would come back and dominate with some nice limb work. Rose worked the leg consistently through the match with several moves and holds including a nice looking dragonscrew leg whip. Daria also sold the legwork like a champ. However, Daria would make a comeback and finish Rose with a huge spinebuster for the win. I’m becoming more of a Daria Berenato fan with every match.

Sanity (Wolfe & Damo) vs Heavy Machinery

I like both of these teams a great deal, but again, I feel like this is something I have seen quite a few times. Nonetheless, this was a fun battle between four really big dudes. Unfortunately, Nikki Cross got ejected from ringside early on (watching her shenanigans at ringside great), but this still left Eric Young at ringside. Young was excellent at ringside throughout the match, verbally tearing apart the crowd while interjecting himself in the match. The highlight of the match may have been the stalemate between two hosses, Big Damo and Otis. The two ran the ropes and collided several times before Otis miraculously toppled Damo. This was a fun back and forth match with several false finishes until Sanity finally got a double team finish on Tucker Knight for the win. I’m a fan of all parties involved here. As the Sanity act continues, they continue to meld together greatly. Alexander Wolfe has went from showing glimmers of potential to being absolutely fantastic just on demeanor alone. Big Damo impresses the hell out of me… big, fast, intimidating man… an absolute beast.

Well, that’s a wrap on the NXT Florida Loop 2016. Whether I’m rooting for you or booing you, thanks to all the talent that make all of my weekends so memorable. I can’t wait to see where the new year takes all these guys.

Happy Holidays to all my readers, and be sure to check back on the 29th for a recap of Pro Wrestling 2.0 which has already confirmed Shane Strickland, Martin Stone, "Deathproof" Aaron Epic, and The Tokyo Monster Kahagas.

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NXT St Petersburg 12-8-16

Dedicated to the memory of

Todd Garzon. NXT Head Of Security

Rest In Peace

Before NXT became a huge international machine that it is, you used to hear the term “NXT Family” thrown around quite a bit. It was an appropriate term to describe the rag tag group of regulars who came to know each other at these small intimate shows, and the relationships we formed with staff and the wrestlers too. As head of security, Todd was at the center of all of it and central to so many peoples NXT memories. He loved his job. He took his position very seriously, exercising authority when necessary. However, he loved the fans too and treated everyone like a friend. His favorite part of the job was watching kids’ faces light up when they watched the magic of wrestling unfold. My heart goes out to his family.

Thursday night the NXT Florida loop made an inaugural stop at the National Guard Armory in St Pete. With the touring roster still making towns across the globe, the cruiserweights and several new names stepped up to carry the NXT banner. In fact, I almost hesitate to call shows “A” shows or “B” shows anymore. The caliber of the roster is too great for that… in fact, these “B” shows are actually refreshing, new, and in some ways better.

Jack Gallagher vs Steve Cutler

With a unique blend of technical prowess and comedic elements, Gallagher is a great way to kick off a show. Jackie Boy showed off his grappling skills, and made sure to hit his signature spots including the headstand on the turnbuckle and tying a frustrated Cutler into a pretzel, much to the amusement of the crowd. Gallagher has charisma in spades. Steve Cutler has been in the system down here for a while, and I say give him a push (at house shows, anyway) and see what happens. Steve seems to have found some confidence since playing heel, he does well trash talking and bantering with the crowd. However, it wouldn’t help him here; Jack Gallagher defeated Steve Cutler by pinfall after a huge running corner dropkick

Lana vs Sarah Bridges

The ravishing Russian returned to the Florida loop for the weekend in… well, an interesting way. Lana danced her way into the ring like a party girl to horrendous dance music, dressed ala the Ziggler storyline. Lana comes off as enthusiastic and likeable, but the skill level just isn’t there. Even the very competent Bridges seemed to have trouble gauging Lana’s stop/start timing and dictate the flow of the match. The last time Lana came down here she was protected in tag matches and she came out looking much better, that’s the formula they need to stick to for now if they insist on moving forward with Lana as an in-ring performer. In the end though, Lana defeated Sarah Bridges with a sit-out slam

Tian Bing vs Kona Reeves

Kona Reeves (formerly Noah Kekoa) played the heel in this match, mocking Bing with martial arts chops and a crane kick ala the Karate Kid. The cocky Reeves dominated much of the match before Tian Bing soundly beat him with a flurry of kicks and strikes. Bing finished off Kona with a superkick for the win. I really like the ring style of Tian Bing, the man has it, and he just needs to make that connection with the crowd. Kona Reeves has all the tools, and a look that will probably suit him well down the line.

Cruiserweight champion Rich Swann is out next for an interview with Kayla Braxton. He briefly mentions his rough past, stating that his belt proves that no matter what, you can do anything. The massive Dan Matha comes out to interrupt; he is met with “Mr. Clean” chants. He mocks the champion. Undeterred, Swann tells him that with courage and heart he can get the job done no matter what. Matha tells him that we’ll find out about that later.

Noam Dar vs Gran Metallik

This was a fun match between two cruiserweight standouts. Noam Dar wisely played a ground game, working the arm of Metallik for most of the match. However, the luchador is about impossible to keep down. Gran Metallik mounted a comeback in the end culminating in a superkick and a Metallik Driver for the win. Both of these guys are so much fun. The young and cocky Dar has such a ring presence, while Metallik may finally be the luchador the WWE has been looking for.

Tommy End vs Roderick Strong

The match of the night was also easily the hardest hitting, as neither man is known for kids gloves. Strong’s strikes reverberated throughout the armory, while End exhibited one of the most impressive flurry of kicks I have seen in a long time. This was a brutal, fast paced, back and forth match that seemed it could go either way at times. Towards the finish, End nearly destroys Roddy with a crazy flurry of kicks and strikes. He stops to trash talk and is met with a sickening high knee, followed by a single leg dropkick that gave Roderick Strong the win. I’m a huge fan of both wrestlers. I was very familiar with Roderick Strong before NXT, but had only seen a handful of Tommy End matches… I feel compelled to go and find them all now, and so should you.

Daria Berenato vs Mandy Rose

Despite the fact that they are both rookies, these two women have a great chemistry together. This was a decent textbook wrestling match. Mandy Rose, who seemed to be on the fast track for a while, appears to be struggling to find her place again. One can’t deny she is green, but considering how long she has been wrestling, she’s progressing fine. Daria, on the other hand, has MMA experience and a plethora of strikes/kicks to make her look pretty good in the ring. However, it wouldn’t help her this time, Mandy Rose defeated Daria Berenato with a facebuster.

Dan Matha vs Rich Swann

This very lopsided affair saw Rich Swann getting dismantled for ten minutes, with only brief attempts at offense. In the end, he nailed Matha with a trifecta of kicks for only a two count. Moments later, Matha charges the corner, Swann dodges, and Matha goes shoulder first into the ringpost. Rich Swann rolls him up for the win. It was a painful match to watch, but did well in demonstrating the never say die attitude Swann.

Heavy Machinery & Hoho Lun vs Sanity

Tucker Knight and Otis Bogojevic dominated the early going of this main event, along with a few brief tag-ins from partner Hoho Lun. Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, along with Big Damo struggled to keep up with Heavy Machinery who kept one step ahead. The crowd popped for the inevitable clash of the massive Otis and Damo. But perhaps the crowd was most behind the underdog Lun, who came in with a strong flurry of offense. Thanks to a distraction from Nikki Cross, Sanity took over and began systematically taking apart the much smaller Hoho Lun. He eventually made the hot tag to Tucker who cleared the ring before chaos ensued like it so often does in these matches. In the end, Lun ended back in with another surprising bit of offense before Sanity nearly killed him with a double team for the win. Afterwards Sanity attempted to completely destroy Hoho, but Tucker and Otis made the save. The good guys celebrated, and the crowd went home happy.

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NXT Tampa 11-18-16

While NXT's top players prepare for Saturday’s Takeover: Toronto, the rest of the crew returned to the UACDC Gymnasium in Tampa, Fl. With a sizable chunk of the roster north of the border, many fans wondered exactly what NXT had in store… apparent by the ticket sales in a usually sold out venue. This show was hardly a consolation prize though. With names like Andrade Cien Almas, Gran Metalik, Tommy End, Big Damo, and Sarah Bridges on the card, I’d hardly call it a “B” show. Much to the contrary, the show felt fresh and different. While performers like Nakamura and Asuka are always missed, freshness is exactly what many people need from a brand that has lost quite a bit of its magic in the last year.

Jack Gallagher vs Akira Tozawa

Regardless of how well the cruiserweight division is fairing on the main roster, it is benefiting NXT fans in spades. That fact was evident in our opening bout of Akira Tozawa vs Gentleman Jack Gallagher. This back and forth match was a great way to start the night illustrating the technical prowess of Jackie Boy and the hard-hitting style of Tozawa. The match was a condensed version of their CWC match with some of the same spots, including Gallagher tying a helpless Tozawa into a pretzel. This match was a lot of fun, and it’s clear both men are going to be a huge asset to the cruiserweight division. Jack Gallagher defeated Akira Tozawa with a huge running corner dropkick.

Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi vs The Bollywood Boyz

It was team Brazil against team India in our first tag team match of the evening. Jaoude and Bononi controlled much of the match with the much larger Bononi taking charge over the smaller duo of Gurv and Harv Sihra. I like Jaoude and Bononi but they are both very much works in progress, showing a lot of potential. This match was your standard formula tag match with the Jaoude and Bononi working dominant heel over their underdog opponents. The Bollywood Boyz defeated Jaoude and Bononi with a double superkick to Adrian Jaoude.

Sarah Bridges vs Macey Estrella

The night continued with women’s action as Sarah Bridges, formerly known as “Crazy” Mary Dobson made her Tampa debut against rookie Macey Estrella. I was excited to see Bridges finally compete in NXT beyond enhancement talent, and she doesn’t disappoint. However, it seemed at times it seemed she had to force herself into a slower pace for the inexperienced Estrella to keep up. Surprisingly Macey dominated the match over an underdog Bridges. Estrella has much work to go, but seems to progressing more so than some of the other new women. Macey Estrella defeated Sarah Bridges via submission with an arm bar.

Big Damo vs Ho Ho Lun

In perhaps the most lopsided match of the night, the Hong Kong cruiserweight found himself across the ring from the beast from Belfast. Undeterred, Ho Ho used his speed to attack his opponent with a flurry of offense, which unfortunately had no effect on the massive Damo. Finally, Damo grounded Lun with one big strike and began systematically picking apart the much smaller wrestler. Lun mounted a small comeback to little avail. While it’s always fun to watch a monster wreak havoc, it also reminds us that for the main roster cruiserweight division to be taken seriously, they must be kept away from the heavyweights. Still yet, it was an enjoyable match as both men are fun to watch. Big Damo defeated Ho Ho Lun with a massive running crossbody.

Wesley Blake vs Kishan Raftaar

Wesley Blake is a good wrestler that has lost his way. In this match, the former tag champion that has taken part in some of the most memorable tag matches in NXT history, didn’t look that much more experienced in the ring than the rookie Kishan Raftaar. Both men looked competent enough, but compared to the evening’s previous matches, it slowed the night tremendously. After a back and forth match Kishan Raftaar defeated Wesley Blake with a sunset flip off the turnbuckle.

Tommy End vs Buddy Murphy

This hard-hitting match started before Murphy was done with his entrance as End attacked him from behind and threw him to the outside. They brawled briefly outside the ring before heading back in where Murphy mounted a comeback. What followed was a tremendous back and forth between the two. Tommy End comes to NXT with a lot of hype, and he delivered with a myriad of strong strikes and kicks. Buddy Murphy held his own and is probably the most underrated performer in NXT at the moment. Excellent match that culminated with Tommy End defeating Buddy Murphy with a brutal high knee. Easily match of the night.

Tough Enough alumni Mada came out to the ring next for a promo. He dissed us Americans and boasted his superior Egyptian bloodline. He seemed confident on the mic; I have yet to see him perform in the ring though.

Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss vs Angelo Dawkins & Kenneth Crawford

This was your standard tag match with several false finishes and a bit of shenanigans. All four men seem to be benefiting from their new tag team affiliations. Moss and Sabbatelli seem to really be getting over with the fans, and I swear, they will probably be Vince McMahons favorite wrestlers one day based on physiques and hair alone. Nothing spectacular here, but entertaining nonetheless. Sabbatelli and Moss have an interesting tag finisher now; Moss hoists his opponent up into a Gory Special setting him up for a running bulldog from Tino. This move won them the match when Tino Sabbatelli pinned Kenneth Crawford.

Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas vs Gran Metallik

This was a great main event, maybe the best I’ve seen an already impressive Almas, simply because of how much he and Metallik work so well together. As imagined, this match featured lots of back and forth, fast paced, and “flippy” action. Both men looked great in this outing. Gran Metallik is going to be a major asset to the cruiserweight division, while heel Cien looks to have finally found his footing in NXT looking better every outing. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas defeated Gran Metallik, after nearly pulling off Metallik’s mask and following with a roll-up. After the match, Almas continued to beat down Metallik, until the good guy turned it around and sent Cien packing.

 This was no ‘B’ show, with several new faces stepping up and the arrival of the cruiserweights, this show was as good as any other.

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