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.
