Not to be swallowed up by all the attention given to Survivor Series, NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019 set out to prove why NXT is the A-show by having what had the potential to be one of the best events of the year Saturday...
NXT's first event after moving to the USA Network is TakeOver: WarGames 2019, which is set to feature two of its titular cage matches...
AEW Dynamite vs. WWE NXT: Who Won the Nov. 20 Battle of the Wednesday Night War?
Nov 21, 2019
TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 11: Jon Moxley enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax 29 at Nippon Budokan on August 11, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
It was a wild Wednesday night, as a score of WWE superstars, including Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, answered Triple H's challenge to test their might against the best of NXT.
The result was an exciting and truly unpredictable show that saw wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown make their way to Orlando, Florida for the final NXT prior to Survivor Series on Sunday.
All Elite Wrestling answered with one if its own strongest shows to date, delivering both incredible in-ring performances and some high-level, organic promos that led directly into next week's program. The show was bookended by two legitimately great matches, something that is almost becoming habit at this point.
Choosing between these two amazing shows wasn't easy. This is a fine time for professional wrestling artistically, and this is an era fans will talk about in awe 20 years from now.
I almost called this week a tie—but that would be an enormous cop-out. We want winners and we want losers. So, let's take a deeper dive into Wednesday's shows to see who emerges as the weekly champion.
Moment We'll Remember: A frazzled Chris Jericho in the middle of the ring with his crony Jake Hager being tricked by Scorpio "Bugs" Sky into putting his AEW championship on the line next week.
For the second week in a row, Jericho put over a rising star in a big way, allowing Sky to shine in the biggest moment of his professional career.
What Worked: AEW opened the show with a fantastic match between Nick Jackson and Rey Fenix. It was the former's first singles match in more than two years, though you'd have never guessed it from the flawless execution and remarkable pace.
The two men stuffed a lot into 12 minutes that just flew by, and it's worth noting just how enthusiastic the crowd was here. This could have easily been match of the night depending on what kind of match you prefer.
The two men are both among the best high-flyers in all of contemporary wrestling, which makes them two of the best flyers in the history of wrestling.
Darby Allin, in another star turn, made the most of his opportunity in the spotlight. Carried to the ring in a body bag with his opponent's name on it, he jammed his foot on the gas pedal from the opening second and never came off the throttle.
It's hard to get over a new star by having them consistently look amazing in losing effort after losing effort. Eventually, no matter how compelling the wrestler is, fans have been trained to tune out losers. But right now, this path is the right one for Darby.
He really does feel like a young wrestler who has almost turned the corner—and when he finds the open road out in front, the entire wrestling business is going to be hard-pressed to keep up.
Truth be told, everything worked here. Even the 12-man Battle Royal, a gimmick that would normally feel like either an endless slog or ephemeral nothingness, was a ton of fun to watch.
The announcers did a great job of not telegraphing MJF's surprise win at the end, a rare display of steely discipline in a genre not always known for subtlety.
Missed the Mark: I was looking hard for something not to like, if only to fill this slot in the column, but nothing really stood out. I was entertained for the entire two hours.
If I wanted to nitpick, and it does feel like I'm picking on them at this point, but the excellently produced Dark Order video package actually left me more confused than ever about what exactly that group is about. I feel like I understand who they are and what their motivations might be even less than I did going in.
And I didn't understand the gimmick at all going in.
Grade:A+
NXT
Where:Orlando, Florida
Main Event:Adam Cole vs. Dominik Dijakovic(Ladder match)
Match of the Night:Undisputed Era vs. The Revival
Moment We'll Remember: Becky Lynch, returning home to NXT for the first time since cementing her status as the biggest star in all of women's wrestling, is met with chants of "Shayna's gonna to kill you" and "Rhea's gonna kill you."
At one point, Lynch was the underdog NXT fans rallied behind. Now she's The Man, representing the establishment. It's an interesting dynamic.
What Worked: WWE brought out the big guns in the final push toward both NXT TakeOver: WarGames and Survivor Series on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Not only did Lynch return to a mixed response from the NXT faithful, but the show also closed with the crowd chanting "Seth's not cool" at WWE's current standard-bearer, Seth Rollins.
One of my main critiques of the Survivor Series build this year is that WWE has given fans very few reasons to choose between Raw and SmackDown. The brands are virtually indistinguishable, and it doesn't feel like either has a distinct fanbase with a clear rooting interest.
That's definitely not true of NXT. While the fans were polite enough and responded to the returning Superstars in a major way, they were most definitely "Team NXT."
It may be WWE's smallest show when it comes to ratings, but it drives fan loyalty and engagement in a way the main roster hasn't in a long time.
The best match of the night on either show was a tag team bout between Undisputed Era and a returning Revival. But the wrestler who stood out to me the most was Rhea Ripley, who shined every bit as bright as the megawatt Lynch. She's going to be a huge star in this industry.
Missed the Mark: The Viking Raiders had a forgettable match with Forgotten Sons. It was a return that few will remember in the wake of, well, everything else that happened on the evening.
It may be petty as complaints go, but this show almost tried to do too much. This match was an example. I'd have rather seen them cut it completely and give five more minutes to the main event, which felt like it was coming to a conclusion just when your standard ladder match is just getting started.
Grade:A
Overall: I feel I could just copy and paste pieces of this column every week, because both groups again somehow exceeded my expectations. At this point, picking a winner is just a matter of personal preference—I wouldn't even bother to argue if you disagree. The competition is that close.
I went with AEW. The two hours went by in what felt like 15 minutes, a sure sign of a perfectly executed week of wrestling television. It was a smoother ride than NXT's, which doesn't have a consistent rhythm.
In a battle this close, the little things count. To me, it was AEW's superior production that pushed it over the finish line here.
Despite his internet accolades, or perhaps because of them, NXT's Mauro Ranallo sometimes tries to do too much, drowning out his colleagues in the middle of their sometimes interesting points, lost in the moment. It's a stark contrast to the AEW show where the announce team led by Jim Ross always seems to find a way to let Tony Schiavone and Excalibur get their time to shine.
Winner: AEW
Overall: AEW (6), NXT (2)
Becky Lynch Wrestles Rhea Ripley, Attacked by Shayna Baszler in WWE NXT Return
Nov 20, 2019
TOKYO,JAPAN - JUNE 28: Becky Lynch enters the ring during the WWE Live Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan on June 28, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
After weeks of being attacked on Mondays, Becky Lynch brought the fight back to Full Sail on Wednesday.
The Raw women's champion arrived at NXT looking for a fight and found one with Rhea Ripley, who answered Lynch's challenge in a match that likely would have burned the house down if it weren't for an interruption by Shayna Baszler and the NXT Horsewomen.
Lynch and Ripley then turned their attention to the Horsewomen, dispatching them from the ring and standing tall as the Full Sail crowd cheered on. Lynch is scheduled to be part of a three-way match against Bayley and Baszler at Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view, while Ripley will be part of the women's WarGames match against Baszler Io Shirai,Bianca Belair, andKay Lee Ray at NXT: WarGames.
While it's good we got some of Lynch-Ripley, it's hard to not be disappointed by the non-finish here. Ripley could have taken a clean loss to the Raw women's champion without hurting herself as a threat; Lynch is arguably the biggest star in the company, and Ripley is a budding star. Giving her a full 15-minute match would have done more to put her over than yet anotherWWE non-finish.
The post-match attack stuff could have been handled the same way without compromising Lynch's first match back at Full Sail in years.
That said, seeing The Man back in that environment was a moment fun enough to make the cross-branding stuff worth it.
Street Profits Are Good Enough to Break NXT Tag Team Curse on WWE Main Roster
Nov 4, 2019
The Street Profits are already off to a strong start on Monday Night Raw.
NXT tag teams haven't had the greatest success on WWE's main roster over the past six years, but based on what we've seen from them so far, The Street Profits have quickly proved to be the exception.
The former NXT Tag Team Champions debuted on the June 23 edition of Raw and proceeded to serve as the backstage narrators of the show for the next four months. Despite the lackluster start to their main roster run, Street Profits earned exposure from their weekly segments on the flagships show while continuing to compete in NXT.
Their loss of the NXT Tag Team Championship in late August (and subsequent failure to regain them) paved the way for them to officially join the Raw roster in the 2019 WWE Draft. It was only one week later that they wrestled and won very first match on the main roster (in the main event, no less) against The O.C., sending the message that WWE intends to push them to their fullest potential.
If Street Profits can manage to maintain the momentum they have, they will become the first tandem to not be marred by bad booking in their rookie year on the main roster.
WWE has promoted its fair share of NXT tag teams since 2013, but none of them have been nearly as exciting or as compelling as they were down in developmental. The trend started with The Wyatt Family's Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, who were broken up before they could win tag title gold together.
Other teams, such as The Ascension and The Lucha Dragons, weren't even given a chance to get over with the audience. Rather, both pairs of former NXT Tag Team champions were booked to look like losers upon their arrival on Raw and faded off into obscurity almost immediately.
The main roster hasn't been kind to tag teams from NXT in recent years, either.
American Alpha were a tremendous tandem that never had their characters fleshed out. The Revival, on the other hand, have already won three tag team titles this year, yet are reportedly still aiming to exit the company when their contracts expire next year, per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com.
Perhaps the more egregious example of a duo who could have gone a lot farther than they did is Enzo Amore and Big Cass. They were far more popular when they debuted than Street Profits are, but they fizzled out after constantly losing whenever it mattered most.
A majority of these teams were just as talented as Street Profits are, but what separates Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford from the rest is their ability to make anything they're involved in work. That includes those corny and redundant backstage segments they were relegated to many months that had no business being as amusing as they were.
During their two-year stint in NXT, they slowly worked their way up the ladder in the tag team division and earned a reputation for being fan favorites at Full Sail University. Their long journey to the NXT Tag Team Championship culminated at TakeOver: XXV in June when they won the gold in an outstanding Ladder match to a raucous reaction.
In addition to being a blast to watch in the ring, their entrance alone captivates crowds, as seen on Monday's Raw. While the promos they cut that night weren't anything out of the ordinary, their "We Want the Smoke" catchphrase caught fire with the fans in attendance.
The segment served as a small taste of how beloved they can become if WWE can stay the course with them.
While tag team wrestling hasn't been the main roster's forte in several years, Street Profits are both talented competitors and entertaining personalities. If they can break this tag team curse WWE has had going with tandems that graduate from NXT and proceed to flop, fans will be open to seeing more fresh faces grace the division eventually.
Undisputed Era, in particular, can be real game-changers once they accomplish all they can in NXT and make the move to the main roster. That's assuming Street Profits will take off as expected and set a new precedent for the heights tag teams can reach in WWE.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website,Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his officialFacebook pageto continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
As this was the first full week of shows following the 2019 WWE draft, Superstars should have tried their hardest to stand out and prove they are the MVPs of their respective brands...
Better Late Than Never: Finn Balor's Heel Turn Is Exactly What WWE NXT Needs
Oct 27, 2019
Finn Balor on NXT.
Finn Balor returned to NXT following the black and yellow brand's move to USA Network and immediately became one of the biggest stars on the show.
He is a former universal and intercontinental champion and holds the record for the longest NXT Championship reign. Balor won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic alongside Samoa Joe in 2015 and has worked with all of the biggest stars in the company.
Since joining WWE in 2014, Balor had worked as a babyface. That all changed on Wednesday's episode of NXT, when he attacked Johnny Gargano and helped The Undisputed Era to take out Tommaso Ciampa.
This is the first time the WWE Universe will get to see what he is capable of as a villain, but anybody who followed his career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling knows what kind of bad guy he can be.
With NXT struggling to match All Elite Wrestling Dynamite's ratings, Balor's heel turn is exactly what the brand needed.
A Top Heel
A few stars like Fandango, Tyler Breeze and Killian Dain have moved from the main roster to NXT, but none of them are on Balor's level in terms of star power.
When it comes to heels in NXT, The Undisputed Era is at the top of the pile, and nobody else is close to catching the faction. All of the other big stars are babyfaces.
Gargano, Ciampa, Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, Kushida, Breezango and Pete Dunne all identify as good guys. The black and yellow brand needed another top heel, and Balor was a perfect choice.
He can play the cocky villain well, and this will give the WWE Universe a chance to see him in a new light and find out how versatile he is.
Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong have been doing a good job, but they can't be the only heels competing for titles.
A Chance for Renewal
Balor is a marketable Superstar with name recognition and a loyal following, but he has struggled to get back to where he was before SummerSlam 2016.
The Demon defeated Seth Rollins to become the first universal champion that night, but he also dislocated his shoulder during the match and had to relinquish the title the next night on Raw.
He has had a few chances to regain the belt since then but has fallen short each time. He might hold victories over Superstars like Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Rollins, but his character has never been booked the same way since his injury.
Returning to NXT is a chance for Balor to reinvigorate his career and remind everyone why he was such a big signing for the company back in 2014.
New Opponents
Balor was on the main roster a little over three years, and it was already starting to feel like he had feuded with most of the roster.
WWE has been releasing fewer people in recent years, and Superstars are staying in NXT for longer than they need to, so the main roster tends to get repetitive.
Fresh matchups occasionally pop up, but they are few and far between, especially in the main event scene. We can only watch Reigns fight Drew McIntyre so many times in one year before the fans get sick of it.
Putting Balor back in NXT means he gets to face talents who weren't there during his first run with the brand.
His eventual fight with Gargano is going to be a work of art, and the possibility of seeing him face people like Ciampa, Velveteen Dream and Dunne should make any wrestling fan excited.
Just imagine what he could do with someone like Tyler Bate or Lio Rush. There are so many possibilities for interesting combinations and thrilling matches.
A Stable for The Demon
Balor rose to fame as the leader of The Bullet Club in NJPW in 2013. He was joined by Karl Anderson and, later, Luke Gallows in the group, but they are aligned with AJ Styles as The O.C.
The Undisputed Era reigns supreme over the black and yellow brand, with Cole holding the NXT Championship, Fish and O'Reilly the NXT tag titles and Strong the North American belt.
If management ever decides to turn the group face or break it up, Balor is the ideal person to lead a new stable of heels.
He has the experience to be a formidable leader, the popularity to carry newer stars until they are established and the skill to make anyone else look better.
A number of rising stars could gain a lot from being associated with Balor. Cameron Grimes, Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, Damian Priest and Mansoor could all benefit from the exposure teaming with a former world champion would bring them.
Balor's Move Makes NXT Feel Like a 3rd Brand
For as long as it has been around, NXT has been considered a developmental brand. Raw and SmackDown are on one level, and NXT is right beneath those shows.
While that is technically true, moving the show to USA, expanding it to two hours and adding a few wrestlers from the main roster has helped the show to grow into something bigger.
Despite not being in the main event scene for a little while, Balor is a bankable star. He is going to help NXT to grow, and everyone on the roster will benefit from his popularity and experience.
Putting him with Gargano for his first feud was a smart decision because they will steal the show every time they get into the ring together. If WWE wanted a program that would rival anything going on in AEW, this is it.
