A Room with a Review: NXT 06/10/20
Let’s bask in the glow of a post-TakeOver episode of NXT, complete with creepy caricatures and a giant timepiece not connected to Flavor Flav.
- The show starts out with Adam Cole (bay bay) coming to the ring with Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish, who apparently managed to escape the clutches of Dexter Lumis. Cole says it doesn’t matter what’s next for him, because nobody can beat him. Roddy keeps seeing Lumis in the “crowd”, but he’s not there when the others look. Cole says he’ll take care of Lumis in their match later tonight.
- It’s mixed tag action as Team Yimitless (Keith Lee and Mia Yim) face off with Dark Johnny Gargano and Goth Elsa Candace LeRae. Lee and Yim take the early advantage, hitting multiple moves in stereo against Mr. and Mrs. Wrestling. Candace hits Lee of all people with a tornado DDT, thanks to a little help from Johnny. Yim gets involved and hits Gargano with a release German suplex! Lee nails Johnny with the Pounce, which knocks him into both women. Lee checks on Yim, allowing Gargano to hit the One Final Beat DDT, but it causes Lee to land on LeRae. Candace isn’t moving, so Keith picks her up to take her to the back. Johnny rolls Lee up (causing LeRae to comically roll out of the ring) for the victory. Gargano supports his unconscious wife as they walk back up the ramp, making sure to pose and raise her hand in victory.
- McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Cameron Grimes. He’s not scared of facing Finn Balor again and he says some stuff about Damien Priest. Priest doesn’t like that, so he lays Grimes out with a big right hand.
- After the commercial break, it’s Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav) w/ Malcolm Bivens against Local Talent 1 and 2. Indian War Machine win in like 30 seconds, but the biggest heel move was them not giving Bivens a mic.
- McKenzie finds Senior Referee Drake Wuertz backstage talking to NXT General Manager William Regal via FaceTime. Cameron Grimes says he can’t compete tonight because Priest broke his jaw, but Drake says the doc is unconvinced. Regal says he wants to talk to Grimes, so Drake and McKenzie are going on an adventure, toting an iPad while searching for Cameron.
- After another commercial, our ersatz Fellowship of the Ring locates Cameron Grimes, who is chatting up a couple of ladies backstage. He says he’s feeling great, until William Regal chimes in. Cameron quickly remembers how hurt he is, but Regal says he better get ready to face Finn Balor. It was a fun bit.
- Next is a nice retrospective on Breezango, ahead of their Tag Team Championship match with Imperium.
- More time with McKenzie as her interview with Rhea Ripley gets interrupted by Robert Stone, who is desperate to sign her to his brand. Rhea responds by slamming into a trash can.
- Time for the much anticipated Cameron Grimes/Finn Balor bout. These guys work well together and I would love to see more from Grimes. He seems like he could be the scuzzy heel I’ve been missing since Noam Dar disappeared from my TV. It’s a great back and forth match with both competitors getting multiple near-falls. Balor picks up the victory after hitting the Coup de Grace and a particularly stiff-looking 1916. Balor tells the camera that he’s never held the North American title, so Keith Lee should look him up. Oh boy, that can’t happen soon enough.
- Next up it’s Kacy Catanzaro vs Dakota Kai w/ Raquel Gonzalez. I’m happy that Kacy didn’t have to retire. I don’t know if she’ll ever be champ, but she’s a lot of fun to watch in the ring. Kai gets the win in a quick match after the Go To Kick. After the match, Kai and Gonzalez continue to beat on Catanzaro, but her partner, Kayden Carter, comes to the rescue, only to be dropped by Gonzalez.
- El Hijo del Fantasma comes to the ring, but just as he starts to talk (in Spanish), he is interrupted by Drake Maverick, complete with new music. He congratulates Fantasma and thanks him for their great match. Drake wants another opportunity and Fantasma says si. The masked suit guys come to the ring and Fantasma jumps Maverick. The well-dressed luchas remove their mask to reveal Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Fantasma removes his own mask and says his name is Santos Escobar (in perfect English). I am 100% behind mirror universe Lucha House Party.
- Roddy Strong says Dexter Lumis was backstage because he found one of Dexter’s caricatures. Cole says he’s got this and heads to the ring. Roddy sees Lumis peeking through a door and books it.
- It’s main event time as Dexter Lumis faces Adam Cole (bay bay) w/ Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong. Lumis looks good early, tossing Cole around the ring. Cole starts laying in punches and Lumis smiles after each one. Cole goes for the Panama Sunrise, but Dexter catches him in his chokehold finisher. Bobby Fish jumps up on the apron, distracting the official and allowing Roddy to kick Lumis in the head. Cole follows up with the Last Shot and gets the pin. Cole stands over Dexter and starts yelling in his face, but Lumis grabs him in the choke again. Strong and Fish jump in the ring but Velveteen Dream pulls them back out. They fight to the back and Cole is left in the ring by himself. He smiles and starts posing, but the lights go out and Scarlett appears. She walks down the ramp with a giant hourglass she got from a Pier 1 Imports going out of business sale and leaves it in the ring for Cole, the sand trickling down.
This was a wonderful show that did a great job of using ongoing storylines to introduce new ones. I don’t know why they bother with anything of than NXT.
What feud that was setup in this show are you looking forward to the most? Let me know in the comment section below.
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