A Room with a Review: NXT 08/19/20
Everything falls into place on this final NXT before TakeOver 30, including punter Pat McAfee showing up with actual football players.
- The first match of the evening is Johnny Gargano w/ Candice LeRae vs. Ridge Holland, with the winner getting added to the North American Championship Ladder Match at TakeOver 30. There’s a scary moment when Holland doesn’t get full rotation on a spinning powerslam, driving Gargano head-first into the mat. Somehow Johnny Wrestling continues and gets the win, thanks to a distraction from LeRae.
- Up next is Dakota Kai vs. Jessi Kamea. I’m not sure if Jessi has been on TV (except for being in the “crowd” for Raw and SmackDown) since she was doing the nerd gimmick. Kai picks up a quick victory with the GTK. Dakota grabs a mic and trash talks Io Shirai, prompting the Genius of the Sky to come down and throw hands. They brawl to the top of the ramp where Raquel Gonzalez appears and hits Shirai with a big boot. Kai and Gonzalez take Io back to the ring, where they continue their attack.
- McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Tegan Nox. She’s disappointed with what Candice LeRae had to say about her last week.
- After a commercial break, it’s a 6-Man Tag Team match as Legado del Fantasma faces the team of Breezango and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. There was confusion toward the end of the match as the referee declared that Tyler Breeze was the legal man when Swerve attempted a pin. Santos Escobar pins Breeze after a Phantom Driver.
- Undisputed Era heads to the ring and calls out Pat McAfee. The former NFL punter has brought some actual football players with him. Adam Cole (bay bay) tells the rest of his crew to leave the ring so McAfee would feel safe enough to get in. Pat cuts a remarkable heel promo and Adam steps to him. Some security guards get involved, but Cole clears them quickly. The footballers jump up on the apron, so UE gets back in the ring. Cooler heads prevail, though, so nobody has to take a punch from an untrained noob.
- Time for women’s action as Aliyah and Mercedes Martinez w/ Robert Stone goes up against Shotzi Blackheart w/ tank and Rhea Ripley. Stone and Martinez each try to interfere, but Rhea Ripley power bombs Martinez over the railing and onto the concrete, allowing Shotzi to hit a top rope senton back splash for the win.
- We get a video package for the NXT Championship match featuring Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, and a Metallica song.
- Our main event is the second Ladder Match qualifier, this one between Finn Balor and Velveteen Dream. It’s the battle of Queen Cathy’s exes! Partway through the match, Cameron Grimes comes to the ring to annoy everybody within earshot. He perches himself on top of a ladder that is set up ringside for ambiance. Johnny Gargano joins the party by pushing Cameron’s ladder over, causing Grimes to fly into the referee. Bronson Reed and Damian Priest add themselves to the mix, hitting each other. Things fall apart, as Timothy Thatcher hits Balor from behind, allowing Dream to take control. He hits the Dream Valley Driver, then the Purple Rainmaker for the win. There’s more fighting after the match, with the thiccboi Reed standing tall at the end, assuring he won’t be winning on Saturday.
Part two in a week of go-home shows aligned everything nicely. There was solid wrestling, slickly produced video packages, and one final shmoz to end the show, which is what I think most people expect before a pay-per-view.
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