By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV Live Review
Taped June 12, 2019 in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University
Streamed July 10, 2019 on WWE Network
The NXT Slipknot theme aired (which now has updated graphics to match the current storylines and current roster)…
Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Beth Phoenix were on commentary…
Io Shirai made her entrance with new generic club entrance music. She was wearing all black gear, similar to what she was wearing as a heel on Lucha Underground. Io was very ranty and pouty on her way to the ring. Io grabbed a mic for a promo, but stalled a bit to soak in the immense boos. During the soaking in, the crowd started an “Io Sucks” chant. Io milked the crowd a bit more and said she doesn’t need any friends, and “any of you”. Io did a mic drop. Io walked up the ramp dismissing the crowd…
NXT cut to a Velveteen Dream press conference which he did sports style. One reporter asked Dream about a potential next opponent. Dream said he did not approve that question. A lady reporter asked Dream about Roderick Strong calling him out. Dream pointed out that it was Queen Cathy Kelley who asked the question and he approves. Dream said Roderick Strong isn’t ready to face the Dream one on one. Dream walked off… [c]
John’s Thoughts: I really like the character stuff NXT is going back too. I didn’t expect Io Shirai to get such a strong heel reaction but Full Sail played along nicely. I’m also a fan of Heels putting in effort to change their look and entrance routine with the persona change. I also was a fan of Io’s simple and effective heel look in Lucha Underground (Io Shirai had a nice match against Pentagon Jr there by the way, I recommend)…
1. Damien Priest vs. Blanco Loco. Blanco Loco is from Mexico, New York and his name translates to “Crazy white”. He got generic music, so he’s a jobber. Priest tossed loco to mid ring handily. Loco managed to get one punch in but that enraged Priest who came back with a clothesline. Priest gave Loco a second lariat. Mauro said Loco needs a priest after that. Priest hit Loco with a cyclone kick followed by Cross Rhodes which Priest is now calling “The Reckoning” for the win.
Damien Priest defeated Blanco Loco via pinfall in 1:39.
The commentators stressed that Priest is a rock star…
They then hyped Jordan Myles vs. Boa…
John’s Thoughts: Standard stuff, but standard squashes are a good way to introduce new wrestlers so no complaints here. I was actually getting more laughs from Blanco Loco after they dubbed him being from Mexico, New York and having a supposed Lucha Libre background. He’s no Gringo Loco though.
Another Killain Dain vignette aired where Dain talked about wanting to tell stories of his house being set on fire while his family was still in it. Dain talked about living in martial law with riots. Dain talked about experiencing a car bomb fire. Dain said he’s the only person alive in his high school class. Dain said he doesn’t repress these stories he wears these stories as a badge or honor. He said he wants you to know who he is and why he does what he does. He said he will walk to you and breathe to your face. Dain said everything was taken away from him and he is going to now take what he wants. The graphic said Dain was “coming soon”…
John’s Thoughts: Great promo stuff there and I’m a huge fan of the dark backstories. I’m surprised he got away with delivering a story about explosions and how everyone he went to school is dead.
Boa made his entrance. He talked about representing China and is a jujitsu practitioner. He said he’s going to make China proud. The artist formerly known as ACH, Jordan Myles, made his entrance. Myles quoted DMX in his intro. He said he hopes the NXT universe is ready for Jordan Myles. Mauro noted that Myles thinks of himself as an Anime Hero…
2. Jordan Myles vs. Boa in a first round match of the NXT Breakout Tournament. Nigel noted the height advantage that Boa has. Nigel also noted that Boa has been in WWE since 2016. Boa locked Myles in a side headlock. Myles blocked a snapmare and converted it into a hammerlock in his favor. ACH tossed around Boa with a few armdrags. Myles did an Eddy Gordo backflip and followed up with a dropkick. Myles locked Boa in a wristlock. Boa got to a vertical base. Boa used a Muay Thai kick to escape the lock. Myles managed to roll into a rollup.
Boa hit Myles with a roundhouse to ground Myles. Boa hit Myles with Muay Thai clinch knees. Myles fought off Boa but Boa came back with a nice looking Michima axe kick. Boa went back to the clinch knees on Myles. Myles slapped away a roundhouse from Boa but Boa came back with a boot. Boa hit Myles with a butterfly suplex. Boa locked in a long resthold. Boa locked Myles in a cross armbreaker but Myles kicked out. Boa went to roundhouse kicks. Myles showed some fighting spirit and caught Boa’s kick. Myles came back with rapid fire roundhouse kicks.
Myles ran through Boa with a sereis of forearms. Myles hit Boa with a sweep and basement dropkick. Myles hit Boa with the Destructo Disc (ugh). Myles then hit Boa with the Midnight Star 450 for the win.
Jordan Myles defeated Boa via pinfall in 8:21 to advance in the NXT Breakout Tournament.
Myles struck his weeb grin while on the ground. Myles then celebrated his win…
Nigel McGuinness announced Dexter Lumis (Sam Shaw) vs. Bronson Reed for next week..
John’s Thoughts: Boa was very green here but I really liked his moveset. The guy just needs to find a way to look more aggressive and tone down the restholds. But I liked the martial arts moveset he exhibited. I’m also a fan of peeps from the motherland and he’s also named after my favorite female Korean pop star. ACH was good too and he didn’t annoy me for once. He’s really good, but he always annoyed me with being a super weeaboo. And I usually support pro wrestling otakus like Keith Lee, TJP, Kenny Omega, Low Ki, and others. ACH just always annoyed me for some reason and I always rooted for Silas Young to beat him up.
Shayna Baszler was interviewed about Mia Yim. Baszler talked about having the biggest target in NXT over her shoulder. Baszler said she likes Yim’s story about coming from the streets. Baszler talked about how that’s the most common story in fighting, how fighting saved my life and the such (ouch! Nice burn)… [c]
John’s Thoughts: This is a common complaint that Jason Powell has had with a lot of WWE’s babyface backstories which was put on display big time in their network tournaments. Powell has compared all of the WWE babyface backstories to that of rescue puppies.
A Keith Lee video package aired. He talked about not having the best first year. He said he was going to be a champion in his second year in NXT. He said he was going to move past being limitless and now going to be “infinite”…
William Regal was interviewed outside of Full Sail. Regal was hyping an announcement next week. Regal said the announcement was about Kusida and brought up how UK wrestler Kassius Ohno and 205 Live wrestler Drew Gulak came to fight Kushida. Regal said next week Kushida will be facing smackdown wrestler Apollo Crews…
Alicia Taylor handled the formal ring introductions for the Tag Team Title match…
3. “The Street Profits” Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Burch and Lorcan went into quick tags and isolation on Dawkins. Dawkins fought out and the Profits hit Burch with a double flapjack after Dawkins got the tag. They also flapjacked Lorcan. Ford hit both opponents with an assisted draping leapfrog banzai drop. Lorcan and Burch went to ringside to recuperate. Dawkins held out his hand for a handshake. Burch teased the handshake but went with the disrespectful kick to the gut of Dawkins.
Lorcan went back to the isolation and quick tags. Lorcan and Burch hit Dawkins with a double suplex. Burch pummeled Dawkins in the corner with punches and kicks. Burch locked in the Crossface on Dawkins. Ford ran in with a PK to break up the submission. Burch gave Dawkins nice aggression on the clubbing blows and ground and pound. Dawkins rolled to the side to dodge a Burch missile dropkick. This gave Dawkins a chance to get the successful hot tag. Ford cleaned house. He hit Lorcan with an Alabama Slam and hit Burch with a dropkick. Ford suplexed Burch and hit him with a standing moonsault for a two count.
Ford ran off of Dawkins for a Sliced Bread #2 to give Dawkins a nearfall. Lorcan escaped a Profits modified Streetsweeper. . Burch and Lorcan gave Ford knees. Burch got a nearfall off of Ford. Burch gave Ford a German Suplex but he fell right into Dawkins. Madness ensued. Dawkins ended the madness with all men on the floor after spearing Burch. Ford and Lorcan stood face to face. Both men traded chops. Lorcan sidestepped Ford, but Ford hit Burch with a Tope con Hilo. Lorcan went for a suicide dive but dove right into the right hand of Dawkins. Dawkins gave Burch a spinebuster. Ford gave Burch a Frog Splash for the victory.
The Street Profits defeated Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch via pinfall in 10:00 to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
The Profits celebrated. The Undisputed Era members Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish walked to the stage to give the Profits golf claps. NXT closed with ten minutes left at the top of the hour…
John’s Thoughts: We’ve seen better from both teams but this was a fun tag team main event. Interesting move to have Dawkins be the guy selling a lot because they’ve been having Ford be in that position in most of their matches. Good stuff. The Profits aren’t guaranteed to have a great match every time like a lot of the teams they face, but ever since they came back from their Evolve excusrion they’ve took things up a notch. It looks like they’re going against O’Reilly and Fish. O’Reilly and Fish wrestling a broomstick would be a great match (especially O’Reilly vs. a broom), therefore Redragon vs. Profits should be Takeover worthy if they want to go that route.
Another solid episode of NXT. Good promos, good video packages, good matches, new wrestlers via the breakout tournament. NXT is a good weekly show.
Be the first to comment