Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and ROH.
NXT:
Regal refusing to give in to Owens' demands unless Balor was OK with it was really smart. It was also nice to really sell the ladder match as something dangerous and a big deal. Gimmick matches used to be like that as a rule instead of the exception.
I hope Crowe can come into his own as NXT needs more important performers now.
Dillinger has been doing the Perfect 10 gimmick on live events for a while now. It's something some fans have spoken highly of.
- Crowe vs. Dillinger:
I'm seeing shades of heel Daniel Bryan and Bo Dallas as characters with Dillinger. They're two of my favorite gimmicks, so I'm not complaining.
Crowe seems more smooth and confident in this match. I'm liking what I'm seeing.
That finish was weak. I'd have rather seen him have a mini-version of the "10" card in his knee brace to give it more of an edge. That would be old-school heel of him.
I wasn't too crazy about the Mojo/Ryder segment. It felt too canned.
Tischer looks like a mountain of a man. I hope he can wrestle like it.
- Corbin vs. Tischer:
I'd mark out like no one's business if someone reversed the End of Days into a crucifix pin and surprised Corbin.
Having Corbin hit the End of Days on like 40 consecutive people would be funny.
Glad to see Corbin get some real competition.
I think Baron's still got a way to go on the mic, but it was good to see him get a chance to speak.
I would have liked to have seen Corbin escape the hold before it was fully applied to set up fans wanting to see Corbin pass out at Takeover.
I like the idea of Bull Dempsey finally shaping up by hitting the gym. Glad to know there was an endgame to the angle of him being out of shape.
Really cool promo from Breeze.
I love Louis just coming out to no music like they just set the madman loose.
- Balor vs. Louis:
I like Louis' unorthodox covers and offense. It fits his gimmick well.
Nice match to further push the champion's credibility.
Really good post-match. This ladder match is going to really be something.
Alexa Bliss is really coming along. I'm liking her progress.
I'm excited for Apollo Crews.
Bayley gets more and more into her character, and it's a blast to see.
- Bayley vs. Becky:
I think both Divas are impressive and belong where they are.
Becky's almost a completely different competitor from the girl who did the Irish jig in her first match.
I'm really enjoying this. Bayley's doing well as the underdog who won't give up.
Quite the solid match overall. Takeover will really be something.
ROH:
- Watanabe vs. ACH:
I generally don't like when matches try to go from 0 to 60 right out of the gate.
So many ROH matches remind me of the DJs who think adding bass and volume makes any song better. Just hit hard and do a lot of flashy moves in quick succession and it's more likely to get those high star ratings.
Not a bad match, just pretty much meaningless. I don't think they need to do an "invasion" angle for ROH vs. NJPW to mean something, but there's not much of a reason to care about who wins.
Good to see Nigel make matches so they mean something. Authority figures need to be used carefully, but they also generally need to be used. At least an off-screen "Board of Directors" or "Commissioner" or someone setting things up. Otherwise, who the heck authorizes the matches to occur?
- War Machine vs. Dijak/Diesel:
I'd be more impressed with Hanson's athleticism if he did moves less goofy than the Bronco Buster and cartwheels.
Honestly, War Machine had some pretty impressive teaming there.
Not a bad post-match. Lethal's just not incredibly interesting to me.
- Page vs. Hughes:
Fine match for what it needed to be. The Decade is one of the few acts in ROH I regularly enjoy.
Whitmer vs. Corino is probably the most interesting feud in ROH right now because it's not just about a championship or who's the better athlete. That gets really bland really quickly.
- Taven/Bennett vs. ReDRagon:
I think I'm running into the problem of having seen so many talented athletes that that aspect of things just isn't as important to me anymore. These men have a lot of wrestling ability. I just don't have much reason to care about any of them because it's just "heel wrestlers vs. face wrestlers." It's a little bit like Superstars or Main Event where the action might be fine but it's not all that interesting because there's not much story attached and the characters aren't necessarily made important.
So many innovative moves are just kind of goofy and obviously choreographed instead of something you'd see in a real competition.
Not really sure why The Kingdom are doing Hardys spots. It's not like Matt and Jeff are going to come down and feud with them anytime soon.
Blehhhh. Too many big moves for the hell of it.
I MIGHT care if The Kingdom splits and feuds because at least there's history and a potential angle there. Knowing ROH it will just turn into who can do the most MOVEZ.
More wrestling coming up.
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