Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and CWC.
NXT:
I'm very glad Hideo is able to come back. There were worries his career was over.
WWE should pick up Sabre, Nese, and Gulak. All are talented.
- Itami vs. Maluta:
Would Itami be stuck in the Cruiserweight division on the main roster?
I was hoping Hideo would just spend time introducing Maluta to his kickpads. I'm not really a fan of Maluta in general.
That wasn't bad for a "knocking off ring rust" match. Hopefully he turns things up more in the weeks and months to come.
Scott Dawson is a really good promo, and Wilder's fine in his own right.
Fun stuff from TM-61, too.
The team of Gargano and Ciampa is still kind of meshing from a personality standpoint. I like them, but the chemistry isn't at the level of the other teams in the segment.
- Mojo vs. Atkins:
Another Australian in NXT!? They're taking over, man.
Joe with NO sympy for Mojo getting drafted to Smackdown.
I like Mojo getting some heat back instead of just letting the champ punk him out.
Good segment overall with Joe making a statement. I'm really excited for him facing Nakamura, although that put more attention on Mojo than the challenger.
Not a compelling Bayley/Asuka segment. Bayley's much better when she's more animated, which she should be after her big Battleground appearance. I could barely understand Asuka. They should have re-shot that.
- Asuka vs. Aliyah:
I imagine we'll see Aliyah more following the callups from the draft.
Not a bad way to add heat to the feud, avoiding Asuka's English promo weaknesses.
Aliyah trying her best against the dominant force that is the NXT Women's Champion.
NICE Octopus spot to taunt Bayley.
I'm liking Asuka as a cocky heel.
About time they followed up on Lorcan vs. Dillinger. OK promo from Oney. Hopefully they focus on him more after Summerslam.
Looks like we've got another match set for Takeover. Ember Moon's coming in at the right time to help out the depleting NXT women's division.
The TNA invasion continues! Hopefully Eric Young follows as a regular before too much longer.
Roode can absolutely be an important player. He's got a lot of experience in various roles and positions, including the top of the card for TNA.
I imagine having Bobby on-board really helps ticket sales for NXT in Canada.
What's great is there are people who hate the Full Sail crowd and their chants, so Roode's a face in their eyes for wanting to get rid of them.
I was waiting for someone to interrupt Roode to set something up at Takeover. I'm under the impression something pretty cool is set up for that event on a future episode.
- TM61 vs. Revival:
This is already better than TM61's recent squash match. Good work so far from the Aussies.
This is mostly solid. Both teams have good teamwork.
I like how downright mean The Revival are in the ring, wearing their opponents down. They don't need flashy doubleteam spots to be a great team.
NICE ending sequence. A clever plan executed by the champs.
Pretty funny promo from Ciampgano. They're starting to play off each other more naturally.
And a good response from the NXT Wrecking Crew.
That was a really solid ending to the show to set up a bout at Takeover.
CWC:
Swann's lucky he wasn't brought up as Kofi's Jamaican cousin.
Lee's English is pretty good. I would think that would help him getting into WWE.
I know some will be upset at Swann having a dancing gimmick, but he's really smooth with his movement in that regard.
- Lee vs. Swann:
I like Lee's martial arts skills. He should play to those strengths in this environment.
Swann's got some strikes to go with his insane agility. That's good.
WHAT THE FUCK!? I've never seen a standing 450. That was unbelievable.
Lee's worth another look. I don't think he's necessarily NXT ready right now, but I hope we see him get another chance to impress at some point.
I'm impressed with the Bollywood Boys as a potential NXT act.
Not a bad promo from Dar.
- Dar vs. G. Sihra:
Good mat wrestling early. Good to see that in the CWC.
Both men show promise. Dar's experience is deceptive at his age.
Mostly good, but pretty short. Hopefully we see more from Dar in Round 2.
Solid promo from Aichner. He's really been overlooked in the hype here.
I'm really liking Gallagher's character. He stands out from many other wrestlers.
- Gallagher vs. Aichner:
Oh, man. Aichner would definitely be on my "to-sign" list just for being one of the only hoss cruiserweights available. He's athletic on top of his impressive size.
Gallagher's a whole lot of fun. He'd be a great addition to NXT or the Cruiserweight division.
Both men are obviously quite skilled in their styles.
Aichner's got power, and clearly fits into the WWE style. They should absolutely sign him.
Gallagher was certainly impressive enough to be on WWE's radar, too. I'm all for seeing him again.
Some pretty solid selling for the main event. It was good to see Ciampa in a less babyface role.
- Gargano vs. Ciampa:
Oh, this is impressive early. Gargano definitely has a really solid wrestling background.
Good to see Ciampa get to be a methodical striker. He works better when he doesn't have to be a quick hitter like Johnny.
You can tell these two know each other well.
This is heating up well! Hard hitting AND high-flying.
As great as this is (and it's really great), I think I wanted to see more of some of the people who were trying out for WWE.
That was really incredible. Ciampa kept striking hard, but Gargano wouldn't give up.
Great post-match to end the first round. It's great to see something different showcased by WWE.
More wrestling coming up.
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