Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and CWC.
NXT:
- Joe injury update:
Well, it looks like we won't be seeing Joe/Nakamura II just yet. I expect we'll get that rematch at some point, though, when the time and stage are right.
- Dillinger vs. Murphy:
Murphy's really got his work cut out for him in making his own identity without Blake or Alexa.
Good back-and-forth early.
Both men are technically sound, but Murphy is lacking flavor as a performer. His character is pretty much "that guy who used to team with Blake and Alexa" at this point.
Fine enough.
- Ciampa/Revival segment:
Ciampa being man enough to go against two men was admirable. I guess this is the write-off for the man now going to the Cruiserweight division.
- Cutler promo:
Not a bad promo. He's got some presence to him. I'm glad some new people are getting mic time.
- Cutler vs. Crawford:
Cutler's got some decent personality on display. He's putting on good work, and Crawford's obviously got some athleticism.
That was a pretty cool finisher. Keep an eye on Cutler. Crawford might be more at home in ROH. They go more for the generic athletes.
- Itami promo:
The "sockless loafers" thing was a reference to a tweet Aries made.
Hideo's still got work to do making his English sound natural, but I'm glad he's getting more experience with promos.
- Sanity promo:
This would fit right in with TNA's current creative direction. We'll see how it works in NXT.
- Jose vs. Dawkins:
Fine enough basic start to things.
That was good enough as a way to put Jose back on the map and give both men some more TV experience. I hope Dawkins gains some traction soon, because he's been stuck in the same place for a long time now.
- Aries/Almas segment:
Cien's only going to get so far without cutting English promos.
That was good enough. Aries was able to sell the segment. The match itself should really be impressive.
- Liv vs. Aliyah:
I like heel Aliyah's aggression already.
Aliyah's showing some polish to her work. She could really have an upside.
Liv is still pretty rough and tentative.
- Jose/Roode segment:
Jose has some natural personality and can certainly connect with a crowd. I like what we're seeing from him. Roode's a former world champion for a reason.
- Nakamura promo:
Shinsuke's still got work to do speaking English naturally, but he can command a crowd.
I really hope Shinsuke's a future Universal or WWE Champion. All he's missing is a command of the English language.
CWC:
- Metalik promo:
I highly expect Metalik to join the Cruiserweight division. It's believed he's already signed, but there's been no official confirmation by WWE or Metalik himself.
- Tozawa promo:
Tozawa's probably got a pretty good chance of joining WWE, too. For good reason. He'd be a great addition.
- Metalik vs. Tozawa:
Good back-and-forth so far.
Metalik's definitely got a strong base. Pretty much every other wrestler these days does a suicide dive, but Metalik fits it into a bigger gameplan than "do all the flips."
OK, that's enough suicide dives for one night.
Both men have what it takes to make it in WWE from an in-ring perspective. They're playing to the crowd and slowing things down/selling pretty well.
I'm impressed with both men's pedigrees and styles. HHH, get two contracts ready.
That hurricanrana spot was AWESOME.
The deadlift suplex should have ended it.
Both men have done incredible work here. I hope we see more of both on Raw soon.
- Kendrick promo:
Pretty powerful stuff. I'm glad he's getting another shot in WWE.
- Ibushi promo:
Ibushi could probably be a star beyond the cruiserweight division. I don't think he's ready to leave Japan, though.
- Ibushi vs. Kendrick:
Brian brings a very different style to the table, and that makes him valuable to the division. I love the mind games and chicanery.
This is a nice interplay between Ibushi's kicks and athleticism against Kendrick's "win by any means necessary" unique offense.
Great stuff leading into Sliced Bread No. 2. Kendrick's instincts and sense of psychology are incredible.
BAH GAWD WHAT A GERMAN SUPLEX. That shit was INSANE.
This is really, really good. There's a story being told with amazing athleticism.
AS GAWD AS MAH WITNESS, IBUSHI IS BROKEN IN HALF!!!
Genius spot with the Phoenix Splash into the Bully Choke.
Really solid match overall.
That was a pretty great post-match.
More wrestling coming up.
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