10 Thoughts on NXT – TM61, Sanity, Authors of Pain

10 Thoughts, Reviews, Top Story

JT on NXT logo

1. It’s NXT time as the Dusty Tag Classic enters the semi-finals phase! We are only a week away from Takeover: Toronto, so we will also be treated to the white-knuckle excitement of a contract signing tonight.

2. Our first match is DIY taking on the Authors of Pain, and much as I like Gargano and Ciampa, I really can’t see them going over tonight. The crowd love them, though.

3. DIY put up a great fight and make the Authors look like they know what they’re doing, which is always the sign of a good opponent. With the dastardly guidance of Paul Ellering the Authors are slowly starting to grow on me, although I think Akem would be more threatening if he used his real name: Sunny. That name has such a history in wrestling, after all…

4. The Revival prove they’re not boring at all and take out Gargano from behind, allowing the Authors to hit their finisher on Ciampa for the win. Best match the Authors have had to date, and DIY are always excellent.

5. Interview with Tye Dillinger setting up his match against Bobby Roode at Takeover. Good to see this feud getting decent airtime.

6. Next up TM61 are taking on Sanity, and will this be the Dusty swan song for the charismatic Australians? Sanity make their way to the ring accompanied by some generic metal, and I still can’t help thinking they look like a video game create-a-wrestler stable.

7. The crowd are into TM61, which probably means they’re in trouble… and before the match even starts all of Sanity jump Thorne & Miller and beat them down on the outside, including Miller taking a nasty bump from the turnbuckle to the floor. The match still goes ahead because reasons, so Fulton shouts and sweats a lot, while Wolfe looks and wrestles like a less buff version of Heidenriech. Master race my ass.

8. Shane Thorne works most of the match on his own, but as William Regal once said; you can’t wrestle yourself, as at least half of Sanity pretty much suck in the ring. Can we just let EY wrestle? Miller finally gets the hot Tag and cleans house before getting double teamed, but Thorne interferes, allowing Miller to get the surprise pin! TM61 are heading to the finals to be destroyed by The Authors of Pain.

9. Regal announces two out of three falls DIY vs The Revival at Takeover, which is pretty great, and then Bobby Roode talks about his upcoming match against Tye Dillinger. Just having Roode talk about crap you is awesome. Ember Moon is in action next, and she’s facing Rachel Evers, who we have apparently seen before but didn’t stick in my limited memory. Pretty much a squash match, with Moon showing some nice chain wrestling and strikes before picking up the win with a top rope stunner.

10. Our ‘main event’ tonight is a contract singling between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe, with Regal on hand to keep things under control. Joe decides to conduct his business from the top of the ramp, spinning some revisionist history and generally being a dick. Nakamura snaps and beats the crap out of half a dozen security guards, which is always fun, then nonchalantly signs the contract. Way better than most contract signings, and a strong finish to a four star episode of NXT.

JT is a hot air balloonist, writer and tattoo aficionado. He writes about movies, science, music, video games, action figures and professional wrestling.