1. It’s NXT time and our big match tonight is Drew McIntryre taking on Killian Dane for the number one contendership for the NXT title.
2. Our first match tonight is Ember Moon facing Ruby Riot, who started beefing at the WWE Performance Centre which seems a little unprofessional to me. The pace starts out fast and doesn’t slow down, with some nice chain wresting and reversals from both women. Moon seems like a far better opponent for Riot than Nikki Cross, allowing her to demonstrate some solid wrestling skills. Moon eventually picks up the win with the Eclipse after a four star match. More of this, please.
3. Next up it’s hard hitting Brit Danny Burch taking on Oney Lorcan, but only after another classy promo for the Street Profits. Burch takes the fight to Lorcan with some nice British style wrestling including a Tower of London in tribute to commentator Nigel McGuinness. Lorcan fights back with his signature stuff strikes.
4. Burch is busted open and reacts by hitting even harder, and the match is heading for 5 star territory until Lorcan rolls into a Boston Crab out of nowhere for the tapout victory. Another great match, particularly as Lorcan agrees to a rematch on the spot with a handshake.
5. No Way Jose comes out and Nigel declares this ‘the worst part of the show’ and I must say he’s probably right. Jose is facing Cezar Bononi, the Brazilian who picked up a surprise victory over Cien Almas a few weeks ago. Fairly standard big man match until Bononi hits a dropkick and lands right on top of Jose, leading to a stiff clothesline on the way to a knockout punch for the victory. Pretty much a waste of time that did nothing for either man.
6. Post match Cien Almas jumps Bononi and beats him down before Jose makes the save, because he’s a nice guy at heart.
7. Back from a long-ass break on this paid subscription service it’s time for our main event as Scotlands Drew McIntyre faces Irish man-bear Killian Dane. Fans of history will know that the Irish are the traditional enemies of the Scottish, along with the English, the Welsh and other Scottish people. Thanks to Groundskeeper Willie for that joke.
8. The battle of the hairy men begins with a test of strength followed by an exchange of clubbing blows. Running cross body from Dane turns the tide, then we get another ad break. Back in the ring Dane remains in control, throwing Drew around like a cruiserweight and using his bulk to his advantage.
9. Not the fastest paced or high flying match in the world, which is understandable until you see what someone like Keith Lee can do. Seriously, that guy was employed by WWE for 5 years and they didn’t use him? Anyway, Dane continues to play the standard big man game until McIntyre hits a big powerbomb to turn the tide. The moves get bigger as the match progresses, including a nice Death Valley driver from McIntyre and Vader Bomb from Dane. The finish comes when McIntyre hits his running Yakuza kick for the pinfall.
10. Overall an above average episode of NXT, with three strong matches and only limited filler. In Moon/Riot and Lorcan/Burch the bookers have stumbled upon two great combinations, so hopefully we will see these rivalries continue.
