Paul Heyman introduces us to the show with a voice over. Consider me ready to go. No Nigel McGuinness today as he is under the weather.
NXT Tag Titles - Undisputed Era vs Authors of Pain
I was expecting to kick off with the Dream vs Ohno match but this will do nicely. This was a great way to start the show, and it was a different type of match to what I expected. I expected AoP to be in complete control with Undisputed Era using hit and run tactics, but it was much more competitive than that. Fish and O'Reilly zoned in on the left leg of Akam and it allowed them to dish out the punishment. There was a great heat segment where Akam refused to give in and kept fighting back. The leg work played into the finish too as AoP hit the Super Collider but Akam's leg gave in and that allowed Fish to send him into Rezar and pick up the win with a sneaky roll up. Good stuff. ***3/4
War Machine are in the crowd.
Kassius Ohno vs Velveteen Dream
Dream is wearing boxing trunks today and says that he will win via KO in 30 seconds.He drops him at around 27 and the crowd pops huge. Ohno gets up and drills him though. This was another very good match, that served as a showcase for Dream while simultaneously appearing like Ohno could pick up the win. There were a couple of slightly sloppy moments where Dream struggled with the size of Ohno but it was nothing that affected the match. Dream is a star and his character work is exceptional. ***1/2
NXT Women's Title - Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler
Baszler is doing her best Minoru Suzuki impression here, being a sadistic fuck and trying to rip Moon's arm off. Ember sells the arm like it is falling off. She manages to hit the Eclipse but her arm is too fucked to take advantage. The doctors turn up but Baszler takes advantage and puts her in an armbar. What follows is a very long hope spot, that is actually well done, that ends with Moon managing to fold Baszler up in a pin. It was a completely different match than you normally get. The finish played very well into Baszler's relative lack of experience and Moon's desire to keep her title. ***1/2
Following the match Baszler choked out Moon.
Ricochet is in the crowd too.
Extreme Rules - Aleister Black vs Adam Cole
The 'Adam Cole BAYBAY' chant is the most over thing in wrestling. Well, that was mental. It started off slightly generic but it certainly picked up as it went on. I know there are people out there that don't like Cole, and I'm cool with that, but you can't deny that he will put his body on the line when the time calls for it. I will be amazed if he doesn't need some spinal readjustment tomorrow. There are a number of great spots here. Cole hits Black with kendo stick while he is doing a moonsault. Black gives Cole a painful looking electric chair drop into a ladder. Black went through two tables from the top rope, and didn't break his fall. Black hits a DVD onto the back of two chairs set up back to back, and it looked brutal as it always does. The craziest looking spot was Black hitting the doubles knees through the announce table on Cole, who was standing up. The match was brought down slightly by interference from Fish, O'Reilly and SAnitY, though Dain's suicide dive was great. All in all this match was great fun and I highly recommend checking it out. ****1/2
EC3 is in the crowd.
NXT Title - Andrade 'Cien' Almas vs Johnny Gargano
Almas gets a mariachi band for his entrance, and he also wears his old La Sombra mask. I don't know if you know this but these two are pretty fucking good. I was slightly worried for about the first couple of minutes that this might be a disappointment but I was wrong. I was very, very, very wrong. I'm just going to say it now, this is the best NXT Title match ever. Neville, Zayn, Owens, Balor, Nakamura, Joe, Roode, none of these men had a title match that could hold a candle to this. The way this built was outstanding and the desperation of Almas as Gargano just wouldn't fucking die, with the crowd getting more and more behind the underdog, was fantastic. Gargano is the company's best babyface by an absolute mile. The wrestling was phenomenal, the storytelling was incredible and the execution was spot on. The interference of Zelina Vega causing Candice LaRae to get involved was superbly done too. The last 10 minutes of this match are wrestling nirvana. This was the best match of 2018 so far and is one of the 3 best NXT matches ever. Fan-fucking-tastic. *****
Following the match Gargano gets a standing ovation and thanks the crowd at the top of the ramp but Tommaso Ciampa, complete with grey beard streak, hits him with a crutch and leaves him lying there on the ramp. The prick.
Overall Grade - A
Well, every time I think NXT might take a show off they slap me in the face and call me a bellend. Those last two matches are the perfect example of how to structure a card to show two excellent matches that don't step on each other's toes at all. The entire undercard is pretty good stuff too. Do yourself a favour and watch this show. The main event alone is must see. A few weeks ago I would have said that there was a chance that Omega vs Jericho would have ended the year as it's best match but as it turns out it didn't even make it out of the month.
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