-Really good opening tag match this week between the teams of Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes and Edris Enofe & Malik Blade in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Lots of chemistry and athleticism in this one along with cool spots. The essence of the match was rooted in continuing the drama (and impending split) of Williams and Hayes. The tournament is a good way to do that and we’ll likely see this all come to head between those two in the tournament finals.
A decaying friendship
-Hayes and Williams do a really good job at conveying a decaying friendship that they both feel responsible to save. It’s a human thing that many fans can certainly resonate with. Those emotions lead to the drama and tension that is present when they are on the screen.
-Throughout the show, women in the number one contender battle royal were given the opportunity to show what the match meant to them and what it would mean to earn a title shot. The work from Fallon Henley, Ariana Grace, and others wasn’t at a Roddy Piper level, but the attempt was there to put some stakes on the line for multiple talents in the match. They succeeded in that regard. That said, Henley, Grace and other talent in the women’s division very much need to improve their promo skills. All of them feel like they are reading off a cue card and it hurts the authenticity of their acts.
-Oba Femi was wonderful in his first promo as NXT North American Champion. Femi looked comfortable, confident with the belt, and had the audience in his hands for the entirety of his time speaking. Now, Shawn Michaels may be swimming up stream in trying to book Femi as a heel opposite Lee, but it’s too soon to tell. The audience was behind him, but we’ll need more of a sample size to really judge which was to go.
More for Eddy Thorpe please. Please?
-Eddy Thorpe hasn’t received much television time since his feud with Dijak wrapped up. He got a little this week in the form of a backstage vignette and he still jumps off the screen to me. He’s a homegrown guy with talent that WWE should continue looking to push. There’s a good look, strong ring presence, and charisma there that not a lot of other talent have. What gives??
-Yeah, I’m out on the Tatum Paxley obsession angle with Lyra Valkyria. It’s been very one-note and neither woman comes across as very comfortable playing their role. Valkyria has been best as a straight up fighter champion and the silliness with Paxley weighs that down.
-So, nobody runs out to help an ambushed Ridge Holland because he hurt someone in a wrestling match in which the goal is to hurt people? I know he injured someone “for real,” but the inherent inconsistency inside of this story is obnoxious. They are going for a true a story to try and drum up sympathy for Holland and they haven’t stuck the landing. It’s impossible to given the circumstances at play. Sorry, Ridge, but this isn’t you ticket to the top of the card.
Wolfdogs
-Well, you got me. I chuckled a few times during the Baron Corbin/Bron Breakker backstage interview. The “Wolfdogs” bit was funny and both guys played off the other very well. Crowd enjoyed it too. Now, should Bron Breakker be doing these pseudo comedy segments at this point in his run? No. Absolutely not. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t get saddled with something that he can’t get away from by the time he hits the main roster.
-Annnnnnnd the Chase University fall from grace continues. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament would have been a nice spot for Andre Chase and his school to get some redemption, but it’ll have to wait for another day. The angle continues to interest me and continue to hate the fact that it does.
-Von Wagner and Joe Gacy both had horrendously awful weeks. Wagner played the dumb ol giant role in a comedy segment with Noam Dar and Joe Gacy played goofy commentator on the broadcast team. These guys just don’t have a path back to relevancy at this point in time. Wagner has a higher upside because of his size, but has yet to click in any real capacity. Gacy doesn’t have the size, but hasn’t clicked either. Both talents are relics of NXT 2.0 and it shows.
-Dijak had a match and got back on the winning side of the ledger. Good for him. He seems to be slotted as a mid-card jobber for up and coming talent and there’s nothing wrong with that spot. To be effective in the spot, though, he needs wins that keep him slightly elevated before others beat him. This accomplished that goal and by the looks of things, Gacy may be fed to him next.
Roxanne Perez or bust
-The women’s number one contender battle royal turned fatal four-way was a suitable main event and one that was wrestled well start to finish. Nothing great, as most of the talent in the ring were green, but once the field was dropped down to four the action picked up pace into something with more urgency. Roxanne Perez was the only one in the match that really made sense for Valkyria as an opponent. If the title match was scheduled for a TV main event, others could have made sense, but the PPV spot needs someone who can carry things more efficiently. Perez is that talent and should have an excellent match with Valkyria at Vengeance Day.