I’m Serious
Sometimes less is more. That’s what I’m realizing with Tony D’Angelo. His character is still a touch goofy but this new iteration of him that says less and acts more is perfect for him. Maybe it only came out while surrounded by three cats who always do the most.
Joe Hendry is the least interesting part of the NXT Championship picture at the moment. That’s saying
something considering he’s the guy holding said championship. His main role is instigating beef between Ricky Saints and Ethan Page. And posing of course. But there’s nothing compelling about his run right now nor his character. He’s not proving he’s more than a viral moment, as Tony aptly pointed out.
Then there’s Ricky and Ethan, who feel like they’re in a different story. There’s goofy energy to their act right now as best friends who really hate each other and can’t wait to tear the other down. But they’re so focused on each other and either proving or disproving everyone that they feel disconnected from the main plot.
Which takes us back to Tony D. He’s the one guy who sounds like he’s in a championship match and taking it deadly serious. This seemed like fun and games for everyone but him. He’s the one guy in the match without a championship reign and it shows. I’d love to see what a more serious Tony D looks like as NXT champ, and how it affects the rest of the territory. I’m pulling for him at Stand & Deliver.
B-Sides
- For a match I had little to no interest in, the six person tag impressed me. As someone who doesn’t watch TNA, I forgot how dope Mike Santana is when he’s cooking. He was the standout in this match for me; so crisp, so smooth, and clearly playing with an extra battery in his back being in his backyard. He also makes OTM look good. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price are impressive cats purely from a power standpoint. That power shines when wrestling with someone like the TNA champ, who can do more fast break offense. This was a good win for OTM over their DarkState rivals (I tried making a pun work there but couldn’t get it), although it’s still odd seeing DarkState humbled repeatedly despite being presented as this all-powerful force.
- Like Hansel, Los Americanos are so hot right now. They’re the new number one contenders for Vanity Project’s NXT Tag Team Championships and if it’s me, I’m giving them the straps at Stand & Deliver. They’ve got a huge connection with every audience, despite being notorious cheaters! That cheating separated them from Birth Right (ugh I hate that they spell it that way) in that they didn’t get caught. Oh, and Shiloh Hill chased Uriah Connors & Stacks’ support away because he’s a psycho with a chair. Not a great start for this supposed top tier stable, but Los Americanos is the right call for NXT’s biggest show of the year.
- Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan got physical. They didn’t have a ton of time, because most matches on NXT don’t, but they made the most of every second. This was exactly the tone I wanted for this match that even involved some character work. There was a moment with Jaida in the ring and Kelani out of the ring where they stared each other down. It was only a few seconds but it illustrated their disdain. This wasn’t just a match they wanted to win but one they hated the idea of losing. I really enjoyed every second of this and I’m glad Jaida got the W. I talked about her coming up short in big spots but they might be putting some juice behind her now. But this clearly isn’t over between them as Kelani attacked Ms. Parker backstage. Heel Kelani is very much my jam. Putting her against an underdog babyface Jaida sounds interesting if only because we haven’t seen it before.
- I’m at a loss with Keanu Carver and Jasper Troy. The long and short of it is the match was chaos, Josh Briggs wasn’t exactly an impartial ref, and now we’re getting a triple threat next week.
- Tatum Paxley and Blake Monroe’s promo segment intrigued me. Tatum tapped into their similarities, which of course horrified Blake. But Tatum’s correct. Blake is a bit of a weirdo who hides that part of herself to assimilate. I wish they had more time to tell this story because there’s some rich character development there for both women. On the surface they are “polar opposites” as Blake said but they’re very similar beneath the surface. Even the way Tatum talked Blake into this match spoke to The Glamor’s aching desire to be one of the cool kids because of course Blake has to be at Stand & Deliver. Not solely to compete for a title but just to say she was there like a normal person.
- I was prepared to talk a lot about the main event. Lola Vice and Kendal Gray work very well together and wrestled a very dope match. It started with plenty of mat wrestling and shoot fighting then evolved into more traditional pro wrestling style as the stakes increased. But that ending. We Lola locked Kendal in a vice submission which Kendal reversed into a suplex pin. While the ref counted Lola’s shoulders, Kendal tapped. One ref noticed that so while Kendal got her hand raised, that other ref said “nah.” This means we’re of course getting a triple threat for Jacy Jayne’s championship. Which is great! But why not do that from the start? It’s not like they haven’t booked triple threats on the strength of two people wanting a championship before. I get that it builds drama but there’s sometimes drama for the sake of drama rather than actual drama. This is so much the former. Rather than getting build around the title and all three women, we’re doing this.
- I was down on Johnny Gargano’s entrance into the NXT North American Championship title picture last week. He turned me around here though with his excellent face to face promo with Myles Borne. Myles said he wants Johnny Wrestling in St. Louis and in so many passionate but sharp words, Johnny told him to be careful what he wishes for. His words and delivery put so much weight on this match and got me invested.
This was a fun go home show. Crammed a lot in the two hours, as is NXT’s style, but they made most of it count.
What say you, Cagesiders? Who do you want to walk away with the Men’s NXT Championship?
