Discombobulate
Not going to bury the lede: This was not an entertaining show. Were there things I liked? Of course. But overall, this was a messy two hours. For the first hour, we got one full match and then a Speed match. That’s it. The rest was either someone talking in the ring, talking backstage, or a bunch of people talking backstage. There’s one wrestler and one faction both angry at the world because they were overlooked and dissed
for too long by everyone in the territory. There are storylines and wrestlers left dangling from week to week, so it’s hard getting invested in anything because of that unreliability. And to top it off, the main event ended in an incredible silly way that undercut the bad guys, who also happen to hold Tag Team gold.
After last week’s brouhaha between DarkState, Hank & Tank, Ricky Saints, and Oba Femi, Ava booked an eight-man tag. Hank & Tank knew putting Ricky and Oba together sounded like a terrible idea, but they poked the bears. They talked up Ricky to Oba and vice versa because they had a secret weapon. They were playing with house money because they found DarkState’s weakness:
Joe Hendry.
Specifically, the appearance of Joe Hendry. Let me paint the scene. Early in the tag, Oba and Ricky worked well together. The cracks showed a bit when they tried some jocular slapping, but they kept it together. Then it fell apart later when Oba tagged himself in just as Ricky found his groove. That led to all this:
At that point, DarkState had the advantage. Four men vs. two? My math isn’t great but I know bad odds when I see them. Just as things looked bleak for the Belly Boys, Hank said his name and he appeared.
Joe showing up on the ring apron distracted Cutler James just long enough for the former tag champs to get a big win. So yes, Joe Hendry is DarkState’s Kryptonite. The group that earlier in the episode talked very seriously about people in WWE overlooking them and how this is all about getting even with a world that made them feel odd, take an L in the goofiest way possible. NXT’s big bad wolf faction lost because someone said another wrestler’s name.
There were things I liked this week. This was not one of them. None of it felt of a piece nor was it particularly entertaining. Not even sports entertaining. Far too often, NXT is a boring show, which is one of the worst sins any television show can commit, but especially a wrestling show.
That said, I won’t say his name again out of fear he might show up at my front door like Sneak King. Remember how creepy those Burger King commercials were? TNA’s singing Scottish wrestler is almost at that level. Almost.
Album Cuts
- Jaida Parker said it’s not over until she says it’s over. I like that attitude and the post match activity after Lash Legend defeated her in this week’s opening match. These two hate each other, so I appreciated the opening moments reinforcing that hatred with them getting into a shoving match. These are two alpha females who want to back the other down. Unfortunately for both of them, neither woman was in the mood for any sort of backing down. Really dug Lash blocking Jaida’s patented corner attack with a choke. That showed Lash pays attention and that she’s more than Jaida bargained for. That showed itself again when Lash hit Jaida with the Lash Extension outside the ring on top of the announce table, and inside the ring for the W. Thankfully, this isn’t the end of it. I always wonder what they’re doing with Jaida and hoped this wasn’t just another L on her record. She attacked Lash from behind after the ding ding, then hit her with a Hypnotic into the barricade.
- Props to NXT for putting the caution tape near that broken barricade. Proceed with…
- Je’Von Evans is back! While telling the audience why he’s so disappointed in himself after not defeating Oba Femi a ew weeks ago, he thought The Undertaker was on his way out. We saw a motorcycle. We saw a boot. And we heard the bell toll. But it was actually Josh Briggs, who got the biggest reaction from an NXT audience he’s received in many moons. They despised this man. He should pump fake Undertaker’s entrance more often. To his credit, he made the boos count. Josh interrupted the territory’s golden child, gave him a bit of the same spiel he gave Ricky Saints as to why he dislikes him, and then chokeslammed him through a chair. Well, not entirely through a chair but he definitely tried. Je’Von’s excellent selling skills came in handy but Josh made it look vicious. But the crowd made this segment really pop for me.
- The crowd told Josh to “shut the hell up” rather than dropping their usual F-bomb. That’s called growth.
- Ava promised Je’Von a match with Josh if he didn’t interfere in the latter’s match with Andre Chase. Je’Von said he wouldn’t and sure enough, he kept his word. Josh defeated Chase U’s Dean cleanly and emphatically. No Je’Von extracurriculars after the match either. But that might be related to Je’Von’s “injury” rather than him showing mercy to a guy who slammed him through a chair.
- I always love seeing Andre Chase in the ring, but I have no clue what’s happening with Chase U. They made a big deal about reinstating it but it’s led to nothing even minor since its resurrection. Duke Hudson, Thea Hail, and Andre were lightning in a bottle. Without those two ingredients, the group feels adrift. But, like a lot of things on NXT right now, there’s no consistency with the booking or the TV time.
- DIY is back in NXT. After hearing Trick Williams run down NXT and empathize with the legends who don’t come around anymore, Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa put a stop to the disrespect. Before they rolled out the resumes and gave props to everyone from their Black & Gold era, Trick did his thing on the mic. Turning heel was a great move for him. It helped him find his voice and lean into what appears to come natural. He played the crowd into thinking he was cheerleading for the territory and their dedication to it, only to reveal his true colors. He had them in the palm of his hand the whole way, which is a plus for the TNA champ. That aside, this segment set up NXT’s Full Sail homecoming in a couple weeks, and possibly a Trick Melo Gang reunion. Yes, Trick responded that he’s “still carrying” Melo when the crowd chanted his name, but them getting back together for one night only feels appropriate. Melo might even respect the man Trick is now.
- Very cool seeing DIY enter the arena with their old music and original t-shirts. Hopefully this is a sign of NXT going full retro at Full Sail.
- Kali Armstrong took lots of umbrage with Jordynne Grace disrupting her match with Karmen Petrovic a month ago. I don’t know why the territory is just getting to this since Kali clearly had a lot to get off her chest. To make matters worse, they used her again as a plot device for more Blake Monroe vs. Jordynne action. That aside, Kali looked good against Jordynne in her second NXT match. I understand why she took an L but if the match was just about getting to the aftermath with Blake and Jordynne, it feels moot.
- Blake and Jordynne, however, is not moot. Their feud keeps heating up and this time we got security to pull them apart. When we get this match, I want a stipulation. Cage match. No Holds Barred. No DQ. Something worthy of the hatred and encourages bloodshed.
- Cadice LeRae advanced in the Speed tournament after defeating Xia Brookside. This was actually my first time watching a Speed match. I like the concept but it might take me a while to come around to it.
Not an enjoyable show because it’s juggling too many tones and not quite sure how to do it. There’s a way to balance the silly with the serious, but NXT isn’t there yet. Starting the show with Jaida Parker hip checking Lash Legend into a barricade, followed by Josh Briggs chokeslamming Je’Von Evans into a chair only to end it with Joe Hendry appearing out of nowhere like he’s the Great Gazoo and causing their big heel faction to trip over themselves? It’s too discombobulated.
What say you, Cagesiders?
