Summer continues to be in full swing here in New England. Repainting the inside of my home and steam cleaning the rugs has me behind on my wrestling. Just finished watching last week's "provoking" NXT, so let's get to it.
"Tick tock. Tick tock. Guess who's come to smash your clock!" An irate Samoa Joe has words with GM William Regal regarding Karrion Kross. With Kross on his way to the arena, Joe prophesizes that someone will be going to sleep.
The first match of the evening was a tag team bout featuring Tyler Rust and Roderick Strong of the Diamond Mine. They get ambushed by their opponents Kushida and Bobby Fish on the way to the ring. Diamond Mine members have control of Bobby Fish to start the match. After absorbing much punishment, Fish is able to tag in Kushida with the help of a spine buster. This was a fast moving match-up. With former team member Bobby and Roderick on the outside, Rust taps out to Kushida in the center of the ring.
Kyle O'Reily is up next and he squares up against Austin Theory. I loved that Theory came to the ring solo. His skill set is improving and I hope that leads him back to the main roster. Austin had an answer for most of Kyle's moves. I was happily surprised to see Theory in command for the majority of the match but it would not be enough. The Muay Thai experience of O'Reily gave him the win via a submission. I found myself wanting that upset win for Austin watching this feud. And I do hope that this is a feud that continues without the voices of The Way.
The Breakout Tournament continues with Andre Chase verses Odyssey Jones. Sometimes you can tell just by the way an athlete comes to the ring, who is going to win. I immediately got a Mark Henry vibe from Jones and truthfully predicted his win. Chase showcased an impressive in ring intelligence and took advantage of his environment. He slams Jones into a steel pillar. He then perfectly executes a moonsault. The way he landed on his opponent was like two puzzles pieces fitting together. Absolutely textbook. But in the end, it would be Mr. Jones that advances. He now joins fellow qualifier Duke Hudson. I wonder how long this tournament is going to run.
Yawwwwn......I mean Raquel Gonzalez is up next and she battles Xia Li for the gold. I don't know what it is about the NXT Women's Champion, but I find no enjoyment watching her in the ring. I think I find Raquel to be more of a brute than a wrestler. I am rooting for Xia all the way.
Li focused heavily on the left leg of the champ. Smart strategy to take a tower off its base. However, Gonzalez comes off the second rope and crashes down on the challenger right across the mid section. There is a pause in the match so that medical staff can assess the situation and deems her fit to continue. Like a shark in bloody waters, the champ slams Li into the mat and picks up the win.
Now for my favorite part of the evening. LA Knight accompanied by his "butler" Cameron Grimes goes up against Drake Maverick. I am so happy to see Drake in action. It seems like forever since he's been in the squared circle. Grimes' only task during the match is to hold high the million dollar belt high on the outside. Multiple times, LA takes his eyes off his opponent to remind Cameron of his one and only task. It was this behavior that would cost Knight the match. While reprimanding Cameron, Knight's face is pushed into the diamond crusted belt by Maverick who then picks up the win.
Ever the sore loser, LA blames his butler and attacks Drake. Cameron comes to the aid of Maverick and tries to get Knight to leave the ring. Battling with his conscience, Grimes reluctantly follows the directive of his employer and punches Drake in the face. The CWC audience was not happy. Please don't turn on my Trevor Lee. The arch of this storyline will soon come and then we all will be going TO THE MOON!
The evening ends the way it began. With an angry Samoa Joe in the center of the ring, Karrion answers the enforcer's call on the Jumbo Tron. Declaring that he can go anywhere and do anything he wants, we see Regal unconscious on the asphalt as Kross speeds off into the night.
#BringBackBraun
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