Roy's Review: NXT Lowell 9/21/2017

Here is my review of NXT in Lowell, Massachusetts on September 21, 2017

Match 1: The Street Profits: Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford defeated Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli
About as basic of a tag team match they could have possibly had. Not the way I would have opened the show.
5/10

Match 2: Lars Sullivan defeated Oney Lorcan
This was a 3 minute squash but Oney did get in a little bit of offense before he got annihilated. Great ovation for Lorcan before and after the match.
4.5/10

Match 3: The Iconic Duo: Billie Kay & Peyton Royce defeated Dakota Kai and Liv Morgan
Again another basic tag team match. This time I didn't really care.
4/10

Match 4: Roderick Strong defeated Hideo Itami
Solid match but not nearly as good as I would have expected. Roddy hit a couple sick backbreakers.
6/10

Match 5: The Undisputed Era: Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly fought Sanity: Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain to a no contest
This was a good match until the awful ending. Fish and O'Reilly were double teaming Dain when the referee called for the bell. It seemed that it was a DQ but it was ruled a No Contest which made no sense.
6/10

Match 6: Johnny Gargano defeated Raul Mendoza
Awesome match. These guys really put on a show and it really stood out on a show that was full of average at best wrestling. Mendoza even hit a coast to coast which was pretty sweet. Match of the night by about 10 miles.
9/10

Match 7: Kiri Sane defeated Sonya Deville
Solid match with both impressing just the match had to many awkward spots. In the end Sane got the win with her sick top rope elbow.
6/10

Match 8: NXT Champion Drew McIntyre defeated Andrade Almas to retain
This was your typical WWE house show main event. They did just enough to get by and nothing really more.
5.75/10

In Ring: After the main event, The Undisputed Era came out and attacked Drew Mcintyre. Johnny Gargano, Oney Lorcan and The Street Profits tried to make the save but they got beat down too, until Sanity came out and chased off Fish and O'Reilly leaving Cole to get wrecked by everyone in the ring.

This show scored a 46.25 out of 80 for an overall score of 57.81%. After the first match was so average and basic, this show just became a typical WWE house show, except for Gargano vs. Mendoza, that was pretty awesome. If NXT comes back to New England again I won't be in attendance. I was really disappointed with this show.

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NXT Takeover: Toronto

"Glorious" Booby Roode vs. "Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger

The crowd was hot for both these guys, I thought it was odd that they made a point to not announce Roode as being from Toronto, the fans know he is, and then really brought it home that Dillinger was from nearby Niagra Falls.

Couple of funny spots with Roode begging off with both hands and Dillinger turns it into Roode is saying "10".  Then stomping on Roode's hands and the way he shook them off Dillinger again implied Roode was doing his "10" gimmick.
Both these guys are veterans with Dillinger wrestling 15 years and Roode nearing his 19th, I would imagine this night was very emotional for both of them as this must be their biggest high profile match in their "hometown".
A really great match, during some reversals near the end Dillinger locked in a sharpshooter to a big pop.  Roode got the win with the Glorious Drop.  Post match Dillinger got a much deserved standing ovation as he apologized to the crowd for the loss.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament Finals
TM61: Nick Miller & Shane Thorne vs. The Authors Of Pain: Akam & Rezar w/ Paul Ellering

They brought back the classic gimmick of having the manager in a cage above the ring.  Leading up to using this gimmick it was mentioned on NXT TV about the time Ellering was in a cage at the Last Battle of Atlanta.  During the match Ellering would shout instructions to his men.  

There was a structure at ringside that was used to hoist and support the cage.  When I saw it I immediately thought if they didn't do a spot of it it would be a waste.  They didn't wait as moments into it Thorne dove off it onto The Authors of Pain.

Thorne took the heat and made the hot tag to Miller who then cleaned out, I was surprised how much the Authors started bumping for Miller leaving their feet, taking bodyslams and suplexs.  Ellering drops a chain down, somehow the ref doesn't hear it hit the canvas.  Then it flies off one of their hands and into the crowd, no way the ref didn't see that.

AOP hits their finish and win the tournament.  Gotta say though the AOP were not as dominate as I thought they would be as TM-61 easily handled both of them.  Triple H, Dustin Rhodes, and William Regal were on hand for the trophy presentation.

2 out of 3 Falls
NXT Tag Team Champions: The Revival: Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. #DIY: Johnny Gargano & Tomaso Ciampa

Great start to the match, Revival quickly took the first fall when Gargano went for his patented slingshot spear from outside in and got caught with the shatter machine.  In the second fall Scott Dawson with a slingshot suplex!  Sincerely simply outstanding tag team wrestling.  The Revival are so great together, as are Gargano and Ciampa, but there is just something special about the Revival.

Second fall goes to DIY after they sandwich Dawson with a running knee and superkick.  Third fall started quickly after the second.  The action continued hot and heavy with so many reversals and high impact moves.  Gargano went for that rolling kick that he does and he kicks the title belt that Dawson was holding, it also busted Dawson open.  Dawson immediately locked on the inverted figure four that they used to win in Brooklyn, but Gargano made it to the ropes.  I really like that they didn't stop the match to tend to the cut.

Revival went for DIY's finish, but the missed it, DIY hit Shatter Machine for a two count.  There was an unbelievable finishing sequence of pin attempts and reversals until Gargano locked on the Gargano escape and Ciampa the armbar for the tap out to capture the Championships.

I would love to see a return match with these two teams in a steel cage.

NXT Women's Champion: Asuka vs. Mickie James

Fantastic opening lock up sequence with both getting a pinfall attempt in it.  Crowd gave Mickie a "you still got it chant" which is dumb because she's been wrestling steady since she left the WWE.  Action goes to the floor where James is wrecked with a german suplex on the floor.  James really took a beating this match, and she gave it right back.  She looked better in this match than I'd seen her in years.

Asuka got the submission with the Asuka Lock but it really wasn't cinched in tight as usual.  Probably the sequence of rolling around the ring with James attempting to break and reverse the hold caused it.  James offered a handshake, but Asuka heeled her and raised the title in her face.

Crowd showed Mickie some appreciation, she appeared to get a bit emotional from it.  I wonder if this will be a one off for her and will we see her return to either NXT or main roster.

NXT Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Samoa Joe

Nakamura's entrance was insanely awesome with all the violins.  A really good championship match with Joe dominating the beginning of the match.  Joe damaged Nakamura's knee early on in the match and it effected him through-out.  They really beat the tar out of each other, not surprising as Nakamura is the king of strong style.  Joe got busted open and once again they didn't stop it just let the incidental blood flow.

Finish came after both guys on the floor, Joe kicked Nakamura in crotch then slammed him on the stairs.  He then threw him in the ring nailed the muscle buster for the three count.  Not a clean finish due to the nut shot on the floor.  Makes Joe the first ever two time champ and makes Nakamura "human".  Can't say I'm happy with this finish, but with the show in Japan on December 3rd I imagine Nakamura wins the title back in his home country.

The crowd was shocked, and were very quite after it was over.  Seems like they were just as surprised as I was.  Eventually they started  "Joe" chant.

All in all a really good show where even the weakest match on the card was still a solid match.  Seems to be another scenario where NXT is going to top the PPV that follows it.  I know I personally was looking more forward to NXT Takeover than the Survivor Series.

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