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Csonka’s NXT Review 1.22.20

January 22, 2020 | Posted by Larry Csonka
NXT Keith Lee CHampion
7.5
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Csonka’s NXT Review 1.22.20  

Csonka’s NXT Review 1.22.20

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Grizzled Young Vets defeated The Undisputed Era @ 13:00 via pin [***]
– Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai @ 11:00 via DQ [***]
– Finn Balor defeated Joaquin Wilde @ 2:00 via pin [NR]
– Shayna Baszler defeated Shotzi Blackheart @ 6:20 via submission [**½]
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: The Broserweights defeated Imperium @ 14:45 via pin [***½]
NXT North American Title Match: Keith Lee defeated Champion Roderick Strong @ 20:25 via pin [***½]


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– We open with highlights from last week.

Grizzled Young Vets vs. The Undisputed Era: Gibson and Kyle begin, with Kyle taking control with strikes. Drake tags in, Fish distracts him as Kyle hits a dragon screw leg whip. Undisputed take control as Fish rolls him back in and covers for 2. The senton atomico follows for 2. Fish delivers kicks, Kyle back in and double teams follow for 2. Fish follows with a belly to back suplex and that gets 2. Kyle starts working the knee of Drake, grounding him and covering for 2. Drake fights him off, tags in Gibson and Kyle cuts him off with a flurry of strikes and kicks. Drake in and GYV run wild with double teams and take control. They isolate Kyle, as Drake rounds things. Gibson back in and double teams follow for 2. Kyle fights of Gibson but Drake cuts him off with the backbreaker. Gibson follows with a suplex and covers for 2. Drake grounds things, Cole then distracts him allowing Kyle to fight back and tag Fish in. He runs wild on the GYV, counters into an knee bar on Gibson but Gibson makes the ropes. Fish follows with a Samoan drop, but misses the lionsault. Drake back in and Gibson hits helter skeltor for 2. Fish runs them together, dumps Drake and Kyle takes out drake. Chasing the dragon on Gibson gets 2. It breaks down, the GYV take control as Drake and Fish trade strikes, Kyle in and double teams follow. Imperium’s music hits, they arrive and the distraction leads to Kyle eating ticket to mayhem and that’s all. Grizzled Young Vets defeated The Undisputed Era @ 13:00 via pin [***] This was a good opener, but never clicked into that high gear Undisputed tag matches have become known for. The finish, while it plays into the build for Saturday’s tag match, came off as a flat and cliché Raw finish, which NXT tends to avoid.

– We get a video package to hype Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley at Worlds Collide.

– Next, we get a Shotzi Blackheart promo, she plans to beat Shayna tonight.

Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai: They lockup and battle for position as Io takes her down. Toni counters into a side headlock to the feet and she follow wit a flurry of strikes and kicks until Io cuts her off with a dropkick. Toni fires back and the big boot connects for 2. She follows with uppercuts, Io fires back and to the floor and the dropkick to Toni follows as she was draped in the ropes. Io grounds the action, Toni escapes but runs into a shoulder tackle. Io grounds things again. Post break and Toni fights out of a crossface, but Io counters into a double stomp. Io hits double knees, but Toni counters and follows with a German, and the clothesline gets 2. Io counters storm zero, but Toni kills her with a lariat for 2. Io cradles her for 2. The 619 is blocked, Io is dumped and Belair arrives and attacks Toni for the DQ. Belair continues her attack post match until Rhea arrives. They brawl, Toni & Io both get involved and it ends as Toni poses with the NXT Women’s Title. Fun stuff here. Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai @ 11:00 via DQ [***] This was good with clean and crisp work from both, and while I get that why they did the finish (to put heat on Belair & to not have anyone lose) it came off flat following the sketchy finish in the opener. If you had to do both finishes, which by themselves aren’t a bad play, separate them away from each other.

– Undisputed Era are pissed about tonight’s loss. Adam Cole tells them they need to put the focus on Keith Lee and his match against Roderick Strong later tonight.

– We get an Ilja Dragunov promo to hype Saturday’s match against Balor.

Finn Balor vs. Joaquin Wilde: Finn killed him, shit talk, John Woooooooooooooo, coup de grace, and bloody Sunday finishes it. Finn Balor defeated Joaquin Wilde @ 2:00 via pin [NR] Delicious squash.

– Shayna says Shotzi ended her own career before it began. She’s not going anywhere and Rhea Ripley will eventually fall to her.

– We get a DIY video ahead of their match on Saturday.

Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi Blackheart: This is fallout from Shotzi eliminating Shayna last week. Shayna controls early on, grounding things and attacking the arm. Shotzi makes the ropes, dumps Shayna, and back in, Shayna dumps her. To the floor and Shayna beats her down, hits knee strikes and back in, pummels her with strikes and covers for 2. Shotzi fires back, hits a knee strike and DDT. She follows with a clothesline, Shayna cuts her off until Shotzi hits an enziguri. The reverse sling blade follows and the cannonball connects. Shotzi up top and Shayna cuts her off, but Shotzi counters into a rough looking sliced bread on the apron. The senton misses and Shayna taps her. Shayna Baszler defeated Shotzi Blackheart @ 6:20 via submission [**½] This was solid, Shotzi got some shine, but ultimately failed. Shotzi has tons of potential, but has a lot of roughness to her game.

– Shayna kept the submission on post match to send a message to Shotzi.

– We get a really good video package on Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox’s friendship. Dakota says she wasn’t in the battle royal last week because she doesn’t play by Tegan’s rules. Tegan promises to end Dakota, while Dakota says she’s due for another injury. They meet next week.

The Broserweights vs. Imperium: Wolf & WALTER are at ringside. Dunne and Aichner begin, working into grappling exchanges and into a standoff. Barthel in and grounds Dunne, working the arm. Aichner tags in and double teams follow on Dunne. Dunne counters back into a clothesline, Riddle tags in and double teams follow for 2. Riddle hits a suplex, Barthel in and he eat suplexes. Barthel counter the broton, follows with strikes and tags in Aichner. Dunne in and takes out his knee, follows with a German and head kick on Barthel. The crucifix bomb connects for 2. The moonsault to the floor, x-plex to the apron and he faces off with WALTER. Barthel attacks and Aichner follows with a running knee strike. Post break and Barthel works over Dunne back in the ring. Aichner in, Dunne slips and grabs at his knee and double teams follow. He hits a desperation enziguri, Riddle tags in and runs wild with kicks and strikes. Suplexes follow and then brotons and PKs connect. The fisherman’s buster follows and Dunne joins in for double teams, get ran together, Riddle is posted and double dropkicks follow. Aichner in and Riddle fights them off and Dunne tags in and is quickly cut off as Riddle makes the save. Dunne counters into a kimura as Riddle gets an ankle lock. Imperium fights out and Riddle hits final flash, rights by Dunne and a double spear follows. BROhammer by Riddle gets 2. Riddle heads up top and Aichner cuts him off, Dunne tags in and Aichner hits a brainbuster as they attack Dunne. The European bomb is countered, German by Riddle, powerbomb follows, knee strike and the pop up enziguri finishes it. The Broserweights defeated Imperium @ 14:45 via pin [***½] This was very good with both teams delivering, the Broserweights continuing to show great team work, and the closing stretch was really fun stuff.

– The Grizzled Young Vets arrive and call the Broserweights a bunch of jokes. Gibson calls Dunne selfish, saying he’s the roadblock they’ve run into during their careers, but that changes next week. Riddle says he only listened to Gibson saying something about manipulating a joint. Dunne says that they always lose to him, and it will happen again next week.

Champion Roderick Strong vs Keith Lee: Undisputed Era are at ringside. Strong looks or a takedown, and then slaps Lee when he fails. Lee fires back, delivers chops and follows with rights. He tosses Strong across the ring as Strong powders. Post break and they pick up the pace as Lee hits a running cross body. To the floor and Lee controls with strikes. Undisputed distracts him and Strong attacks the bad ankle. Strong slams the ankle off the steps and stomps away at it. He traps the ankle in the steps and crushes it with a stomp. Back in and Strong covers for 2. Strong keeps things grounded, targeting the ankle. Lee kicks him away, but Strong attacks again and keeps him down. They trade, Strong goes back to the ankle until Lee kicks him off and to the floor. Back in and Strong gets an ankle lock, Lee kicks him away but Strong follows with running strikes and takes Lee down. Strong covers for 2. Strong keeps him grounded, working the ankle, and follows with strikes. Lee fires back, hits a flapjack, and fires up with strikes, The powerslam follows for 2. Lee is hobbled, but hits a massive spinebuster for 2. Strong to the floor and Lee follows, rolls him back in and Cole takes the ref as Fish kicks at Lee’s ankle. The DDT by Strong gets 2. They trade an work into a double down off of a Lee head butt. Lee fights to his feet, heads to the ropes and Strong cuts him off. He follows him up and Lee fights him of and Strong attacks the ankle and the avalanche Angle slam connects for 1. Lee powers up and follows with chops, and pounces Strong over the ropes. Back in and Lee hits a huge lariat for 2. Lee up top and misses the doomsault. Strong gets the ankle lock, grapevines the leg but Le fights and makes the ropes. Strong works the count, they trade and Lee drops him and Cole distracts him, get taken out, Lee takes out Kyle & Fish, Strong hits knee strikes and the sick kick for 2. Lee counters into ground zero so bask in his glory because we have a new champion! Keith Lee defeated Champion Roderick Strong @ 20:25 via pin [***½] As you would expect, they had a really good match with Lee overcoming the odds and finally getting an NXT championship, which I loved.,

– Undisputed is obviously upset and it gets worse as Imperium arrives and they brawl to close the show and hype Saturday’s World’s Collide event, and Cole took a NASTY chop from WALTER in this as well.

 photo The411onWrestling-KHC15_1A_zps84kblpqb.jpg

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 83. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Steve Cook hit a quick news breakdown (AEW’s TV Deal, Scurll, NWA), review the latest between AEW & NXT, and then Larry reflects on his difficult 2019. The show is approximately 89–minutes long.

* Intro
* Quick News Breakdown (AEW’s TV Deal, Scurll, ROH/NJPW/NWA): 4:00
* AEW Dynamite (1.15.20) Review: 21:02
* NXT TV (1.15.20) Review: 47;45
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:10:00
* Larry Reflects on His Difficult 2019 & Shares Some Thank Yous: 1:18:25

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– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
This week’s episode of NXT TV was a good and strong show, with a lot of good wrestling a title change, and good build for World’s Collide. I think some of the early finishes left a lot to be desired, but it was a strong and enjoyable show overall. Wednesday’s continue to rule, and World’s Collide looks to be an awesome Takeover level show.
legend

article topics :

NXT, Tremendous Tirades, WWE, Larry Csonka