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Csonka’s NXT Review 4.08.20
Image Credit: WWE
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Csonka’s NXT Review 4.08.20
OFFICIAL RESULTS
– #1 Contender’s Ladder Match: Io Shirai Won @ 11:50 [***]
– Rinku and Saurav defeated Chase Parker and Matt Martel @ 4:42 via pin [*½]
– Johnny Gargano defeated Tommaso Ciampa @ 48:00 via pin [**]
– Follow all of my reviews at this link.
– We open with highlights of the Gargano vs. Ciampa feud.
Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim vs. Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Chelsea Green: We open with the big brawl, everyone pairing off as Gonzales gets taken out trying to give Kai a ladder. The faces surround Kai and run wild on her, Io flies in with the missile dropkick and gets looks to climb until Candice cuts her off. Green bulldogs them to the ladder. Post break and Nox controls, taking out Green and climbs until Kai follows her up and Candice also gets involved. They all fight, try to climb and cuts off Yim as she climbs, but Yim counters with Sole food. Chairs are used, Io cuts off Yim and climbs. Gonzalez tips the ladder but Io steps off the ropes into a dive to the pile. Post break and Gonzalez picks up Kai and climbs the ladder with her on her back. Yim stops that, fights off Gonzalez and Nox chokeslams them off and through a table at ringside. Kai kicks her off the ropes and through a ladder on the floor. Io takes out Kai, German on Candice, but Candice then hits one. Green in and Stone climbs for her, helping her up and Io and Candice topple them off of the ladder. They climb, trade strikes and Io rakes the eyes and sends Candice onto a ladder bridge. Io wins. Io Shirai Won @ 11:50 [***] This was good, they worked hard and took some hard bumps throughout, but there weren’t a lot of great teases/drama in the climbing or finish. The right woman won.
– We look back on Balor being challenged by Imperium, his trip to NXT UK to challenge WALTER and then a promo from Balor. Balor tells WALTER they may share a lot of traits. They both have creative control over their own worlds, but here we are. Both are unable to make our next respective moves. The title you hold is on borrowed time.
– We get highlights of Rinku and Saurav’s debuts last week, where they kicked the shit out of Matt Riddle.
– We get a Killer Kross video package.
– They casually recap the kidnappings of Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde.
Rinku and Saurav w/Malcolm Bivens vs. Chase Parker and Matt Martel: Rinku and Martel begin with Rinku controlling. Parker in and he attacks both, gets cut off and he and Martel double team Rinku. Rinku cuts him off and Saurav tags in. Double teams follow and the monsters control with ease. Rinku beats down Parker, takes out Martel and the demolition finish ends it. Rinku and Saurav defeated Chase Parker and Matt Martel @ 4:42 via pin [*½] Not a stellar debut for the big lads, plus no Bivens promo.
– Cole cuts a promo on Dream, calling him lucky for beating Fish. He says lightening will not strike twice. Dream doesn’t deserve a shot at his title. Dream is a pretender.
– We revisit Charlotte defeating Ripley for the NXT Women’s title.
– Next week, the Interim Cruiserweight title tournament begins.
– Gargano, Triple H, & Ciampa all arrive.
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa: Triple H leaves them a chair as we get a cinematic treatment. Ciampa kicks the chair away and he tells Gargano that he wins. Gargano says it isn’t happening tonight. They exchange punches in the corner. Ciampa with an Irish whip and Gargano goes to the apron. Gargano with a kick, goes for a slingshot spear but Ciampa cuts him off. Post break and Ciampa grabs the chair but Gargano stops him. Ciampa with a knee, kicks and strikes. Ciampa kicks Gargano in the knee and then catapults him into the bottom turnbuckle. Gargano is asked if he wants to stop and Ciampa says he is Johnny Wrestling and we won’t stop this. Gargano slams the leg into the ring post and does it again. Ciampa falls to the floor and holds his knee. Gargano kicks Ciampa in the head and asks him about his ACL. He punches Ciampa, sets for a suplex on the floor but Ciampa blocks it. Ciampa picks up Gargano and sends him into the ring post. Back in and Gargano kicks Ciampa and then hits a suicide dive. Gargano returns to the ring and then he goes back to the floor and he sends Ciampa into some trashcans and chairs. Gargano punches him against a trashcan, and says he expected more from Ciampa. Gargano hits Ciampa in the back with a trashcan lid, takes a trashcan and hits Ciampa in the back with it. They return to the ring and Ciampa grabs the chair but Gargano stands on it and then Gargano punches and kicks Ciampa. Gargano stands on the arm and he hits Ciampa in the arm with the edge of the chair and then the leg as he talks about the torn labrum and torn ACL. Gargano asks Ciampa about his neck and hits him in the back of the neck with the edge of the chair. Gargano sits down and he tells the ref that this is what Ciampa wanted. Gargano takes the chair and hits Ciampa in the back with it again. Gargano says he is starting to feel a little better, puts the chair in the turnbuckles but Gargano is sent into it. Post break and Gargano sends Ciampa to the floor, but his dive is met with a trashcan lid. Ciampa hits Gargano with the trashcan lid again. Ciampa stands on Gargano’s hand when Johnny goes for the chair, puts the chair around Gargano’s head and he sends him into the ring post with the chair around his head. Ciampa follows with more kicks, hits Gargano in the back with a plastic cable, grabs a crutch and says it brings back memories. Ciampa chokes Gargano with the crutch, punches Gargano and kicks him in the head. Gargano looks for a weapon and he sprays a fire extinguisher in Ciampa’s face. Ciampa tries to use water to clear his eyes but Gargano tries for a piledriver, but Ciampa counters with a power bomb through a table. Ciampa tells Gargano it ends in the ring, and cuts the cord tied to the ring. Ciampa stomps on Gargano again as the ring skirt on two sides of the ring are removed. He pulls up the mats in one corner of the ring while the referee tries to talk some sense into him, but Ciampa says he is sick of the lies. Ciampa kicks Gargano in the ribs, Gargano goes outside and Ciampa follows. Gargano runs a production case into Ciampa and he slams Ciampa’s head on it. He sends Ciampa into the production truck parked outside. Gargano punches Ciampa, rolls a production case but Ciampa moves before it makes contact. Ciampa goes to the other side of the truck and Gargano looks around. Ciampa gets on top of the cab of the truck and Gargano walks around. Ciampa climbs on top of the truck and Gargano follows him up. Ciampa and Gargano exchange punches and Gargano hits a superkick. Ciampa with chops but Gargano with another superkick to stop that. Ciampa with a kick to the midsection and then he asks Johnny if this is fun. He stomps on the back of the head and Gargano punches back. Gargano with head butts to Ciampa, but Gargano gets the GargaNo Escape on top of the truck. Gargano’s superkick blocked and Ciampa hits a knee strike, until Gargano connects with two superkicks. Post break and Ciampa returns to the building and hits Gargano with a cross body off the bleachers onto Gargano through a table. They trade, Gargano throws a trashcan lid and chairs into the ring. Back in the ring where the boards are exposed as Gargano chokes Ciampa in the corner. Ciampa is put on the turnbuckles and Gargano punches him. Gargano tries to get Ciampa on his shoulders but Ciampa counters with elbows and forearms. Ciampa gets Gargano on his shoulders for a Super Air Raid Crash onto the floor. The referee checks on both men and asks if they want him to stop the match. Post break and Ciampa misses with the crutch but he puts it against Gargano’s mouth. Gargano moves and Ciampa hits a running knee that knocks the referee off the apron. Gargano hits Ciampa in the back with the crutch, picks up Ciampa and puts him back in the ring. Ciampa with a knee and DDT on the exposed boards but the referee is still out on the floor. Gargano grabs for Ciampa hand and Ciampa pulls it away. Ciampa has a piece of the crutch in his hand while Gargano has the rest of the crutch. Gargano with a super kick to Ciampa but Ciampa kicks Gargano before Johnny can use the crutch. They hit each other with their respective pieces of the crutch and both men are down. Candice arrives, teasing putting a stop to this with some high school level acting, and ends up low blowing both… but IT’S A TRAP because Johnny had a cup on. That leads to a fairytale ending on the exposed boards for the win. Johnny Gargano defeated Tommaso Ciampa @ 48:00 via pin [**] Much like Orton vs. Edge, this was way too long and self-indulgent. It was everything wrong with modern NXT, painfully long, lacking the real personality or character, with over-acted drama that’s a parody of the real, simple storytelling NXT used to thrive at. Blame the lack of crowd all you want, but this really lacked the depth/soul of their previous matches to me. It was 48–minutes of grunting, garbage brawling with a lack of intensity, poor monologing, and Johnny’s big master plan was taking a long ass beating until his wife saved him. In a way it works as Gargano became what he hated, and Ciampa in a way became what Gargano was, as he felt genuine remorse toward the end of the match. but it didn’t feel like the end that they promised. There were some nice elements to it, and it was slightly better than Orton vs. Edge, but not by much And why does every one think that a great epic match needs to be so damn long these days? I’m looking at everyone here.
– Post match, Johnny leaves with Candice and she asks if he is good and he says he is better than good. They leave the building and we see someone in a car (Kross & Scarlet?) near Candice and Johnny’s car as they pull away.
The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 104. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka, Jeremy Lambert, & Steve Cook deliver a complete breakdown both nights of WrestleMania 36. The show is approximately 112–minutes long.
* Intro
* WrestleMania (Night I) Review: 3:15
* WrestleMania (Night II) Review: 40:30
* The Head to Head Comparison/Final Thoughts on The Weekend: 1:28:45
* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play
– End scene.
– Thanks for reading.
