Pantoja’s NXT 2.0 Review 2.1.22

NXT 2.0

February 1st, 2022 | Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida

Alright, I’m going to do my best to get more content up in February, so I’m starting on day one with NXT.

Diamond Mine vs. Imperium

Right into the action this week with a match I’m pretty pumped about. Gunther is certainly a dumb name but I’ll watch him and Roddy any day. This was a six-man tag where Roddy teamed with the Creed Brothers. Gunther kicked Roddy in the head before the bell and that played into the match. After one of the Creeds got worked over for a while, Strong got the hot tag but stopped in the middle of his run to shake off the cobwebs and it cost him. He was in trouble throughout the breaks but did his best to go toe to toe with Gunther. In the end, Gunther was left alone with Brutus and put him down with a powerbomb at the 11:56 mark. That was really good though it felt like it could’ve reached the next level if the Creeds were a bit more experienced. Still, an enjoyable start to the show. [***¼]

Earlier today, Joe Gacy offered LA Knight help with the restraining order Grayson Waller put on him. Of course, Knight went with a match against Gacy instead.

Toxic Attraction came out for some promo time. The ladies cut a promo on Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta, who they face at Vengeance Day. They were quickly cut off by the arrival of Kay Lee Ray. She pulled a Sting as she arrived with a baseball bat to demand a title match as well. Gigi and Jayce exited but Mandy still didn’t give the shot, instead just bragging a lot. They threw some verbal digs at each other and KLR promised that she’ll get her shot by the end of the night. She slapped Mandy and chased them all off with her bat.

Cora Jade was interviewed and said that she’s facing Raquel Gonzalez tonight to prove that she’s tough enough (which season?) to be her Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic partner.

Cora Jade vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Raquel was pretty interesting as Dakota’s muscle but on her own, it has been much more lackluster. Like, we get it, you have back muscles. Anyway, during the break, KLR stole Mandy’s car with the Toxic Attraction girls in it. The idea of this match was simple and it’s actually a story I love to see get told. The underdog is out to prove that they can hang with the bigger star and show that they’re tough. Raquel shrugged off early shots and slammed Cora with ease but the skater refused to stay down. Cora was stopped at every turn. She managed to turn a slam into an Octopus Hold (the camera went black as Raquel’s top seemed to come loose) but Raquel still fought her off. Cora got going but had a knee caught in the Chingona Bomb, ending this in 11:04. That was good and accomplished what it needed to. [***]

Post-match, Raquel shook Cora’s hand and agreed to be her partner.

A vignette aired to hype Tony D’Angelo vs. Pete Dunne in a Steel Cage.

Kayla Inlay vs. Sarray

So, this is supposed to be some new kind of Sarray. She got a vignette and everything. However, once she came out, she only had a slightly different hairstyle and some necklace that her grandmother supposedly gave her. Inlay looked like she hasn’t had much time in the ring as she had some rough moments. Sarray survived a short bit of offense and won with an Exploder in 3:20. Nothing about this felt different for Sarray. [NR]

A Duke Hudson vignette aired that actually featured character development. He’s done with his poker gimmick and is getting serious, looking to beat people up.

Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa had a chat backstage about mutual respect and teaming up tonight.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams hit the ring for a chat. Hayes feels like one of the talents in 2.0 that comes across as a legitimate star. He and Trick dissed Cameron Grimes, saying he wasn’t a threat to the North American Title. That triggered Grimes coming out so they could trade childish insults about haircuts and Spongebob. They’ll fight at Vengeance Day and I saw some people say that putting the show on SyFy is a dumb move but they’re literally doing it because USA is airing the Olympics. Anyway, Grimes said it’ll be a one-star match with him being the star going TO THE MOON.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade discussed needing to figure out a team name. When Malik suggested they ask Mandy Rose, she literally fell through the door and into his arms. KLR attacked and the guys loved it, including when Mandy had her jacket ripped off. Enofe suggested they go after the girls but Malik needed a minute. It’s an old joke but I chuckled.

Diamond Mine had a short promo to say they’re ready for an Imperium rematch after the Dusty Cup. Grizzled Young Veterans laughed at the idea.

Joe Gacy vs. LA Knight

Two guys in the new NXT that I’m not really vibing with. Knight was beating up Gacy early until he ate a powerslam. He fought through it and seemed to have this won until Sanga appeared. Waller’s bodyguard provided enough of a distraction for Waller to pop up and hit a stunner. Gacy covered for the cheap win in 4:14. That was a match with two heels that have bodyguards and none of it was interesting. Sanga chokeslammed Knight and Waller said he might drop the restraining order if Knight can beat Sanga next week. Why offer that? You’re in control, Grayson. [*]

Robert Stone was pleased to have signed Von Wagner. I wouldn’t be.

Amari Miller vs. Wendy Choo

I’m all for goofy characters but the Wendy Choo gimmick isn’t clicking with me. I just can’t really see how it’ll work. The match was filled with spots where she teased falling asleep and was worked around offense where she could grab a nap. It’s one-note and doesn’t seem like it’ll work in most cases. Tiffany Stratton, who wanted Miller to take out Choo and offered a shopping spree, came down for a closer look. Choo hit a Polish Hammer (why?) and won in 3:24. Choo then bailed with Startton’s credit card. [*]

Persia went to Indi and Dexter for romance advice. It went nowhere until Brooks Jensen came around to say that he wanted something special with Kayden Carter. He was told that talking too much is bad and non-verbal communication like Dexter does is good.

A Draco Anthony vignette aired.

Speaking of vignettes, we got one for Nikita Lyons who is a rapper. She said her dad was in a band and that her mom was a groupie. I mean, NXT had a pretty dope group of musicians already in Hit Row but got rid of them for no reason.

Sarray changed back into her schoolgirl outfit (again for no reason) for an interview. Dakota Kai, looking gorgeous, interrupted to say that relationships, even with grandmas, can go south.

Andre Chase vs. Draco Anthony

Bodhi Hayward was with Chase. Apparently, Anthony’s gimmick is that he’s a hard worker which doesn’t sound interesting. His offense was kind of bland too as you can tell he’s also new to things. Chase had a section of the crowd really behind him in Chase U sweaters. Anthony’s highlight was messing with Chase’s flag. Chase beat him with a Downward Spiral in 4:26. [*¼]

Mandy Rose was still running from KLR. As she took a sip of water for a breather, the camera literally couldn’t stop moving. It’s like they’ve trained the camera workers to constantly be shuffling their feet. KLR appeared behind a counter and dumped pasta on Mandy’s head. WWE really loves food fight stuff with women.

NEXT WEEK

· Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Creed Brothers in the Dusty Classic

· MSK vs. Blade and Enofe in the Dusty Classic

· LA Knight vs. Sanga

Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Legado Del Fantasma

The idea here is that Escobar seems like he’s next in line for a shot at Bron’s title. Alas, no Escobar in this match. That made it so the faces could get in more offense than you’d expect given the face in peril formula being typical. Mendoza and Wilde aren’t big enough to really get a clear advantage on either opponent. However, they really managed to do so after the commercial break, laying into Breakker with a seemingly endless barrage of corner offense and quick tags. Ciampa got the hot tag soon after but Breakker remained in trouble when he got tagged back in and even fell victim to a near fall. Ciampa helped save him by tossing Wilde through the announce table, leaving Mendoza to fall to Breakker’s signature slam in 11:24. A good main event though it was odd to have Bron be on the defensive so much. [***]

KLR fought Mandy to the ring and the crowd did not seem interested in this at all. Mandy finally agreed to a title shot next week. KLR then superkicked her and hit the KLR Bomb. This felt more like bullying than giving a heel what they deserve.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

I’ve said before that I appreciate something goofy and entertaining in wrestling. Hell, I often prefer it to “serious” pro wrestling. Here, we got some of the goofy stuff that doesn’t work like the KLR/Mandy segments and Wendy Choo. There were a few good things like the opener and main event to bring this above average though.