Reviews by Dave
Show air date: January 13, 2020
Finished NXT on USA and it was a solid overall show. Not a blow-away, must-see show but it was a reset show where they got some different things started, coming off their New Year’s Evil shows.
Candice LeRae defeated Shotzi Blackheart
Candice LaRae beat Shotzi Blackheart in a good TV match. Both women worked hard as this should be the blowoff to their situation over the last few weeks. LaRae, of course, got some help from her protege, Indi Hartwell, but she’s now a firm contender for the Women’s title.
Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, and Pete Dune Promos
NXT tag champs Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan and Pete Dunne cut a couple of promos throughout the show. They’re not bad but they really, really need Pat McAfee.
Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Ever Rise
The Grizzled Young Veterans–Zack Gibson and James Drake–advance to the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic Tournament over Ever Rise. The less said the better. An Ever Rise match is a good cure for insomnia.
Raquel Gonzalez Promo
Good promo from Raquel Gonzalez.
Johnny Gargano defeated Dexter Lumis
North American champion Johnny Gargano beat Dexter Lumis. Big old shoulder shrug. Lumis pulls the classic “Stupid WWE Face” move of letting go of his submission finish on his opponent to go after the guy on the outside of the ring and he lost. KUSHIDA runs down to help Lumis as Gargano and his young boy Austin Theory put a whoopin’ on him.
MSK defeated Swerve Scott and Jake Atlas
Now why they made it some big mystery on the debut of MSK (TF does that stand for, WWE?) when they’ve given them brand new names is beyond me. But there they were, the former Rascalz making their debut, beating the team of Swerve Scott and Jake Atlas, who were another thrown together team. Good match with MSK looking really good.
Fight Pit Sit Down
Wade Barrett did a sit down with the Fight Pit wrestlers next week, Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa, and it was pretty good.
Xia Li Squash Match
NXT does appreciate the value of a squash match as Xia Li came out and demolished a woman they didn’t even bother naming.
Main Event: The Undisputed Era defeated Breezango
In the final match of the Dusty Classic on the episode, the Undisputed Era (this time Adam Cole and Roderick Strong) beat Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) in another solid match where both teams put in some good work. Not being dumb faces, the UE didn’t get distracted when Dunne and ‘Em jumped Kyle O’Reilly outside the ring.
They won their match and then checked on their guy, closing the show with Pete and the Crew staring at them. Yeah, it went off a little soft but it was a good show to set them up for the immediate future.
