¡Hola! This is Ardelle and you’ve probably seen my name around here, as I have reviewed a bunch of other stuff. From here on, I will be taking over (heh) the Smark Hen-XT column from Jocs Boncodin for the meantime!
More than a week removed from the glorious chaos that was the TakeOver: WarGames, I can’t blame you if you’d expect something explosive from this week’s episode but was kind of let down. Let’s not beat around the bush here and it is what it is: a filler episode before things kick off toward the build to TakeOver: Philadelphia.
But hey, at least we got a really good tag team match from the UK lads!
*****
The rest of the show- Street Profits def. Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss: I love the Street Profits very much, and I’m glad that the San Antonio crowd is well behind the duo too! We got a much longer rematch from the two teams after they squared off the first time some few weeks ago. Nothing new to see here, but we got a lot more Montez Ford in this match which was a treat.
- Kairi Sane def. Peyton Royce (with Billie Kay): This isn’t in any way related to the match, but why on earth did they change Kairi’s entrance theme?? And while we’re at it, why isn’t there any Iconic Duo merch on WWE Shop dot com??
I am also still looking for that one opponent that will spark something out of Kairi. Personally, her match against Shayna Baszler at the Mae Young Classic finals was her last memorable win for me. But to be fair though, she still only has three or four matches on NXT TV. Maybe if more women make their debut, perhaps?
- Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) def. Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews: This is nothing new, but I’m still going to say it: man, these UK lads are so damn good, you guys. They definitely deserve a lot more spotlight to develop more stories.
This 10-ish minute affair was just loads of fun to watch. Pete and Mandrews played off the reluctant tag team really well with a bunch of innovative tandem offenses, but the centerpiece of this match was the Tyler-Pete rivalry for the UK title. And Tyler’s opportunity was out of the question when he pinned the champion with a Tyler Driver ‘97. Andrews’ demand for a title opportunity was met with a Bitter End, since they lost the match.
I’m going to say this again, and I will never get tired of saying this: the UK boys deserve so much more.
*****
This week’s episode can be safely skipped, tbh (except for the main event). The real deal starts next week. I give this episode a B-.
What do you think of this week’s NXT episode? Hit us up in the comments section below!