Did you miss NXT this week? Well, I’m here to make it all better. It’s the weekly NXT Report Card, right here at Last Word on Pro Wrestling. Did you miss last week’s report card? Check it out here and catch up on all the action.
So, who will the newly-returning No Way Jose take on this week? Additionally, who came out on top between Hideo Itami and Oney Lorcan? Let’s find out, shall we?
NXT Report Card: (6/7/17) – Hideo Itami Snaps
Match: Heavy Machinery vs. Sullivan and Victor Andrews
This week’s, NXT‘s next big thing in the tag division took on the rag tag team of Lars Sullivan and Victor Andrews. While Lars Sullivan certainly had the size to take down Heavy Machinery, he also had…nothing else. Like most yellow brand opening matches, this one was short and sweet. Recently, Heavy Machinery has really impressed NXT fans. Watching them take on the Authors of Pain for the titles should be an interesting hoss match. As for Sullivan and Andrews, neither of them look ready for primetime just yet. This was a nice first opportunity, but they’ll need to smoothen out their in-ring style if they want to be anything more than enhancement talent. Nothing really special in this one, but it was a serviceable opening match. Oh yeah, and Sullivan kicked the stuffing out of his partner after the match.
Segment Grade: B
In-Ring Segment: Roderick Strong Addresses NXT
What’s next for Roderick Strong? Last week, he nearly got destroyed by SAnitY, but No Way Jose was there to save the day. So…what now? Strong came out in street clothes, but he might be looking for a fight. More specifically, he was looking for the NXT Championship.
Bobby Roode came out soon enough, and oh my god he’s crying into a handkerchief. Nice touch, Roode. Getting back to the point, Roode just annihilated Roderick Strong here. Man, this guy can really talk. But anyways, he explained to Strong that “you don’t just wave your hand and get a title shot.” Additionally, Roderick Strong, just isn’t “man enough to win.” Some of the stuff that Roode said here really stung, and actually took the air out of the arena. Soon after, the screen faded to black and we cut away from Strong and Roode.
Segment Grade: A-
Backstage Promo: Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain
Huh, not much notable to say about this one. Even with Paul Ellering, it seemed like average mic work. Ellering reviewed the challengers that stand in the Authors’ way, and talked for a while, but didn’t say much. Sadly, not your best work, Paul.
Segment Grade: C
Match: Peyton Royce vs. Sarah Logan
Hate to say it, but Sarah Logan just screams women’s division jobber. Goofy outfit? Check. Hilariously average ring name? Check. Facing competition in which she is heavily outmatched? Check. Oh yeah, and she used to wrestle goats when she was younger.
I timed it. This match lasted three minutes, forty-one seconds. About half of that was Peyton Royce just flat out playing with Logan. The other half was complete domination, ending with a fisherman’s suplex to put Logan away. If I counted right, Logan got in exactly six moves of offense before Peyton came back to put her away, not including one attemped pin.
Segment Grade: B
An Update On Hideo Itami
In talking with Christy St. Cloud, Itami noted that was not going back to Japan. He has only suffered one loss in his current NXT tenure, and he is absolutely not one to give up. And speaking of Hideo Itami, he took on the hard-hitting Oney Lorcan this week.
Segment Grade: A++
Match: Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan
Jeez, this match was weird. First off, let’s take the fact that it ended in a no contest. Sorry for spoiling the ending. But, how did this match get to that no contest? Early on, Lorcan was totally dominating this one. This bout was going fine until it looked like Itami had injured his knee. Again. But, as it turns out, that injury was a decoy put in place by Itami. Immediately after the referee checked on Itami, he hit three Go To Sleeps on Lorcan, and was going for a fourth. But then, oh no. No, seriously, Kassius Ohno arrived on the scene and forced Itami to stop. Yeah, those two probably won’t be friends with each other for much longer. This match was crazy, for a myriad of reasons.
Segment Grade: Weird
Match: No Way Jose vs. Killian Dain
These two competitors really could not be much different. And truthfully, that made this main event great. With Jose’s “joke character” demeanor, and Dain really wanting to pull off the “tough guy” look, this one was awesome. Seriously, just the contrast of these two men made it awesome, if a bit funny. Jose started off strong, but soon enough, the monstrous Dain took over. That lasted all the way until the finish of this one, where Dain hit the Ulster Plantation on Dain to end this one. Aside from a few extended flashes, Jose never really had the upper hand. You have to wonder what WWE wants to do with him at this point.
Segment Grade: B+
A Hundred Words or Less
For those who said, “Too long; didn’t read”, I offer you this. Tonight’s NXT in one hundred words or less.
Tonight, Lars Sullivan lost a match, and then attacked his partner. After that, Bobby Roode taunted Roderick Strong for wanting a title shot. Additionally, Paul Ellering couldn’t seem to get it together on the mic tonight, a rare occurrence. Hideo Itami is staying in America, and therefore came out strong in his match. Following that, Killian Dain dominated No Way Jose in the main event. Overall, this show receives a grade of B+.
