NXT 618

April 27, 2021 – Orlando, Florida

I don’t know how I missed this last week, but this week I can’t help but complain about the new opening theme song for the show. There’s so much distortion it sounds like my speakers are broken. Come on, Poppy, you can do better than this… probably. 

Mercedes Martinez def. Dakota Kai
Wait, did my speakers break? Martinez’s entrance music sounds like it’s only percussion. Basically everything Martinez did before the break here made it look like she was half asleep. Watching Little Caesar’s and Progressive car insurance commercials apparently woke her up because she had her act together when they returned. The weird slow match had a nothing ending as Raquel Gonzalez gets upset at some trash talk and gets Kai disqualified when she attacks Martinez at 8:55 (shown of 12:30). I did not care for any of this, but hopefully Martinez will be more motivated for her eventual title match. Gonzalez brutally beats up Martinez after the match. *½ 

Apparently Dexter Lumis has sent the Women’s Tag Team Champions flowers. But it’s dubious, because Frankie Monet is the one who read the card and nobody else got a look at it. Earlier today, Cameron Grimes went jewelry shopping, but a mysterious person was sitting in wait in the shop reading a newspaper. It turns out to be Ted DiBiase (duh), who shows him up with a shinier watch. Later, Drake Maverick seems suspicious of Killian Dain and worries that he will turn on him and join Imperium. Dain wants Maverick to have faith. That was cute. Then, we get a very brief look at Tian Sha. That was nothing. Then, Isaiah Scott challenges Leon Ruff to a Falls Count Anywhere match. That’s next week. 

The Grizzled Young Veterans come out for a chat. They say that MSK will wrestle any kind of match to avoid a straight two-on-two title match against the GYV. Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher interrupt and I have no problem with this matchup. Thatcher makes fun of the GYV for losing the UK tag titles in Cardiff and starts the Zack Gibson shoe chant. Then he and Ciampa attack. Yeah, that totally worked for me. 

Zayda Ramier def. Toni Storm
Before the match, Storm tells Zoey Stark to watch what she does to Ramier. Then, she squashes Ramier. That is, until Stark comes out and distracts Storm allowing Ramier to hit a Shooting Star Press for the win at 3:30. That made Storm look like a real goof. ½*

Legado del Fantasma vow to make a statement at the expense of the Tag Team Champions and the Cruiserweight Champion. Bronson Reed stares down Johnny Gargano on his way to the ring. LA Knight makes it clear he’s into Indi Hartwell. Ever-Rise advertise their web show. 

Bronson Reed def. Austin Theory
If Reed wins, he gets another shot at Gargano’s title. Hartwell is pouty at ringside, I guess because of the Lumis sending flowers to the tag champs thing. These two have a solid match, but then Lumis comes out to try to get Hartwell to love him again and they awkwardly get in the ring. None of the badly executed gaga stops Reed from hitting the Tsunami for the win at 9:07 (shown of 12:28). I believe these two have a good match in them, but that’s not what they were interested in tonight. **½ 

Kushida & MSK bond a bit. I like this hype for the main event happening throughout the show. I know they do promos with the main event players on this show quite often, but I guess I just find these guys more fun than most to spend time with. Tonight, the K in MSK stands for Kushida. Sure, it’s not like we know what it stands for the rest of the time anyway. Then, it becomes pretty clear that the Way sent the flowers to get Hartwell mad at the tag champs in anticipation of their tag title challenge next week. BTW, Finn Balor comes back next week. 

Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner def. Killian Dain & Drake Maverick
The commentators say that Alexander Wolfe has been sowing the seeds of doubt between Dain & Maverick, but I don’t remember seeing that on TV. Has that been on TV? I watch this show every week and I don’t recall that happening. What I do remember is Wolfe allowing Barthel & Aichner to beat up Dain on TV. Bright side, this took a surprising turn. Rather than Dain turning, it was Wolfe refusing to attack Dain on the floor that caused problems for Imperium. They fought through it and eventually put Maverick away with the European Bomb at 8:57 (shown of 12:14). I liked this a lot more than I expected to, and I’m curious where Wolfe goes from here. ***

Pete Dunne says he might go after the Cruiserweight, NXT UK, North American, or NXT Championship. He’s the baddest man in NXT. This was a really good promo by Dunne’s standards. Then Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs. the Robert Stone Brand never happens because the Way attacks the champs with fruit and cupcakes. Meanwhile, Stone’s crew steals a tag title belt. The tag belt thing probably won’t lead to anything, but the attack means the tag title match next week will be a street fight. Then, Adam Cole is interviewed and says that Kyle O’Reilly isn’t ready to be NXT Champion. He says other stuff too but it’s mostly about O’Reilly. O’Reilly watches from the CWC, thankfully not wearing any stupid accessories. Also, Diamond Mine is coming. Feels like it’s going to be like Catch Point, though to be honest I haven’t seen that much Catch Point. Also felt like a commercial and not part of the show, so says me and a ton of people on Twitter. 

Joaquin Wilde, Santos Escobar & Raul Mendoza def. Wes Lee, Nash Carter & Kushida
This was fun. Our hero champions were flying around to stay in control for a while, but Escobar powerbombed Kushida through the announce table and gave the baddies the advantage. Lee, because he’s a freakish talent, believably makes a comeback but it’s not enough. Kushida struggles back into the ring but immediately falls victim to Escobar’s Phantom Driver, while Carter eats Wilde & Mendoza’s unnamed finisher and loses the match at 11:18 (shown of 13:48). This was a manic blast, but the heels going over like that really bummed me out. I’m not saying it was the wrong move, it just made me sad. ***¼