4. NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) Vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa: This was the best match of the entire weekend, a rollercoaster ride that was an exciting throwback to the tag team classics of the 1980’s. We too often forget how good we had it then: The Wild Samoans, Tony Garea & Rick Martel, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo, Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson, Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch, Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, The Midnight Express, The Brain Busters, The Fantastics, The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard), The Killer Bees, Demolition, The Road Warriors, Strike Force were just a few of the teams that made tag team wrestling so great back then. Thanks to HHH’s willingness to revive some of the basic building blocks of what worked in the past, NXT’s tag team division is on its’ way to being the modern day equivalent of that boon period of tag team wrestling. This match features the tag team that I consider the best and most complete tag team in professional wrestling today: Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson. Their in-ring skills are outstanding. They understand the concept of classic tag team heel psychology, making them the single best heel tag team since Anderson & Blanchard. Their mic skills are surprisingly strong for up-and-comers. Their matches have been some of the best tag team matches on American TV to date. How Wilder and Dawson weren’t called up to the main roster while lesser talent like Mojo Rawley, Carmella and Baron Corbin somehow were is a mystery not even Sherlock Holmes, Monk or Columbo could crack. That’s not to slight Gargano and Ciampa, who made their mark on the indie circuit and ROH before finding a new home in NXT. They were sensational here, working so flawlessly with Wilder & Dawson that I hope this program continues. And judging from the most recent batch of TV tapings, it looks like HHH and his Creative team is going to keep this feud going. This is what sets him apart from his father-in law and the Hollywood sycophants that dominate main roster Creative: he sees something that works and doesn’t feel compelled to “fix” it or try to make the fans rue the day they get emotionally invested in something as simple as a classic tag team match. Even more amazing was that mere weeks after their star-making performances in a ******++++ Match of the Year candidate at the Cruiserweight Classic, Gargano and Ciampa managed to top that phenomenal bout with one that was even better. The match started slowly, as the classic tag team battles of the 80s so often did, building things up to a fever pitch that kept the live crowd unglued with suspense and delight. It was so great to see the classic tag team psychology of keeping the babyface team from making the tag, building up the heat to white hot incinerator levels that are so often missing from WWE’s main roster tag team matches these days. Another plus was that there was actual wrestling here rather than a collection of high spots or lame comedy, as Vince loves to load tag team matches with on the main roster. Fans popped huge when it appeared Gargano and Ciampa had won the tag team titles, but Wilder got his foot on the bottom rope and the match was restarted. The match told the story that Gargano’s knee was weakened from his encounter with Ciampa at the CWC weeks earlier, so Dawson & Wilder took advantage as the great heels would in the past. Eventually, the pain became too great to overcome and Gargano tapped out when Dawson reversed the Figure Four. This match is one for the memory banks. ******++++++++ (to infinity and beyond)
5. NXT Women’s Champion Asuka Vs. Bayley: I remember mentioning to friends that I felt sorry for the women who had to compete at SummerSlam since they would have a hard time following this eagerly anticipated rematch between two of NXT’s best women wrestlers. Then again, I didn’t think the main roster women would bomb so spectacularly when I made that remark. At first, I believed I had jinxed them, then I read that contrary to popular rumors, Vince McMahon WAS present and in charge at SummerSlam, so the jinx was already there. Anyway, back to the match. I thought it was a superb match, albeit not nearly as great as their Takeover: Dallas title change match. For starters, since Bayley made her main roster debut at Battleground last month, one figured this would be her swan song from NXT. Therefore, few believed she was regaining the title. That hurt the match a bit. Not helping matters was having to follow one of the greatest tag team matches of recent years. Still, this was a near-perfect match and they did a great job of parlaying Bayley’s underdog persona and the memory of her title win at last year’s Takeover: Brooklyn into sheer emotional drama. Asuka played the thin line between face and heel to perfection, eventually helping overcome the lack of fan expectation for a title change live in Brooklyn. Bayley managed to escape the Asuka Lock that caused her downfall in Dallas and even countered a second Asuka Lock into a near-fall. Each near-escape finally got the fans to start believing in the possibility of a title switch. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as Asuka gave Bayley three stiff and swift kicks to the skull. Asuka covered Bayley’s seemingly lifeless corpse for the 1-2-3. In a show of respect for a worthy opponent, Asuka lifted up Bayley and embraced her now-defeated rival, all while choking back tears. Contrast this to Nikki Bella holding up her thumb and forefinger into the L for Loser position after winning a horrible match the night after. The difference between NXT’s women’s division and WWE’s is summed up in one word: respect. There is none on display in the main roster, as McMahon wants his women at each others' throats in constant acrimony. In NXT, respect is paid to a worthy opponent, even by the heels. It’s quite a contrast, isn’t it? ****3/4 6. NXT World Champion Samoa Joe Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Vince McMahon has famously claimed that WWE fans would never truly embrace a Japanese wrestler. Along comes HHH to once again disprove his father-in-law’s harebrained theories as Nakamura received one of the most stunning babyface pops ever given to a Japanese wrestler appearing on a WWE or NXT program. Not only did fans give him a standing ovation, they proceeded to sing along to his theme music during his entrance, which was one of the more spectacular on an NXT show to date as it featured a live fiddle performance. Even Nakamura seemed surprised and moved by the rave reaction from the fans. Joe received some cheers, but the fans were overwhelmingly behind Nakamura, reacting to everything the King of Strong Style did. Some in the IWC have complained that the match was too slow and even too foreign, but I found it gripping from start to finish. This was a total Japanese-style match, with a slower-paced build to something more frenzied and brutal. Since Joe has legitimate Japanese wrestling experience and Nakamura is such a natural in the ring, it turned out to be a phenomenal match. It certainly proved that under the right hands, ROH no longer has an exclusive corner on genuine Japanese-style matches on American soil. The chain wrestling was superb, as both men showed they are masters of the mat. When the match finally kicked into high gear at the halfway point, it was simply off-the-charts brilliance. Joe confidently finished off Nakamura with the Muscle Buster, but just as he was secure in believing he had the match won, the King of Strong Style kicked out. Nakamura has his own moment of shock when Joe kicked out of the Kinshasa kick. Joe attempted the Kokina Klutch but Nakamura wiggled free and nailed Joe with a knee to the back of the head. One Kinshasa later and Nakamura scored the 1-2-3 to become the first Asian wrestler to hold the NXT World Championship. It was a history making night as the top two singles titles in NXT were both held by Japanese talent who were most worthy of being elevated to such heights. Some are complaining that Nakamura winning the title doesn’t do anything to elevate him. Little do these armchair critics realize that it’s the title that’s being elevated by being around the waist of one of Japan’s greatest talents. Strike that, one of the world’s greatest talents. Only good things can come from a Nakamura NXT World title reign. I can’t wait to see what’s next. ******+++
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