The NXT Report Card (4/4/18): The Road to New Orleans

With NXT TakeOver: New Orleans just days away, Joe brings an on the road Report Card as this pivotal event’s build-up finally reaches its climax.

Well ladies and gentleman, the road to NXT TakeOver: New Orleans is well and truly reaching its climax. No guy seriously, this isn’t just a standard, boring intro but an actual fact: I’m currently on the road to New Orleans and my road trip is legitimately reaching its climax. Nonetheless, I’ve taken the time to sit down in my lowly hotel and I’ll now write a bunch of words about this week’s episode of NXT. I have no idea what’s happening tonight, tomorrow or yesterday but I’ll try my best to valiantly fight off the jet-lag as I bring you the kind of content you’ve come to expect! Much love.

DISCLAIMER: any wild predictions I make that you disagree with will likely be proven completely wrong in the coming weeks, months and years anyway so don’t worry too much. Basically, take everything you read from this point forward with a grain of salt as its credibility is preposterously low.

Our show begins with Todd Petti….okay fine, Charly Caruso and she’s once again talking about her favorite topic: The Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic. She explains that tonight’s final is so huge that legends are here to watch on ‘live’. We see proof of this too, with national treasures Michael “P.S” Hayes, The Taylor Made Man and ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes all appearing, walking separately in an unclear direction. On a more serious note, Charly mentions the speculation surrounding Bobby Fish’s 15 year-old injury but regardless, it’s now time for our final!

The Authors of Pain

Our former Dusty Classic winners are here first and this fresh matchup opposite Strong and Dunne promises to be a great one. Rezar overpowered Roddy immediately, launching him around and forcing Strong to scurry for a tag. Dunne’s entry didn't bring much success either, as he was beaten to the mat, defiant or not. Akam also unleashed an onslaught of vicious knees on the UK Champ in the corner and this was about as vicious an AOP heat segment as I’ve ever seen.

Some tandem offense almost got them the win too, as they continued to work Dunne over. He did eventually fight free though which then brought in Strong who flurried. Men the size of Akam and Rezar have to sell differently and they did that neatly here, showing shock and panic as the babyfaces fired back. Before long they countered also, turning the match twice, firstly with a double team maneuver and secondly with a pair of huge strikes.

With all four men floored, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly hit the ring and put the boots to all involved, causing a no-finish. Nonetheless, AOP were magnificent here I thought. They found the perfect blend of raw and unpredictable whilst also showing cohesion and chemistry. From a traditional heel team perspective, this is as good as I’ve ever seen them work.

Grade: A*

Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne

I said last week that with high stakes and the right opponents, this team would likely make magic and I think we got a glimpse of that here. However, there were some aspects that I found interesting to contemplate as I watched along. Firstly, Dunne’s sheer defiance when being battered was fun and good babyface work but his overall selling didn't really capture me. Don’t get me wrong, it was decent but Dunne’s inexperience in this role somewhat showed for me at times as I don’t think he projected as well as some of his peers often do.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the way his trademark finger attack was positioned, allowing Dunne some reprieve before he made the tag. Strong’s hot tag was simply superb, his offense was simple but crisp-looking and the whole attack came with the kind of energy that’s needed to emotionally hook a crowd. I guess that was my main issue here: as great as Dunne is I think I ideally want Strong in both of these roles: selling and making the hot tag. That’s not a slight on Pete either, this is a babyface team and it’s more just an example of Roddy’s well-roundedness.

Either way, I liked the way this new duo worked together at the end and no-finish or not, this match was an immense amount of fun. Moreover, I loved the storytelling and the way it emphasized how hard tag team wrestling is in kayfabe. Though Strong and Dunne are elite NXT guys, they were presented as underdogs and better yet, they worked with that desperation too. Great stuff.

Grade: A

Back to Cole and O’Reilly’s involvement now and as they looked to leave the crime scene, Lord Steven Regal arrived to announce that at TakeOver: New Orleans, they’d take on both those fallen teams in a triple threat tag. That match would crown the NXT Tag Champions as well as this year’s Dusty Rhodes Classic winner.

A tremendous video package about the NXT North American Title came next as all 6 ladder match participants got some spotlight. This was well done and EC3 looked especially cool as he wandered around topless in the sun, an activity all manly men enjoy.

That was good but the package that followed topped it and then some. With a look back at the history between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, this captured their feud’s intrigue perfectly. Both men were exceptional in their roles here and this story is a simple yet sublime one. It’s hard not to be invested at this point and I simply cannot wait to see what these two men pull out in New Orleans.

Kairi Sane

Some women’s division action is here now as the MYC winner Kairi Sane takes on Vanessa Borne. After being overpowered early, Sane used her speed for some quick roll-ups before being halted once again. Kairi sold briefly here and did it well until she turned the tide with an interceptor spear. She then did her wacky gimmick in the corner and a ‘flying elbow’ that it’s fair to say SHE DIDN'T GET ALL OF.

Nonetheless, she maintained control, putting Borne in the tree of woe and hitting a double foot drop before getting the win with her famous elbow drop. Nothing to see here really, Sane will likely be Shayna’s first challenger after Saturday (assuming she wins) and this got her a swift victory. She’s a great babyface and will thrive in that role.

Grade: B

Vanessa Borne

As I’ve already said, there wasn't a lot to note here but I’ll point out a couple of obvious things nonetheless. Borne’s presentation is excellent and her look is that of an absolute star. Her offense is still very much finding its feet but either way, the mean-streak she consistently shows is extremely promising. I’m interested to see how Vanessa does in a more pronounced role as from what I’ve seen, she has the raw tools to be an interesting player in this division.

Grade: B-

Lacey Evans is talking to the media up next and she berated some of NXT’s top female babyfaces including especially Sane. I feel really bad for eye-rolling much of this as Lacey’s delivery is quite good but the actual content just feels so limited to me. It’s such a prelim act and I’m just not sure this is the right gimmick for Evans as she looks to become a genuine NXT TV regular. We’ll see though, I’ve been wrong before….more times than I’ve been right in fact.

Cole and O’Reilly are now shouting at Regal to no avail as NXT’s GM instead explained that their options were limited. Cole’s absolute refusal to step out of Saturday’s ladder match really subtly put over the new title quite a bit as its importance was immediately obvious. That’s cool.

The flurry of video packages now continued as we got a recap of Aleister Black’s feud with KING ALMAS. This was well produced but this whole build has failed to connect with me personally. It just feels cold and that’s further emphasized by the undeniable intrigue surrounding Ciampa and Gargano.

Ember Moon is here next and she’s talking about Shayna in a sit-down interview. I love Ember but I just wish she’d relax a little in this format. I know she’s supposed to be fired up and angry but at the same time, it’s just unnatural to talk this way. Ember is genuinely likable, she just needs to be herself in front of the camera.

Lars Sullivan

Main event time now as two of NXT’s big men collide. Lars and Killian Dain squared off early with some big bloke tie-ups but these lacked intensity for my liking and felt rather forced. They then traded punches and forearms which is fine but again, lacked fire and moreover, made Sullivan feel like just another wrestler. Speaking of such, he was then sent to the floor with a bicycle kick but rebounded regardless, cutting Killian off using the apron.

Lars then worked him over a little until unsuccessfully going for The Freak Accident. Dain countered and fired back but Sullivan was a step ahead also, turning things in his favor and flooring Killian with a big lariat. He then headed up top but Dain met him up there as dueling headbutts sent both men to the floor. With both monsters down, The Velveteen Dream arriv….okay hold on, I’ll get to that in a second.

As for Sullivan, he was fine here, even if his in-ring presentation felt less than optimal. With a look like this, Lars should be treated differently in my opinion but he performed solid nonetheless.

Grade: C+

Killian Dain

I have very little to say here as there wasn't much else to see. Dain sold early before making a comeback and as I’ve said before, his flurry of patented offense was once again a highlight. The way he ties that whole comeback together is extremely impressive and a reminder of what made him such an exciting wrestler before he was even signed. We’ll hopefully see more of that aspect on Saturday.

Grade: C+

Back to The Dream now as he looked to hit some kind of insane Purple Rainmaker before Adam Cole came out and said his catchphrase. EC3 came next but as they argued amongst each other, Sullivan and Dain suddenly returned to their feet. Before anything could happen though, Ricochet made his way out and did a cool flip thing as all 6 combatants were now in the ring at once. That’s the end of our go-home.

 Eh, I guess it served its purpose…you know, the purpose of making my job very hard?! Hunter, this match never even ended, what kind of outlaw promotion are you even running here pal?

Final Thoughts

This episode started strong with an excellent tag match but sadly, it failed to keep up that level of engagement. All of the video packages were good and the Ciampa/Gargano one was incredible but as far as in-ring content, this show was rather lacking after that opening match. The Sane showcase was short and the main event along with it but go-home shows have rarely been a strong point for NXT TV and that’s understandable considering the taped format. The opener at least had some importance regarding Saturday though so thumbs up for that.

Grade: B

As for TakeOver, I’m sure it’ll be incredible. Provided I don’t get too caught up in ‘Cien’s after party, I hope to bring you all a Report Card filled with my takes live from the arena. If not, I’m sorry but let’s be honest, I’ve done well to last this long. See you then…maybe.