NXT

[Oliver]

Well, looks like MSK are good to go for NXT Takeover: Adam Ant - triple threat of them, GYV, and Legado del Fantasma confirmed for the vacant tag titles now.

Balor's promo on emotion being a demon and him now controlling his emotions and that making him better in the ring was just...perfect. If you'd told be 18 months ago when he came back to NXT that by this time Balor would be possibly my favourite in ring performer in the company, if not the world, I'd have said you were mad. If you'd told me I'd also think his promo work would be top tier I'd have had you sectioned.

I want to see Balor vs just about anybody right now. I think he could have a good to great match with basically anybody in the company. I'd LOVE to see him against WALTER, for example. Balor vs Dragunov - yep. But also something like Balor vs Lorcan could be excellent (and I kind of hope that Balor literally walking over Lorcan this week is going to mean something).

[The Cook]

I do find it a bit odd that MSK title shot for winning the Dusty Classic is against the teams they beat in the final and semi-final, although I obviously understand they were forced into this situation.

Balor faced Dragunov at one of those Worlds Collide shows, January last year I believe. And it seemed Balor/WALTER seemed to be the plan for the NXT UK TakeOver in Dublin last April but that's been postponed until June this year, so we could see that match in a few months.

[Oliver]

Ah, that'll be fun! I'll have to look out that Worlds Collide show - is it the one which had the well received Harper vs Dijakovic match on it too?

I must admit, my inner British indie kid popped hard for O'Reilly wearing an Unknown Pleasures t-shirt, even if you can get that in somewhere like Urban Outfitters nowadays.

[The Cook]

I think the Harper/Dijakovic match took place before the latter was even a big part of NXT so think that happened in early 2019, but the Balor/Dragunov match took place the night before last year's Rumble on a Worlds Collide show. Imperium/Undisputed Era was the main event and DIY/Moustache Mountain was on the card too.

[PEN15v2]

Balor's promo on emotion being a demon and him now controlling his emotions and that making him better in the ring was just...perfect. If you'd told be 18 months ago when he came back to NXT that by this time Balor would be possibly my favourite in ring performer in the company, if not the world, I'd have said you were mad. If you'd told me I'd also think his promo work would be top tier I'd have had you sectioned.

I've got to disagree here. The content and sentiments were good. The delivery was not. The best way to describe it is that those words sounded like they'd have been much better used in those pre-match hype vdeos, where the wrestlers do voiceovers while we see a greatest hits of the feud. That's the content I was hearing, but it didn't work in a live in ring promo. It felt too forced and disjointed. That goes for both Kross and Balor.


As for the rest of the show, I think I figured out another reason Adam Cole just does not connect with me. He's a great promo, but he's not a threatening wrestler at all. So hearing him talk a bad game about the contract being Kyle's death warrant just falls flat. Had it been Kross saying a line like that, it would have felt legit. Cole doing it makes it feel like a teenager talking tough in an after school bus stop fight. He can deliver that line better than 95% of the wrestlers on the planet. But his wrestling style (and look) isn't vicious enough to back up words like that.

The wrestling style isn't for me, but I know it's popular. And I feel I'd be able to look past it with the charisma he has to make up for it. But the disconnect of all the parts really kills any interest I have in his matches and angles.

[Powder]

I've said this prior, but I also mentioned this last night, in regards to Cole, when HBK walked by Cole, HBK made Cole look even smaller than he normally does. HBK was never a 'big guy', but he made Adam Cole look small. HBK was billed at around 6'1" and 225lbs, which is a good size man. Cole is 6' tall but easily gives up 30-35lbs to HBK as Cole is no where near 200lbs.

That is my problem with him. I can deal with the acrobatic style, and that he does cut a good to great promo, but what kills it for me, is that he is no where near believable. I have also said that Balor is small, but ripped, so when he is in his gear, he looks menacing.

Wrestling at its core is about 2 guys trying to beat the crap out of each other within soap opera stories. In real life, would anyone take Adam Cole seriously against Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, or even Bronson Reed? No way. You cannot do anything about height, but Cole has the time to go to the gym and put on some muscle. He does not have to be ripped, simply look at MSK, they are about the same height as Cole, but has muscles and are more believable.

[Oliver]

Wrestling at its core is about 2 guys trying to beat the crap out of each other within soap opera stories. In real life, would anyone take Adam Cole seriously against Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, or even Bronson Reed? No way. You cannot do anything about height, but Cole has the time to go to the gym and put on some muscle. He does not have to be ripped, simply look at MSK, they are about the same height as Cole, but has muscles and are more believable.

I'm not questioning the comment on Cole vs Lee, Kross, Reed here, Powder - but would you take O'Reilly seriously against them? He's the same height, billed 10lbs down, and doesn't have that muscular look like Balor or the MSK guys. And yet, I would probably take O'Reilly seriously against those guys.

Why? Because stylistically he fights. He battles. Cole's style isn't like that, which probably impacts how you can 'believe' him against bigger/tougher guys.

[Powder]

O"Reilly has a much more muscular tone to him. O'Reilly is billed around the same as Cole yes, but when they stand next to each other, you can see that KO is bigger and more muscular.

Also, the style that KO plays a HUGE part into that.

Here is a picture of all three men. Cole, Balor and KO. KO is NOT as defined as Balor, but clearly is muscular. Cole is in a shirt and zip up and still looks like a teenage boy.

[PEN15v2]

That's why I highlighted Cole's style more than his look. Size is a factor, but there are so many factors that can over come size. One of those factors is style. Like Daniel Bryan, O'Reilly uses skill more than anything. This doesn't mean Cole isn't skilled, but his style isn't about his wrestling skill. His strength is apparently his intelligence: outhinking his opponents with dastardly means. Without the UE to back him up, he's with less of his tools.

He also doesn't act tough. O'Reilly looks like a pitbull in that photo Powder shared. Cole doesn't. He doesn't look meek or anything, but like Roddy, he looks like an average fighter. KO looks like he has a bit more menace behind his eyes. Other than the dumb semi fauxhawk he had last night, he kept that look. Big or small, KO looks and acts like someone who can break another human being.

Cole doesn't. And he doesn't wrestle that way. So when he talks like he can, it doesn't work. If Rey Mysterio was facing Cena, and promoed that he was going to kick Cena's ass, it would also fall flat. That's why Mysterio usually promos that he'll "outlast" his opponents, or use his speed and aerial moves. HE highlights his actual advantages, even if he's an underdog. Cole talking shit is a shih tzu: all bark, can bite, but wouldn't last in a fight with a bigger or meaner dog.

[Oliver]

I love Tyler Breeze. I think I'd forgotten just how good he actually is. But then a singles match like last night comes along and I'm reminded. What an asset he is.

A solid, but not spectacular, evening of NXT last night. I didn't love the Battle Royal, but I think there's scope for the gauntlet match to be good. I can see Ruff starting off and going long as the underdog.

[LifeLostInRewind]

Am I the only one hoping that Raquel wins the NXT women's title?

[Powder]

No, I think that most people want it.

Infact she is a little overdue. Also, she has the best chokeslam in the business, and the best women's finisher.

[PEN15v2]

I feel like I just watched AEW Takeover. Too many kickouts and too much choreography. Enjoyable overall, but nowhere near a classic Takeover

[Oliver]

I appreciated it only being two hours long, at the very least. In truth, there was nothing on there that exceeded my expectations, the gauntlet, tag, and women's title matches were solid but not notable even though I enjoyed the three matches individually. Walter vs Ciampa was excellent, I though, and the Dunne/Kushida technical sprint was very good.

Also, I know Pete Dunne has visibly got ripped, but I don't think I'd realised to what extent:

[Powder]

Since his return, I cannot understand why he still wrestles in the singlet.

However, if he wants to succeed on the main roster ,and get backing, I think he will need to get his teeth fixed.