The Royal Rumble isn't until tomorrow, but before then, the NXT side of WWE gets some time in the spotlight with the latest Worlds Collide event. It's not exactly a Takeover, but the announced matches were particularly interesting this time around, so I went ahead and watched it. As usual, I'll be talking about each match below. NXT UK Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray vs. Mia Yim (pre-show match) - Though this seems like an arbitrary NXT vs. NXT UK match, the two competitors here do have a bit of history with each other, as the former attacked the latter in the buildup to last year's WarGames match. Their encounter here was short but decent, with Mia Yim's aggressive style dominating a good part of the match, and KLR's devious tactics and risk-taker attitude keeping the match alive. The NXT UK champ was able to sneak away with the win thanks to a questionable-looking roll-up, which leads me to believe that this may not be the last time we see these two fight. Finn Bálor vs Ilja Dragunov - Many would consider this a dream match, and I can't say I disagree. This was a solid contest, starting off with some hold-for-hold action and building up from there. While Dragunov got to show off his resilience and hit some big moves (including a Coast to Coast), Bálor spent most of the match in control. The latter eventually picks up the win, but Dragunov still looked impressive (even if this wasn't much of a showcase match for him as I thought it would be). I was really put off by the crowd in this match, who booed the hell out of Dragunov throughout. I suppose it's because Bálor is a fan favorite (despite currently being a heel), but I found it strange nonetheless. Angel Garza (c) vs. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott vs. Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin (Fatal Four-Way match for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship) - Given the quartet of talent featured, I was very interested in seeing this match. It ended up exceeding my expectations, as the action was frenetic, with mile-a-minute offense, impressive spots, and exciting near-falls. Everyone got a chance to shine, including WCPW/Defiant alum Travis Banks, who dished out an impressive amount of offense. After a thrilling sequence, Jordan Devlin delivers the shock of the night by becoming the new Cruiserweight Champion, and cuts a post-match promo to boot. Devlin is an incredible wrestler, and it was only a matter of time until he won some gold, and hopefully this big win will grant him a bigger spotlight. Speaking of, I wonder how they'll handle the Cruiserweight title moving forward? Will it spend some time in NXT UK for a while, or will Devlin show up in the US NXT more often? Either way, I'm excited. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) - Now this is a dream match, as it pits two of NXT's most prolific and beloved tag teams in a marquee encounter. The match starts out fun, with some entertaining back-and-forth and cheeky moments, but once the intensity ramps up, the action fires on all cylinders. There were some exhilarating sequences in here, including some impressive tag team offense and a bunch of brilliant counters. DIY end up taking a momentous victory in what is an easy contender for Match of the Night. Thankfully, nobody betrayed anybody after the match. Crowd shenanigans - Seasoned veteran Mercedes Martinez makes an appearance in the crowd, reaffirming the reports that she has signed with NXT. Moments later, Dakota Kai shows up, only to get the shit kicked out of her by her now-enemy Tegan Nox. This feud has been simmering since Kai's betrayal at WarGames, and this was a teaser for their big match in the next episode of NXT. Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Toni Storm (NXT Women's Championship match) - Rhea Ripley has been on the run of her early career as of late, being a highlight on both WarGames and Survivor Series last year, and being the one to end Shayna Baszler's impressive reign as NXT Women's Champion. Her latest obstacle is former Mae Young Classic winner Toni Storm, whom Ripley lost to during her days as NXT UK Women's Champion. Storm put on an impressive showing here, keeping Ripley on the ropes multiple times throughout the match. Unfortunately, Ripley takes advantage of a critical error and retains her title in a relatively short, but decent match. Now, her next challenger, Bianca Belair, awaits her at Takeover Portland. Backstage brawl - Johnny Gargano was in a post-match interview when suddenly, Finn Bálor blindsides him, building further into their feud and their upcoming encounter at Takeover Portland. In a nice character moment, Moustache Mountain try to intervene and keep Bálor from continuing his assault. Undisputed Era (NXT Champion Adam Cole, NXT Tag Team Champions Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly, & Roderick Strong) vs. Imperium (NXT UK Champion WALTER, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner, & Alexander Wolfe) - This main event sees the most dominant factions in each respective NXT brand face off in a titanic multi-man match. The match starts off on a worrying note, as Alexander Wolfe took a stiff kick right in the jaw and had to be taken out of the match (I really hope he's OK). Despite this, the remaining people in the match did an incredible job keeping everything going smoothly even with a man missing. UE's smarmy shenanigans made for a fantastic contrast with Imperium's no-nonsense offense, with each team getting ample time to control the pace of the match. WALTER was naturally exciting to watch, and the novelty of him going one-on-one with various members of the Undisputed Era never got old. His biggest spot in the match ironically came at his expense, as Roderick Strong drove him through the announce table with an impressive Olympic Slam. The other wrestlers were no slouches themselves, busting out impressive moves when it counts. After some dramatic near-falls and high spots, WALTER secures the victory for his faction. Even with the unfortunate injury to Wolfe, this main event was still a great match. Though not a Takeover in name, Worlds Collide is easily Takeover-quality in terms of its matches, and considering this is NXT we're talking about, there should be little doubt that they can put on an incredible show. Again, I hope this will put more eyes on NXT UK. For now, however, it's time to get hyped for the Royal Rumble.
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June 2024
Derryck
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