NXT Quick Takes 12/16/20

Kushida & Leon Ruff vs Gargano [c] & Austin Theory

The Way? I thought that was just something Gargano was saying, not the name of a new faction. Great idea to start a faction because it gives a group of wrestlers something to do without having to push them individually.

Leon looked a bit Ruff on one particular spot, maybe stop the flips and dives and master the basics first. Kushida was barely in this thing it seems. Theory debuts a fancy new finisher and “The Way” wins.

Tyler Rust vs Ciampa

Rust looks great and that name is hitting. Ciampa invited Thatcher out by placing a chair ringside so Thatcher came down to the ring, causing a distraction that lead to Rust getting in some really good offense against Ciampa. During the break, after the match, Malcolm Bivens approaches Rust, it looks like the future is bright for Rust. I liked what I saw from Rust, give him a push and see where it goes.

Kyle O’ Reilly vs Pete Dunne

Commercial free match, great way to announce that and smart not to do it as the main event, that way those tuning in would most likely stay after the match. The picture in picture stuff kept the action fresh when they returned to full screen. Things started a bit slow but ended with some high quality action.

Shotzi vs Indi Hartwell

Shotzi looked bad and sounded corny. These interviews in WWE aren’t working, someone needs to find a different formula, find an existing one and improve upon it. Sloppy match, Hartwell made Shotzi look bad and Shotzi didn’t do herself any favors. Fine tune your skills, make it look crisp or get out of the business.

Karrion Kross in action

Very cool to see the best entrance in wrestling again so soon. We need to see so much more from Kross, he needs to prove he’s more than the gimmick. The gimmick is super solid though. We don’t know what the plan is for Kross but his future involves getting past Damian Priest first.

Toni Storm vs Rhea Ripley

Toni Storm vignette earlier sets the tone, telegraphing her victory. The match was good, not as good as their other matches but still top notch. Raquel Gonzalez interferes, causing Toni Storm to win, which is exactly what needed to happen. Ripley and Gonzalez are going to have another war and Tony Storm will face Io Shirai for the title very soon. All is well in the wrestling world.

Honorable mentions

1. Dexter Lumis drawing during show, he’s the host of New Years evil.

2. Boa and Xia Li train in front of mystery woman.

3. Karrion Kross vignette.

4. Bronson Reed vignette

5. Sweve Scott has clearly turned heel and its painfully obvious. The interview was corny and unnecessary

6. Ever-Rise are annoying Young Bucks ripoffs

Final take

An easy night for NXT, back to the basics. The thing they do well is tell stories in the ring with top talent and that’s exactly what this show delivered.

#Ciampa #NXT #RheaRipley #toniStorm #KarrionKross