NXT New Years Evil Honest Review
Last night fans tuned into the first NXT show of 2021, a live special titles New Years Evil and what a night it was! A stacked card promised a must-see show and the night did not disappoint! In today’s blog post we are going to be reliving the action from the first NXT show of the year I give my honest thoughts on each match! Any recent blog posts will be linked below and don’t forget to give me a follow over on Twitter at @TezangiVictoria to check out my live tweets during each WWE show!
Damien Priest vs Karrion Kross
As a big-time fan of both Priest and Kross I was very excited to tune into this opening contest. The two power houses standout for their popularity amongst the NXT universe and their striking move sets. The build to this contest kept was simple but the match itself made for a strong memorable star to the show and the year. The early stages showcased how evenly matches the pair were in speed and strikes. The action throughout was fast-paced and intense and those early stages were no different, there was an intense feeling out process and the hatred between the two men was evident along with their shared confidence and arrogance. There was a fresh focus from Priest who had the early surprise control of the action, but the injured ribs made for a clear target for Kross who used this to gain an advantage as we saw him work on the weak spot throughout the opening match up. We also saw Priest once again bring a lot of character to this bout also, he refused to back down, used speed to his advantage and stayed on top of Karrion who used his power to his advantage. The former North American champion did target the arm of Kross here which worked at times but in the end, it was a predicable win for Kross.
I was incredibly happy to see these two compete with no adds and in a lengthy bout. The ending was predictable, but I am hoping to see Priest bounce back and work on gaining some momentum once again while Kross clearly has his sights set on the NXT Championship.
Santos Escobar vs Gran Metalik
I will admit that it has been a hot minute since I last
tuned into and paid attention to the WWE Cruiserweight division but if last
night proved anything it's that Santos Escobar is without a doubt one of the best
title holders we have seen. In yet another fantastic championship defense
Escobar worked a strong bout with former Lucha Libre star Gran Metalik. The two
bounced off each other well in a classic showing for the division and with Escobar
using his strength as a key advantage the action provided something a little
different to what we typically see from the cruiserweight division. The match
was also a little slower-paced than expected especially when the champion was
in control. Now, this was admittedly my least favourite match of the evening
but with that being said I really am glad the division was showcased on this
special episode of NXT and Santos truly did look and feel like a dominant and
effective champion throughout. Another successful title defence behind him adds
to Escobar’s momentum and I’m interested to see where things go for him and the
division in the coming months.
Xia Li
NXT New years evil also saw the return of Xia Li who for weeks has been seen alongside Boa in several intense videos showing the pair going through brutal training! The new and improved Xia Li picked up a dominant victory in a short bonus match and I have to say that from the entrance to the new version of Li we saw on display last night I am very excited to see what happens next and where this angle goes! This is completely fresh and exciting and there is evidently a lot of potential here for some interesting and dark storylines.
Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Gonzalez
For months now Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez have been
battling out to prove themselves to be the dominant top dog within the NXT
Women’s division and the rivalry has had me more and more interested as the weeks
have gone by. Last nights show saw the two powerhouses clash in a must-see
last woman standing match which I must say I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved how
much focus there was this time around on the history between these two women
and their friendship which many who follow both women on social media will remember
being heavily showcased as the two traveled the world alongside one another. References
to their history teaming together on the road and their matching tattoos were
made throughout the match last night which I felt was a brilliant way to add
more story and depth to this contest. Now, the action itself was fantastic and
these two women seriously delivered on a night where the standard of competition
was through the roof. In what is probably one of the best last superstars
standing contest I have seen in quite some time the two powerhouses displayed
their strengths perfectly. Watching each spot just looked absolutely brutal from
kicks to the face and the execution of nearly every single move from both
women.
Brutal spots through tables, the set, and the surroundings looked intense and utterly barbaric while the sheer power and dominance of women were fantastic to see as always. We witnessed kendo sticks, tables, and chairs used throughout but the talent of these two women was on clear display with the accessories simply that! Just like in the opening contest, the action was split very down the middle throughout and this stood out as one of the most unpredictable matches of the evening. I enjoyed Dakota Kai’s little part towards the later section of this match adding a little bit of extra entertainment and tying in with her connection with Raquel effectively, but what left me the happiest here was the end result. Despite being a huge Rhea Ripley fan, I was really pulling for Raquel here and her win against Ripley makes for a second big time victory! Gonzalez has a great deal of momentum on her side and this win will be a huge deal for the up and comer who stars off 2021 extraordinarily strong indeed.
The Way Make their Way into 2021
For weeks now, we have seen the Way make an impact in NXT
gaining momentum and providing us with at times cringe-worthy but very entertaining
segments and last night's show saw Candice and Gargano alongside Indi and Theory
make their presence felt at the start of the new year. Another bonus match saw
some mixed tag team action between Kushida and Shotzi Blackheart vs the team of
Gargano LeRae. The bout didn’t add much to the show and wasn’t a truly
memorable contest with anything special to note but it did add some more story
to a couple of rivalries. We saw Kushida again focus on the North American
Champion suggesting more to come between those two in the coming weeks especially
after we saw him pin the champ during last night's show; as well as making it
clear that business was far from over between Shotzi and Candice. This part of
the show also saw Gargano and Theory announce themselves as participants in this
year's Dusty Rhodes tag team classic.
Finn Balor vs Kyle O’Reilly
Last year Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly competed in what was without
a doubt one of the best matches of 2020 and so there was a huge buzz around
their second championship collision that took place during last night’s New Year’s
Evil event. From the get-go, the intensity was evident with Balor not only quickly
checking his own jaw after a stiff kick to the face from O’Reilly but targeting
the exact same area of Kyle throughout this championship contest. We saw the
jar of the challenger really focused on after a unique rope break was made when
the former tag team champion bit down on the rope to break a submission hold
only for Balor to kick the side of the face of O’Reilly which would work as a
major turn around in this match.
Now, despite a weak spot being pointed out on the challenger Kyle did not back down continued to give Balor one of the biggest and most brutal intense fights of his career. We saw him target the arm of Balor and a series of submission holds and classic wrestling made this yet another standout in the careers of both of these men. Now, despite coming ever so close yet again to capturing Balor’s title it was the inured jaw of O’Reilly that cost him this match allowing Finn Balor to retain his NXT Championship.
Honestly, what a way to kick start 2021! From start to
finish NXT showed us what to expect over the next twelve months with re-debuts,
potential final NXT matches for certain superstars and fantastic in-ring
performances that saw breakout performances and top spots claimed. We had news
of the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes tag team classic and momentum gained for
several stars which will see new rivalries kick star. The first Takeover event
of the year is set to take place on Valentines Day so join me on Twitter at
@TezanVictoria next month to tune into my live tweets.
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