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Man, what a show this week.
* I loved the opening promo between Tyler Breeze, Adam Rose and Bull Dempsey. It was organic, they were having fun and Adam Rose had MEMORY! I didn't like the idea of Rose just changing gimmicks, but this actually feels like an evolution. The guy can work, he can talk -- he might not be the best ever, but he has a place. I hope he gets involved in Breeze vs. Dempsey next week and turns this into a three-way feud. We've got Breeze vs. Dempsey, but Rose interrupting could build to a Takeover match. Hey, a hook for next week.
* Tye Dillinger has suddenly sprung to life. It was a smart move to organically turn him, because he's pretty freakin' over. I love Martin Stone as a jobber too. The guy looks like a hooligan that is just meant to be in a fight.
* Apollo Crews impressed me more in his showing against Solomon Crowe than he has so far. Hell, for that matter, Crowe impressed me too. Good move to organically turn him too. I've been using that word a lot. It feels good. Crowe becoming frustrated seems like the natural evolution of his persona. I'd like to see him make an issue out of his loss to Crews and build to a Takeover match.
* The Asuka vignette was cut out of the Australian version of the show, but she's already debuting? Sweet. I've always thought there was a place for between one and four joshi on the show (two faces and two heels for the purposes of a tag team match). I hope Asuka clicks with the other girls. And hey, a hook to tune in next week.
* The promos from Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Emma and Dana Brooke were edited out of the Australian version too. A good move to have Gargano & Ciampa explain their success to connect them with people. Emma and Brooke are steaming themselves up too. That's three women getting promotion with clear direction so far. Four if you count Devin (and I do).
* Oh look...a fourth woman. The Boss getting the "We've got to capture her arriving at Full Sail" treatment makes her seem like a star too. Gimmick.
* I hope Jordan & Gable beat The Hype Bros. I NEED them to beat The Hype Bros.
* The match between Rhyno & Corbin and Gargano & Ciampa was really well put together. The faces showed fire and acted like this was their one shot to make it. Smart. Rhyno & Corbin kind of got taken by storm and only got what they needed to in. They look good because they advance, but I want to see more out of Gargano & Ciampa. I like teams like them, because they feel like two really good wrestlers who have collaborated to kick down the door on tag team wrestling. Corbin sold the win out of nowhere great too. That facial expression of "Thank fuck I caught him" sold Gargano almost as well as Gargano's offense did.
* It seems odd that the established teams and guys with confirmed contracts only get their Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic matches recapped, but I really like it. It's a different way of presenting advancements to viewers, and it sells the importance of NXT's live events -- which they are trying to promote and grow. A very smart move. It'd actually be nice if the main roster took some notice of that, since their formulaic approach with a three-hour RAW must be fatiguing to most audiences.
* The Vaudevillains/Blake & Murphy interview segment seemed a little too scripted, but I guess there's a place for that sort of entertainment. They're not really being treated as "heavy players," which is probably my biggest complaint about the tag team division at the moment. Alexa Bliss has got the aura of a star (and not just because she's hot). Blake & Murphy are anchoring themselves more all the time. You just like The Vaudevillains. They set up a Tag Title match for next week. Hey look, a hook for next week. Women featured count: 5
* Nia Jax vignette was aired out of Australia. Women featured count: 6
* Loved the Bayley vs. Mary Dobson match (they called her either "Sara" or "Sarah"). It was simple stuff, but it seemed like a good dynamic test for Bayley. Her against a darker-seeming opponent who tried to go for some submissions put you in Bayley's shoes. I hope there is legitimate interst in Dobson -- she impressed me and looked great. Bayley didn't fuck around at the end, and went into kill-bot mode. Women featured: 8
* Sasha Banks can promo and has got her gimmick down. I worried when she was crying over the adulation their match got, but then she did exactly what I hoped she did. Why does she care how competitive her matches are? Why does anybody, for that matter? She should want to steam-roll over all her opponents, as any wrestler should. The set-up for the Takeover main event was simple, effective and the crowd was so emotionally invested. I think Regal was feeling that too.
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