1.DIY vs The Revival ***1/2
2.Aleister vs Andrade ***1/4
3.DIY vs The Bar ***1/4
4.Kanellis vs Alexander ***
5.NXT North American Title: Gargano(c) vs Velveteen ****
Thoughts:
I'm going to try something new. We'll see if it lasts, but this format is the current plan going forward for WWE weekly content. There will be some exceptions and specials will remain separate. Red is Raw, Blue is Smackdown, Purple is 205, NXT is yellow, and NXT UK will be gold.
Up first, we see Gargano and Ciampa's debut on Raw. They are teasing this move (also including Black and Ricochet) as fluid. They'll still represent NXT, it seems, but work Raw and Smackdown as needed. Seeing The Revival fall so quickly after winning the tag belts is a bit interesting. I refuse to care enough about main roster booking calls these days to get frustrated by them, but it's an interesting move at the very least. That crowd was shit but this was a pretty good match, either way.
Rumors suggest that HHH and Vince were at odds over this NXT move, for whatever that's worth.
Up next, we see Black and Andrade renew their rivalry. Just like the last one, it was a bit strange seeing Andrade do the job to a new "call up", but it is what it is. Good match. I'd love to believe that they have a real plan for the four NXT stars, but it's hard to do that. If it simply means that the whole roster split is a bit more fluid, with Raw and Smackdown talents working NXT more often, that could be ok.
Also from Smackdown, we see DIY get another big win. This time versus The Bar. Good match. It's funny that on NXT TV, Gargano and Ciampa are still slowly beginning to trust each other again and here they are tagging without issue. Oh well.
Our 205Live contest of the week was largely enjoyable. Mike being on the show is still questionable, but he's serviceable enough for occasional spotlight matches like these. Cedric is still one of the brand's best all around. The false finish spot was very well done.
We close with an TakeOver level defense from a man we've see twice already in this little collection against one of the most charismatic workers in the WWE ranks. From a storytelling standpoint, this was excellent. Dream holding gold is an added bonus. Simply put, if you only catch one WWE match this week, make it this one.
All of these are on Hulu.
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