Week of 10/01-10/05
Remember that I did the first two days of the week during Sept. Week 4's roundup and that I reviewed AEW's debut on TNT as a solo review this time due to it being the first edition. Episode two will be covered in the next roundup. Oh, and PuroDream didn't add the latest Cutting Edge yet so I might do that separate or grouped with next week if I decide to watch it.
This Week's Roundup MVP: ADAM COLE
I considered Kris Stratlander for this spot, since she once again showed how awesome she is on the Uncharted Territory debut, but Cole retained the top prize of NXT in a killer match and was the part of the focus of the two biggest angles of the episode with Finn and Ciampa both returning and putting targets on his back. All hail the Undisputed Era. All hail Adam Cole.
TV Match Reviews
1.NXT Title: Cole(c) vs Riddle ****1/4
WWE NXT
They promoted the show as "no bs" which is an interesting choice seeing as it admits that most of Raw and Smackdown are exactly that. I'd also like to point out that NXT ran a TakeOver style episode, which in no way matches what the weekly program typically is, and still lost big in the ratings game. That aside, the best TV match of the week in general was this one. Cole has been great as champ and Riddle served as a strong challenger. Finn's return after was icing. Go out of your way to see this one.
2.NXT Women's Title: Shayna(c) vs LeRae ***
WWE NXT
I watched the HULU version of the episode which seems to cut the Io and Gargano matches, and makes the installment about an hour shorter and far more easy for me to check out. Because of this I actually watched the whole episode instead of just select stuff. Shanya's run has had some good moments but has never felt complete for me. While this was good, I still feel the same way. Good champ but far from great. I think she'll be much better fitted for the main roster which would also open up a spot for the rest of the NXT women's roster to actually have a chance at gold. You can skip this one.
3.NXT Tag Titles: Undisputed Era(c) vs Street Profits ***1/2
WWE NXT
I said above that this episode doesn't represent what NXT typically is on a weekly basis. I love TakeOver events and the series has some gold from time to time but I skip most weeks. I hope that AEW makes this change, because if nothing else this was one hell of an episode and when WWE wants to be good, they can be. Note that the Hulu episode skipped the Dunne match, too. This main event closed things on a high note with quality action and the right team winning in a very good title defense. Ciampa returning was a perfect endcap. Check this and the opener out if you missed them.
4.Discovery Gauntlet: Garcia(c) vs Deppen ***1/2
BEYOND Uncharted Territory
The new season of Uncharted Territory is here so let's dig in. I like the discovery gauntlet concept, by the way which sees underrated, lesser named talents compete each week with the winner moving on in the gauntlet. This was a very fun battle between the two with a surprise winner that I hope doesn't slip through too many cracks.
5.Gage vs Stratlander ***3/4
BEYOND Uncharted Territory
There were a lot of stories this week, especially with Dynamite debuting and with the Wednesday Night Wars. One that deserved more attention than it got was the return of Beyond's weekly series and the main event here was a perfect display of why you need to be watching. Kris has been proving herself as one of the best women's talents of the year and did so once again, going toe to toe with the lunatic, Nick Gage. This was a great brawl and one of my favorites of the roundup. Watch this one!
6.Templario vs Soberano Jr ***1/2
CMLL Viernes
CMLL had a rocky few days last week and they have only themselves to blame. Somehow, here they remembered that the easiest thing to do is put your most talented high flyer against one of your best rudos and just let them work. This was borderline great and simply a very good, all action contest between the two talented luchadores.
7.Street Fight: WARBEAST vs Outlawz Inc ***
PCW ULTRA MUTINY
Bloody, chaotic brawling that ended up going to a no-contest. This was good, but a bit disjointed and the lack of an actual finish did little for me.
8.Elgin vs TJP ***1/4
IMPACT Wrestling
Elgin continues to be one of the promotion's top attraction and they've largely booked him perfectly. I enjoyed this one even if it was outside of recommendation levels. Don't sleep on Impact.
Free Match Uploads
1.Rush, Dragon Lee vs Lucha Bros **
Revolucion
Yea, this was far from what I expected. Even on small shows these guys tend to work hard but this was phoned it more than not with far too much bs near the end.
2.Union MAX Title: Sekine(c) vs SAGAT ***1/2
DDT: BASARA
Very good title defense worked in the style I've come to expect from BASARA content. Sekine has been putting out little gems all year so check this one out and see what you think.
3.Guevara vs Darby ***1/2
AAW
I like both of these workers, the promotion is usually a good source, and AEW Dynamite left me wanting more and this kind of counts in a way. For a random pull, this met my expectations and turned out to be a very fun encounter between the two. A spotmatch on Dynamite would be a smart move.
Other
1.Being the Elite Thoughts
A desperate call to Kenny and his reaction is the story this week. Very short episode but an important one to those who care about the ongoing story progression of Omega.
2.WRESTLE-1 TV Thoughts
This week's episode kicked off with footage of some of the Wrestle Soul event, which honestly came off as a tiny house show. The main event looked solid. It is worth noting that Wrestle Soul is a new sub-brand for W1 which is supposed to focus largely on putting over the younger talent while giving them more experience. It seemed to do okay in that regard. The rest of the episode focused on the latest in the anniversary tour and was a much better looking show. Their cruiserweight division in particular has been awesome this year and as they transition out of the T-Hawk era, that's been one of the biggest highlights. I still am not a huge fan of Dupree being on the cards right now, especially in main events paired up with my favorite W1 home unit, it's largely a forgivable choice and the dude's been a bit better than expected, at least. I had a good time here but unless you're a diehard followed of W1, which there are few, I think you can safely skip this one.
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