Playard Wrestling Post

The NXT before a Takeover has mostly been a skippable show so I shouldn’t be surprised that I didn’t miss much this morning.  The best part about the show was Finn Balor's face to face confrontation with Kylie O'Reilly (which was filmed, by the way) and the video package that was related to the NXT title bout at Takeover: 31.  AEW however, was a bit better but I wouldn't call it fantastic. It was at least more exceptional than NXT.  For that, all elite wrestling's flagship program is my favourite show this week.  (A bit of a heads up, the recap contains a lot of the words “okay” and “fine”).  NXT   Highlights.  Kyle O'Reilly Prime Target.  This was a video highlighting Kyle O'Reilly's career in pro wrestling, his connection with UE going back YEARS and how the NXT championship match with Balor means to him.  A great WWE highlight video? Shocker. The thing I especially like about this video is that Adam Cole was so supportive of Kylie O'R...

The Coherent Wrestling Wednesdays is back and the last time I posted a "Coherent Wrestling Wednesdays" article was a few weeks before Takeover: 30.  Yikes. That's a long time. But, in any case, this has been quite a notable night for both programmings.  We get to see 2 great tag team matches but the one from AEW definitely stood out amongst the rest.  With that being said, AEW was a better show than NXT not just because of that parking lot brawl.  But rather it was a show that had a big emphasis on characters serving the story if that makes any sense?  Also, is it just me or is it that the gauntlet eliminator match for next week's NXT show sounds a lot like the Aztec warfare match from Lucha Underground?  some pictures via WWE.com NXT  Highlights.  Tommaso Ciampa Shows Us Why He Is Known As The Psycho Killer.  Ciampa won the match against Desmond Troy to which Jake Atlas came out to tell Ciampa that he will show him how dangerous Atlas can be...

I've not reviewed NXT separately in almost a year so this brought back memories of me reviewing NXT when it was an hour-long.  Ahhh, good times.  But, in any case, this is the coherent review for the final NXT before Takeover: XXX and what did I think about it?  I actually really like it.  Unlike WWE's flagship show, this episode did great on building exhilaration for a PPV.  pictures via WWE.com Ridge Holland vs Johnny Gargano. Winner Qualifies In The NXT North American Championship Ladder Match At Takeover: XXX.  This was a decent opening match of the night.  Gargano took a nasty fall that landed on his neck due to a slam of some sort from Holland.  Hoping he's okay from that fall. Gargano somehow won the match with the one final beat.  Dakota Kai vs Jessi Kamea.  After Dakota Kai's victory over Kamea, Kai grabbed the microphone to tell Io Shirai that she will kick Io over and over again....

NXT was the better programming this week. Pure and simple. What about Dynamite?  It was a show that included meh matches with one good segment.  NXT did a better job in the match quality department but that's just me.  Also, damn, AEW did fantastic numbers in the ratings this week.  Considering the way I feel about the episode, I'm honestly surprised.  pictures via WWE.com  and allelitewrestling.com NXT   Highlights (at least in my opinion because wrestling is subjective).  Rhea Ripley vs Dakota Kai.  A great way to start off the first NXT episode in the month of August 2020. This was foot to face action.  They gave these women almost 20 minutes and that is commendable, unlike its competition.  Dakota Kai is going to Takeover: XXX due to Mercedes Martinez's interference on the outside.  The feud between the Robert Stone brand and Rhea Ripley continues but this time it'...

I thought the pacing for NXT this week was better than Dynamite. However, who delivered the better show this week?  That was something I had to think about for hours after my consumption of NXT and AEW had ended because It was a battle in my head essentially.  After long hard thinking, I have to give the edge to the Elite.  NXT   Highlights (at least in my opinion because wrestling is subjective).  An Announcement Regarding The NXT North American Championship.  The double champ, Keith Lee gave huge news about his other championship that he's holding, the North American title.  The news is that he's going to relinquish the championship so that he could give the roster an opportunity.  So, the NXT general manager, William Regal had an idea.  That idea is hosting a series of triple threat matches and the winner of each match will face each other for the North American Championship at NXT Takeover: 30 on August in a *D...

via WWE Well, the rumours are indeed true. The black and gold brand is going to air the best professional wrestling show in my opinion September 18th on the USA Network with a new timeslot of 2 hours. Here's a statement from WWE about the end goal for NXT on USA:  “The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXT brand,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “Over the long term, our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, Raw and SmackDown.” What do I think of this? it is certainly big news but I'm hoping that Vince doesn't put his dirty, greasy hands-on NXT because part of NXT's charm is that it's different than the main roster shows in RAW and Smackdown. I'm also curious as to how they execute a 2-hour NXT show.  NEWS Update!! : Turns out I spoke way too soon about Vince McMahon getting involved himself creatively in ...