NXT DEADLINE REVIEW
Rob Crowther, Editor In Chief
NXT once again proved that it is no longer the unofficial third brand in the WWE, but it is very much THE third brand. NXT's Deadline PLE, featuring the signature Iron Survivor Challenge matches, emanated from The Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT. And boy howdy, did this show deliver.
The show opened officially with HBK coming out to the ring to address the capacity crowd. (I'd be remiss if I didn't give flowers to Axiom and Nathan Frazer who put on a CLINIC in the pre-show match) HBK hits the crowd with some signature catch phrases before he is interrupted by none other than CM PUNK. The crowd who was absolutely raucous all night long nearly blew the lid off the building upon Punk's arrival. Punk, who sported a Bret Hart hoodie, talked to Shawn about how he was able to mend fences with Bret, while Punk himself was able to mend fences with Hunter. "It's all about healing", a cheery Punk exclaimed. Punk then took a selfie with HBK for a feel good moment to start the night.
After being graced with the presence of both HBK and Punk, our first match featured WWE Hall of Famer and arguably the GOAT of luche libre, Rey Mysterio who made his way to the ring on crutches in the corner of Dragon Lee. Lee of course would be challenging Rey's son, Dominik for The North American Championship in what would be a very good match. Lee started out strong with a ton of high flying offense, while Dom was met with deafening "Boos" from the Bridgeport crowd. Lee found ways to do multiple stomps on Dom's chest all over the ring. Incredible showing by Lee who was able to dethrone Dom and have a nice embrace with Mysterio post-match.
Up next was the Women's Iron Survivor match. I will say this type of match has really grown on me and more importantly is a great learning tool for up and coming talent in regards to time management. You can also see the breather the penalty box allows as competitors seemingly returned to the match recharged. There are a lot of moving parts here, but everything was executed nearly seamlessly.
Stratton looked like an absolute star since the moment she entered the match. Move of the night went to Stratton's picture perfect Swanton off the top of the penalty box onto the rest of the field. Lash Legend also showed up and showed out with double suplexes, ddts, deadlifts and more. More often than not she was lifting two opponents at once. Lash even executed an absolute devastating chokeslam with incredible height. Legend scored two falls in 70 seconds. Fallon Henley brought some amazing offense with an impressive mid rope corkscrew springboard attack that I personally can't wait to see again. Kelani Jordan also showed a ton of agility with her high flying ability and a picture perfect 450 splash. Ultimately, Blair Davenport would get the win here after capitalizing on other's offense. Post match NXT Women's Champion Laya Valkyria would stand at the top of the stage to stare down Blair, but was blindsided by Cora Jade. Hell of a match, and stellar performances all around.
Up next Carmelo Hayes took on Lexis King who dropped his family lineage. Solid showing here by King against the shining star that is Hayes. King made the match his pace. Lots of strikes, backbreakers, and top rope action. The new look King couldn't get the job done, as Hayes is victorious after a Nothing But Net.
The Men's Iron Survivor match had a lot to live up to after the women's but all 5 competitors brought their A Game. Dijak and Josh Briggs started off the match as two big men doing cruiserweight stuff. It was epic. Hurricanranas, rope rebounds, flips and more. Bron Breakker, who I've been critical of in the past, really impressed me. Running out with the three spears, some mid- air and an amazing jump up franken-Steiner. Tyler Bate also impressed with his strength, agility, and a Cesaro esque no handed airplane spin. Trick Williams had the crowd in the palm of his hands all night and also transcended the match. Guy's a star plain and simple. Trick would ultimately win the match scoring multiple falls in the last thirty seconds of the match. Excellent job, and excellent timing. This match type is something special.
The Prodigy Roxanne Perez took on Kiana James in a steel cage match in a solid match. I felt it was tough to fit a steel cage match into a card with two Iron Survivor matches which may have taken away from this match a little bit. Stellar entrance by Kiana James who has permanent not amused facials, perfect for the persona. Perez continues to show why she is ahead of her years in the business. James would ultimately go on to win the match with a recoil type maneuver using a chair after interference by Izzy Dane. Okay match but I felt the card placement and gimmick match may have taken away from it a bit.
Our main event saw NXT Champion Ilja Dragonuz defend against arguably one of his greatest opponents, one of the last men to have pinned Roman Reigns, Baron Corbin. Corbin has gone on record (Insight with Chris Van Vliet Podcast) saying he doesn't mind being the guy who loses to help others move forward. Well Corbin did just that tonight, as once again it was not his night. Dragonuv showed what a wrestling clinician he is, while Corbin showed why he is one of the best and safest to be in the ring with. Tons of reversals in this one, which again, was a clinic of sorts. End of Days was reversed while Dragunov was able to hit the Torpedo MosKau to get the win and retain the NXT Championship. Post-match we get a stare down between The NXT Champion and the new number one contender in Trick Williams.
Amazing night all around for NXT and the roster who in my mind have proven that they deserve to perform in front of capacity crowds like this night in and night out. Hats off to Shawn Michaels and Co.
