NXT Recap and Review: 3/21/18

Along with 205 Live, NXT is my favorite weekly program that WWE puts on. And like 205 Live, I figured I'd also do a weekly recap/review on this show.

Recap:

At the beginning of the show, we see Tommaso Ciampa come to the ring, accompanied by a chorus of boos, customary as of lately. Ciampa soaks the jeers in before declaring that Gargano is gone and not coming back. He interacts with the crowd before being surprised by Gargano, leading to squabble between the two, with Johnny Wrestling being escorted out by security at the end of the affair.

The next segment features Charly Caruso (*heavy breathing* *manly sounds*) giving an update on the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Moustache Mountain is out of the tournament due to Tyler Bate tweeking his knee. This leads to a segment where Roderick Strong demands that he be put into the tournament, on the grounds that he find a partner.

Up next, a backstage promo occurs featuring The Undisputed Era, in which Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly mock Strong's inclusion in the Tag Team Classic, while Adam Cole hypes up his potential victory against his challenger Kassius Ohno and tells his compatriots not to accompany him to the match.

It's time for our next first round match in the Tag Team Classic, as we see Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch go up against Strong and his partner of choice. The crowd is shocked as they see none other than the current United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne as Strong's partner. It's a hard-hitting affair, with strong exchanges and sequences from both teams. Eventually, Strong picks up the victory for his team as he hits the End Of Heartache on Burch for the 1,2,3.

There are two packages promoting both the debuting Ricochet and the established Lars Sullivan (They happened at different times throughout the show, but I'm packaging them up in this paragraph because both of them produce the same effect).

The NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon takes on Aliyah in a relatively quick match, with her challenger for the title at Takeover: New Orleans Shayna Baszler joining on commentary. Moon hits Aliyah with the Eclipse and picks up the W.

Next, Raul Mendoza gets attacked by NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas prior to match. Almas then cuts a promo, calling out his Takeover: New Orleans challenger Aleister Black and demanding he respond to him next week, which was confirmed shortly after.

After that, we cut to Commissioner William Regal in his office saying he'll be making an announcement next week that will "change the landscape of NXT forever."

Following that, it's main event time as Cole goes up against Ohno. While there are similar styles in this match, we see more Ohno employ more of his striking and overall power as Cole plays a more intellectual, counter-based game. The match ends with Cole hitting a Shining Wizard to the back of Ohno's head and getting the win.

Takeaways:

-The Ciampa/Gargano feud is the most interesting story being told in NXT (and arguably the entirety of WWE) right now. The fact Ciampa can gain heat by practically saying nothing is incredible, and I love how none of it feels forced or stale. It's an example of how long-term booking is done right, and I can only imagine the payoff will be incredibly satisfying, given all the events preceding it.

-Part of me is worried that they're going to turn the Undisputed Era into Diet NWO. It's evident in the similar backstage promo styles and near-doppelganger theme song. Then again, Cole, Fish and O'Reilly are much different wrestlers than Hogan, Hall and Nash. Hopefully, the change of styles will shift the team into a different direction.

-I like the pairing of Dunne and Strong. They have similar styles and have good chemistry as a tag team. While I don't want this to be a long-term thing, I definitely like what's going on right now.

-If they play their cards right, I have a feeling Baszler will be the next top heel of the Women's Division. She's got everything down pat (ring work/charisma/mic work), and I honestly hope she takes the title at Takeover: New Orleans.

-I'm assuming the announcement will be regarding the 6-man ladder match for the inaugural NXT North American Championship (I read the spoilers, shut up). Needless to say, I'm hyped.

-I can only assume that Black will take the strap off Almas at New Orleans, and I honestly really don't care that much. There hasn't really been too much build-up for the feud, which leads to believe that Black will take the title and Almas is bound for the main roster. Here's hoping I'm wrong and they can build something interesting out of this.

-Not much to say about Ohno/Cole. I'm disappointed with how they're using Ohno, but I understand why they're doing it.

NXT was similar this week to 205 Live in terms of quality. The Ciampa/Gargano segment was a nice start to the show, the tag match was great, and while Cole/Ohno was nothing special, it was definitely an entertaining bout. I'm excited to see where the NXT brand will go following Takeover: New Orleans.