What’s up everybody? Welcome to another thrilling, chilling, fun-filling edition of the NXT Redux… or as I like to call it, a match and some segments that only air on the network and force Bobby to be driven insane as he spends days looking for videos of them online to no avail and has to resort to pictures.
Ahem… this week, we’ve got Sasha Banks taking on Bayley, which is a match that has likely attempted to break some sort of repeat record this year, but always ends up proving why it deserves to be seen again and again. In addition, Becky Lynch makes her presence felt as we discover whether or not The Boss got in her head last week, and there’s also appearances by Carmella(!!!!) and new interviewer, Dasha!
Let’s go ahead and begin by scrolling on down!~
Out to the arena we head, as one of my current runner-ups for best example of CFO(dollar sign)’s work hits the college floor and out struts tassle adorned Bayley! As soon as Bayley hops in the ring, the sound of my other theme song runner-up (I’m sorry Boss, Carmella just edges you out a tad) hits and out pops Miss Boss, Sasha Banks herself. Once the music stops, the crowd erupts in a “Sasha’s Ratchet” chant, with some people defending her chanting “No She’s Not!”
Banks immediately tries to back away from Bayley, eventually slapping her but then getting taken down by a wild Bayley! The two flip around the ring trying to beat each other down, with Bayley then getting a bodyslam and running off the ropes with a knee. Bayley with a sharp elbow/clothesline combo off the ropes, jut for a two though. She keeps the beating going in the corner, hitting a lucha arm drag but eventually getting kicked down as she stands on the ring apron.
It’s now Sasha in control, nailing some sharp kicks and toying with Bayley. A bodyslam follows up as Banks now stands on Bayley’s hair and then runs off the ropes with a nasty slap across the face. Sasha applies a submission hold but Bayley eventually fights back to gain the control. She slams her head into Sasha’s stomach and nails her corner elbow combo to perfection! Unfortunately for Bayley though, she just scores a two count. Bodyslam attempt, but Banks escapes out and his The Bank Statement! Bayley tries to fight the crossface half, but ultimately is forced to tap out as Sasha reigns supreme in this round of the coveted Bayley/Banks war.
… But wait, Sasha isn’t finished! She turns back around and starts beating Bayley down until Becky Lynch makes the save! Becky helps Bayley up and the two stare Sasha down… UNTIL Becky snaps! She clothesline Bayley into the ropes and stands tall, revealing that Sasha’s words truly spoke to her and by this time next year, she’ll be the one posing in front of the Full Sail vanity mirror, trying to persuade Dasha or Leyvonna to join the dark side.
Backstage, we spot Carmella(!!!) standing and talking on her phone, telling someone that her journey in NXT is going well and she made a chick tap out last week. Suddenly though, she’s interrupted by Enzo Amore and Big Cass, with Cass telling her that she looks good and her reply being “Obviously”.
Enzo reiterates that he’s not only a G… but a 4G because he’s well connected. Anyways, last week, he sat down with William Regal and got her another match! Next week, she’s going to face Emma but she’s not concerned. What matters is that Carmella is going straight to the top, which Enzo likes about her. She’s got to jet though, being busy and all, and Enzo requests a hug but she shoves him off to give the air kisses to Big Cass!
We head backstage to see Dasha standing by with Titus O’Neil. He immediately seal-barks in her face, which is pretty terrifying and alarms both she and myself. Titus essentially does all the talking for her and says the thoughts on his match with Adrian Neville tonight aren’t what matter… it’s his actions. He’s going to abuse Adrian and destroy him, most importantly… taking his NXT Championship away from him. Tonight, NXT becomes N-X-Titus.
Thoughts: Bayley and Sasha was pretty solid to be honest. I don’t think it was as innovative or memorable as a lot of their past matches, but it didn’t need to be. I still love their opening tournament match the most out of all their showings together because you could sense the drive and the fire that both had to win. There wasn’t really anything on the line this time around, which makes it understandable that they wouldn’t go balls to the wall like before.
I will say this though, anyone who knows me knows that this match has been my mortal enemy this year. Not because it’s bad, but just because it was done so many times. If you think watching it happen on TV feels repeated, going to the tapings earlier this year pretty much gave off that feeling x1000. The thing is though, even with how frustrating it was at the time to see it get repeated over and over, there’s a reason why these two face off so much. In my humble opinion, they have the best chemistry out of any two divas in the entire company. They are just outstanding against one another, and even in cases like tonight when it wasn’t their most memorable showing, it was still very solid action. Their characters just bounce off each other SO well in terms of Bayley being a more friendly, lovable fan favorite you just want to root for and see win out in the end and Sasha being this serious bossy mean girl villain. They’re exactly the kind of feud that goes on in real life and I think, personally, that’s why I always feel connected when they face off against each other more than I do for anyone else. Their matches just feel special and personal, no matter how many times I see them, and there aren’t many other match combos I can think of that get repeated so much yet I still get deeply invested in seeing.
I’m also crazy excited for Becky Lynch. I’m not sure if I can see her turning into that BFF kind of mean girl villain at all, but she desperately needed something to help her stick out among the pack and this is definitely that. Lynch is such a talent in the ring, and the fact she’s foreign makes her so insanely marketable to worldwide crowds in the same sense that Sheamus is and Finn Balor will be. She’s got limitless potential, and it makes me so excited to know that they feel that way as well and wanted to give her something to do instead of just being the babyface who has to lose to Charlotte and Sasha.
Carmella is just perfect bouncing off of Enzo and Cass, and I’m 100% here for them as a trio. I really hope they become a legit group involving her managing them for their matches and her for hers. It feels so long since we’ve seen something like that where the woman wasn’t strictly a valet, and I think it could do wonders for all three of them. Enzo is amazingly skilled as a talker, Cass is the gentle giant who makes them look intimidating, and Carmella is the hot Diva who can actually kick ass and get the crowds to never take their eye off her. It’s just awesome and I want to see it involve beyond my wildest expectations.
That’s it for this week! Join us again next time when we see Carmella take on Emma, and hopefully some fallout between Becky, Sasha and Bayley.
