Hello everybody, and welcome to this weeks NXT Watch. Last time we met, Emma made her TV debut taking on Audrey Marie. Tonight, it’s Sasha Banks‘ turn to step up to plate, as she challenges the enchanting raven haired lady that makes the men weep with the amount of support she gets from fans in Paige! On paper, the high flying Sasha and the brutal Paige look to be a match made in developmental female heaven, but how will it play out?
Let’s take a peek and see!
The music that I can only describe as what a dragon would sound like if it could make non-lyrical beats hits, and out walks the pale powerhouse with porcelain skin, Paige! The crowd erupts with their usual Paige-esque cheers and standing ovations for her sheer British presence, as she executes her trademarked ring apron scream before being interrupted by the sound of a returning Kristal Marshall! Oh wait, it’s just her theme. Out comes Sasha Banks, who looks incredible and somehow makes this never ending reused theme work for her. Once poor Sasha enters the ring, she experiences her first outbreak of chants and emotion for fan favorite (which is an understatement in itself), Paige! The bell sounds and they lock up, as both ladies try to fight for the upper hand.
Paige applies a headlock and screams “YEAH”, which elicits a great response. She then converts it into a flipping legscissors, as Sasha scurries to try and break out of the vicious maneuver. The crowd doesn’t seem to want Banks to leave the hold, as Paige flips it over once again. Finally, Sasha flips out and hits a set of great armdrags before being taken down by the Brit. Banks then nails a vicious slap, before taking it up a notch with a beautiful running armdrag off the top rope!
Sasha goes for the cover, but Paige kicks out quickly and pretty much dismantles the blue and gold clad Diva by simply throwing her head around in the air. I swear only Paige could make shaking someones head look like she’s utterly destroying every fiber of their being. Finally, the Anti-Diva tosses Sasha across the entire ring and kicks the crap out of her in the chest for a two count. Paige then scores with an awesome fisher(wo)man suplex for a near fall, before locking in a double arm. (Thanks Mr. Regal)
Sasha fights out and performs another stunning move, this time in the form of a wheelbarrow victory roll for just a two count. Another near fall follows, as now Sasha grabs Paige by the hair and throws her down the ring. She goes for a move off the ropes, but Paige kicks her in the abdomen and destroys her with the Paige Turner for the win!
Thoughts: Where do I start? I love everything about Sasha Banks. She’s exotic, different in both looks and wrestling style, actually has a good ring name, and was able to make hit song, “Feelin’ Me” not feel like the 20th time I’ve heard a Diva strut out to it. That last one, ladies and gentlemen, is not something you can just teach someone how to do. I want to see more of what she can do in the ring with the NXT Divas though, especially given she seems to have a high flying style judging by both tonight and some of the past matches I’ve caught on Youtube.
The match was also one of the best womens matches NXT has had since moving to Full Sail for me. They actually looked like they were beating the crap out of each other, which is the main thing I love about Paige. When she wrestles, she straight up kicks the snot out of you and beats you senseless. She doesn’t need to pack a lot of things into a match because what she brings to the table looks deadly enough… not to mention she could probably throw rocks at the fans and still get cheered beyond belief. I personally hope to see another match between these two with an even longer time and more of the lucha-esque moves from Sasha because what we got was great and I know what we can get with those added factors would be even greater.
