LogFAQs > #950823185

So fair being fair, I decided that since I'd watched last week's AEW (I *think* it was last week's episode, it's not really labeled with the date), I'd also watch that week's NXT, Smackdown, and -- if I can find it -- ROH. (But not Raw, there's only so much I can take.)

Thoughts on the Feb 10 NXT (ep 605)

I guess NXT Takeovers aren't on Hulu any more >_>

First, I loved the light show at the beginning. Very cool.

MSK vs Joaqqin Wilde & Mendoza from some heel faction - 2/5
Good presentation on the entrances. You know, that was one thing I noticed about AEW -- they didn't really do much for entrances on some of those matches I watched (except the main event).

Unlike with AEW, right from the get-go I can tell the faces from the heels. That little stunt at the beginning of the match was a great touch. In general, I enjoyed some of the flourishes and the heels' presence, but... idk, the action was a little sloppy at times. I will mention I loved the part where they kept doing those clothslines into the corner then tagging their partner so they could take turns doing it. It was a great build that made the later dodge look great. In general, the tag-work was pretty solid. Otherwise there was some silliness and stupidity that took away from the match.

Mercedes Martinez promo - 3/5
Short functional promo that got me a bit hyped for the match.

Johnny Gargano promo/skit - 3.5/5
There was some silliness involving a guy coming out in a wheelchair for his broken arm. I guess it's humorous? Once again, we can tell he's a heel from the get-go. The promo cracked me up. I especially loved when Gargano started gesturing with the supposedly broken arm.

idk, I was inclined to dislike it from the get-go, but I wound up getting into it.

Blackheart & Embermoon vs Candice LaRae and... Hartwall or something (members of The Way) - 2/5
Candice LeRae seems talented, wasn't as impressed by the others... and I had to do a double-take when I heard Candice described as a "19 year veteran." Wtf? She looked maybe 30. I wound up checking the wiki and she's 35. Something seems flaky there.

Finn Balor promo and recap - Meh
Why is Finn back on NXT? Did he completely flop on the main roster? Pete Dunne seems pretty cool, though.

Kushida vs Austin Theory (The Way) - 3/5
Kushida seems pretty talented. That low german suplex on Austin was really neat. Honestly, I was going to say 2.5 before the ending. Johnny Gargano's "It's a miracle!" was great. Of course, the stuff *after* that was a little silly.

Toni Storm promo - 4/5
One again, great promo / package. Had me interested in the match.

Io Shirai promo - 3/5
Ehhh... fucking closed captions had "[Speaking foreign language]" over the fucking subtitles telling me what Io was saying. And other than it not being in English and therefore losing some impact, it was a decent promo.

Thatcher & Ciampa vs Grizzled Young Veterans - 4/5
I'd heard Ciampa mentioned now and again and was interested in seeing him compete. The start was... meh. Just some out of the ring crap. Once they got into the ring, it was a pretty good fight. Ciampa looked pretty impressive. The GYV also seem pretty good. Very solid heel team.

I looked up Ciampa because he looks ancient and was shocked to learn the guy is only 35. Wtf?

At any rate, it was an all-around good tag team match, right down to that ending. No complaints other than maybe the beginning.

Overall - 2/5

I clearly didn't pick a great episode for watch. This was the go-home episode before a big show where most of the matches were tag-team, there were a lot of packaged promos for the PPV, etc.

It was interesting enough that I might get back into NXT. The only reason I stopped before was that I fell behind and had wanted to catch up. One of the bigger things it has going for it is that it's just one hour >_>

Also is Wade Barret just retired from competition at this point? I don't see anything about him having suffered an injury, and he's still a young guy.

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