This was cool. Five guys from NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live all entered a one-night tournament, which was a win-win for everybody involved – fresh matchups, exposure for lesser used guys, fun for the fans, etc etc.
The atmosphere was interesting. Held at the Axxess Fan Fest the weekend of the Royal Rumble, the setup is bare bones and the crowd is smaller than even Full Sail. For many of the matches they’re really quiet and the wrestlers are compelled to react to any heckle, and every chop and grunt can be felt through the screen. It gives it all a feel of WWE running a legit independent show.
It also felt like – especially in the later rounds – that these guys were getting to do more stuff, and I don’t just mean moves. They worked holds and took their time as if they weren’t working the usual fast food TV match, and most were able to pull off some real hot finishes. With the exception of the later matches there isn’t a lot that ranks super high, and at the same time I very much enjoyed all of this.
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE – OPENING ROUNDS
Most of the first round and quarter finals, taped the day of NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, were streamed on YouTube as a set early in the day and aren’t up on the WWE Network (yet).
It was a lot of OK matches, a pleasant watch though nothing must-see. Lots of armbars. Also some fun performances by guys willing a small crowd into a big reaction.
1. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: Mark Andrews vs. Drew Gulak
Decent, ultra-quiet match with some incredible counters at the end, including a poison rana to a sleeper hold…. yeah. Gulak does a beautiful counter into a sunset flip to advance. **1/2
2. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: Keith Lee vs. Travis Banks
This was OK and probably the best showcase of Keith Lee’s power in WWE considering he straight-up caught a tope suicida. Funny moment at the start too, as Jordan Devlin hurt Banks’ knee in the Battle Royal that determined the seeds for the first round, so Lee stares him down and goes “c’mon now.” Lots of Lee throwing Banks around and Banks being vaguely spunky in his fight back. **
3. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: Adam Cole vs. Shane Thorne
Shane Thorne working an arm was OK and I enjoyed his choice to just kick at it. Cole sold said arm, then used said arm to perform an Irish whip and superplex and I was like eh. **
4. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: TJP vs. Dominik Dijakovic
TJP controlling Dominik Dijakovic with holds was not my thing, nor was TJP playing babyface. Dijakovic had an alright showing in-ring, but was a real blank slate otherwise. *3/4
5. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: Tyler Bate vs. Cedric Alexander
Good match. They did some fun chain wrestling early, highlighted by both bridging opposite each other and shaking hands. This was the type of match I talked about earlier, with these two taking their time and building it into This is Awesome territory. It was nothing spectacular but was a solid match of which there should be more like it. ***
6. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: Velveteen Dream vs. Tony Nese
These two worked oddly well together, with everything having a nice flow and some really good strike exchanges. Dream, as always, stands out. **1/2
7. Worlds Collide Tournament – Quarter Finals: Keith Lee vs. Adam Cole
I saw this getting praise and I don’t get it. Cole did some leg work and then a bunch of slap-the-thigh kicks. Bummer of a match. *1/2
8. Worlds Collide Tournament – Quarter Finals: Tyler Bate vs. Dominik Dijakovic
This played more with Dijakovic’s power, though he remained a blank slate. Tyler was very over with the small female population that attended this event. Solid match, fun finish, you know the drill. **1/2
9. Worlds Collide Tournament – Quarter Finals: Velveteen Dream vs. Humberto Carrillo
This was a very solid match between two impressive performers. What stood out to me most about this is how good Velveteen Dream is at the little things. Everything he does has purpose and that purpose is to stand out as a STAR. There’s the clasped hands on his chinlocks, the sticking of his chest out as he walks around the ring, his rope-assisted stomps… everything is big and special and it is very cool to watch. He took all of Humberto’s flying really well, his swivels got a bigger reaction than anything in the early rounds, and he was laying all his stuff in. Dude has range. PLUS – these nuts did a handspring Spanish Fly and I’m still not sure I understand how that one even happened. ***
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE – LAST ROUNDS
The later rounds were aired on the WWE Network, hosted by Charly Caruso. The Network also showed the Battle Royal and, weirdly enough, the Humberto/Gibson first round match.
1. 15-Man Battle Royal
This was a Battle Royal that took place before all the earlier matches to determine the seeding/first round matches, with the winner being granted a bye to the Quarter Finals. It was, as per usual, very much a Battle Royal, though there were a few highlights like Mark Andrews being an insane person and taking the craziest elimination bump to make Dominik Dijakovic look like a monster and the brief Dijakovic/Keith Lee staredown before everybody attacked them. They did a few small things to build up the later matches too, like Humberto Carrillo and Zack Gibson having words or Devlin attacking Travis Banks’ knee. Devlin, TJP, Nese, and Dream ended up the Final 4, and let me tell you what: Tony Nese going “2! 0! 5!” to light boos cracked me up. Devlin ends up with the nod, which probably means good things for his reputation with the WWE powers that be. **1/2
2. Worlds Collide Tournament – Round 1: Humberto Carrillo vs. Zack Gibson
Fun… ish match. Carrillo flew around, Gibson was a jerk, and Carrillo got the surprise win. **1/2
3. Worlds Collide Tournament – Quarter Final: Drew Gulak vs. Jordan Devlin
This was a tough dynamic with two heels, one of whom was likely a virtual unknown to the Axxess crowd, but these guys proved that if you work snug holds and hit real hard the crowd will figure it out. This was a fun one, all physical and hurty with minimal BS. I dug Devlin just punching Gulak repeatedly in the face to escape a submission towards the end. Good stuff. ***1/4
4. Worlds Collide Tournament – Semi Final: Tyler Bate vs. Adam Cole
Fun match with an exciting finish, with the added fun of there being some gals in the crowd all about their Big Strong Boy, Tyler Bate. One thing Cole seems to be trying to master is his timing on superkick counters, and he threw one heck of one to counter Bate’s rope-bop lariat. ***
5. Worlds Collide Tournament – Semi Final: Velveteen Dream vs. Jordan Devlin
I loved the range Dream showed on this show… first he traded shots with Tony Nese, then he played base for Humberto Carrillo, and here he sold his hurt ribs. Guy is versatile and it oozes out of him that he’s working closely with Shawn Michaels, though he seems to be taking all the good parts of Shawn as opposed to the bad. I mean he SOLD those ribs, baby, and he does a collapse to the floor here that is incredible. This was a hell of a match and it felt like a triumph when Dream pulled off the win. Devlin showed his stuff too – heck of a heel on the attack. ***1/2
6. Worlds Collide Tournament – Final: Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Bate
Great stuff and a proper tournament final, which followed the theme of this tournament: they got some time to breathe and used that time to put together a well-built, exciting professional wrestling match. They paid off the Dream rib work and there was a Tyler Driver near fall here that was tremendous. I loved the Tyler Driver from the top rope tease at the end too. ***1/2
Lots of fun stuff here. Tyler Bate and Velveteen Dream had good showings, both because they looked the best and because they lasted until the end. I’m not going to say it was as good, but Dream kind of had a run ala Macho Man Randy Savage in the first Wrestling Classic, with different outfits and a lot of range. More of this, please! 8/10
