Four sets of matches, filmed the weekend of WrestleMania at WrestleMania AXXESS, are going to be released on the Network over the next few weeks, first on Sunday night and then the next three Wednesday’s. I considered adding them to the TV Week in Review, but then I saw Harper vs. Dijakovic and said god damnit we’re going FULL, SINGULAR POST.
Byron Saxton and Percy Watson are on commentary. EVEN THAT IS NXT AND NXT ALUMNI.
These were some fresh pairings you’d never get to see work against each other over 5 minutes. The matches were cold, but all these sons of bitches got ’em in the end.
1. Aiden English vs. Kassius Ohno
These guys got time and did well with it – Ohno worked heel and talked shit about Aiden being a commentator, and English made a comeback that included a huge tope con hilo. Heck of a spinning elbow on the finish too. **3/4
2. Harper vs. Dominik Dijakovic
Luke Harper had something to prove with this match and whatever he wanted to prove he did. You put this match in any environment – AXXESS, WrestleMania, Wrestle Kingdom, IWA-Mid-South’s King of the Death Matches – and it’s going to flip everybody out. Everything was hard-hitting but registered, everything escalated well, blah blah blah – THERE WAS SO MUCH COOL SHIT HERE.
Harper was working babyface, throwing uppercuts like the heir apparent of WWE Legend Kane. Dijakovic threw Harper across the ring with a suplex. Harper was working babyface, doing shit like looking to the crowd before a slingshot senton. A chokeslam off the top on Harper got a great near fall. There was a god damned Michinoku Driver OFF THE APRON, a legitimate countout tease, and a half-nelson suplex near fall all one after another. Harper did a tope. Dijakovic did an insane spinning bit boot that got a big near fall. Dijakovic did a spinning dive over the top rope that he JUST got over the top on. After everything, Harper threw a sudden spinning lariat to win. Beautiful, out of nowhere brilliance. ****3/4
3. SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe) w/ Eric Young vs. The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)
I forgot until the commentary reminder that these guys had a heated rivalry in NXT. It was a pretty basic match but Alexander Wolfe getting more than three minutes to do stuff made me more interested than ever before in Alexander Wolfe. SAnitY worked face and Era did a beatdown and nothing really got going, though Dain running around crushing people was kind of fun. Eric Young made a save post-match to… silence. Crippling, awful silence. **
4. Tyler Breeze vs. Roderick Strong
Breeze, like Harper, got more time to play than he has in a while and he did good with it, opposite Roddy Strong who will slowly quietly will you into flipping out for the finish of his wrestling match. It sure would be nice if these guys did more than the odd formula Main Event match and NXT tags once every four or five months they usually do. The Beauty Shot spinning heel kick caught by Strong with a backbreaker was awesome, and Breeze’s win felt like a win for everybody. ***1/4
