Reverse Hipster Reviews
Bron vs. Corbin 8.5/10 B
This match started hot, with Bron Breakker going airborne to take Corbin out before he could even get to the ring. This was a flat-out brawl between two alpha males who refused to back down to each other. Corbin considers himself an alpha, and so does Bron. One had to establish dominance over the other, but they both refused to stay down. Bron hit his finisher, and Corbin rose. Corbin hit the Deep 6, and Bron rose. Corbin put Bron through a table, and Bron still wouldn't stay down.
Bron came back and speared Corbin, but Stone, the manager of Von Wagner, came in and distracted Bron before Corbin hit him with the End of Days for the win. This match was everything that the first match of a premium live event should be. Also, I love that Corbin won and established himself as a force on NXT because he is that good.
Trick Williams vs. Dominik Noth American Title 7.99/10 B-
Dominik can be a spotty competitor. He falls under the category of someone who needs the right dancing partner in the ring, not just someone who is good but someone who clicks with him specifically. Trick Williams was a good match for Dominik, but he wasn't that perfect opponent either. The moments between Dominik and Trick were average at best, but there were a lot of hijinks with the refs to make this match more interesting. Also, The story of the match was well done. Trick won this match multiple times, but Dominik kept getting lucky, and it felt like Trick's opportunity was slipping away until one of Dominik's dirty tricks backfired, and Trick got the shock win.
The Creeds vs. OTM vs. Los Lotharios vs. Tony D & Stacks NXT Tag Championships 8.5/10 B
This match started slow, but then the Creeds lit the wick with an extended ankle lock and a ridiculous amount of suplexes. From then on, the match exploded, and everyone was flying 100 miles per hour. Every team had their moment, but the highlight of this match was when these four teams simultaneously did four superplexes from each corner of the ring. Tony D showed his resilience by returning to the ring after getting knocked out earlier with a leg injury. When the dust settled, Stacks and Tony stood tall as the reigning defending tag team champions.
Darr vs. Butch NXT Heritage Cup 8/10 B-
This match was interesting in the story that it told. All the action seemed to have happened right at the bell. In each round, Darr and Butch traded shots affecting the next round. This fight went the distance, but it was Darr who would laugh last, cheating his way to victory. I don't love bringing Butch back and having him lose out on the Cup again. It was a very disappointing ending.
Melo vs. Dragonuv NXT Championship 8.6/10 B
This match was an incredible show of will. Carmelo mostly survived while Dragonuv delivered an onslaught of devastating offense, but Melo kept returning and putting Dragonuv on his back. It seemed like Melo was leading to a heroic win, but suddenly, everyone realized this wasn't Melo's story. It was Dragonuv's. Dragonuv hit one more devastating blow, and Melo didn't get back up, and even Dragonuv couldn't believe it.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Becky Lynch NXT Women't Title Extreme Rules 9.1/10 A
This match completely delivered. Becky came out swinging. Becky was wailing on Tiffany initially, but Tiffany took it and rallied. Tiffany put Becky through tables, garbage cans, and barricades and hit her with two massive Swanton bombs, but Becky wouldn't stay down. Tiffany proved that she was clearly on Becky's level. However, Becky brought the war, too. She slammed Tiffany into a bed of dolls, hit her with a barbwire bat, sprayed her with a fire extinguisher, and finally hit a manhandle slam onto a bed of chairs, laying Tiffany out as her head hit thwacked against the steel chairs.
Rob’s No Mercy Review
Bron Breakker vs. Baron Corbin
This match didn’t make any sense to me. Bron Breakker was the NXT champion for nearly a year and seemed poised to take over the main roster. Instead, he has stayed on NXT to do service for former main roster star Baron Corbin, who picked up the win here. Breakker has had way better matches in the past, and it is a consistent criticism that Corbin doesn’t match the workrate of many other WWE superstars. All of the above showed here.
Final Grade: 3/10 Bad
Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams (NXT North American Championship)
This match was pretty standard, but it was a testament to how far both Dominik Mysterio and Trick Williams have come as performers to not feel out of place on an NXT Premium Live Event. In the finish, Williams went from being just Carmelo Hayes’s sidekick to being a champion of the NXT brand. This grade gets a boost because of Mysterio’s heel work and how big the moment felt as Williams won as the crowd chanted, “Whoop That Trick”.
Final Grade: 6/10 Above Average
The Family vs. the Creed Brothers vs. OTM vs. Angel and Humberto (NXT Tag Team Championships)
NXT went back to its bread and butter with this multi-man tag team match between up-and-coming homegrown tag teams. It was nice to see the Creed Brothers back in the tag team picture. For me, they are the elite of the division and the highlight of this match. We got to see what OTM is made of, and Angel and Humberto were the veterans who helped hold everything together. This was a well-paced and timed spotfest, and in the end, the Family won to retain the championships.
Final Grade: 7/10 Good
Noam Dar vs. Butch (NXT Heritage Cup)
I usually love the Heritage Cup format, but it felt like a distraction between these two UK standouts. Noam Dar had the help of Meta-Four throughout the whole match, and the extra help from Gallus helped overcome Butch with Tyler Bate. My biggest complaint is that this undid everything they built up in the Heritage Cup round-robin format that got Butch to this place. While Dar is a fun, smarmy heel champion, he has to get his comeuppance eventually.
Final Grade: 4/10 Below Average
Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT Championship)
Others loved this match, so maybe it just wasn’t for me. I could never fully get into the feud, and I feel like both men have had better matches. It was typical intensity from Ilja Dragunov vs. the cool composure from Carmelo Hayes. In the end, Dragunov finally won the NXT Championship, and the two exchanged a handshake in respect. I feel like it’s for the best: I don’t see Dragunov fitting into the main roster well, and Hayes could make that move tomorrow. Hayes had a good championship run but worked better as a challenger, and Dragunov can hold down matches with NXT’s promising prospects.
Final Grade: 5/10 Average
Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton (NXT Women’s Championship, Extreme Rules)
Becky Lynch is doing some of the best work of her career this year. She fought veteran Trish Stratus in perhaps the best cage match I have ever seen. Now, she took on Tiffany Stratton in the main event of an NXT PLE. Lynch made sure the contest lived up to the billing of an Extreme Rules match with spots influenced by Mick Foley. The two women were cut and bruised, fighting over the championship. Stratton did not look out of place with perhaps the best woman in WWE today. The contrast of both characters drove the story of this feud and match. Even in defeat, Stratton gained a lot of ground with fans. I’m not sure that Lynch was the right decision to win this match, but they are already lining up more challengers that Lynch can work with and mentor in NXT.
Final Grade: 7/10 Good
Rob's Final Thoughts
NXT No Mercy featured lots of NXT’s best, but it didn’t deliver any MOTY candidates for me. The expectation for PLE’s and PPV’s in pro wrestling is so high now. Not every show can be a standout, but this show is still worth viewing. It’s hard to rank any show highly with two low points, but the good matches and segments made up for it.
Final Grade: 5/10 Average
Reverse Hipster No Mercy Final Grade 84.4/100 B
NO Mercy was a surprisingly good ppv. NXT showed the benefits of doing shorter ppvs. You get more focus and run less of a risk of tiring fans out. There were no filler matches on this card, and even the worst match on this card was a tournament finale, and the best was the women's world title main event.
Commentaires