“I’m Better Than You, And You Know It”

"Every Man Has A Price For The Million Dollar Man"

"The Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be"

"Whatcha Gonna Do, When Hulkamania Runs Wild On You"

"And That's The Bottom Line Because Stone Cold Said So"

<h3><strong>Who Can Ever Follow That Ladder Match?</strong></h3>
<p class="episode-feed-card--title"><em><strong>(Adam Cole def. EC3, The Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain and Ricochet to become the first-ever NXT North American Champion)</strong></em></p>
<p>                Killian Dain was part of another great weapon-fest tonight. For some reason, big men and steel come together so perfectly. Dain was one of the six competitors in the show-opening match, alongside EC3, Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, and Ricochet. Ladders were broken, sick moves were performed, and people making ladder sandwiches out of one another. It hurt our back just to sit and watch through the match.</p>
<p>We observed a few individual storylines instilled or continued in the match: The big men feud between Sullivan and Dain, the battle of characters Cole and EC3, and the showstoppers Dream and Ricochet low-key trying to outshine the other. These mini-storylines are a good thing, since they give NXT some feuds to build their 2018 programs, and in particular, the new championship of which Adam Cole had become the inaugural holder. It was surprising that Ricochet did not win, even though he was considered the favorite.</p>
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<p>Regardless of the winner, we just had to take our hats off for the amazing collective efforts put into this thriller-of-a-match by all those involved. And using the <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/982781640177926145">words of Dave Meltzer</a>: “Who in the world could ever follow that ladder match?”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>A War of Attrition</strong></h3>
<p class="episode-feed-card--title"><em><strong>(Shayna Baszler def. Ember Moon to become the new NXT Women’s Champion)</strong></em></p>
<p>                We were not sure if it was because of Moon vs Baszler coming right after the above-mentioned banger-of-a-match, but from a pure in-ring quality, the match fell a bit flat, but just a bit. And it was the Queen of Spades, we felt, that was outclassed by Ember Moon. She needed no flying stunner off the top rope to ringside, however, as she gradually wore down The War Goddess with her use of the rear naked choke. Shayna turned the match into a war of attrition, and Ember’s explosiveness could not put down Shayna on time. Despite our complaints about the ring skills of Shayna Baszler, there are plenty of room for improvements, and she definitely could tell a story between the ropes. On top of that, there are people like Kairi Sane, Nikki Cross, and Bianca Belair, it is safe to say that the NXT Women’s Championship picture will be in safe hands in 2018.</p>
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<p>Welcome to the main roster (?), Ember.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>The Unthinkable</strong></h3>
<p class="episode-feed-card--title"><em><strong>(The Undisputed ERA def. The Authors of Pain and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne &amp; Roderick Strong to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles and win the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic)</strong></em></p>
<p>                William Regal put a very interesting twist to the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament, so there were a lot more at stake as the three teams came to a head at New Orleans. This was the right move to boost the already prestigious tournament to another height. As expected, Authors of Pain, Undisputed ERA, and Strong and Dunne put on a very good match. Akam and Rezar kept on improving, Kyle was given a chance to stand out since Adam was out early on, and Roderick and Pete were just being them. But unexpectedly, RODERICK STRONG TURNED ON DUNNE, GRANTING THE VICTORY TO COLE AND REILLY! HE JOINED THE UNDISPUTED ERA!!!</p>
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<p>The change of allegiance opened up a lot of storylines for NXT in the coming months, the most obvious being Dunne v Strong, but with the roles all switched up this time. Moustache Mountain vs Undisputed ERA could also be an interesting possibility. A great match, a shocking turn of events, and more to happen down the road – all in all, a suitable way to end the 3<sup>rd</sup> annual Dusty Rhodes Classic.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<h3><strong>NXT Faded to Black</strong></h3>
<p class="episode-feed-card--title"><em><strong>(Aleister Black def. Andrade “Cien” Almas to become the new NXT Champion)</strong></em></p>
<p>Aleister Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas for the NXT Championship tonight, and we could not be happier with how it went down. Zelina had helped turned the tides back to Almas’ favor in 4 occasions (thanks Mauro), but Black overcame them all, and seized the opportunity when the 5<sup>th</sup> backfired. With such a convincing, hard-fought victory, Aleister surely had made the right first step in his championship reign. As for Almas’ future, we are not so sure. He might still have some unfinished business with Black, and Gargano might encounter him on the former’s way to the championship, but there is a real chance he could just show up on Monday Night RAW in 3 days. Wherever he is, Andrade’s stock will continue to rise, just like it has been the past 12 months or so. And damn, Zelina Vega’s hurricanrana is a thing of beauty.</p>
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<p><strong> </strong></p>
<h3><strong>Reinstated</strong></h3>
<p class="episode-feed-card--title"><em><strong>(Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa in an Unsanctioned Match)</strong></em></p>
<p>                Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa had put together a Match of the Year candidate. Absolutely everything that makes a match great was in there: the brutality, the psychology, and especially, the storytelling. The story weaved perfectly into the match; in fact, the brutality and the psychology were results of the story itself. The weapons used (the crutches and the knee brace) were symbolic (which the commentator team did a good job pointing out): The crutches symbolized what had cost Gargano his NXT career, while the knee brace symbolized Ciampa’s pain and bitterness, which had come back to bite him and eventually cost him the match. After the weapon wonder that was the NXT North American Championship Ladder Match earlier on, a brutal, yet weapon-scarce affair like Gargano vs Ciampa was the perfect counter-balance. Lastly, and needless to say, the right man won, and everyone was sent home happy. Welcome back, Johnny.</p>
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<p>What a way to cap off a wonderful PPV.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Overall Review:</strong></h3>
<p>A very well-structured show took place tonight, with an explosive match placed at the very beginning to spark things up, followed by three very good match (including a heel turn and 2 title changes), and ended with what was (probably) the blow-out of a deeply personal feud. There were no weak links at all during the show, and the highlight was, to us, the masterful narrative told by Gargano and Ciampa. It was such classic story-telling that Jim Cornette could have been put at the front row and you will not hear a single complaint from the guy. The show had a little bit for everyone, too – from story-telling, which could not be lauded enough, to cathartic championship wins, unexpected turns of events, and just flat-out wince-inducing violence.</p>
<p>One last round of applause for the yellow brand. You did a stellar job tonight. WrestleMania has a tall order tomorrow…</p>

WWE NXT Takeover New Orleans Results & Review: April 7th, 2018

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