X-Pac opens today’s show by talking about his cameo at NXT Takeover: War Games 2. He points out that he had a lot of fun at the event and he was thrilled to hear the live pop in the arena that night when he was introduced. He says that ovation really made him feel good, and it gave him a little taste of what appearing in front of the WWE Universe is all about.
X-Pac says he loved the Velveteen Dream/Tomasso Ciampa match. He loved the multiple teases that Dream was going to win the Title, and he thought these two men worked really well together. He notes that it wouldn’t have been a mistake to put the NXT Title on Dream, but then they’d have to find a creative way to get it off him at some point. He also doesn’t think anyone in NXT is in a hurry to expedite Dream’s ascension to the throne of NXT.
He likes where they’re going with Matt Riddle/Kassius Ohno feud. He notes that this could light a fire under Ohno, who could be feeling some frustration there given his role on the show over the past couple of years. X-Pac points out that because he’s been in positions like that before, where you feel like you should be utilized in a different way than you are. Regardless, X-Pac points out that Ohno is one of the best workers out there.
He was also a big fan of the NXT Women’s Title match. He points out that Shayna Baszler is a killer, and she pulls off that character so well. He also notes that her MMA style is starting to mesh so well with the WWE professional wrestling style. Baszler and Sane have great chemistry and work well together, and after having a number of great matches already X-Pac says he still has an appetite for another match between those two women.
X-Pac thought the War Games match was a “masterpiece”. He points out that there’s always some mystique in a match like that. He points out that Hanson stood out, and that’s a hard thing to do in a match featuring 8 people, especially given the calibre of talent that was in that match.
Moving on to the Survivor Series card, he points out that the tag team Kickoff Show match was “good stuff”. He points out that as long as the paycheque looks the same he couldn’t care less about where he wrestles on any given card, so working on the Kickoff show isn’t a big deal to him. He thought the German suplex spot off the top rope was a little scary, but the match was good overall.
He thought the Women’s traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series match was good, and he thought WWE made the right decision by having Nia Jax win. When something bad happens like the injury to Becky Lynch, you need to take advantage of it and he thought WWE did just that by having Jax go over here. He also thought Asuka stood out in this match.
X-Pac says he was backstage when WWE officials realized that Enzo Amore was sitting ringside. Eventually they sent security, and when Amore saw security approaching that’s when he stood up on his chair. The female security guard who tackled Amore received a standing ovation from the locker room backstage afterwards.
X-Pac says that WWE had forgotten about Amore by the next day, and it was actually the Staples Center that printed the posters of Amore that were placed at entrances for RAW the following night. He points out that he hates to talk bad about Amore because he knows him a bit, but he can’t give advice to someone who doesn’t take advice. He points out that WWE didn’t take anything from Amore, Amore took it from himself by acting the way he did.
He thought Charlotte and Ronda Rousey had an amazing match. It never ceases to amaze him how good Charlotte is, and there’s no denying that Rousey has been delivering big time in the ring as well. He points out that you can criticize Rousey’s tweets or the content of her promos, but she’s light years ahead of where she should be in terms of in-ring work.
Brock Lesnar defeated Daniel Bryan in the main event, and X-Pac thought this match told a brilliant story. He notes that it was very hard to follow the Charlotte/Rousey beat down, but Lesnar and Bryan did it perfectly. They didn’t rush; starting slow and building steadily throughout until Lesnar eventually picked up the victory. He points out that even the people in the Gorilla position who knew the finish were sitting on the edge of their seats during this match.
X-Pac mentions that the death match between Nick Gage and David Arquette went “way to f***ing far”. He points out that this entire thing was a bad decision in hindsight, and there were some very bad decisions made throughout the match. He doesn’t blame Arquette, but he gives Arquette credit for releasing a statement where he apologized to the wrestling community.
That sums up this week’s episode of X-Pac 1, 2, 360. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!
