71. Kassius Ohno vs. Travis Banks NXT UK 2/23 (Aired 4/10/19)
ER: I love a good brick wall match, and Ohno is clearly going to be a good brick wall against some of these smaller NXT UK guys. Banks is a guy who is very good at taking on a limbless quest (every match I've seen of his has him gamely selling a limb), and it's fun seeing him successfully work within these odd Dogme 95 "only use one arm" rules. Ohno is a real condescending bully here, and condescending Ohno is so good because the cockiness leaves openings for Banks. Ohno was a real prick, rightly shrugging off shoulderblocks and then stomping Banks' feet after acting like it was his turn for shoulderblocks. Ohno makes an "I'm sorry I didn't see you there!" short joke, but follows it right up with a much better "Didn't feel you either. You'll have to hit harder than that." I thought Ohno was really smart about which Banks offense to shrug off and which to sell, and liked the way he blocked Banks with size. The blocked tope looked good, and that it lead directly to a penalty kick for the gloating Ohno was nice to see. Ohno as a bully is so good, as he's always doing things he doesn't necessarily need to be doing to win, things like shoving Banks hard into the ring steps or raking his eyes, but as he's rudely going after Banks' injured shoulder we all know that's clearly the rudeness we want to see.
We had cool psychology moments like Ohno trying to simply Irish whip Banks by the bad arm, and Banks foolishly holding onto the ropes with his good arm, knowing he was stuck either getting nuked off the ropes by Ohno or further wrecking his shoulder. Banks' comebacks were good, with a dive that connected (thrown with his good arm in the lead, and I know that's not the side he typically throws it with), nice running knee, and a big double stomp to Ohno's chest. Ohno is so great in control, but I love seeing him sell for a smaller guy, as he's really good at it. The Kiwi Crusher is a move Banks can hit very quickly, which really adds to its match finishing potential. It looks like something that should get a 3, and it's such a quick flip and slam, slipped in while Ohno was being a little too nonchalant with his own suplex, that it's plausible to hit on someone of any size. Banks kicking out of the Rubik's cube was probably a bit much, as that move seems so vertebrae pulverizing that it really should be used sparingly. But Banks' commitment to selling his right shoulder was impressive, with his fun theatrical trap rubbing, then dully trying to jam it back into place. The cradle pinfall finish really worked for me, too, as Ohno was still manhandling him and it would have been silly strategy for Banks to try going for bigger and bigger moves, so why not use Ohno's own weight and leverage against him? His backslide was convincing as Ohno sold it like a turtle placed on his back, and the pin that beat Ohno looked absolutely impossible to kick out of in 3 beats. I love how Ohno set up that pinfall, trying for an ankle pick that Banks reversed credibly. Very cool match that could have drifted into overkill, but stuck within its story and succeeded.
PAS: I have forgotten how much I love to watch Chris Hero. I thought his condescension at the beginning of the match worked well, and all of the too short shtick, the fake running the ropes, finally leading to a kick to stomach felt like a Fuerza Guerrera bit. Banks seems a bit generic, but I did like his arm and shoulder selling. He really worked that shoulder like he slept weird on it, and while the popping it back into place spot felt a bit OTT, I kind of liked it. I almost think the violence of Ohno's stuff takes away a bit from this match. He is hitting this little guy with these huge concussive shots, and if his forearm strikes didn't look so good, I would buy the kickouts more. Match really should have ended with Hero cutting off the in-ring dive with that kick to the head, it looked like he shot Banks out of the sky. That getting kicked out of, and then the Rubik's cube getting kicked out of, that's too much for me. Everything else in this was great though, and Ohno's NXT UK run was a real treat.
Labels: 2019 MOTY, Kassius Ohno, NXT UK, Travis Banks
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