Truly, hers is a butt that won't quit.
New year means new catch-all threads for all our "beloved" secondary shows...
NXT is in a bit of a lull in terms of new action (one show pretaped in London, then 2 year in review episodes), but is currently conducting Best of
2015 Award Voting. You can participate here:
http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/wwe-nxt-year-end-awards-2015-28420735
First-run NXT action resumes on Wednesday night, 1/13, and the winners will also be announced that night.
January will be a big month for NXT, as they're already sold out for a Chicago/Milwaukee loop, including having to add a second show in Chicago
(a Sunday afternoon matinee to go with the originally scheduled evening show). That weekend was already going to be notable for NXT's first-ever
split-crew shows (a B-team is running high school gyms in Florida)... but because of the added show, Sunday 1/17 will see NXT run three shows in one
day, something WWE hasn't attempted in quite a while.
NXT is also running a big event (at a real arena, not at Full Sail's studios) in Orlando during Rumble Weekend (same as they did in Brooklyn for
SummerSlam, and will do again in Dallas for WrestleMania).... mixed signals on whether it will air as a special event on The Network, or if it's
just something they added to make it more of a Destination Weekend for out-of-towners. The event is on Friday, Saturday is the first ever Performance
Center Open House, and Sunday is the Rumble, all in Orlando.
If the next Takeover isn't until Dallas, I think I speak for all when I say: let's just get Baron Corbin's title shot over and done
with, pronto, because WM Weekend Fans will brutalize any attempt to run Corbin/Balor for the NXT Title....
Rick
Good news, everyone!
The fears of Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor at Takeover: Wrestlemania were unfounded!
The timeline for this is a bit wonky, because WWE finally got around to taping fresh NXT last night (they'd done two straight weeks of wrap-up
shows), and technically, this could count as a spoiler. BUt on the other hand, WWE.com has announced it themselves, so:
At the big Orlando show -- which is NOT a special Network event, but which will be taped for future weekly NXT shows -- it will be Sami Zayn vs. Samoa
Joe, and the winner will face Balor on WM weekend.
Combine this with the article that strongly suggests that the non-Styles members of the Bullet Club are being courted more as an NXT-level act than a
main roster one (at least to start and get them introduced to the WWE audience, as they did with the Wyatts and Owens), could make WrestleMania the
second best show of that weekend, the way top guys keep droppings.
I am only half kidding.
NXT returns with fresh content next Wednesday with: an address from Sami Zayn, setting forth his goals upon returning to NXT.... Ciampa and Sampson
"in action" (remember your Saturday Morning Superstars code for "squashes")... Dash & Dawson vs. the Ascension... a women's Battle Royale to
determine Bayley's next challenger.... and the announcement of NXT's year-end awards (as referenced above)...
Rick
NXT Awardie Winners:
Overall and Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor
Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley
Tag Team of the Year: Enzo and Cass
Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Brooklyn)
Takeover of the Year: Brooklyn
Ten out of ten to NXT for refusing to use "Superstar" or "Diva" in the awards' names. But man alive, I wish "wrestler" wasn't such an
obscene word in WWE-think, because "competitor" isn't QUITE the right syntax.... that's the word you use to describe the scrappy,
hard-nosed, uniform-is-always-dirty overachiever who isn't actually very good. "Man, he's not the most talented guy on the field, but
everyday, he shows up and COMPETES." Or is that just me?
Bit of a head-scratcher on Enzo/Cass, but I can easily see how the other deserving teams may have split the vote (Dragons left for the main roster,
Blake & Murphey had the titles for a long time but are douchey heels who have disappeared lately, Dash & Dawson are the current champs but are boring
heels who didn't do anything until August, Jordan & Gable only came on starting in October, and the Vaudevillians..... hey, wait, why not the
Vaudvillains?), so it's no big deal.
Other than that, Wednesday's show set the stage for Zayn and Joe (and, to a lesser extent, for weekly TV purposes) battling over the #1
Contendership to Balor, and ended with Carmella winning a Battle Royale to become the #1 Contender to Bayley's title (with a very entertaining
little triple psyche-out at the end, with both Asuka and Eva Marie appearing to have it won).
There isn't a whole lot of urgency, as they don't have any major blow-offs imminent. This is "biding time to figure out where to put all our
pieces come Takeover: Dallas" Mode; even the big arena show in Orlando over Rumble Weekend features the #1 Contender Match for Dallas as the main
event, not an actual title match (and the lauded women's division takes a break, as Bayley gets Carmella, as she bides her time until
probably-Asuka steps up). But as long as NXT features the one really good match per week, and keeps the Churn going so that there are constantly
different fresh guys/girls to be interested in on the undercard, in addition to the established acts, that's some quality episodic TV....
Rick
Foxy Thoughts: NXT Awards
Overall and Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor
Lolnope. Kevin Owens.
Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley
Also nope. Sasha Banks.
Tag Team of the Year: Enzo and Cass
I'm fine with this. They're behind in terms of accomplishment, but way ahead of everyone but the Vaudevillains and Freddy Willing & Gable
(too new) in terms of entertainment. Like Rick, I'd have been fine with a Vaudevillains win, though I'd have to say the Dubstep Bros.
deserve it the most. Like Rick, I think Dash & Dawson are boring.
Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Brooklyn)
Good call. Sasha-Becky was more technically sound, but had less of a big match feel. Owens-Balor in Tokyo was a close second.
Takeover of the Year: Brooklyn
Agreed. Great show.
Some extra awards
Best Gimmick: "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger
I don't really even know WTF Dillinger is supposed to be, but he plays it to the hilt. I personally like Elias Sampson's gimmick
more, but he's too new and I need to see more of it
Worst Gimmick: Bull(FIT!) Dempsey
Wall-to-wall terrible. Dempsey gets fat-shamed despite not being noticeably bigger than monsters like Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, or Bray Wyatt. He
gets caught sloppily eating like Augustus Gloop, and then has to pretend he's an adult professional wrestler who doesn't know how to lift
weights. All so he can be recycled as a comedy jobber. Yuck. And it's really a shame, because Bull Dempsey swung for the fences. That he
hasn't joined the Vaudevillains makes me a sad panda.
Most Improved: (Don't kill me!) Baron (Seriously, don't kill me!) Corbin (I'm sorry, okay?!)
He really has gotten better. From solid brawls with Rhyno and Samoa Joe, to what I found a pretty entertaining match with Apollo Crews, his ring
work has gone from a D- to a solid C. And he's actually a better talker than fan faves like Joey Samoey and Finn Balor. He's not good
yet, by any means, but he's improved noticeably.
Rookie of the Year: Apollo Crews
I mean, duh. From his charming debut to his impressive moveset and obvious charisma, Crews won me over instantly. If he wasn't, y'know,
black, I'd say he's a lock for the WWE title one day.
Feud of the Year: Vaudevillains vs. Dubstep Bros.
Where WWE tends to overbook, NXT tends to underbook. So we don't really get very intense or complex feuds so much as excuses for matches.
That's actually fine by me: basic storytelling is often better storytelling. So it was nice to see a fun tag-team feud with a simple,
character-driven setup (The chivalrous Vaudevillains had no answer to Alexa Bliss's interference) and a satisfying, crowd-pleasing payoff (the
Vaudevillains call in the popular Bluepants). We got some excellent matches, and Alexa's emergence as the best talker on the women's roster
post-Sasha.
Most Overrated: Finnegan Balor
Sorry, dudes. He can't talk. He has no character. The Demon is stoopid. The Coup de Grace looks awful 86% of the time. I think he needs a heel
turn and a personality. Maybe one will grow from the other.
Most Underutilized: Tyler Breeze
It's no surprise WWE called Tyler up: He was by far the most polished, big-show-ready performer in all of NXT. Great talker, great worker,
great look, great character work. It's also no surprise he's already a jobber there. The real shame is he was a Jobber to the Stars in NXT,
when he should've had a nice run as champ. He could've been the heel that made me give a shit about Finley Balor. If WWE was smart,
they'd move Breeze back to NXT and have him be its #1 heel. So they won't do that.
[Edited on 1-17-2016 by Foxcalibur]
I really don't get the Tyler Breeze love. I just don't. He's the least intimidating heel I've seen in an age. He's yet another in the endless line of narcissist heels, he's just using a selfie stick instead of having a perfume sprayer or a mirror. He has in-ring talent, but it's just crippled by the gimmick for me. How you can love him and think Finn Balor is overrated, I have no idea. Just goes to show that it really is subjective.
Yar, I think we've differed on this before.
To be clear, I don't think Balor is BAD. He's fine. Good worker, good look, and a really jake dude. I just think he ain't all that. His
mic skills are severely lacking. He's yet to put on a truly great match on par with Zayn-Cesaro or Zayn-Neville. His entrance is, at best,
lovably cheesy fluff. His character is poorly defined: He's yet another Sports Competitor, but with a "fun" entrance.
But the IWC seems to think he's the second coming of Shawn goddamn Michaels or something and is a hair's breadth from international
superstardom at any given time. IMO, at his age, he'll be lucky to even sniff the WWE title, unless he pulls a lot of charisma out of his
Legomaniac Irish ass in a hurry. That he won Competitor of the Year over Kevin Owens proves he's overrated. Kevin Owens spits hot fire and put on
a MOTY candidate with Jon Cena.
As for Breeze, I know I'm in the minority when it comes to my unadulterated love for Gimmicks. I like characters, not Sports Competitors. Which
is what WWE almost exclusively is nowadays: Firstname Lastnames who show up with maybe some cursory visual hook (but usually just look like MMA
rejects) and mostly just want to win belts or whatever. Nevermind that such a character hasn't gotten over big since maybe Batista (who was very
gifted), WWE is addicted to it and shows no signs of stopping. The Shield got over. The Wyatts got over. Daniel Bryan got over. All characters with
gimmicks, not sports competitors. Wrestling fans WANT characters, not competitors. If they wanted competitors, they'd go watch MMA.
So I'll batten on to a Tyler Breeze or an Elias Samson or Stardust or Adam Rose with all my might, because they're characters. I know
it's only a matter of time before they're jobbing to Tattooed Sportsdouche 3,703A or whatever, but I pull for them because they're the
history and future of wrestling.
That Breeze is a fighting narcissist isn't a strike against him but a big point in his favor. It's one of the oldest wrestling gimmicks for
a reason: narcissists are easy to hate. The selfie stick and shifting addresses make for a clever update of the gimmick for Millenials. I like Breeze
in particular because he nails the mannerisms, the little details, the Zoolander voice.
Also, who said heels need to be intimidating? They need to be effective. That's up to booking.
I like Finn a lot, but Tyler Breeze is closer to HBK than Balor is, in November, style, and character. I think he's great. I mean, there's a reason he got to wrestle Justin Thunder Liger in his only match under the wwe banner. I hope he gets a fair shot at greatness.
For the record, I'm fine with guys having gimmicks. I much prefer Stardust to generic Cody Rhodes. The Wyatts are one of my favorite acts going and they're obviously gimmicky as hell. For whatever reason, Tyler's just doesn't click with me. He does seem like a good dude - I've seen him on UpUpDownDown a few times and he seemed very personable and cool. He feels like a guy I maybe should like, but I've tried and I just don't really. I'm fine with him pretty much about where he is or with the occasional push. The closest analogy I can think of is dated - The Hurricane. I actually loved the Hurricane gimmick and thought it was fun, but it was a midcard gimmick and was treated as such.
Oh, I never thought you disliked gimmicks. I'm sure you like 'em fine. I was just saying my deep and abiding love for them makes me biased
toward the Tyler Breezes and Adam Roses of the world.
As for midcard gimmicks, I'd argue a lot of characters start that way, in both wrestling and other media. You start with something simple and
accessible (zombie, cantankerous redneck, white rapper) and use stories to build a more nuanced persona (Undertaker, Stone Cold, Jon Cena). Shawn
Michaels began with a very similar Fighting Narcissist/Male Model gimmick and became Shawn Michaels.
[Edited on 1-17-2016 by Foxcalibur]
I am in complete agreement with Foxy about Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze. I get the impression that he and I might be the only two people who don't
think that Balor has "it" yet and that Tyler Breeze is the better overall performer of the two.
To me, Balor is a guy who puts on consistently good matches, but doesn't do anything else well. I guess he does that inner demon ring entrance
pretty well, but I have trouble buying into it because he only does it for Takeover specials. He lacks character. There is some kind of a sinister
demonic character that I could see him doing with the body paint and the ring entrance, but he has not tapped into it. Maybe that is what he needs to
get over the hump of being a good wrestler who has a bland character/personality. However, there is no way of knowing unless he builds that character
around his body paint and ring entrance and does it full-time.
Tyler Breeze does everything awesome. The only knock I have on him is his finisher. I've been conditioned over years of watching wrestling that
the spinning heel count is good for a 2-count at best. It looks like the guy performing the kick hits the mat harder than the guy receiving it and yet
they want me to believe that he can get up and pin the guy receiving the move for a 3-count when no one else has ever used it to score a pinfall
victory in the last 25 years. With a believable finishing maneuver - like maybe the Unprettier - Breeze would be the complete package.
I think the last match that Breeze won he used the Unprettier as his finisher. I hope to see him start winning more matches and getting a decent program soon.
He's been using the Unprettier on and off for a while now I think it's probably just not been noticed or "over" as it should be because,
well, commentators be commentators.
Balor's demon thing is a problem and a plus. It adds some gimmickry to his vanilla paste character but he needs to actually sell the
transformation a bit more.
It's not an Undertaker thing where, at this point, it's some dude using his obsession with morbidity to add a layer of intimidation to his
character, it's supposed to be him psyching himself up by channeling his inner demon but he never seems to actually go any harder than he
normally does it's just him with some paint on.
Shout, scream, intensely no sell and fire up just do... something other than prancing about a bit more during your entrance.
quote:
Originally posted by salmonjunkie
I think the last match that Breeze won he used the Unprettier as his finisher. I hope to see him start winning more matches and getting a decent program soon.
I'm very, very happy about this.
BREAKING NEWS: @AustinAries is the newest signee to #WWENXT! @WWE pic.twitter.com/YIwxSrzDNl
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 23, 2016
Awwww yeaaaah...
I might be in the minority saying this, but I'm more excited to see Aries signed than I am Styles. Granted Styles has a better chance of being
sent straight to the main roster and probably has a higher ceiling, but Aries has been one my guys for years and after having him get passed over so
many times in the past I'm glad to see him get his due. I still get smark-pissy every time I think about him getting overlooked for the Tough
Enough that "Silent Rage" won even though that was probably a blessing in disguise. Oh and hey, he's already got a shirt, so it looks like
they'll be letting him keep his name too.
Wow, that is a huge pickup for NXT. Hopefully they can also bring in Rosita with him as a package deal.
Aries coming in is awesome. I would have concerns about him with Vince, just because Aries is a shitload of talent in a pretty small package. His natural charisma and mic work should do a lot for him. One of the good things about TNA going to crap is that all the people I used to watch TNA for are finding their way to WWE at last. Pretty much just Beer Money and the Machine Guns to get the complete set.
quote:
Originally posted by The Hitcher
He's been using the Unprettier on and off for a while now I think it's probably just not been noticed or "over" as it should be because, well, commentators be commentators.
Balor's demon thing is a problem and a plus. It adds some gimmickry to his vanilla paste character but he needs to actually sell the transformation a bit more.
It's not an Undertaker thing where, at this point, it's some dude using his obsession with morbidity to add a layer of intimidation to his character, it's supposed to be him psyching himself up by channeling his inner demon but he never seems to actually go any harder than he normally does it's just him with some paint on.
Shout, scream, intensely no sell and fire up just do... something other than prancing about a bit more during your entrance.
quote:
Originally posted by GodEatGod
Aries coming in is awesome. I would have concerns about him with Vince, just because Aries is a shitload of talent in a pretty small package. His natural charisma and mic work should do a lot for him. One of the good things about TNA going to crap is that all the people I used to watch TNA for are finding their way to WWE at last. Pretty much just Beer Money and the Machine Guns to get the complete set.
Best I can tell, tonight's show is not live on the network - unlike recent big 4 snows where NXT the night before is an event. Too bad, as HHH
is advertising a surprise.
There is an Evolve show in Orlando tonight with Regal announced as attending, so perhaps with the relationship they don't want NXT to totally
overshadow Evolve?
BREAKING NEWS: #WWENXT General Manager @RealKingRegal just
announced @ShinsukeN is coming to #NXTTakeOver: Dallas! pic.twitter.com/C8EcX3HzEI
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 28, 2016Full NXT Takeover Dallas card:
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn
- Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (Men's championship)
- Bayley vs. Asuka (Women's championship)
- Dash & Dawson vs. American Alpha (Tag team championship)
- Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
This is lining up to blow away whatever they trot out at WrestleMania, which ironic since NXT is HHH's baby and he will be main eventing WM.
Technically, posting that line-up spoils two weeks worth of NXT TV, since #1 Contender matches were central to those episodes.
But I gather we look the other way when it comes to NXT.... so I'll gladly add that simply saying "Balor vs. Joe" kind of buries the lead. Because at
the tapings tonight, Joe earned that shot by having a 2-of-3 Falls Match against Sami Zayn, and the word on the street is that it clocked in somewhere
between 30-40 minutes and will wind up on many MotY shortlists (even the Orlando Wankers reportedly settled down, shut up, and just ENJOYED by the
third fall).
I got conflicted reports about how many weeks they taped at that arena show last Friday, so I can't say the exact date it will air, but the
Joe/Zayn re-rematch will be the first week after the arena tapings run out. Keep an eye out.
Rick
quote:
Originally posted by vonLampertheim
Full NXT Takeover Dallas card:
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn
- Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (Men's championship)
- Bayley vs. Asuka (Women's championship)
- Dash & Dawson vs. American Alpha (Tag team championship)
- Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
quote:
Originally posted by vonLampertheim
Full NXT Takeover Dallas card:
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn
- Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (Men's championship)
- Bayley vs. Asuka (Women's championship)
- Dash & Dawson vs. American Alpha (Tag team championship)
- Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
This is lining up to blow away whatever they trot out at WrestleMania, which ironic since NXT is HHH's baby and he will be main eventing WM.
I wouldn't doubt if they add a Gallows/Anderson debut match as well earlier in the card.
quote:
Originally posted by Matte
BREAKING NEWS: #WWENXT General Manager @RealKingRegal just announced @ShinsukeN is coming to #NXTTakeOver: Dallas! pic.twitter.com/C8EcX3HzEI
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 28, 2016
Bayley, the Human Hug Machine.
Camera man missed a crucial angle.
Truly, hers is a butt that won't quit.
Bayley just gets it.
She could also just get it if you know what I mean.
I mean I'd like to have sexual relations with her, if that wasn't clear.
Good on Bayley. She's adorable.
Luckily, Balor's injury doesn't seem to be serious. He sprained his ankle doing the Coup de Grace.
I've always said that POS move was an ankle injury waiting to happen. Now it's just an ankle injury.
Honestly, it's a shame I don't love Finnegan Balor like y'all do, because he just radiates nice-guyness. I'd totally invite him
over to play D&D.; Well, World of Darkness. D&D; is the worst. But y'know. Tabletop roleplaying games. Which are a thing I can bet you real money
he'd be into.
[Edited on 2-8-2016 by Foxcalibur]
We might not agree on much in regards to Balor, Fox, but we're in agreement on that. Really, I'm just kind of sick of that move in general. The only person who can pull it off is Low Ki, and that's pretty much due to his lack of concern --and borderline disdain for-- his opponents actual wellbeing.
Well, it looks suuuuuper cool if you come straight down with both feet on someone's hitbox. Like, goddamn.
But you can't do that, unless you're an asshole, because their precious giblets are in there. So you do what Balor does, and sorta land on
your butt next to them while kicking out toward their chest. It looks like bungus. And if you do it even slightly wrong, you're putting your
ankles and knees' weight on the uneven terrain that is the human torso.
The Slingblade should absolutely be Balor's finisher. It's sick as balls, lightning fast, and he can do it to anyone (a huuuuge
consideration for finishers that WWE often ignores -- Apollo crews new powerbomb is a good example). That they don't let him use the Blood Sunday
is somewhat baffling. It's just a suspended reverse DDT.
quote:
Originally posted by Foxcalibur
That they don't let him use the Blood Sunday is somewhat baffling. It's just a suspended reverse DDT.
TMZ is reporting Daniel Bryan will be at Raw to announce his retirement.
http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/08/daniel-bryan/
[Edited on 2-8-2016 by Wasimhosen]
quote:
Originally posted by Matte
quote:
Originally posted by Foxcalibur
That they don't let him use the Blood Sunday is somewhat baffling. It's just a suspended reverse DDT.
You're thinking of the reverse Bloody Sunday. He has done the standard version in NXT.
OMG you guyz, teh middle school feelz! Diabeetus never tasted so sweet! Get a room you two! This makes me want to be only slightly less dead!
So with Dash and Dawson defending their championship against Enzo & Cass at WWE Roadblock, does the WWE finally give them the straps? Can easily have them drop them at Takeover Dallas if a main roster call up is in the works post Mania.
quote:
Originally posted by janerd75
OMG you guyz, teh middle school feelz! Diabeetus never tasted so sweet! Get a room you two! This makes me want to be only slightly less dead!
I...I don't think these are the right shirts. 
Best part of the Aries debut/Corbin beatdown, was when the refs are out checking on Aries and you can audibly hear a fan yelling, "You guys are 10 minutes late"
I loved Aries getting trounced before he even got to the ring. I'm excited for Aries in the WWE, but at the same time, he should get his ass
beat. Why not?
Liked Balor/Neville a lot. It didn't click into the next gear or anything, but for a 20 minute face v face match that meant nothing, it was a lot
of fun. I'd like to see them keep fighting, mainly so Neville won't be wasted on the main roster.
Joe vs Zayn 2 of 3 falls should be the entire show next week. I'm incredibly hyped for that one.
Interesting that the Mechanics vs Enzo/Cass tag title match is at Roadblock. Maybe that means a title change? Maybe it's the grand goodbye on the
NXT roster for Enzo and Cass. I want to see how their act plays in front of a pure WWE crowd.
I suspect thats WWE think too, making sure they, or the entrance at least, is over before they debut.
I mean, its unlikely, but if they came out to silence it would be awkward at least 
Haven't watched today's episode yet, but I was thinking about Aries' debut and while I'm intrigued as to how they went about it, I
can't help but be a little bit confused with where they're going to go with it. Although in this day and age I do appreciate not knowing
exactly what they have planned for both guys involved. Concerned, maybe? I only say that because I'm a huge mark for Aries, and I know
I'm probably in the minority here but I appreciate Baron Corbin and kind of enjoy watching him progress.
(I'm hoping the above statement isn't as inflammatory as recent comments regarding global warming elsewhere on the bOOards might
be.)
You don't bring in someone like Aries, only to immediately feed him to an up-and-comer like Corbin. But on the other side of the coin you
don't want to ruin Corbin's momentum, which has been slowed considerably over the course of the past year or so as he's racked up a few
high profile losses to guys above him on the card. As much as I want to see Aries come in and be dominant, I also think it's time for them to do
something substantial with Corbin.
I don't know how many of you guys watched Breaking Ground, but it had a lot to do with me taking a shine to Corbin who is basically just a big
grumblepuss. I don't know how much of that was kayfabed for the doc, but it's oddly endearing and he plays the whole "lone wolf" thing a
hell of a lot better than Reigns does. Hell, they've done a lot of what they should have done with Reigns with Corbin. Started off as an
unstoppable green powerhouse babyface, whom they wisely turned heel before the crowd got completely bored with the one note he was able to play. Since
then he's been able to incorporate enough of his innate misanthropy, and his belief that he's better than all these indy darlings who keep
coming in and stealing his spotlight. I think that's a solid base for a compelling character, with plenty of room to grow. In a way,
he's almost like the Fulton from The Mighty Ducks of NXT.
But I digress. I'd like to see Corbin get punked by Aries in a match or two. Continue what they should've done with Roman, and push him over
the edge out of frustration over not being quite as good as he thinks he is. Give him layers. Then finally he can just snap and attack Regal, powder
out when Balor or Aries, or whoever comes out to make the save. Sit out the next batch or two of tapings to sell a suspension
(and perhaps wisely make an appointment with Bosley in the interim) and then bring him back to feud with whomever is
NXT Champ...
Eh, I don't know. This has been fairly meandering (I apologize as I'm typing this on my phone and that makes things much tougher and
"tangenty" for me than usual) but I think there's promise here. Hopefully we'll actually get to hear The Greatest Man That Ever Lived on the
mic tonight, or better yet: in action.
The "Corbin having more of a character than Reigns" thing is a con(remember when we were told that Roman Reigns would completely bomb? Well his positive crowd reactions have actually gotten bigger the last couple of years.) and Florida's NXT crowd isn't any more predictable than it ever has been. And before anyone cites all the dirt sheets who claim Corbin's development is a thing, I will cite dirt sheets who claim it isn't.
quote:
Originally posted by The Hitcher
The "Corbin having more of a character than Reigns" thing is a con(remember when we were told that Roman Reigns would completely bomb? Well his positive crowd reactions have actually gotten bigger the last couple of years.) and Florida's NXT crowd isn't any more predictable than it ever has been. And before anyone cites all the dirt sheets who claim Corbin's development is a thing, I will cite dirt sheets who claim it isn't.
quote:
Originally posted by The Hitcher
The "Corbin having more of a character than Reigns" thing is a con(remember when we were told that Roman Reigns would completely bomb? Well his positive crowd reactions have actually gotten bigger the last couple of years.) and Florida's NXT crowd isn't any more predictable than it ever has been. And before anyone cites all the dirt sheets who claim Corbin's development is a thing, I will cite dirt sheets who claim it isn't.
quote:
Originally posted by CCharger
This is delightful, and only a select few know why.
Well, Corbin did beat the last Indy darling he clashed with, Apollo Crews in NXT London. I think he'll be fine if he takes the loss here, but
Aries will probably be the guy he really feuds with and it'll extend longer than his rivalries with Joe and Crews. I'm predicting that the
Win Or Loss won't matter, instead Corbin will really hurt Aries by the end of it.
Man, I loved Joe doing a modified Coquina Clutch after he showed an easy reversal when Sami used it on him.
Out-freaking-standing.
quote:
Originally posted by CCharger
quote:
Originally posted by The Hitcher
The "Corbin having more of a character than Reigns" thing is a con(remember when we were told that Roman Reigns would completely bomb? Well his positive crowd reactions have actually gotten bigger the last couple of years.) and Florida's NXT crowd isn't any more predictable than it ever has been. And before anyone cites all the dirt sheets who claim Corbin's development is a thing, I will cite dirt sheets who claim it isn't.
This is delightful, and only a select few know why.
Zayn & Joe put on 43 minute master-class in working a match the other night. When they kicked off the show I thought they may go the route of having
this match be the whole episode & I wasn't disappointed. Not as flashy as some other Zayn matches but that made sense in this context; Zayn was
just trying to survive a monster for 40 plus minutes & came very, very close to pulling it off. Probably not quite a match of the year contender
because of some repetitiveness & some lulls, but again, that made sense in the context of the match itself. Joe looks like an unstoppable monster
heading to Dallas & I'm really 50/50 on who comes out the champion that night.
[Edited on 3-11-2016 by The Grindfather]
The lead writer for NXT is a guy named Ryan Ward. He has written every show and every special event for NXT since its inception. He was widely praised
as the main creative force behind the great NXT Takeover: R Evolution special event from 2014. He is seen by many as having a great mind for the
business and in writing wrestling for TV. Many believe that the success of NXT is attributable more to him than anyone else.
Well, he has been moved up to the main roster and will be the lead writer for Smackdown. How this affects NXT and Smackdown positively or negatively
will remain to be seen.
quote:
Originally posted by CCharger
The lead writer for NXT is a guy named Ryan Ward. He has written every show and every special event for NXT since its inception. He was widely praised as the main creative force behind the great NXT Takeover: R Evolution special event from 2014. He is seen by many as having a great mind for the business and in writing wrestling for TV. Many believe that the success of NXT is attributable more to him than anyone else.
Well, he has been moved up to the main roster and will be the lead writer for Smackdown. How this affects NXT and Smackdown positively or negatively will remain to be seen.
I suspect that guy is gonna go from having his dream job to finding it real hard to get outta bed in the morning.
NXT is (I assume) for the most part completely free of corporate and investor influences, doesn't have major advertising and promotional deals to
fit into, and, well, isn't apparently on Vinces radar.
I feel sorry for him.
But yeah this weeks NXT was great. Really liked the way the announce team kept mentioning the other matches until later in the show.
Given that Balor is moving up soon (probably right after Mania) we may very well see Joe as champ. I for one would be fucking delighted.
Has anyone made the Chad Gable-Owen Hart comparison yet? If not I call dibs.
Pretty good show tonight that set the table for Takeover. I'm not all that familiar with Austin Aries but I liked what I saw in that promo;
looking forward to his debut in Dallas.
There's something to the Eva-Marie/Nia Jax pairing that I like. Eva has heat most guys would kill for & obviously Nia has a bright future. I
dunno what you do with those two but whenever Nia is ready to get the call up I wouldn't mind Eva tagging along with her.
Why would you insult Chad Gable like that?
quote:
Originally posted by DevilSoprano
Why would you insult Chad Gable like that?
What I really like about Gable is they way he is keeping his own identity.
If Angle is ever gonna have another stint with WWE he should be the guy to bring them in to the main roster.
quote:
Originally posted by Columbo
quote:
Originally posted by DevilSoprano
Why would you insult Chad Gable like that?
He's a nugget?
quote:
Originally posted by The Grindfather
quote:
Originally posted by Columbo
quote:
Originally posted by DevilSoprano
Why would you insult Chad Gable like that?
He's a nugget?
Enough is enough guys, it's time for a change. Seriously, no one else see's early nineties long-haired Owen when Gable gets to flying around!? Perhaps Jason Jordan's destiny can be the bizzaro black hitman.
quote:
Originally posted by GodEatGod
Wouldn't that make Jordan the modern day "Birdman" Koko B. Ware? Instead of giving him an actual parrot, though, they can just dress up Eva Marie in a costume.
Scrap the Nia Jax team. Eva Marie should, nay, MUST be carried to the ring in full peacock attire on Jason Jordan's shoulder. Eventually Gable
gets fed up with this after Eva's stray feathers get in his eye one too many times & costs them a match. Gable consults with Jack Hanna & Raven
about flightless birds & flocks & eventually becomes the "The Penguin Whisperer" Chad Gable, culminating in an inter-species bird cage match at
WrestleMania 33.
[Edited on 3-19-2016 by The Grindfather]
Just caught up on some NXT. Lotta random thinks!
Corey Graves sucks ass
'E, it's nice of you to give Corey Graves a job after he got all career-ended, but he's turrble. He's like an even worse Bradshaw
with a less annoying accent. They both aggressively hate on the babyfaces in a way that's distracting, but at least Bradshaw is consistent.
Graves randomly rages out at the dumbest crap. Like, remember when he got all fake-nerd-girl with Becky Lynch for liking punk rock? And he can't
tell who the heels are sometimes. He loves uber-babyfaces American Alpha, and hates obvious heel Elias Sampson with uncomfortable levels of vitriol.
Sampson's last match against Jake Cutler, Graves is all, "Cutler told me that as a Marine, he despises people like Elias Sampson!" Marines hate
musicians now? What? Shut up, Corey Graves.
They should make dude a manager. He has a good look, he's got the heel gene. Give him an assortment of tattooed douches and he'll do fine.
I didn't care for Zayn-Joe II
It was a slow-ass plod-fest with occasional bursts of energy and even endgame didn't pick up that much. I like both guys, but this felt tedious
to me.
Emma and Dana are the beast that won't improve
Seriously, if NXT is still a school, those two are coasting at the back of the class. Emma's promo work hasn't gotten a stitch better, and
her body language and execution are still about as crisp as lettuce left out overnight. If she ever learns to rassle, Dana's got more upside. She
seems to know how to be unpleasant and has much better physical presence. But teamed with Emma, she's just not making any progress.
I officially no longer loathe Baron Corbin
He'll never be Kurt Angle or nothin', but he's really good at being a jerk, and he can hold his own if he's carried. He's
managed to find some presence to go with his size. And throwing Austin Aries's shirt smack into William Regal's face was solid gold.
Austin Aries trips my gay-dar
The facial hair. The intense soft-spokenness, the tight t-shirts. The facial hair. Seriously, I have a good friend on the San Francisco Gay Men's
Chorus, and he looks like a third of those dudes. Do people actually know about his personal life? Is he available? Asking for a friend.
Seriously, who did Alex Riley molest?
I get the sense he's unpopular backstage or something. Because he's got a great look, knows how to make wrestle moves, talks good. Like, did
he take a drunken bet to see if he could fit a footlong hoagie between Steph's fakies at a company picnic? I don't actually mind his losing
to Tye Dillinger. I really like Tye Dillinger. But I hope that leads to an actual feud between the two, and not A-Ry getting sent out to jobbington.
The Revival blows
On his last podcast, Stone Cold and guest Wade Keller gushed about how they're totally doing boring stuff because it suits their characters. And
everyone keeps mentioning Arn Anderson. Arn Anderson at age a billion hit a more explosive spinebuster on the Undertaker than anything Dash or Dawson
have ever done. I had the sense the original Mechanics gimmick was supposed to be a Briscoe Bros. knockoff, and I think a rowdier, more colorful
persona woulda done a lot to improve their work. Shame WWE hates Gimmicks.
NXT needs a female character based on Pam Poovey
Do you want to get over? Because this is how you get over.
Let Finn Balor be Fergal Devitt
I've been kinda subtle about it, but I don't care for Finn Balor as a character. You know who's an awesome character? Fergal Devitt,
the goofy dork who jokes around with Bayley after the shows. He just radiates charisma and joy. Despite what WWE brass thinks, nice guys can often
finish first with audiences. See: Brian, Daniel. Captain America is the most popular Avenger. There's nothing wrong with Finn Balor as a
good-natured, fun-loving guy who just happens to be way better at wrestling than all the douchey heels who take everything SOOPER CEREAL. Y'know
how The Daemon looks like something a kid draws in his notebook margins? Instead of it being Finn's "inner darkside," like he's Dark Jak or
something, just have it be a thing he does because it's fun, and psychs out his opponenent.
Carmella's come a long way. baby
If anyone has that babyface gene, it's her. And her match with Bayley was probably the best women's bout since Sasha left.
How much do you wish Sasha Banks had punted Michael Hayes's racist balls out his mouth
A lot, personally.
Long Live American Alpha
They finally found the ingredient to make me take them seriously: Going from Team Angle 2.0 to look like heroes from a cheesy 80s/90s sports movie. I
can't help thinking of that old Disney Channel movie, Spooner. The headbands. The music. And HOLY BALLS that rollthrough deadlift German Gable
pulled off on Aiden Englsh? Wow. I definitely see the Owen comparisons.
That was a lot of NXT thoughts.
quote:
Originally posted by Foxcalibur
Austin Aries trips my gay-dar
The facial hair. The intense soft-spokenness, the tight t-shirts. The facial hair. Seriously, I have a good friend on the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and he looks like a third of those dudes. Do people actually know about his personal life? Is he available? Asking for a friend.
Agree with Foxy on Dana Brooke. There's some kind of presence there that could turn into one of the bigger bitch villains with some proper grooming. It doesn't hurt that she's kind of unusual looking too. Not an uggo, just different. Team her up later on the main roster with Charlotte to play the role of a hammer and she could have some potential.
quote:
Originally posted by Matte
quote:
Originally posted by Foxcalibur
Austin Aries trips my gay-dar
The facial hair. The intense soft-spokenness, the tight t-shirts. The facial hair. Seriously, I have a good friend on the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and he looks like a third of those dudes. Do people actually know about his personal life? Is he available? Asking for a friend.
Not available.
quote:
Originally posted by Paddlefoot
Agree with Foxy on Dana Brooke. There's some kind of presence there that could turn into one of the bigger bitch villains with some proper grooming. It doesn't hurt that she's kind of unusual looking too. Not an uggo, just different. Team her up later on the main roster with Charlotte to play the role of a hammer and she could have some potential.
Her only drawback is that she has the same body type as Kaitlyn does in that they have to work out doubly hard to maintain their tone as compared to the other girls. You could tell that Kaitlyn couldn't keep the workout routine up with life on the road for WWE. Body types like that need a real gym to go to, those dorky little set-ups in hotels (with about five hours sleep on a travel day on top of it) just aren't good enough. She got noticeably bigger in her mid/lower torso and upper legs, water-weight wise, during her last months with WWE. She was stuffed so tight into her ring gear towards the end that when they got a camera shot of her from behind it was so jiggly it looked like a couple of bulldogs fighting it out in a burlap sack. When she quit WWE and settled down she was able to return to a really tight workout schedule. You can tell because in her photos on Instagram over the last couple of years, which she posts to at least twice a day, you could probably bounce a small bullet off her legs/ass/abs again like when she first came out of the pin-up modelling scene. Dana Brooke looks to be the same. Solid muscle through and through but it takes a lot more work to maintain it for her than it ever would for Emma, Sasha, Charlotte, Hot Summer, or any of the other naturally skinny ones.
quote:
Originally posted by Foxcalibur
I officially no longer loathe Baron Corbin
He'll never be Kurt Angle or nothin', but he's really good at being a jerk, and he can hold his own if he's carried. He's managed to find some presence to go with his size. And throwing Austin Aries's shirt smack into William Regal's face was solid gold.
via GIPHY
Maybe this is the appropriate thread for the new signings?
WWE signs Michael Nicholls and Shane Veryzer, The
Mighty Don't Kneel.
You people should be ashamed of yourselves for not already having a discussion topic up and running for this. Shaaaame.
Tonights the night for NXT, and by all accounts it's the big wrasslin' show that everyone is an agreement over: it should be a shitload of
fun. The NXT roster is going to be looking to outshine their big brothers and sisters on the main roster and they'll be doing it in front of
raucous wankery WM weekend crowd. I'm seriously giddy, people, and goddamn you Gobshite for playing with my emotions.
Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
The first of two highly anticipated in-ring debuts tonight sees The Greatest Man That Ever Lived taking on Earth-2 Roman Reigns. It's hard to
make a pick on this one as I don't know where they plan on going with this. And I mean that in a good way. On one hand you don't bring in
Austin effin' Aries just to job him out in his first match. On the other, do you really want to hand a pet project like Baron Corbin another high
profile loss? I'm going to go with Aries here. I like the story that they're telling with BC, and having him get schooled by another indy
darling should be enough to further motivate him to be an even bigger jerkass and further heighten the tension between him and Regal (who I
wouldn't mind seeing back in the ring against the big lug.)
NXT Tag Title Match: The Revival vs. American Alpha
The Revival have been growing on me as of late, but I don't see any way that Jordan and Gable aren't walking out of Dallas with the tag
straps. Which I'm totally fine with, but I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bum me out a little for Dash and Dawson. As good as they
are, I just can't imagine them peaking beyond this.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Here's where the IWC collectively shits themselves with the second high profile debut of the night. There's no question that these two can
go, and the crowd should be lapping it all up with a spoon. Shinsuke gets the win here.
NXT Womens Title Match: Bayley vs. Asuka
This one could be the sleeper hit of the night. I'm honestly curious to see if they have Asuka take the title off of Bayley. With the rumors of
them rebooting the Divas division on Monday night who better to make their debut on the main roster than Bayley? As much as I hate to see her go, I
love to something something butt.
ASUKA FTW and our hearts break just a little.
Apollo Crews vs. Elias Sampson
I guess this is the popcorn/pissbreak match? Which is a shame because Crews is an amazing athlete. Sampson I just can't get a read on. The
busking drifter gimmick does nothing for me and he just looks like if Damian Sandow went on a shopping spree at Anthropology. Crews gets the W
here.
NXT World Title Match: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
This ones for all the marbles. I think it's time to take the title off of Finn (and perhaps promote him to the main roster?) and give Joe a run
with it. Should be a fun, stiff ass match.
Guys. I just realized something. What if this is just a big April Fools joke and they just air an old WBF ppv? Or instead of Nakamura they just send out Ken Jeong with a Skrillex haircut to cross promote Dr. Ken? Maybe it's the 4 cups of coffee but I'm nervous.
quote:
Originally posted by CM Crunk
You people should be ashamed of yourselves for not already having a discussion topic up and running for this. Shaaaame.
quote:
Originally posted by OORick
Oh, the thread's been here the whole time. The discussion, though, has been admittedly lagging.
Tag team wrestling is alive in well in NXT. 
I know I won't get alot of love on this board for this opinion but Aries reminds me of Jamie Noble, its going to take alot to make him a true
player in the WWE.
Im a sucker when a heel talks shit to the wrestler and fans in the match.
Still talking about the Corbin vs Aries match...can anyone ever get in at 8 instead of 9? Ever?
I know Aries came from TNA....but this is really my first time seeing him, this is the first big time NXT debut NXT has had in a while where i feel
....meh about. Didn't really stand apart to me today, maybe in the future.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
Aries and Noble are both REALLY good. Noble in the WWF was nowhere near peak Noble.
And Corbin needs a haircut or plugs.
Aries is good, so it pains me to say that I really didn't care for his match. I want to blame Corbin, but really, it took a combined effort from
the two of them to bore me out of my mind.
The tag team opener was really fucking fun, though! That is how you do tag team wrestling!
For me I dont' know if its because he looks like Ricky from trailer park boys, or he reminded me of Noble, he just seemed average to me. IM sure
he is great and a great cruiserweight, but I need to be able to believe somewhat who Im watching. I think this guy will get lost quick on any WWE
roster, and probably this current NXT roster.
The tag match was bad ass, and I look forward to the Tag Team Revival that I think is coming to the WWE.
Whoever wrote Sammie Zayn's music nailed it..... soo fitting for him.
Already drinking the Nakamura Kool-ade and haven't even seen him wrestle yet.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
Oh man...so very pumped for this match...
Graves got it right...surreal.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by S Kid J E T S 48]
Makes me sad that I know deep in my heart Wrestlemania won't match this show.
quote:
Originally posted by Nobledictator1278
Makes me sad that I know deep in my heart Wrestlemania won't match this show.
quote:
Originally posted by S Kid J E T S 48
quote:
Originally posted by Nobledictator1278
Makes me sad that I know deep in my heart Wrestlemania won't match this show.
Wow...someone here loves Baron Corbin.
Well...I think we can honestly ask if that was the single greatest debut appearance of any kind for any wrestler in WWE history....because...holy shit...Total Fucking Package Not That Anyone Didn't Know That Already Shinsuke Nakamura.
Did Zayn & Nakamur have the best match EVER in NXT? If not...it's in the conversation.
...and what a goodbye for Sami Zayn in NXT.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by S Kid J E T S 48]
Aries/Corbin, probably at the behest of the Powers That Be, didn't even seem to try to do anything beyond a WWE-style TV match. They can't
all be full-speed-ahead.
That said, Nakamura/Zayn blew away my expectations, and I was expecting a lot. I don't know about "Match of the Year," because of all the other
presentational things that you need for a MotY that you don't get on the C-brand's A-show... but that may endu p as my FAVORITE match of the
year, just because of the bits where it came so close to embodying the spirit of the "They Live" fight scene. "FITE FORE EVER," indeed~!
Nice send-off/kiss-off for Zayn, too, as the fans and announcers managed to make his loss less significant than the fact that this, essentially, means
he's done with NXT, and is playing with the big boys, now. Now that they pulled it off with him, do they really try to pull the same trick with
Bayley or Balor on the same show?
We shall see soon enough.....
Rick
So by my count 4 stars for the tag match and full monty for the zayn vs nakamura match?
Shut Wrestlemania down, it's only downhill from here.
I feel bad for Finn and Joe. And poor Asuka and Bailey have to follow that. Oof.
quote:
Originally posted by Nobledictator1278
Id buy Corbin's stock in the WWE before I would Aries
quote:
Originally posted by bigfatgoalie
Did Zayn & Nakamur have the best match EVER in NXT? If not...it's in the conversation.
quote:
Originally posted by Matte
In all honesty, I think that match mostly sucked because of Corbin and not because of Aries. Or maybe just because of how they decided to work it. Is the reason you can't buy into Aries because he's short, or is there more to it than that? Because he's about as tall as AJ Styles, he's just a couple inches short of Balor, and he's better on the mic than both of them. I think you're judging him pretty harshly off of one match of his against a pretty crappy opponent.
I hope IM wrong about Aries and I admitted that was my first time really watching him. But he didn't really stand out to me, with that said Ive been wrong before, and I would love to be pleasantly surprised.
Glad the crowds still hot. This whole card deserves the energy.
Good match. Bit of a quick ending, but it worked. Asuka's best match in NXT.
Gotta say - bit of a stomach punch seeing Bayley lose the belt. Wasn't prepared to see that happen.
Yeah I liked the ending thought it had 5 more minutes left.
That was a great match. Bayley's climb back to the title will be great. And as good as Bayley is...Asuka is the one who I'm most excited to see called up. Asuka vs Sasha? Yes please.
I was just thinking about that. And the fact that she is STILL such a beloved character, and still has all of her heat as a babyface after all this time is truly impressive. Really curious what's next for these two. Asuka going to go killer heel? Bayley getting called up, or getting a rematch? Very interesting.
BOBBY ROODE!
[and RIP the Drifter's Takeover debut lol]
Its 11:54 PM eastern....we need some blood, I hope they let one of these two blade. This show has been so much fun.
Wow ask and I shall recieve
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
Hmm...interesting...
#NXTTakeOver is must see. #EveryoneIsWatching @VinceMcMahon pic.twitter.com/VMaaziuhpG
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 2, 2016
After the last two matches, I only know one thing: we NEED to get Trump elected in November so that he can build that wall and stop all of these
fucking Japanese wrestlers from coming here and beating all of our wrestlers!!!! #VoteTrump #FuckJapan #SamiZaynIsTheBestAmericanWrestler
But in all seriousness, as a guy who barely ever catches NXT (I know, I know...bad wrestling fan), this show has been awesome so far. This was my
first exposure to Nakamura, and holy shit was that match fucking amazing. Great, great stuff. And for those who are more knowledgeable about the guy
than me, what exactly is his gimmick supposed to be? Vaguely gay? Flamboyantly eccentric? Either way, I think it's great, but I'm afraid it
wouldn't go over quite so well in front of a RAW crowd in Bumfuck, Mississippi or something.
Also, that was my first time seeing Asuka but I dug her. One complaint though: with the creepy mask she wears to the ring (which is cool), I feel like
she needs more of a Ringu vibe with her character and not the "Rockers circa 1988" ring attire she wears. Then again, I've only watched her this
once, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
Okay, now off of the computer I go so that I can watch Balor/Joe.
Kudos to the announce team for explaining the ref/medical stops and Joe and Balor for managing to keep a flow to the match so far.
Call me old school...and I know the dangers of modern life & such...but these guys walking around with rubber gloves interrupting the match to check on a bleeding wrestler really kills the momentum of a match and waters down the entertainment value.
WWE I think really dropped the ball on Samoa Joe they should have signed this dude years ago.
Understanding the momentum issues it causes, but every other real fight sport these days has time to close cuts and wounds and wrestling doesn't
have rounds...so...it's not great, but I can make a concession in my enjoyment to keep these guys safe. It's the new normal.
BTW, as coincidence would have it, the Warriors-Celtics game was just stopped because Steph Curry was bleeding.
ETA
Nice ode to Hart-Piper Wrestlemania VIII there from Balor-Joe. Balor retains. Fun match.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by S Kid J E T S 48]
If you are going to "borrow" a finish, there are worse to take from than Bret/Austin. 3 REALLY good matches and one OMG match. People mock the pro-WWE folsk with "somethings, something, NXT"...but fuck it, NXT is awesome.
quote:
Originally posted by bigfatgoalie
If you are going to "borrow" a finish, there are worse to take from than Bret/Austin. 3 REALLY good matches and one OMG match. People mock the pro-WWE folsk with "somethings, something, NXT"...but fuck it, NXT is awesome.
Man, as much as those first two matches were fun, the last three just ramped it way the fuck up. I wasn't expecting anyone to top Nakamura's general weirdness and what it brought to that match (plus that extended spot with the back and forth forearms), but Bailey and Asuka topped it with the pass-out finish. Then when I was all settled into the idea that Joe and Finn we're gonna have a perfectly serviceable indie-tastic match, they just wailed on each other and the juicing, including the ref stoppages, just helped sell how serious their heat was. I marked.
quote:
Originally posted by bigfatgoalie
If you are going to "borrow" a finish, there are worse to take from than Bret/Austin. 3 REALLY good matches and one OMG match. People mock the pro-WWE folsk with "somethings, something, NXT"...but fuck it, NXT is awesome.
I don't even know what to say about that Zayn-Nakamura match. Absolutely incredible. The forearm war in the middle of the match was done so well.
This match will be on the top of most lists at the end of the year, and for good reason.
The ladies had a hell of a hill to climb after that, and the match suffered a little bit from crowd fatigue, but I dug the story they told and credit
to the announcers for adding TO that story, as opposed to away from it.
Speaking of which, NXT does such a great job of highlighting the wrestlers and their STYLES of wrestling in their highlight packages. The Main Roster
packages are really good from a production standpoint, but miss those elements to focus on drama and story lines, obviously. But NXT somehow manages
to combine all of that and make their recaps relevant and informative. Infotainment at it's finest.
Count me in with the crowd that hates seeing the refs stop the match for blood. Yes, I understand why they do it, but you know what? That wanker crowd
was right...LET JOE BLEED. These tow have been involved in a crazy feud for months now. Getting color right off that bat and doing his best Muta
impression helped ramp this match up after following an excellent women's match and an epic Nakamura/Zayn masterpiece.
In other words, the blood helped make the match memorable and it should have been embraced. Joe pushing the refs away was a nice touch to help his bad
as image, but they should really play these things by ear. Joe was fine to wrestle and was in charge of his faculties.
Nonetheless, a tremendous main event and a terrific card, in general. Plus...Bobby Roode! NXT is starting to look like the TNA locker room from 2009.
quote:
Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
Nonetheless, a tremendous main event and a terrific card, in general. Plus...Bobby Roode! NXT is starting to look like the TNA locker room from 2009.
A better angle of the Shinsuke finish.
I mean... yeah, safety is a big issue today and all, but that was some pussy nonsense last night. It was a cut on his eye. Check on it once if you're that worried about him-- I guess-- but after that just let it be, for fuck's sake. They ended up looking like some overprotective mother running out there to check on her son's boo boo.
Yeah, save that for Reigns' matches, not for a lifelong warrior like Joe.
I began the evening wanting to see Asuka put the von Raschke claw on Izzy. By the end of the match I felt sorry for the kid. 
Great event. Te send off for Zayn was perfectly done, and Nakamura is the perfect example of having the "it" that Reigns does not. And for the record
that has nothing to do with either guys skillset etc. Just "it".
I thought Joe and Balor made a great job of working around the cut, and ultimately it gives Joe a great excuse for not getting the win and leaves him
looking badass as ever.
Regarding the TNA references, sure, 2004-05 TNA was putting out the best product by miles, and that was mostly based on Styles, Joe, and Daniels.
I dunno, they've done quick check ups before. I remember them taking like 20 seconds with Batista once. Checking on Joe over and over again must have had a good reason. Even if the medics were ultimately wrong and it was just a cut, can't blame them for putting safety first.
Joe really did look good through all the medical interferences. He visibly rolled his eyes when they first ran in to check him out. He demanded his own towel at one point to wipe the blood so the medics wouldn't step in again. He was on his hands and knees when the "let Joe bleed" chant picked up and he nodded his head in agreement. It looked good for him to be at odds with medical and not just go along with it.
You know this would be such a great tactic for a good cowardly heel. To have like the tiniest of tiny cuts and just be demanding over and over for it
to be checked. Miz could totally work something like this.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
THAT was a show. Thankfully I made a pilgramage out of town for the weekend to hang out with my best friend who still follows the product. Psyched to
see American Alpha getting a run with the titles, even though it's a little bittersweet since the prospects for The Revival seem to be nil beyond
NXT. Aries and Corbin was fun and it's great to see Corbin putting the pieces together. His Mad Max jacket screams main roster promotion if I
didn't think that somehow this is going to lead to him taking on Regal.
It was a rough evening for my friends daughter who is a massive Sami and Bayley mark haha. I still can't get over how surreal it was to see
Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE television. Still can't get over that. And that THEME. So good.
ETA: post #999!
[Edited on 4/2/2016 by CM Crunk]
quote:
Originally posted by Nobledictator1278
You know this would be such a great tactic for a good cowardly heel. To have like the tiniest of tiny cuts and just be demanding over and over for it to be checked. Miz could totally work something like this.
[Edited on 4-2-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
NXT: We now have more TNA Originals than TNA does.
Seriously, I think HHH is now trying to prove he can book TNA better than TNA can and is succeeding.
quote:Supposedly, Izzy had to be carried out of the arena by her fatther after the match.
Originally posted by Paddlefoot
Yeah, save that for Reigns' matches, not for a lifelong warrior like Joe.
I began the evening wanting to see Asuka put the von Raschke claw on Izzy. By the end of the match I felt sorry for the kid.
Yeah, I heard about that. Poor kid.
quote:
Originally posted by CM Crunk Aries and Corbin was fun and it's great to see Corbin putting the pieces together. His Mad Max jacket screams main roster promotion if I didn't think that somehow this is going to lead to him taking on Regal.
Still, for every guy with a neck that looks like that who hangs up the boots, there's another in the same condition who keeps lacing them up.
Wonder what Kurt Angle's neck looks like? Lita? Sabu? Taz? I'm not sure the x-rays would stop any rumors.
That said, I'm with you on not wanting Regal to keep going. He's done his part for the business in the ring, now he's doing his part
for the business outside of it.
quote:
Originally posted by Paddlefoot
quote:
Originally posted by CM Crunk Aries and Corbin was fun and it's great to see Corbin putting the pieces together. His Mad Max jacket screams main roster promotion if I didn't think that somehow this is going to lead to him taking on Regal.
Hopefully that happens never. This is an actual x-ray of Regal's neck that he posted on his Twitter and Instagram a few weeks back as a warning to young wrestlers to what might happen to them from botches, other mishaps, and just plain ol' overall wear and tear.
Apparently Tyson Kidd's most recent x-ray shows the same sort of thing from his accident. Not sure if Nikki Bella's in the same boat now from the repetitive strain of the Rack Attack but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if she was. Same with Stone Cold, and Edge too, who should have just released pics of their own x-rays to put a permanent stop to the silliness of fans thinking they were ever coming back for another match.
Yeah as much as I don't detest Corbin, I'm not sure I'd trust someone that inexperienced to protect a neck like that to the degree it
needed...
I'm currently rewatching Zayne/Nakamura, it's still awesome.
Also: Nakamura's entrance music is pretty badass.
quote:
Originally posted by Matte
Still, for every guy with a neck that looks like that who hangs up the boots, there's another in the same condition who keeps lacing them up. Wonder what Kurt Angle's neck looks like? Lita? Sabu? Taz? I'm not sure the x-rays would stop any rumors.
That said, I'm with you on not wanting Regal to keep going. He's done his part for the business in the ring, now he's doing his part for the business outside of it.
Dear NXT,
Please give me Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi.
Sincerely,
Andrew Columbo
Instead of watching the Hall Of Fame live I'm watching Zayn/Nakamura for the third time. I haven't rewatched a new match like this since
Punk beat Cena in Chicago at MiTB.
ETA:Okay, count Cesaro/Zayn I and II in there as well.
ETAA: watched Sami and Swag another four times. Twice with lapsed fans who were transfixed by Nakamura.
[Edited on 4/3/2016 by CM Crunk]
[Edited on 4/3/2016 by CM Crunk]
quote:
Originally posted by punkerhardcore
I mean... yeah, safety is a big issue today and all, but that was some pussy nonsense last night. It was a cut on his eye. Check on it once if you're that worried about him-- I guess-- but after that just let it be, for fuck's sake. They ended up looking like some overprotective mother running out there to check on her son's boo boo.
I would bet money that Joe-- the real Joe, not the character-- has had matches where he suffered MUCH worse, and was truly annoyed by the constant babying.
quote:
Originally posted by Dyn-O-Mite
quote:
Originally posted by punkerhardcore
I mean... yeah, safety is a big issue today and all, but that was some pussy nonsense last night. It was a cut on his eye. Check on it once if you're that worried about him-- I guess-- but after that just let it be, for fuck's sake. They ended up looking like some overprotective mother running out there to check on her son's boo boo.
I realize no one here is likely an MD or a hemotologist (my apologies to anyone who is), but honestly you all, have you really not watched enough NFL football to realize that an athlete is not a fantastic first-person barometer for gauging how presently injured he is? Or, for that matter, doesn't understand anatomy/biology/cuts near one's eye to know that you don't fuck around with one that won't close? They did check him once, and it kept bleeding. You know what you do then, when you're responsible and you care about your fighter's well-being? You keep checking it and get it closed. Which they eventually did.
I mean, I guess it's cool to call it a boo boo, but Joe didn't pull a razor to his hairline, he got a deep, nasty cut around his eye that wouldn't close, and as a much as our 9.99 is incredibly valuable to us and we love our entertainment uninterrupted, probably ok that they were extra cautious -- so our 9.99 in August would be just as valuable, or you know, to look out for Joe's right eye and vision. Samoa Joe is a character, so he rolled his eyes and acted annoyed. Joe Seanoa is eternally grateful they were overly cautious.
quote:
Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
I AM a doctor and I say, screw it, let Joe bleed. Matter of fact, they should have cut the other eye for symmetry's sake.
Absolutely dig what Dyn-O-Mite is saying, but Joe bleeds for his team...
And a Dr. Van Helsing reference in 2016?!?! The world is still a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part.
Also, NXT was the tits. I wonder if that pic of Vince watching Shinshuggy Noogiemoogy on the monitors had him wondering just what in the fuck his
son-in-law was up to down in Orlando with all that wrasslin' shit.
quote:
Originally posted by S Kid J E T S 48
...and what a goodbye for Sami Zayn in NXT.
quote:
Originally posted by vonLampertheim
quote:
Originally posted by S Kid J E T S 48
...and what a goodbye for Sami Zayn in NXT.
For both the sake of continuity from the past and as a bridge to the future, did anyone else think they missed the boat by not having Kevin Owens "ruin Sami's moment" and jump the departing Sami Zayn when he was walking up the ramp towards the back?
Just me?
A great show.
Nakamura had a great match. It's the 1st time Ive seen him in action and thought he might have been a little stiffer but I really enjoyed the
match. Crowd was fun.
Asuka and Bailey also had a great match. A few hiccups but nothing major.
Main event was hurt by the stoppages.
NXT has some fantastic music. Nakamura and Asukas themes are just so good.
Not really a spoiler...because it's going to be known everywhere and not on TV...but I'll give it come room.
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BREAKING NEWS: #SamoaJoe defeats @wwebalor to win the #WWENXT Championship in #NXTLowell
It's true! @SamoaJoe just won the @WWENXT Championship! #WWE pic.twitter.com/UgxSGeFUcH
— The Fan's Podcast (@TheFansPodcast) April 22, 2016
quote:
Originally posted by S Kid J E T S 48
Not really a spoiler...because it's going to be known everywhere and not on TV...but I'll give it come room.
What a crazy world we live in where Samoa Joe is a champion in WWE.
Also, what a completely anti-climatic way for Balor to lose the belt.
This is right up there with Eddie Edwards winning the title at a random NY ROH show against Roddy in the surprise title change mother fucker rankings.
Awesome.
Fuck yeah, Samoa Joe. Hopefully WWE actually knows how to book him like a champion, unlike some other company.
So...does this mean we might get Nakamura/Joe at NXT: Brooklyn?
If it moves the schedule forward for 30,000 fans to be chanting "Joe's gonna kill you" at boooooo-Reigns within a year then I'm happy.
Different angles here:
[Edited on 4/22/2016 by Paddlefoot]
quote:
Originally posted by CM Crunk
So...does this mean we might get Nakamura/Joe at NXT: Brooklyn?
You kinda forget about the crowd reaction TV doesn't capture. The Skids video and first Pad video, with the barely audible "no way" and "oh my
gawd" dudes....
Reminds you what "the moment" is all about. Thanks for posting!
So, WWE is about to make Joe the star that TNA failed miserably to do ten years ago putting their company in a slow painful spiral of decline.
While we're at it, maybe a AMW/XXX battle.
WWE needs to get Omega..... Dude just looks so awesome...thought about it again looking at your gif above this post. If they're going to do a
Bullet club angle...surely this guy is needed, and he belongs in WWE.
[Edited on 4-23-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
Omega was part of the Bullet Club for all of 5 minutes before they rebranded themselves something else. I don't deny Omega would be a great pickup, but it has zero to do with the Bullet Club. If anyone would complete the BC, it's the Bucks but if WWE isn't doing tag divisions, they don't really fit since Gallows/Anderson are the better WWE-style tag team.
quote:
Originally posted by Nobledictator1278
WWE needs to get Omega..... Dude just looks so awesome...thought about it again looking at your gif above this post. If they're going to do a Bullet club angle...surely this guy is needed, and he belongs in WWE.
[Edited on 4-23-2016 by Nobledictator1278]
Aren't the Bucks sort of the same about going to WWE? In that they know they could do great there but simply aren't willing to put up with the silliness and distortions of their characters that WWE Creative would do to them?
I think that, with the Bucks and Omega, you've got three guys who have tried to make it in WWE and been shafted in some way. They've got a good thing going (I'm sure they make good coin in New Japan) and are in a strong position given the recent defections. They are consistently on the top shows. Now, if they went to the WWE, they'd probably be looking at developmental for who knows how long (Devitt still there, it took Zayn years to get out) and they would likely being making much less than they do now until they finally get called up. I don't blame them for staying and making sure they are finacially positioned to take care of their families. The recent departures from NJPW to WWE have all been guys that are probably darn near set for life and can take the chance.
As much as I enjoy the Young Bucks (I've been watching the ROH TV fairly regularly lately, can you tell?), I think they're entirely WAY too
spot-monkey-flippy-floppy to last in the WWEverse. I mean, "we" make fun of the Ascension for not being big 'n' bad 'n' mean
enough, and the Bucks are two "scrawny" guys who pretty-much no-sell everything that happens as soon as it happens, then pop up for
SUUUUPAAAAHHHHKICKS every 12 seconds. Amazing gymnastic athletes who go balls-to-the-walls, yes. Capable of telling a "wwe style wrestling story", I
dunno. I'm only basing this on limited & recent exposure to them, however, so I could very possibly be smoking the wacky grass on this one.
tl;dr version: Omega can sell like The Rock (for better and sometimes worse, The Rock could sell the shit out of moves). The Bucks don't seem to
be able to sell water to a thirsty man.
The Briscoes could probably fit in a lot better, and probably even end up dominating, which makes it even more unfortunate that they're a pair of genuine backwoods white trash lunatics that the WWE would be insane to hire.
The Briscoes are old school spectacle with the redneck thrown in. Can you imagine those guys in the territory days? They would have bounced from
territory to territory raising hell wherever they went.
They should have a place in the WWE because tag team wrestling should have a place, but the E doesn't get that quite yet (despite New Day being
more over than 99% of their roster).
With a race war now all but imminent a year-long Briscoes vs New Day feud would make some major fucking money for WWE. Get on it, Vince, it's
must see TV! 
quote:And don't forget about one of Dem Boys threatening to shoot anybody who tries to tell his kids that gay is a-ok. Jay would -not- react well to Booty-O's, I suspect.
Originally posted by Paddlefoot
With a race war now all but imminent a year-long Briscoes vs New Day feud would make some major fucking money for WWE. Get on it, Vince, it's must see TV!
I thought the Bucks were given a chance, and then famously disrespected Booker T backstage?
Granted it was one of those dumb, "perceived disrespect" things were they didn't go up and shake hands with him or something. Probably a
completely non-malicious oversight that meant nothing... but I remember reading about Booker getting super pissy about it.