NXT
Date: January 20, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re in a bit of a weird point in NXT as it’s still a few months before the next announced Takeover and we’re just starting to set up the big feuds before we get to the really big feuds. Next week it’s Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn for the #1 contendership so odds are they’ll get some focus tonight. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Sami Zayn vs. Adam Rose

Sami works on a wristlock to start and spins around into an armbar. We’re already well into the OLE chants but Rose cuts them off with a kick to the head. Some elbow drops set up a chinlock on Sami but he’s quickly on his feet. Rose chops him right back down though and drops a top rope headbutt for two before choking on the ropes. Sami shrugs those off as well though and grabs a Koji Clutch out of nowhere for the submission at 5:27.

Rating: D+. If there’s one thing Sami Zayn does better than almost anyone, it’s taking a beating and making a quick comeback to win while keeping it realistic. Bringing Rose back for a loss like this is the right way to use veterans here because having the big stars come down and treating them like a bigger deal than the NXT roster isn’t going to be accepted. That and Sami is a bigger deal than Rose anyway.

Johnny Gargano says he isn’t intimidated by a bully like Samoa Joe. His solution: punch Joe in the mouth. As long as his heart is beating, Johnny Wrestling will not back down.

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan talk about not being nominated for Tag Team of the Year while Blake and Murphy were on the list. They know they’re getting better and they’re going to the top. Another word for top is alpha and they’re both Americans, so they might as well be called American Alpha.

Tye Dillinger vs. Apollo Crews

Dillinger’s entrance is even more energetic than usual here. They circle each other a bit to start until Dillinger takes him down with a wristlock. A headlock puts Crews on the mat and it’s time for a quick victory lap with Tye giving himself a ten. That earns him a delayed vertical suplex with Crews only slipping a bit as Dillinger knees him in the head. It’s a bit more impressive than when Lashley does it. Dillinger rolls outside but slide back in to hit a dive on Crews. Something like a Codebreaker gets two on Apollo but he pops back up and hits his lifting sitout powerbomb for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C+. Better match than I was expecting here with Dillinger putting in more effort than I’ve seen from him in a long time. Crews continues to be an amazing athlete but I still haven’t found a reason to connect with him yet. He’s just a guy out there doing a bunch of cool looking stuff with nothing more to him. Talented for sure, but he needs some fine tuning.

Post match Crews says he’s had something on his mind for a few weeks now. He isn’t one to have a match end in a disqualification. Now he knows he hasn’t earned a title shot, but he’d love to face Finn Balor one more time, even in a non-title match.

Alexa Bliss isn’t happy with Blake and Murphy losing in London but she’s going to lead by example tonight when she teams with Emma and beats up Bayley and Carmella.

We get a Vaudevillains vignette with the two of them looking very angry.

Stills of Kevin Owens appearing at the NXT Milwaukee house show.

Baron Corbin vs. Rich Swann

Swann is a longtime indy talent who recently signed with NXT. Corbin throws him into the corner to start and backdrops him into a 450. Off to something like a Tazmission from Corbin before Rich starts using some speed to avoids a few charges. A spinning kick to the face gets two on Corbin but Rich misses something off the top and charges into a big swinging Rock Bottom (called Deep Six) for the pin at 3:14.

Rating: C. Again a better match than I was expecting here with Swann looking solid in his debut. This isn’t a match to judge him off though as he didn’t have a character or anything like that. Then again that’s how a lot of people have started down in NXT and turned out just fine so I wouldn’t be worried. Corbin having a secondary finisher is a good idea as End of Days only works so well.

Bayley and Carmella are ready for their tag match tonight when Dawson and Wilder come in to say Carmella is a loser just like Enzo and Cass. Carmella is so upset that she’s being driven bananas (her words) but Bayley says save it for the match.

Carmella/Bayley vs. Emma/Alexa Bliss

Dana is here with Emma/Bliss. Emma gets in a cheap shot on Bayley and the champ’s ribs are damaged before the opening bell. Bayley starts anyway but is quickly dragged into the corner and stomped in the corner with the villains staying on the bad ribs. We take an early break and come back with Bliss holding Bayley in an armbar. Bayley gets up and hits a quick middle rope dropkick which only hurts her ribs even more. Emma breaks up the hot tag attempt and gets suplexed as a result, only to have Dana offer a distraction to prevent another tag attempt.

The Emma Sandwich (called a cross body in the corner) stays on the ribs and it’s back to Bliss for another armbar, even though Bayley’s hand is grabbing the ropes. Bliss drags her away and that’s good enough for the referee for some reason. Bayley fights out of the corner though and tags in Carmella to take over on Bliss as things speed up. Carmella’s little dance sets up a Bronco Buster and the leg crossface makes Bliss tap at 9:26.

Rating: C+. Standard formula tag match here with Bayley playing the perfect face in peril until Carmella gets to make the comeback for the win. It makes a lot more sense to have Carmella get the win here as she needs to be built up before the title match and what better way to do that than by beating one of the many midcard heels?

Balor agrees to give Crews a non-title match.

Johnny Gargano vs. Samoa Joe

The fans start a JOHNNY WRESTLING chant which is such an awesome name. Joe drives him into the corner to start and grinds his forearm over Johnny’s face before elbowing him in the jaw. Gargano snaps off a quick enziguri to put Joe on the floor, only to have him kick Johnny’s leg out to take over again. The snap jabs have Gargano in trouble again and Joe kicks the leg out one more time, sending Gargano into a near 360.

Another kick puts Gargano on the floor but he dives in at nine with Graves ripping on him for going back to the beating. Back in and a quick enziguri and DDT stagger Joe but he kicks Gargano out of the air on a slingshot attempt. Gargano is already knocked silly so the Koquina Clutch puts him out of his misery at 4:30.

Rating: C+. Joe is the kind of guy who can work this physical ROH style and make it look good in short bursts. The Ciampa match was better but this was another hard hitting match where both guys came out looking good, even though this was pretty one sided for the most part. Gargano is another name that should be fine.

Overall Rating: B. This is where NXT continues to amaze me. They can have a week of nothing but storytelling and then the next week they do almost nothing but solid wrestling. The triple threat is looking better and you have another big match to build towards with Crews vs. Balor, even though it’s non-title. As usual, they set up a goal and then they accomplish it, usually in the span of just a week. That’s unheard of in today’s wrestling and NXT does it nearly every single time. Well done, as usual.

Results

Sami Zayn b. Adam Rose – Koji Clutch

Apollo Crews b. Tye Dillinger – Lifting sitout powerbomb

Baron Corbin b. Rich Swann – Deep Six

Carmella/Bayley b. Emma/Alexa Bliss – Leg crossface to Bliss

Samoa Joe b. Johnny Gargano – Koquina Clutch

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of Wrestlemania at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0188BJRGU

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: November 18, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s another title defense this week as Bayley is already defending the Women’s Title against Alexa Bliss. This was expected to be one of the big Takeover matches so it should be interesting to see where they go for the title at the show in London. Eva Marie and Nia Jax are hanging around as well. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Nia Jax vs. Carmella

Carmella goes right after her with forearms to the face but gets caught in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Nia: “Hi Carmella, how you doing?” A bearhug has Carmella in trouble but she counters with a quick guillotine choke. Some dropkicks stagger Jax but she counters a hurricanrana into a spinebuster, followed by the legdrop to put Carmella away at 2:48.

Alexa Bliss says her hands are fine from carrying around Bayley’s Women’s Title but now her ears are hurting from hearing about that Iron Man match. Yeah Bayley won now stop talking about it. It’s her time now, but her rant is cut off by a referee who says Blake and Murphy will be banned from ringside.

Ascension vs. Jason Jordan/Chad Gable

Viktor and Gable start but all four quickly come in for a standoff. We settle down to Jordan vs. Konnor for the power battle. Jordan gets him into the corner and it’s a series of rotating shoulders to Konnor’s ribs, followed by a double northern lights suplex for two. Konnor comes right back by powering Gable into the corner for a bunch of hard stomps.

A chinlock keeps Gable in trouble but he fights up and backdrops Viktor to the floor, allowing for the tag off to Jordan. House is quickly cleaned and the straps come down for a suplex on Viktor. Everything breaks down and Viktor’s middle rope knee gets two on Jason as Chad and Konnor fight on the floor. Gable drops Konnor with a flip dive off the apron and the Grand Amplitude (such an awesome name) puts Viktor away at 6:12.

Rating: B-. Gable and Jordan are getting close to that rocket push up the ladder and you can see a showdown in London for the Tag Team Titles. The fans are eating them up and they can more than back it up in the ring. It’s the idea of finding a hot act and running with it, which is one of the most important things a wrestling promotion can do.

Video on Bayley vs. Bliss, showcasing the basic difference in their personalities.

Bayley says keeping the title is just as hard as winning it in the first place. Tonight Bliss is learning a wrestling lesson from the last Horsewoman. Bliss is going to find out what it means to respect this title and Bayley herself.

Emma vs. Mary Kate

Mary Kate used to be known as Rosie Lottalove but has dropped probably 120lbs to get down to a much more reasonable look. She runs Emma over to start but Emma trips her up and stands on the hair. Some choking on the ropes and rams into the buckle have Mary Kate in more trouble and the Emma Lock is good for the submission at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This was your standard new Diva gets beaten up in a few minutes before she has a character or personality. It also helped set up Emma looking more dangerous but Asuka crushes her, likely on TV before London. I could see Emma and Dana vs. Asuka in a handicap match with Asuka pulling off the upset, assuming you still consider that an upset.

We recap Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews.

Corbin challenges Crews for a match at Takeover.

Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder vs. Corey Hollis/John Skylar

Non-title. The Vaudevillains will be getting their rematch next week. Hollis gets caught in the wrong corner to start and the champs go after his knee. Dawson takes him down with a dragon screw leg whip and it’s off to Dawson to crank on the knee even more. There’s a knee crusher and the champs pull on the leg to continue their Andersons style. Graves gets in a great line about Dawson and Wilder: “No flips, just fists.” The third knee crusher of the match keeps Hollis in trouble but he kicks Dawson away and makes the tag to Skylar who walks right into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: D+. There’s something so fun about watching these two rip someone’s leg apart. It’s a style that is going to work no matter what changes in wrestling because it’s so simple but makes perfect sense. The ending was amusing too as Skylar was all fired up and didn’t walk four steps before he got caught for the pin.

Dana Brooke interrupts an Asuka interview to challenge for a rematch. Asuka takes off her mask and gives a disturbing yes. The interviewer and Asuka leave and Emma comes in to be all evil about some plan they have.

Samoa Joe isn’t here tonight because William Regal is worried that Finn Balor is going to screw up the London main event. Next week they sign the contract.

Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending and the “HEY! WE WANT SOME BAYLEY!” chants start during the big match intros. Bayley throws her into the corner and stomps Bliss down to start, sending Bliss outside for a breather. A quick bulldog gets two for the champ and she cranks on Bliss’ arms a bit. The fans try some dueling chants but Bliss’ support isn’t the strongest. They head outside with Bayley going face first into the apron as we take a break.

Back with Bliss working on the arm and the fans chanting BOO/YAY with nothing really happening. Bliss starts going after the hand (which really should be better by now) but Bayley fights up with running ax handles. Alexa takes her right back down and moonsaults into double knees to the ribs. The Sparkle Splash is broken up with a powerslam for two but Bayley’s arm is starting to give out again. The running elbows in the corner stagger Alexa until she comes out with a sunset flip for two. Frustration sets in for Bliss, allowing Bayley to grab the Bayley to Belly for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C. This was better than I was expecting as Bliss didn’t seem to have any chance of winning coming in. The arm work was fine for a story and the ending worked perfectly with Bayley staying calm and waiting for Bliss to get frustrated to finish her. Good little match here and that’s all it needed to be.

Post match here’s Eva Marie and my goodness this crowd hates her. She has to tell them to stop booing over and over to get her challenge out. I can’t wait to see how they word this on Total Divas to make Eva out to be some innocent victim. The title match seems to be next week, giving us a rare double title defense.

Overall Rating: B-. Another totally acceptable show with Bayley retaining the title in a big TV main event and a lot more stuff being set up for London. This is the NXT formula working to perfection and it still makes me want to see the big shows while giving me entertaining TV week to week. Good show here, but were you expecting anything else?

Results

Nia Jax b. Carmella – Legdrop

Chad Gable/Jason Jordan b. Ascension – Grand Amplitude to Viktor

Emma b. Mary Kate – Emma Lock

Bayley b. Alexa Bliss – Bayley to Belly

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: November 11, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We’re on the road to London at the moment and the big story is Samoa Joe turning on Finn Balor last week after Balor’s title defense against Apollo Crews. This likely sets up the main event at the next Takeover, though there’s a chance Crews and Baron Corbin could be added in to make it a four way. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show.

Opening sequence.

Tye Dillinger vs. Baron Corbin

Never mind as Apollo Crews hits the ring and destroys Corbin, sending him running off. Crews shouts at Corbin to come back but he’s long gone.

The announcers preview the rest of the show.

Bayley/Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy/Alexa Bliss

Ryder and Murphy get us going but it’s off to Bliss a few seconds in. Bayley is more than happy to come in and, after Alexa takes off her bracelet, the champ takes her down with a headlock. Fans: “SHE AIN’T HYPED! BAYLEY’S HYPED!” Bayley sends her into the corner for a running elbow but the threat of a Bayley to Belly sends Bliss out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Mojo clotheslining Blake and bringing in Ryder as Graves psychoanalyzes his colleagues. Ryder gets caught in the wrong corner and stomped down, followed by a backbreaker as the fans continue to chant what sounds like “HEY WE WANT SOME BAYLEY!” Murphy’s reverse chinlock doesn’t get very far so he drives Zack back into the corner for a slingshot hilo from Blake.

Back up and Zack dives over for the tag to Mojo, in his neon green gear (Byron: “SLIMER IS ON THE LOOSE!”). Everything breaks down and Bliss gets knocked to the floor but she grabs the title and runs off. Bayley is ticked off so she Bayley to Bellys Murphy and chases Bliss off. Hyperdrive puts Murphy away at 12:11.

Rating: C. I don’t usually get annoyed with the NXT fans but that HEY WE WANT SOME BAYLEY chant was driving me crazy here. The match itself was just a formula match but it sets up Bliss vs. Bayley for the new champ’s first fresh title match. Good enough here but most importantly it got the job done, which is where NXT shines.

Ascension accepts Gable and Jordan’s challenge.

Nia Jax runs into Eva Marie and they walk off together.

Deonna vs. Nia Jax

No Eva in sight. A quick Samoan drop plants Deonna early on and we’re already in the slow squash. Jax throws her into the corner and plants her with a release spinebuster. A legdrop puts Deonna away at 1:49.

Clip of Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson beating the Vaudevillains in the Dusty Classic to set up tonight’s title match.

William Regal underwent successful neck surgery. No word on how long he’s out.

Bayley is looking for Bliss and finds her Women’s Title. Nia Jax jumps her from behind and scares Bliss off for trying to get the title. Jax looks at the title and drops it next to Bayley before leaving.

Tag Team Titles: Vaudevillains vs. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder

Vaudevillains are defending. English and Dawson get things going but it’s quickly off to Wilder with the champs taking over in the corner. Some kicks to the chest put Wilder down so it’s off to Scott who gets caught in an armbar. Wilder offers a distraction from the apron though and Dawson takes out the knee as we go to a break. Back with English’s knee in trouble as Wilder cranks away. Dawson wraps it around the post because he wrestle like a modern day Anderson.

More shots to the leg set up a slingshot suplex (so he’s an Anderson and Blanchard hybrid) for two. English’s leg is wrapped around the post again but he pulls Dawson’s face into the post, allowing for the hot tag to Gotch. Everything breaks down with Simon cleaning house, only to have English tag back in for no logical reason. Gotch is sent into the steps and English’s knee is crushed the same was Cass’ was a few weeks back. Wilder’s reverse Figure Four gives us new champions at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This was an old school psychology driven match with the leg work being the story running throughout the whole thing. The Vaudevillains felt like transitional champions so this was a better idea than letting them hang around while the titles got weaker. Wilder and Dawson will have more opponents anyway and can lead to a showdown with Gable and Jordan.

The new champs can’t believe it.

Bayley vs. Bliss for the title next week.

Here’s Samoa Joe for his big explanation. When the Dusty Classic was announced, Finn Balor came to him and asked Joe to be his partner. They won that tournament and Joe wanted an NXT Title match. Now to Balor’s credit, he agreed to the match but did nothing when Regal put him in the #1 contenders battle royal.

That lack of action drove Joe to do what he did last week because he doesn’t deserve to wait for a title shot. The day he walked in to NXT he was owed a shot because he’s Samoa Joe. This brings out Balor but the referees break it up. Joe says good choices and grabs the Koquina Clutch to choke Balor out. Joe holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a moving day show for NXT as they got a lot more stuff set up for down the road but it didn’t really like anything big happened here, including a title change. The good thing about NXT though is they’re capable of taking something that doesn’t feel huge and turning it into something bigger later. You can see most of the London show from here and it’s going to be a fun night because NXT takes the time to set up their big shows instead of just throwing them together.

Results

Bayley/Hype Bros b. Blake and Murphy/Alexa Bliss – Hyperdrive to Murphy

Nia Jax b. Deonna – Legdrop

Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder b. Vaudevillains – Reverse Figure Four to English

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: October 21, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re in the fun times for NXT now as they’re a long way off from starting the build to the next Takeover so we might have another big card in the middle, meaning it’s time for some fun TV. Apollo Crews is the new #1 contender to Finn Balor’s NXT Title but tonight we’ve got a former TNA World Champion debuting. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the battle royal with Crews last eliminating Baron Corbin for the win. That was quite the star making performance but I still don’t have much of a connection to him. That’s the same thing I said about Finn Balor though and that turned out quite well.

Opening sequence.

Asuka vs. Billie Kay

Kay now has a full entrance so there seems to be some plans for her. We also get a quick inset promo from Kay where she says she’s been around the world and has some long legs. So Stacy with an accent. Fans: “YOU KILLED DANA!” Billie’s early cheap shot doesn’t work but she grabs a nice delayed vertical suplex for two. She goes after Asuka’s arm but Asuka comes right back with the rapid fire offense. A forearm just ticks Asuka off and there’s a cross armbreaker on Kay. Fans: “ARMBAR!” Kay makes the ropes so Asuka gives her a German suplex, followed by the Asuka Lock for the submission at 3:27.

Rating: C+. This was another efficient match as Asuka got to destroy someone else, but the important thing here is that we now have something to differentiate Billie. No it’s not much, but she’s Australian and has long legs. If nothing else it’s more focus than she’s got since she debuted so they’re going somewhere with her. It’s a start and that’s something everyone needs.

The announcers rave about Asuka.

Video on Baron Corbin.

Tyler Breeze says that Samoa Joe doesn’t get to win the Dusty Classic and then just go on to be #1 contender. After last week, Breeze isn’t #1 contender but Joe isn’t either. If Joe has a problem with that, he can come find Breeze because Tyler would love to slice a few pieces of bacon off of Joe. In case you didn’t get that, he’s saying Joe is fat. I didn’t know Tyler was a Steiner.

Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore vs. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder

Cassady says if you come see them this Halloween, you’re knocking on the wrong door. Dawson (are he and Wilder officially called the Mechanics or not? I know they’re often called that but has that ever been used in NXT?) takes out Breeze’s leg to start and we get into an old school Anderson series of tags as they work over the leg. Dawson grabs a leg lock and Enzo is in big trouble early on. Cass finally breaks it up with a kick to the head and Enzo grabs a small package to pin Dawson at 2:24.

Enzo and Colin take a beating post match.

Video on Rhyno.

Breast cancer is bad.

Eva Marie is still in Paris. The NXT fans probably don’t understand French culture but she’s got a present for us: herself.

Danny Burch vs. James Storm

The fans seem genuinely shocked by this one. The announcers actually mention Storm’s cup of coffee in the dying days of WCW and treat him like a huge deal. Fans: “YOU BELONG HERE!” Storm looks the same as he did in NXT and is good here. Burch pounds him down in the corner and cranks on the neck, only to have Storm come back with some clotheslines and an enziguri in the corner.

A running neckbreaker (Storm: “GOODNIGHT!”) sets up a new move where he looks like he’s loading up a White Noise but spins Burch around into something like a Russian legsweep for the pin at 1:52. Apparently it’s called the Eight Second Ride. I’ve heard worse names and this was a good debut.

Storm does his catchphrase.

Apollo Crews vs. Finn Balor is in two weeks.

Video on Crews where he talks about growing up all over the world and watching wrestling with his dad. Ultimate Warrior got his attention and he thought he’d like to do it. Crews starts crying when he talks about convincing his mom to buy a toy belt they couldn’t afford. Some clips from Evolve wraps up part one. This helped lay a groundwork for Crews and that’s more than he’s had so far.

Nia Jax is still here and is back next week.

Alexa Bliss vs. Peyton Royce

Bliss grabs a headlock to start and steps on Royce’s back when Peyton drops to the mat. It’s off to an armbar from Alexa as the announcers bicker like morons. The fans chant for Peyton so Alexa pounds her down and moonsaults into double knees to the ribs. The Sparkle Splash gives Alexa the pin at 3:15.

Rating: D. Bliss isn’t much in the ring but she can look intimidating with Blake and Murphy behind her. I don’t think anyone is going to buy her as a real threat to Bayley but she can be a good hill for Bayley to climb. Well as good as a 5’1 hill can actually be. Royce could be fine with some more time and a character.

Post match Bliss says she was made to be Women’s Champion.

Joe vs. Breeze next week.

Rhyno vs. Baron Corbin

They immediately brawl to start and fight to the floor for all of five seconds. Back in and Rhyno gets the better of it and punches him up against the ropes, sending Baron out to the floor for a breather. Rhyno follows him out but gets sent into the post as we take a break. Back with Baron slowly stomping away and putting on a chinlock to slow things down even more.

Rhyno fights up and they head outside again with Corbin being sent into the steps. Back in and a quick suplex gets two for Rhyno, followed by the spinebuster for the same. The Gore connects for a surprising two (good) and the fans want one more. Rhyno proves that listening to the fans is a bad idea as he charges into the End of Days for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: C-. This was fine for a low level TV main event but it’s still nothing I need to see again. Corbin has been doing the same thing for so long now and he needs a story other than “Corbin vs. power guy”. Rhyno is a nice win for Baron, but find something new for him to do already.

Joe says desperation is a very funny thing. Tyler Breeze is the epitome of a desperate man but Joe knocked him out. Then he had the nerve to call Joe out. That desperation is going to get him hurt, so Tyler needs to put in his highlights and make sure his hair is nice and pretty, because Joe is coming for him. When is the last time you saw a show ending with a preview for next week like that? That’s a nice old school change of pace.

Overall Rating: B. An hour of story advancement, acceptable wrestling (mostly) and an old school hype promo to end the show. This continues to be my favorite show of the week and they keep polishing it more and more every time. They’ve even set up a few weeks worth of big matches to keep you coming back. Yeah notice that WWE: they set them up for future shows, not the next half hour.

Results

Asuka b. Billie Kay – Asuka Lock

Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore b. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder – Small package to Dawson

James Storm b. Danny Burch – Eight Second Ride

Alexa Bliss b. Peyton Royce – Sparkle Splash

Baron Corbin b. Rhyno – End of Days

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: October 14, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re past Takeover: Respect now and the question is who comes after Finn Balor’s NXT Title next. In theory it’s Samoa Joe, who teamed with Balor to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic last week. Other than that we’re going to find out who is next to go after Bayley now that Sasha Banks is likely gone. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of Takeover: Respect. What an awesome show.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Bayley to get things going but she has to stop for a MATCH OF THE YEAR chant. Last week’s show was amazing from top to bottom, especially the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic because Dusty had such an impact on this place. The main event was her dream come true because it took the Divas Revolution to a whole new level. That’s true. Not only did they have stupid tagline and Twitter hashtags, some of them might have even been trending. You know that means they’ve made it.

They want women’s wrestling to be respected but here are Alexa Bliss with Blake and Murphy to interrupt. The fans actually give Alexa the WHAT treatment and I really hope that doesn’t become a thing down here. Bliss talks about how awesome Bayley is and how proud she should be of what she accomplished. The future for the women of NXT has no limit and she’s happy to share it with Bayley.

Bliss takes the title and says they won’t be sharing this. She didn’t write letters to herself when she was ten, but she wants the title too. Bayley isn’t worthy of being champion and it’s going to be a lot easier when Bliss takes it from her. For real. Well at least it’s not Eva Marie.

Last week, Regal congratulated Balor and Joe on winning the tournament. Joe gets right to the point: he’s undefeated since he arrived and would like a title shot. Balor would love to give him a shot but Regal says it’s not that simple and makes a battle royal for the #1 contendership. Joe isn’t happy but Regal isn’t budging.

Tye Dillinger, Apollo Crews and Rhyno all say they’ll win the battle royal.

Breast cancer is bad.

Vaudevillains vs. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton

Non-title. English spins around to take over on Dawkins’ arm as Graves goes on about how weird the Vaudevillains are. A Fulton distraction lets Angelo get in a shot to the face and it’s off to Sawyer for some big shots in the corner. Angelo talks some loud trash as Fulton hooks a quick chinlock. A missed charge in the corner allows for the tag off to Gotch, who the fans find manly. Gotch suplexes Dawkins down and knocks off one of his headbands (don’t worry he has a second), setting up the Whirling Dervish to pin Dawkins at 3:14.

Rating: D+. Nothing match here but it was little more than a way to remind the fans that Vaudevillains are in fact a thing. They haven’t gotten a lot of focus lately but I have a feeling that Gable and Jordan will be more than enough of a challenge for them going forward. The Mechanics, who beat them in the Dusty Classic, are going to be around too.

Speaking of which, the Mechanics bring up the tournament match and think it means they’re the #1 contenders. However, they’ve been dealt the cards of Enzo and Cass, who will learn their lesson soon enough.

Clip of Asuka destroying Dana Brooke.

Dana was getting looked at when Asuka came up to laugh at her. She stared Emma down as well with that creepy smile. I like Asuka more and more every time as she’s almost eery at times.

Evie vs. Nia Jax

Nia Jax has some size to her, looking to be about the same level as Havok. The fans do the Baron Corbin counting and Nia shoves Evie into the corner. We hit an early bearhug followed by a splash in the corner. Fans: “JUST STAY DOWN!” Evie fires off some kicks but a release Rock Bottom ends her at 2:12. So we have Bayley, Asuka, Nia, Bliss, Brooke/Emma and the new jobbers who could easily be elevated. The division is already being rebuilt and it’s already looking good.

Package on the praise for the Iron Man match.

Tyler Breeze and Baron Corbin say they’ll win.

Eva Marie is in Paris for some me time.

Battle Royal

Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Tye Dillinger, Colin Cassady, Enzo Amore, Danny Burch, Elias Sampson, Mojo Rawley, Blake, Murphy, Rhyno, Tyler Breeze, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Bull Dempsey, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Samoa Joe, Zack Ryder, Steve Cutler, Riddick Moss

I think that’s everyone but I can’t fine a complete list anywhere. Only Rhyno, Corbin and Joe get entrances. A group of guys go after Joe to start and they get him to the apron but he punches his way back to safety. Everyone brawls with everyone as there’s too much to call early on. Gargano hides in the corner and ties himself around the ropes. Steve Cutler is the first elimination after three minutes.

Burch and Sampson are put out as well with Gargano following them. All four were put out by Crews in quite the display. Back from a break with no one having been eliminated during the break. Enzo and Blake have to save themselves but both stay in. Cass throws Moss out but the Mechanics get rid of him, only to have Enzo dump both of them at once. Dillinger eliminates Enzo but gets beaten up and tossed by Dempsey. Rhyno saves Corbin and eliminates Bull to get us down to ten.

We’ve got Ciampa, Ryder, Breeze, Joe, Crews, Blake, Murphy, Corbin, Rawley and Rhyno still left. Corbin dumps Rawley as the fans are behind Breeze. Things start to slow down and Breeze has to survive a double team from Blake and Murphy. Corbin eliminates Ryder and then turns on Rhyno to get rid of him as well. We take another break and come back with Blake, Murphy, Crews, Joe, Corbin and Breeze as Ciampa was put out during the break.

Joe dumps out Blake and Murphy at the same time before blocking the Supermodel Kick and erupting on Breeze. A running boot eliminates Tyler and it’s down to three. Corbin throws Joe to the apron and Breeze pulls him out to get us down to Crews vs. Corbin. Fans: “THANK YOU TYLER!” That’s a very interesting result.

They drive each other into the corner and the fans are entirely behind Crews. A spinebuster plants Apollo but Corbin gets frustrated when Crews stays on the apron. Apollo starts his comeback but the moonsault hits knees. Crews comes back with a series of kicks to the head though and a clothesline eliminates Corbin for the win at 23:12.

Rating: C+. Battle royals are always tricky to grade but this was more than entertaining enough. They flew through some of the eliminations here but the result is a good way to give us a new #1 contender and challenger for the title. There are only so many ways to run a battle royal and this was about as good as it was going to get.

Overall Rating: B+. In 58 minutes, we have a new #1 contender to the Women’s Title, Tag Team Titles and NXT Title, as well as a new feud between Joe and Breeze and an awesome debut for Nia Jax. As usual, NXT knows how to use its time better than any other wrestling show I’ve ever seen as they got everything accomplished in less than an hour with almost no time wasted. Another really good show this week and it flew by. Why can’t WWE do in five hours what NXT can do in one?

Results

Vaudevillains b. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton – Whirling Dervish to Dawkins

Nia Jax b. Evie – Release Rock Bottom

Apollo Crews won a battle royal last eliminating Baron Corbin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: August 19, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Rich Brennan

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Brooklyn and the card is pretty much set in stone, meaning tonight is all about the final build. This Saturday is going to be the biggest show in NXT history with 13,000 fans in attendance, so hopefully this show sets the stage in a very big way. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Finn Balor destroying Marcus Louis last week but getting attacked by Kevin Owens, including the Pop Up Powerbomb to leave the champion laying.

The recaps continue with a look at Bayley pinning Becky Lynch last week to earn a shot at Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. The staredown with Sasha made me want to see the match even more than I already did. Assuming Bayley wins the title (and Heaven help them if she doesn’t), the eruption is going to be off the charts.

Opening sequence.

Here’s NXT GM William Regal to open things up with a good old fashioned contract signing. It’s Bayley out first with Regal pointing out that she defeated Emma, Charlotte and Becky Lynch to earn the shot. Imagine that: earning a title shot because you beat all the contenders. Banks comes out and sees the girl Bayley hugged in the front row, who she promises to make cry. Now THAT is a heel.

Bayley thanks the fans and says she couldn’t be here without them. She’s had these title matches before but she’s let it slip through her fingers. Fan: “NOT THIS TIME!” Bayley: “Yeah that’s right.” She knows the people can feel it, she knows Regal can feel it and she thinks Sasha can feel it too. Bayley signs but Sasha mocks her for having such a big moment. Fans: “Let’s go Bayley!” Sasha: “There’s a reason the show is in Brooklyn and not here.” That earns her some of the loudest booing in her career.

Sasha promises to show Bayley why she’s the boss and stamps her signature on the contract. The champ goes to leave but Bayley says she’s watched a lot of WWE and this isn’t how contract signings end. Sasha isn’t scared because she isn’t Becky or Charlotte. Bayley really thinks she’s a role model to all the little girls in the audience? Sasha is the real role model because she’s going to teach them that fairy tales don’t have happy endings.

It’s not worth her time to fight Bayley tonight because Bayley is just not worth it. Banks leaves and Bayley looks like she’s about to cry but goes after Banks on the ramp until referees break it up. I haven’t wanted to see a match like this in a long time, probably all the way back to the first Shield vs. Wyatt Family match. As they always do, NXT knows how to take their time to build up a match, but more importantly they know how to build to a moment. I’m to the point where I have to see Bayley win the title and it’s going to be one of the best moments in a long time, even if it seems so obvious. Hopefully it’s not too obvious.

Apollo Crews video.

Tyler Breeze vs. ???

Breeze has a Liger mask to hang on the corner. The jobber doesn’t even have a name and the Supermodel Kick takes him out at 35 seconds.

Breeze puts the Liger mask on the guy post match and says he’s heard great things about Liger but he really isn’t impressed. Everyone here wants a little preview of what they can expect, so there’s a Beauty Shot to the jobber with Breeze counting his own pin.

Hype Bros/Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. ???/???/???/???

Cass thinks that any Joe Schmo who wants to go toe to toe with him, Zo, Mojo and the Bro can only be described in one word. Mojo cranks on one of the nameless jobber’s wrists before it’s off to Ryder to send him into the buckle. Even the announcers aren’t naming these guys. A middle rope dropkick with Ryder landing on top for a cover connects before it’s off to Enzo to stay on the arm.

The first jobber brings Enzo to the corner for a tag to the guy in a shirt like Rollins used to wear for a kick to the head. Jobber #3’s chinlock doesn’t last long and the hot tag brings in Big Cass to clean house. Everything breaks down and the first jobber takes the Broski Boot, followed by #4 getting Cass’ side slam and the Rocket Launcher for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: C-. Total squash here and I kind of like the idea of the newcomers not even being named because it’s not worth the time. The announcers spent the entire time hyping up next week’s eight man tag with the winners facing Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson/Chad Gable/Jason Jordan.

Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson/Chad Gable/Jason Jordan say it’s going to be a bit more difficult for the Hype Bros/Enzo/Cass next week. Gable does his ready, willing and Gable line and his teammates groan.

Samoa Joe vs. Steve Cutler

The Rock Bottom out of the corner and the Koquina Clutch end Cutler in 33 seconds.

Corbin jumps Joe from behind and throws him back in the ring for End of Days.

The new and improved Bull Dempsey is here next week.

Blake/Murphy vs. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton

Non-title. Fans: “Come on Blakey let’s go party.” I hate that song but good night that’s brilliant. Dawkins armdrags Blake down to start and dropkicks both champions down. Blake gets in a few shots but a shoulder puts him down and it’s off to Fulton to clean house. A swinging gutwrench suplex plants Murphy but he pops back up for the running suplex into Blake’s frog splash for the pin at 3:39.

Rating: C. It was to have this not be a squash but there was never any doubt as to who was winning here. Unfortunately we didn’t get enough Bliss here as she’s clearly the star of the team and by far the most interesting thing out there. Blake and Murphy are little more than passable but they have a gorgeous manager with attitude so they’re going to be fine.

Post match the Vaudevillains come out to introduce their counter to Bliss. Before they can say anything though, Bliss comes up and slaps them both twice. Fans: “WE WANT BLUE PANTS!”

Next week it’s Carmella vs. Eva Marie, which is one of the matches being taped before Takeover. Also next week, the eight man tag mentioned earlier and Charlotte vs. Emma vs. Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke.

Here’s Kevin Owens with a ladder for his last speech before the title match. After annoying the fans by bringing up Brooklyn, Owens calls the fans hypocrites for hating Takeover not being here in Florida. These are the same fans who chant FIGHT OWENS FIGHT, unless he’s laying a finger on Sami Zayn or mentioning John Cena, which makes them boo. If he talks about beating John Cena though, everyone cheers. The NXT fans are the John Cena of wrestling fans because nothing genuine comes out of their mouths.

They talk about wanting NXT to succeed and grow but then they boo when it’s selling out a 13,000 seat arena (“which only sold out once I was in the main event”) because it’s being taken away from then. He’s sick of coming here and performing in front of trash like this. However, it’s going to make him feel better to beat a clown like Balor in front of a crowd worthy of seeing him. As for Balor, he needs to understand that Japan was a fluke.

What Owens has done to guys like Sami Zayn is nothing because now he needs the NXT Title to shove it in the faces of these stupid fans. Saturday is going to be destroy Owens destroy and climb Owens climb. Fans: “FALL OWENS FALL!” Owens is on top of the ladder and there go the lights.

Balor is sitting on the top rope so Owens wisely climbs back down. They don’t wait for the brawl and Owens is knocked to the floor with a big ladder shot to the face. Fans: “RUN OWENS RUN!” Balor climbs the ladder and says he’s retaining the title and shutting Owens’ mouth on Saturday.

Overall Rating: B. This is a good example of a show where the wrestling is the least important thing on the card. Tonight did an outstanding job of building the card for Saturday with Owens showing why he’s a master on the microphone by pointing out everyone’s hypocrisy and then losing the fight. I’m far more excited for Takeover than I am for Summerslam, which is the case with almost all of the NXT shows these days. Excellent go home show here that did everything it was supposed to do.

Results

Tyler Breeze b. ??? – Supermodel Kick

Hype Bros/Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady b. ???/???/???/??? – Rocket Launcher

Samoa Joe b. Steve Cutler – Koquina Clutch

Blake/Murphy b. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton – Frog splash to Fulton

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011T13PV4

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Finally, make sure to check out the Wrestling Bundle, which wraps up Sunday August 23 at midnight EST. Here are the details:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/08/16/the-wrestling-bundle/

NXT
Date: June 17, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Rich Brennan

It’s a big week here in NXT as last week saw Samoa Joe challenging Kevin Owens to a title shot but getting turned down because he hasn’t racked up enough wins yet. Fair point said Commissioner William Regal, so it’s a non-title match tonight instead. This is probably just filler until we get to July 4 in Japan but NXT filler is still good stuff. Let’s get to it.

As you would expect, this show is dedicated to the American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

We open with the Dusty tribute video, which is still awesome stuff.

Opening sequence.

Blake/Murphy/Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella/Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady

Enzo’s speech this week is about Star Wars but he keeps it short. Carmella wants a piece of Alexa Bliss, and Cass is nice enough to spell out the one word that describes Blake, Murphy and Bliss. There’s a new ring announcer who sounds like he has no idea who any of these people are. He has a good, deep voice though. The fans think Blake and Murphy look stupid but switch to BONAFIDE STUD/CERTIFIED G.

Blake and his headlock slow Enzo down to start before a shoulder puts him on the mat. With nothing else working, Enzo opts to dance and hits a very unique cross body where he doesn’t actually jump but takes Blake down anyway. Everything breaks down and the Long Island guys (and Carmella) clean house.

Back from a break with Enzo slugging Blake down but getting dropped from behind by Murphy. We hit the headlock on the mat for a good while before Cass gets dropped off the apron. Enzo avoids a charge in the corner though and makes the tag off to Carmella, meaning Alexa has to come in. Carmella dominates in a hurry as everything breaks down again. Cass plants Blake with the side slam, setting up the Rocket Launcher for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: C-. This was fine, but there’s a major point that caught my eye here. Since turning heel, Alexa has been wearing more revealing attire and Carmella was wearing even less than usual tonight. However, other than Enzo calling Carmella hot during the entrance, their looks or attire are never addressed. The lack of comments from Lawler or the girls ripping on each other for their appearances and just fighting because they hate each other. I love that about NXT and it continues to show how lame and behind the times the Divas division really is.

Stills of Cena vs. Owens II and the aftermath.

Joe is here to deal with Kevin Owens but more than that he’s here because he wants to wrestle in places that are cutting edge. That explains the departure from TNA as I doubt they could even cut paper. As for Owens, his running away last week told Joe that he didn’t want to fight. Tonight though, the NXT World Champion (that’s a new one) is getting what he deserves.

We get the first part of a look at Finn Balor, mainly due to a sitdown interview. First question: who is Fergal Devitt? Balor talks about growing up in Ireland and how his dad built his way up from a cleaner to a train engineer in a cool story. One day a show called Superstars came on his TV and he was instantly hooked. We get some really cool clips of him in some tiny independents as well as Insane Championship Wrestling (Scotland) and Revolution Pro Wrestling UK.

Becky Lynch cries talking about how Fergal (her word) opened a wrestling school in Ireland and got her into the business as a result. She lied about her age to get into the school and so that Fergal might ask her out, which apparently he did. There are some really cool pictures of the two of them going through school and starting their careers, including stuff like being in the ring or just listening to music together so you could tell they were close.

There are clips from Insane Championship Wrestling with him in the demon paint where the announcers praise him for being amazing. Next up was New Japan but he said he’s be back to Ireland. This was about eight minutes long and totally awesome as it made me care about Balor more than I even have before. Part two is next week.

Charlotte vs. K.C. Cassidy

A headscissors takes Cassidy down to start but she comes back with a quick rollup for two. That goes nowhere as Charlotte kicks her in the face and chokes with the boot when asking the referee about the speed of the count. Charlotte’s cravate doesn’t work very well as K.C. comes back with a cross body for two, only to have her eat a spear (good selling too). The Figure Eight makes Cassidy tap at 3:50.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here to remind us that Charlotte is awesome before she gets back into it with Barrett and Emma for the big feud. That spear looked good and could be a good power finisher for her as Charlotte is tall and strong enough to make it work well. Cassidy has potential but is clearly not that experienced.

Dana Brooke says she’s misunderstood because she’s a current fitness competitor who isn’t scared one of Charlotte. She’s replacing Charlotte because she’s the total diva and not using her family name to get into NXT. I have no idea what Carmella was looking at that was just a foot or so off camera but it made her look really weird. She makes up for it just a bit by coming back to pat Devon on the head.

Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe

Non-title. The crowd going silent when Joe’s music changes tells you all you need to know about how horrible it really is. Owens bails to the floor to start but Joe goes right after him and gets in the champ’s face. Back in and the fans already think this is awesome. Not so fast kids. Owens: “THE CHAMP IS HERE!” That earns him a right hand to the face and a big chop to the head as Joe gets in the first offense.

A back elbow drops Kevin again as the fans are quieter than you would expect. The corner enziguri sets up the Facewash and the big running boot to the face to send Owens outside for a break. Back with Joe missing a charge in the corner, allowing Owens to hit a Cannonball, almost out of desperation. A chinlock keeps Joe in trouble and the second version slows things down even more. Fans: “HEADLOCK CITY!” It’s a chinlock but points for creativity.

The hold is finally broken and Joe drops his own backsplash for two. Something like a running enziguri gets the same on the champ but he fights out of the Muscle Buster. They fight to the floor but Owens can’t powerbomb the baron of the buffet. The referee gets shoved down and that’s a DQ at 14:39.

Rating: C-. This was more of an angle than a match but that chinlock in the middle killed everything they had going. I have a feeling they’ll move on to Balor vs. Owens for now before Joe gets his big title match, or maybe just a non-title match against Owens instead. Fun power brawl while it lasted, but that chinlock went on way too long. It was much more of a preview than a showdown.

They do the big brawl with security not being able to hold them back post match. Owens shouts that the champ is here to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was another of those setting the future shows, which are often some of the best episodes NXT puts out. The Tag Team Title rematch is set, Charlotte looked dominant and Brooke is ready to fight her, there’s a reason for Joe vs. Owens II and you top it off with the really awesome Balor video. That’s quite an impressive use of 53 minutes as you have four stories set up, which could cover a month of upcoming TV. It’s back to efficient for NXT and that’s what they do best.

Results

Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady/Carmella b. Blake/Murphy/Alexa Bliss – Rocket Launcher to Blake

Charlotte b. K.C. Cassidy – Figure Eight

Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe went to a double DQ when they both shoved the referee

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOUNBEA

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: June 3, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

This is an interesting time for NXT as one of their biggest stories isn’t taking place on NXT. Instead, NXT Champion Kevin Owens has been called up to the main roster and even defeated John Cena clean on pay per view in his debut match. It doesn’t help that he’s feuding with a bunch of people here in NXT as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is all about Owens beating Cena at Elimination Chamber.

General Manager William Regal has an announcement tonight.

Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose

Fans: “WE WANT KRUGER!” Rose takes him into the corner to start and nails some loud chops, followed by a headlock takeover: rest hold. Back up and Breeze nails a great dropkick to put Rose on the floor. That goes nowhere as Rose backdrops him to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Rose putting on a sleeper for a good while until Breeze fights out and kicks him in the chest. Breeze, wrestling like a face here, nails some running forearms in the corner but gets caught in a spinebuster, which Rose transitions into a Boston crab for a nice spot. Breeze crawls over to the ropes and comes back with the Beauty Shot for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. Breeze is one of those characters who is going to be turned face just due to how well he works in the ring and there isn’t much NXT can do to stop it. This was a much better match than I was expecting, especially considering Rose is way past his expiration date at this point.

Solomon Crowe is glad Joe was there last week and promises to be back and better than ever.

Dana Brooke has been at the Arnold Classic and will be back soon.

Eva Marie is brought to the stage for a chat and MY GOODNESS the fans do not want to see her. The YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chants stop her cold but she says she’ll wait. Eva was at Takeover to watch the great women’s wrestling and that’s why she’s here now. She wants to compete with the best and they’re right here in NXT. I know she’s been training more, but she has a huge hill to overcome to get anywhere.

Regal’s announcement is that on the big 4^th of July show with Brock Lesnar in action, Balor will challenge Kevin Owens for the NXT Title in Japan, and it will air live on the WWE Network. Oh man that could be awesome if they air the whole show but it sounds like just the NXT Title match.

Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss

Carmella goes right at her with three straight takedowns and right hands every time. Bliss manages to drop her face first onto the buckle for two before cranking on a cravate. Back up and Carmella hits some running forearms, only to get caught in a rollup with a hand grabbing the ropes to give Bliss the pin at 3:34.

Rating: D+. This is where NXT’s logical booking shines. It’s clear that they’re setting up a six person tag and what better way to set it up than to have the girls getting there for a bit? Bliss has transitioned into this new role perfectly and the character change is so jarring that it works very well.

Rhyno says he’s back to go after the top contender in Finn Balor. Tonight he’s a Gore away from being one step closer to being NXT Champion.

Video on Sami Zayn’s shoulder surgery, which fixed a torn rotator cuff.

Vaudevillains vs. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis

I had been wondering what happened to Louis. The crazy Louis starts with Gotch as the fans are very happy to have the Vaudevillains back. It’s quickly off to English for a manly knee to the ribs (Fans: “THAT WAS MANLY!”) but Jordan comes in for a suplex to take over. We hit the reverse chinlock on English to slow things down. Louis tags himself in, much to Jordan’s annoyance, and puts on a chinlock of his own. English fights up and makes the hot tag to Gotch for a quick Whirling Dervish and the pin on Marcus at 5:16.

Rating: D+. So the Vaudevillains seem to be faces as well. That’s not the worst idea in the world as you can put them against Blake and Murphy when Enzo and Cass are done with them. That’s one of the places where NXT shines: they set something up for when the current feud is done and they can transition right into the new feud. I miss that kind of well done and planned out booking. The match was nothing special and was mostly spent in a chinlock. I’m assuming Jordan will go partner hunting for the next few weeks.

Video on Sasha Banks being all Bossy.

Finn Balor is ready for Rhyno.

Finn Balor vs. Rhyno

Feeling out process to start until Rhyno just runs Balor over with a shoulder. Rhyno goes up top but gets kicked out to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Rhyno putting on a body scissors to slow Balor down. Rhyno mocks Balor’s signature pose before putting on a chinlock.

That goes nowhere as Finn comes back with a middle rope forearm but the reverse lifting DDT is countered into a spinebuster for two. Frustration is setting in for Rhyno and the Pele makes it even worse. The Sling Blade connects but the Coup de Grace misses. The Gore misses as well though and Balor grabs a quick rollup for the surprise pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. I liked this better than I was expecting to with Balor being able to adapt to Rhyno’s simple yet effective power style. That’s the perk of having someone like Rhyno around: he can work well with anyone and you can easily build him back up by having him squash jobbers, only to lose again to someone like Balor. Nice little match here.

Rhyno Gores Balor on the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show would best be summed up as recharging. You have the Vaudevillains returning and Breeze acting more like a face, along with setting up some feuds for the future. This is something you come to expect from NXT as they hit Takeover, have a week off, and then start getting back on track to the middle of the road feuds. Owens vs. Balor in Tokyo should be awesome and the fans are going to eat it up.

Results

Tyler Breeze b. Adam Rose – Beauty Shot

Alexa Bliss b. Carmella – Rollup while holding the ropes

Vaudevillains b. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis – Whirling Dervish to Louis

Finn Balor b. Rhyno – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOUNBEA

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: May 13, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Unstoppable, but it’s been clear that one of the only things that can stop NXT is the injury bug. Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami have jacked up their shoulders. Sami’s time on the shelf (if he’ll be out at all) has yet to be determined but Itami is looking at six to eight months. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Takeover card changes as a result of the injuries. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of Sami Zayn answering John Cena’s Open Challenge for the US Title. Sami is still going to be here tonight to go face to face with Owens, but this was taped before the injury.

Opening sequence.

Solomon Crowe vs. Baron Corbin

Crowe goes right after him to start but gets shoved across the ring. Baron slowly hammers him down and the fans chant either BORING or CORBIN. It turns into BARON’S GONNA BORE YOU but Solomon kicks him into the corner. I’m digging this spunky fighter character but I still want the hacker gimmick instead. Not that it matters as Crowe charges into the End of Days for the pin at 2:07.

Post match Rhyno comes out to start the brawl until security breaks it up. Well it’s better than Bull Dempsey. Rhyno Gores down some of the guards.

Finn Balor says he isn’t underestimating Tyler Breeze because he knows how awesome Breeze is. As for who he’d rather face for the title, Sami is one of the best in the world but he’s still bothered that he didn’t beat Owens. Either is fine with him though.

Tyler Breeze says he’s winning the triple threat and getting back where he belongs. He doesn’t care who he faces for the title.

Sasha Banks vs. ???

Before the match, Sasha says she made Becky Lynch and next week she’ll prove that she’s the Boss. A small package and backslide get two each for the unnamed one (the fans dub her Black Shorts) and Banks bails to the floor. Back in and a cross body gets two on Sasha. I love how the announcers manage to avoid saying they have no idea what the other girl’s name is. Sasha drives two knees into the ribs in the corner and Black Shorts is in trouble. The Bank Statement is good for the submission at 2:31.

Charlotte and Bayley want a tag match with Emma and Dana Brooke at Takeover. Nothing wrong with combining feuds into one match.

We get the same Uhaa Nation vignette from last week.

Nation comes in and sees…..someone I don’t recognize but it might have been Crowe. They seem friendly. Nation still doesn’t have a name.

Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella

Feeling out process to start with Bliss grabbing some rollups for two each. Carmella takes her down into a body scissors but here come the Tag Team Champions. Bliss gets caught in a full nelson with Carmella’s legs as the fans tell the champs that they look stupid. We get an awkward sequence of Bliss wrist dragging Carmella off the top but pausing once she hits the mat. She pops up into a standing moonsault but it’s called double knees to the ribs. Carmella grabs her headscissors crossface but Blake and Murphy distract her, allowing Bliss to slam her down and hit the Sparkle Splash for the in at 3:40.

Rating: D+. This was missing most of the time as Bliss looked a few steps off. Then again it could have been Carmella not being in place for the spots. Not that it matters though as Bliss could have been any given girl out there as this was all about Carmella, who now seems to be against the champs. Granted that’s changed almost every week so it shouldn’t be a surprise.

Murphy and Blake get in the ring and the fans chant NO MEANS NO. Carmella says her boys will be here next week and prove that Blake and Murphy are SAWFT. The fans were actually behind here here.

Itami says he wants to fight Owens after he wins the triple threat to beat some respect into Kevin.

Emma and Dana Brooke are on for the tag match. They leave but Brooke comes back to pat Devin on the head.

Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. Tyler Breeze/Adam Rose

No Rosebuds this week. Remember that Itami accidentally kicks Balor in the face last week during his match with Breeze. Balor does an extended entrance (no paint) and the fans think it’s awesome. Itami chops Rose to start and brings Balor in for a slingshot stomp to the chest and two. A big clothesline puts Rose on the floor and we take a break. Back with Balor dropkicking Adam for two before Breeze comes in and takes over. It’s Balor in trouble in the corner as Rose and Breeze start taking turns stomping on Finn.

Breeze stays in for a chinlock before Rose gets two off a spinebuster, which transitions into a Boston crab. When is the last time anyone not named Jericho used that move? A rope is grabbed so Rose switches over to a sleeper. Balor finally jawbreaks his way to freedom and nails a Pele, setting up the hot tag to Itami. The fans quickly get into Hideo as he fires off his strikes on Breeze. Balor tags himself in though and hits the Sling Blade on Rose, but Itami tags himself in to break up the Coup de Grace. The fans cheer for Hideo, only to have Breeze roll him up for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: C. This was a by the book WWE tag team match and that’s not the most entertaining thing in the world. I like that they’re setting up Itami vs. Balor, but it would have been nice if they hadn’t had Rose in there to kill off a bit of the suck. It’s interesting that the fans cheered Itami more than Balor as I don’t think I’ve heard that before.

Breeze kicks Balor and Itami down and gets cheered on by some of the crowd. Rose congratulates him but eats a Supermodel Kick.

Another package on Sami vs. Cena.

From after the match, Sami says he’s tweaked his shoulder and made it even worse in the match. He doesn’t know the results of the injury yet but he’s too high off the match to worry about it. No word on if he’ll be able to go for Takeover but the announcers don’t say he won’t be there.

It’s time for the face to face hard sell between Zayn and Owens. Sami says they’re not here to fight and we go to a long shot of Owens as what is clearly a recorded voiceover from Sami where he says his shoulder is hurt but the match is still happening. Back to live audio with Sami asking Owens to tell him why he did this. Just one time, tell him the truth. Was Owens jealous because Sami got here first?

Maybe it’s about Kevin’s son wanting to wear a Sami Zayn shirt instead of a KO shirt. That finally gets under Owens’ skin but he walks out without saying a word. Sami asks if that’s it, but Owens, with his back to Sami, says everything Sami just said is irrelevant. After Owens took the title from him, Zayn left to “clear his head”, but it was because Sami was hurt. He’s still hurt, and it was Owens that hurt him in the first place. At Takeover, he’s going to do it again. This time though, Sami isn’t coming back. Owens is so awesome at being evil and the lack of emotion in his voice as he talked about hurting Sami was great.

Overall Rating: C+. This show felt…..uneven. I’m looking forward to Takeover but it’s lacking that big, emotional feeling to it. Now that being said, NXT is the one place where I have the faith that they can pull off something special, but I’m just not sure what’s going to do that next week. Zayn being able to go is obviously a good thing, but the question is what happens to him after that. Decent enough show this week but it feels like we already had the big moments to build the matches.

Results

Baron Corbin b. Solomon Crowe – End of Days

Sasha Banks b. ??? – Bank Statement

Alexa Bliss b. Carmella – Sparkle Splash

Tyler Breeze/Adam Rose b. Hideo Itami/Finn Balor – Small package to Itami

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1998 Pay Per View reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UYAMB8U

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: March 25, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves

We’re back home in Florida tonight with the main event being Kevin Owens defending the NXT Title against Finn Balor. This is the lower level main event that still has the potential to tear the house down if they’re given enough time, which NXT is usually really good about doing. In addition to that, we have Sasha Banks defending the Women’s Title against Alexa Bliss. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s road trip to Columbus for the first episode out of Florida.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Sasha is defending after losing a non-title match via countout last week. Bliss grabs a quick rollup for two and a crucifix gets the same. More rollups get more near falls and Sasha is having trouble keeping up with Sasha early on. Bliss tries to jump over her in the corner but gets kicked in the ribs to finally slow things down. A running slap to a seated Bliss gets two and the double knees to the ribs in the corner get the same. Sasha shouts that Bliss isn’t in her league but Bliss escapes the straitjacket choke into a small package for two.

The champ gets thrown out to the floor for a big crash. Back in and Bliss lands a slap of her own followed by some forearms before the Glitz Flip (moonsault into two knees to the chest) gets two more. The fans are WAY behind Bliss now which really does show both how good she is as a plucky face and how awesome Sasha is as a heel. Bliss takes time going up and gets slammed down, setting up the Bank Statement for the submission at 5:38.

Rating: C+. I seem to be the last person to notice it, but Sasha has gotten AWESOME in the last few months and is looking like the next big star of the Women’s Division. I believe Sara Del Ray is training the girls down there and it might be time to bring her up to train the Divas, because I don’t remember the last time these girls had a bad match. That’s unthinkable for the main roster Divas.

Kevin Owens says Finn Balor made his mark by dressing up like a demon. Owens made his mark by debuting and becoming NXT Champion in two months. Bring the demon tonight because it won’t matter. No one is taking this title from him and his family.

Video on Owens’ short time in NXT and his quick rise to the top.

Emma comes up to Bayley in the back and says she told Bayley so. Bayley has been being too nice with the hugs and then she went out and lost to Becky Lynch. She needs to find her inner aggression because the NXT Universe will lie to her. Bayley doesn’t but it and stands up to Emma, so the Aussie slaps her HARD in the face. Emma as the disenchanted main roster failure is an interesting new character and a logical progression for her.

Tyler Breeze doesn’t like being asked what his next move is because it’s a stupid question. After beating “Hideous” Itami last week, he wants to get the NXT Title and make it gorgeous. Itami comes up and says he beat Breeze too, so he wants 2/3 falls next week.

Wrestlemania card rundown.

Finn Balor video, showing him taking NXT by storm.

We look at Alex Riley getting beaten up by Owens last week.

Enzo, Cass and Carmella are in the back when Murphy and Blake come up to apologize to her. They bring her jewelry but the guys aren’t impressed. Carmella wants to know why they never get her jewelry.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

Owens is defending and Balor isn’t in the demon paint. We’re ready to go after some Big Match Intros and they have well over twenty minutes for the match not counting commercials. Kevin bails to the floor to start before getting back into the corner. It’s a trap though as Balor shoves him back but eats a hard shot to the face. A headlock slows Balor down a bit and Kevin wants to know where the demon is now. He’s a Dale Torborg fan? Finn gets up and scores with a nice dropkick as we take a break.

Back with Balor holding an armbar before a basement dropkick gets two. Owens drives him into the corner but uses the weakened arm to drive a shoulder into the ribs, only to further damage it. A Stunner over the top rope puts Balor down and Owens puts his boot on Finn’s jaw. We hit the chinlock as this is clearly going like a long match instead of just running through the motions. Back up and Owens levels him with an elbow to the face but is good enough to hold the arm after, making it easier for Balor to kick out. Off to another chinlock as we take a second break.

Back with Owens driving his boot into Balor’s ribs before putting on another chinlock with his knee in the back. This one doesn’t last as long as Owens throws him to the floor and has an evil look on his face. The powerbomb onto the apron is countered with a backdrop and they head back inside with Owens catching him in something resembling White Noise for two. The backsplash gets the same and we hit the chinlock again. That’s getting a bit repetitive which isn’t something you often see in NXT.

Owens asks if Balor wants to stand back up and whips him hard into the buckle. A nice overhead belly to belly (with an even better face from Balor) gets two and we’re back to the chinlock, earning a big ovation from the crowd. They’re nothing if not perceptive. Back from another break with Finn making his comeback with forearms and a backdrop to put the champ on the floor. He follows Kevin out with a big flip dive and the top rope double stomp to the back for two in the ring.

The Pele drops Kevin again but Finn can’t follow up. The Sling Blade sets up the reverse Impaler for two more and Balor is STUNNED. Owens avoids the running corner dropkick and Finn comes up holding his knee. The champ goes right after the injury with kicks and chop blocks before ramming it into the apron. A backsplash on the knee sets up a half crab but Balor crawls over for the rope. Balor escapes a powerbomb attempt and hits the jumping double stomps to put both guys down.

Owens goes up but gets kicked in the head, only to counter Finn’s superplex attempt into a spinning release fisherman’s superplex (freaking SWEET) for two. Kevin can barely move so Finn kicks him in the head again, only to have the champ chop block him again. The Cannonball connects and Finn is almost out of it.

Owens wraps the bad leg around the ropes and hits a Cannonball onto the leg, but his third attempt only hits buckle. Finn hits a running dropkick (he really shouldn’t be able to do that) and the Coup de Grace but his knee is too hurt to cover. That’s more like it. Owens gets up and hits the pop up powerbomb to retain at 30:37.

Rating: B+. This took its time getting going and the first half had too much chinlockery, but once they got in a grove and had Balor messing up his leg, this was all gravy. Owens is ready for the main roster and Balor has been ready since before he set foot in NXT, but I’m very glad they’re sticking around here and getting to put on awesome matches like this one. That arena is going to come unglued when Sami comes back to fight Owens again.

Overall Rating: B. Good episode this week as we wrap up the first half of this cycle and can move on to the next big batch of matches, perhaps with the next Takeover coming soon. This was a really fun night though and Balor showed how ready he is for the main roster. I wasn’t completely thrilled with the main event at first but they made me care about it. That’s one of the hardest things to do in wrestling and those two nailed it. Finally, I continue to love this crowd as they acknowledged the amount of chinlocks and applauded to let the guys know to mix it up a bit. How awesome is that?

Results

Sasha Banks b. Alexa Bliss – Bank Statement

Kevin Owens b. Finn Balor – Pop up powerbomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1998 Pay Per View reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UYAMB8U

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6