They’re out for the year and as usual I’ll be taking a look at each one and giving my take on whether or not I think Meltzer (yes I know the fans vote on them and if you think most of them aren’t just repeating what he says, you’re missing the point) got it right. I’ll just be listing the winners and any other names in the top three that merit a vote. Also keep in mind that I don’t watch a ton of puro so my knowledge is limited. Also, this is a wrestling site, not an MMA site, even though some people seem to think they’re the same thing. There are a lot of these so I’m just going to give a quick response to each.
Wrestler of the Year – AJ Styles
Uh……yeah I can go with that I guess. I’d have taken Cena due to how great the US Open Challenge was but Styles didn’t get a bad review all year and wrestled almost EVERYWHERE.
Most Outstanding Wrestler – AJ Styles
It’s another year and again I ask: what’s the difference between this and Wrestler of the Year?
Feud of the Year – Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo
Well at least they’re not wasting time this year, though can you imagine a wrestling match that ended in 13 seconds being considered a great blowoff to a feud? The top wrestling feud was Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, which is either my first or second pick as well.
Tag Team of the Year – Young Bucks
Of course. Next.
Most Improved – Bayley
This isn’t the easiest year to argue against. I don’t think anyone can argue that Bayley isn’t better than she was last year as she’s now the biggest star in NXT. I can go with this one again, even though it’s not one I would have thought of.
Best on Interviews – Conor McGregor
Heyman was second and again that’s fine, though I would have given it to Owens, who came in third.
Most Charismatic – Shinsuke Nakamura
Yep. No argument on that actually. The dude is a machine.
Best Technical Wrestler – Zack Sabre Jr.
I haven’t seen him actually but I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for him so this isn’t surprising.
Best Brawler – Tomohiro Ishii
I saw his match at Wrestle Kingdom and it really wasn’t brawling. Then again it was barely professional wrestling either so I’ll go with a headscratch here. Brawling isn’t really a thing these days in mainstream wrestling so this is a hard one to pick.
Best Flyer – Riccochet
Neville didn’t even make the top three. Seriously?
Most Overrated – Kane
Who rates Kane highly in the first place? Reigns is second. This should of course be the Young Bucks.
Most Underrated – Cesaro
For years I’ve thought underrated and overrated should be changed to under/over utilized as it always seems like what they’re going for. Cesaro is considered awesome but he’s never pushed. That’s not the same as being underrated, which would also seem to be the case with Kane being overrated.
Promotion of the Year – New Japan
If you didn’t see this coming, you haven’t been paying close enough attention. NXT isn’t in the top three, though that could be considered part of WWE (also not in the top three).
Best Weekly TV Show – NXT
Yep, with Lucha Underground second. Dang it Meltzer give me something to get mad at you over!
Match of the Year – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi
You knew it would be something from New Japan, though to be fair I gave this an A. Bayley vs. Sasha from Brooklyn was third.
Rookie of the Year – Chad Gable
That’s fine.
Best Non-Wrestler – Dario Cueto
Second is Paul Heyman and third is Xavier Woods. As in the guy that has already wrestled multiple times this year alone and is a Tag Team Champion. I get what they’re going for here though.
Best Announcer – Mauro Ranallo
Again, no surprise here.
Worst Announcer – John Layfield
Second is Cole and third is Lawler. I’m fine with this…..again.
Best Major Wrestling Show – Wrestle Kingdom IX
I didn’t even have to look at the results. Wrestlemania was third, after UFC 189.
Worst Major Wrestling Show – TripleMania XXIII
This has been the running answer all year and I’m not surprised. Third though was TLC, which really took me by surprise. If nothing else the three way ladder match alone would have carried it higher than third worst of the year.
Best Wrestling Maneuver – Styles Clash
Second was the Rainmaker (IT’S A FREAKING CLOTHESLINE!) and third is the Meltzer Driver, which has to be a joke instead of a real pick. The Clash is good but move of the year? As in the move that broke Yoshi Tatsu’s neck? That’s the best there is? Really?
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic – WWE Using Reid Flair’s Death in An Angle
Yeah this isn’t surprising again. What is surprising is the Divas Revolution in second. Yeah it was stupid but disgusting?
Worst Match of the Year – Psycho Clowns vs. Villanos
Yep. Second is the Royal Rumble (which I rewatched a few days ago and yep) but third is Erick Rowan vs. Big Show in a stairs match…..from 2014. Come on now man that’s my thing.
Worst Feud of the Year – Team PCB vs. Team Bella vs. Team BAD
Yeah I think I can go with this. It’s not so much that it was bad but more that it kept going for months and never went anywhere.
Worst Promotion of the Year – TNA
Can we just rename this the TNA Award? You would think after a nine year run it might be time.
Best Booker – Paul Levesque/Ryan Ward
As in the NXT bookers. I’m so glad that that promotion is getting the credit it deserves this year.
Promoter of the Year – Dana White
The first wrestling promoter is Takaaki Kidani of New Japan.
Worst Gimmick – Stardust
Well yeah, though I’m not sure how to define his gimmick. I’d have gone with Mex-America, which came in second.
This is more proof that this is a really weak year for awards. Everything has been pretty easy and there really isn’t a lot that jumps off the page at me. It’s really just been one predictable category after another and that can make for a lame awards season. At least NXT got the respect it deserves here which had me a bit worried coming in.
NXT – January 20, 2016: The Other Way
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:
Again, we’ll get through some of the easier ones first.
The Salida Del Sol through the ladder at TLC was amazing and one of the biggest high spots in a LONG time. Just….dang. It doesn’t really have a long lasting impact but it was really cool and definitely deserves mentioning.
For a quick one, Brock Lesnar sitting up next to Undertaker and laughing at him, only to have Undertaker do the same. Again, didn’t mean much but it was awesome at the time.
The Ronda Rousey appearance at Wrestlemania was great as well with the great line of “She’s going to reach down your throat and play jump rope with your Fallopian tubes.” This would be a nearly runaway winner if Rousey had really hurt Stephanie but pesky contracts prevented it.
Shield reunited for all of thirty seconds. That’s more of a preview than an awesome moment though.
Now we’ll get down to the actual top choices.
First up was the Divas Revolution, which would have been even better had Stephanie not been involved. I get that she wanted to be involved because she’s Stephanie and has to be involved in something cool every time, but it was Paige’s story and should have gotten the moment to make the whole thing work.
Another major one is Seth Rollins cashing in Money in the Bank. This was a legitimate shocking moment and the big story that people remember from Wrestlemania. I don’t know if I’d put it at number one but it worked very well at the time, before WWE decided to make Rollins a worthless champion.
From the same show, there’s the NWO vs. DX. This was the Monday Night Wars in the span of fifteen minutes and I had a blast with it. Points off for the complete lack of continuity and HHH winning, but this was so much fun.
Then Bayley did a reverse super hurricanrana, gave Sasha Banks a Bayley to Belly and won the Women’s Title, followed by the Four Horsewomen posing in the ring one last time. Wrestling is all about emotion and that’s what you got here. This was as good as it got in 2015 and it’s going to be a long time before anything tops this.
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:
NXT Date: January 13, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
It’s the first regular show of the new year and we’re at the start of a new taping cycle. We’ve got a few months to go before we get to the next Takeover, assuming there isn’t another one before Wrestlemania weekend. In addition to that, we’re getting something like the NXT Slammy Awards tonight with the end of the year awards. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
The announcers welcome us to the show for a change.
Here’s General Manager William Regal to announce tonight’s main event: a battle royal for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. With that out of the way, Regal introduces someone who hasn’t been here in a long time: Sami Zayn.
Sami thinks the fans remember him but gets cut off by OLE and WELCOME BACK chants. In case you don’t know him, he’s the lead singer of a band and that OLE chant is their lead single. He’s also a man responsible for building NXT and making what it is today. They just sold out a UK tour but it’s nice to be back home at Full Sail University. Sami is back for a reason though, and that is to become the first ever two time NXT Champion.
This brings out Samoa Joe who doesn’t seem to think much of Sami’s plans. Joe doesn’t know why Sami thinks he deserves another shot because the last time he had a title shot, it was Joe who had to come out here and save him. Finn Balor barely survived against Joe in London so if Sami wants to keep his shoulder in one piece, he better walk away right now.
Now it’s Baron Corbin interrupting to say that he actually won at Takeover. While Sami was gone, he was surpassed by someone more durable so Sami needs to go to the back of the line. Joe brings up choking Corbin out and tells Sami to mind his place in his ring. The ring is Sami’s place but Corbin jumps him from behind, only to get kicked in the face and knocked to the floor. Joe backs off from Sami who is left standing alone.
Bayley says she survived against Nia Jax instead of actually winning. Tonight she’s looking forward to seeing who survives in the battle royal and she might even give the winner a hug. She actually does hug Rich Brennan.
It’s time for the End of the Year Award winners, announced in a video package. The trophies are golden ring bells.
Tag Team of the Year: Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady
Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley
Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor
NXT Takeover of the Year: Takeover: Brooklyn
Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – Takeover: Brooklyn
Overall Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Danny Burch
Ciampa takes him down by the arm to start but Burch gets up and scores with a middle rope dropkick to take over. That just ticks Ciampa off so he blasts Burch in the face with a forearm. Something like a hanging Downward Spiral off the top rope gets two for Ciampa but Burch pops him in the jaw for the same. They slug it out until Ciampa takes him down and grabs a flip over armbar (picture Becky Lynch’s Disarm-Her but with Ciampa laying over Burch’s back instead of sitting on the shoulder) for the tap out at 3:42.
Rating: C. This was a hard hitting brawl while it lasted but I’m not entirely sold on Ciampa. The armbar was a nice finisher but it seems like almost everyone is using a submission hold these days. As usual though, NXT does a great job of using jobbers to set up bigger stars, which is almost unheard of on the main roster for the last several years.
Enzo and Cass say they haven’t forgotten about Dash and Dawson taking them out. The champs hid behind a woman like chicken tenders and next time business will be finished.
Billie Kay, Deonna Purrazzo and Emma all say they’ll win the battle royal.
Two weeks from tonight, Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin for the #1 contendership.
Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder vs. Ascension
Non-title. Wilder gets in Viktor’s face to start but gets pounded into the corner for his efforts. Ascension is the clear crowd favorite here which is really strange to see. It’s off to Dawson, who has a bit more luck by taking Viktor to the mat for two. The champs beat Viktor down in the corner and we hit the chinlock for a bit. Viktor fights up and catches Dawson in an STO, allowing for the hot tag off to Konnor. The flapjack drops Wilder and everything breaks down, allowing a blind tag to set up the Shatter Machine on Konnor for the pin at 4:10.
Rating: C+. I liked this a bit better and it’s probably due to the false hope that Ascension might actually start being booked like a power team instead of the goofs they’ve been since their Raw debut. Or maybe it was the Shatter Machine which is a really awesome looking finisher for such a slow paced team.
Nia Jax isn’t medically cleared for the battle royal. Eva Marie says she has this.
Carmella, Peyton Royce and Alexa Bliss say they’ll win.
Elias Samson vs. Corey Hollis
Samson forearms him down to start and stomps away in the corner. A throw sends Hollis flying and Samson stop to laugh. Samson looks down at him before grabbing a hard swinging neckbreaker for the pin at 2:20.
Samson says what this place needs is what he is.
Finn Balor says the match against Samoa Joe was the most draining match of his career but he faces every challenger head to head. Now he’s just going to wait to find out his next opponent. Corbin thinks he’s the uncrowned champion, Sami is a friend and Joe is the one that will never go away.
Cameron, Aliyah, Asuka and Liv Morgan promise to win. Well Cameron promises to win the battle royal to become #1 contender to the Women’s battle royal but you get the idea.
Battle Royal
Carmella, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, Aliyah, Cameron, Liv Morgan, Billie Kay, Deonna Purrazzo, Emma, Eva Marie, Asuka
Eva gets right in Asuka’s face to start and is quickly dropped with a shot to the face. The other nine all circle Asuka with Emma jumping her, starting everyone else into a brawl. Eva is out on the floor but not eliminated, likely to reduce her chances of severely injuring someone during the match.
We take an early break and come back with no eliminations but Cameron throws Aliyah out a few seconds later. Cameron gets rid of Purrazzo as well, followed by Morgan botching something that looked like a powerbomb. She tries it again but Bliss comes up from behind and tosses Morgan and Cameron at the same time. Emma gets Carmella in the Dilemma to send her underneath the ropes and out to the floor, meaning no elimination. Bliss chokes Emma, only to be put on the apron and punched off for an elimination.
We’re down to Emma, Royce, Kay, Asuka, Eva and Carmella, with the final two on the floor. Emma has to kick away the other two Australians, only to have Asuka kick her out of the corner for an elimination. Billie and Peyton put Asuka on the apron but of course start fighting over who gets to eliminate her. Asuka puts them both on the apron and hip attacks both of them to the floor to get us down to three. Eva sneaks in and eliminates Asuka, freaking out the crowd until Carmella throws Eva out for the win at 10:45.
Rating: C-. These things are always hard to rate but the false finish was a nice way to tease the crowd. It says a lot that they had to have two people on the floor until the end for the double false finish. The other good thing here though is they kept Asuka safe, likely for a big showdown in Texas against Bayley.
Carmella celebrates until Bayley comes out for a hug. Asuka gives them an evil smile to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. This show was much more about setting stuff up instead the show itself which is good long term but not the most interesting hour on its own. The triple threat in two weeks should be really good and they’re already doing a good job of setting up the women’s division with the new names. I mean, they’re not the Four Horsewomen but at least they’re trying and should be filling things in quite well. Good enough show here but again it’s about setting stuff up later on.
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:
Let’s get this out of the way first: the best angle of the year was John Cena’s US Title Open Challenges. These things were the highlight of the week almost every time one took place as you were wondering who was going to come through that curtain and have one of the best matches of their career. Nothing is really close to this and I’m not going to waste your time suggesting otherwise.
However, there are some other good stories that are worth looking at.
We’ll start in Ring of Honor actually with the battle of the Jay’s. The company’s big story over the summer was a pretty quick title feud between TV Champion Jay Lethal and World Champion Jay Briscoe for the Undisputed Title. The match itself worked really well too as the announcers made sure to build up the fact that these two just don’t lose. It’s an idea that has worked forever in wrestling and it’s always going to work. As usual, simple yet effective is almost always best.
Also as usual, we have a Bray Wyatt story which could have been awesome but wound up being just ok with “Anyone But You Roman.” This had the potential to be something really interesting but instead we wound up with the usual hot opening and then the standard fallout that went nowhere because Bray can’t win in the end. At least the match inside the Cell was fun though and that’s really all you can expect from Bray’s stories most of the time.
Another good one was over in Lucha Underground with Pentagon Jr. going from a midcard guy to one of the most interesting heels as he was guided by a mysterious master. Vampiro, the grizzled veteran who was long removed from being a regular, went after Pentagon to try and slow him down, only to eventually be revealed as Pentagon’s master. It was a great story with a great surprise at the end and one of the best things from an awesome first season of Lucha Underground.
Finally, we have the story that would have won almost any other year: Bayley’s road to the NXT Women’s Title. This one had all the makings and the perfect blowoff as Bayley won the belt in the real main event of Takeover: Brooklyn. The only thing holding this one back is the fact that Sami Zayn did it the previous year in a better story and better final match. If I hadn’t seen it so recently, this could have passed Cena but it was still awesome on its own.
But yeah, this goes to the US Open Challenge in probably the biggest runaway this year.
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:
NXT Date: December 30, 2015
Hosts: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
This is the first half of the Best of 2015, meaning there’s no new material save for match introductions. It’s been a good year for NXT and the next two weeks are going to be a good look back at all the good things that have gone on. You can probably expect a solid mixture of Takeover and regular TV on here so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
We open with a look back at Kevin Owens’ debut. Sami Zayn nearly cried watching it, which takes us to Sami Zayn winning the NXT Title, even though that happened in December 2014. The show ended with Owens powerbombing Zayn onto the apron and leaving him laying.
This takes us to our first match: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens for the NXT Title at Takeover: Rivals. The match is clipped but here’s the full recap.
NXT Title: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
We get the tracking shots of both guys coming to the ring, which is a trend I’d love to see come back. After the big match intros, they stare each other down as the fans are mostly behind the champ. Owens bails to the floor to get inside Sami’s head and we’re in full on Zbyszko mode. Sami finally just dives over the top to take Owens down before throwing him inside for a beating. A hot shot breaks up Sami’s momentum and the pro-dirty traitors strike up the FIGHT OWENS FIGHT chants.
Owens rips the skin off Sami’s chest with a chop and Sami quickly loses a slugout. We hit the chinlock on the champ to get a breather before Kevin just grinds his forearm into Sami’s jaw. Sami tries to fight up but gets dropped ribs first over the top rope for two. Back to the chinlock which makes sense as Kevin has been trying to grind Sami down. A hard belly to back suplex gets two and they head outside so Sami can be rammed into the apron.
The fans have switched up to KILL OWENS KILL as he takes the champ back inside to yell in his face. Owens also puts fists to his face before a gutbuster gets two. Sami jawbreaks out of the third chinlock as the announcers bring up Lesnar vs. Cena from Summerslam. That’s not the longest stretch in the world. Sami fights back with some clotheslines, including a big one to send Kevin to the floor.
Now it’s Owens going into the steps and getting his head taken off with a clothesline. Back in and Sami hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for two but the Helluva Kick is countered with a huge superkick. There’s the Cannonball for two and the pumphandle driver onto the knee gets an even closer near fall. The popup powerbomb is countered with a dropkick and the Half and Half suplex gets two for the champ.
Kevin snaps the throat over the top rope but gets caught on the same rope, only to knock Sami down. He spits at the champ but his Swanton Bomb hits knees. The Exploder Suplex into the corner looks to set up the Helluva Kick but Owens bails to the floor. Owens can’t hit the apron powerbomb so Sami hits the bouncing moonsault, only to have both guys bang their heads on the ramp. Sami can barely stand and staggers on the attempt at the Helluva Kick, allowing Owens to hit the popup powerbomb for an even closer two.
Owens just unloads with right hands to the head and the champ’s eyes are glazed over. He pounds away in the ropes and keeps getting dragged away by the referee. The trainer comes out to check on Sami but Owens powerbombs Sami again. A second powerbomb has Sami out cold but he slowly rolls his shoulder up to keep this going. The trainer gets in the ring now, earning Zayn two more powerbombs. Kevin loads up a fifth in a row and the referee finally pulls him off to stop the match at 23:12, giving Owens the title.
Rating: A-. This was absolutely brutal and a great way to get the title off Zayn. Owens looks like a killer, but the key thing here is he could not pin Sami. This sets up a big time gimmick rematch as well as writes Sami off TV while he on the international tour during the next TV tapings. In other words, NXT has come up with a way to avoid their champion not being around for over a month of TV, because they’re that much smarter than WWE. Excellent stuff here with Sami looking like a warrior and Owens looking like the most awesome monster this side of Brock Lesnar.
We take a quick look at Hideo Itami.
We look at the end of Finn Balor defeating Tyler Breeze to become #1 contender at Takeover: Unstoppable.
NXT went on the road for the first time this year, including a tour of Ohio. We see the ending of a never before seen match from Columbus with Cesaro vs. Neville which will be available in full on the Best of NXT DVD. Cesaro broke up the Red Arrow and got the win off a Neutralizer out of the corner.
On to the women’s division with a look at the Four Horsewomen, including the last five minutes of Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in the Ironman match at Takeover: Respect.
Now we look at some of the new names debuting for NXT, including Samoa Joe, who challenged Baron Corbin at Takeover: Brooklyn.
Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
The announcers think Joe is going to kill him. Joe has the Clutch on in less than a minute but Baron makes it to the floor. Back in and an enziguri in the corner puts Corbin right back on the floor, only to have him blast Joe in the face to stop a suicide dive. Joe kicks him in the face though and does his rotating submissions spot until Corbin puts his foot on the ropes.
Baron grabs a heel hook but Joe makes the rope a few seconds later. Something like a Boss Man Slam gets two on Joe so Corbin superkicks him. That earns Baron a second enziguri though and both guys are down. Back up and they slug it out with Joe taking over. Corbin locks the Muscle Buster before hitting kind of a loose Jackhammer for two. The End of Days is broken up so Corbin lifts him up into a choke spinebuster. Joe flips the cover into the Koquina Clutch though and Corbin is out at 10:24.
Rating: B-. Easily both guys’ best match in NXT as Corbin looks like he can last through a long match. Having Joe as the submission master who can switch to striking if need be is fine and Corbin worked the power style just fine. I’m always a fan of having people hit each other really hard and that’s what we got here. Good stuff.
We look at Sami Zayn answering John Cena’s US Open Challenge and coming this close to taking the title.
This led to Kevin Owens answering the Challenge but wanting to fight Cena on pay per view in a non-title match. From Elimination Chamber 2015.
Kevin Owens vs. John Cena
Alright WWE. This is your chance. You can elevate someone or go with the same old stuff. Owens is very fired up to be in there and actually doesn’t drop to the floor at the bell as is his custom in NXT. A quick shoulder puts Owens down but he takes Cena into the corner and puts a boot in his face. Cena gets punched to the apron so Kevin can rip at his face like a villain should.
The fans chant for NXT and we hit the chinlock. Cena powers up into an AA attempt but Owens calmly escapes and hits a DDT for two. Owens opts to just punch Cena in the face (I love it when people do that) for a bit before a backsplash connects for two more. Back up and Kevin tries a swinging Rock Bottom but Cena counters into a crucifix, only to have Owens slam him down in a kind of Samoan drop for another near fall. The Cannonball gets the same and Owens says it’s time for Johnny boy to give up.
The pop up powerbomb is countered with a leapfrog and Cena initiates his finishing sequence. Cena loads up the AA but gets countered into the pop up powerbomb for a close two, stunning Owens. Kevin gets crotches on top but headbutts Cena down, only to miss a moonsault of all things. The AA gets two (take a shot!) and both guys are down. Owens nails a superkick and tries his own Five Knuckle Shuffle (because he’s that awesome) but Cena pulls him down into the STF.
Cena tries to pull him back to the middle but Owens kicks him away and hits an AA of his own (good one too) for another near fall. Both guys are down again and it’s Cena up first for the two off the top rope Fameasser. Cole calls that patented, but I’m not sure Cena ever filed that paperwork. Back up again and Owens loads up the package piledriver (his pre-WWE finisher) but slams Cena to the side instead of dropping him on his head.
Kevin starts talking more trash before winning a slugout, only to get caught in the springboard Stunner for two. Frustration is setting in so Cena takes him up top for a superplex, only to have Owens counter into a spinning superplex of his own for two. Owens runs to the top for a Swanton for two more and now Kevin is frustrated. Cena nails that big running clothesline and Owens is rocked. John goes for another but walks into the pop up powerbomb for the completely clean pin at 20:03.
Rating: A. My jaw dropped on the pin. This is EXACTLY the way they should have gone as Cena hit him with the best and Owens pinned him in the middle of the ring. The key thing here is Cena isn’t going to lose a thing out of this as he’ll be fine in about two minutes. Owens on the other hand looks like the biggest new deal in years and couldn’t get a bigger rub if they tried. Great, great stuff here and I loved the booking so much.
Graves throws away Brennan’s Christmas present to end the show. Jerk.
Overall Rating: B+. These things are always hard to rate but this did an excellent job of showcasing a lot of what NXT is all about with some excellent matches and a more coherent recap than a lot of these give. NXT is still the best weekly wrestling show and there’s no indication that it’s slowing down anytime soon. Part 2 next week should be equally fun which is always a nice thing to look forward to.
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:
NXT Takeover: London Date: December 16, 2015
Location: Wembley Arena, London, England
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
Takeover goes outside the US for the first time as the show hits England. This isn’t the most stacked card in the world but almost all of the matches could go either way. The main event is Finn Balor defending the NXT Title against Samoa Joe while Bayley defends the Women’s Title against the monster Nia Jax. Let’s get to it.
As is the custom, we open with HHH in the ring saying the beating he took on Sunday night was one of the worst he’s ever had but he would have had to be dead to not be here tonight. This is your brand and this is your time because WE ARE NXT.
The opening video recaps all of the matches on the card in rapid fashion.
Asuka vs. Emma
Asuka likes the “ASUKA’S GONNA KILL YOU!” chants and is moving at about double Emma’s speed. Emma’s hammerlock goes nowhere with Asuka quickly spinning out of it over and over. A Fujiwara armbar has Emma in trouble but she gets her foot on the ropes. Emma tries to bail to the floor but takes a running hip attack (thankfully not called the Rear View) from the apron. Brennan: “Asuka is just having fun out there!” Oh for the love of all things good and holy don’t let that nonsense creep into NXT’s commentary.
Dana gets in a distraction so Emma can pound away a bit, causing the fans to cheer for Asuka even more. Emma pulls on both arms with her feet on Asuka’s shoulders before trying a full nelson on the mat. Dana: “Don’t give up Emma!” A hard whip into the corner lets Dana talk even more trash but Asuka comes back with a quick middle rope dropkick. Emma tries those forearms to the back that people use when they’re desperate but it’s time for Asuka’s rapid strikes.
Some spinning back fists set up another running hip attack for two but Emma grabs a quick Dilemma to come back again. A butterfly suplex into the corner gets two (Referee: “Please kick out.”) and Emma rubs her face into the mat. Emma loads up the Emma Lock but takes too much time and gets countered into an ankle lock. Asuka cranks her over with a German suplex followed by a hard knee to the jaw.
The Asuka Lock goes on but Emma drives them into the corner for a ref bump. Dana throws in what looks like a belt but Asuka grabs it as the referee gets up. That’s almost a DQ but Emma tries a rollup, only to get caught in the Asuka Lock. Dana distracts the referee as Emma taps, meaning Asuka breaks the hold. That’s fine with Asuka as she kicks Emma’s head off for the pin at 14:54.
Rating: B+. This was WAY better than I was expecting and is pretty easily Emma’s best match ever. The women’s matches continue to be star making performances and this was no exception. I’d be stunned if Emma doesn’t have the title before Takeover: Dallas is over and she could have a great match against Jax or Bayley to get there.
We recap Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder. The champs hurt Cass’ knee so he and Enzo got serious for the first time ever, vowing revenge. The video treats this like their last shot at the titles.
Tag Team Titles: Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder
Dash and Dawson are defending. Enzo says there will be pieces of he and Cass in this ring when this is over. The difference between them is that if Enzo had a pound for every time they got knocked down and didn’t get up, he would have zero pounds. Dawson and Dash have old school Brainbusters style jackets. We start with a loud HOW YOU DOIN chant as Dawson powers Enzo into the corner.
Dash comes in and gets punched in the face before it’s off to Cass to give Dash a corner beating of his own. They head outside for a bit with Dash clotheslining the post by mistake. Back in and Cass starts in on the arm as the fans chant what sounds like Hey Jude. Dash gets thrown at his partner but it’s too early for the Rocket Launcher.
Instead, Cass just picks Enzo up and throws him over the top to take out Dash and Dawson in a huge crash. Enzo can barely get up and it’s time to start on the arm. Wilder puts him on the apron for some kicks to the ribs followed by a slingshot suplex (Tully Blanchard’s old finisher) for two. The champs switch without a tag behind the referee’s back, meaning he won’t count a cover off a gordbuster (Arn Anderson’s old finisher). That’s something you almost never see.
Enzo grabs a DDT and makes the hot tag to Cass as everything breaks down. The East River Crossing gets two on Dawson with Dash making the save. A chop block takes out Cass’ knee and Dash grabs a leg lock. Enzo gets turned inside out trying to make a save but Cass crawls over and makes the rope anyway.
The champs load up the same move that took out Cass’ knee in the first place but Enzo makes the save. A big boot sets up the Rocket Launcher for a VERY hot two as Dawson pulls the referee out. Dawson goes after Carmella but she slaps him in the face to save herself. Enzo goes up, only to get caught in a super Shatter Machine for the pin at 14:58.
Rating: B. Another match that was way better than I was expecting with a bit of a surprise ending. They had me believing that they were going to change the titles here but after that I’m pretty sure Enzo and Cass are never getting the belts. There comes a point where it’s time to send them to the main roster and let them trade hilarious promos with New Day and I think we’ve reached that time.
Nia Jax video.
We recap Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin. Crews beat Corbin to become #1 contender so Corbin broke up Crews’ title shot. Apollo got far more aggressive, setting up this showdown.
Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews
Corbin shoves him around to start so Crews drives him right back across the ring in a nice power display. Apollo slugs away but Corbin backdrops him over the top and face first onto the steps. Corbin: “YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN RING OF HONOR!” He didn’t actually wrestle there but it was a good line. The fans swear at Corbin as he gets two off a boot to the face.
A small package just seems to annoy Baron so he bends Crews’ back over his knee. It spills out to the floor and Crews actually gets the better of it, sending Corbin hard into the barricade, followed by an apron moonsault. Back in and Corbin takes him down with a spinning slam (called Deep Six apparently) for two more. Crews spins out of End of Days and kicks Baron in the head, setting up the standing moonsault for two of his own. Back up and End of Days out of nowhere gives Baron the pin at 11:22.
Rating: C+. I just couldn’t get into this one but it’s cool to see Baron getting a big win like this for a change. I’m not sure where this leaves Crews and I’m pretty surprised to see him lose here. The match was good but Crews is still having issues connecting with the crowd. I’m assuming it’s Corbin vs. Balor coming up then.
Sami Zayn video.
Nia Jax says she’s going to do to Bayley what she’s done to everyone else. Asuka interrupts and gives Nia the creepy smile.
We recap Bayley vs. Nia Jax, which is mostly about Bayley defying all expectations and proving she can hang with anyone. Nia is a whole different animal though.
Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Bayley
Bayley is defending and there’s no Eva in sight. I’ve seen it for months now and I’m continually amazed at how over Bayley is. She’s the biggest star in NXT and only Finn Balor is even close to her level. Bayley ducks a clothesline to start and fires off the elbows in the corner, only to get thrown down like a doll. We hit an early cobra clutch with Nia swinging Bayley around like she’s nothing.
Bayley gets out and kicks her in the face, followed by back to back middle rope elbows. Nia is staggered but shoves Bayley out of the air on the third attempt. With nothing else working, Bayley tries a triangle choke of all things, only to be lifted up for a powerbomb. Bayley fights back again and gets two off a Swanton with Nia launching her to the floor on the kickout. Three straight Samoan drops and the legdrop get two and Jax is stunned. She throws Bayley around by the head and drops a leg on the arm.
Three more legdrops to the back of the head only get two and Nia can’t believe it. Saxton: “Wow. Just wow.” Nia puts her on top and Bayley looks mostly dead. A super Samoan drop is countered into a guillotine choke of all things but she just slams Bayley down for another break. Bayley grabs it again and Jax goes down to her back. She sits up with Bayley pulling as hard as she can for the tap out at 13:28.
Rating: A-. That was straight out of Sting vs. Vader with Bayley taking the worst beating of her career but never quitting no matter what. I didn’t believe they would actually go with the guillotine for the finish but it’s always cool to see them change things up, especially when the Bayley to Belly would have looked pretty bad here. Another awesome match here on a night of them.
We recap Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe. They won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic together and Joe wanted a title shot. Balor was fine with that but Commissioner Regal said it had to be in a battle royal. Joe didn’t win and blamed Balor for not putting enough weight behind giving Joe the title shot. This sent Joe over the edge and he’s choked Balor out a few times now.
NXT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Balor is defending and we get the full demon entrance with Balor as Jack the Ripper from the vignette they’ve been running for a few weeks now. Feeling out process to start and the fans are split. Balor sends him outside for a kick to the face and a dropkick into the steps. The double stomp from the apron misses though and Joe plants him with the release Rock Bottom.
Back in and a corner enziguri gets two, followed by a knee drop for the same. There’s the Facewash but Balor nails an enziguri (WAY too common of a move as well) from the apron. His springboard is broken up though and Joe does his 300lb flying monster out of control suicide dive to take him out again. Back in and Joe puts on a Boston crab into a Crossface into a modified Rings of Saturn.
Balor gets his foot onto the ropes for the save and spins over into a DDT for a breather. It’s time for the chops from Finn but he runs into an elbow. Joe goes up but takes another enziguri to send him outside again. There’s the big flip dive to the floor, followed by a top rope double stomp for two back inside. The Sling Blade has Joe reeling but he sidesteps a dropkick and drops the backsplash. Balor counters the Muscle Buster into a sunset flip for two, followed by a Pele to put both guys down.
They slug it out again and Joe grabs the standing Clutch, only to have Balor send him into the buckle. Another enziguri is blocked (thank you) and Joe drags him back in by the throat. He can’t get Balor on the mat with the Clutch though as the champ rolls out and hits a quick double stomp. Another Sling Blade and some running dropkicks just tick Joe off so Finn dropkicks him down one more time. Balor has to shove him off the top to set up the Coup de Grace to retain at 18:20.
Rating: A. This was the heavyweight slugfest that everyone was wanting to see from these two. They beat each other up for nearly twenty minutes and had me believing that the title was in jeopardy a few times. I’m not sure who goes after Balor next but there’s a long list of people who could be up for a shot, which makes things that much more interesting.
Balor is checked out by the trainer before posing to end the show.
Overall Rating: A. What a great night of wrestling matches. The worst match on the show was Corbin vs. Crews and that was more than fine. Takeover continues to be one of the most entertaining shows of the year every time they run this thing because NXT puts in the effort coming into the specials every week on TV. Awesome show here and one of the strongest cards I’ve seen top to bottom in a long time.
Results
Asuka b. Emma – Spinning kick to the face
Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder b. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady – Super Shatter Machine to Amore
Baron Corbin b. Apollo Crews – End of Days
Bayley b. Nia Jax – Guillotine choke
Finn Balor b. Samoa Joe – Coup de Grace
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:
These things are pay per views for all intents and purposes so it deserves a preview of its own. That being said, I’m not sure how long this is going to be as there are only five matches and one of them is almost guaranteed to be a squash. However, since it’s NXT, you can almost guarantee a good show. Given that there hasn’t been a bad Takeover yet, I’d say you can indeed guarantee some awesome stuff. Let’s get to it.
We’ll start with the squash as Asuka demolishes Emma to end this short feud. Any debate on that? Yeah I’m thinking no too.
With that out of the way, we’re left with four matches that could go either way.
First up we have the Tag Team Titles as the Mechanics (Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder since I don’t think Mechanics has ever been made official) defend against Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady. I’m going to go with the champions retaining because Enzo and Cass would seem to be primed to go to the main roster and feud with the New Day, but it would be nice to see them get just a quick token reign with the titles. Still though, I think they’re going with Gable and Jordan as the team to take the belts off the Mechanics down the line, meaning the titles don’t change here.
Perhaps the most confusing match for me is the Women’s Title as Bayley defends against the monster Nia Jax. I still don’t know how Nia and Eva actually fit together because Nia has no real reason to keep Eva around, but I could see the title changing here. At the same time though, I could see them sticking with Bayley even longer because she’s the most over person in the promotion and it hasn’t been a very long reign for her yet. I think I’m going to go with Bayley retaining and eventually dropping the title to Asuka, but it could easily be the other way. I’ll go with Bayley and very little confidence.
As much as I want to see Corbin rise up and feud against Balor for the title, I think they’ll go with Crews and set up the rematch down the line as the two of them have some unfinished business. You would think Corbin would win a big match at some point but I don’t think it happens here. Crews wins and sets up the BIG showdown with Balor, maybe in Dallas.
That leaves us with the main event of Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe. As clear as it seems to be that Balor retains the title, they have me believing that the title could change here. Joe wouldn’t seem to be in NXT for long and it would probably be a short term title reigns, but I think they’ll keep the title on Balor here in a match that could be a classic.
Overall there isn’t a lot to say here because the stories are all so well put together yet still being simple. There’s enough potential good on this show for it to be another classic and I’d assume we get a bonus match to make things even better. Takeovers are always some of the best shows of the year and I have no reason to believe that’s not going to happen here again.
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:
NXT Date: December 9, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Rich Brennan
It’s the go home show for Takeover: London and that means it’s time for all the hard pushes before the next major show. The bit match for tonight is the always useful combining of two matches into a tag as Finn Balor and Apollo Crews face Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe. The card for next week’s show looks good though and that’s all that matters. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore vs. Corey Hollis/John Skyler
Enzo and Cass are totally serious for once. Hollis and Skyler actually get an entrance. Cass pounds Hollis into the corner for some hard elbows to start before easily tossing him across the ring. Enzo comes in for some trash talk and a nice dropkick before it’s back to Cass, who throws his partner at Hollis in the corner. The East River Crossing sets up the Rocket Launcher for the pin on Hollis at 2:40.
Enzo says that’s how they feed their family and Dawson/Wilder aren’t messing with that. They’ve been doing this longer than any team in NXT and the champs had the nerve to try and take out Cass. That jeopardized their futures and the only people who get to determine their futures are in this ring right now. Cass isn’t standing for those two taking them out either and they’re getting retribution and the titles in London. Where in the world did that come from? For their first ever serious promo, this was excellent and I was loving it.
Dana Brooke and Emma are ready for Asuka and want her to remember that this isn’t Japan. Emma was the one that paved the way for the Divas Revolution (can we PLEASE find a new plot device for the Divas?) and they imply interference in Asuka’s match tonight. Dana is annoyed at Tom Phillips for being too tall to pat on the head.
Video on Tye Dillinger.
Asuka vs. Deonna Purrazzo
They circle each other for a bit until Asuka grabs the hammerlock. After going over to a wristlock, Asuka snaps on an armbar to send Deonna into the ropes. A hip strike drops Deonna again and here are Emma and Dana on the stage. Deonna tries to use the distraction and gets KICKED IN THE FACE for a knockout win at 2:55. The gasp from Emma and Dana made the whole thing even better.
Mojo Rawley talks about Blake and Murphy not being successful in the club and Zack Ryder has no idea what he’s talking about. They’re sure they’ll win tonight though.
Alexa Bliss yells at Blake and Murphy for losing recently but they promise that the Hype Bros will be broken.
Another long song by who appears to be Elias Sampson.
Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy
Blake, Murphy and Bliss are wearing what look like Freddie Kruger shirts that were run over by lawnmowers. Even the fans call then Freddie Kruger. Mojo dances a lot to start and Ryder facepalms on the apron. Blake works on a wristlock to start as Graves wants to go to prison instead of watching the Hype Bros. Blake and Murphy are sent to the floor, leaving Mojo to declare that none of them are hyped. Ryder baseball slides both of them and drops Blake with a flapjack to set up the Broski Boot.
Murphy comes in for the first time and takes Ryder down before it’s back to Blake for a chinlock. That goes nowhere so it’s Murphy coming in with a chinlock of his own. Ryder fights up and kicks them into each other before diving over to tag in Mojo. Rawley cleans house (Corey: “It’s like someone shaved a Tasmanian devil.”) and everything breaks down. Blake’s superkick only gets two and it’s the Hype Ryder for the pin on Blake at 6:24.
Rating: C. Totally fine match here between two teams that aren’t the most interesting in the world. Blake and Murphy don’t seem to have much of a future aside from being a midcard team here in NXT while the Bros look like they’ve been thrown together for the sake of giving them something to do. Still though, not a bad little match here.
Baron Corbin doesn’t like Apollo Crews because he’s a rookie who doesn’t deserve anything. Joe is still mad about Finn Balor not giving him the title shot he deserved. Tonight, Crews and Balor get their warmup beatings.
Peyton Royce vs. Bayley
Non-title. Royce is clearly a heel here as she’s a sexier character than the majority of the roster. Peyton starts with an armdrag (Fans: “BETTER THAN EVA!”) and Bayley doesn’t look to be 100% coming in. A running knee gets two for Royce and there’s that annoying Bayley chant again. We hit the chinlock on Bayley but she comes back with some right hands, only to walk into a spin kick for two. The middle rope elbow staggers Royce though and the Bayley to Belly is good for the pin at 4:07.
Rating: C+. Not a great match or anything but this is the kind of match that Royce needed to look like a future player in the division. If there’s one thing NXT is great at, it’s setting up someone as a threat after they start off looking like any other wrestler. She might not go anywhere, but this was a really good performance from someone who hadn’t shown much potential otherwise.
Post match Eva Marie and Nia Jax come out. Eve is booed out of the building until Jax takes the mic and says she doesn’t need Eva to do the talking for her. Bayley is lucky that Nia didn’t get here earlier because Bayley has been lucky so far but that ends in London. I still see no reason why Nia has Eva with her.
Apollo has been trying to get in touch with Balor all week but Finn hasn’t answered. Balor says he’s ready and that’s all that matters. Crews is fine with that but promises to come for the title after London. Balor doesn’t seem cool with that.
Video on Sami Zayn getting hurt back in May and his return next week.
Finn Balor/Apollo Crews vs. Samoa Joe/Baron Corbin
Joe immediately tags out to avoid fighting Balor. Finn tries to bring in Apollo so Corbin tags out as well. Apollo slams Joe down and we take a way too early break. Back with Crews in the wrong corner and Corbin flipping him to the mat for two. Joe comes in for an armbar and a big elbow to the jaw. It’s back to Corbin but he misses a charge and hits the post, allowing the hot tag to bring in Balor.
The champ hammers away on Joe in the corner but Joe reverses him and tries the Muscle Buster. Finn reverses into a sunset flip for two, followed by the Sling Blade. Baron shoves Balor off the top and into a Death Valley Driver (I haven’t seen one of those in a long time), setting up the Koquina Clutch to knock Balor out at 9:46.
Rating: C+. Again this wasn’t great but it set up the two matches quite well. I could have gone for more interaction between Crews and Corbin here as their match isn’t the most interesting in the world but it’s good enough so far. Joe vs. Balor has gone from what felt like a filler feud to a match I want to see so they’re certainly clicking there. Good stuff here and it accomplished its goal.
Joe poses with the title over the unconscious Balor to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. Above all else a go home show is supposed to make me want to see the big show more than I did coming in and that goal was accomplished here. Other than that we had some good wrestling and a solid promo from Enzo and Cass, but I’m not as hyped up for London as I’ve been for recent Takeovers. The show is going to be awesome because that’s how Takeovers work but I’m not as interested as I could be. Still though, another good show this week as you should expect.
Results
Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady b. Corey Hollis/John Skyler – Rocket Launcher to Hollis
Asuka b. Deonna Purrazzo via knockout – Kick to the face
Hype Bros b. Blake and Murphy – Hype Ryder to Blake
Bayley b. Peyton Royce – Bayley to belly
Samoa Joe/Baron Corbin b. Finn Balor/Apollo Crews – Koquina Clutch to Balor
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: