NXT
Date: April 5, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 14,975
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Tom Phillips

This is the FINAL show from Wrestlemania week as this week’s episode consists of the dark matches from before Takeover: Orlando. You can expect a lot of recaps and quick comments from most of the people on Saturday’s show, meaning this is kind of a breather before we get going again. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck and looking down at the hard cameras to my very slight right with the Titantron on my left.

A long recap of Takeover gets us going, of course.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat about Takeover, which hadn’t happened as they talk.

Peyton Royce vs. Aliyah

Nigel has a rather creepy sounding crush on Peyton and Billie Kay. Peyton sends her face first into the mat to start and looks over to Billie for approval. Aliyah takes Peyton down so Billie grabs her hands, starting a tug of war. Back up and Peyton pulls Aliyah’s arms while bending backwards over the ropes for an impressive looking hold. Aliyah comes back with a few Japanese armdrags, only to get kneed in the face. A fisherman’s suplex ends Aliyah at 2:50. Royce looked good but Aliyah still needs a lot of polish.

Quick look at Takeover’s eight person tag.

Quick look at the Women’s Title match.

Asuka asks who is left for her. This sounded much more heelish than her usual.

Quick look at Aleister Black’s debut. Andrade Cien Almas was as a club just a few hours after the loss. The announcers make this sound like a big problem for him.

Heavy Machinery vs. Bollywood Boyz

This was taped first and I actually missed it as the taping started before the scheduled time on the tickets. I hope it’s just due to the size of the arena but the Boyz come out to SILENCE. They’ve also turned heel and now don’t care what people think of them because they’re doing it their way. Harv and Tucker start things off and an early jumping bearhug has Harv in trouble.

Otis comes in so Tucker throws Harv from one bearhug into another. Gurv comes in and tries to dance at Otis, earning himself a double splash from the big guys. The Boyz take Otis into the corner until a double suplex cuts off anything they had going. The hot tag brings Tucker back in and Otis lifts Harv up for a slam with Tucker diving onto his partner’s back for added weight. Whatever is left of Harv is pinned at 3:20.

Rating: C. I know they’re not great and that they don’t have a long shelf life but I’m having a lot of fun with Heavy Machinery. They’re not trying to be anything more than what they are: two big guys doing big guy offense but in a very entertaining way. That finisher looks good and they’ve kept the matches short so nothing is overexposed. It’s just a good performance of a simple idea, which is a great way to get an act over.

Oney Lorcan isn’t worried about facing a mystery opponent.

Quick look at the Tag Team Title match.

Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain are ready for whatever is next.

Long look at the NXT Title match. This runs nearly four minutes.

Quick look at Shinsuke Nakamura’s NXT debut.

Bobby Roode says he did what he promised to do. The Glorious Era will continue.

We get a listen to the FOURTH official theme song of Takeover. The show was two and a half hours long and had as many official songs as Wrestlemania.

Video on Drew McIntyre returning. McIntyre says he’s won everywhere and now he’s coming here to do the same. He’ll debut next week.

Oney Lorcan vs. ???

Lorcan has a mystery opponent and it’s……EL VAGABUNDO, a masked man (with a big beard sticking out) who happens to have a guitar. He says he has a song for us and is instantly the coolest thing the crowd has ever seen. The VAGABUNDO chants start off as Nigel says he’s heard a lot of great things about the newcomer. He’s even got a question for us: WHO WANTS TO WALK WITH EL VAGABUNDO?

The “SI” chants break out and he just happens to have a song for us. Lorcan grabs the guitar and says he knows Vagabundo is the Drifter. Fans: “NO! NO! NO!” Lorcan wants him to drift away but gets stomped down in the corner before the opening bell. Oney is quickly sent to the floor and we take a break with Vagabundo having to adjust his mask.

Back with Vagabundo sending him into the corner for a running clothesline as Nigel talks about the prestige of a luchador’s mask. Lorcan fights back with about seven straight running hip attacks in the corner (earning himself some boos ala WarZone and Attitude for the N64). Vagabundo tries a slam but loses his mask, somehow revealing Elias Samson (Nigel: “I KNEW IT!”). Lorcan gets a running Blockbuster for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. This was a lot of fun with the joke being out of the Juan Cena playbook. The fans ate it up and Lorcan somehow came off as a heel in the whole thing. I really hope this continues as the Drifter character was a big waste of time but him doing anything he could to stay in NXT is a great idea.

Post match Samson says he belongs here but a female security guard cranks on his arm and forces him out.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not entirely sure how to grade this one as the show ran 51 minutes (counting commercials) and there was only about nine minutes of televised wrestling, almost none of which had any long term value. The matches were fun though and the recaps were a great way to catch people up on Takeover. There’s only so much you can do with NXT’s taping schedule so this was about all you could expect.

Results

Peyton Royce b. Aliyah – Fisherman’s suplex

Heavy Machinery b. Bollywood Boyz – Double World’s Strongest Slam to Harv

Oney Lorcan b. El Vagabundo – Running Blockbuster

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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NXT
Date: March 29, 2017
Location: University Area CDC Gymnasium, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips

It’s the final show before Takeover: Orlando and that means most of the card is set, though you can probably guarantee one more match that we’ll get to later. The show has been starting to look better in recent weeks though I’m not entirely sold yet. Tonight we’ll have a Loser Leaves NXT match between Kassius Ohno and Elias Samson so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Akam vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Dash Wilder

Preview for Saturday’s triple threat for the Tag Team Titles. Akam goes after Wilder so Johnny jumps on the big man’s back, because that’s always worked so well over the years. Double teaming works a bit better though as Dawson dropkicks him to the floor before turning on Gargano almost immediately. Akam gets back in but he has to snarl at Scott Dawson for some attempted interference as we take a break.

Back with the Revival nowhere to be seen (apparently they just left instead of merely backing away before the break), leaving Akam to put Gargano in a torture rack. Johnny escapes and slugs away to limited avail before the slingshot spear is good for two. Unfortunately he decides to look away for a second and turns back into a boot to the face.

Johnny comes right back with three straight superkicks but Ra’zar pulls Gargano out at two. That earns Ciampa a beating on the floor and Johnny’s slingshot DDT is caught in mid-air. One heck of a powerbomb plants Gargano but here’s Dawson to grab Akam’s leg. Naturally that means Wilder can slide back in and steal the pin on Gargano at 10:11.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t anything spectacular here but I love the booking. The Revival is smart enough to not try and go head to head with the Authors, as well as knowing better than to stay out there and waste energy before the title match. I can always go with smart wrestling and it worked very well here.

Video on Aleister Black vs. Andrade Cien Almas.

Heavy Machinery vs. Jonathan Ordegen/Mike Marshall

That would be Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight as your standard big guy tag team, though they’re not huge enough to make them immobile blobs. Tucker and I think Jonathan start things off and we’re already in a bearhug. Otis tags himself in so Tucker throws Ordegen into another bearhug for a cool spot. Now it’s Marshall being pulled in for a double shoulder and a double chest bump to send the jobbers outside.

Ordegen offers a distraction so Marshall can get in a shot from behind on Knight, which pretty much wraps up the team’s offense. Otis comes back in and cleans house with clotheslines and elbows, including one to put Jonathan back outside. Dozovic picks up Marshall for a slam but doesn’t put him down, allowing Tucker to crash into Mike’s back. Otis picks Knight up and slams him down onto Marshall for the pin at 3:37.

Rating: C+. I had a lot of fun with this one and Heavy Machinery worked well together out there. I’m not sure how far they can go but they’re certainly good for stuff like this. They fought the Authors of Pain at a house show in January and it was rather entertaining so they can definitely hang with the bigger names.

We go to William Regal’s office for the contract signing between Asuka and Ember Moon. Asuka snickers at Ember’s name but Ember says Asuka has let the success go to her head. Ember signs and Asuka does the same with Moon saying she’s been ready for a long time. Regal says good luck and we’re done in maybe two minutes.

Long video on Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The video presents a battle for the future of NXT with Roode being out for himself while Nakamura does what the fans want. That’s about as basic of a heel vs. face feud as you’re going to get and that’s just fine.

Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain think DIY’s fairy tale ends soon and the Revival just wants to be them.

Sanity vs. Ruby Riot/No Way Jose/Tye Dillinger/Roderick Strong is confirmed for Takeover.

Kassius Ohno vs. Elias Samson

Loser leaves NXT. They trade rollups to start before taking turns on the arm. Ohno gets the better of it, though sadly that means we have to look at his rather disturbing looking thighs. A backsplash gets two on Samson but they head to the apron where Ohno is sent into the post for a big crash onto the steps.

Back from a break with Samson working on the injured back with some kicks and knees. He switches gears with a Crossface though and Ohno has to roll over three times before making the ropes. Ohno blasts him in the jaw with some hard strikes, including a jumping knee to the face. A big boot gets two but a neckbreaker is countered into a backslide for two. Samson’s swinging neckbreaker gets the same, only to have Ohno blast him with the discus forearm to get rid of Samson at 12:47.

Rating: C. The only word I can think of is eh. Ohno has never really done it for me in NXT and that continues here. The match was fine but absolutely nothing I’ll remember in about an hour. It doesn’t help that the story felt slapped together for the sake of getting Samson on to the main roster (I have no idea why as it’s not like he’s been a huge deal in NXT) and giving Ohno a win. That being said, while it accomplished those goals, it certainly wasn’t exciting in the least.

Samson is dragged away by security but agrees to go quietly if he’s given his guitar back. Ohno offers to hand it back before stomping on it instead. So to recap: Samson is a drifter who FINALLY found a home in NXT and is being forced to leave. On top of that, his most prized possession is destroyed in front of his eyes by the person who forced him out of NXT. Why am I supposed to boo him again?

One last Takeover promo wraps up the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a good example of a shot where the wrestling wasn’t the point. Tonight helped build towards Takeover: Orlando with every match getting some focus and another match added to the card. It’s a perfectly fine show and it accomplished everything it needed to do. This was fine for a go home show, though the main event still felt forced in, which isn’t a good thing.

Results

Dash Wilder b. Johnny Gargano and Akam – Powerbomb to Gargano

Heavy Machinery b. Jonathan Ordegen/Mike Marshall – Dozovic slammed Knight onto Marshall

Kassius Ohno b. Elias Samson – Discus forearm

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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

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NXT
Date: February 1, 2017
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Percy Watson, Tom Phillips

We’re on the road to Wrestlemania, which means we’re heading back to Orlando on the way to….well Orlando actually, but at least we should have some good action on the way there. The big story at the moment is Bobby Roode becoming the new NXT Champion by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura in a very solid match. Let’s get to it.

We open with a Takeover package, as you would probably expect.

Opening sequence.

Ember Moon vs. Aliyah

Moon doesn’t waste time and grabs something like an abdominal stretch to start. A middle rope moonsault gets two on Aliyah but she gets in a headscissors for two. Ember shoves her away though and hits a quick Eclipse for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D+. It’s hard to imagine anyone other getting the shot against Asuka at the next Takeover. No one else has been build up in the slightest, save for maybe Nikki Cross who has already gotten his shot. I could go for Moon freaking Asuka out with the gimmick and then the Eclipse and it’s not like there’s a better option out there.

We look back at Eric Young beating Tye Dillinger.

Eric says Tye made the wrong choice.

Dillinger can’t believe he was in the Royal Rumble.

Video on the four way Women’s Title match.

Asuka says that was tough and calls Ember a fool for calling her out. If Ember wants the next shot though, ok then.

Ember wants to dethrone the Empress and then Asuka will know who she is.

Tyler Bate vs. Oney Lorcan

Non-title. It’s a test of strength to start until Bate dropkicks him down with a bit more force than you would expect. Lorcan rolls him into the corner for a bump on the head and it’s time to hammer away. A few elbows to the head have Bate in trouble but he grabs the airplane spin to a VERY strong reaction, only made even better when he rallies through the dizziness. That’s a simple spot and he knows how to work the crowd well with it. Bate elbows him again and the Tyler Driver 97 wraps Lorcan up at 5:11.

Rating: C. Bate is someone very wise beyond his years as he’s always surprising me in the ring. The guy goes out there and does his thing every time, which is all he’s supposed to do. For a nineteen year old he wrestles like he’s been doing this for ten years and that’s amazingly impressive.

Roderick Strong wants the NXT Title and his win on Saturday was step #1.

Package on the Tag Team Title change.

Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain say they’re the new law in the tag division.

Video on Roode winning the NXT Title. HHH checked on Nakamura after the loss and Kassius Ohno told him it was a good job.

Roode says his era has begun. His celebration is next week.

This is Corey Graves’ last show, meaning he gets a highlight package as a sendoff.

No Way Jose vs. Elias Samson

Elias gives Graves a sarcastic wave goodbye in a nice touch. Jose cuts off Samson’s song and Graves is suddenly a huge Jose fan. Samson dropkicks him at the bell but Jose gets in a slam and starts to get fired up. A baseball slide sets up an ax handle off the apron and it’s off to a break. Back with Jose getting crotched on the top and pounded down in the corner. We hit a chinlock with Samson getting pulled around by the hair, only to throw him into the corner. Jose hammers away and hits the Pop-Up right hand for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here but at least Samson won and Graves’ happiness anytime Samson got hurt was great. I get why he can’t stand Samson and it makes Graves more of a tweener who leans heel (ala Jesse Ventura) instead of a full on Bobby Heenan style heel. Hopefully Jose moves on to a better story from here.

Overall Rating: C-. This was your usual breather show with almost all highlights from Takeover and almost nothing interesting otherwise. There’s not much you can do without the start of a fresh taping cycle and with less than two months before Takeover, they need to speed things up as soon as next week starts. Thankfully NXT is more than capable of pulling that off so I don’t have a lot of worry.

Results

Ember Moon b. Aliyah – Eclipse

Tyler Bate b. Oney Lorcan – Tiger Driver 97

No Way Jose b. Elias Samson – Pop Up right hand

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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NXT
Date: January 4, 2017
Location: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re back with another special show as it’s another two hour house show, this time from Australia. Again we’ve seen most of the main event but just like last week, we should get to see more than we already got a few weeks back. Other than that, almost none of this matters aside from having good matches. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Revival vs. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss

Dawson and Moss start things off as the fans are rather into this early on. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Tino vs. Wilder as the slow pace continues. Tino slams Dash so Moss can get two off an elbow drop. Moss fights off Revival as Tino just stands there and lets the double teaming ensue.

Riddick can’t fight them off forever though and the top guys (Graves: “THEY’RE STILL TOP GUYS!”) take over as you might expect. An elbow finally misses and the diving tag brings in Tino for the house cleaning. Wilder pulls Sabbatelli to the floor though and Moss grabs a rollup for two. Back in and the Shatter Machine puts Moss away at 11:00.

Rating: C. This was a long squash, which makes for some uninteresting matches on house shows. Revival were almost the faces here, which made for a really awkward match. It’s certainly not bad or anything but this is such a strange style for NXT, which is so based on building up to matches instead of one offs like this one.

Elias Samson/Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger/Buddy Murphy

Samson gets annoyed at the fans cutting off his singing until Roode cuts him off again for a much more popular entrance. Murphy is the home country boy here with Graves saying it’s so Murphy can know someone likes him. Roode starts with Murphy but lets Elias know he’s got an eye on the other Canadian.

We hit the posing early on with Graves suggesting that Phillips and Murphy go box kangaroos together. A kick to the face gives Murphy two as the fans chant TEN. It’s off to Dillinger but Roode bails before any contact is made. With the DRIFT AWAY chants rolling, Samson works on the arm and gets the ten treatment. A slingshot splash gets two and, according to Phillips, kangaroos can’t hop backwards.

Roode is dragged in but Tye beats both of them up anyway, only to be taken down by a knee to the back. The fans still don’t like Samson and call him some very rude names before switching to a GLORIOUS chant. For some reason Roode won’t rain down right hands in the corner so it’s an a superkick to set up the double tag. Murphy comes in and cleans house, including a bad looking hurricanrana to Roode. A better looking flip dive takes him out, leaving Dillinger to hit the Tyebreaker to put Samson away at 11:19.

Rating: C+. This was a bit more my style with a standard tag formula and wrestlers that the fans were actually interested in. Also, as expected, NXT isn’t about to give us Dillinger and Roode being involved in a fall, as they shouldn’t here. That’s still a big enough feud for one more TV match so why waste it here?

Liv Morgan vs. Billie Kay vs. Ember Moon

As expected, Kay is the big crowd favorite but bails to the floor so the other two can slug it out. Well as much slugging as Morgan is going to do. Billie tries to steal a pin but gets caught in that rolling sunset flip to give Morgan some near falls. A double bulldog puts Kay and Moon down so Liv covers one but gets kicked out onto the other over and over in a clever spot.

Back up and Billie hits Eat Defeat for two on Moon, followed by an armbar into a suplex. The fans want to know if Billie will be their girl (she’s no Bayley) but settle for Liv getting superkicked off the apron. Moon kicks Billie in the face again and all three are knocked out to the floor. Back in and Kay gets double kicked but Liv breaks up the Eclipse. Instead, Billie powerbombs Liv off the top and walks into the Eclipse to give Moon the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. Another totally fine match here as Moon gets to look strong again. I could easily see Moon getting her shot at the title over Wrestlemania weekend though I’m not sure if that’s a big enough title match for Asuka. You know, assuming Nikki Cross doesn’t take the title from her in San Antonio.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. TM61

TM61 is challenging and it’s Ciampa and Thorn trading near falls to start. That earns a quick handshake and the fans are VERY pleased so far. Miller and Gargano come in and it’s one heck of a right hand to send Johnny into the corner. A very delayed vertical suplex gets two on Gargano so it’s back to Ciampa for some arm cranking. Thorn gets two off a falcon’s arrow and we take a break.

Back with Ciampa breaking up a handspring elbow and bringing Gargano back in. Johnny grabs a sunset flip but leans forward and pulls on Thorn’s neck for a weird looking submission hold. That goes nowhere so Thorn dropkicks Ciampa so it can be back to Miller for the house cleaning. Johnny’s spear through the ropes cuts him off for another near fall. A tornado DDT/enziguri combo gives Gargano two more but Thorn powerbombs his own partner to set up a Tower of Doom on Ciampa.

Clever spot and Gargano shoving Miller into the pin for the save made it better. Project Ciampa gives us another near fall and the fans are WAY into the Aussies. Miller and Gargano slug it out in the middle of the ring with Johnny getting the better of it. Thorn is knocked to the floor and the running knee/superkick combo retains the titles at 18:18.

Rating: B. DIY really can do no wrong at this point and that’s always going to be entertaining. I’m still worried about the match against the Authors of Pain but at least we had one heck of a pair of matches on these international tours. TM61 is still good but they’re several steps behind the champs and Revival, which kind of leaves them out in the cold.

We get the big post match show of respect.

Recap of Nakamura vs. Joe.

NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe

Nakamura is defending and this is inside a cage. The champ takes him down by the leg to start but they grapple up against the ropes with neither being able to get much of an advantage. Joe gets taken into the corner for Good Vibrations so he sends Nakamura hard into the cage to even things up.

The corner enziguri gets two and we take an early break. Back with Joe kicking him in the face again and dropping an elbow for two. A weak LET’S GO CENA/CENA SUCKS chant is quickly booed down as Joe slowly beats on the champ. We hit the neck crank for a bit before Nakamura fights back up with the running kick to the face. Joe gets in his own kick but misses the backsplash to put both guys down for a bit.

It’s Joe up first with his rotating submissions but Nakamura slips out of the Crossface. Instead Joe sends him into the cage a few more times and we take a second break. Back with Nakamura hitting more knees to the head and lifting Joe for a big German suplex. Kinshasa is countered with a powerslam and the Koquina Clutch doesn’t last long. Nakamura knees him in the head again for two and BLASTS Joe with a top rope Kinshasa. Back to back regular versions retain the title at 26:15.

Rating: B+. Again, the clipped version of this from a few weeks ago is almost unfair as it only showed about thirteen minutes instead of over twice that long. This was a good way to definitively put Nakamura over Joe for good and let both guys move on to something else. It really wouldn’t surprise me if that means the main roster for Joe so at least he went out on a high note.

Replays wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. I actually had a bit more fun watching this one than last week’s as the matches felt a little more important, possibly due to a full time team challenging DIY instead of a makeshift pairing. It’s still a good show but I’m really looking forward to getting back to the regular show instead of these specials where there’s no storyline development. The wrestling has been fine but I need a bit more than that.

Results

Revival b. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss – Shatter Machine to Moss

Tye Dillinger/Buddy Murphy b. Bobby Roode/Elias Samson – Tyebreaker to Samson

Ember Moon b. Billie Kay and Liv Morgan – Eclipse to Kay

DIY b. TM61 – Running knee/superkick combination to Miller

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Samoa Joe – Kinshasa

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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NXT
Date: December 14, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

It’s another interesting night as we have the four matches to set up the fatal fourway match to determine a #1 contender to the NXT Title. Other than that though we’re heading down to Australia to see what should be the final match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe for the NXT Title. As a bonus, it’s inside a steel cage. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at the Nakamura vs. Joe rivalry with both title changes to set up tonight’s final match.

The cage is lowered and we’re starting in a big way.

NXT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

From Melbourne, Australia. Nakamura is defending and it’s pinfall/submission/escape. The champ takes him down by the leg and wins an early strike exchange. A knee drop sets up Good Vibrations in the corner but Joe comes back by sending him into the cage. Back from an early break with Nakamura in even more trouble until a spinning kick to the head drops Joe.

Kinshasa is countered with a powerslam and it’s off to a standing Koquina Clutch. Shinsuke flips back to escape and the sliding knee to the head has Joe reeling. It’s too early to escape though and Joe loads up the super MuscleBuster, which is countered into a powerbomb to keep Joe down. Nakamura has the chance to walk out but opts for Kinshasa instead. A second Kinshasa retains the title at 12:56.

Rating: B-. I’m sure the full match was a lot more entertaining than this but it was a good way to wrap things up between them. There’s really no reason to keep Joe off the main roster at this point so just let him go on up like he should have done already. There wasn’t much doubt in this one and there’s nothing wrong with that.

We look back at Peyton Royce and Billie Kay walking out on Daria Barenato a few weeks back.

The Aussies laugh at Daria until she comes up to demand a fight with one of them next week.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Tye Dillinger vs. Eric Young

Still no Sawyer Fulton with Sanity. Young goes right after him to start but gets clotheslined down for his efforts. Left hands in the corner (ten of them of course) have Eric in even more trouble. The Tyebreaker is loaded up but Nikki Cross comes in for the DQ at 1:20.

Tye fights off Sanity until Damo comes in to lay him out.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: No Way Jose vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Jose grabs a headlock to start before slapping on an airplane spin to take us back in time while still having some fun. The announcers try to get Gravy over as a nickname for Corey as Jose knocks Almas down a few more times. A pop up right hand gets two but Almas kicks him in the face and hits his arm trap DDT for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: D+. I’m still not getting the appeal of Almas but I’m getting the appeal of Jose. A guy his size with that much charisma should be a guarantee for a spot in this company but I’d like to see them do something with him instead of just having him float around. Almas still doesn’t do much for me but having him as a heel is instantly an improvement.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Roderick Strong vs. Elias Samson

Before the match Samson sings a song I can’t quite understand. Samson kicks him in the ribs to start as we hear about Strong’s abilities with a backbreaker. It’s already off to the Tree of Woe for some upside down choking followed by a chinlock. Strong comes right back with a running dropkick followed by a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The Sick Kick ends Samson at 3:17.

Rating: C-. No time for anything here but Samson is in need of a partner of some sort. He’s really not enough in the ring to make anything of himself but the guitar playing character is more than enough to go somewhere. Strong is a case of what you see being what you get though I had almost forgotten he was even part of the roster. To be fair though he’s the kind of guy you can give a quick push and make something of him without too much effort.

Billie Kay vs. Daria Barenato next week.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Oney Lorcan vs. Bobby Roode

Guess who the fans are behind here. They trade arm work to start with Roode taking him to the mat and riding Oney a bit, much to the crowd’s delight. Roode stops to pose so Lorcan gives him a running uppercut to the jaw. We actually get an ONEY chant until Roode knocks him off the top and onto the ropes. Oney gets two off a backslide and starts speeding things up with a running elbow in the corner. A running Blockbuster gets two but the regular version misses and Roode grabs a spinebuster. The inverted DDT sends Roode to the fourway at 7:16.

Rating: C-. Well duh. You have to assume Roode is getting the title shot in San Antonio and that’s best for everyone involved. Lorcan is fine for a jobber to the stars but there’s only so much you can do with a name like Oney. Graves made this even better by losing his mind about Roode on commentary, which is exactly what someone like him should be doing.

The fourway is Roode vs. Dillinger vs. Almas vs. Strong.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show with one goal and while it accomplished that, it wasn’t the most interesting in the world. The wrestling either didn’t have time to go anywhere or wasn’t all that great in the first place. Roode should be a lock to win next week and I like the idea of him winning a few matches to get there. Not a bad show here but one you really should just read the results for instead of watching in full.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Samoa Joe – Kinshasa

Tye Dillinger b. Eric Young via DQ when Nikki Cross interfered

Andrade Cien Almas b. No Way Jose – Arm trap DDT

Roderick Strong b. Elias Samson – Sick Kick

Bobby Roode b. Oney Lorcan – Inverted DDT

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NXT
Date: November 16, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Toronto and that means we get the big final push tonight. Normally that means good thing from NXT as they have this down to a science but there’s a first time for everything. The other interesting note is something called the Return, which has been hyped up in recent weeks. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Liv Morgan vs. Peyton Royce

It’s still so strange to see NXT women playing up the sex appeal, even in the toned down ways that Royce and Billie Kay do. Royce takes her down and hits a headbutt to start but gets sunset flipped for one. Some clotheslines have Royce in trouble and Billie gets dropped as well, only to have her come in for the DQ at 2:23.

The beatdown is on until Aliyah comes out for the failed save attempt. The beatdown is on but Ember Moon makes the real save. Morgan is very athletic but needs more ring time. The rest are all acceptable but again, in need of development. There’s already progress being made though as all four are miles ahead of where they were a few months ago.

Video on Andrade Cien Almas turning on and beating up Cedric Alexander.

Video on the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Apparently Paul Ellering will be in a cage above the ring during the finals.

It’s time for the Return and it’s…..Elias Samson. Elias sings a quick song about being back and Graves just unloads on him. Graves: “They should fire our sound guys. That was so bad.”

Elias Samson vs. Nathan Cruz

The jobber, as the fans refer to him, grabs a wristlock to start but is quickly kneed in the head. A jumping elbow gets two with Elias pulling him up at two, only to finish with the neckbreaker at 2:29.

Ember Moon, Liv Morgan and Aliyah are ready for Royce and Kay, particularly in a six woman tag. It would have to be better than Liv talking as she sounded really, really bad here.

Video on DIY vs. Revival.

Video on Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger. This is actually a lot more entertaining than you would expect with a lot of focus on Dillinger’s long tenure in developmental before he failed on the main roster and got released. You don’t hear that talked about too often but it was effective here.

Andrade Cien Almas vs. Cedric Alexander

Almas keeps hiding in the corner to start, showing that he’s instantly more interesting as a heel. His attempt at coming out of the corner earns himself a dropkick and some chops in the corner, including one that makes Almas gasp in pain. The chops continue as we’re over three minutes in with almost nothing besides chops.

Cedric switches things up with a stomp to the chest and even more chops to take us to a break. Back with Alexander losing a brawl and getting kicked in the face for two in the corner. Things settle down with something like a Kimura keeping Cedric in trouble, followed by a triangle choke of all things over the ropes.

We continue the arm work with a Fujiwara armbar until Alexander gets his foot on the ropes for the break. Alexander finally gets back up and sends Almas outside for a big flip dive, only to get caught in a powerbomb for two. The running double knees in the corner is countered into a Lumbar Check. Almas gets to the rope though and grabs an arm trap DDT for the pin at 17:03.

Rating: C-. They went with a different style here and I don’t think Almas is capable of pulling it off. The problem is he really doesn’t have a character. He was brought in and didn’t get over as a smiling face so now he’s a smirking heel who still doesn’t have much of a character anyway. Not a very good match but a lot of that was due to Almas being involved.

A long video on Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura wraps this up.

Overall Rating: C. This one entirely depends on how you look at this show. As a regular show, this was really, really dull and a completely skippable show. As a go home show, it was actually pretty solid with in depth looks at everything coming up on Saturday plus setting up a big enough match for (presumably) next week. I can get why people wouldn’t like this show but it got me fired up for Saturday, which is the right idea.

Results

Liv Morgan b. Peyton Royce via DQ when Billie Kay interfered

Elias Samson b. Nathan Cruz – Swinging neckbreaker

Andrade Cien Almas b. Cedric Alexander – Arm trap DDT

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NXT
Date: June 1, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s one week before Takeover: Revenge/The End and the big stories are all set. Last week saw the addition of Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in what could be a show stealing classic to go along with the announcement of Nia Jax as the new #1 contender to the Women’s Title. Expect a hard sell on the NXT Title match tonight. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Revival for an opening chat. They want to become the first two time NXT Tag Team Champions and they’re going to hit American Alpha really hard next week. Dawson keeps talking until Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano interrupt. They want the titles too but Dawson tells them that they’re just good hands.

Revival is going to take care of business but Ciampa wants to know if it’s going to be like they took care of business in Dallas. That doesn’t bother Revival because at least they’ve won something. They walk away but Gargano and Ciampa want to fight and it’s a double dropkick to put Revival on the floor again.

Shinsuke Nakamura thinks Austin Aries will bow down to the king next week.

Tye Dillinger vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy is alone here but has his first name back. Dillinger works on the arm to start and it’s a standoff with Tye flashing tens. It’s down to the mat with Dillinger working on the arm even more. Back up and Murphy scores with an elbow to the jaw before cranking on a chinlock. We’re told that Revival vs. Gargano/Ciampa will take place tonight before Tye gets in a Thesz press of all things. A superkick sets up ten (of course) punches in the corner followed by an AA onto an exposed knee to give Dillinger the pin at 5:10.

Rating: C-. Dillinger has the gimmick and the in ring ability so hopefully now he’s going to get some wins. I’m not sure how Blake and Murphy are going to do as singles guys but they’re not the most interesting in the world. Murphy seems to have more to him than Blake but it’s clear that Alexa is going to be the big star from the group.

Earlier today Corey Graves sat down with Samoa Joe and Finn Balor. Finn can’t believe the loss in Massachusetts happened and his world came crumbling down. It was his job to fight every night as champion though and he was beaten on that night. Joe says he finally got the title shot he deserved after all the hoops NXT made him jump through. Finn thinks that sounds like entitlement but Joe says he was Finn’s partner in the Dusty Classic.

Indeed he was but then Joe wasn’t willing to give him a title shot (yeah he was) so Balor brings up all the time they’ve spent together over the years with Joe, including being at his wedding. Joe says he’s been successful everywhere but Finn interprets this as Joe thinking he hasn’t done anything. Balor says he’s coming for the title and a fight almost breaks out right here before we cut away. Good stuff here but this is something NXT is just awesome at every time.

Elias Samson vs. Austin Aries

Aries takes him down by the arm to start and puts his knee on Samson’s face while working on an armbar. A dropkick gets two and it’s right back to the armbar. Samson fights up and grabs a chinlock, only to get suplexed right back down. Austin sends him outside for a suicide dive before the running dropkick sets up the Last Chancery for the submission at 3:26.

Rating: C. As much as people like to think of Aries as someone with a dangerous submission move, that’s the first televised submission win he’s had in over three years. Leave it to NXT to set up a big submission hold for him just a week before the biggest match he’s had in the company while TNA basically said one win a few years ago was close enough.

Post match Aries says he’s going to put the spotlight on himself next week.

Andrade Cien Almas vignette. He’ll be at Takeover.

Revival vs. Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa

Dawson headlocks Gargano to start but takes some fast armdrags before it’s off to Ciampa for a running kick to the head. Dash comes in for a slugout but gets sent to the floor. Ciampa goes after him and eats a hard clothesline as we take a break. Back with Dash working on Ciampa’s leg before it’s off to Dawson to stay on the injury. That lasts all of ten seconds before Ciampa breaks free and brings in Gargano for a kick to the head. Everything breaks down and it’s Gargano and Dawson left in the ring. Dawson takes him up top for a superplex but Gargano locks their legs together on the landing to pin Scott at 10:29.

Rating: B-. I didn’t like this as much as I was expecting to but the finish was a really cool surprise as Alpha now has their next challengers assuming they retain the titles next week. Gargano and Ciampa are growing on me after a slow start but it’s pretty clear that Revival is on a downward swing now that they’ve lost the titles.

Post match Revival beats Ciampa down and load up the same move they used to hurt Big Cass’ knee. American Alpha runs out for the save just in time.

It’s time for the contract signing between Nia Jax and Asuka. Nia says she broke the heart of NXT and now she’s going to break Asuka. She isn’t scared of the champ and signs. Asuka says Nia talks too much and if she’s not scared, she certainly should be. The fight is on and Nia plants her with a powerbomb to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was just ok despite being a strong go home show. You really can tell that the writer who helped cause a lot of NXT’s success is gone as I can’t imagine them setting up a match and then having it take place later in the night. There isn’t a lot of energy going into this Takeover and a lot of that is due to it being built around rematches. There’s about as much interest as you can have given that but NXT is actually trending down a bit at the moment, which you really don’t see that often.

Results

Tye Dillinger b. Buddy Murphy – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Austin Aries b. Elias Samson – Last Chancery

Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa b. Revival – Small package to Dawson

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NXT
Date: May 11, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

Finn Balor is back tonight and it’s already time for him to go after his NXT Title again. Balor lost the belt a few weeks back at a house show to new champion Samoa Joe, meaning Finn’s target should be obvious. Other than that it’s time to really hit the gas on building towards the next Takeover which is scheduled for about a month from now. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video on Finn Balor, talking about how the title is his obsession before the loss to Joe. I believe this aired last week as well. Balor may have lost the title but it’s time to embrace the demon inside.

Here’s Finn to open things up. After a THANK YOU FINN chant, Balor thanks the fans and talks about how the matches with Joe could have gone either way but he won the first two. Before he can talk about what happened in the third match, Elias Samson comes out to sing about Balor’s masquerade being exposed. Samson says Finn is nothing without the title so Balor kicks him in the head to put Elias outside. The guitar goes flying but thankfully Samson makes the save. Jeff Jarrett is somewhere groaning at the guitar not being destroyed.

Last week, Eric Young called himself a world class maniac who is so glad to finally be here in NXT.

Balor wants Samson tonight.

American Alpha vs. Corey Hollis/John Skyler

Non-title. Chad takes Skyler to the mat to start and we get the Kurt Angle themed chant. Hollis comes in and gets headlocked down as well before we hit the seated armbar. It’s off to Jordan who easily throws Hollis into the air for a face first crash onto the mat. A double hiptoss puts Hollis down and there’s a double dropkick for Skyler as this is completely one sided so far.

Hollis finally realizes that he can cheat and the jobbers take over on Gable for the first time. Skyler drops a knee for two and we hit the chinlock. That works for all of five seconds before it’s off to Jordan as house is cleaned. Cue the Revival on the ramp for a distraction but Grand Amplitude puts Hollis away at 5:10.

Rating: C-. This was a nearly complete squash and that’s all it needed to be. Alpha is so far ahead of everyone else right now that it wouldn’t make sense to have them do anything but squash other teams. Revival vs. Alpha II should be a really solid brawl though and it would help to have something like No DQ involved. A regular match would be fine too though.

Shinsuke Nakamura is asked what he thinks about Alex Riley’s rage. Nakamura starts shaking, like he has rage you see.

Alex Riley vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Riley had been calling himself the white lion down in NXT, at least until he got released a few weeks after this. Riley goes right after him to start like he’s a guy about to be released going after one of the top stars in the promotion. Nakamura misses a knee though and Riley hammers away, earning himself a string of knees and forearms to the ribs and face. The running knee in the corner sets up the inverted exploder suplex, followed by Kinshasa to put Riley away at 2:38.

Austin Aries is in William Regal’s office to say he wants to prove he’s the best. Blake and Murphy come in to talk about being disrespected. Aries: “You don’t even have the decency to bring Alexa Bliss with you?” Bliss comes in and yelling ensues so Regal makes Blake/Murphy vs. Aries/a partner of his choice next week. Aries pulls out his phone and implies he knows someone.

Alexa Bliss vs. Rachel Ellering

That would be Paul’s daughter. Bliss starts on the arm by bouncing it off the mat and working on an armbar. A forearm gets two on Rachel and it’s back to the armbar. The comeback goes nowhere as Bliss does the psycho eyes choke to set up the Sparkle Splash for the pin at 3:52.

Rating: D. They’re doing a good job of setting up Bliss as the midcard heel though I can’t imagine her ever being a real threat to someone like Asuka. Ellering was really just there and didn’t show anything outside of being competent in the ring. Then again that’s been the case several times before, but she’s a long way behind Tessa Blanchard in terms of potential.

Bayley says she’s getting ready for her rematch when Nia Jax interrupts. She learned from the loss to Bayley but it’s clear that Bayley has learned nothing from losing the title. A challenge for a rematch is issued and Bayley says she can choke Nia out again. This was a really awkward, and likely WAY too scripted, exchange.

Bayley vs. Nia is official for next week.

Finn Balor vs. Elias Samson

Just regular Finn here and his shoulder is taped up. Feeling out process to start until Balor knocks him to the floor and takes us to a break. Back with Balor holding an armbar and the fans saying it NEEDS MORE COWBELL. Samson fires off some forearms but Balor just blasts him in the face a few times. Some running chops in the corner put Samson on the floor for a baseball slide. The Sling Blade sets up 1916 for the pin on Samson at 7:47.

Rating: C-. This was fine and did exactly what it was supposed to do. In theory this sets up another Balor vs. Joe match but I’m really not needing to see them fight for a third time out of four total major matchups. This is also where Samson is a good player. He’s not going to be a top heel anytime soon but those songs are enough to get the fans hating him every week and then he can take a beating and make someone else look good. That’s an important role to have and Samson is as good of an option as they have for it at the moment.

Balor says he wants his rematch for the title because it belongs to him. Now he’s possessed like a demon stalking his prey so here’s Samoa Joe to interrupt. Before it can get physical, Regal comes out to make Balor vs. Joe III for Takeover on June 8. That’s really rare for NXT as they almost never have feuds go on this long. Joe yells a lot so Balor dives over the top to take him out.

Overall Rating: C+. They’re finally starting to set up some stuff for the next Takeover, which is a good thing even though I’m not wild on the main event they’re going with. However, this was a step up over last week’s show and they’re setting up some stuff for the future, which is where NXT shines best. Aries’ partner could be interesting and you don’t know what they might pull off for that.

Results

American Alpha b. Corey Hollis/John Skyler – Grand Amplitude to Hollis

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Alex Riley – Kinshasa

Alexa Bliss b. Rachel Ellering – Sparkle Splash

Finn Balor b. Elias Samson – 1916

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NXT
Date: April 27, 2016
Location: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s a big night around here as we’re going to take a quick field trip up to Lowell, Massachusetts where Finn Balor lost the NXT Title to Samoa Joe. We’ll be looking at at least part of the match tonight, which is a really cool thing that NXT can do. When is the last time you even heard WWE reference a house show other than the European tour? Let’s get to it.

We’re told about the title change right off the bat. Why hide it at this point?

Asuka vs. Eva Marie

Non-title. The fans tell Eva that she can’t wrestle as we hit the stall button to start. The fans are actually split on Eva as they trade headlocks and armbars. Asuka blasts Eva in the face and rolls forward for a little dancing followed by the hip attack. A Fujiwara armbar sends Eva straight to the ropes and another hip attack sends her out to the floor. Graves thinks it’s starting to unravel as Nia Jax comes out to check on Eva.

Back from a break with Eva mostly missing a running boot to put Asuka down. We hit the double arm crank for a bit before a hard shot to the face keeps Asuka in trouble. Another arm crank slows things down even more until Asuka pops up with a middle rope dropkick. A second dropkick has Eva in trouble and it’s time for the kicks to the chest. Eva tries to send her into the corner but eats a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 12:55.

Rating: C-. Eva was WAY better than usual here but it should be noted that she was doing very basic stuff for the most part. Still though, the fact that she didn’t have a major botch is a step up and it’s definitely one of her best performances yet. Also Graves deserves some credit here as he was channeling Bobby Heenan hard here by praising the heel throughout the match. That adds so much and everything worked well here.

We see some clips of Samoa Joe winning the title last week with the Muscle Buster. They only showed about thirty seconds total.

Joe says his win was inevitable and no more words are needed.

Revival vs. Matt Lee/Jeff Parker

Parker and Lee are both really skinny and I believe used to team as 3.0 in Chikara. The 3.0 on their tights would seem to support that theory. We’ll say Parker is easily taken down and pounded in the corner as Lee shouts that he is respecting the rules by not interfering. Lee then starts a DEFENSE chant as Parker is dropped ribs first into Dawson’s knee for two. It’s off to Lee as the fans chant DEFENSE as well. The Shatter Machine puts Lee away at 3:12.

Rating: C. You could tell there was something to Lee and Parker after those chants. They were both entertaining and it was clear that they had some experience. Unfortunately they didn’t have any kind of a look and are almost completely interchangeable. It was a total squash though and I could get behind the new aggressive Revival, though I don’t know how much steam it would have.

Post match Dawson says they’re the best and want their titles back.

Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy

No Alexa here so the interest is already down. The fans want to know where she is too as Mojo scares Blake into the corner to start. Mojo gets down in a three point stance and declares that neither Blake nor Murphy are in fact hyped. Ryder comes in for two off a neckbreaker and a double facebuster to take both villains down. Blake starts in on the leg before it’s off to Murphy for a shot to the head. It doesn’t seem to do that well though as Ryder slips over to the corner for a tag off to Mojo. House is cleaned and the Hype Ryder puts Blake away at 4:48.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here but how far have Blake and Murphy fallen in the last few months? When you’re putting over the Hype Bros, it might be time to reconsider your career choices. I don’t think Rawley and Ryder are going anywhere other than a midcard tag spot and there’s nothing wrong with that, at least as long as the fans still dig them.

Post match the Revival comes back out and jumps the Hype Bros.

Carmella vs. Aliyah

Aliyah was in a battle royal recently but is probably most well known from Breaking Ground. Carmella snapmares her to start but Aliyah takes over with a seated full nelson. A middle rope leg gets two and this is almost all Aliyah so far. Carmella comes back with a hurricanrana out of the corner and a Bronco Buster, followed by the leg crossface to make Aliyah tap at 3:19.

Rating: C. Aliyah was a very nice surprise here and Carmella looked fine. I know they’re not exactly the new Horsewomen but it’s really cool to see the division being rebuilt with a fresh cast of characters. Bliss and Blanchard looked awesome recently and these two would be a nice addition as well. Good little match here.

Elias Samson says he’ll show that he’s the drifter and will prove to Nakamura that he never should have drifted into NXT.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Elias Samson

Nakamura takes him to the ropes to start and holds Samson in place with his head. A knee drop sets up the shaky boot in the corner, only to have Elias explode out with a clothesline. Samson gets two off a suplex and we hit the chinlock. That’s fine with Nakamura who kicks Samson in the head, setting up the running knee in the corner. Kinshasa puts Samson away quick at 4:24.

Rating: C. They’re doing a really good job of setting up Nakamura as the new star of the roster, which is a really good idea given the possible departure of Finn Balor and having someone like Samoa Joe as champion. Samson is fine in his role and I’m kind of glad they didn’t push him too hard yet as he’s better as a jobber to the stars for the moment.

Overall Rating: B. I had a really good time with this show as they kept things moving all night long and got a lot of acts out there. It’s going to be interesting to see where things go at the next TV tapings but leave it to NXT to figure out a way to move the top story along while still being on the Dallas tapings. They nailed this episode though, which says a lot when none of the matches amounted to anything special.

Results

Asuka b. Eva Marie – Spinning kick to the face

Revival b. Matt Lee/Jeff Parker – Shatter Machine to Lee

Hype Bros b. Blake and Murphy – Hype Ryder to Blake

Carmella b. Aliyah – Leg crossface

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Elias Samson – Kinshasa

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

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NXT
Date: April 6, 2016
Location: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

This is the first of a series of special shows from Wrestlemania weekend with most of the matches taped from Axxess weekend. It should be interesting to see how things go with a very different style audience. Also it’s not clear whether or not we’ll get much advancement in the major angles as everything needs to reset after Takeover: Dallas. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Takeover as you might guess.

Phillips and Graves welcome us, clearly from Takeover.

New correspondent Catherine Kelly tells us what we can expect, including Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson, which was a dark match at Takeover.

We see a video on American Alpha winning the Tag Team Titles, followed by Jordan (nearly in tears) and Gable talking about what it means to win the titles on the biggest weekend of the year.

Video on Asuka winning the Women’s Title from Bayley.

Bayley says congratulations to Asuka and admits that Asuka is just on another level. A champion is made by how many times they get back up and get better so she’ll rise to the occasion again.

We recap Elias Samson getting pinned by Johnny Gargano a few weeks back. Post match Samson beat him down until Apollo Crews made the save.

Recap video of Aries vs. Corbin.

Aries calls himself the most polarizing man in wrestling and that’s just fine. He’s not out there to prove anything to the people though because he’s out there to prove something to himself. Talent and passion can’t be measured with a ruler and a scale but he proved everything he needed to prove to Baron Corbin and isn’t going anywhere soon.

We see Finn Balor retaining the NXT Title over Samoa Joe.

Balor says he escaped and survived Joe again.

Joe has nothing to say.

We see Samson singing a song to Crews but backing away from a fight.

No Way Jose is coming.

Elias Samson vs. Apollo Crews

Samson comes out with his guitar and has something to say but we have a lot of booing to get through first. The fans say that they want wrestling but thankfully Crews cuts it off to get things going. Crews throws him into the corner to start so Samson hides behind the guitar. A headlock doesn’t get Elias anywhere and it’s an armbar to put him on the mat. The armbar even goes to the floor so they head back inside for yet another armbar.

Back from a break with Samson getting in a shot to the back of the head and putting on a chinlock. Another chinlock doesn’t go anywhere and it’s Crews getting up and hammering away to a surprisingly strong reaction. Samson bails to the floor and gets taken down with an apron moonsault, only to have the standing version hit knees back inside. Elias gets in a jumping knee to the head but asks for silence, allowing Apollo to kick him in the face. The toss powerbomb puts Samson away at 14:46.

Rating: D. This really wasn’t very good and that’s probably it for Samson for a little while. Crews moving to Raw is still a surprise but at least he went out on a win unlike Corbin. Unfortunately it wasn’t a good match as most of it was spent on armbars and chinlocks. Samson is much more of a character than a wrestler but I’m not sure how far he can get on that alone.

Video on Zayn vs. Nakamura.

Sami can’t put all of his emotions into words.

Nakamura says strong style has arrived.

Overall Rating: D+. This is a tricky one as the show should have been white hot coming off Wrestlemania weekend and the awesome Takeover but instead it’s a recap and dark match. Maybe you can argue that this is a breather from all the action and a fear of burnout but I was looking forward to something entertaining here and wound up seeing a bunch of stuff all over again. It’s not often that I get to say this but I was disappointed here.

Results

Apollo Crews b. Elias Samson – Toss powerbomb

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

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