NXT Date: May 4, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips
We’re back at Full Sail this week and things should be getting interesting again in a hurry. The next Takeover has been scheduled for June 8 so they only have about a month to get wherever we’re heading. Samoa Joe is the new NXT Champion and tonight we may find out who he’s facing next. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here’s Joe to get things going. The new champ calls himself a man who keeps his word and this title win was inevitable. If anyone has a problem with that, they can come out here and get choked out. Cue the debuting Eric Young (grumble grumble) to a very nice reception from the crowd. Young says the only thing you can count on in life is change and now it’s time for him to collect another of those titles. Joe leaves without any violence and says Eric doesn’t belong in the same ring as him.
Tessa Blanchard vs. Nia Jax
Nia throws her around a bit and drops the leg for the pin at 1:09. I think we have Asuka’s first challenger.
Tye Dillinger vs. Austin Aries
Dillinger shoulders him down and shows Aries a 10 to start but Aries comes back with some armdrags into an armbar. We get the BOTH THESE GUYS chant as Dillinger starts in on the back with a few stomps and a hard whip into the corner for two. Aries claps his hands around Tye’s ears before sending him outside for the corkscrew dive. Tye raises a boot to block a dropkick and gets two off a fireman’s carry slam onto his knee. That’s fine with Austin as he forearms Tye in the face and hits a 450 for the pin at 4:37.
Rating: B-. They’ve got something in Dillinger but he’s still doing the same jobbing stuff that he’s been doing for what feels like forever now. Of course Aries is awesome and has proven himself time after time. I could easily see him getting the first major title shot at Joe and the match would rock either way.
Revival vs. Hype Bros
Ryder and Dash get things going and I’ll give you two guesses as to who the fans are behind. Zack has to fight both of them off and is quickly pulled into the wrong corner for a tag to Dawson who pounds Ryder down. Dash puts on a cobra clutch as Corey continues his eternal hatred of all things Mojo Rawley by insulting his trunks. The hold is pretty easily broken and Ryder dives over for the hot tag. Mojo cleans a little bit of the house before walking into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 4:12.
Rating: D+. Nothing to the match here but what were you expecting? It’s pretty clear that Revival is going to get the first title shot against American Alpha at the next Takeover so this was more of a foregone conclusion than anything else. That’s all the Hype Bros really need to be anyway so this http://shopantibioticsonline.com worked fine all around.
Alex Riley isn’t worried about Shinsuke Nakamura next week because he’s so small. Riley promises to be a maniac next week.
No Way Jose vs. Noah Potjes
The fans are WAY into Jose with Phillips saying it’s contagious. Graves: “So is the flu.” Jose dances a lot and mocks swinging a bat. A few armdrags set up the baseball punch and a quick full nelson slam puts Noah away at 2:17.
Aries says that was a perfect 20 but something seems a bit off. He’s been flying under the radar since he’s been here but that’s all about to change. Now if you’ll excuse him, he has a banana to eat.
Video on Finn Balor losing the title to Samoa Joe. Balor is back next week.
Samoa Joe vs. Eric Young
Non-title. Joe works on the arm to start but they opt to just trade big shots to the face instead. A swinging neckbreaker gets one on Joe but he throws Eric out to the floor for a big suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Young eating a hard elbow to the jaw and the enziguri out of the corner. We hit the nerve hold as this isn’t exactly flying off the page so far.
Joe gets two more off a backsplash before elbowing Young’s head off to stop a comeback bid. Eric does the slide between Joe’s legs and scores with a running forearm, followed by the good looking top rope elbow for two. The release Rock Bottom out of the corner plants Eric though and it’s the Muscle Buster into the Koquina Clutch for the submission at 14:20.
Rating: C-. The match was watchable enough but Young really doesn’t have a character outside of “that guy who used to be in TNA.” That’s really not enough for a debut against a big name with a promo as simple as “I’m here to change things and win the title.” Based off how soundly Joe won, I could very easily see this being a one off appearance for Young. There isn’t much of a reason for him to stick around and it’s not like this was anything special.
Overall Rating: C. This was a really flat show with the only good match being Aries vs. Dillinger and that wasn’t even great. Balor coming back next week should help a lot though and they’ll be able to start setting up Takeover to give the show some fire. This show felt really empty and didn’t have anything to off but NXT can turn it on very quickly so there’s no reason to be worried.
Results
Nia Jax b. Tessa Blanchard – Legdrop
Austin Aries b. Tye Dillinger – 450 splash
Revival b. Hype Bros – Shatter Machine to Rawley
No Way Jose b. Noah Potjes – Full nelson slam
Samoa Joe b. Eric Young – Koquina Clutch
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:
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:
NXT Takeover: Dallas Date: April 1, 2016
Location: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
We’re back with another NXT pay per view style special and one heck of a stacked card. The main event here is Samoa Joe challenging NXT Champion Finn Balor in a rematch from their match of the year candidate from London. Other than that we have Sami Zayn’s potential farewell match for the promotion against the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura in what should be a near classic. Let’s get to it.
Of note: I was in the arena for this show so this is my second time seeing it.
Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson was scheduled for the show but was bumped to a dark match due to time constraints. I’d assume it will air on TV at a later date.
The opening video focuses on the history of Texas wrestling before talking about how this is the future. The two title matches and Zayn vs. Nakamura receive the focus.
Tag Team Titles: American Alpha vs. Revival
Alpha (Chad Gable/Jason Jordan) is challenging. There isn’t much of a story here other than Alpha has beaten all the other teams to earn a shot. Gable starts with Scott Dawson (of Dawson/Dash Wilder) and the fans do the GABLE chant in tune with Kurt Angle’s old cheers. That quickly changes to “WHICH ONE’S DAWSON, WHICH ONE’S DASH”, which makes sense as they’re about as interchangeable as the Usos.
Gable takes him down with some headlock takeovers but Dawson keeps countering with headscissors. A rollup gets two for Chad as the sequence earns a nice round of applause. Chad gives him a gentle pat on the cheek and everything is about to break down. More armdrags have Dawson in trouble and it’s off to Jordan who gets a chant of his own. The evil champs get a breather with a rake of the eyes, only to have Alpha backdrop them both as this is one sided so far.
Chad comes back in to work on the arm as things slow back down. Gable gets two off a cross body out of the corner but misses a dropkick. As usual I’m not sure why that miss hurts but the one that connected didn’t. Jordan comes in for some stereo German suplexes and it feels like I’m watching the Steiners vs. the Brain Busters. To continue with that theory, Wilder comes in off a tag and gets Chad to chase him into a clothesline from Dawson to take over for the first time.
Now we get to the Revival’s bread and butter of cutting the ring off and working on body parts like a good old school team would do. Dawson puts on a Gory Stretch but gets countered into a sunset flip for two. A double DDT drops the champs but Wilder crawls under the ring and nails Jordan to break up the hot tag. That hooligan.
In the (unfortunately) memorable part of the match, Dash loads up a powerbomb for a clothesline from Dawson but can’t keep Gable up, basically making it a slow motion Dominator with the clothesline missing completely. It’s only two though as Wilder isn’t legal, meaning it’s back to Dawson as the fans chant BOTCHAMANIA and remind the champs that they screwed up.
Chad FINALLY crawls through Dawson’s legs and makes the white hot tag to Jordan for some serious house cleaning. A string of suplexes gets two on the champs but Scott gets a quick rollup for two with Wilder using a towel to hold his partner’s feet on the ropes like a classic heel. I’d love to see more of that kind of stuff. An uppercut gets two on Jordan with Gable making the diving save for a SWEET false finish.
Jason misses a charge into the corner but Gable makes a blind tag to come in. Some rollups are exchanged for two and Gable gets some more near falls off a small package and a reverse victory roll. Jordan makes a blind tag of his own and runs around the ring to sneak in and spear the heck out of Wilder, setting up Grand Amplitude for the pin and the titles 15:11.
Rating: B+. What a match and it really did feel like the Steiner Brothers vs. the Anderson and Blanchard. That’s the kind of a pairing you never expect to see again in this generation but these two really did get close to pulling it off. Like so much in NXT, the Revival was talented but just ran into a team more evolved than they were. Alpha is one of the most polished acts I’ve ever seen given how long they’ve been together. I know Gable gets the hype (as he shoulder) but Jordan is an amazing talent in his own right with some amazing athleticism and technical abilities.
Jim Ross and Michelle Beadle are shown.
Kota Ibushi is here for a BIG reaction from the crowd.
Ad for the NXT UK tour.
We recap Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin, which is all about Aries debuting and getting attacked by Corbin, who was mad over losing the #1 contenders triple threat match. Aries is out for revenge.
Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
Corbin whips him into the corner to start but gets forearmed in the head a few times for his efforts. A discus forearm puts Corbin on the floor and Aries nails a top rope ax handle for good measure. The announcers talk about Aries breaking up a 600+ day Samoa Joe title reign, which is as close as you’ll get to an acknowledgment of Ring of Honor around here.
Back in and Corbin finally realizes he’s a lot stronger than Aries and shoves him down to the mat. A whip sends Aries shoulder first into the post for two and things slow way down. We hit the nerve hold with Corbin shouting that Aries is a little man from nowhere. Not quite the Great Gatsby but close enough. Corbin lets go of the hold and gets two before telling the timekeeper to ring the bell. There’s something awesome about someone who just yells at everyone else because he knows no one can touch him.
Aries comes back with some left hands and a neckbreaker across the middle rope for a cool spot. A missile dropkick followed by a running corner dropkick put Corbin on the floor for a suicide dive, which of course draws an NXT chant. Aries tries another charge but runs into Deep Six on the floor for a huge crash. For some reason the referee counts one twice so Aries dives back in at eleven. It must be getting the leftover Ring of Honor out of him. Back in and Aries says bring it so Corbin tries End of Days, only to have Austin roll over into a cradle for the pin at 10:43.
Rating: C. I really don’t like this ending and the match felt a bit off. Aries didn’t get in a ton of offense and then he wins on a quick rollup. I’d assume this was designed to set up a rematch but it’s really not the best debut. The idea made enough sense but it’s not the version I would have gone with. You can have Corbin take a loss here and not really have it damage him as he can just lay people out to make up for it later. I don’t hate this but it didn’t do much for me.
Balor arrived earlier in a Star Wars shirt.
We recap Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. There’s nothing personal here but Zayn made his debut with a big win over Cesaro years ago so now Nakamura wants to win a big match in his own debut. It’s pretty clear that Sami is heading for the main roster after this one so they’re likely going for a big moment here. We also get a video on Nakamura, whose introduction was basically “Yeah you all know him and you know he’s awesome.”. Why go with anything other than the obvious?
Scott Hall and X-Pac are here.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
The fans sing along with Sami’s music for a cool moment. As big as Sami’s pop is though, Nakamura’s chant and reaction are just that much bigger. The place seemed to be in awe of him and his spastic dancing, even doing their holy swearing chants during the entrances. They circle each other a bit and the fans chant YES in advance of contact. Sami ducks the kick to the head but Nakamura tells him to bring it.
Back up and Sami cranks on the arm as the fans are totally split. Now we get my new favorite NXT chant of “BOTH THESE GUYS!” That’s quite the compliment and not something you often hear. As we hear about Nakamura’s Kinshasa knee (Daniel Bryan’s running knee), Sami starts throwing him around with armdrags before telling Nakamura to bring it in a nice touch. More knees to the ribs put Sami down and we get a SHINSUKE’S GONNA KILL YOU chant.
There’s the first kick to the head and a second gets a one count. Nakamura puts on a front facelock as the director tells Graves to talk. Sami gets in a suplex for two and a big forearm puts Nakamura on the floor. That’s not good for Sami as Nakamura gets in two straight knees to the head, followed by a running knee to the ribs for two back inside. Sami is smart enough to make Nakamura miss a charge out to the floor, setting up the big flip dive. The fans again declare this awesome as Sami catches a charge with a Michinoku Driver to put both guys down.
Then in the sequence of the match they slug it out with forearms for at least thirty seconds, drawing a YES chant until it turns into trading forearm bombs. Nakamura’s nose is busted and they start speeding up again to a round of applause. Nakamura gets the better of it with knees to the ribs and a flurry of kicks/stomps to the head to put Sami down. Both guys are gassed though so Sami takes Nakamura’s head off with a clothesline.
That just earns Zayn a cross armbreaker which is turned into a triangle but Sami stands up and kicks him in the face for the break. When all else fails, KICK HIM IN THE FACE! Now it’s Sami kicking Nakamura down against the ropes, followed by the Koji Clutch in the middle of the ring. Shinsuke turns it into a rollup for two and followed with a quick enziguri. Fans: “FIGHT FOREVER!”
The Helluva Kick misses but so does the Kinshasa, allowing Sami to grab the Blue Thunder Bomb for an awesome near fall. Nakamura rolls to the floor but still gets up a HARD kick to block Sami’s diving DDT. Back in again and Sami tries the exploder, only to have Nakamura elbow the heck out of the back of his head. A middle rope knee to the head sets up the Kinshasa for the pin on Sami at 20:07.
Rating: A+. And that’s your match of the show, weekend and year so far. Just a brutal, brutal fight with two guys hitting each other as hard as they could for twenty minutes until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. Nakamura looks like a killer on arrival and Zayn gets to move on to the main roster with a classic on the way out. What more can you possibly ask for out of two guys in a match like this? Outstanding stuff and one of the hardest hitting matches I’ve seen in a very long time.
Nakamura takes a bow but helps Sami up to chants of “THANK YOU SAMI!” Zayn raises Shinsuke’s had before staying in the ring for a bit in what looks like his goodbye as his music plays one more time. We get one final OLE chant as Sami waves goodbye and looks back. The camera work here makes it much more effective on the broadcast than it was in the arena.
We recap Bayley vs. Asuka. Again it’s similar to the Tag Team Title match as Asuka has run through the division and only the champ is left. Simple but effective.
Stephanie McMahon is shown and described as an integral part of the women’s division. I’m to the point where I don’t even care about this anymore. Stephanie has decided that she invented the division and set it up so that’s the official company line now. Moving on.
Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Bayley
Bayley is defending and both women get enormous reactions. Asuka’s entrance sees cherry blossoms fall from the ceiling, which were just bags being emptied out by production staff who could be seen in the rafters. The fans argue over whether Bayley is going to hug Asuka or if Asuka is going to kill Bayley. Feeling out process to start until Bayley eats a right hand to the face to knock her into the corner.
They hit the ropes but miss some running strikes to give us a standoff. The running hip attack puts Bayley down though and the champ is suddenly in trouble. A second hip attack misses though and Bayley gets in a middle rope elbow for two. Asuka can’t quite get a Fujiwara armbar as Bayley makes the rope so it’s off to some kicks to the ribs instead. A quick hurricanrana sets up Bayley’s guillotine choke but Asuka escapes and puts on an ankle lock.
That’s reversed as well and Bayley starts forearming her, only to have Asuka scream and dropkick the champ again. Now it’s time for some YES kicks, followed by a running knee for two more. Asuka kicks her in the head again as this is getting a little more brutal. Back up and they both try dropkicks, followed by Bayley blocking another dropkick and grabbing a legbar of all things. Asuka gets up so Bayley elbows her in the leg before busting out a dragon screw leg whip.
A quick cross armbreaker has Bayley in trouble and a seated armbar makes it even worse. That’s countered into a rollup (because of course) for two but Asuka can’t get her namesake lock. Fans: “BOTH THESE WOMEN!” Bayley’s armbar doesn’t work and unfortunately the Bayley to Belly doesn’t either, allowing Asuka to get in a snap belly to belly. The Asuka Lock goes on and Bayley is in trouble, eventually falling down and fighting for a LONG time before passing out in the hold to give Asuka the title at 15:24.
Rating: B. The ending felt a little flat here but that’s up from feeling very flat live. The match worked and you could get a much better story with the camera showing Bayley getting more and more desperate as she just didn’t have what it took to hang with someone as skilled and seasoned as Asuka. They did a good job of protecting Bayley by having her pass out, but I still don’t think Asuka did enough on the arm to set up that hold. The ending makes sense in theory but I still don’t like the execution. It’s still a good match though.
Post match Asuka looks at the fallen Bayley (now awake and sitting up) but walks away without a handshake or any kind of sportsmanship.
We recap Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor. Joe already lost to Balor in their first title match back in London but went on to win a VERY long match over Sami Zayn to earn this spot. Since then, Joe has gone on a mini rampage (as is his custom) to set this up.
Bobby Roode is shown in the front row. Now that’s a big deal. Well kind of. As big a deal as a TNA guy can really be.
NXT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Balor, in full demon mode, is defending…..and he has a chainsaw. It never ceases to amaze me how he goes from a normal looking guy in a leather jacket to whatever insane monster this is supposed to be (It’s awesome but where in the world does this come from?). They slug it out to start with Balor being sent outside, only to come back with right hands to bust Joe WAY open. You really couldn’t see the severity of the cut live but there’s quite a bit of blood coming down his eye.
Joe throws Balor hard over the barricade so the doctor can look at his eye but then throws the towel away. In an amazing visual, the camera cuts to the barricade where the demon face rises up like he’s on an elevator and springboards off the barricade with a forearm. The referee brings the towel in again but Joe throws it away and smacks Balor in the face.
Balor does that hop over the ropes out of the corner (that’s always sweet) but Joe knocks him off the apron for one of the hardest suicide elbows I’ve ever seen. Oh wait though as we have to check the cut again, though to be fair half of Joe’s face is bloody here. Again, that wasn’t clear from the audience, who swear at the medical staff for not letting them fight. The announcers suggest that the match could be stopped but they finally get the cut closed (as well as they could at least) so Joe can Rock Bottom Balor out of the corner.
The enziguri gets two on the champ and they stop it AGAIN for the cut. That earns them an F*** PG chant, followed by the Facewash to Balor in the corner. A running big boot and knee drop get two but Balor dropkicks him down. That means it’s time for another medical check and a LET JOE BLEED chant. The champ fires off some chops to send Joe outside, followed by a HARD running kick to the chest.
The Sling Blade connects but Balor misses a dropkick, allowing Joe to hit the backsplash for two. Joe stays on him with the powerbomb into the sequence of submissions, capped off by a Crossface. This caused a Benoit chant in the upper deck which was immediately booed out of the building. So even NXT fans have standards.
The Muscle Buster only gets two and Balor wins another slugout with something like a Pele and it’s time for demon mode. The dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace but 1916 is countered into the Clutch, only to have Balor climb the buckles and flip back onto Joe for the pin to retain at 16:22. Joe’s stunned look is great as he has no idea what happened to him.
Rating: A-. This felt much more like a fight than a match and that’s exactly what it needed to feel like. I know a lot of people are going to complain about the referee stoppages but that’s the wrestling world we live in now. I really don’t have an issue with someone having a bloody eye getting treatment before the cut gets out of hand. Yes it got annoying but after seeing how bad it really was, I more than understand it now.
What I’m not sure of is who the next challenger is going to be. There’s no logical reason to do Balor vs. Joe 3 and the only other option would seem to be Nakamura, though it’s a bit too soon for that. At least we had a really good match here, though it was a step down from their London match.
Joe stares at Balor to end the show.
Overall Rating: A. The show was better on a second viewing but it wasn’t a classic by any stretch. I didn’t feel much of a flow here as it’s really just a collection of matches. That being said, it’s a collection of REALLY good matches with the Nakamura vs. Zayn match more than stealing the show. Other than that you have a great opener, an awesome main event and a totally watchable Aries vs. Corbin match that doesn’t even last eleven minutes as the worst match of the night. This is what NXT does: set up matches and then blow the doors off when it’s time for the show. Great stuff here and an amazing start to the weekend.
Results
American Alpha b. Revival – Grand Amplitude to Dawson
Austin Aries b. Baron Corbin – Rollup
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn – Kinshasa
Asuka b. Bayley – Asuka Lock
Finn Balor b. Samoa Joe – Balor flipped back onto Joe while in the Koquina Clutch
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:
NXT – March 30, 2016: They Even Go Home Better Than Raw
NXT Date: March 30, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips
It’s the go home show for Friday’s Takeover: Dallas and the card is set in stone. Therefore tonight is all about the final push towards Texas, meaning all six matches are going to get some solid TV time. Announced for tonight is Bull Dempsey vs. Samoa Joe in what should be a good slaughtering. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
American Alpha vs. Corey Hollis/John Skylar
Jordan powers Hollis into the corner to start, easily lifting him up like a small child. Gable comes in and rides Hollis on the mat for a bit before cranking on a hammerlock. Fans: “BREAK IT OFF GABLE, BREAK IT OFF!” It’s off to Skylar for a wristlock of his own, only to be taken down with ease. A slingshot armdrag doesn’t do much damage but looks very cool, much like a lot of Gable’s offense. The jobbers actually get in a swinging slam on Gable, only to tick him off and earn Hollis and Skylar an overhead belly to belly each. Grand Amplitude puts Hollis away at 4:40.
Rating: C-. Standard squash here with American Alpha looking awesome, just like they were supposed to. The title match on Friday should be a lot more entertaining as the Revival should be a really solid opposition for Gable and Jordan, though I can’t imagine anything but new champions.
Finn Balor is tired of hearing about Samoa Joe’s obsession with being NXT Champion because he has an obsession of his own. That obsession is the reason that he beat Kevin Owens to become NXT Champion and the way he defeated Samoa Joe the first time back in London. Two more days Joe.
Video on Baron Corbin attacking Austin Aries a few weeks back.
Baron Corbin vs. Mike Culori
Mike actually gets in a dropkick to knock Corbin into the corner to start but it only earns him Deep Six for the pin at 1:17.
Culori gets the End of Days post match.
Video on Shinsuke Nakamura with people talking about how amazing he is.
No Way Jose video.
Revival vs. Tucker Knight/Steve Cutler
Non-title. Dawson takes Cutler into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to Wilder, who kicks Cutler in the face to keep control. The slow beating continues with Dawson getting two off a gordbuster. Cutler finally escapes a suplex and it’s off to the much bigger Knight to clean house. The champs get Knight to chase them though and it’s the Shatter Machine for the pin at 4:45.
Rating: C-. Slow and steady here as is always the case with the Revival. They really do work an old school style and it really does still work, though the fun part is going to be seeing them get knocked off by a more energetic act. It’s still cool to see the known jobbers in NXT and it’s even better that they still get in enough offense to make them look credible.
We look at Joe choking Dempsey out last week.
Bull Dempsey thinks Joe is jealous of Dempsey’s physique. Tonight though, Joe gets a cheat meal in the form of these two fists.
Apollo Crews vs. Alex Riley
Riley hammers away to start and is looking aggressive like he has in recent appearances. Crews fights up and starts getting athletic though with a jumping clothesline into a nipup, followed by the toss into the Batista Bomb for the pin at 1:58.
Post match here’s Elias Samson to sing a song for Crews, warning him to take his time and avoid the danger. Graves: “With a voice like that, no wonder he’s homeless.” Samson backs away from a challenge though.
Baron Corbin finds it interesting that Austin Aries hasn’t showed up since the beatdown a few weeks ago. After Dallas, Aries can “go sit next to Virgil at one of those conventions and beg people to remember him.” Oh man that was glorious.
Video on Bayley vs. Asuka, focusing on Bayley growing up in front of our eyes and becoming a role model for all fans from men to women to children. Then Asuka debuted and was immediately the most dangerous woman in NXT. As Graves put it: “Don’t disrespect Asuka or she’ll kick you in the skull.” The women aren’t sure who to pick because Bayley will never quit but Asuka is like nothing anyone has ever faced before. This was the only match they could have gone with and it’s going to be awesome.
Sami Zayn is ready for Nakamura, even though he has an Intercontinental Title match of his own two days later. He knows a thing or two about making a name for yourself in NXT and doesn’t think he would be here if he hadn’t beaten Cesaro three years back. Yeah he may face Nakamura again down the line but there’s only one chance to make a first impression at the biggest NXT show ever on the biggest wrestling weekend ever. Sami isn’t about to step aside and let Nakamura make his name that easily.
Samoa Joe vs. Bull Dempsey
Dempsey runs him over to start and fires off some heavy right hands in the corner. Joe gets bored being on defense though and kicks Bull in the head, followed by an STO and the Koquina Clutch for the submission at 1:31.
William Regal has to send wrestlers down to break the Clutch but Joe beats them up as well. The hold goes on again until Finn Balor runs in for the real save. Balor dropkicks him into the barricade but Joe drags him to the announcers’ table as this turns into a fight. Security holds them apart until Balor dives off the table with an AJ Styles forearm. They’re finally separated to wrap things up.
Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the wrestling meant nothing. Instead this was all about hyping up Takeover and that’s exactly what they did. Every match got some time or some kind of a buildup package and I want to see Takeover more than I did coming into tonight. Friday looks like a great night of wrestling matches and that’s exactly what Takeover has become: two hours of entertaining wrestling, which is all it needs to be.
Results
American Alpha b. Corey Hollis/John Skylar – Grand Amplitude to Hollis
Baron Corbin b. Mike Culori – Deep Six
Revival b. Tucker Knight/Steve Cutler – Shatter Machine to Knight
Apollo Crews b. Alex Riley – Toss sitout powerbomb
Samoa Joe b. Bull Dempsey – Koquina Clutch
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:
Roadblock 2016 Date: March 12, 2016
Location: Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton
This is a special live show between Fastlane and Wrestlemania with a big main event in Dean Ambrose challenging HHH for the WWE World Title. It’s not often that the Wrestlemania main event could be changed this soon before the date of the show but stranger things have happened. Let’s get to it.
The opening video focuses on the World Title match and pitches the idea that Dean is blocking the road to Wrestlemania. Well they never have been too subtle so why start now?
Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. King Barrett/Sheamus
New Day is defending. Before the match, Woods says that when you look at them, you see hips that don’t lie, which of course means it’s time for a little dancing. They actually have a box of BootyO’s cereal and Big E. drops to his knees to speak like a child for some insults about the League. Unfortunately they couldn’t come up with any insults for Rusev so Big E. promises to eat his cereal to grow big and strong. That box actually looks real so well done for whoever made that.
Kofi headscissors Sheamus down to start and it’s already time for some posing. If New Day hasn’t turned face yet, they might not even need to at this point. Sheamus pulls Kofi out of the corner and brings Barrett in for his assortment of punches. Big E. comes in for his backbreaker and some dancing before the Unicorn Stampede takes off.
Winds of Change puts Kofi down and Sheamus adds the Irish Curse as the heels (well the stronger heels) take over. A top rope shoulder gets two for Sheamus and the fans tell Barrett that he can’t wrestle. Seriously? I know Barrett isn’t as sharp as he used to be but he’s getting the Khali chant now?
Kofi comes back with a dropkick and the hot tag brings in Big E. for a string of suplexes. Everything breaks down and Kofi cleans house, only to have Trouble in Paradise countered into the Cloverleaf. Barrett pulls Big E. off the apron but Kofi counters into a rollup for two. The SOS doesn’t get a count despite only existing to get near falls. Kofi goes up top but kind of crashes into Sheamus as he tries to dive over, giving us a bad looking botch. Barrett kicks Big E. in the head but Woods offers a distraction, allowing Kofi to get in a cheap shot so the Big Ending can put Barrett away at 8:38. Big E. seems to be favoring his arm.
Rating: C. Hopefully that’s it for this feud as I’m not really sure why they’re fighting other than New Day started talking about the League one day. New Day is going to be a great act as faces but I’m not sure what kind of a shelf life they’ll have before they’ll told how to be funny and outgoing and the act dies as a result. At least they’re on fire now and it’s fun to watch.
Paul Heyman talks about making Toronto the capital of Suplex City and promises that Bray will be conquered by the Beast.
We recap Y2AJ splitting and Jericho burning one of their shirts on Smackdown.
Here’s Jericho for his match but he has to insult the fans for cheering for AJ instead of him. Canadian fans are always behind the times eh? Jericho calls himself the greatest icon in the history of this country, drawing a WE WANT BRET chant. After telling the fans that they’ll never get Bret again, Jericho talks about being embarrassed to be Canadian. Moving away from Canada was the smartest thing he ever did because Canadian fans chant for the flavor of the month. That includes when they cheered for Jack Swagger when he beat Jericho for the World Title years ago. Jericho insults WE THE PEOPLE and it’s time for a match.
Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger
Jericho slaps him in the face to start and bails to the floor in a smart move. The chase doesn’t go well for Chris as Swagger catches him back inside and hammers away in the corner. The announcers run down Jericho’s career, talking about Baba and Tenryu in Japan because saying he’s a ten time Intercontinental Champion and main evented Wrestlemania would be going over most fans heads.
Jericho comes back by sending Swagger into the barricade for two and we hit the chinlock. Jack fights up and we get a CM PUNK chant for no logical reason. Some clotheslines have Jericho in trouble and the Vader Bomb gets two. Jericho can’t get the Walls so it’s the enziguri instead. The Codebreaker is broken up with a powerslam but the gutwrench powerbomb is countered into the Walls for the tap out at 7:55.
Rating: C+. Better match than I was expecting here as Swagger continues to be fine when he isn’t talking or trying to be anything bigger than a power guy who can do some submission stuff. This was fine for a way to keep Jericho’s awesome heel run going, but the fans still chanting for him after that heel promo isn’t the best sign.
JBL shouts YOU STILL GOT IT as Jericho goes up the ramp, making him even more annoying than usual.
We recap the NXT Tag Team Title match with Cole saying the Revival are the new Tag Team Champions. As in the Revival who won the belts nearly five months ago. The Revival thinks Enzo and Cass aren’t serious enough and took out Colin Cassady’s knee so the challengers are coming for revenge and the titles.
NXT Tag Team Titles: Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. Revival
Revival (Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder) are defending and the challengers have Carmella with them. Enzo and Dash get things going with Amore nailing a dropkick before it’s off to Cass for the big side slam. Wilder dives into a right hand to the ribs, followed by Cass picking up Enzo and throwing him at Dawson to keep control. They do the same thing again with Enzo flying over the top to take both of them out, drawing a loud NXT chant.
Back in and Dawson gets a blind tag to send Enzo shoulder first into the post, giving the champs a target. Dawson cranks on an armbar as JBL tries to say the Revival are a throwback to the late 90s tag teams. Add tag team history to the list of things JBL doesn’t know much about. Enzo gets sent into the buckle again and stomped in the Tree of Woe, only to do a situp to send Dawson into the post.
Cass comes in to clean house with a big boot and the East River Crossing to Wilder but the Rocket Launcher is broken up. Carmella slaps Dawson but the distraction lets the champs hit the Shatter Machine (picture a 3D into a Codebreaker) on the floor. Back in and Enzo hits a top rope DDT on Wilder and grabs a rollup for a close near fall on Dawson. The champs get back up though and a Shatter Machine out of the corner gets the pin on Amore at 10:15.
Rating: B+. Please send them up to the main roster already as it’s pretty clear that we’re not getting the title change anytime soon. Enzo and Cass are an awesome act but if they’re not getting the titles then there’s no point in keeping them down in NXT. It’s clear that they’re ready for the main roster so let them go and do the fun feud with New Day before they’re turned into the tag team Santino.
Earlier today, Natalya dedicated her match tonight to Bret Hart and thinks it could get her a step closer to the Divas Title. Charlotte came in and laughed at her but refused to put the title on the line. Natalya said Bret must have been right about the Flairs being cowards and Charlotte made it a title match, which I guess she can just do because contracts work in a weird way in WWE.
Divas Title: Charlotte vs. Natalya
Charlotte is defending. Natalya works on an arm to start but gets caught in a bodyscissors. They trade some holds on the amt with Natalya getting in a leg lock, followed by a surfboard. Back up and Charlotte pulls her to the floor for a crash and takes over with the stomps in the corner. Cole, who already used the term “Divas Wrestler” in this match, compares Charlotte to Mildred Burke. Did Matt Striker take over the commentary division this week?
The discus forearm is broken up and Charlotte starts in on the knee. There’s a chop block to make Natalya scream a lot but she’s still able to kick the champ out to the floor. Now the discus forearm connects and but Charlotte counters the Sharpshooter into the Figure Four. Natalya gets Charlotte under the ropes for a weird counter and Natural Selection gets two.
Charlotte goes up for something but gets countered into a Batista Bomb for a very close near fall. You could tell the fans bought into that one. The Figure Four is countered into the Sharpshooter but Ric helps pull Charlotte to the ropes. Natalya swings at Ric and gets rolled up with Charlotte’s feet on the ropes to retain at 13:35.
Rating: B. What is up with this show being so awesome? Natalya is one of those women that you can put in there with anyone and get a passable match but this felt like she was actually getting close to the title instead of just being there to put Charlotte over. I liked this one a lot more than I was expecting and that’s always a good thing.
We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt, which is mainly over the Wyatt Family eliminating Brock from the Royal Rumble. Lesnar is out for revenge tonight.
Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt
Bray talks about all the people Brock has conquered but tonight there’s a deal with the devil, which has changed this match intro a handicap match.
Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt/Luke Harper
Heyman says that Brock is FIGHTING out of the conqueror’s corner for a cool sounding intro. Bray bails to the apron to start so Harper takes the first suplex, sending him out to the floor. Brock stares at Wyatt, allowing Harper to get back inside for a suicide dive. Two boots to the face stagger Brock and the discus clothesline gets a nearer fall than you would expect.
We hit a crossface but Brock gets to his feet and slips between Harper’s legs for a German suplex. Is there anything this guy can’t do? A superkick doesn’t do much so Brock throws him down with two more German suplexes. Harper gets tossed around even more as the fans keep count for Brock. The F5 puts Harper away at 4:01. Brock and Bray never made contact.
Rating: C. This was fine and they did a good job of protecting Bray here. Harper got in some strong looking offense too so everyone comes out looking fine. I’m not sure where they’re going with Bray vs. Brock but maybe they’ll head there in a few months instead of doing it at Payback or whatever they’re calling the show after Wrestlemania.
Sami Zayn vs. Stardust
Another bonus match. An early CODY chant gets on Stardust’s nerves as the announcers talk about the Missing Link for no logical reason. Sami grabs an armbar and some armdrags for a nice start. There go the OLE chants, which Cole calls an ode to Sami’s former persona, just in case you didn’t think Cole knew everything about wrestling ever. Stardust sends him back first into the apron to take over, setting up a cartwheel.
Some knees to the back followed by a waistlock have Sami in trouble and Stardust tries a reverse Boston crab (Colt Cabana’s Billy Goat’s Curse). A Matt Hardy Side Effect gets two on Sami and a top rope superplex is good for the same as this has been one sided for a long time. Sami pops back up with clotheslines and right hands in the corner before low bridging Stardust out to the floor. There’s the big flip dive over the ropes and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Stardust comes right back with a Disaster Kick for the same but gets suplexed into the corner, setting up the Helluva Kick for the pin at 12:43.
Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as some of the other matches tonight but it was still fun enough. The problem here was they were clearly setting up the comeback all match and then the back work didn’t go anywhere as Sami just popped up and did his big stuff. At least the right guy won though and a lot of Sami’s strength comes from when he’s beaten down and has to fight against all odds. Good enough stuff here though and that’s all it needed to be.
We recap HHH vs. Dean Ambrose which is all about Dean rebelling against the Authority and doing a much better job of it than Roman Reigns ever could.
WWE World Title: Dean Ambrose vs. HHH
Dean is challenging. Feeling out process to start as the announcers give out even more stats and figures (HHH hasn’t had a singles match since Wrestlemania XXXI or a title defense since 2009). Dean headlocks him down and some armdrags keep HHH in trouble. Back up and Ambrose lays across the top rope ala Shawn Michaels and HHH isn’t happy. The CM Punk chants start again and Dean grabs HHH’s nose as he armdrags the champ down a second time.
Thankfully the chants turn into the standard LET’S GO AMBROSE/HHH as Dean gets kneed in the ribs. They head outside with Dean getting in a clothesline before wrapping the leg around the post. HHH actually tries a Pedigree on the floor but gets his legs swept out, only to kick Dean into the steps to change momentum. HHH starts in on the back and puts on a Crossface, followed by a Rings of Saturn of all things.
JBL talks about the Toronto fans seeing their hero Whipper Billy Watson win back in 1956. A spinebuster gets two but Dean pops back up and gets the same off a bulldog. Dirty Deeds is broken up but the facebuster sets up a rebound lariat for two on the champ. I still don’t like the idea of someone taking a hard shot to the face and hitting an offensive move a second later. That never works for me.
HHH’s leg starts giving out on him again, allowing Dean to counter a Pedigree attempt into a Figure Four. Cole: “He’s going to tap HHH for the title!” Dean switches over to a Sharpshooter but HHH makes the ropes for the save. Dirty Deeds connects but Dean’s foot is under the ropes for a good false finish.
A hard whip sends HHH over the ropes and out to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. Dean hits the top rope elbow and even throws in a Suck It. HHH gets knocked onto the announcers’ table but avoids the elbow off the barricade for a huge crash. It’s only good for a nine count so HHH hits a quick Pedigree to retain at 24:33.
Rating: A-. Awesome match here and I’m sure that three count is going to be Dean’s consolation prize. There wasn’t much of a chance that they were going to change the title here but giving us the false hope was a nice feeling. HHH winning the match (mostly) clean is fine enough but I could go for Dean actually winning something big every now and then.
Overall Rating: A-. I had a great time with this show even though it doesn’t change much of anything. Sometimes all you need is a good night of wrestling and that’s what we had here. The worst thing all night was Stardust vs. Sami in a match that certainly wasn’t bad. This show worked out really well and hopefully will give WWE some of the positive momentum they’ve been lacking so much lately.
Results
New Day b. King Barrett/Sheamus – Big Ending to Barrett
Chris Jericho b. Jack Swagger – Walls of Jericho
Revival b. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady – Shatter Machine to Amore
Charlotte b. Natalya – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Brock Lesnar b. Luke Harper/Bray Wyatt – F5 to Harper
Sami Zayn b. Stardust – Helluva Kick
HHH b. Dean Ambrose – Pedigree
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at: