We’ll start with the most recent, on December 4’s NXT. This was the final push before R-Evolution with Neville saying Sami has had a great career and has a lot to be proud of. Zayn wasn’t going to accept that though and cut the promo of a lifetime, talking about how no one, including Neville, could tell him what he could be proud of because nothing he did mattered without that NXT Championship. I was drooling to see these two go at it for the title the next week and they blew the roof off the place.
I would put Rock, Lana and Rusev in this, but that promo just killed Rusev’s heat and there was no way he’d ever win another match again and would wind up selling meat out of a truck in Moscow right?
In the height of the “Where’s Punk” spring, Paul Heyman came out to Punk’s music in Chicago and sat down in the middle of the ring. The fans were begging to see Punk, but within a few minutes, Heyman had them thinking about the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. It took a master to get them off that topic but he was able to do it in a matter of minutes. That’s pure talent and only Heyman could have pulled it off.
Speaking of Heyman, he might have topped himself a month later in New Orleans. The previous night he had led Brock Lesnar to victory over the Undertaker, doing the unthinkable of breaking the Streak. This was evil winning and getting to give the mother of all victory speeches. Heyman talking about how Lesnar was here to put tears in children’s eyes was glorious and bragging about Undertaker collapsing and going to the hospital in a “shoot” is about as evil as you’ll ever find. He capped it off by talking about how Lesnar is the one to do everything he says he’s done and now he’s the 1 in 21-1. “So many people have come up and says “I could have broken the Streak.” “WELL WHY DIDN’T YOU???”
The night wasn’t done yet because the Ultimate Warrior came out and gave literally the final promo of his life, talking about how his spirit will live forever and how one day every man breathes his last breath. And then he DIED. There is no way you can ever top that drama, no matter what you do.
We have to get Daniel Bryan in here and we’ll go to Memphis to do it. Bryan wanted a shot at the title at Wrestlemania and was willing to do whatever he had to do to get it. His idea was to hijack the show by having about 100 fans in Bryan shirts take over the ring until HHH agreed to a match with Bryan at Wrestlemania, as well as a spot in the WWE Title match if he won. He kept pushing and pushing until HHH finally snapped and gave Bryan everything he wanted. This set the stage for Wrestlemania and gave the fans everything they wanted all in one great package.
But this one topped them all.
On April 6, 2014 in the New Orleans SUPERdome, Hulk Hogan was in the ring to open Wrestlemania XXX as the official host. He talked about how there are Wrestlemania moments and you never know when one is going to happen. And then the glass shattered.
I’ve been to a lot wrestling shows over the years. I’ve seen a LOT of wrestling over the years. I’ve seen almost everything there is to see in wrestling and am a very jaded fan as a result. When that glass shattered though, my heart skipped a beat and my jaw actually fell open. The pop was incredible and they somehow topped it when the Rock came out a few minutes later. The three biggest stars in the history of wrestling standing in the ring together for the first and only time ever.
There’s a famous photo of Elvis Pressley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash (plus Carl Perkins) at Sun Studios in Memphis called the Million Dollar Quartet. That shot of Austin, Hogan and Rock together could be called the Billion Dollar Trio and there will never be a better collection of talent in one place.
NXT Takeover: R-Evolution: Yo Adrian! This Show Is Awesome!
NXT Takeover: R-Evolution Date: December 11, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Alex Riley, Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
We’re at the latest major show for NXT and the main event is a pick em at this point. We have Sami Zayn putting his NXT career on the line for one more shot at Adrian Neville’s NXT Championship. Other than that we have Hideo Itami/Finn Balor teaming up to take on the Ascension and the debut of Kevin (Steen) Owens. The card is stacked so let’s get to it.
The opening video focuses on the main event but also gets in a bit of Kevin Owens.
Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker
Owens hits two straight running clotheslines in the corner at the bell and the Cannonball crushes Parker in less than fifteen seconds. He rips up Parker’s My Fight Matters sign and hits a HUGE flip dive over the top to take Parker out. Back in and Owens hammers away, only to eat a boot to the jaw.
Parker misses a running backsplash but the Third Eye gets a VERY close two. Back up and Owens no sells a charge in the corner and takes CJ’s head off with a clothesline. Owens is bleeding from the eye as he picks up Parker for a kind of pumphandle shoulder breaker. He throws Parker up and powerbombs him in half for the pin at 3:22.
Rating: B. WHOA. Yeah the rating is high but this was one of the most impressive debuts I’ve seen in a very long time. Owens looked like a killer out there and just destroyed Parker. I even dug that they gave Parker some offense and a near fall to add some drama. Owens is the kind of insane guy that they haven’t had in awhile and seemed a lot like what they were shooting for with Dean Ambrose. Excellent stuff.
Neville is ready.
Lucha Dragons video.
Tag Team Titles: Vaudevillains vs. Lucha Dragons
The Dragons are defending and beat the Vaudevillains in the #1 contenders tag team tournament a few months back to give the Vaulevillains a reason for revenge. Gotch and Cara get things going with a standing Lionsault getting two for the champ. A headscissors/armdrag combo takes both Vaudevillains down before it’s off to Kalisto for a front facelock. Back to Sin for a dropkick as the fans are entirely behind the challengers. English comes if off a blind tag and low bridges Cara out to the floor. Fans: “THAT WAS MANLY!”
They head back inside with Gotch cranking on the neck before getting two off a crucifix. English sends him outside for a baseball slide, earning him a chant of his own. The villains keep taking turns on Cara with Aiden cranking on a chinlock. Sin finally pops up and flips over English to make the tag off to Kalisto. Things immediately speed up and everything breaks down. The Dragons send them to the floor for a big double dive, only to have English shove Gotch out of the way to take the shot himself. Fans: “CHIVALRY!” Back in and the Salida Del Sol on Gotch retains the titles at 6:50.
Rating: C. The match was pretty standard but the ending was really a surprise as I would have bet on the Vaudevillians to pick up the belts here. That being said, it’s not the worst idea in the world as the Vaudevillians are being turned face by the audience reactions alone so it’s only a matter of time anyway. Still a surprise though.
Tye Dillinger vs. Baron Corbin
As usual the fans count the time of Corbin’s match, ending at a far higher than usual 39 seconds with End of Days. The match was so short that I didn’t have time to mention Bull Dempsey watching from ringside.
Sami is in the locker room and turns down Cass and Enzo’s offer of milk. He looks over and sees Owens looking back at him. We can’t hear anything said (if anything was) as we’re listening to an inset interview from yesterday with Sami saying he’s ready.
We recap Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. Ascension. Itami is a hotshot rookie and Ascension are bullies. Balor debuted to help Itami in his war and this is the showdown.
Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. Ascension
Balor has an insane entrance now with a pounding red light that sounds like a heartbeat, a ton of smoke and face paint that looks like a cross between Delirious, Great Muta and Ultimate Warrior. Ascension looks stunned as the fans are bowing to Finn. It’s a brawl to start before the bell with Ascension getting pounded down in the corner. Stereo corner dropkicks send them out to the floor and we get the opening bell.
Itami dropkicks Viktor down to start and it’s off to Finn for a slingshot stomp. Balor charges into a knee in the corner to change control and it’s off to Konnor. Back to Itami who hammers away but eats a flapjack as Ascension keeps control. Viktor breaks up a hot tag attempt with a hard elbow drop to the back for two. Off to a reverse chinlock followed by a fist to the head and yet another chinlock. Ascension keeps up the double beatdown as Viktor puts on another chinlock. Hideo finally kicks Konnor to the floor and dives for a tag, only to have Konnor knock Finn off the apron.
The hot tag comes a few seconds later and Finn cleans house with enziguris. Viktor avoids the top rope double stomp but eats a reverse Impaler. Konnor makes the save but Itami takes him to the floor, only to have to save Finn from an STO. Itami loads up GTS (his invention) and the fans go NUTS, but Konnor makes the save. Hideo breaks up the Fall of Man and the super team goes up for double foot stomps for the pin on Ascension at 11:45.
Rating: C+. This was better than I was expecting but the ending was never in doubt. I can’t get over that ROAR for the GTS attempt though. It’s a good sign that Itami can do more than kick because he really hasn’t shown me much yet. Ascension is ready for WWE and has been for like a year, so this is probably their swan song.
Roman Reigns is in the back and says he’s here to see an awesome main event. His goal is to be the first NXT alumni to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, which creates some continuity issues as that would be Daniel Bryan. I know it’s a different version of NXT but it’s a bit confusing.
Ric Flair is here and gives Charlotte a hug for luck.
We recap Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks. They used to be friends but Charlotte won the Women’s Title. Banks says that belongs to hear and tonight is the showdown.
Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte
Sasha throws her modified Charlotte shirt (Charlotte: “Do it with some Flair!” Banks: “Do it like a Boss!”) and the champ chases her to the ropes. They trade chops in the corner with Charlotte getting the better of it (of course) but Banks gets in a quick kick to the head to take over. She sends Charlotte hard into the steps for two back inside but stops to yell at Little Naitch.
Banks drives her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs before a double knee to the ribs has Charlotte in even more trouble. She mocks the strut though and Charlotte gets all fired up. The champ is so fired up that they mess up a spot, followed by a Backstabber into a double arm stretch from Banks. She pulls Charlotte down by the hair out of the corner and puts on a Figure Four neck lock, complete with a WOO. Charlotte finally lifts her up for an electric chair drop to put both girls down.
A series of forearms puts Banks down and a suplex into a neckbreaker gets two on Banks. Charlotte misses a charge though and falls out to the floor, setting up a pretty bad looking suicide dive from Sasha. They slug it out with Banks getting the better of it but eating a big spear to give Charlotte control again. She charges into a boot but counters the Bank Statement.
The Figure Four is countered into a small package for two and Banks gets two off a neckbreaker. A big suplex sends Banks flying and the fans think THIS IS WRESTLING. Charlotte tries a moonsault but has to land on her feet, only to flip forward for a backsplash for two as Banks gets her feet on the ropes. Sasha sends her hard face first into the middle buckle but Charlotte throws her off to block a superplex. A top rope Natural Selection is enough to retain the title at 12:06.
Rating: B. The Women’s Title match has become a highlight on all these shows and Banks just had her best match ever by about a million miles. Much like Ascension, Charlotte has been ready for the next level for months now and really should be on Raw like tomorrow. Well Monday but you get the idea. Really solid match here and a great match that happened to have women in it rather than a good women’s match if that makes sense.
Long recap of Zayn vs. Neville. The short version is Zayn has never won the big one but has to win the title here or leave NXT.
NXT Title: Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville
Neville is defending and they have over thirty five minutes for this. After the big match intros, we’re finally ready to go. Feeling out process to start with no one able to get an early advantage. Neville cranks on a wristlock but Sami takes over with one of his own. They head back to the mat with Adrian working on a hammerlock before grabbing a chinlock. The champ grabs an armbar and another OLE chant starts up.
Sami spins out and grabs a wristlock of his own but Neville flips over to land on his feet instead of on the mat. Adrian says bring it but gets caught in the armbar again. Neville flips into the corner again but walks into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to give Sami his first real advantage. The champ rolls outside and takes the bouncing moonsault as Sami is in full control. Neville takes his time getting back in and gets rolled up for two. He sends Sami into the buckle to take over and a dropkick to the back of his head gets another near fall.
We hit the chinlock for a bit before a big uppercut gets two for Adrian. Neville drops a series of knees to the chest for two more and we hit another chinlock. A nice middle rope dropkick gets the same result and Neville is slowly getting frustrated. Neville kicks him in the face a few times but eats a hard clothesline and dropkick to give Sami an opening. Back to the floor but Adrian rolls back inside to avoid the dive and snaps off a hurricanrana to send Zayn to the floor. Sami does the exact same thing to avoid a dive and backdrops him to the floor, setting up the signature flip dive to take over again. Sweet sequence.
Back in again and the high cross body gets two for Sami. Neville tries to cartwheel at Sami but winds up on Neville’s shoudlers for a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Now the real pressure is starting to get to Sami but a jawbreaker brings him back to reality. A running boot to the face and a bridging German suplex get two for Neville and both guys are getting winded. Sami runs the corner but gets caught in a sitout powerbomb, landing HARD on the back of his head for two.
Back up and Neville fires off some hard forearms to the head but Sami gets right in his face and they slug it out until Zayn takes his head off with a clothesline. Neville takes him right back down with an enziguri out of the corner. Fans: “NO! NO! NO!” The Red Arrow hits knees and there’s the Koji Clutch but Adrian gets his foot on the ropes, nearly sending Sami to tears. Neville counters the suplex into the corner with a rollup but the referee gets bumped off the kickout.
He’s back up quickly though but aloud superkick and a reverse hurricanrana (Sami landing on his head again) gets a VERY close two on Sami after he checked on the referee. Back up and Sami charges into a forearm but starts rolling Germans, capped off by a half nelson/chicken wing suplex. Neville bails before Sami can try the Helluva Kick but Sami follows him out for the dive through the ropes into the tornado DDT. Back in again and the Helluva Kick connects but the referee goes down again with Adrian possibly pulling him into the path of the kick.
Neville throws in the title belt but a big boot knocks him down. Sami looks at the belt and picks it up, drops some F Bombs, but can’t bring himself to cheat. Neville grabs a rollup for two but walks into the exploder in the corner. The Helluva Kick connects and Sami FINALLY wins the title at 23:55.
Rating: A. Oh yeah it rocked. This was exactly what it should have been with Sami finally exorcising his demons and winning the belt. I loved that section near the end where he wanted to cheat but finally threw it down and won with what brought him to the dance. This was the outstanding showdown main event and exactly how they should have done it. Adrian comes off looking like a warrior who might have cheated (it wasn’t clear) to try to keep the title. Great stuff here with some very close near falls and incredible drama.
You can hear the fans thanking Neville during the replay package.
The locker room comes out to celebrate and Owens hugs his friend. Even Pat Patterson is here to celebrate. Neville gets back up and stares Sami down. The new champ extends a hand but Neville kicks it away and pulls him in for a hug. Everyone clears out and Sami gets to do a victory dance. One more hug from Owens looks to end the show….BUT HE BLASTS SAMI WITH A RIGHT HAND AND POWERBOMBS HIM ON THE APRON! What a perfect fake out as everything looked finished and then they throw that curve.
Overall Rating: A. As usual, this show blew the roof off the place and continues to be the show I look forward to more than almost anything else. The worst match on the show was a totally fine tag match and Owens was about a thousand times more awesome than I was expecting. Couple that with a Match of the Year candidate with the perfect ending and there’s almost nothing bad here. Outstanding show and again worth checking out.
Results
Kevin Owens b. CJ Parker – Powerbomb
Lucha Dragons b. Vaudevillians – Salida Del Sol to Gotch
Baron Corbin b. Tye Dillinger – End of Days
Hideo Itami/Finn Balor b. Ascension – Double pin after top rope foot stomps
Charlotte b. Sasha Banks – Top rope Natural Selection
Sami Zayn b. Adrian Neville – Helluva Kick
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NXT Date: December 4, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Alex Riley, Rich Brennan
It’s the last show before R-Evolution and I’d assume tonight is just going to be about firming up matches for next week. I’m really hoping we don’t get a rushed heel turn from Neville as the match would be far more entertaining with both guys staying on the paths that got them here. Other than that we might have some fallout from Bayley calling out Lynch and Banks last week. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Charlotte vs. Mia Yim
Non-title. Charlotte starts with a WOO before sending Mia into the corner for a slap to the back. Natural Selection is good for the pin at 51 seconds.
Post match Sasha Banks, in a Charlotte shirt, comes out and says just give her the title now. Charlotte tells her to bring it and starts a ratchet chant. Sasha says she has more flair than Charlotte and her daddy. She’s going to beat Charlotte so badly that she’ll be a bigger loser than her old man. This brings out Bayley in a big leg brace and on crutches to tell Sasha to shut her ratchet face. Banks kicks her in the knee and runs off when Charlotte comes up the ramp. Sasha tries to get a cheap shot but Charlotte drags her to the ring and says get a ref out here. Becky Lynch sneaks in from behind though and Banks lays out the champ.
Time for another silent movie from the Vaudevillains! This time the police commissioner calls them to say the Lucha Dragons are dropping water balloons off the roof of city hall. After a training montage (complete with Gotch fighting a video of a tiger), the Vaudevillains attach an anvil to the Dragons, sending them down…..into a mushroom cloud? Gotch is glad that they took the belts away because they would have just weighed the Dragons down even more. Keep in mind though that no Lucha Dragons were harmed in the filming of this motion picture, but that won’t be the case next week. These things are brilliant.
Vaudevillians vs. Buddy Murphy/Wesley Blake
English jumps over Blake to start but dives into a powerslam for two. A snapmare sends Wesley into the ropes though in a nice idea. It’s off to Murphy as the fans sound like they’re sighing for some reason. Off to Gotch for some Hindu Squats while holding Buddy in an Indian Deathlock. English comes back in for some elbows to the leg before it’s back to Gotch to stay on the leg. Murphy finally rolls away and makes the tag as everything breaks down. Blake is sent to the floor for a big crash and the Whirling Dervish ends Murphy at 4:15.
Rating: D+. Not much to see here but the Vaudevillains are getting better in the ring. Those vignettes are as good as anything I’ve seen in a long time. Murphy and Blake are decent in the ring but they really need to stop losing every time if they’re supposed to have a future.
Regal is in the back with Tyler Breeze, who hasn’t seen Marcus Louis since he wandered off last week. Tyson Kidd comes in and says he wants a rematch with Balor, but Regal makes it a tag with Itami/Balor vs. Kidd/Breeze. This took less than a minute and covered two stories. Why does it take Raw twenty minutes to cover one?
Bull Dempsey vs. Elias Samson
The fans count until the flying headbutt ends Samson at 22 seconds.
Baron Corbin vs. ???
End of Days, 11 seconds. Of course Bull was watching from the stage.
Kevin Owens video, talking about how he’s fought and teamed with Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Adrian Neville, and Sami Zayn (called Owens’ best friend), but WWE called all of them first. Now it’s his turn.
Tyler Breeze/Tyson Kidd vs. Hideo Itami/Finn Balor
Kidd holds the ropes open for Natalya and offers to do the same for Breeze in a funny bit. Itami and Kidd get things going but it’s quickly off to Breeze, whose arm is quickly yanked. Balor comes in with a slingshot stomp for no count but Kidd makes a blind tag and decks Finn to take over as we go to a break. Back with Breeze coming in to stomp Finn in the corner before it’s quickly back to Kidd for even faster stomping.
A neckbreaker gets two for Tyson and we hit a bow and arrow. Balor fights up but misses a dropkick to put him right back down. Breeze grabs a neckbreaker of his own for two before Kidd comes back in for a hard kick to the leg. A slingshot legdrop to the back of the head gets two for Kidd but he eats a Pele (now called a soccer kick), allowing Finn to tag Hideo. Itami fires off a series of kicks to destroy Breeze before hitting a delayed running dropkick in the corner to a sitting Tyler. Everything breaks down and Balor hits Shadows Over Hell, setting up Itami’s kick to the back of the head for the pin at 11:30.
Rating: C. Pretty standard tag match here but Itami continues to look totally one dimensional. I know he isn’t the biggest guy in the world but he needs to do something more than just kick a lot. Daniel Bryan has proven that a smaller guy can do more than just strike while still having it be a major part of his offense so it certainly can be done.
Post match Finn tells Ascension to bring everything they have because he’s going to show them something they’ve never seen before.
Here’s Adrian Neville for the final speech before the title match. A lot of people have said he should be conflicted by this match, but his goal is the same as always: to win at all cost. Some people say that he should be ashamed of what he did to retain the title at Fatal Four Way and every other title match. If he had it his way, it would have gone completely differently, but that’s the fundamental difference between himself and Sami: Zayn doesn’t have the killer instinct and that’s why he’ll never be NXT Champion.
This brings out Sami who says he’s been listening to everything Neville has been saying and it’s ticking him off. Who is Neville to act like Sami’s babysitter and tell him how he should live? Whatever Sami decides to do after the match is up to him and his actions, not Neville’s. Adrian backs off a bit and says he respects Sami more than anyone else and next week it’s going to be an honor to face Sami in the match of their careers.
Adrian offers a handshake but Sami says no. This is where he goes wrong every single time but he won’t do it here. This isn’t about respect and he slaps Adrian in the face. Neville doesn’t get to end him because it’s going to be Sami ending Adrian’s story and taking that title. This wasn’t a heel turn for either guy but rather Sami just being more intense this time around.
Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t great here but I’m wanting to see Takeover a lot more than I did coming in. That main event has me drooling because you know those two are going to tear the house down with the near falls. The only match that doesn’t do much for me is Ascension vs. Itami/Balor as there doesn’t seem to be a ton of drama there, but whatever gets Ascension onto the main roster is a good thing at this point. This show did exactly what it was supposed to do and sets up a good looking card for next week.
Results
Charlotte b. Mia Yim – Natural Selection
Vaudevillians b. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy – Whirling Dervish to Murphy
Bull Dempsey b. Elias Samson – Flying headbutt
Baron Corbin b. ??? – End of Days
Finn Balor/Hideo Itami b. Tyler Breeze/Tyson Kidd – Kick to Breeze’s head
NXT – November 20, 2014: The Fastest Show In Wrestling
NXT Date: November 20, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Renee Young, Alex Riley, Rich Brennan
We’re getting close to the end of the year and ultimately the next Takeover special, but now the main event isn’t as clear. Last week Sami Zayn was tricked into losing his NXT Title shot against Adrian Neville, leaving his future up in the air. Other than that we have Itami/Balor getting ready for their showdown against the Ascension which will be the newcomers’ official welcome to the company. Let’s get to it.
We recap Sami’s loss last week.
Opening sequence.
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
Bayley is sent out to the apron to start and gets dragged right back in. A release northern lights suplex and legdrop give Becky two and we’re already in a chinlock. They get right back up with Bayley hitting some quick ax handles to the chest for two. Sasha offers a distraction from the floor though, allowing Lynch to pull the hair and grab a rollup and tights for the pin at 2:14.
Charlotte comes out to save Bayley from a post match beatdown.
Bayley thanks Charlotte for the help but warns her to stay away from Sasha. They hug and everything seems ok.
Here are the Vaudevillains with something to say. They’re patient gentlemen, but they deserve the title shot that they’ve earned. Cue two mini wrestlers dressed like the Lucha Dragons (Renee: “Kind of like Lucha-Loompas!”) and we’re actually having a match.
Mini Lucha Dragons vs. Vaudevillains
The full sized guys takes turns with airplane spins on #1, even handing him off between each other instead of dropping him. #2 gets tagged and doesn’t want to come in. A quick neckbreaker from English gets the pin at 1:29.
Kevin Owens (Steen) is coming on December 11, 2014.
Baron Corbin vs. Elias Sampson
End of Days, 22 seconds. The fans were counting again.
Bull Dempsey comes out for his match and stares Corbin down on the way.
Bull Dempsey vs. Steve Cutler
The fans start counting again. Fans: “21! 22! 23! BARON’S BETTER! BARON’S BETTER!” Bull destroys Cutler and no sells some right hands before the top rope headbutt ends this at 54 seconds.
Tyson Kidd vs. CJ Parker
It’s the rare heel vs. heel match here. Kidd grabs a hammerlock around the ropes as the fans chant TOTAL DIVAS. Parker nails a quick kick to the face for two but Kidd knocks him out to the floor. A dragon screw leg whip onto the ropes has Parker in even more trouble and the Sharpshooter ends him at 2:59.
Kidd offers to excellently execute Finn Balor next week.
Enzo takes credit for Carmella’s success but nothing comes of it.
Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson
Enzo and Cass aren’t the Parker Brothers, but they’ll scrabble your headpiece, monopolize you, connect your four eyes and never feel sorry for it. Enzo grabs a headlock on Dawson to start as Renee critiques Amore’s hair. Off to Cass to clean house before shouting “ENZO! I’M GONNA TAG YOU IN!” Cass kicks Dawson’s head off, giving Enzo the pin at 1:38.
Ascension runs in and destroys Wilder with the Fall of Man. Fans: “SEVEN MORE TIMES!” They’re going to kill Itami and Balor before they rise again.
Zayn thanks Regal for the chance to get something off his chest tonight. End of scene.
Here’s a serious looking Sami Zayn to talk about last week. He’s known he has what it takes to be a champion his entire life, but last week proves otherwise. We see a similar video to the opening montage of Neville pinning Sami in the title match last week. Fans: “YOU GOT ROBBED!” Sami asks Neville to come out so here’s a limping champion.
Sami talks about having no business being here if he can’t win the big one. Now Neville doesn’t owe him anything because he gave him a title match last week, but if their friendship means anything to him, Adrian will give him one more chance at the NXT Championship. If Zayn can’t win that one, then he’s done. Neville says he’d give him a rematch tonight but that’s not his decision.
Above all though they’re friends, and Neville thinks Sami has nothing left to prove. Zayn gets mad and says the only thing he has left to prove is on Adrian’s shoulder. If he can’t beat Neville for that title, then he doesn’t need to be here. Sami sounds like he’s on the verge of tears. Cue Regal who says Zayn is far from a failure.
Sami was part of NXT Arrival and Regal can’t think of any main event better than Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville. That rematch will take place at NXT Takeover: Our Evolution on December 11. Neville is pleased but he doesn’t want Sami’s career on the line because he won’t be responsible for ending Sami’s dream. Zayn again says he’s done if he loses and drops the mic to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. This is a hard one to grade as everything went by so fast. I kind of like it that way though as the matches may have been short but they all did their jobs efficiently enough, especially when two of them were about winning as fast as they could. Sometimes you don’t need to keep a match going just for the sake of keeping it going and NXT was smart enough to realize that. Sami’s promo at the end was awesome but it kind of telegraphs the ending to the match. Still though, solid show tonight as NXT continues to destroy the main show in making the most out of their time.
Results
Becky Lynch b. Bayley – Rollup with a handful of tights
Vaudevillains b. Mini Lucha Dragons – Neckbreaker to #2
Baron Corbin b. Elias Sampson – End of Days
Bull Dempsey b. Steve Cutler – Top rope headbutt
Tyson Kidd b. CJ Parker – Sharpshooter
Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady b. Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson – Big boot to Dawson
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT – November 13, 2014: I’ll Take Neville To Block
NXT Date: November 13, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Alex Riley, Rich Brennan
Tonight is a big show for NXT as we have the showdown between Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville for the NXT Title. I don’t quite believe we’re getting the full match tonight though, or at least we’re not getting a clean ending. Other than that we have the fallout from the debut of Finn Balor, who will be helping Itami in his war against the Ascension. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Itami vs. Ascension and Balor debuting last week.
Opening sequence.
Here’s Balor to open the show with a rather epic entrance. He says he’s here in NXT because he’s the future….and here are Natalya and Tyson Kidd arm in arm. Tyson is sure that Balor has a fascinating story but no one cares. Fact. Kidd was brought into this business as a Hart, so the first thing he was ever taught was respect. Cue Justin Gabriel who says a new international superstar is here every week to be a top guy. Finn has to get through them first though, but let’s pause for a WHO ARE YOU chant at Gabriel. Kidd and Gabriel get in the ring but here’s Itami, walking very slowly out to save his buddy.
Finn Balor/Hideo Itami vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel
This should be good. Gabriel and Itami get things going but it’s quickly off to Kidd for a wristlock. Balor comes in for the first time and Tyson is already out for Gabriel. A dropkick puts Gabriel down but he bails to the floor, setting up a big flip dive from Balor as we take a break. Back with Itami putting Justin in a chinlock and getting two off a kick to the chest. Off to Balor vs. Kidd with Tyson taking him outside for a neckbreaker on the floor. Gabriel hits a LOUD chop on the floor before kicking Finn in the back.
Tyson does the same for two as the heels take over on Finn in the corner. We hit the chinlock on Balor before Justin cranks on both arms at the same time. Kidd and Gabriel keep making the fast tags until Balor nails Tyson with a Pele Kick. The hot tag brings in Itami to clean house and a big kick gets two on Kidd. Justin dives into a knee to the ribs for two as everything breaks down. The newcomers hit stereo corner dropkicks, setting up a top rope double stomp to end Gabriel at 10:34.
Rating: C+. This was a much more promising match from Itami than the previous weeks singles efforts. Balor continues to look like the star of the team though and the more complete wrestler. Itami is coming around though and just needs some more time to get used to the WWE style.
We look back at Zayn vs. Neville from about a year ago in a great #1 contenders match.
Zayn says tonight feels different than all of the previous times. The road to redemption is more than just a nice tagline because destiny never makes mistakes. Tonight is going to unfold just like it’s supposed to.
Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss
Banks sends her into the corner to start and nails a low clothesline for an early two. The fans argue over whether Sasha is ratched as she puts Bliss in a modified surfboard. Bliss nails a dropkick but gets caught in the Backstabber into the Bank Statement for the tap out at 2:18.
Banks wants to make her title match against Charlotte official. She doesn’t do anything to accomplish that but she does indeed want it.
Neville says Sami is his friend but he’s going to be disappointed again tonight.
Lucha Dragons vs. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy
We need new jobbers around here. Non-title again. Kalisto throws Blake around to start but Murphy sneaks in to catch Kalisto in mid air for a suplex. Murphy gets two off a clothesline before it’s back to Blake for a top rope stomp to the back for two of his own. Buddy comes back in to hammer away but Kalisto slips through his legs to tag Sin. Cara speeds things way up but gets thrown into Blake to knock him off the apron. Kalisto hits a HUGE corkscrew plancha to drop Blake again, setting up the Swanton from Cara to Murphy for the pin at 5:07.
Rating: B-. Those dives from the Dragons are just nuts and made the match that much better. This was in the classic power vs. speed mold and worked as well as you would have expected it to. Murphy and Blake have a future if they’re allowed to get some more ring time. They’ve got a look and aren’t bad in the ring which puts them ahead of a lot of teams.
The Vaudevillains applaud the Dragons but tell them to keep the titles polished.
NXT Title: Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
Zayn is challenging and quickly flips Adrian down to send the champion into the corner. He does it again before avoiding some dropkicks and dropkicking Adrian out to the floor. Sami loads up a dive but backflips back in when Neville moves. The OLE chants start up as Sami holds the ropes open but Neville flips back in. Now it’s the champ’s turn for some rapid fire kicks and Sami is in trouble.
Back from a break with Neville holding a chinlock to slow things down. Sami fights up but is pulled right back down into the same hold. Back up again with Sami nailing three clotheslines because that’s the standard comeback anymore. The third puts Neville on the floor and now the flip dive connects. Back in and Sami hits the cross body but hurts himself on the impact. Adrian hits a quick standing shooting star for two but can’t hook a powerbomb.
Sami gets back up and catches Neville on his shoulders for a BIG spinning powerbomb and two. Fans: “THAT WAS THREE!” Neville nails another kick but Sami ducks the second and rolls some Germans, capped off by a release half nelson suplex for two. The Helluva Kick is blocked by a kick to the face and the exploder is countered with a rollup for two more. Neville goes up for the Red Arrow but only hits mat to put both guys down. Adrian comes up holding his knee and Sami won’t go for the Helluva Kick. The referee throws up the X so Sami goes to check on Adrian….and gets rolled up for the pin at 15:33.
Rating: B. They were starting to feel it here but it’s clear that they’re setting up another match down the line. I’m glad that this didn’t come off like a full heel turn but rather Adrian continuing to do whatever it takes to retain the title while staying within the bounds of the rules. Sami is getting the title though and the match at Takeover (you know it’s coming) is going to blow the roof off the place.
Sami is stunned as trainers check on Neville to end the show.
Overall Rating: B+. Two good matches and a nice debut from Balor are about as good as you can get out of an hour of wrestling. Sami’s road getting stopped for a bit is a nice twist but you know Zayn vs. Neville is headlining the next special. This was an awesome show though and felt like a big one even though it only had one major match. Really good stuff.
Results
Hideo Itami/Finn Balor b. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel – Top rope double stomp to Gabriel
Sasha Banks b. Alexa Bliss – Bank Statement
Lucha Dragons b. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy – Swanton bomb to Murphy
Adrian Neville b. Sami Zayn – Small package
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: November 6, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Alex Riley, Rich Brennan
It’s a big night in NXT as we have two major stories to get to. First and foremost, Tyler Breeze is Sami Zayn’s latest obstacle on his road to redemption. Breeze is one of the only guys that Sami has never beaten and tonight they square off in what might be a #1 contenders match. Other than that we get to find out who Hideo Itami has found to help him in his war with the Ascension. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Zayn’s road to redemption. I like this story more every time I see it.
Opening sequence.
Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze
Feeling out process to start with Tyler getting two off an early backslide. Sami flips out of an armbar and nails an atomic drop before taking Breeze into the corner. Tyler comes right back with some stomps in the corner before bulldogging him face first onto the middle buckle for two. We take a break and come back with Sami fighting out of a chinlock but eating an elbow. Back to the chinlock as the fans are chanting for Breeze.
Zayn fights up again but Tyler fights out of the Blue Thunder Bomb and drops Sami with a neckbreaker for two. Sami shoves him off the top rope but Tyler dropkicks him out of the air. The Koji Clutch is quickly broken and neither guy can hook a German suplex. A HUGE Supermodel Kick gets two on Sami and frustration is setting in. Breeze takes him into the corner but walks into the exploder suplex, followed by the Helluva Kick to give Sami the pin at 14:43.
Rating: B-. It’s good but they weren’t going to be able to live up to their Takeover match with the time they had. Sami getting a clean pin over Breeze is a big step for him and he looked all fired up throughout the match. They’re doing a great job of making Sami look unstoppable leading up to the showdown but I’d like to see Adrian get in some big wins of his own. Good stuff here.
Neville isn’t afraid of Sami because he can’t win the big one.
Dash Wilder vs. Tyson Kidd
Wilder runs him over to start so Tyson begs off in the corner. Kidd unloads in the corner and catapults Wilder face first into the bottom turnbuckle. A kick to the back gets two and we hit the chinlock on Dash for awhile. Wilder finally gets up and nails a powerslam for two, only to get kicked in the head again. A Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza sets up the Sharpshooter to make Dash at 4:28.
Rating: D+. That chinlock took way up way too much time and it hurt whatever they were going to be able to do here. Wilder was being treated like a bigger deal than usual here, even though he only had limited offense. This is the kind of stuff I’d like to see on Raw: let some of the guys that don’t get much time show up on TV and have a quick match instead of doing star vs. star all the time.
Marcus Louis is completely insane and ranting like a crazy man. I didn’t recognize him at first.
Sami Zayn says he feels like the Count of Monte Cristo by beating all of these people in a row. The road to redemption is more than just a tag line and he wants his shot at Neville next week.
Becky Lynch/Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte/Bayley
Bayley and Becky get things going with Bayley driving Lynch into the corner with aggression to start. Off to Banks who gets dropped with a clothesline and knee dropped for two. Charlotte and Becky come back in with the champ taking Lynch down in a cravate. We take a break and come back with Charlotte taking her back down with another cravate.
Charlotte talks trash to Sasha on the apron before whipping Lynch into the corner to knock Sasha to the floor. She spends too much time yelling at Banks though and gets nailed for two. Banks comes in now for a few shots and immediately tags back out. Charlotte comes right back and drops a knee on Lynch’s head before bringing in Bayley. Lynch takes her into the corner and tags in Banks for some forearms to the back.
In an evil nod, Banks hooks Bayley in a figure four neck lock and drives her face first into the mat ala Charlotte. The heels take turns on Bayley until she finally suplexes Banks down for a breather. Sasha knocks Charlotte off the apron and gets rolled up, only to roll through on Bayley and grab the tights for the pin at 11:34.
Rating: C. This was about setting up two future matches and there’s nothing wrong with that. I like Banks being more of a cowardly heel now as it fits her personality to show that she can win on her own but want everyone else to do it for her. Lynch continues to look like the biggest star in forever though and seems more than ready for the main roster.
Regal confirms Neville vs. Zayn for the title next week.
Here’s the Ascension to call out Itami. They tried to be patient but Itami has done nothing but make threats. Get out here right now so we can finish this. Itami comes to the stage and is joined by…..FINN BALOR! I believe the screen was originally supposed to say Prince Devitt and then turn into the new name but it just said Finn Balor (pronounced like valor). They charge the ring and destroy Ascension with a variety of kicks and knee shots as the fans chant THIS IS AWESOME and DREAM TEAM. Finn goes to the top for a double stomp to Konor’s back to end the show. Finn looked AWESOME here and the fans ate him up.
Overall Rating: B. This show was a blast and proof of what you can get if you actually take your time to set something up. It has me wanting to see the next Takeover show because the card is going to be stacked with matches that are waiting for a blowoff. Something tells me we’re not going to get a clean finish to the title match next week and there’s nothing wrong with that. Really solid show this week Balor’s debut being a highlight.
Results
Sami Zayn b. Tyler Breeze – Helluva Kick
Tyson Kidd b. Dash Wilder – Sharpshooter
Becky Lynch/Sasha Banks b. Charlotte/Bayley – Rollup to Bayley with a handful of tights
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT – October 30, 2014: Help! He Needs Somebody. Not Just Anybody.
NXT Date: October 30, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Jason Albert, Renee Young, Rich Brennan
We’re getting very close to the next big show and Sami’s road to the title is on fire. Other than that the main story is Hideo Itami having to face the Ascension on his own which hasn’t been working all that well for him. Things are starting to pick back up around here and it’s made things much easier to get through. Let’s get to it.
Sami says he hasn’t won the big one yet but he’s still on the road to redemption. Titus O’Neil comes in and says he’s the next challenger on the way. They agree to a match, presumably tonight.
Winners get a title shot and if one member is out, the whole team is out. It’s the usual brawl to start with the Vaudevillains having to slide back under the ropes early on. Dillinger rips off a chop to Amore but Big Cass makes a save. We get back to the brawling with Gotch saving himself over and over. There aren’t any eliminations yet and we’re coming up on four minutes into the match. Blake/Murphy and Dillinger/Jordan are in trouble but the Ascension dumps all four guys at once.
The Vaudevillains bail to the floor, leaving Cassady and Amore to fight the monsters. Enzo jumps on Viktor’s back and hammers away, only to walk into an STO. Cassady fights back as the Vaudevillains come back in. Well crawl to the apron at least. Enzo and Cass are thrown into each other for an elimination and here comes Hideo Itami to stand on the stage. The distraction lets the Vaudevillains dump the Ascension for the surprise win at 6:28.
Rating: C-. Eh it’s a battle royal so what are you looking for here? The Vaudevillains are the best option here as they’re over with the crowd and a unique act so why not give them the shot? Itami helping is a good idea and since it’s been awhile since the last distraction win, the ending didn’t make me roll my eyes as much.
Itami comes in after the match but gets laid out again. Konor tells him to go back to Japan or they’ll send him back in a box.
Emma vs. Carmella
Carmella’s line: “Bada bing, hottest chick in the ring.” A quick rollup gets two on Emma but she drops down next to Carmella on an Irish whip. Carmella stomps away in the corner as the announcers suggest costumes for Albert. She stops to check her nails while choking Emma on the ropes (Albert: “Renee are they real?” Renee: “Uhhhhh…….”) before putting on a bodyscissors. Emma blocks a kick and Carmella panics, allowing Emma to take over with clotheslines, followed by the Dilemma. The Emma Sandwich gets two but Carmella trips her up and puts on the crossface with her legs for the submission at 4:57.
Rating: C. Not bad here with Carmella being another decent character to help fill out the division. NXT’s women’s division is so much better than WWE’s in terms of developing personalities for the girls. Yeah Carmella’s character may be very stereotypical, but it’s unique for the division and is something different than some chick that just happens to wrestle.
Bull Dempsey vs. Justin Gabriel
Apparently Dempsey didn’t cry at the end of Old Yeller. Dempsey easily stomps away as someone tries to start a Sawyer Fulton chant for some reason. A side slam gets two on Justin and Bull just hammers on the head. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Justin counters into a reverse DDT. A moonsault gets two for Justin but he dives into a backdrop, setting up a running Vader body attack. Bull’s top rope headbutt gets the pin at 3:47.
Rating: D+. I’m getting a Bam Bam Bigelow vibe from Dempsey minus a lot of the high flying stuff. He’s not great in the ring but he plays the role well enough and looks like a machine every time. He’ll be a good dragon for someone like Sami to slay later on and that’s all he needs to be.
Bayley says if Becky Lynch wants to bring Sasha, she’ll bring Charlotte.
Baron Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
The NXT crowd’s newest cool idea: counting the time before Corbin gets the pin at 18 seconds with End of Days. He’s getting faster at it too.
Itami says he isn’t leaving and will have a friend next week.
Marcus Louis vs. Sylvester LeFort
Louis isn’t hiding the bald anymore and throws Sylvester down by the throat. LeFort tries to crawl away again but gets nailed with a clothesline. A release Rock Bottom ends Sylvester at 1:26. Louis came off like a killer here and kept shouting YOU DID THIS TO ME.
Titus O’Neil vs. Sami Zayn
Titus throws him around to start but Zayn comes back with some chops. They trade more chops in the corner until O’Neil plants him with a pair of backbreakers. We take a break and come back with Sami caught in a bearhug. Sami gets choked in the corner as Titus mocks the OLE chant. More chops have no effect on Titus as he just throws Sami down.
Sami gets tossed to the floor but Titus lets him get back in, only to do the same thing again. He tries it again but Sami hangs on and comes back in with a high cross body for two. A big boot and over the shoulder backbreaker get the same for Titus as frustration is starting to set in. Back up and Sami grabs the exploder suplex in the corner followed by the Helluva Kick for the pin out of nowhere at 11:30.
Rating: C-. It’s still not a good match but this was miles better than their first one because Sami got the win. Titus is still little more than a musclehead but I liked his talking to make him seem all the more arrogant. Nothing special here but it plays into the road to redemption story and gave the fans something to cheer for.
Post match Tyler Breeze comes out and says hang on a second. Sami doesn’t get a title shot for beating a couple of uggos. If he wants the title shot, he has to beat the one person he’s never beat. Regal has already made the match for next week.
Overall Rating: C. This was all about moving the stories forward and the depth they’re reaching is great. Sami having to go back and avenge each of his losses is a great story and the rematch with Breeze could tear the house down. By this point I’m sure you know who Itami’s friend is going to be and the reaction is going to blow the roof off. Not a great show this week but they have me wanting to see more. That’s something I haven’t been able to say about WWE in a long time.
Results
Vaudevillains won a tag team battle royal last eliminating Ascension
Carmella b. Emma – Leg Crossface
Bull Dempsey b. Justin Gabriel – Top rope headbutt
Baron Corbin b. Tony Briggs – End of Days
Marcus Louis b. Sylvester LeFort – Release Rock Bottom
Sami Zayn b. Titus O’Neil – Helluva Kick
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: October 16, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Alex Riley, Renee Young
The road to whatever the next big show is called continues and apparently we’re now in the land of Titus O’Neil, who pinned Sami Zayn in last week’s main event. Adrian Neville made the save and is likely going to be Titus’ next opponent. It’s always hard to guess where things are going with NXT week to week so it’s likely something totally unrelated to last week. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Baron Corbin vs. Elias Sampson
End of Days, 18 seconds.
Here’s Sami Zayn with something to say. Last week he lost to Titus O’Neil and that’s not ok because he’s better than that. It’s time to refocus and go after the NXT Title (crowd ERUPTS for that) but Tyson Kidd has other thoughts. Tyson says it’s time to face facts and is wearing an InZayn shirt for some reason. He talks about how Sami is lying to the people because everyone knows he’s going to blow it like he always does.
Sami cuts him off at the knees by asking if Kidd has Natalya’s permission to be out here. Crowd: “YOU GOT SERVED!” Kidd laughs him off but Sami says it’s the start of his road to redemption. He’s good enough to be here and he’s good enough to beat Kidd, which he’ll prove tonight. Sami suggests to go find Breeze’s phone and call Nattie to make sure it’s ok. Kidd: “Why would Breeze have Natalya’s number?” Anyway the match is on for later.
Lucha Dragons vs. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy
Non-title. Murphy and Blake are now known as Team Thick. Cara backdrops Blake down and it’s off to Murphy early on. Sin tries a springboard DDT but gets muscled up into a suplex for two. Cool counter. The Thick guys take over on Cara with some power stuff, including a slam and chinlock from Murphy. Cara kicks away and makes the tag so Kalisto can clean house. Everything breaks down and Cara takes Murphy to the top for a superplex but jumps up for a victory roll and the pin at 3:21.
Rating: D+. The Dragons are a good high flying team and that’s all they need to be. I can’t imagine they’re a long term option with the belts, but the NXT Tag Team Titles have always beel dominated by big power teams instead of guys like the Dragons. Still though, they’re fine for a change of pace and this worked fine.
We see Tyler Breeze beating Mojo last week.
Rawley says he’s out for awhile because of the shoulder but it’s just taking one step back to take several forward. He tries to make this serious and intense and it just doesn’t work. The time off is a good thing for him though as he really needs to be repackaged.
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte
Non-title. Becky takes her down with a quick armdrag and keeps Charlotte in trouble on the mat, only to charge into a backbreaker out of the corner. Charlotte puts on a figure four headlock and drives Becky’s face into the mat a few times for good measure. A double clothesline puts both girls down but it’s Lynch up first and in control. Some legdrops get two for Lynch but Charlotte comes back with a suplex for two of her own. Charlotte gets in a shot to the ribs and Natural Selection is good for the pin at 4:07.
Rating: C+. Good back and forth match here as Lynch continues to look like a star in the making. They’re playing up the idea that she has natural skills but she doesn’t have the experience to put it all together yet. It’s amazing how deep the division is with different characters, especially when you look at how generic most of the WWE Divas are.
We see Itami and Funaki getting beaten down last week.
Ascension says Itami is in for the same treatment as Funaki if he doesn’t back off.
Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. Legionnaires
Cass throws Sylvester around to start and it’s off to Marcus, who goes nuts on LeFort over his bald head. We’ll call it a no contest at 30 seconds.
Carmella vs. Old Blue Pants
The fans and announcers have no idea who the jobber is so they name her after her pants. Carmella takes her down and puts on something like a Crossface with her legs for the submission at 32 seconds. I believe Blue Pants was a girl who wrestles under the name Leva Bates.
Sasha Banks and Becky argue over who is going to be the next Women’s Champion. Banks asks her what she’ll do to make it to the top.
Neville is defending against Titus O’Neil next week and is tired of all these Raw and Smackdown guys coming after his title.
Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd
Sami talks a lot of trash to start before cranking on a headlock. He throws Kidd’s coat at him in the corner and you know it’s on now. Tyson tries to speed things up into a monkey flip but Zayn rolls to the side and is staring at Kidd when he gets up. Some more armdrags put Kidd on the floor and Sami teases a dive to mess with him. Kidd stalls on the floor and gets Zayn to chase him, only to jump to the apron for a kick to the face as we take a break.
Back with Kidd choking in the corner and driving an elbow into Sami’s head. A neckbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock. Zayn fights up and nails a dropkick but misses the Helluva Kick. Instead a cross body is good for two and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Kidd comes back with a hard elbow to the face and a Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza for two of his own. The Sharpshooter goes on but Sami crawls over to the ropes. Sami suplexes him into the corner and the Helluva Kick is good for the pin at 10:30.
Rating: C+. These two are part of what is becoming the NXT version of the Smackdown Six (or four in this case). You can throw any combination of these two, Neville and Breeze out there and you’re going to have a good match. That’s a really valuable asset to have, but hopefully NXT doesn’t just let the same guys have the same matches over and over again to water down the matchups. Sami’s road to the title is clear, and man alive is that arena going to explode when he wins.
Overall Rating: C+. You can see the end for a lot of these stories, but we still have about six weeks to go to get there. This December special is going to be awesome with some long stories getting blown off and the winners that people want to see. It’s amazing how easy it is to have these stories with in depth characters but no major company seems capable of pulling it off. Good show this week as NXT is back on track.
Results
Baron Corbin b. Elias Sampson – End of Days
Lucha Dragons b. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy – Victory Roll to Murphy
Charlotte b. Becky Lynch – Natural Selection
Carmella b. Old Blue Pants – Leg choke
Sami Zayn b. Tyson Kidd – Helluva Kick
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: October 9, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Renee Young, Rich Brennan
We’re getting closer to the next live special and you can see the card starting to form from here. It’s pretty clear that we’re going to get Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville in the big showdown for the title and maybe Lucha Dragons vs. the Vaudevillains. That’s not the worst card in the world with the NXT Title match sounding excellent. Let’s get to it.
Tyler Breeze vs. Mojo Rawley
This is the result of Tyler attacking Mojo a few weeks ago when Rawley interrupted his walk. Breeze hides in the ropes to start and then lays on the corner to keep ticking Mojo off. Mojo charges into a boot to the shoulder and Breeze stomps on the arm before putting on a Fujiwara Armbar for the submission at 1:15. This quick losing thing has to become a story soon right?
Brennan thinks the referee stopped the match instead of hearing a submission.
Enzo and Cass try to get Regal to give Carmella a job. He isn’t interested but they get him to watch her working out in the ring. She makes some girl tap and Regal says bring her next Thursday.
We recap Hideo Itami vs. the Ascension over the last few weeks.
Viktor vs. Hideo Itami
Konor isn’t anywhere in sight which probably doesn’t spell anything good for Itami. Vikto takes some punches and kicks to start but rips the skin off Hideo’s chest with a chop. A snap suplex gets two on Itami and Viktor hammers away even more. Some kicks give Hideo a breather and a missile dropkick puts Viktor down. Hideo seems staggered by the dropkick but he goes up again, only to be distracted by Konor on the stage with an unconscisous Funaki. Not that it matters as Itami dropkicks Viktor for the pin at 3:11.
Rating: D+. Hideo looked better here but I still want to see some different offense. The dropkicks were at least a different kind of kick to keep things a little fresher and he threw some right hands, but throw in something other than strikes. Again though, it was just a three minute match so it’s way too early to pass judgment. The crowd was oddly silent during this match too.
Post match Konor comes in and Hideo gets tied in the ropes. Funaki tries to make a save and gets beaten down even worse.
Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady
I’m not feeling the Vaudevillains’ new music. Enzo wants the Villains to get back in their Delorean and go back to the future. They want to go back to Pumping Iron to flex like Arnold, but it’s more like Hey Arnold because they never should have got off the stoop. WOW does that line make me feel old. Gotch drives knees into Enzo’s ribs in the corner and Aiden’s legdrop gets two. Enzo finally rolls away and makes the tag to Cass for a big boot. Everything breaks down and Cass suplexes Enzo onto Gotch for two. Cass gets knocked outside to leave Amore all alone and That’s A Wrap at 2:52.
Sami Zayn understands that Titus O’Neil is having issues with a bunny but that doesn’t mean he can come down here to make himself feel better.
Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks
Becky is out of the green and into plaid. Sasha insults Becky’s hair to start so Becky whips her hair into Banks’ face. A Majistral cradle gets two for Lynch and she nips up for good measure. Some forearms to the face get two for Sasha and we’re off to a double arm crank. Becky comes back with some clotheslines for two and a springboard kick to the face in the corner. Not that it matters as Sasha hits a quick Backstabber into the Bank Statement (Crossface) for the submission at 4:02.
Rating: C. This wasn’t bad and Lynch clearly has the it factor to her. The fact that she’s very good looking and can clearly go in the ring will make things even easier for her. I was hoping she won here but the Banks vs. Charlotte match is probably going to take place at the next live show. Good showing by Lynch here who looked more complete than Banks, though Sasha has better charisma.
Sami Zayn vs. Titus O’Neil
Sami fires off some forearms to stagger the big guy but charges into a slam. More forearms don’t have much effect as Titus slowly hammers him down again. O’Neil pounds away in the corner and another slam gets two. Sami gets thrown outside and we take a break. Back with Sami caught in a bearhug and being swung around like a rag doll. A third slam gets two as Titus really doesn’t seem to have the most extensive offense.
Zayn gets beaten down in the corner again and has to confirm he can keep going. Off to a waistlock from Titus but Sami fights out and low bridges Titus to the floor. A big flip dive puts O’Neil down and finally wakes up the crowd a bit. Back in and the Helluva Kick is countered by a big boot for two. A second attempt at the Helluva Kick connects but Titus’ foot is under the ropes. Sami tries to walk the corner but gets crotched down and planted with the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 13:14.
Rating: D. Seriously? We have to sit through Titus having one of the most boring offenses this side of Big John Studd and he gets to pin Zayn in the middle of the ring? The bad parts of this match are all on Titus as he just didn’t have anything but slams, clotheslines and forearms. You would think a guy that has been around that many years would have something better than this but he was just dull. I see no need to have him win here though and it really made things worse.
Titus tries to go after Sami again but Neville makes the save.
Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t their best effort and the main event has a lot to do with it. I see no reason why Sami couldn’t win here and then do the exact same ending. The rest of the show was fine but it’s almost all about setting up stuff for down the road. The different with NXT though is they’re capable of pulling off something like that later on. Not a great show here but there’s good stuff coming.
Results
Tyler Breeze b. Mojo Rawley – Fujiwara Armbar
Hideo Itami b. Viktor – Dropkick
Vaudevillains b. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady – That’s A Wrap to Amore
Sasha Banks b. Becky Lynch – Crossface
Titus O’Neil b. Sami Zayn – Clash of the Titus
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT – October 2, 2014: The Best Thing Going Today. Fact.
NXT Date: October 2, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Alex Riley, Jason Albert
Tonight we move one major step closer to Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville in the showdown for the NXT Title as Tyson Kidd has his FINAL title shot. Other than that we also have a rematch from Takeover as Bayley gets a Women’s Title shot at Charlotte, who seems to have turned face after their first match. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Takeover II and last week to set up both of tonight’s title matches.
Opening sequence.
Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Bayley
Feeling out process to start with the champ shoving Bayley down, only to have Bayley come out of the corner with an armdrag to send Charlotte out to the floor. Back in and Charlotte cranks on the leg as we get a LET’S GO BAYLEY/CENA SUCKS chant. Some backslides and rollups get two for Charlotte but she fights out of another backslide attempt and goes after Bayley’s ankle. The champ CRANKS on the leg and Bayley is in trouble as we go to a break.
Back with Charlotte still cranking on the leg in the corner before putting on the same leg hold. Charlotte tries to cannonball down onto the leg and gets rolled up for two. Bayley starts firing back but gets kicked in the leg to put her right back down. The leg is wrapped around the post and we hit the Figure Four with Charlotte bridging up ala Bray Wyatt’s spider walk for more pressure.
Bayley turns it over but Charlotte is right next to the ropes. Back up and Charlotte misses a knee drop and a charge into the corner and a middle rope back elbow gets two. Charlotte reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker and a bad looking Natural Selection (Charlotte shoved Bayley’s back to put her into the mat) retains the title at 11:38.
Rating: C+. I was getting into the story here of Bayley being in over her head with the wrestling skills but being able to get close by making Charlotte miss or trying a quick rollup. More importantly, the announcers SOLD THAT IDEA. They spent the entire match talking about the different styles and made me think Bayley could steal a quick win. Good stuff here.
Charlotte hugs Bayley post match.
Hideo Itami vs. Viktor
Ascension double teams Hideo down as the announcers mention that he has no friends in NXT. They destroy him with ease until referees come out to break it up. No match.
Earlier this week, Enzo and Big Cass trained Carmella at the Performance Center. Enzo puts her hand on his arm in a lockup. Carmella: “Sawft!” They do some basic stuff until Carmella dropkicks him out of the ring. He tells Cass not to post the video.
Baron Corbin vs. Troy McClain
A big elbow drops Troy, a clothesline stuns him in the corner and the End of Days gives Baron the pin at 53 seconds.
Kidd says he only needs one last chance and he’ll become NXT Champion. He walks away when asked about Natalya getting him the shot.
The Legionnaires want a rematch with Enzo and Cass next week.
Vaudevillains vs. Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan
Aiden and Jason get things going with English being thrown into the corner. He takes a little bow but Jordan makes his chest dance in return. Off to Gotch vs. Dillinger with the pretty boys taking over in the corner. Back to English for a swinging neckbreaker for two on Jordan but Dillinger quickly comes in for some knees to the face. Fans: “YOU’RE NOT MANLY!” A rollup gets two for Aiden but the kickout sends him into the corner for a tag off to Gotch. We go old school with airplane spins to both pretty boys, setting up That’s A Wrap for the pin on Dillinger at 4:10.
Rating: C. The fans have basically turned the Vaudevillains face with the chants and calling things manly. They’re perfect challengers for Lucha Dragons and the match should go well enough. I’m surprised at how far the pretty boys have fallen as they looked like the next thing in the tag division. That’s probably better for everyone involved though.
Titus O’Neil is in the front row for the main event.
Itami is getting checked in the back (and speaking pretty clear English) when Funaki comes in to say he’ll have Itami’s back against Ascension.
Bayley says she isn’t done because there are girls that look up to her. Sasha Banks jumps her and says she’ll get the next shot at Charlotte.
NXT Title: Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd
Adrian is defending and this is Kidd’s last chance. The champ takes Tyson down by the arm to start and we can see the lights reflecting off Titus’ head. Back up and they slug it out with Kidd ripping the skin off with a chop in the corner. Neville backdrops him to the mat and a hard kick to the back gets two. He bails out to the floor for a breather, only to get kicked in the face from the apron as we take a break.
Back with Neville cranking on an armbar but getting choked on the ropes. Off to a figure four neck lock on the champion and the fans want him to tap. Neville turns around in the hold and lifts Tyson up for a powerbomb to escape. A series of kicks have Kidd in trouble but he nails a running big boot for two. Kidd nails another running kick before flipping Neville over with a snapmare and turning underneath him to make it a neckbreaker. Tyson goes up but gets kicked in the head, setting up a sitout powerbomb (“BETTER THAN BATISTA”) for two.
Neville bails out of a Shooting Star and tries a dropkick but gets caught in the Sharpshooter. He makes a rope though and heads to the apron to kick Kidd in the head. For some reason Adrian heads outside though and Titus gets in a cheap shot. Sami Zayn runs out and kicks Titus in the head as Neville dives back in at nine. Kidd loads up a superplex but gets kicked down, setting up the Red Arrow to retain at 13:07.
Rating: B-. Another good match between these two and the build to Zayn vs. Neville continues. Neville is still mostly good at this point but the big heel turn is probably looming. I’m not sure where Titus is going to fit in but I don’t think he’s going to be much more than a short term foil for someone.
Zayn salutes Adrian and says he’s coming for the title.
Kidd looks devastated and the announcer emphasizes that he’s out of chances to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. This was back to the standard for NXT, meaning it’s the best wrestling show on TV again. They had story development for some angles and set up stuff for the future while having some good action at the same time. As usual, NXT is as efficient of a wrestling show as you’ll find and a huge improvement over the usual waste of time that Raw feels like anymore.
Results
Charlotte b. Bayley – Natural Selection
Baron Corbin b. Troy McClain – End of Days
Vaudevillains b. Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan – End of Days to Dillinger
Adrian Neville b. Tyson Kidd – Red Arrow
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at: