NXT Date: September 23, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
It’s another night in the Dusty Classic as we’re moving towards Takeover: Respect with the semi-finals and finals of the tournament as well as a thirty minute Iron Woman match for the Women’s Title. Tonight is likely to be about the tournament and filling in the rest of the card for the show on October 7. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Eva Marie vs. Carmella
Oh this one could hurt. Carmella shoulders her into the corner to start and throws Eva to the floor so we can get a Moonwalk inside. Back in and Eva’s suplex is booed out of the building as the announcers talk about Eva not being accepted for her improvements. A big boot drops Carmella for two (fans: “THAT’S A KICKOUT!”) and we hit a bow and arrow hold. Fans: “ALL BOTCH EVERYTHING!” Carmella fights back and starts dancing around like Enzo before ramming Emma into the buckle for two. Eva comes back by throwing Carmella to the floor for a big crash and a countout win at 5:10.
Rating: D. So here’s the thing: the story makes sense and yeah Eva is going to get a ton of heat when she probably takes the title from Bayley, but a lot of people, myself included, are going to get annoyed at sacrificing everything the women in NXT have built up for the sake of pushing someone because she’s occasionally on a reality show that doesn’t even draw a million people a week. Yeah that match that sold the Brooklyn show and was all successful and good, but now let’s get rid of it for a woman getting on the job training to be the next Nikki Bella. That’s life in WWE and it’s something we just have to live with.
Nia Jax is still coming. Nothing has changed since Takeover.
Recap of the announcement of the Iron Woman match.
Tyler Breeze vs. Bull Dempsey
Their tag team was a failure and Bull is getting in better shape. Tyler uses the referee as a shield to start and is thrown around like a doll. Bull messes with the hair to really get under Breeze’s skin, causing Tyler to send him out to the floor. Unlike Carmella though, Bull is able to get back in off a whip to the floor. Must be the Bull Fit. Fans: “BULL FIT WORKS!”
Back from a break with Tyler ripping at Bull’s face before opting for a regular headlock. Graves: “Now going down into the trapezius. I learned my anatomy from Gorilla Monsoon.” Bull throws him off and gets all fired up as Breeze punches him. Some left jabs drop Breeze but he’s able to roll to the ropes before Bull can drop the headbutt. Bull goes up again for some reason, only to have Tyler pull him off for the pin with his feet on the ropes at 10:19.
Rating: C. Bull Fit is a nice idea but Breeze winning here was the right idea. Breeze has the potential to really go somewhere in NXT and winning matches and feuds like this are a good sign for him. Dempsey needs to drop some more weight but the fans are getting into the gimmick which is the most important sign.
Clips of the Texas tour.
William Regal brings out Japanese star Kana, whose Titantron video says Asuka. Regal pronounces the new name as “Aska” and asks if there’s anything she’d like to say. Asuka says she’s happy to be here and wants to be NXT Women’s Champion. They sign the contract but here are Dana Brooke and Emma to interrupt. Regal chides them for their rudeness and it gets even worse as they mock Asuka’s English. They’re the ones who ran Charlotte and Becky Lynch off so Asuka better play nice. A dejected Asuka starts to leave but the fans chant her name. Azuka turns back and smiles before slowly leaving.
Tyler Breeze doesn’t have much to say about his match with Apollo Crews at Takeover. Crews comes up and is far more excited about the match than Tyler is.
Feature on the Dusty Classic. Here are the updated brackets:
Samoa Joe/Finn Balor vs. Colin Cassidy/Enzo Amore
Dash/Dawson
Hype Bros vs. Chad Gable/Jason Jordan
Baron Corbin/Rhyno
The Hype Bros and Gable/Jordan are both ready for next week.
Tag Team Titles: Vaudevillains vs. Blake and Murphy
Vaudevillains are defending in the rematch from Takeover: Brooklyn. Gotch shoulders Blake down for two to start and here’s Blue Pants to chase Alexa into the ring for a brawl. Both of them head to the back and English slaps a chinlock on Blake. Blake comes right back with a headlock of his own but Aiden armdrags both challengers down with ease. Murphy back suplexes English onto the apron and we take a break.
Back with English still in trouble off a kick to the face and a chinlock from Blake. Murphy’s chinlock keeps the match slow until English comes back with a hard slap to the face. Gotch and Blake come in with Simon’s screwy offense taking over. Everything breaks down and Blake gets his knees up to stop Aiden’s middle rope senton. English gets two off a rollup and sends Murphy to the floor, allowing Simon to come back in for the Whirling Dervish to retain at 12:17.
Rating: C-. That was certainly chinlocky. It was much more boring than bad though as there was almost no chance of the titles changing back here. I’m assuming the winners of the tournament, likely Gable/Jordan, are the next challengers, which makes more sense than anything else.
Enzo and Big Cass are thankful for everything Dusty did for them and want to win the tournament in his honor. They respect Balor and Joe as well, but respect goes out the window next week.
Balor and Joe say Cass and Enzo might be the realest guys in the room but they’re the toughest guys on the block and you can’t teach that.
Overall Rating: C. Not the worst show in the world here but it was much more about setting stuff up for later shows. The tournament is mostly set up now and we have a good chunk of Takeover set with the Iron Woman match guaranteed to take up thirty minutes and the tournament matches filling in most of the rest of the card. Fun enough show here but it was much more of a building episode than anything else.
Results
Eva Marie b. Carmella via countout
Tyler Breeze b. Bull Dempsey – Pin with feet on the ropes
Vaudevillains b. Blake and Murphy – Whirling Dervish to Blake
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT – September 9, 2015: Not Everyone Can Be A Horsewoman
NXT Date: September 9, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
The Dusty Classic continues this week as we get to see a few more first round matches tonight. The tournament has taken the promotion by storm and it’s already more interesting than I was hoping for it to be. We’re also just about a month away from the next Takeover, which needs a card built up in a hurry. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Peyton Royce vs. Carmella
Royce used to be K.C. Cassidy but this is billed as her debut. Feeling out process to start as they trade rollups, followed by Carmella busting out a moonwalk. A suplex gets two more on Carmella and we hit the chinlock. Carmella fights back up an elbows Royce in the jaw before slapping on a chinlock of her own. Back up and Royce fires off some nice kicks in the corner, followed by a middle rope cross body for two. They’re already showing more energy than the Bellas have displayed in a long time. Carmella comes right back with that crossface with her legs for the submission at 5:03.
Rating: D. That’s one of the lower ratings I’ve given an NXT match in a long time but this didn’t work. A five minute match doesn’t need two extended chinlocks. The sudden finish didn’t do it any favors either as this felt like they jumped to the ending instead of building there like a normal match. Royce has some good potential but needs more molding.
Samoa Joe asked Finn Balor if he’s ready. The champ certainly is but Joe tells him not to forget his belt. Joe hands him the title, after staring at it a bit first.
In other first round matches, Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady beat Sawyer Fulton/Angelo Dawkins and Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder beat Elias Sampson/Tucker Knight. It’s really smart to not air the whole thing on TV as we don’t need to every single first round match.
Nia Jax is still coming.
Dusty Classic First Round: Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano vs. Bull Dempsey/Tyler Breeze
Ciampa and Breeze get things going with Tommaso getting in a great slap to the jaw. It’s off to Bull, who is dubbed as gorgeous by the crowd. Ciampa takes him down to the mat so it’s quickly back to Breeze, who is taken into the corner and rolled up for two by Gargano. Tyler is trying to recover in the corner and tags out to the big man, who gets kicked in the head upon arrival. Ciampa’s running knee to the head gets two and we hit the chinlock.
Back from a break with Ciampa on Bull’s back in a sleeper, so Dempsey just falls backwards for the break. Use the natural assets man. Gargano comes in and knocks Breeze off the apron, meaning there’s no one there for Bull to tag. Bull fights back on his own with a Bionic Elbow but knocks his partner off the apron again. Gargano grabs a sunset flip and Ciampa makes it a jackknife rollup to pin Dempsey at 8:44.
Rating: C-. This was more of a story than a match though it’s always cool to see some indy stars brought in to NXT. Dempsey vs. Breeze could be an interesting match if they have Bull act like his old self, though I’m not sure how far the Bull Fit gimmick can really go. Ciampa and Gargano were fine here but there’s only so much you can get out of a short match like this.
The Lucha Dragons are ready for their match and warn Joe/Balor to not overlook them because these dragons breathe fire.
Dana Brooke is mad (though not because she hasn’t patted Devon on the head recently) for having to see Bayley win that Women’s Title. She turned down a spot in the Arnold Classic in Spain to be here and now she wants her title.
Video on Tye Dillinger.
Dana Brooke vs. Billie Kay
They trade headlocks to start with Billie taking it down to the mat. A headscissors messes Brooke up even more as a weak Total Diva chant breaks out. Brooke slams her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs as the confidence is back. The handstand choke sets up a chinlock on Kay which quickly switches to a headscissors choke. Brooke stops a comeback with an enziguri and the fireman’s carry driver is good for the pin at 5:23.
Rating: D+. These new girls are a far cry from the Four Horsewomen but Brooke is probably the furthest along of all of them and one of the best options to face Bayley. Billie is another one where we can’t really tell what’s going on in such a short performance, especially when most of it was spent on the mat.
Apollo Crews calls the fans the Apollo Nation. They’re ready to take over NXT. Can we please stop calling everything a nation or a team? You can come up with something more creative than that.
Bayley’s biggest fan Izzy was at the WWE Performance Center to meet Bayley in person. That’s always cool.
Bayley is back next week.
Dusty Classic First Round: Samoa Joe/Finn Balor vs. Lucha Dragons
This is from a Smackdown taping in Providence, Rhode Island with Tom Phillips and Jimmy Uso on commentary. Balor and Cara get things going and a loud NXT chant starts up. The champ tries to slow things down with an armbar but gets caught in a headlock instead. Jimmy is asked advice on how to win the tournament. Jimmy: “Don’t get kicked in the face like that!” Balor sends Cara to the floor and dives on both guys and we take a break.
Back with Joe tagging Balor in and the champion being slammed down in the corner. Kalisto gets two off a flipping splash and puts on a waistlock. Finn fights up and gets in enough shots to make the tag to Joe. The Dragons are thrown all over the ring but Cara comes back with a sloppy tornado DDT for two. Cara tries to charge at Joe in the corner and has to slip out of the Muscle Buster. Kalisto tags himself in and gets two off a quick hurricanrana, only to charge into the release Rock Bottom. The Muscle Buster into the Coup de Grace eliminate the Dragons at 11:16.
Rating: C+. This got a lot better as it went on and the last two minutes or so were really good. The best part here is either team winning would have made sense as the Dragons have been successful in NXT and it’s pretty clear that Balor vs. Joe is coming in the near future. It wasn’t a great match or anything, but it picked up a pretty lame show otherwise.
Overall Rating: C-. Definitely not their best show but the tournament kept it from being dull. They’re rapidly approaching the next Takeover and you can see some of the card, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had the semi-finals and finals at the show to fill in some time. The wrestling wasn’t great tonight though and the new featured women need some work. Then again, I said the same thing about Sasha and Bayley about a year ago and they’ve turned out very well.
Results
Carmella b. Peyton Royce – Crossface leg lock
Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano b. Tyler Breeze/Bull Dempsey – Jackknife rollup to Dempsey
Dana Brooke b. Billie Kay – Fireman’s carry driver
Samoa Joe/Finn Balor b. Lucha Dragons – Coup de Grace to Kalisto
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: September 2, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
The focus goes back on the tag teams tonight as we begin the Dusty Classic. This is a tag team tournament for a prize to be announced and with most of the participants to be announced as well. The idea is to have the past, present and future of NXT involved to honor the spirit of Dusty Rhodes. Let’s get to it.
The opening video hypes up the tournament and talks about paying tribute to the Dream.
Opening sequence.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Ascension vs. Rhyno/Baron Corbin
Rhyno runs Viktor over to start but Viktor rolls into a shoulder to put Rhyno down. Konor and Corbin come in but a quick double shoulder drops Baron. The double teaming doesn’t last long though and Viktor is sent shoulder first into the post, allowing Rhyno to get some shots in. Back to Corbin as it seems the Ascension are the faces here. Konor gets the hot tag and cleans house on Baron before avoiding a Gore. Corbin breaks up the Fall of Man though and Rhyno Gores Konor for the pin at 5:39.
Rating: D. This was an awkward match with both teams looking a bit off. It’s also very telling that the Ascension can’t even get a win over a thrown together team where the members don’t even get along down in NXT. They’ve just died since they got called up to the main roster and WWE has no issues with it.
Neville and Solomon Crowe are in the tournament. They’re both excited but Solomon freaks Neville out a bit.
Nia Jax is still coming.
Alexa Bliss vs. Blue Pants
Bliss takes Blue Pants down for a beating to start and throws her to the mat by the hair. Pants gets rammed into the buckle and a kick to the back sets up an armbar. Back up and Pants fires off some kicks and a northern lights suplex gets two. She misses a charge in the corner though and the Sparkle Splash gives Alexa the pin at 3:34.
Rating: C-. Total squash but that was exactly what it was supposed to be. Bliss is the evil mastermind and Blue Pants is nothing more than a cult favorite who can only win matches through interference. There’s no point in having her win here when she just shows up for goofy appearances so everyone is fine.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are in Regal’s office when Tyler Breeze storms in. Tyler demands a spot in the tournament so Regal gives him Bull Dempsey to face Gargano and Ciampa next week.
Emma says the Divas Revolution isn’t happening without her.
Apollo Crews vs. Martin Stone
Apollo starts fast with an armdrag but Stone clotheslines him down to take over. Off to a chinlock for a bit before Crews comes back with a standing enziguri. The gorilla press and standing moonsault put Stone away at 2:57. Crews looked good but he needs to do something besides just being all athletic and awesome.
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan say they’ll get to write this tournament’s history after winning the whole thing. Neville is flying too close to the sun and Crowe is going to be forgotten. Jordan finally says the Ready Willing and Gable line. Gable is money.
Finn Balor is ready to defend his title in Texas, but first of all he’s in the Dusty Classic. His partner, Samoa Joe, comes in and says he wants to win it all. Balor shakes his hand and says he’s ready. So I guess Joe is going to be the next major challenger.
Eva Marie vs. Billie Kay
We get an Eva chant to start, which I don’t buy as legit for a second. Eva fires off some shoulders in the corner and grabs a suplex for two. A seated abdominal stretch is countered by a small package but Eva comes back with a backsplash (that’s WAY too common a move these days) for two more. Kay makes a quick comeback with a clothesline and suplex for two of her own, but the interesting part is the fans booing Eva out of the building for kicking out. That was awesome in a way. Back up and Sliced Red #2 beats Kay at 3:45.
Rating: D. Eva is gorgeous and looks great in her gear, has awesome presence, but above all else, she’s just not that good in the ring. If they try to push her as a star in the division, the heat is going to be out of this world. The NXT fans simply do not want her in their company and it’s not surprising in the slightest.
The Hype Bros and Enzo/Cass argued over what part of New York to celebrate in after winning last week.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Solomon Crowe/Neville vs. Chad Gable/Jason Jordan
Gable takes Crowe to the mat to start and easily rolls him around into a backslide for two. Back up and Crowe counters a leapfrog into a flapjack (nice move) before it’s off to Neville for a very nice welcome home reaction. Jordan takes Neville down to the mat with some nice amateur stuff but Neville flips out of a suplex and sends Jason to the floor as we take a break. Back with Jordan throwing Solomon down just like he did to Neville before a wicked overhead belly to belly drops Crowe again.
Gable comes back in and mocks Solomon, even having Jordan fan him off while Crowe is on the floor. Jordan throws on a chinlock for a bit before Solomon adds a bow and arrow of his own. The hold is finally broken and Crowe dives over for the tag, allowing Neville to come in for his usual fast paced stuff.
Gable pulls Jason to the floor to break up the Red Arrow. That’s fine with Neville as he dives on both of them with Crowe following with a dive of his own. Back in and Jordan catches Neville’s next dive and throws him face first onto the mat. Crowe tags himself in and gets suplexed again, setting up the Grand Amplitude (the announcers don’t know the name) for the pin at 12:48.
Rating: C+. Good match here and Crowe tagging himself in might lead to a heel turn for him, which probably won’t save him but it’s better than whatever it was he’s been doing for the last few weeks. Neville really does come off as a star here and you can see what they’re going for with the superhero idea.
Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show for the most part and they’re making the tournament feel like a huge deal. That’s exactly what something this important should be and I love the fact that they’ve made the whole promotion want to get involved with it. Good stuff here and what is hopefully the sign of good stuff to come.
Results
Baron Corbin/Rhyno b. Ascension – Gore to Konor
Alexa Bliss b. Blue Pants – Sparkle Splash
Apollo Crews b. Martin Stone – Standing moonsault
Eva Marie b. Billie Kay – Sliced Red #2
Chad Gable/Jason Jordan b. Neville/Solomon Crowe – Grand Amplitude to Crowe
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
So in addition to Summerslam, there was NXT’s biggest show of all time as they had roughly the same crowd as Summerslam in the same building for Takeover: Brooklyn. As usual I was way more excited for this than for whatever WWE was putting on as NXT actually knows how to build a full card. Let’s get to it.
We opened with HHH introducing us to the show and showing off the huge crowd. It never ceases to amaze me how much cooler HHH is on his own than when he’s on Raw. This feels like the closer thing to a real version of the guy and he’s a lot more enjoyable like this. Also his speech was like two minutes long, not twenty. Do that more on Raw.
The opening was a surprise as Jushin Thunder Liger pinned Tyler Breeze. I’ve been waiting for Breeze to be pushed towards the top of the promotion but Liger getting the win is far from the worst thing in the world. Above all here: I have full confidence in NXT’s ability to build Breeze back up. In WWE, or almost any other promotion for that matter, he would be finished for all intents and purposes. The match was good and Liger is a charisma machine so the fans ate this up.
The Vaudevillains brought in Blue Pants to help deal with Alexa Bliss and finally won the Tag Team Titles. As usual, Blue Pants was the perfect choice (save for maybe Lita) and the place was going insane for this. Bliss has a spot as the insanely petty and stuck up girl who can also be an evil mastermind so once you get her away from a dead end act like Blake and Murphy (they’re fine but this is almost guaranteed to be the peaks of their careers), she could do some awesome stuff.
My biggest takeaway from this match was how hot the crowd was. The match was just good instead of great but the people were all over the near falls. It’s what happens when they’re given a reason to care about something instead of being beaten over the head by the company saying how awesome it is. The Vaudevillains have earned the fans’ respect and they were rewarded for it with a great reaction here. It’s such a simple formula but almost no one gets it.
Apollo Crews debuted and beat Tye Dillinger. There isn’t much to say here but Crews looks like a shorter Ahmed Johnson but with more athletic ability. As long as he doesn’t get caught in bed with his goat lover while doing cocaine off an underage prostitute corpse, he’s going to be fine.
In what we’ll call the pleasant surprise of the night, Samoa Joe beat Baron Corbin with the Koquina Clutch. Joe is a likely candidate for the next title shot and this was a very good performance to get him there. This was two power guys beating each other up for ten minutes and it was all entertaining stuff.
I’m going to keep this separate from the next match: Stephanie came out to introduce the next match. Stephanie is officially the annoying mom who doesn’t get that her kids don’t want her around all the time because she’s going to make it all about herself instead of letting the kids have fun. Unfortunately there’s no way around her so we’re stuck with her ego and obsession with being there for every cool moment.
Next up was Bayley challenging Sasha Banks for the Women’s Title. This was good. Go watch it. Seriously what else do you want from me here? I’ll give them this: that sequence of the Bank Statement and the hand stomp is as good of a back and forth as I’ve seen since Benoit vs. Angle in 2003. The post match scene with the Four Horsewomen posing one last time was perfect too.
The main event saw Finn Balor defending the NXT Title against Kevin Owens in a ladder match that shouldn’t have gone on last. It’s a really fun match and all, but there was no way these guys were going to match what we saw beforehand. I’ve heard a lot of people say it wasn’t very good, but I think those opinions might change with this match in a vacuum instead of right after the classic beforehand.
These two ran into the problem that so many have with ladder matches: what else can you do in them? There have been so many ladder matches over the years and it’s almost impossible to come up with something fresh. Still though, they did what they were supposed to do and the match was a success. It just shouldn’t have gone on last, though I understand the mentality behind it.
So yeah, Takeover rocked, because that’s all NXT knows how to do. It’s such a well build promotion with good to great wrestling, well done stories and an assembly line of fresh talent coming in to restock the shelves when these people are taking up to the main show and wasted because Kevin Dunn and company have to teach them how to be wrestlers because of some grudge with HHH or whatever. Awesome show, watch it again, it’s better than Summerslam.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn – Hugs Are Available At The Top Of The Ladder
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn Date: August 22, 2015
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Rich Brennan
It’s the biggest show in NXT history (so far) as NXT is on the road again. We have a double main event tonight with Finn Balor defending the NXT Title against former champion Kevin Owens in a ladder match and Bayley challenging for the Women’s Title against champion Sasha Banks. Let’s get to it.
HHH is in the ring to start and talks about how the NXT fans made this company unstoppable. They wanted something new and made it into a revolution. Because of that, the future is now. WE ARE NXT!
The arena looks amazing as this feels like a full on WWE pay per view.
Tyler Breeze vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
Breeze has a New York themed fashion show, complete with people dressed as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Jushin of course gets the legend’s pop that he deserves but he doesn’t have his signature music. Tyler scores with an early shoulder and lays over the top rope. Jushin takes him down and drops an elbow to the back before laying out just like Tyler.
We get a modified surfboard before the real version has Breeze in even more trouble. Liger is just going through his normal stuff here. A monkey flip sends Breeze face first into the mat before Liger steals the selfie stick for a quick picture. The Liger Bomb is countered and Breeze goes for the mask to make him the most evil man in the building. The Supermodel Kick gets two and the fans argue about levels of gorgeous. A modified backstabber gets two more for Tyler and the fans think Full Sail sucks.
Back up and the Liger Kick stuns Breeze but he gets the knees up to block a splash. Breeze takes too long yelling at the referee though and eats the palm strike. The threat of another dive sends him to the floor, only to have Liger hit a flip dive off the apron. Back in and the Liger Bomb finishes clean at 8:38.
Rating: B-. As cool as it is to see Liger in WWE, I’m really not sure about that ending. You brought Liger in to make Breeze look good and then Liger beats him in less than nine minutes? I don’t hate the result because Liger is indeed a legend, but I wanted to see Breeze go on as one of the top names in the company and now he’s losing here? To be fair though, Sami Zayn is the biggest star in NXT history and got big by losing over and over.
Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are here.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte wish Bayley luck.
Nia Jax is coming. She’s not like other girls.
Tag Team Titles: Vaudevillains vs. Blake and Murphy
The Vaudevillains are challenging. They also have top hats, making them even more awesome. The question here is who the Vaudevillains have to counter Alexa, who calls them pathetic for coming out alone. Fans: “WE WANT BLUE PANTS!” And here’s Blue Pants. Gotch works on Blake’s (now in trunks instead of tights) to start as the fans chant BLUE PANTS CITY. English comes in with a big boot for two before cranking on an armbar of his own.
Murphy comes in and eats an armbar as well, which the fans declare as manly. Blake finally gets in a cheap shot and comes in for a chinlock. The champ switch off for another chinlock before Blake is sent out to the floor. He’s smart enough to pull Gotch off the apron though and the hot tag is prevented. That’s one of my favorite spots. Murphy throws Aiden into the air for a neckbreaker and a two count. Heel miscommunication finally allows English to dive over for the tag and Simon starts cleaning house.
A quick tag brings English back in but he’s quickly crotched on top. The superplex takes too long though and Gotch powerbombs both champions, setting up a high angle swanton from English for two. Blue Pants pulls Alexa down but they both wind up in the ring for a catfight. Murphy tries a rollup for a very hot near fall but walks into the Whirling Dervish for the pin and the titles at 10:16.
Rating: C+. If this is the worst match of the night, this show is going to rock. The Vaudevillains winning the titles is a long time coming and it makes sense that Blake and Murphy lose as soon as the odds are even. Good match here and the crowd was white hot on those near falls. I can’t imagine how the main events are going to be if this is an indication.
Neville and Cesaro wished Finn Balor luck earlier.
Tye Dillinger vs. Apollo Crews
Dillinger is the Perfect 10, which is cut into the back of his hair. Crews looks amazed to be here. Tye flips across the ring and declares it a 10. Crews cartwheels into a backflip and thinks it’s the same. A dropkick breaks up Crews’ springboard in a big crash and Tye pats himself on the back. Crews powers out of a chinlock but gets kicked in the face for two. An awesome standing enziguri smacks Tye in the head and a gorilla press drop into a standing moonsault is enough to put Dillinger away at 4:45.
Rating: C. Well that worked. Crews was incredibly impressive here and got to show off both the power and the athleticism here. This was an awesome debut and Crews looks like he’s going to be the next big thing in NXT. Dillinger looked good too and has something sweet with this Perfect 10 thing.
William Regal announces the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, starting on September 2 and ending at the next Takeover on October 7 (a Wednesday). No more details are given but Regal says it will make the American Dream very proud.
We recap Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe. Corbin talks about his amazing background with all of his success in everything he’s done. He’s heard all these stories about people going around the world but he’s never heard of any of them. All Corbin had to do to come here is make a phone call. Joe answered a challenge and says he didn’t have to make a phone call because NXT called him.
Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
The announcers think Joe is going to kill him. Joe has the Clutch on in less than a minute but Baron makes it to the floor. Back in and an enziguri in the corner puts Corbin right back on the floor, only to have him blast Joe in the face to stop a suicide dive. Joe kicks him in the face though and does his rotating submissions spot until Corbin puts his foot on the ropes.
Baron grabs a heel hook but Joe makes the rope a few seconds later. Something like a Boss Man Slam gets two on Joe so Corbin superkicks him. That earns Baron a second enziguri though and both guys are down. Back up and they slug it out with Joe taking over. Corbin locks the Muscle Buster before hitting kind of a loose Jackhammer for two. The End of Days is broken up so Corbin lifts him up into a choke spinebuster. Joe flips the cover into the Koquina Clutch though and Corbin is out at 10:24.
Rating: B-. Easily both guys’ best match in NXT as Corbin looks like he can last through a long match. Having Joe as the submission master who can switch to striking if need be is fine and Corbin worked the power style just fine. I’m always a fan of having people hit each other really hard and that’s what we got here. Good stuff.
Corbin says he never gave up.
Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, female Japanese wrestler Kana and Team BAD are here.
Here’s Stephanie (whose music says she’s SELF MADE. You can’t buy comedy like that, though I’m sure she would have a crack team of comedy writers who are smart and funny to make them up if she could) to say we’re all making history right here and right now. A few weeks ago she started the Divas Revolution but it started right here in NXT. Therefore, she’s going to introduce the first main event.
We recap Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, which is about the spirit of the women’s division and Bayley fighting for the right thing. Sasha knows she’s the best though and wants to prove to Bayley that fairy tales don’t have happy endings. Bayley has lost over and over but tonight she’s more fired up than ever and has been on a roll.
Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks
Banks is defending. Bayley comes out with a yellow polka dot headband to honor Dusty in a very nice touch. Sasha on the other hand comes out in a Cadillac Escalade surrounded by a team of bodyguards. Sasha laughs off the Dusty wristbands and it’s a catfight to start. Bayley scores with a basement elbow for two and the fans are WAY into this. The champ sends her into the buckle over and over but Bayley shakes it off and ties Sasha in the Tree of Woe for a springboard elbow drop.
Banks goes outside for a breather so Bayley baseball slides her in the face. They fight into the corner where Bayley avoids the double knees, only to have a kick to the knee send her out to the floor. Sasha mocks the high fives to the fans before she hits Bayley’s running elbow to the back. The champ wins a slugout in the corner but still can’t hit the double knees. Instead she sends Bayley face first into the buckle and puts her on the top rope for the BIG double knees.
The kickout stuns Sasha so she tries some trash talk, only to be sent face first into the buckle. Bayley gets all aggressive with right hands but gets overzealous and sent outside. With desperation setting in, Sasha rips off the hand brace and sends the recently healed hand into the steps. That’s not enough so Sasha put the hand between the steps and the post and kicks them together to put Bayley on the floor and writhing in pain.
The referee takes too much time checking on her for Sasha’s liking though so Banks flips over him to land on Bayley. Back in and Sasha grabs the bad hand and walks the corner with it, snapping Bayley’s arm over the top. Sasha crashes hard on the floor though and seems to have banged herself up. The delay lets Bayley make her comeback with ax handles and the running corner elbow.
Sasha drops to her knees to block the Bayley to Belly and there’s the Bank Statement. Bayley crawls for the ropes but Sasha STOMPS ON THE BAND HAND to keep her away. Sasha tries to pull her back but Bayley rolls into a Bank Statement of her own. She cranks the heck out of that thing but Sasha rolls over to get her foot on the ropes. What a sequence. Bayley pulls her up to her feet for a Bayley to Belly but Sasha kicks out at a very close two.
With nothing else working, Bayley loads up the super Bayley to Belly but Sasha knocks her down. Bayley runs the corner for a forearm though and tries a super hurricanrana, only to have Sasha shove her away, sending Bayley crashing down onto her face. Sasha will have none of this waiting though and dives down onto Bayley for a VERY close two. They fight to the corner again and Bayley pulls off a super reverse hurricanrana. Sasha is DONE and the Bayley to Belly gives Bayley the title at 18:12.
Rating: A-. The wrestling and action have been topped before, but this was all about the story. Bayley showed all the heart in the world here and they managed to make me believe she actually might not get the title here. This felt like a war though and the fans carried it even higher than it was getting on its own. Awesome match here and I was right there with them every step of the way.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte come in to celebrate and it’s hugs all around, including one for Sasha. They all stand together and give the Four Horsewomen sign.
Seth Rollins is here.
Earlier tonight, HHH announced that NXT is taking over the UK in December.
We recap Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor. Balor took the title from Owens in Japan so tonight it’s a ladder match to show that Japan was just a fluke.
NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens
Ladder match with Balor defending and he’s in full demon mode. Balor does his big entrance and when the lights come on, Owens is sitting in a chair at ringside, leaned back against the barricade. Owens talks trash and starts going after the ladder but Balor pulls him back in and hammers away. Kevin drops him with an elbow to the jaw and drops the senton but the fans look at what seems to be a fight in the crowd. Thankfully Owens is smart enough to slowly walk around and stomp Finn until they have the crowd back.
After the powerbomb is countered, Owens drills him with the Cannonball as the OLE chants begin. The announcers acknowledge that it’s after 11 but they’re going to keep going. Graves: “It’s our network.” The Slingblade puts Owens down but he rolls out of the corner and goes for the ladder, only to be decked from behind. Balor gets crushed between the ladder and the ring so Owens loads up something but stops running and punches Finn in the face instead.
They fight into the crowd but Balor has to backdrop Owens over the barricade to counter another powerbomb. Owens whips him all the way over the announcers’ table then throws the covering at Balor. It’s ladder time again but Balor runs off the table to dropkick it into Owens’ face. Balor climbs but Owens pulls him down and throws him out to the floor, into another ladder. Some slams onto the ladder followed by a senton crush the champ’s ribs but he’s still able to backdrop Owens onto an open ladder for a sick crash.
Another Cannonball hits the ladder and Balor scores with a Coup de Grace but Kevin is up fast enough to powerbomb Balor off the ladder. Balor makes a save of his own and sends the ladder into Owens’ ribs. The powerbomb onto the apron is countered but Owens avoids a Coup de Grace off the apron. Balor charges right into the apron powerbomb and both guys are down. Owens tries to climb but Balor makes the save, only to get punched in the face again. With nothing else keeping Balor down, Owens bridges a ladder into the one that is standing like a platform but can’t hit the fisherman’s superplex.
Instead Balor rams Owens into the ladder, knocking him down and into a huge crash. The ladder is off center though and Owens gets up, only to be kicked down again. Balor looks at the crowd, likes what he hears, and drops the Coup de Grace off the ladder. That is SO risky and Balor is holding his ankle. Not that it matters as he climbs up and gets the belt to retain at 21:40.
Rating: A-. I liked the violence better here but the storytelling wasn’t quite as good as the previous match. Still though, outstanding match here with Owens playing the ultimate bully until Balor kept fighting to get the win. This was all about the violence and there’s nothing better to do in a ladder match. Really good main event even though the ending was never in doubt.
Overall Rating: A. Another excellent show here and did you really expect anything else? This is what NXT does: take their time building up a major card with two matches they know are going to blow the roof off the place and then a totally solid undercard to carry the rest of the show. Awesome stuff here and it’s great to see the show nail it on this big of a stage.
Results
Jushin Thunder Liger b. Tyler Breeze – Liger Bomb
Vaudevillains b. Blake and Murphy – Whirling Dervish to Murphy
Apollo Crews b. Tye Dillinger – Standing moonsault
Samoa Joe b. Baron Corbin – Koquina Clutch
Bayley b. Sasha Banks – Bayley to Belly
Finn Balor b. Kevin Owens – Balor pulled down the title
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
It’s only a few hours away but there’s always time for a preview. This is going to be the biggest show in NXT history (so far) as they’re in the same arena as Summerslam with 13,000 people. Tonight is a double main event of Bayley challenging Sasha Banks for the Women’s Title and Finn Balor defending the NXT Title against Kevin Owens in a ladder match. I’m way more excited for this show than Summerslam (which also looks like a good show) so let’s get to it.
First up we have the debut of Apollo Crews against Tye Dillinger (the Perfect 10 guy). NXT really likes the idea of debuting their next big thing on these shows and this is the latest example. Crews looks awesome in training and has spent years showing off in the indies, so this should be fun. The ending is obvious of course, but this would be a good choice for an opener to get the crowd going.
Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe has the potential to be a great power brawl, which can often steal a big piece of the show. The thing is though, I’m not sure who goes over here. They seem to be worried about pushing Joe huge due to his unique contract situation (a totally reasonable perspective) and I could see Corbin being the low level challenger to Balor after Takeover before they start building up to the next major challenger. I’ll take Joe winning here, but I could see Corbin getting the big upset here.
I’ll go with the Vaudevillains taking the Tag Team Titles. I actually had a line about the champions retaining and it felt so totally wrong that I had to erase it. Blake/Murphy are a great way to make Alexa look good (you know, because she has such an issue doing it on her own) and even though they feel like transitional champions, they’ve held those things since January. I’d love to see more of Bliss, but I could easily see her getting a new act and be like the old Sunny, jumping from team to team whenever the old team is done. But yeah, should be new champions here.
Breeze over Liger. As amazing as it is to see Liger in the WWE, Breeze is looking like a star at this point and has gone so far past where his character should have come to a screeching halt (in a good way) and a win over a legitimate legend could make him look even bigger. Remember where I said Corbin could be the mini-bad to get Balor on to his next major opponent? That next major opponent should be Breeze, and I wouldn’t have an issue with Breeze taking the title. He’s more than earned it and he isn’t going to be called up anytime soon. On top of that the fans are accepting him due to the hard work and great matches he’s put on, so why not take a shot on him when Balor goes up north?
I would say Balor retaining the title is the most obvious ending in the world, but then I read something that got me thinking. Obviously one of the big stories lately has been HHH vs. Kevin Dunn over the NXT guys. Would it really shock you to see HHH send Owens back down to NXT so Dunn can’t ruin him on the main roster? It would be a much better way for Owens to stay over than by being a midcarder who is on the bad end of fat jokes because WWE thinks like a nine year old at times, so why not do it for a bit to restore his image? I think Balor wins, but it’s not as sure as I thought it was.
Finally, we have the match that I’m looking forward to more than anything on Summerslam, this year’s Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble, and probably all the way back to Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville II. Bayley is challenging Sasha Banks for the Women’s Title and there is no reason to believe we’re not getting a title change here. Bayley has been chasing the title for over a year now and this feels like the night.
The key thing here though is why this feels so important. While I’m expecting the match to be good, I’m not expecting it to be as good as some of the other NXT women have done. However, what I’m expecting is one of the most emotional moments in recent years, and that’s WAY more important than the wrestling. The fans want to see Bayley win the title and that’s where the money is.
It’s such a well done story of one of the last few innocent people in wrestling fighting the good fight against someone who, while not full on evil when you think about it, isn’t the nicest person in the world. I’ve gotten so into this story and I want to hear that place erupt when she wins the title, which I’m almost fully certain she will.
Overall….my goodness that’s a heck of a card. The worst match is probably the Tag Team Titles, which should be a fun match depending on who the Vaudevillains have to counter Alexa (if it’s Blue Pants, the reaction will not be of this world). Couple that with a Brooklyn crowd and 13,000 people and this has the potential to be something better than good; it has the potential to be special.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: August 5, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
We’re on the road to Brooklyn and most of the card can be seen from here. With just three shows left, it’s time to add some build to a lot of the midcard matches as the main event is pretty much set. There’s a good chance we’ll be seeing more of Charlotte vs. Bayley tonight as Bayley is aiming for the Women’s Title again. Let’s get to it.
In memory of Roddy Piper.
Opening sequence.
Charlotte vs. Bayley
They’re starting fast this week as the bell rings less than three minutes into the show. After a handshake, Bayley grabs a headlock and takes Charlotte over, only to have Charlotte nip up to her feet. A hammerlock and headscissors earn similar results for Bayley but Charlotte comes back with the rolling figure four headscissors to put Bayley down hard. Things get a bit more aggressive as Bayley scores with some ax handles to the chest, only to get kneed in the face for two.
Back from a break with Bayley countering the Figure Eight into a small package for two of her own, followed by the middle rope elbow to the jaw. Bayley lifts her up onto the top rope for a hurricanrana (that’s a new one), dubbed awesome by the fans. They slug it out (fans: “WOMEN’S WRESTLING!”) and a spear gets two for Charlotte. The young Bayley fan in the crowd freaking out on these near falls is great to see. Charlotte gets the Figure Eight but Bayley is too close to the ropes.
They fight over a backslide with Bayley climbing the ropes and flipping over Charlotte into the Bayley to belly for……two? That’s a very rare kickout. Now a German gets two more on Charlotte so she rolls Bayley up, sending Bayley head first into the middle buckle for a cool move. Charlotte goes up but Bayley grabs a super Bayley to belly for the upset pin at 12:22. The same fan that freaked out on the kickout is shown crying.
Rating: B. This was a really fun back and forth match with both of them working hard to one up the other. The big spot to end the match makes more sense as Bayley had to bust out something big to finally beat Charlotte and prove she’s worthy of getting a shot. Above all else though, the young girl being happy tells you all you need to know about Bayley. Wrestling has rarely had a character girls her age can look up to and Bayley is nailing the role to perfection.
Post match Bayley gives the girl her headband. That’s awesome.
We get a sitdown interview with Kevin Owens, who doesn’t like Michael Cole implying that his apology for jumping Finn Balor and William Regal wasn’t sincere. Regal said he wanted to see Owens lose and it takes a real man to say that behind someone’s back. “Or a real man’s man should I say.”
Owens needs the NXT Title back, not just because it’s worth more money, but because it reminds him of what he did to Sami Zayn and he likes that feeling. However, he’s scared of Regal screwing him like Montreal, which is where Owens is from after all. Therefore, why not make the rematch a ladder match? Cole asks if Owens can beat Balor and Kevin walks off. I like making it a ladder match as we’ve covered a regular match so why bother doing it again?
Bull Dempsey doesn’t like the video of him trying to get in shape last week and wants to do it right. This doesn’t go well either but it’s to be continued.
Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler
I’m starting to recognize these jobbers. The jobber would be the guy losing to Corbin via End of Days at 22 seconds.
Bayley comes in to see William Regal and nervously asks him for a Women’s Title match. Regal thinks she deserves one, but so does Becky Lynch. Therefore, next week it’s Bayley vs. Becky for the shot at Sasha in Brooklyn. Regal throws in that Bayley is his niece’s favorite wrestler. I’m getting into this story more and more every week. I want to see Bayley win the Women’s Title and it’s going to be an awesome moment when she finally does.
Tyler Breeze vs. Aaron Solo
We haven’t see Tyler in the ring in awhile. Breeze stomps Solo down in the corner to start, then pounds him down on the mat, then hits the Beauty Shot for the pin at 52 seconds. Well that worked.
Post match here’s Regal to announce Tyler’s opponent: Japanese legend Jushin Thunder Liger. The fans are STUNNED and we get a Liger video, which is one of those things you never expected to see in WWE.
Uhaa Nation video, who is now known as Apollo Crews. His debut is in Brooklyn.
Finn Balor gets a sitdown interview of his own and talks about what an honor it is to be NXT Champion. He’s known Kevin Owens for about a year now and after getting to know him, he really isn’t surprised by what happened at the contract signing. Owens may be a man of words, but Balor is a man of actions, and Owens’ actions don’t back up his words. Sami Zayn has been helping Balor get ready for the title match and Finn doesn’t care if it’s a ladder match, a cage match or a street fight, because he’s going to prove that Tokyo wasn’t a fluke. When asked if the Demon will appear, Balor gives a vague “we’ll see.”
Dash and Dawson vs. Hype Bros
Mojo and Dawson get things going with Rawley cranking on a wristlock and bringing in Ryder for the double knees in the corner. We get a WOO WOO WOO chant to the New Day rhythm but a Dash distraction lets Dawson pull Ryder off the middle rope and take over. Ryder takes a quick double teaming before slipping over for the hot tag to Mojo. Rawley cleans house and holds up Dash for the elevated Rough Ryder and the pin at 3:33.
Rating: C. This tag division continues to have depth and I’m so glad that Ryder is getting some TV time out of the deal. I’ve never liked how WWE wasted him and it’s nice to see him getting something other than a jobber’s treatment. Mojo and Ryder compliment each other in a weird way and should be fine as a meal for some big heel team.
Dash and Dawson beat up Ryder post match and lay him out with the Shatter Machine.
The Vaudevillains are given a rematch for the NXT Tag Team Titles in Brooklyn. Regal advises them to come up with a way to counter Alexa Bliss.
Bull Dempsey has some more success with his training and seems to be making progress, even being able to turn over a big tire.
Rhyno vs. Samoa Joe
This should be a hard hitting ending to a pretty nothing feud. Joe fires off right hands to start but Rhyno rams him face first into the buckle. That’s fine with Joe who sends Rhyno outside and scores with the suicide dive. Back in and the corner enziguri drops Rhyno again but he comes back with a spinebuster as we take a break.
After the commercial it’s Joe coming back with an STO, earning him a TKO for two. Joe’s middle rope boot to the face puts Rhyno down but he grabs a belly to belly. The Gore hits a boot so Rhyno settles for a clothesline for two instead. Rhyno makes the mistake of going to the middle rope, earning himself another enziguri and the Muscle Buster for the pin at 12:57.
Rating: C-. It’s a good enough power brawl but Joe is still “Samoa Joe: that guy you’ve seen elsewhere”. He hasn’t been wasted but after a big debut, Joe has just been a midcarder doing nothing of note since. I could see him being the opponent for Corbin in Brooklyn though, followed by a run higher up on the NXT ladder.
Overall Rating: C+. As usual, NXT provides a great blueprint for how to build up a big show. They didn’t have much of a midcard set for Brooklyn but in an hour they set up a Women’s Title match, a Tag Team Title match and a match with a legend, along with (for all intents and purposes) adding a stipulation for the title match. I had a good time with this show, but swapping the opener and main event would have been a good idea.
Results
Bayley b. Charlotte – Super Bayley to belly
Baron Corbin b. Steve Culter – End of Days
Tyler Breeze b. Aaron Solo – Beauty Shot
Hype Bros b. Dash and Dawson – Middle rope Rough Ryder to Dash
Samoa Joe b. Rhyno – Muscle Buster
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of NXT Reviews: The Full Sail Years Volume I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: July 1, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
It’s the show before the big title match in Tokyo and we actually have a main event announced in advance. This week’s big match is Samoa Joe/Finn Balor vs. Rhyno/Kevin Owens, which isn’t exactly what the champ should be doing but it makes sense given the story. I can’t imagine Owens is champion next week but I’ve been surprised before. Let’s get to it.
The opening video is just a quick preview of the tag match.
Vaudevillains vs. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder
Gotch and Wilder start things off with Dash quickly shoving him into the corner for a tag off to Dawson. Well that was pointless. Simon gets a quick two out of the corner and it’s off to English for a MANLY elbow. A back elbow and knee drop put Simon down and Dawson drives elbows into the face. The manliness starts running low though so it’s off to English to squeeze the juice out of oranges and shave with broken glass. Or maybe for the Whirling Dervish from English for the pin at 3:07.
Rating: D+. This was basically a squash and a way for the Vaudevillains to say that they’re here as faces. The fans are going to cheer for the MANLY stuff because it’s goofy fun and the guys are good enough to make a pretty unique gimmick work. I like the team, but they need some better opponents than a pair of jobbers.
Becky Lynch has a hip flexor injury and will be out for a few weeks.
Baron Corbin vs. Tucker Knight
Knight looks a lot like Rusev. End of Days in 47 seconds.
The Vaudevillains and Enzo/Cass are in Regal’s office. As you might expect, he snaps after about ten seconds of chattering. It’s a #1 contenders match next week.
It’s time for the last part of the Finn Balor documentary. Balor talks about loving how he spawns creativity from fans with their art. Some of the pictures are cool and I know I’m right because Sami Zayn agrees. We see the Finn Balor debut with Prince Devitt popping up on screen and how he knew the fans were accepting him.
The name is a combination of an Irish warrior named Finwick who went to war against the evil King Balor. The fact that his dad is named Finn didn’t hurt either. Matt Bloom (Jason Albert, NXT trainer) says there wasn’t much in ring stuff to teach him but he had to learn cameras. Balor says every entrance is a movie, which is an interesting way to look at it.
Quick talk about the Demon giving him more confidence before it’s off to saying he’s ready to take the title in Japan. A music video of him with some kids doing the Balor pose and everyone talking about how amazing Balor is ends this. These three parts are collected in an NXT special and I really, REALLY recommend you take the thirty minutes to watch it. These are some of the best documentaries WWE has ever done and they make me think Balor is ready for the WWE main event scene right now.
Eva Marie trained earlier today as Regal watched. That could be anywhere between a pleasant surprise to my mind exploding in shock to exactly the disaster a lot of people are expecting.
Emma vs. Carmella
The lack of caring for Carmella when Enzo and Cass aren’t there is astounding. Feeling out process to start with Carmella taking her down in a headlock, followed by a hurricanrana out of the corner. Emma grabs the ropes (that’s kind of lame) and puts on a bodyscissors for a bit. Carmella fights back and hits a running boot to the side of the head, only to be pulled down into the Emma Lock for the tap out at 4:12.
Rating: D+. This is more proof that there are two kinds of NXT Divas. Some of them are capable of having a classic match if they’re given enough time and look as polished as any male wrestler. Then you have the lower level, who look about the same as most of the main roster Divas and do little for me. Guess which group these two are in.
Bull Dempsey tries to break open a vending machine when Regal shows up to yell at him. The chocolate on Dempsey’s lips don’t make things any better.
Jason Jordan is annoyed at losing again last week so Chad Gable comes up to offer his services again.
Tyler Breeze vs. Tye Dillinger
Dillinger charges into a boot to start but slugs Breeze down to take over. Tye mocks the photos and the fans give him a ten, which hasn’t been explained on NXT so far. A hurricanrana and right hands (straight out of Shawn Michaels’ playbook) set up the Beauty Shot for the pin at 2:50.
Emma and Dana Brooke interrupt a Sasha Banks interview to admire the Women’s Title. A challenge is thrown down and Sasha says she’ll find a partner.
Rhyno/Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe/Finn Balor
Joe is billed at 302lbs which sounds bigger than you would think, but it’s nice to just admit that he’s a bigger guy. Rhyno and Joe slug it out to start with Joe taking over and nailing the jumping kick in the corner. Off to Balor vs. Owens with Finn dropkicking him down but being sent to the floor for daring to try a suplex. Back from a break with the champ holding Balor in a chinlock. That’s really dull stuff so it’s back to Rhyno for a delayed vertical suplex with some squats thrown in.
Points to Rhyno for picking things up a bit. Owens puts on another chinlock but makes sure to stick out his tongue to the crowd because he makes chinlocks something special. Some of the time at least. We get the Cena finishing sequence but Balor escapes the AA and makes the hot tag to Joe. Rhyno plants him with a spinebuster and Owens adds something resembling a Pop Up Powerbomb. It’s back to Balor for a Pele though and the Gore nails the champ by mistake, setting up the Coup de Grace for the pin on Owens (first time in NXT) at 12:40.
Rating: C. This was fine, but what does Joe actually add to NXT? He’s just Joe at this point and hasn’t done anything other than his first big showdown. Maybe now that Owens is going to be shifting to the main roster he might have a story coming soon, but there’s nothing significant for him right now. I’d love to see him do something and it’s WAY too early to write him off, but so far there’s nothing special. There’s nothing to talk about with the match as it’s booking 101 to set up a title match.
Overall Rating: C. Much like the main event, this was fine but there’s not much you need to see here. Balor continues to look like a million bucks and Breeze is actually an awesome face due to the amount of hard work he’s put in over the last year or so. Overall though this feels like the doldrums that NXT hits when they’re about to start getting ready for a big Takeover, which I believe is around Summerslam time. Totally watchable show that set up some future matches, but not much on its own.
Results
Vaudevillains b. Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder – Whirling Dervish to Dawson
Baron Corbin b. Tucker Knight – End of Days
Emma b. Carmella – Emma Lock
Tyler Breeze b. Tye Dillinger – Beauty Shot
Finn Balor/Samoa Joe b. Rhyno/Kevin Owens – Coup de Grace to Owens
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: June 10, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton
The big story tonight is the in ring debut of Samoa Joe, who debuted a few weeks back and has had some intense staredowns with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. It should be interesting to see who Joe’s first victim is, because it’s fairly clear that he’s coming for Owens and the title. Right now though, Finn Balor is the #1 contender and will be facing Owens for the title in Tokyo on July 4. Let’s get to it.
The opening video is all about Joe debuting in NXT and setting his sights on the title.
Opening sequence.
Zack Ryder/Mojo Rawley vs. Mike Rallis/Elias Samson
Ryder is WAY over here and the fans even seem happy to see Rawley. Mojo shoves Rallis down, slams Samson, but then stop, HAMMER TIME. Ryder comes in and takes some shoulders in the ribs, only to raise his knees in the corner to stop a charge. The middle rope dropkick sets up the Broski Boot but Samson offers a distraction to take over.
We hit the chinlock but a GET HYPED chant brings Ryder to his feet for the hot tag to Rawley. Mojo cleans house with some very fast paced offense, including a big running punch and capped off by a middle rope Hart Attack with the Rough Ryder instead of the clothesline for the pin on Samson at 3:55.
Rating: C. I’ve always liked Ryder and this was a good sign for him. A lot of guys could use a recharge down in NXT and Ryder is probably at the top of that list. He clearly still has a following as the fans were all over him. Rawley was doing exactly what he should have done all along here: cleaned house and never looked back. One of his biggest problems was getting beaten up until the last 45 seconds of the match for a big comeback. Guys like him should hardly ever be on defense and the reaction was a lot better as a result.
Finn Balor promo with his voice talking about how everyone has two sides. Shots of the demon paint keep appearing until “FINN BALOR ARRIVES – July 4 in Tokyo” comes on screen. Oh that’s going to be amazing.
Dana Brooke video. She’s the Total Diva.
Emma vs. Blue Pants
SHE’S BAAAAACK! Big Cass’ Price Is Right entrance music got one of the loudest reactions in recent weeks. The fans are smart enough to know that it’s Blue Pants’ birthday. Emma jumps her to start, making her the most hated woman in the promotion. A dropkick gets two and we hit the bow and arrow on Blue Pants. Fans: “BLUE PANTS ROCKS!” Blue Pants gets some rollups for two but it’s back to the chinlock. Emma drops an elbow to the back of the head for two more but Blue Pants comes back with some kicks to the head. Blue Pants gets going but Emma trips her down and the Emma Lock gets the submission at 4:40.
Rating: D+. Here’s the key thing about Blue Pants: she isn’t used that often. They could bring her in more often for some loud reactions, but they would eventually die down because Blue Pants is so beloved due to being a special attraction. If this were the main roster, she would be in five segments a night and people would get sick of her in two weeks. This common sense stuff is addictive.
Enzo, Cass and Carmella say that Blake/Murphy/Bliss wouldn’t last one week in the Hunger Games and if they grew up where they’re from, it would be time to go live with Uncle Phil. Six person tag next week.
Tyler Breeze vs. Bull Dempsey
Dempsey knees him in the head to start and we’re quickly in a chinlock. Fans: “BULL IS GORGEOUS/NO HE’S NOT!” Back up and the standing splash sets up the top rope headbutt but Breeze rolls away before the jump. Breeze gets him in a chance around the ring and Bull keeps getting winded. Fans: “CARDIO! CARDIO!” Breeze laps Bull, throws him inside and gives him a Beauty Shot for the pin at 2:49. Tyler is basically a face now due to all of his hard work and string of good matches.
We look back at Becky Lynch’s standing ovation after losing to Sasha Banks. Brennan’s nickname for her: The Lass Kicker. As much as I hate myself for this, I kind of dig that name.
Becky Lynch vs. Jesse McKay
Becky has a very high energy entrance now, complete with smoke along the entrance. The fans are responding to it and it’s easy to sey why. McKay used to wrestle in Shimmer under the same name. Jesse gets in a kick to the ribs to start, followed by another to the face. An armbar has Becky in some trouble but she comes back with a hammerlock suplex and some legdrops. “BETTER THAN HOGAN!” Let’s not get crazy here. Something like a torture rack Samoan drop sets up the armbar (Rich: “The Disgoosted Armbar!” Graves: “The WHAT?”) for the submission at 4:16.
Rating: D+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as Jesse got in way too much offense in what should have been a Becky showcase match. McKay was good enough in there though and could be something interesting if she’s allowed to develop like the rest of the girls down here have done. This was too much like an old Mojo Rawley match though: awesome entrance, next to no offense until the very end.
Regal announces that Owens will be on commentary for Joe’s match but Bull Dempsey comes in eating a bag of Doritos. He blames his loss on a lack of sleep. Regal gets serious and tells Dempsey to get his act together. The boss leaves so Dempsey pulls an open Snickers out of his singlet. Well they had to do something new with Dempsey so this works well enough.
Jason Jordan says he has another partner when Chad Gable comes in, saying it should be him. “I’m ready, willing and Gable. See what I did there?” Jason says no but Gable adds his name to Jordan’s locker.
Baron Corbin vs. Angelo Dawkins
Corbin throws him around to start and walks him around the ring before a slam. A bulldog attempt is countered by a huge clothesline and End of Days gives Baron the pin at 2:29.
Samoa Joe vs. Scott Dawson
Owens is on commentary and Joe’s music still sucks. He does however look a bit more toned. Fans: “PLEASE DON’T DIE!” How nice of them to be worried about Joe’s safety. They trade armbars to start until Joe takes it up a notch with a back elbow to the face. Owens: “Wow a back elbow! I’ve got a mean back elbow.” The release Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the Muscle Buster for the pin on Dawson at 3:45.
Rating: C. Total squash here and it did exactly what it was supposed to do. Owens is great on commentary as the guy trying to cut into Joe’s hype and this was a very fun use of about five minutes. Joe’s physique looked about as good as you can fairly expect. The guy is never going to look like John Cena and it’s unfair to expect him to, but he looked fine here.
During the replays, Kevin offers to get Brennan a Joe shirt from the merchandise table. Owens goes to leave but Joe calls him to the ring. Kevin won’t get in because he’s a good man who won’t drop Joe after his first match. Joe is a rookie here in NXT and one win isn’t enough for an NXT Title match. Cue Regal who agrees with Owens. Joe hasn’t earned a title shot, but he’s earned the right to a non-title fight against Owens next week.
Overall Rating: B-. Matches made for the future, six matches, some amusing promos, two in ring debuts and a new character for Dempsey. How in the world can they get all that inside an hour and have almost no filler? This was the efficient NXT that flies by every week because it’s very well put together. Couple that with an energetic crowd and you have one heck of a fun show.
Results
Zack Ryder/Mojo Rawley b. Elias Samson/Mike Rallis – Middle rope Rough Ryder to Samson
Emma b. Blue Pants – Emma Lock
Tyler Breeze b. Bull Dempsey – Beauty Shot
Becky Lynch b. Jesse McKay – Disgoosted Armbar
Baron Corbin b. Angelo Dawkins – End of Days
Samoa Joe b. Scott Dawson – Muscle Buster
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
NXT Date: June 3, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
This is an interesting time for NXT as one of their biggest stories isn’t taking place on NXT. Instead, NXT Champion Kevin Owens has been called up to the main roster and even defeated John Cena clean on pay per view in his debut match. It doesn’t help that he’s feuding with a bunch of people here in NXT as well. Let’s get to it.
The opening video is all about Owens beating Cena at Elimination Chamber.
General Manager William Regal has an announcement tonight.
Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose
Fans: “WE WANT KRUGER!” Rose takes him into the corner to start and nails some loud chops, followed by a headlock takeover: rest hold. Back up and Breeze nails a great dropkick to put Rose on the floor. That goes nowhere as Rose backdrops him to the floor and we take a break.
Back with Rose putting on a sleeper for a good while until Breeze fights out and kicks him in the chest. Breeze, wrestling like a face here, nails some running forearms in the corner but gets caught in a spinebuster, which Rose transitions into a Boston crab for a nice spot. Breeze crawls over to the ropes and comes back with the Beauty Shot for the pin at 12:01.
Rating: C+. Breeze is one of those characters who is going to be turned face just due to how well he works in the ring and there isn’t much NXT can do to stop it. This was a much better match than I was expecting, especially considering Rose is way past his expiration date at this point.
Solomon Crowe is glad Joe was there last week and promises to be back and better than ever.
Dana Brooke has been at the Arnold Classic and will be back soon.
Eva Marie is brought to the stage for a chat and MY GOODNESS the fans do not want to see her. The YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chants stop her cold but she says she’ll wait. Eva was at Takeover to watch the great women’s wrestling and that’s why she’s here now. She wants to compete with the best and they’re right here in NXT. I know she’s been training more, but she has a huge hill to overcome to get anywhere.
Regal’s announcement is that on the big 4th of July show with Brock Lesnar in action, Balor will challenge Kevin Owens for the NXT Title in Japan, and it will air live on the WWE Network. Oh man that could be awesome if they air the whole show but it sounds like just the NXT Title match.
Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss
Carmella goes right at her with three straight takedowns and right hands every time. Bliss manages to drop her face first onto the buckle for two before cranking on a cravate. Back up and Carmella hits some running forearms, only to get caught in a rollup with a hand grabbing the ropes to give Bliss the pin at 3:34.
Rating: D+. This is where NXT’s logical booking shines. It’s clear that they’re setting up a six person tag and what better way to set it up than to have the girls getting there for a bit? Bliss has transitioned into this new role perfectly and the character change is so jarring that it works very well.
Rhyno says he’s back to go after the top contender in Finn Balor. Tonight he’s a Gore away from being one step closer to being NXT Champion.
Video on Sami Zayn’s shoulder surgery, which fixed a torn rotator cuff.
Vaudevillains vs. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis
I had been wondering what happened to Louis. The crazy Louis starts with Gotch as the fans are very happy to have the Vaudevillains back. It’s quickly off to English for a manly knee to the ribs (Fans: “THAT WAS MANLY!”) but Jordan comes in for a suplex to take over. We hit the reverse chinlock on English to slow things down. Louis tags himself in, much to Jordan’s annoyance, and puts on a chinlock of his own. English fights up and makes the hot tag to Gotch for a quick Whirling Dervish and the pin on Marcus at 5:16.
Rating: D+. So the Vaudevillains seem to be faces as well. That’s not the worst idea in the world as you can put them against Blake and Murphy when Enzo and Cass are done with them. That’s one of the places where NXT shines: they set something up for when the current feud is done and they can transition right into the new feud. I miss that kind of well done and planned out booking. The match was nothing special and was mostly spent in a chinlock. I’m assuming Jordan will go partner hunting for the next few weeks.
Video on Sasha Banks being all Bossy.
Finn Balor is ready for Rhyno.
Finn Balor vs. Rhyno
Feeling out process to start until Rhyno just runs Balor over with a shoulder. Rhyno goes up top but gets kicked out to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Rhyno putting on a body scissors to slow Balor down. Rhyno mocks Balor’s signature pose before putting on a chinlock.
That goes nowhere as Finn comes back with a middle rope forearm but the reverse lifting DDT is countered into a spinebuster for two. Frustration is setting in for Rhyno and the Pele makes it even worse. The Sling Blade connects but the Coup de Grace misses. The Gore misses as well though and Balor grabs a quick rollup for the surprise pin at 12:10.
Rating: C+. I liked this better than I was expecting to with Balor being able to adapt to Rhyno’s simple yet effective power style. That’s the perk of having someone like Rhyno around: he can work well with anyone and you can easily build him back up by having him squash jobbers, only to lose again to someone like Balor. Nice little match here.
Rhyno Gores Balor on the stage to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. This show would best be summed up as recharging. You have the Vaudevillains returning and Breeze acting more like a face, along with setting up some feuds for the future. This is something you come to expect from NXT as they hit Takeover, have a week off, and then start getting back on track to the middle of the road feuds. Owens vs. Balor in Tokyo should be awesome and the fans are going to eat it up.
Results
Tyler Breeze b. Adam Rose – Beauty Shot
Alexa Bliss b. Carmella – Rollup while holding the ropes
Vaudevillains b. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis – Whirling Dervish to Louis
Finn Balor b. Rhyno – Rollup
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at: