Yo-Yo's Roomie

3/18/15 This episode was taped at the Arnold Sports Classic in Columbus, Ohio, making it the first time NXT had gone on the road. Tyler Breeze Vs Kalisto: This was a much better match than the last time they faced off. Breeze wins with the Beauty Shot. There was a backstage bit with Finn Balor warning Alex Riley not to take Kevin Owens lightly in his match tonight. This was a really weird promo from Finn, who was taking a sharp intake of breath before every line he delivered. Finn would be better served not talking. Wesley Blake Vs Big Cass: Carmella takes a bump off the apron, which allows Blake to roll Cass up for the win. I've been impressed by Blake. Most of my focus has been on Buddy Murphy, but Blake has quietly shown a lot of promise. We get a hype video for Dana Brooke (!), I guess to tie in with the Arnold Classic. She's coming soon. Alexa Bliss Vs Sasha Banks: Non-title match. A lot of to-do made of the fact this is Alexa's hometown, but the crowd is 50/50 at best, which the announcers point out. Short match with Bliss winning by count-out. In the back afterwards, the two argue, and William Regal makes a title match between the two for next week, to go with the Owens/Finn NXT title match. Kevin Owens Vs Alex Riley: This is a bit of a disappointment. Owens pretty much crushes Riley, and the fans are overwhelmingly pro-Owens too, which hurts the storytelling aspect of it. Not that I'm advocating a Riley win, of course, but maybe another hope spot or believable nearfall would have vindicated Riley a bit. Owens continues to beat Riley down after the match, before Balor makes the save. The highlight of this whole show is Owens giving the prone Riley another quick stomp as he runs away from Balor. I do wonder what's next for Riley, as that was a pretty damp squib ending for what has been a well done angle. Episode MVP: Kevin Owens.

We all deserve a friend like Mella.

So Stomping Grounds has to end with EC3, Eric Young et al coming out and giving Seth Rollins his comeuppance, right? I mean, heels still get their comeuppance in modern WWE, right. My main takeaways from this show are that I'm excited for the live debut of the new Bray Wyatt, and Cesaro really needs to be pushed into the world title scene before it's too late. Or at least give me a competitive Cesaro/Strowman feud.

My take on/explanation for the top rope move/move to a downed opponent instead of just pinning them has always been that wrestlers are intrinsically conditioned to kick out of any pin attempt, so just because they're laying on their back for 3, 5, 10 or more seconds, it doesn't mean they're not going to kick out of a pin attempt. That's why the kill shot makes sense to me.

Happy Father's Day, DVDVR dads. What are the best father-son/daughter moments in wrestling? Surely nothing tops Dusty's "the view never changes" promo.

3/11/15 Enzo and Big Cass Vs The Lucha Brothers: This is a number one contenders match for the tag titles. It follows the usual Enzo and Cass formula of Enzo getting his ass kicked, and Cass bailing the team out. Enzo and Cass pick up the win. Alexa Bliss Vs Carmella: This lasts longer than I'd like it to, but both these girls need the ring time. Maybe not against one another though. Carmella is so annoying on the mic. Bliss debuts the Twisted Bliss, which is billed as the Sparkle Splash here, to pick up the win. I don't know if this is just how I've been conditioned, after watching her on the main roster for so long, but I just can't see Bliss as anything other than a heel. She just looks so bitchy. Alex Riley Vs CJ Parker: Riley gets a nice pop for his in-ring return. He cuts a nice promo in the back before this match too, talking about how he still has a lot to offer in the ring, and saying he feels like he's been in a cage for 2 years. He's performed really well in this angle so far. It's a shame that, in the ring, he's still bland as hell. He picks up the win with a top rope blockbuster. Kevin Owens comes out and says Riley is the dumbest man in NXT for quitting his announce job to fight him, because he's going to end his in-ring career too. What I like about this angle so far is the realism with which it's been presented. They're not making out Riley is some retired legend or anything like that, and Riley is acting suitably pissed off that he got shunted to the announce table while he, in his mind, was still in his prime. Tyler Breeze Vs Hideo Itami: Breeze really needed to win this match to have any credibility going forward, and he did so. The problem is, it's just another nail in the coffin of Itami being seen as anything special. The match is fine. Episode MVP: Pretty low key ep. Actually gonna give it to Riley for his promo and his intensity.

3/4/15 We start with Riley in Regal's office demanding a match with Kevin Owens. Regal says he's an announcer now, and that he can't do both. Riley, quite rightly, points out that Regal did just that, and Regal replied that he did, but that resulted in the end of his career. He says you can't prepare to be a wrestler while you have the responsibilities of an announcer, and that Riley has to make a choice. I really liked this. Good fire from Riley, who acted exactly like you'd expect a real person to act in this scenario, and good attention to detail bringing up Regal's history and the potential pitfalls of what Riley is requesting. Stuff like this is why NXT is so good. Tyler Breeze Vs Adam Rose: Rose is back on NXT to do a quick job to Breeze. Alexa Bliss cuts a promo in the back saying she's recovered from her broken nose at the hands of Sasha Banks, and is coming after Banks to show who's really in charge. I barely noticed she was gone. Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy Vs Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton: How come they never did anything with this Fulton chap? He's massive and has amateur credentials. Standard win for the tag champs. There's a backstage bit with Bayley and Emma. Bayley is all happy to see Emma, but Emma kinda makes fun of her, and says being nice didn't get her anywhere. This looks like the start of heel Emma. I'm looking forward to this. Baron Corbin Vs Tony Briggs: It doesn't look like Briggs really achieved much in wrestling. The standard quick win for Corbin here. Kevin Owens comes out and is trying to intimidate Riley by staring at him. Riley tries to no sell it, so Owens pours water over his head. This time Riley jumps up and has to be held back by Albert. Another good segment here. Owens is great in the bully role, and Riley is showing good fire. Shortly after this, Riley storms into Regal's office, and quits as an announcer. CJ Parker is with Regal, and laughs at Riley. Regal says Riley has to prove himself before he gets a match with Owens, so Riley asks for one with Parker instead. I guess that's next week. Sami Zayn has sent in a promo from the streets of Montreal. He talks about how NXT seems to have changed since he's been gone, with new champions and new number one contenders, but he'll be back soon, and he can't describe what he's going to do to Kevin Owens. Solomon Crowe Vs Bull Dempsey: Crowe's in-ring debut. The guy just looks weird. Stupid hair, his face is a different colour from the rest of his body, he looks like a midget who's been kind of stretched to full size, and the singlet isn't doing him any favours either. Just essentially having him come out as a normal guy having normal matches doesn't help. They should have worked with the gimmick a bit more. And he gets mostly dominated by Bull before putting him away. Not the right opponent. So, pretty much a failure all around I'm afraid. Sasha Banks Vs Charlotte: Sasha's first title defense is a good one. Sasha is pretty much the MVP of the show whenever she's on these days. Dueling chants from the fans for these two. Finish has Charlotte going for the super Natural Selection she used to beat her in their first match, but Banks holds onto the ropes, and then pins Charlotte with her feet on the ropes. Good stuff. Episode MVP: Sasha Banks. 3 star match: Sasha Banks Vs Charlotte.

2/25/15 Hideo Itami Vs Bull Dempsey: You wonder what Bull's role in NXT is, now that he's no longer the undefeated wrecking ball. Well, for right now, at least, it's putting over Itami in a short match. Tyler Breeze lays Itami out with a Supermodel Kick at the top of the ramp, but Itami recovers and chases him off. The Lucha Dragons Vs Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan: This match is more of an angle to break up the Jordan/Dillinger team. Tye is having his problems in the ring, but is too proud to tag out. When he finally does reach for the tag, Jordan has had enough and walks off. This allows the Dragons to pick up the win. The Dragons have to be getting called up soon, right? I think they debuted the night after Wrestlemania. Dillinger grabs a mic and demands Jordan come out and explain himself, and says he doesn't care whose match is up next, because he will fight that person. I think I know who's coming out. Yep, Corbin's music hits. Baron Corbin Vs Tye Dillinger: No mention of who Corbin's original opponent was, as this is quickly made a match, and quickly finished off by an End of Days. In the back we see Jordan walking out the arena, and he says he'll explain himself when he's ready. Not sure who's supposed to be the babyface in this situation, if anyone. Becky Lynch Vs Bayley: Decent match, which sees Becky debut the Dis-Arm-Her to pick up the tap-out win. I guess they're building Becky up for a title shot now. Finn Balor Vs The Brian Kendrick: I wasn't aware Kendrick made any returns to WWE prior to the Cruiserweight tournament. They give him a nice build-up for this match, with a video package, and the crowd pop for his return. I always liked Kendrick. This match isn't particularly good though, and the real story develops on the commentary desk. Kevin Owens joins Graves, Riley and Rich on commentary, and Riley asks him about what he did to his friend, Sami Zayn to become champion. Owens says it's because he'll do anything that he is the champ, and that Riley wouldn't understand because he (Riley) has never been a champ. Riley says that as a man he wouldn't have done what Owens did. Owens leaves saying he doesn't want to do something he'll regret. After Balor puts Kendrick away with the Coup de Grace (not the coup de gras), Owens comes back out and throws Riley across the announce table. It's not exactly Regal feuding with Ohno or Cesaro, and kind of came out of nowhere. Getting me to care about Alex Riley is a pretty hard sell, also. But we'll see where this goes. Episode MVP: Kevin Owens.

When you're in your late 30's, 'like 30 years' can be anything from the beginning of documented time to the year 2000, where my pop culture references go up to. So, I think I'm good.

The hierarchy is: 1. Be the chosen one and be accepted as such (this hasn't happened in like 30 years). 2. Be the chosen one and rejected by the fans (because they're still gonna spite push you to the top). 3. Be Daniel Bryan (he has his own rules that apply only to him). 4. Be over commensurate with your push (if they push you and you get over, you can make a career out of being the fall-back guy). 5. Not be over. 6. Be over but not one of their guys (you'll get constantly forgotten and treated like shit, because they know the fans will always cheer for them anyway). 7. Get over on your own (the cardinal sin). 8. Be Rusev.

The second worse thing you can do in WWE, after getting over without permission, is being over when they like you, and see value in you, but don't have any real plans for you. Because those are the guys and girls that just have to go long periods with bad booking on the basis that they'll always be over anyway. And that must be incredibly frustrating.

I love how pumped Scott would get after hitting the Frankensteiner. I like wrestlers celebrating the cool shit they do.

Dustin Rhodes has his own wing.

I would say it's Piper or Savage. Probably Piper. Was it here we had the thread about nemeses and arch-rivals? That was a good thread.

2/18/15 The show starts with Regal in his office telling us that Kevin Owens will face Adrian Neville in a none-title match tonight. Owens then comes out to cut a short promo about beating Sami Zayn, and facing Finn Balor. He says no-one will take the title from him and his family. I really like Owens's character, the guy who's just trying to make money for his family, but will do whatever it takes to provide for them. It's an interesting twist on a traditional 'doing it for the money' heel character. Rhyno Vs Elias Samson: Really quick squash with Rhyno making his NXT debut, and getting a big pop. I saw Rhyno face Samoa Joe at an indie just before this, and the crowd was chanting NXT throughout their match. I guess Joe is coming in soon, which I'm excited about. Enzo Amore and Big Cass Vs The Vaudevillains: Enzo and Cass are with Carmella, and do their usual shtick before the match, adding that they are looking for a tag title match. Enzo has some ridiculous beard. I find Cass somehow more punchable than Enzo. He's got such a hateable face, especially when he does that stupid stutter thing before he says 'spell it out for you'. This is disappointingly short, with Enzo and Cass going over. Blake and Murphy pop up on the tron and cut a heel promo on them. They mock the Cass stutter, so this is a babyface promo to me. CJ Parker comes out, and he's pissed that he wasn't on Takeover, and says that he's hijacking the show. He starts putting caution tape across the ring, but then we get some technical issues and Solomon Crowe hits the ring. Crowe leaves Parker lying. I'm not sure about this to debut Crowe. It seems like more of a heel character, and this was definitely a babyface move. Sasha Banks Vs Blue Pants: I love the graphic for this, hyping Banks Vs Pants, like Pants is her last name. Blue Pants does, indeed, have Cass introducing her and singing her to the ring as her entrance music, which is awesome. Another short match with Sasha going over. Kevin Owens Vs Adrian Neville: This is pretty much booked the same way as the Sami match from Rival, but then Neville comes on strong, and it ends up being more about Owens trying to survive the onslaught. Neville throws everything at him including a 450 on the floor, a deadlift German and a reverse rana. But Owens managed to avoid a shooting star press and hit the popup powerbomb for the victory. Nice little match they had. There were a few backstage promos this week too, from Finn Balor, Bayley and Becky Lynch kinda reacting to what happened at Rival and talking about what's next for them. A good way to feature these guys without taking up a tonne of time. This was a fun show in general. Episode MVP: Kevin Owens. 3 star match: Kevin Owens Vs Adrian Neville.