Battleground VI - 5/28/2023

[Dolfan in NYC]

RUN 1

Shoes to fill.

When Rasmussen passed last month, I was shocked.  The admins talk about stuff going on with the board, and life stuff in general, so I knew he was sick.  What I didn't know were the details. I probably didn't want to either. 

He always filled a room, virtual or real, with an energy, an enthusiasm, a love for whatever he was doing. It was palpable in his writing, in his talking, in the joie de vivre that made anyone who experienced it, happier.  

I readily admit, I did not know Dean Rasmussen, the man. Our interactions were largely limited to this board and my reading his writing.  I know a lot of people have spoken to what he meant to them and honestly, its amazing to hear everyone who knew him talk about what he meant to them. I, however, felt lacking and did not post in the memorial thread on purpose, because...  frankly, what am I going to bring there.  A eulogy to a stranger?  

I thought, I'll speak when I have something to say.  

Then the other day, I was at the gym - a habit I'd fallen off from - and thought to myself, while I despise running, I have to do it.  But I needed a motivation.  Well, it just so happened that NXT had a pay-per-view (or "premium live event" as they're known these days in Titan-land) that you probably didn't watch. 

So, fuck it.  Let's do one of my exercise to WWE threads, and hopefully, the big man up there can read it and know his legacy will keep going on.  So...

LIVE FROM HALFWAY BETWEEN BOSTON AND NASHUA...  It's Battleground!  

I, will of course note, it was typical WWE chutzpah to run a PLE in a 10,000 seat arena at the exact same time as AEW was running Double or Nothing. But, I get the sense Hunter is just as big a vindictive son of a bitch that Vince was.  (And yes, for the purposes of this author, I do not believe Vince McMahon is running the show as a secret puppetmaster or whatever the fuck.)  The fact that they did not publish an attendance number, combined with word that they were selling floor seats on the day of the show, makes me think they got 2500, tops.   

Well, let's see what the few people that went to this, actually got.    

Let's begin with Wes Lee, who somehow is now the longest reigning North American champion in NXT's history.  (Well, 5 days from the writing of this.) This ain't too bad for a guy who was, by some accounts, about to be let go because of his ex-tag team partner's massively stupid behavior.  

He's facing the original NXT UK Champ Tyler Bate, who really has been treading water since losing the unification match for the top NXT titles last October, and Bray Wyatt 2.0, Joe Gacy.  That is a bit unfair to Bray though, as Joe can actually cut a promo and wrestle.  

So, this is your standard WWE triple threat rules, one fall to a finish. So, the story they're telling is Lee is a white-meat babyface (god, it does feel weird using that term with a person of African descent) and Gacy, leader of the Schism faction, is a pure scheming heel.  Bate is playing tweener here and is playing a good little ambitious wrestler who's generally wrestling face, but will stab his friend in the back when it comes to taking the next step in his career.  

The three play very well together, and Lee is learning that being on top comes with a big target.  

The main thing that's *really* notable in this match is cross-training. Lee is a fantastic overall athlete, but the other two are the more interesting ones.  Bate is billed at 5'7" (1.7m) and 175 lbs (79 kilos) per Wiki, but he wrestles like a guy who's a foot taller and weighs 100 lbs more.  Meanwhile, Gacy is 6' (1.8m) and 250 lbs (113 kg) and wrestles like a guy who's a lot lighter and more agile, but also pulls out power spots when its needed. 

So, it's a pretty standard 10-12 min PPV match between the three, where each one gets a few minutes to get their spots in and eventually builds to a finish. The notable spots are Gacy trapping Lee in a Rings of Saturn submission, and Bate breaking it up, after realllllllly  thinking about it.  (Not sure why he's thinking... because if Lee taps, they both lose.)  And then Bate doing a power spot that Claudio Castagnoli would be proud of, airplane spinning Gacy while giant swinging Lee, and jesus, that boy strong.

Finish comes after Tyler hits the Tyler Driver '97, which is broken up, gets tossed to the floor and the two guys left in the ring trade big spots until Gacy looks like he's about to crush Lee with a lariat, but eats a Cardiac Kick flush in the face.  That's a good little spot there and gets over that Lee's finisher can come from anywhere and finish. 

Solid match, looks like Bate & Lee still have a big score to settle, and Gacy...  well, maybe he can eventually convince Grizzled Young Veterans or whatever they're called now, to not keep begging for the sweet release of unemployment. 

That's it for the first run.   More soon. 

[Dolfan in NYC]

RUN 2

So, this video package makes it seem like Tiffany Stratton is gonna win the Women's title tournament, and it's not even going to be competitive.  Interesting choice by the producers.  I'm not sure why, but this actually annoyed me.  Like why are we even doing this finals then?  

Oh wait, I guess the women's title match is later tonight.  Right now, it's Heritage Cup time. 

So, Noam Dar.  Where to start with this goof.  He'd been running around the British indies for the first half of the '10s, then got a cup of tea with whatever TNA/Impact was called at the time. Then became part of the terrible idea of the most annoying people on the internet running a promotion -- no, not AEW  -- What Culture Wrestling. 

He got snatched up in WWE's raid of the British/Irish indies and hung around on 205 Live for quite a bit, probably because Vince forgot that show existed and NXT UK, remaining there until its shuttering in '21, winning the Heritage Cup along the way. The Cup is this odd 2nd tier title in the UK that was contested under old timey British Round rules.  However, when NXT & NXT UK merged and all titles were unified, he was notably absent as he'd gone on hiatus, taking the title with him.   

I should note, he's now one of -- if not the -- longest tenured NXT roster members at over 7 years.  That's, a bit of an ignominious distinction. 

Anyway HBK is in charge of NXT now and this Cup thing still exists, so now it's being treated as another mid-tier championship. However, the vast majority of even the folks who watch NXT have never seen this thing defended, so we need a big long primer.  

Six rounds of three minutes.  It's a points based system, which are scored by pinfall/submission/COR - any of which end a round instantly. A DQ or KO end the match instantly. Ties = Draw, which means the champ retains. 

His challenger is NXT newcomer Dragon Lee, who's gimmick is -- um, spunky masked luchador?   Like the dude is extremely talented in the ring, but I'm not getting anything yet to grab onto character-wise.  And that may or may not be the best thing when it comes to justifying this championship's existence. 

And that's pretty much what this match is...  Dar and Lee walking the fans through what a "Heritage Cup Match" looks like. 

And... eh... I really don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze?  The match itself takes a bit of getting used to.  The rounds thing and all the extra rules really messes with timing and psychology of what you expect to see in a match in 2023.  Plus Vic Joseph and Booker T are not the best commentary crew under the best of circumstances, but they're especially not doing the job of selling what Dar and Lee are putting out there.

With only three minutes to work, they really need to build up quick and work at a high pace.   That doesn't really happen here until we're well into the second round, when Dar hits something like a Judas Elbow and scores a flash pin.  

Oro Mensah now appears for some reason, apparently Dar's recruiting effort finally worked.  He's Noam's corner man and he eventually interferes a bit, which brings over Lee's corner man, Nathan Frazier.  And see, here's the thing... in an "old school" kind of match, we're essentially getting (up to) 6 Attitude era short matches.  These rounds need to be lightning quick, they need to sell desperation, they need to have tons of action... and this match, well, it's just "fine". 

This really should be something I think of as a special treat, but it's just not really that.   I dunno...

Well, anyway, the seconds get booted and Lee tied at 1-1 in round 4 and round 5 finally really puts the match into the gear it should have been all along. Although Lee does get caught in a really nasty powerbomb on the apron... So nasty, I think it's a botched spot.  Lee eventually recovers, gets a sit out powerbomb with Dar sold like he'd just been killed (good on him).  But now Dar gets two women on his side, Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend, they cause a distraction and interference which allows the heel to hit the Nova Roller for the pinfall.  The score is 2-1 and the best Lee can do now is tie, so Dar retains.  

I can't place my finger on why yet, but Dar, despite being the longest holder of the Cup in NXT history, feels like a placeholder.  Like, he's good enough to hold a mid-tier championship, but nothing more. But I don't know if he's a good ambassador for what this title should be.  

And the other thing was the title itself...  it really should be presented differently.  The ring announcements, the commentators, the seconds... they are all doing just normal stuff. If this thing you're billing as being "part of the tradition" of pro wrestling, then the way you do everything surrounding it needs to be different too.   I honestly don't know if anyone involved in this was capable of that.  

And this is the weird thing... I actually enjoyed the match.  But... it felt like watching your favorite TV show but having to pause several times to take annoying phone calls.  

[The Natural]

Looking forward to see what you make of Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak.

[Dolfan in NYC]

RUN 3

Writing can be a fun exercise, or it can be a tedious chore.  Approaching something popular, you don't want to just write what everyone else has. You want to bring something of yourself to the party.   Hmm... party... there's something there... 

What's a party but a time to celebrate.  Things are going good.  Things are swinging.  Things are moving.  And sooner or later, if the party's any good, someone's going down. 

So, let's talk about the party thrown during the third match: Dijak/Dragunov, Last Man Standing.  As told by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nikki Minaj.

You've been waiting for that
Step on up, swing your bat
See, anybody could be bad to you
You need a good girl to blow your mind, yeah

The set up to this is dirt simple.  Dragunov says, I like feeling pain.  Dijak says, cool, I got you.  They end up hating each other pretty quick, through reciprocal beatings backstage. I will say, Dijak's line, "If pain makes you feel alive, then I'm gonna make you immortal", is a really good line.  Like too good for a random NXT match. 

Bang-bang into the room (I know you want it)
Bang-bang all over you (I'll let you have it)

They get into the ring and the fireworks start, basically immediately. As both try some cursory wrestling/grappling, but this match ain't about that.  They just start laying into each other from the word go. A particularly nasty drop onto the steel steps Dijak has brought in the ring draws the first wince (of many) out of me.

Just wait a minute, let me take you there (ah)
And wait a minute 'til you (ah, hey!)

The stairs drop is the first near fall, but Ilja gets up.  His first truly big spot comes as he cannonballs through a table that Dijak is trying to set up - a hair too contrived for my liking - but a fun spot nonetheless. 

She might've let you hold her hand in school
But I'ma show you how to graduate (mhm)

Back in, Dijak wants to use the stairs again.  But this time, Ilja reverses a chokeslam into a DDT that leaves Dijak PLANTED head-first.  Ow.  He then fucking crushes Dijak in the corner with said stairs, and hits a god damned Van Terminator.   OW.  

No, I don't need to hear you talk the talk (hey, hey, hey)
Just come and show me what your mama gave, oh (alright)

Dijak somehow survives that and hits a desperation chokeslam onto the apron.  Dragunov takes a nasty spill outside which allows Dijak to hit his old finish, the "Feast Your Thighs(lap)".  Ilja drags himself to the corner and Dijak is enraged, so he gets a kendo stick from under the ring. 

Batman, robbin' it, bang-bang, cocking it
Queen Nicki dominant, prominent
It's me, Jessie and Ari', if they test me, they sorry

And here's where he loses me.... he starts monologuing.  Stop telling him to stay down, and give him a FUCKING reason to stay down.  Dijak does stop talking long enough to lay in some solid shots, which eventually breaks the kendo stick. 

Uh, B to the A to the N to the G to the-
Uh, B to the A to the N to the G to the, hey
See, anybody could be good to you
You need a bad girl to blow your mind

Well, Dijak knows at this point that the kendo stick isn't going to keep this crazy idiot down. So, he goes for a chair... stupidly not hitting another big move to make sure he stays down while he goes looking for plunder. Of course, that's enough time to have Dragunov torpedo the fuck out of Dijak, who barely gets up. 

Bang-bang, there goes your heart (I know you want it)
Back, backseat of my car, I'll let you have it (oh-oh)
Just wait a minute, let me take you there (ah)
And wait a minute 'til you (ah, hey!)

This time Dragunov goes for broke and the bet pays off.  The Unbesiegbar sends Dijak face first into the chair.  (fuckin' ow)  And that's enough as Dijak is a lifeless corpse, and Ilja is up at 9 gives him the win.

A couple of spots could've used a *tiny* bit of tightening, but holy crap did they leave it all out there.  Dijak made Ilja look like a murderer out there. The fact that he also stayed strong is a good bonus too. 

But the thing about pro wrestling that the big man always reminded me... this should be fun.  And damn, that was fun. 

This party will keep banging on...

[EVA]

The HBKism toward then end of Ilya/Dickhead really took me out of it. It’s such a stain on so many potentially great NXT matches.

[Dolfan in NYC]

RUN 4

Growing up, after the party usually meant going to school soon after.  And this is no exception. Duke Hudson is too busy to teach Chase U today, so he's brought in substitutes, Charlie Dempsey & Drew Gulak.  They instantly go after Thea Hail and make her cry.   Hudson kicks them out and looks pensive.  

Hudson really is an underrated character. He's clearly playing a heel that somehow got roped into this over the top babyface group and somehow has found a home.  So, he acts like a dick to them, but will defend them to the death if someone else attacks.   It's a nice twist. 

Alright, well here come the Creeds to challenge for the tag titles. They still represent Diamond Mine, which honestly seems like an oversight, since everyone who founded Diamond Mine is now either in AEW or Japan. And Diamond Mine is now down to them and Ivy Nile. 

Anywho... their opponents are Gallus, who are Wolfgang and Mark Coffey.  Mark's brother Joe rounds out the crew, and is one of the more handsome dudes on the current NXT roster.  But that's neither here nor there.  

Rather than go into the blow by blow here, I was just thinking about the differences between the two teams.  Because one is very clearly more skilled than the other, and the other is very clearly the ones WWE wants to push.   Gallus is so much more experienced and good at this, it's frightening.  They have their psychology down, they make things great.  In particular, their finisher is a really good one that is gonna get over quick when they move up. 

The Creeds... god, I've been trying to figure out what it is that's ... off... about them.  First of all, they have the look.  Second, they are clearly ridiculous athletes who are seemingly built for this sort of thing. Like when Julius did 6 nip ups in a row?  My back and knee just seize up at the thought of it.  And I think they're starting to get the psychology.  Like the one moment where they're telling each other they love each other and let's go win these titles. That's another good, good moment.  If and when they go main roster and have a moment like that at a big show, it's going to be a memorable thing.   (Especially when one brother turns on the other after it happens.)  

But I guess, what it is with them, is that they're like really beautiful art.  It's incredible to look at, but you cannot touch.   They don't have, I dunno, grit?   The thing I kept thinking was these guys don't look like they're wrestling, they look like they're doing flips and tricks in their pool.  And I just need something more.  

This is kind of where Randy Orton was before his feud with Mick Foley taught him how to get his character over and not just his ability.  I think they get there evenutally, but nowhere in the world will you ever see the difference between a 20 year veteran and a 2 year rookie than in these 10 minutes.

[Dolfan in NYC]

RUN 5

Remember what I said about Tiffany's video package making it seem like she's going over, no questions asked?  Well, the one for Lyra just played and... yikes, she's jobbing hard.  Alright, whatever, let's get this one on the road. 

So Lyra's been on the Irish indies since the 2010's and was in NXT UK, which with this crop of trainees, counts as "experienced veteran presence." Her gimmick is, um, Irish Witch? And Tiffany Stratton is a gymnast they picked up a couple of years ago.  Her gimmick is... "being an entitled bitch."  

Huh.  Seems like they just ran out of ideas before they got to her. 

The match is interesting but shows clearly that Lyra is the better worker.  Tiffany is very much in the same mode the Creed boys are, where they're doing the moves but have no idea how to build or put together a story.  Lyra, however, definitely seems much better suited to carry them both.  

And carry she does... on one freakin' leg too!  

Well, that's actually the story of the match.  Tiffany is overpowering and quick, but Lyra knows how to chop down this sort of tree... until she blows out a knee on a leapfrog spot.  Lyra does a good job of selling it as being in pain -- when she remembers too.  The knee spot happens at around 5 minutes, and we still have 10 more to go.  So... that's unfortunate.  

Lyra's definitely the star here and needs to work with better wrestlers, because Tiffany is ... I guess, fine.  Have to grade on a curve as she's literally been doing this for 18 months at this point. 

Anyway, I'm zoning in and out on this run, but the bad knee acts up as Lyra's attempting her finisher. (Tiffany screws up badly by doing the bump for the spot.)  The Prettiest Moonsault Ever (her words) finishes for Stratton and gives her the first gold she's ever held in pro wrestling.  

Can't imagine the list of "First wrestling title is a WWE title" is too long.

Almost done!  

 

[Eivion]

I think you give the Creeds and Stratton too little credit. They clearly know how to follow along and have general basics down. They are far more capable of good matches at their experience level than they should be. Putting over Lyra as star in a match where the audience didn't actually care about her is an odd choice. She was good there and worth commending, but it wouldn't have matter much if she wasn't in there with someone who couldn't follow along or wasn't decently over themselves. Lyra has worked with better wrestlers and somehow looked worse.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Eivion

[Dolfan in NYC]

RUN 6

Shoes to fill.

When this version of NXT was created about 10 years ago, we got a clear vision of what the WWE (or more likely, HHH) thought was the future of wrestling. So many faces have come through their doors, but only 20 have been crowned NXT Champion (fuck Dolph Ziggler).  Each of those (ugh, fine) 21 men have brought unique talents to the role and have their own legacies.  The ratio of hits to misses is worthy of its own thread, but as it is now, we have the 21st man to hold the NXT Championship... HIM, Carmelo Hayes.

I should note, when I first showed Hayes to my partner, when Trick Williams introduced Hayes as "HIM~!" (this btw, is the way in my head Dean's ~! sounded in my head), he said, "God damn, HIM is a good name for a wrestler."  

I tend to agree.

His opponent is the previous man to hold the belt, Bron Breakker.  A man, who will 100% change his ring name to Bron Steiner the second WWE releases him. And a guy, it's really hard to believe only debuted less than 3 years ago.  Dude is a natural at this, but I reckon he's been talking to his dad and uncle about this stuff since he was a zygote.  

After doing the whole 'pass the torch' moment to Carmelo, Bron turned heel and attacked Him.  And so, we have Melo's first defense all set up.  

I'll note something, I'm not sure if it's because she's doing it without a card, but the old school in me gets quite ticked when ring announcer Alicia Taylor does not list off hometowns and weights. If the show is making a big deal about Carmelo defending at home, then take the 2 seconds to say "from Boston, Massachusetts!!!!" .  It's a very easy way to get a good pop in, get casuals involved, and even help the story a little.  Anyway, that's neither here nor there. (pun!)  

They attack each other basically right away and Breakker takes control early.  And my mind returns to the theme here... shoes to fill.  Bron is very much carrying on the legacy of his uncle, maybe even more so than his father. His moveset is very similar to his uncle, only faster.  The calls and responses he had as a face are largely gone, but they'll play well when he gets up to the main roster.  To me though, he always seemed to be a natural heel... but I think he's not quite there yet. Throughout the match Bron's going cheap heat in a way that even Memphis would say... tone it down a little, kid. 

Melo is still finding his footing as a babyface champ. He's quite good at playing the champ in peril, as he's an excellent seller. Additionally, he's got the crowd solidly behind him in a way that's promising for his future. He's slowly weathering the storm of Bron and ends up taking full control about halfway through.  He's excellent at reversals and it's gonna be fun to see him get out of a lot of stuff in the future.  

There's an absolutely excellent spot near the end as Bron counters Melo's finisher with a spear out of nowhere!  Woof.  That spot owned. BRON IS GOLDBERG.  (That's the one time I'll do the Dean-ism, I promise.)  That gets two and Bron goes in for the kill as THE STRAPS COME DOWN~ 

However, this is like when you use the Level 5 super for Jean Grey in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and turn her into the Phoenix.  It's super scary, but it's relatively quick, and if you can get through it...  

And get through it Melo does.  Superkicks, a springboard DDT, and it's Nothing But Net.  Melo retains, clean as a whistle.   So this was very clearly the put the new champ over super strong, and both guys came to play.  

And that's it.  Pyro and let's go home baby.  

---

@DEAN meant so much to so many. I'm still learning about it every day and it's amazing to see the legacy that he left behind. The wrestlers, the fans, the industry... they've changed, because of one guy in Virginia who loved wrestling so much... he wanted to share it with the world.  

We can all feel richer for having had him in our lives.  We can all hope to walk in the absolute waves of joy that he exuded. We can all hopefully bring some of that joy into our own lives and help others walk in it. 

As for me, I'm still running.  I'm privileged enough to be an admin on this board, but I'll never fill his shoes.  I hope though, that this little tribute/review can be my way of saying, 

Thanks Dean... You really do rule the world.

 

[Ramo2653]

 

RUN 4

Growing up, after the party usually meant going to school soon after.  And this is no exception. Duke Hudson is too busy to teach Chase U today, so he's brought in substitutes, Charlie Dempsey & Drew Gulak.  They instantly go after Thea Hail and make her cry.   Hudson kicks them out and looks pensive.  

Hudson really is an underrated character. He's clearly playing a heel that somehow got roped into this over the top babyface group and somehow has found a home.  So, he acts like a dick to them, but will defend them to the death if someone else attacks.   It's a nice twist. 

Alright, well here come the Creeds to challenge for the tag titles. They still represent Diamond Mine, which honestly seems like an oversight, since everyone who founded Diamond Mine is now either in AEW or Japan. And Diamond Mine is now down to them and Ivy Nile. 

Anywho... their opponents are Gallus, who are Wolfgang and Mark Coffey.  Mark's brother Joe rounds out the crew, and is one of the more handsome dudes on the current NXT roster.  But that's neither here nor there.  

Rather than go into the blow by blow here, I was just thinking about the differences between the two teams.  Because one is very clearly more skilled than the other, and the other is very clearly the ones WWE wants to push.   Gallus is so much more experienced and good at this, it's frightening.  They have their psychology down, they make things great.  In particular, their finisher is a really good one that is gonna get over quick when they move up. 

The Creeds... god, I've been trying to figure out what it is that's ... off... about them.  First of all, they have the look.  Second, they are clearly ridiculous athletes who are seemingly built for this sort of thing. Like when Julius did 6 nip ups in a row?  My back and knee just seize up at the thought of it.  And I think they're starting to get the psychology.  Like the one moment where they're telling each other they love each other and let's go win these titles. That's another good, good moment.  If and when they go main roster and have a moment like that at a big show, it's going to be a memorable thing.   (Especially when one brother turns on the other after it happens.)  

But I guess, what it is with them, is that they're like really beautiful art.  It's incredible to look at, but you cannot touch.   They don't have, I dunno, grit?   The thing I kept thinking was these guys don't look like they're wrestling, they look like they're doing flips and tricks in their pool.  And I just need something more.  

This is kind of where Randy Orton was before his feud with Mick Foley taught him how to get his character over and not just his ability.  I think they get there evenutally, but nowhere in the world will you ever see the difference between a 20 year veteran and a 2 year rookie than in these 10 minutes.

This made me think of the Hideki Suzuki interview after he got released where he mentioned slapping Julius in a closed door match (I guess that's the term? They worked a match in front of the PC but no cameras or anything) to fire him up and put more into his strikes. You see the potential and they're on the right path but they're not quite there yet and that's perfectly fine because that's why they're in NXT and that's the fun part of NXT for me. The UK holdovers being the vet hands for the young kids is a good thing to have and avoids some rough patches that happened with the early 2.0 stuff when they just restarted everything.