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The NXT Thread


rzombie1988

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As with Main Event, we might as well keep this all in the same place due to interest levels.

 

I reviewed this week's NXT here:
http://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/wwe-nxt-7172013-results-and-review.html

Overall thoughts:Good show. The main was fine, the opener was good and I liked Charlotte Flair's debut. This is worth a look.

Some shots from the show:
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Really good opening match. Regal's the best color commentator ever. He got over the strategy so well explaining why a guy is almost always on the floor in a three-way. Cesaro had a nasty power spot with both guys coming out of the corner. Sami did a great hurucanrana thing coming out of a pin attempt. Really well paced with guys in the right spot. The best stuff came when Leo Kruger (KROO GARRR!) was on the floor, naturally, but it worked for him since he came off like such a slimebag stealing the win like that.

 

Sylvester Lafort just oozes IWCCW-era indie manager sleaze. This is one of the best types of wrestling sleaze. He's so enjoyably bad. "EET MEANS MORE MONEY IN MY WALLET HAHAHAHA!" Scott Dawson's a total snooze. I actually like Bo Dallas a lot. He'll be really good once he goes heel. He's a total tool as a face, though. He'd make a perfect Varsity Club-era Rick Steiner if he gets managed by someone like Vicki or Heyman. He's so punchable.I love NXT's terrible commercial promos for guys. The Ascension one was well done but they're so lame. "We both stand in black light. You wear the contacts you borrowed from the Limp Bizkit dude. I'll wear the coat I bought from GWAR's rummage sale."Bayley's gimmick of being sweet-tempered is really adorable. They should do a thing where Sami makes her a pop-punk heavy mixtape.Naitch came out first. Man, it feels so weird watching him right now. The dude has been through so much. But he does look exactly what I think a dude with warrants out for multiple back payments out would look like.Charlotte came out creepy. She did some tumble thing and then did a Melina-ish leg split under the rope before blowing a sultry kiss to strangers as her dad looked on proudly.However, she totally won me over in the match. She has "it" and has it in spades. I think she'll be a total star. She's really athletic and is using her gymnastics background as her strength. She broke out a few well-timed "WOOOO"s and did the flip over the turnbuckle spot. Her finisher was pretty good, too. It's a cartwheel-headlock driver looking thing. Even better, right after she hit it she looked to the crowd and did a "WOOO!" Very good debut.

Tyler Breeze is such a great wrestling name. It's a near perfect wrestling name. This dude has a model gimmick and rudely dismissed the assistant type who was giving him a manicure. This looks like a great, fun gimmick.

 

I like Adrian Neville a ton. Corey Graves bores me but I do like his gimmick of being a former mall-punk who started hanging out with crusties at a nearby squat. Regal also said he had a "rude boy" look since Regal is the best.Neville/Graves vs. The Wyatt Family was a great match. Harper and Rowan both used their size and guile (as Regal put over) to isolate Graves. There was a lot of good stuff in this, especially from Harper who is a total stud. He hit a really good dropkick on a cut-off. Rowan was good too. He knows his limitations and doesn't do anything beyond big man moves. He had an abdominal clutch on Graves once that he combined with an Iron Claw on the exposed kidney region -- a nice little touch. The comeback came after Harper missed a running boot to the corner where he took a Ziggler-esque bump to the floor that was completely nutty for such a big dude. Neville hit an awesome springboard moonsault (from the top rope) to the floor. Sheamus came down (The Wyatt's assaulted him earlier) when Bray was interfering and evened the odds. Neville got the win for new tag champs. (Of course, Sheamus has to raise their hands in victory -- would have been better for him to step aside and let the kids get their moment in the sun.) Another very good match.

 

Great show. 

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-Totally enjoyed the 3-way.  It would've been better with just Zayn-Cesaro, but Kruger, clearly the weak link, didn't get in the way much and worked well getting into position for spots and as the guy trying to sneak the win away from the other guys.  Loved the double suplex.

 

-Sylvester LeFort is awesome.  He needs to cut his hair or shave his beard in order to get away from looking like a French Damian Sandow.  I love that Scott Dawson carries a flashlight to the ring, like he just came from his night job watching over the cannery.  Somehow, Dawson, the enhancement talent, is much, much better than the NXT champion Bo Dallas.  I want to give Dallas the benefit of the doubt, cuz WWE is so into him, but he's just...not very good.  Got a big laugh at Leo Kruger coming out and beating him up - Boy is that championship match gonna be dire - and the crowd breaking out into "Thank you Kruger" chants.  Not a good sign for your babyface champion.

 

-Charlotte (Flair) was kinda awesome in a perfect melding of Melina and Stacy Keibler kinda way.  I also liked Bailey's character of nice girl who's just happy to be here, it should be interesting if they can make her sorta evil and happy to be there.  Like when she booted Charlotte in the gut, then apologized to Ric Flair at ringside.  Seriously, I think these two are pretty much better than any WWE diva going right now.

 

-Main Event was awesome.  I think Graves has a great look (I like the entrance with the 'Stay Down' knuckles) and a decent wrestler, and Neville, while a little weird-looking, is pretty much ready to take over for Evan Bourne whenever they get around to firing him.  Harper was excellent as always, but Rowan actually surprised me by doing a lot of little things just right, like when Graves was going for the hot tag and he caught him by the back of the pants then CRUSHED him with a clothesline.  A lot of folks seem down on Rowan right now (Which could have a lot to do with him not having much of a pedigree, he wasn't an indy guy, anyone's son or very well known before the Wyatt Family gimmick) but I thought he was pretty perfect here.

 

Also, how is William Regal not commentating on one of the big shows yet?!  That last stretch where he was cheering on Graves/Neville was just so perfect, the emotion in his voice is so different from the coached emotion used by WWE announcers.  He needs to speak a little louder, but there's no reason he couldn't be the Smackdown colour commentator right now!

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Charlotte came out creepy. She did some tumble thing and then did a Melina-ish leg split under the rope before blowing a sultry kiss to strangers as her dad looked on proudly.

 

I was wondering if i was the only one who noticed this.

 

Other than that I really enjoyed this show, Zayn/Cesaro/Kruger was great as was the tag title match.  I just started watching this show about a month ago and there is usually at least one good match per episode. Where has Ohno been the last couple weeks, is he injured or is he being called up? I'm really liking the diverse group of prospects that are coming through the system.  A couple of years ago they seemed to be making a point of bringing in generic white guys that can only be differentiated by there terrible tattoos.  They have brought in a bunch of guys who have different looks and styles and if nothing else the in-ring product over the next few years should be great. 

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I don't follow NXT all that closely, so maybe someone with more general knowledge can answer: How long does it usually take for the newer guys to make TV? More specifically, when do people think we will get to start seeing Callihan and Samuray Del Sol? 

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I don't follow NXT all that closely, so maybe someone with more general knowledge can answer: How long does it usually take for the newer guys to make TV? More specifically, when do people think we will get to start seeing Callihan and Samuray Del Sol? 

 

I think it's a mixture of the WWE thinking guys are truly ready first. The WWE is first and foremost a TV product. As great as the indie dudes we all love are, they still have never worked primarily for TV. Moxley/Ambrose has been a great promo for a while but delivering a promo for a league that only really sells tapes or is on YouTube is different than having to cut interviews within a very limited window of time. And a lot of the guys who have come up from within the WWE system have to learn how to work a match, period, since they haven't been doing ROH/Chikara/etc.Bray was TV ready from pretty much the start, especially since he was already decent as Husky Harris. But he also has his cohorts so they also had to make sure Harper and Rowan could handle themselves.

 

There's also the whole "This guy needs an angle" deal. HHH is supposedly big on not debuting new characters unless there's also a storyline mapped out for their entrance. This makes a lot of sense since so many guys over the years have been DOA simply because they don't have a plot to step into immediately.

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My contention is that NXT is a great show.  the announcing is great the work is very good and there is some amazing talent that may/may not ever make it to Stamford doing a great job.  If you aren't watching it, you are missing out.

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I think it's a mixture of the WWE thinking guys are truly ready first. The WWE is first and foremost a TV product. As great as the indie dudes we all love are, they still have never worked primarily for TV. Moxley/Ambrose has been a great promo for a while but delivering a promo for a league that only really sells tapes or is on YouTube is different than having to cut interviews within a very limited window of time. And a lot of the guys who have come up from within the WWE system have to learn how to work a match, period, since they haven't been doing ROH/Chikara/etc.Bray was TV ready from pretty much the start, especially since he was already decent as Husky Harris. But he also has his cohorts so they also had to make sure Harper and Rowan could handle themselves.

 

There's also the whole "This guy needs an angle" deal. HHH is supposedly big on not debuting new characters unless there's also a storyline mapped out for their entrance. This makes a lot of sense since so many guys over the years have been DOA simply because they don't have a plot to step into immediately.

 

 

I don't think I was clear. I meant, will there be a training period in which Sami and Del Sol are down in Florida, but not on NXT, or does basically everyone get thrown on to TV immediately in some capacity? 

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I don't think I was clear. I meant, will there be a training period in which Sami and Del Sol are down in Florida, but not on NXT, or does basically everyone get thrown on to TV immediately in some capacity? 

 

There will usually be a few month period. For Generico, he signed in January, started appearing on NXT live events in Feb/March then debuted on TV in late May.

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I was wondering if i was the only one who noticed this.

 

Other than that I really enjoyed this show, Zayn/Cesaro/Kruger was great as was the tag title match.  I just started watching this show about a month ago and there is usually at least one good match per episode. Where has Ohno been the last couple weeks, is he injured or is he being called up? I'm really liking the diverse group of prospects that are coming through the system.  A couple of years ago they seemed to be making a point of bringing in generic white guys that can only be differentiated by there terrible tattoos.  They have brought in a bunch of guys who have different looks and styles and if nothing else the in-ring product over the next few years should be great. 

NXT has a ton of talent for a 1 hour show and they tape mostly all in one night. Therefore, even the most popular guys usually don't appear every week. It sucks if there is someone you like and you can't see them but it's also good in a way because as Jim Cornette said, "How can I miss you if you won't go away?". I initially criticized it but it keeps talent fresh and makes me more excited when they appear again.

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Thought the main event was easily the best match of the show, though I'm generally going to prefer a good, tradititional tag team match over a good triple threat. They really need to create a few more tag teams now though, since the only ones with any sort of push have either been the Wyatt Family or various incarnations of Adrian Neville and partner. They seem to have shelved Garrett Dylan for the while too, which is probably for the best as I'm digging Scott Dawson's singles run. Speaking of which, Regal referring to him twice as "Tony Dawson" is why he's probably not on a main show commentating right now. Granted, Booker T spouted some utter crap, but Regal does sputter and lose his train of thought a fair bit. He's brilliant at emoting and giving purpose to the matches, mind you.

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I don't want Regal anywhere else at this point, because I want him on the consistently good show.  

 

I really enjoyed this week.  Highlights were Harper's punches, Neville's highspots (though I think he looks sort of clueless at times in between them) and Cesaro dismissively dumping Kruger over the top, instead of suplexing him which may be my favorite "you aren't worth my time" spot in recent memory

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I actually hate the play-by-play guy. Has no appreciation for actual big spots. Constantly saying it's over when it's obviously not. Regal though...that dude is fucking incredible. When he keeps him in line, it's the greatest thing ever.

 

Incredible talent, booking and actual linear story telling makes this the best TV show by far in wrestling. Not even close.

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I just got a hold of the first "year" of this show, from the rebranding up to the end of 2012. Anything in particular I should be watching for aside from Ambrose/Regal?

Ambrose/Regal was from FCW. Ohno/Regal was the one in NXT.

 

I really recommend the Rollins/Jinder Title match.

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So on the subject of Ohno, I found this while perusing the interwebs...

 

Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) has been removed from the last two NXT tapings and his current push was stopped by WWE executive Triple H.The rumored reason is that he has been hesitant during weight training sessions while WWE management has asked him several times to work on his physique while they prepare a story for his main roster debut. When Triple H found out about his “lack of dedication” to cutting weight, he was removed from TV and plans to bring him to the main roster were put on hold.

 

So...yeah.

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So on the subject of Ohno, I found this while perusing the interwebs...

 

 

 

 

So...yeah.

That seems like a pretty ridiculous reason to get suspended.  If you work in an industry where being in shape is a priority, how hard is it to go to the gym and lift a weight or two.  From everything I heard recently it seemed pretty apparent that he was going to be the next one called up, but he let something as simple to starting a workout regiment delay the whole process.  Hopefully he gets the message and cuts the extra pounds so he can get back on track.

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So on the subject of Ohno, I found this while perusing the interwebs...

 

 

 

Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) has been removed from the last two NXT tapings and his current push was stopped by WWE executive Triple H.The rumored reason is that he has been hesitant during weight training sessions while WWE management has asked him several times to work on his physique while they prepare a story for his main roster debut. When Triple H found out about his “lack of dedication” to cutting weight, he was removed from TV and plans to bring him to the main roster were put on hold.

 

So...yeah.

 

I try in my head to not picture this as Mr. Burns yelling at Don Mattingly to shave those side burns.

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