The NXT Thread

[Tim Evans]

Went to the NXT tapings tonight. Very wrestling heavy show with some good matches including one that is right up there with the Cesaro/Zayn matches.

 

 

Show started with a Bo Dallas interview showing off the Bo Dallas world tour. He went to Cambodia and beat Justin Gabriel in 3 minutes. JBL comes out to congratulate him but Sami Zayn interrupts. Sami gets reinstated but has to go through a Beat the Clock challenge to become number 1 contender for Bo's title.

 

Hour 1 was all Beat the Clock matches. Rusev beat Big Cass, Ohno beat Tyler Breeze in a upset and beat Rusev's time. Adrian Neville beat Aidan English and beat Ohno's time. Sami Zayn beat Leo Kruger but ended in controversy as he had the same time as Neville. JBL made a Neville vs Zayn match for the next week and the winner faces Bo after that week.

 

Hour 2 had Huncio/Camacho return as babyfaces beating some local team in about 30 seconds. They are the new feud for the Ascension. Breeze/Ohno were going to have a rematch but Ohno was attacked by Rusev. Breeze rolled Ohno in and beat him. Cesaro beat Yoshi but not before attacking Byron Saxton for touching his flag. Regal made the save and I hope this leads to a Regal/Cesaro match in the future. Nevile beat Sami Zayn to become number 1 contender in a outstanding match. The crowd was going crazy for the near falls. Lots of dives and Zayn catching Neville in mid air.

 

Hour 3 had Paige beating Natalya in a good title match. Not a lot of divas on this tapings as this was Paige's only appearance. No sign of Emma anywhere during the tapings. Hunico/Camacho beat the Ascension in a non title match.Tyson Kidd returned and beat Kruger thanks to Sami. Neville beat Bo by countout in the title match. Good match and when Bo is in there with someone that can carry him, he's decent. He had a match on Hour 2 with CJ Parker that wasn't that good.

 

Hour 4 had Team Ratchet, i mean Summer Rae and Sasha beat Natalya and Bayley. The Ascension beat Hunico/Camacho in a title match. Cesaro came out to apologize to Byron Saxton but round up attacking him again. Scott Dawson returned with Sylvester and lost to Mojo. He then attacked Mojo after the match. Kruger beat Sami and they had a pull apart brawl after the match.

 

Final segment was amazing. Dusty Rhodes had a interview and got a huge ovation. Complained about how he's no longer the GM. JBL comes out and challenges him to a BULLROPE match. Dusty brings out Big Show and JBL calls for the police. All during this, JBL couldn't keep a straight face while Dusty was talking. HHH comes out and tries to get Big show to leave. He brings out Rusev who gets beaten by Big Show. Then about 5 more guys come out and Big show lays them out. Finally, JBL gets KO'd by Big show. Real good show and tapings. Surprised by the lack of Emma and Enzo.

 

[Gonzalez]

I hope the lack of Enzo means he's being called up, and not because they are trying to send him a message.

[Matt D]

From the sounds of it, that taping will be a really good way to gauge just where Sami is. It's one thing to be in there vs Cesaro or even Swagger.

[Casey]

Wait, so is a JBL/Dusty Bullrope match actually going to happen at some point, or was that just a cowardly move to save face by JBL?

[Tim Evans]

Wait, so is a JBL/Dusty Bullrope match actually going to happen at some point, or was that just a cowardly move to save face by JBL?

 

The latter I'm guessing. I was hoping it would lead to Goldust/JBL but I'm guessing not.

[PuroresuFan]

I hope the lack of Enzo means he's being called up, and not because they are trying to send him a message.

 

Is he a problem backstage?

[MarcosLoura]

I still can't understand why the totally legal version that I get is different from the Hulu one.

 

I used Hola Unblocker that someone suggested and now I can watch the full show on Hulu but with shitty quality. First world problems are the worse.

[MarcosLoura]

I didn't love this show, first time for everything I guess.

 

This show was a lackluster affair. Too much guys I don't care i.e. Ascension, Graves and Pac and lacking in guys I like Bo/Kruger/Zayn etc.

 

Good stuff:

TYLER BREEZE - HIPPY DUDE HAIR VS HAIR BOOK IT!

 

JBL/Bo/Zayn backstage interviews

 

Emma's dancing

 

Page's super-white skin

 

Giant Bernard color commentator 

 

Ok stuff:

Women's match

 

Bad stuff:

All the rest

 

Shit stuff:

Alex Riley oh my fucking god.

[Patrick B.]

Surprised there was another taping already; they just started on the shows from the previous taping.

 

The previous taping was unique with both Bo and Zayn absent, plus the tag champs were only in squashes...that left a lot of TV time to focus on the women and the midcard guys.  The main roster is going through a less voluntary version of that...with Cena/Sheamus/Kane temporarily out of the picture, they almost HAVE to see if other people can run with the proverbial ball.

[caley]

I didn't love this show, first time for everything I guess.

 

I agree there, actually, I wish I had Gregg's enthusiasm for this but I just found it more of a chore than anything.

-Emma-Banks:  Banks doesn't really do anything for me, save for the trash-talk.  She feels like nise-Summer Rae to me.  All the other divas have stuff to set them apart: Emma is a goofball (I'm actually enjoying Riley perving on Emma because I believe all of it is true: "I asked her out and she said Nao in that Australian accent, I was getting shot down and it was still adorable" and "I sent her a DM and she didn't reply!"), Paige is intense, Summer Rae is a catty biotch, Bayley is innocent doofus, Charlotte is tall and athletic, and Sasha is...Summer Rae-lite.

-Bo was awesome.  That little giggle he throws in between lines is mesmerizingly off-putting.  The 10,000 squirtguns to Bolivia was amazing.

-When I saw the two no-names I thought "Ooh, a squash match" then the Ascension's Gay-Time-Traveling-Clubbers-From-the-Future music started and I skipped forward like a madman.

-Sami promo was all right, but a little too whiny for my tastes.

-JBL vs. Renee was great.  I'm all for a lot more JBL on these shows.  I'd like to see a segment with JBL and Bo Dallas handing out squirtguns to the kids of some foreign country.

-Parker-Russev was all right.  Rather bizarre to see them change gears so quickly again on Russev's push: he's a lone wolf, no he's managed by the French guy, no he's on his own again, no he's got a hot translator!  I was surprised to see Parker go down so easily, as he's been a focal point of the show the last few weeks.

-Neville-Graves was all right.  Graves is definitely better as a heel.  Odd that the announcers were talking about how him wearing a suit is him at his natural self, like he's not covered in tons of tattoos: "I was just pretending to be a punk, but I'm really not.  All these tattoos are just me being method."   I greatly enjoy Tensai shutting down Riley, in Tensai's first colour appearance.  When Riley was going on about Graves reminding him of James Bond because he wore a suit and is popular with women and Tensai just gets annoyed and asks what that has to do with wrestling and Riley being sorta baffled.  Tensai looking forward to turning on Brodus was amazing, too.  Tensai needs to be on here more often.  Riley less often.

[mattdangerously]

Wait, did Tensai say he was looking forward to turning on Clay?

[cool arrow]

Well, wouldn't you?

[caley]

Wait, did Tensai say he was looking forward to turning on Clay?

I already deleted mine, but it was something along the lines of the host asking "The way Graves turned on his longterm partner Neville last week, could you ever imagine turning on Brodus, Tensai?" and he hemmed and hawed a little bit then basically went "Yes" without even hiding it and they kinda laughed and said "Brodus is such a fun-lovin' guy" and Tensai basically sounded like he was looking forward to it.  It was all really light-hearted, but it was really funny.  He sounded like he was daydreaming about the day when he wouldn't have to dance anymore.  Tensai's actually quite good on commentary.

[Matt D]

 

Renee's backstage with Sami, who is styling wearing a blazer over a Rancid "Out Come The Wolves" shirt with ska-fan cap. He's like me and every other pop-punk goofball I know but with self-confidence. Is there any Sami/Renee fan-fic out there yet? He talks about being the number one contender. Bo comes out mid-interview and says that what Sami did was really not cool and "My feelings are hurt." Sami apologizes for hurting Bo's feelings but says he has to do what he has to do because he wants to be NXT Champion. Bo says they should instead tag as friends. Sami accepts but says they will right after he wins the tag match. "UN-BO-LIEVABLE." Renee's face during Bo segments is the best -- she's trying to ridiculously hard to not laugh in his dumb face. 

 

I'm still playing catch up. The best part of this was how Bo pulled his hand away after Sami said they could win the titles after he beats him. The Paige/Emma backstage stuff was great too. 

 

Also the Breeze/Moonchild stuff with Brad Maddox that started the show two weeks before was one of my favorite WWE segments all year. Maddox has this great exasperated delivery. 

[Greggulator]

Enzo/Big Kass vs. Rusev/LaFort -- Enzo' pants in this are the nightmare of what every dipshit I went to high school with wore down the shore. Total trash. This was really short as Rusev took out Kass, Enzo and LaFortin that order with some running body block. He then hooked Kass in the camel clutch as the sultry, mysterious blonde walked out. Glad Rusev gets a big singles push because he's really good. But this attack was a bit weak. He should have tossed some dudes like a maniac. 

AIDEN ENGLISH/dude whose name I forget -- This was so friggin' great. Regal declared that he had a "mancrush" on English and spent the entire commentary talking about Shakespeare and various musicals w/ Renee. My man Aiden (REAL TALK -- He's a real-life comedy nerd and we've crossed Intenert paths elsewhere) had a great entrance, as usual. Nice, tight competitive squash.His finisher is now called The Director's Cut, which I like a lot. Post-match, he sang some more and was pelted with red roses from the crowd! Regal gave him a standing ovation as he wiped a tear from his eye. Get him in a feud already because this gimmick rules it.

 

PAIGE/SUMMER RAE -- Nice little match furthering their feud. The end was a bit off as Paige hit a not-so-clean Paige Turner after they traded a few near-falls. Still, not a bad match at all. Post-match, Sasha Banks (kicked out earlier fro ringside) came out to attack Paige. Emma ran out for the save but then accidentally clotheslined Paige. They had a stare down afterwards.ADRIAN NEVILLE had a promo in there somewhere about his feud with Corey Graves. I pretty much just ignored it to look up NBA highlights for a bit.LUKE HARPER cut a promo (!) on Kassius Ohno. It was in the horror movie style of the Wyatt Family. He held the lantern and called Kassius his "playtoy." Super creepy and sinister and disturbing. I hope the big show gives Harper some mic time. As you may have seen elsewhere, I am a total mark for The Wyatt Family. My one gripe about them is that the announcers don't even bother trying to explain what he's saying. It IS sorta hard -- I'm of a relgious bent so I pick up on a lot of the stuff where Bray believes himself to be the Messiah as we enter the Book of Revelations. And what's also awesome -- Bray's last NXT promo was a face turn promo where he essentially revealed himself to be Jesus The Liberator. Even his first intro promos touched on this when he talked about the working class being lied to. Bray's here to bring down the machine that oppresses the exploited classes and we should believe in him as he fights for justice for us. But the WWE can't really flat-out say "This dude is a cult leader who thinks he's the reborn Son of God" because they'll get some pressure from religious organizations and that's just a total headache they understandably don't want.

 

Harper can be that bridge, maybe. He's the follow of Bray and maybe he can decipher the riddles. Anyways, he's having a match w/ Kassius next week and it should be friggin' awesome. Two stiff, mean dudes clobbering each other.

 

CJ PARKER/TYLER BREEZE -- This was fun and why I love NXT. Neither guy is all that great of an in-ring worker. But they both worked as characters and the match had a great story. Parker's pissed that Tyler scalped his nasty ass dreadlocks. Breeze will do absolutely ANYTHING to not get touched in the face so he can preserve his selfie-pics. They worked the match largely around Parker's anger and attempt to get at Breeze but Breeze using his heel cunningness to get the upper hand. Parker won with The Third Eye facepalm strike. I love that name -- super prog rock. It'd be great if they made Parker less Deadhead/Phish doof and more into a prog rock fan. I think that's what the world needs and wants. Parker then went to cut Tyler's hair post-match but Breeze rolled out of the ring in defeat.Also: Can we just have EVERY SINGLE WRESTLING SHOW FROM HERE TO ETERNITY be announced by Regal and Renee? They are so awesome together. Regal adds in his great wrestling acumen while Renee fills in some great details -- "Can we just talk about Breeze's furry cell phone cover?" "Parker was on a two-week juice purge." They have awesome chemistry together. They're a little flirtatious but Regal also confides in Renee stuff like "An old girlfriend of mine reached out to me on Twitter. She's a confectioner." It has a total unique weirdness. I love the relationship so much. Renee clearly admires Regal professionally. Regal respects her as well and, being he's a man, is attracted to her but also married. They both know this and aren't afraid to address it but have a warm, professional relationship.and will keep it there. They're adults and acting like grown-ups.

 

Seriously, I bet the old-hands like Regal or Tensai or whoever absolutely love working with Renee. She's so enthusiastic and really great at the backstage role. She knows how to add to things and compliment the workers (like her "Are you really this big of a tool?" looks at Bo Dallas) but keeping them front-and-center. Her stuff in the announce booth is really sharp, too. It's really perfect -- she says these great, weird funny things about whoever is wrestling and it adds to their characters and the reality of this fake world we get to watch. She's really one of the stars of the developmental system.

[JonnyLaw]

 Parker won with The Third Eye facepalm strike. I love that name -- super prog rock. 

 

If he turns heel, he can turn it into an eyepoke and call it the Third Eye Blind.

[Matt D]

And I am caught up to the rest of you. The Harper promo was a lot of fun. Renee should probably win WON announcer of the year, but then NXT should win show of the year and it almost definitely won't. Regal standing up and crying for English was great.

[Greggulator]

 

 Parker won with The Third Eye facepalm strike. I love that name -- super prog rock. 

 

If he turns heel, he can turn it into an eyepoke and call it the Third Eye Blind.

 

The "dude who thinks he likes good music but doesn't like good music" character would be great.

[MarcosLoura]

Was there a new guy on commentary? He sounded better than usual.

 

Big Cass needs to loosen up a bit on the mic.

 

Aiden English. Yes. Singing Sleeper Hold. Yes.

 

I actually liked Pac's little promo. Holy shit what's happening to me? I think the accent helps, a lot, but that dude needs a new haircut or something.

 

Women's match was fine, the ending was bit wonky though. It's kinda sad that these girls will never have this much time on RAW, Smackdown or a PPV.

 

Luker Harper! HYPE!

 

"100 kittens hugging your legs". "Juice Cleanse".

 

This match was weird because of the crowd reaction and also a little too slow paced, I think they need to address face-heel dynamic of this feud asap. Parkers' goofy dancing with scissors was the best thing ever."Change your gimmick" chants during the middle of the match. Fucking smarks.

[Patrick B.]

Byron Saxton was on commentary with Regal and Renee.  Always liked him as a talker, way better in that role or as a manager.

[Niners Fan in CT]

Listen, Renee might be the best announcer they've had since prime JR.

[The Man Known as Dan]

Wait, are we saying Third Eye Blind isn't good music?

 

I don't care if that's the cool opinion or not, that's just turrible.

[Big Fresh]

I lost track of who posted that recap while I was reading it and when I got to the part about Regal and Renee's commentary.... and relationship.... and sensuality.... I said to myself, "This is almost as great as a Greggulator post." Then I scrolled up and laughed and laughed and laughed.

[Goodear]

NXT is just such a fun show, I watched the show the first time on mute but had to go back to watch the interesting bits with commentary just a minute ago.  Renee and Regal are a fun pairing with Byron covering the action.  I think Renee comes off a little too blase about what is going on sometimes and doesn't always sell things well as they are happening.  

 

Luke Harper is one of my favorites and his "Oh No" promo is just the right note of creepy for me.  I love the shots of him off center of the camera behind a tree or something.  It is nicely off-putting.  But what it really does in show the gulf between him the rest of the Wyatts and Ascension.  You would think that Ascension would be going for a similar vibe but are just so not effective.  I spend more time watching their tight flaps (which don't match which bugs me to the nth degree) than anything else.  

 

Corey Graves looked the best he has in weeks.  He is much better suited to being a heel with his offense of leg locks and his face that I want to punch so bad.  His physique (and that of Aiden English truth be told) concerns me some in that he has so little body fat that it looks like he has no 'padding' and almost skinny.

 

English looked good this week again, I think it would be fine to turn him face and change nothing about his character.  I would like to see him bust out "Cats" or Pirates of Penzanse tights at some point.  Aiden's squash mate had a good look to him BTW. 

[Roman]

I have made up my mind to only throw myself at English's feet when he does some kind of pro-wrestling variation of 'I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General'.