NXT 2015 - Q4

[turk128]

Crowe looks better and better with every match. Sucks that he's prob gonna be in another holding pattern since he couldn't hack the internet for his sister.

 

Baron should have decals on his vest, representing the number of indy foo he's fed on.

 

Sarah was solid in ring, she's not tentative at all with her strikes (like every other newcomer to NXT).

[Craig H]

Baron remains awesome for someone at his level. Part of the reason I think that is he reminds me so much of young Edge, before Edge started developing more of a character and all of his mannerisms that I thought made him really great. If Baron could just work in a tope suicida and avoid spears and excessive ladder matches, that would be great.

[Ramsey]

Dana is a quite good and quite natural heel. Just needs to keep figuring out the in-ring stuff. One of the joys of watching NXT is seeing someone who isn't very good get better as they figure things out. 

 

Dana Brooke and Jason Jordan are my two prospects that I derive the most pleasure out of seeing them get better. 

Dana has soooooo much potential. If she continues to progress the she has in the ring (and fixes her awful "over and over taunt" thing in her intro) in a year she's going to be what Charlotte should have been.

[Lawful Metal]

I went to the NXT Houston house show and it was the most fun I've had at a wrestling show in a long time.

Everyone you'd expect were there, and it was all fun.

Enzo and Cass v. Jordan and Gable opened and was a great no-nonsense match. Enzo's Schtick was over like hell and Cass 's hot tag was great.

Bull Dempsey v. The Dillinger was a match until Bull started Bulling up. Crowd ate that up.

Apollo Crews v. Solomon Crowe was solid, and Crews's offense looked great. I wouldn't ever really say a standing moonsault looks devastating, but in this case, it damn near looked like he crushed Crowe with it.

Samoa Joe v. Baron Corbin was next and that was wa good brawl. Corbin's offense was primarily strikes, so it was a ton of exchanges before Baron missed and stumbled out of the corner into the RNC.

Dana Brooke v. Carmella came out after the intermission. Dana was the only heel to win. Crowd loved Carmella, who was doing a female version of Enzo's stuff. Bada bing, hottest chick in the ring. Crowd loved her, hated Dana. Questions about Dana: 1) why does she wear Chuck Taylors? Doesn't seem to make sense with character. 2) what's with the armpit touching?

Vaudevillains v. Blake and Murphy had another great match. No Blue Pants. Vaudevillians are such natural babyfaces I didn't expect it. Best chant if the night was for Aiden and Gotch when they trapped Blake and Murphy in some arm hold that increased the pressure when they squatted; hence the "Don't Skip Leg Day" chant.

Bayley v. Evil Emma ruled. Emma's offense looked real hurty and evil, most notably her Batista Bomb, which just looked like it killed Bayley. Crowd just adored Bayley.

Main Event was Finn Balor v. Tyler Breeze. It was great. Went long, and breeze had a fantastic nearfall. Breeze had taken off the turnbuckle and Finn went for the drop kick into the corner. Breeze backed up so the dropkick was short, then slingshotted Finn into the exposed turnbuckle, then Beauty Shot. Tyler's freak out after that didn't work led to Finn's comeback. Big dropkick on the floor into the barricade, dropkick into the corner in the ring, then the double stomp from the top. Finn took a selfie with Tyler's phone over his prone body after the match.

Great show, my son said it was the best wrestling show he's ever been to.

It was a small venue; I saw Faith No More a month earlier in the same place. Crowd was all die hards mostly. Also, the family next to us was a mom and dad with three daughters who were there just to see Bayley. Crowd really wanted Sasha and were chanting for her all night.

Good times.

[Firebreaker Chip]

I went to the NXT Houston house show and it was the most fun I've had at a wrestling show in a long time.

Everyone you'd expect were there, and it was all fun.

Enzo and Cass v. Jordan and Gable opened and was a great no-nonsense match. Enzo's Schtick was over like hell and Cass 's hot tag was great.

Bull Dempsey v. The Dillinger was a match until Bull started Bulling up. Crowd ate that up.

Apollo Crews v. Solomon Crowe was solid, and Crews's offense looked great. I wouldn't ever really say a standing moonsault looks devastating, but in this case, it damn near looked like he crushed Crowe with it.

Samoa Joe v. Baron Corbin was next and that was wa good brawl. Corbin's offense was primarily strikes, so it was a ton of exchanges before Baron missed and stumbled out of the corner into the RNC.

Dana Brooke v. Carmella came out after the intermission. Dana was the only heel to win. Crowd loved Carmella, who was doing a female version of Enzo's stuff. Bada bing, hottest chick in the ring. Crowd loved her, hated Dana. Questions about Dana: 1) why does she wear Chuck Taylors? Doesn't seem to make sense with character. 2) what's with the armpit touching?

Vaudevillains v. Blake and Murphy had another great match. No Blue Pants. Vaudevillians are such natural babyfaces I didn't expect it. Best chant if the night was for Aiden and Gotch when they trapped Blake and Murphy in some arm hold that increased the pressure when they squatted; hence the "Don't Skip Leg Day" chant.

Bayley v. Evil Emma ruled. Emma's offense looked real hurty and evil, most notably her Batista Bomb, which just looked like it killed Bayley. Crowd just adored Bayley.

Main Event was Finn Balor v. Tyler Breeze. It was great. Went long, and breeze had a fantastic nearfall. Breeze had taken off the turnbuckle and Finn went for the drop kick into the corner. Breeze backed up so the dropkick was short, then slingshotted Finn into the exposed turnbuckle, then Beauty Shot. Tyler's freak out after that didn't work led to Finn's comeback. Big dropkick on the floor into the barricade, dropkick into the corner in the ring, then the double stomp from the top. Finn took a selfie with Tyler's phone over his prone body after the match.

Great show, my son said it was the best wrestling show he's ever been to.

It was a small venue; I saw Faith No More a month earlier in the same place. Crowd was all die hards mostly. Also, the family next to us was a mom and dad with three daughters who were there just to see Bayley. Crowd really wanted Sasha and were chanting for her all night.

Good times.

That sounds like a great show, it's very easy to imagine that Breeze-Balor near-fall blowing the roof off at a Takeover special

[Eivion]

Kind of wonder if I should have tried to get a ticket to one of the live events this weekend or even the ppv. Not a fan of crowds, but that show sounds so fun.

[Trocar Slush Weasel]

In my rewatch of the NXT catalog to see the Emmalution Evolution of Sasha Banks, I've come across the April 2, 2014 show.  Her offence is still pretty generic and she's using some over the top heel tactics, mixed in with her awesome heel tactics that she's still developing.  She's booked way below Charlotte at this point, but William Regal has an incredibly prescient comment.  He says, "I will go on record as saying that Sasha Banks is the hidden gem here in NXT.  She's somebody that will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come."

[Norwegian Rudo]

In my rewatch of the NXT catalog to see the Emmalution Evolution of Sasha Banks, I've come across the April 2, 2014 show.  Her offence is still pretty generic and she's using some over the top heel tactics, mixed in with her awesome heel tactics that she's still developing.  She's booked way below Charlotte at this point, but William Regal has an incredibly prescient comment.  He says, "I will go on record as saying that Sasha Banks is the hidden gem here in NXT.  She's somebody that will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come."

You're almost to the tournament, which IMO is where Sasha changed. In fact I would say the entire division stepped it up a notch from there, but Sasha most of all. I've wondered if it is a coincidence that this is also when Drake Younger appeared as a ref.

[ArtVanderlay]

In the TNA thread, Phantom Lord wrote:

 

 

 

In a sense ECW is on the air right now in the form of NXT. Take away the faux reality bullshit they did for the first couple of seasons and when FCW/NXT became a promotion within it self it was carrying on the torch of ECW. Not a direct relative, but a distant cousin (kinda like John Goodman in King Ralph).

 

 

Now I remember back in 1997, right after Barely Legal, someone, I want to say Herb Kunze, in talking about the PPV and the perception that the ECW fans were better than other fans, sarcastically wrote that if the lights went out and when they came up, The Undertaker was in the ring, and The Undertaker proceeded to chokeslam and Tombstone the entire ECW roster as they ran in to attack him, the Arena Mutants would be marking out big time as 'Taker destroyed Sabu/Taz/Dreamer/Douglas/New Jack etc.

 

And the guy who wrote that was proven absolutely correct two years later when Sid Viscious showed up for a couple of shows and chokeslammed and powerbombed the stars of ECW and the Mutants marked out hardcore for Big Sid.

 

So I would be genuinely curious what the Full Sail fans reaction would be if Kane showed up on one show and proceeded to destory Finn Balor and Hideo Otami as they were having a match, than proceeded to manhandle the entire roster as they ran out to try to make the save.

[ArtVanderlay]

In the TNA thread, Phantom Lord wrote:

 

 

 

In a sense ECW is on the air right now in the form of NXT. Take away the faux reality bullshit they did for the first couple of seasons and when FCW/NXT became a promotion within it self it was carrying on the torch of ECW. Not a direct relative, but a distant cousin (kinda like John Goodman in King Ralph).

 

 

Now I remember back in 1997, right after Barely Legal, someone, I want to say Herb Kunze, in talking about the PPV and the perception that the ECW fans were better than other fans, sarcastically wrote that if the lights went out and when they came up, The Undertaker was in the ring, and The Undertaker proceeded to chokeslam and Tombstone the entire ECW roster as they ran in to attack him, the Arena Mutants would be marking out big time as 'Taker destroyed Sabu/Taz/Dreamer/Douglas/New Jack etc.

 

And the guy who wrote that was proven absolutely correct two years later when Sid Viscious showed up for a couple of shows and chokeslammed and powerbombed the stars of ECW and the Mutants marked out hardcore for Big Sid.

 

So I would be genuinely curious what the Full Sail fans reaction would be if Kane showed up on one show and proceeded to destory Finn Balor and Hideo Otami as they were having a match, than proceeded to manhandle the entire roster as they ran out to try to make the save.

[caley]

In the TNA thread, Phantom Lord wrote:

 

 

 

In a sense ECW is on the air right now in the form of NXT. Take away the faux reality bullshit they did for the first couple of seasons and when FCW/NXT became a promotion within it self it was carrying on the torch of ECW. Not a direct relative, but a distant cousin (kinda like John Goodman in King Ralph).

 

 

Now I remember back in 1997, right after Barely Legal, someone, I want to say Herb Kunze, in talking about the PPV and the perception that the ECW fans were better than other fans, sarcastically wrote that if the lights went out and when they came up, The Undertaker was in the ring, and The Undertaker proceeded to chokeslam and Tombstone the entire ECW roster as they ran in to attack him, the Arena Mutants would be marking out big time as 'Taker destroyed Sabu/Taz/Dreamer/Douglas/New Jack etc.

 

And the guy who wrote that was proven absolutely correct two years later when Sid Viscious showed up for a couple of shows and chokeslammed and powerbombed the stars of ECW and the Mutants marked out hardcore for Big Sid.

 

So I would be genuinely curious what the Full Sail fans reaction would be if Kane showed up on one show and proceeded to destory Finn Balor and Hideo Otami as they were having a match, than proceeded to manhandle the entire roster as they ran out to try to make the save.

I don't think it would work with Kane.  It would have to be somebody who doesn't have ties to NXT.  Part of the appeal with Sid in ECW is he was a huge star from another organization, whereas Kane is still a WWE guy.  If Kevin Nash did it, I think the crowd would mark out in all honesty.

[JRGoldman]

Sid and Taker were always really over, so I'm not sure Kane would be a good comparison. 

 

Brock, on the other hand, would cause all of full sail to shit themselves in unison if he destroyed the entire roster. 

[mattdangerously]

Have Gargano and Ciampa been signed? They've been kind of fun to watch.

[RandomAct]

I kinda hope they aren't yet.  I actually love the idea that they legit brought in a team that doesn't work for them to be in the tournament.  Makes it seem like a bigger deal.  Now I hope they DO get signed eventually.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Have Gargano and Ciampa been signed? They've been kind of fun to watch.

 

They've been wowing the crowd!

[Go2Sleep]

So I would be genuinely curious what the Full Sail fans reaction would be if Kane showed up on one show and proceeded to destory Finn Balor and Hideo Otami as they were having a match, than proceeded to manhandle the entire roster as they ran out to try to make the save.

 

Groans and silence. Kane's been stale for over a decade, has JTTS stink all over him, and never had as much charsima or presence as Sid at his peak.

 

Taker or Brock could pull it off, but Kane... Just no.

[Trocar Slush Weasel]

 

In my rewatch of the NXT catalog to see the Emmalution Evolution of Sasha Banks, I've come across the April 2, 2014 show.  Her offence is still pretty generic and she's using some over the top heel tactics, mixed in with her awesome heel tactics that she's still developing.  She's booked way below Charlotte at this point, but William Regal has an incredibly prescient comment.  He says, "I will go on record as saying that Sasha Banks is the hidden gem here in NXT.  She's somebody that will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come."

You're almost to the tournament, which IMO is where Sasha changed. In fact I would say the entire division stepped it up a notch from there, but Sasha most of all. I've wondered if it is a coincidence that this is also when Drake Younger appeared as a ref.

 

 

She still has that furious rock 'em sock 'em robot striking, complete with shrieking.  Can't wait for that to go away.

[MORELOCK]

I think part of the reason Sid went over so well when he showed up in ECW is that he hadn't been on TV since his early 97 WWF run. Everyone on WWE TV right now is way too overexposed to have a similar sort of impact - even part timers like Taker and Brock.

[Trocar Slush Weasel]

 

In my rewatch of the NXT catalog to see the Emmalution Evolution of Sasha Banks, I've come across the April 2, 2014 show.  Her offence is still pretty generic and she's using some over the top heel tactics, mixed in with her awesome heel tactics that she's still developing.  She's booked way below Charlotte at this point, but William Regal has an incredibly prescient comment.  He says, "I will go on record as saying that Sasha Banks is the hidden gem here in NXT.  She's somebody that will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come."

You're almost to the tournament, which IMO is where Sasha changed. In fact I would say the entire division stepped it up a notch from there, but Sasha most of all. I've wondered if it is a coincidence that this is also when Drake Younger appeared as a ref.

 

 

In the tourney, she broke out the Bank Statement against Bayley and the double knees in the corner against Natalya, first time I think she did either of those on TV.  Still relying heavily on those shrieking double fist and head smashing attacks.  Anticipating the breakup of the BFFs now.  Also, Alexa Bliss looked really good in her debut against Alicia Fox, who also looked really good.  Alexa's debut promo had Heel Bliss all over it, even as she was trying to babyface it up.

[Technico Support]

Re: Dana Brooke wearing Chuck Taylors -- I believe power lifters wear Chcuk Taylors because they're completely flat.  Something about squats maybe.  So maybe the Chucks are a very meta part of her gimmick.

[Ramo2653]

Yep, when you're lifting heavy you need the flat surface since normal sneakers have a lot of cushion in the heel so it's either legit lifting shoes, Chucks or Sambas.

[Big Fresh]

Maybe they should get some of those weird fucking toe shoes.

[turk128]

Promo showing more of Asuka doing some shadow boxing (18 seconds in)....

 

[Phantom Lord]

I don't think it would work with Kane.  It would have to be somebody who doesn't have ties to NXT.  Part of the appeal with Sid in ECW is he was a huge star from another organization, whereas Kane is still a WWE guy.  If Kevin Nash did it, I think the crowd would mark out in all honesty.

So I would be genuinely curious what the Full Sail fans reaction would be if Kane showed up on one show and proceeded to destory Finn Balor and Hideo Otami as they were having a match, than proceeded to manhandle the entire roster as they ran out to try to make the save.

 

 

I remember loving Sid in ECW. Who didn't love seeing poor little Spike Dudley get murdered. I think Scott Hall got a pretty good response from the crowd as well in his lone ECW show. I remember at least back on the old AOL boards some people being excited that Scott would be in ECW (at least we thought he was).

 

If Kevin Nash redid the angle with Punk in NXT with Balor (just the attacking and attacking part...not the who sent the text shit), people would probably cheer for Nash.

[mattdangerously]

By the time Sid and Scott Hall came in, ECW had a history of guys coming in from WCW and WWF and being awesome. It's easy to see how fans would get excited about them coming in after the work Pillman, Cactus, Bam Bam, Scorpio, Raven, and the rest did.

I don't think an "invader" storyline in NXT would automatically get the same benefit of a doubt. Nash might eventually make it work because of his charisma. Sheamus is generally a really tremendous in-ring worker, so he could probably get over in NXT, too. Kane and Big Show would have a much harder time.