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Yo-Yo's Roomie

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19 hours ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

Baron Corbin Vs Jesse Sorensen: I know Sorensen was in TNA, but no idea if he was any good or not. I'm not gonna find out here, obviously. This lasts a matter of seconds.

Jesse showed a lot of potential but ended up injuring his neck really bad in a match against DJZ.  TNA claimed he'd have a job for life but with Dixe in charge they pretty much fucked him over.  It took a long time to recover and he did start wrestling again.  His last matches (at least that Wikipedia mentioned) were in NXT so not long after this match he was done.

Edited by NikoBaltimore
Turns out I was the one that needed to be corrected. Whoops.
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16 hours ago, MORELOCK said:

He was working NXT as Danny Burch as early as 2013. No idea why he reverted to Martin Stone for this appearance.

I really should have looked that up before posting so that's on me.  But I could have sworn I heard him come out as Martin Stone on some indy shows unless my memory's really gone to shit.

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15 minutes ago, NikoBaltimore said:

I really should have looked that up before posting so that's on me.  But I could have sworn I heard him come out as Martin Stone on some indy shows unless my memory's really gone to shit.


No, you're right about that - Martin Stone is the name he used when working indies, presumably because he wasn't allowed to use Danny Burch. He was initially let go from NXT, went to work indies, and then came back. I believe he received the same sort of contract as Bate, Dunne, and other UK guys in that he was part of the NXT brand but could still work indy shows, as NXT:UK was still struggling to get off the ground at that point. He worked those indy shows until around Mania time last year as Martin Stone, even when he had begun appearing as Burch again in NXT. Kind of confusing.

Edited by MORELOCK
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32 minutes ago, MORELOCK said:


No, you're right about that - Martin Stone is the name he used when working indies, presumably because he wasn't allowed to use Danny Burch. He was initially let go from NXT, went to work indies, and then came back. I believe he received the same sort of contract as Bate, Dunne, and other UK guys in that he was part of the NXT brand but could still work indy shows, as NXT:UK was still struggling to get off the ground at that point. He worked those indy shows until around Mania time last year as Martin Stone, even when he had begun appearing as Burch again in NXT. Kind of confusing.

Thanks for that.  I've seen him a few times as Danny Burch so for the sake of my sanity will associate that name with him.

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On 8/20/2019 at 12:13 PM, NikoBaltimore said:

Jesse showed a lot of potential but ended up injuring his neck really bad in a match against DJZ.  TNA claimed he'd have a job for life but with Dixe in charge they pretty much fucked him over.  It took a long time to recover and he did start wrestling again.  His last matches (at least that Wikipedia mentioned) were in NXT so not long after this match he was done.

When he came back a year+ later and cut a promo about eventually coming for DJZ (who one year later was winning the X title now), was so fire and so much potential. Perfect story and I always hated that they didn't stick with it.

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I think the deal with Danny Burch was that he got released in April 14 (in the great BritWres purge with Oliver Grey and Mason Ryan), but he decided to stay in Florida and got himself into really good shape. Being local, they brought him in occasionally as enhancement talent (the KO match was the first example of this), but he still worked indies as Martin Stone (including a TNA One Night Only show for unsigned talent where he beat Jesse Godderz). He got a few more appearances, then formed his team with Oney Lorcan while still unsigned, eventually getting a new contract after they'd been teaming for a while. I think he was a guy they always liked- Arn Anderson praised his ringwork and JBL said he was one of the best promos in NXT before his release- and his dedication to getting in shape and permanently moving to America paid off in the end

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1 hour ago, Sky Blue Sam said:

He got a few more appearances, then formed his team with Oney Lorcan while still unsigned, eventually getting a new contract after they'd been teaming for a while.


This is why I mentioned the NXT:UK "open" contract thing - he first teams with Lorcan just after Mania in 2017. The team is regularly featured on TV and regularly gets wins on the Florida house show loop for full year before "Martin Stone" stops working indy dates. I find it hard to swallow that Burch was featured so heavily on TV for a full year without having *any* kind of contract in place. This is WWE, after all.

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12 hours ago, MORELOCK said:


This is why I mentioned the NXT:UK "open" contract thing - he first teams with Lorcan just after Mania in 2017. The team is regularly featured on TV and regularly gets wins on the Florida house show loop for full year before "Martin Stone" stops working indy dates. I find it hard to swallow that Burch was featured so heavily on TV for a full year without having *any* kind of contract in place. This is WWE, after all.

Weren’t Gargano/Ciampa on TV for a good while before getting a contract.

Edit: Although the catch is the “any” kind of contract.

Athough Leva Bates got a big appearance at a Takeover without a contract.

Edited by JonnyLaw
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On 8/23/2019 at 6:55 PM, JonnyLaw said:

Weren’t Gargano/Ciampa on TV for a good while before getting a contract.

Ciampa was signed around six months after they started teaming in NXT. Gargano a couple of months after Ciampa.

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8/5/15

Bayley Vs Charlotte: This is not the good match that these two usually have. It just felt a bit off. Charlotte got to kick out of a Bayley-to-Belly, but Bayley hit it again from the second rope to put her away and continue her Sami Zayn redemption storyline.

Michael Cole hosts a sitdown interview with Kevin Owens. It's funny how in wrestling qualifying the interview as a 'sitdown' carries its own set of connotations. Owens is worried that he's going to get screwed at Takeover due to his history with William Regal, so to take that possibility out of the equation, he proposes a ladder match. Solid reasoning behind making it a ladder match, but it might have worked better if Owens had been complaining about getting screwed, and then Regal or Finn Balor had proposed the ladder match, as a 'be careful what you wish for' thing. Still, I like that they at least have a reason for it.

Baron Corbin Vs Steve Cutler: I feel like I've seen this match two or three times already. The standard very quick squash for Baron.

In the back Bayley asks Regal for a women's title match. Regal makes Bayley Vs Becky Lynch for next week in a number one contenders match.

Tyler Breeze Vs Aaron Solow: I think Solow has done jobs before on NXT. Breeze puts him away quickly, and then William Regal comes out and announces Jushin Liger as Breeze's Takeover opponent. Big pop for the announcement, and then they show a nice video package on Liger. Again, I wish I hadn't known that was the match, because I would have marked out big for that otherwise. I love Liger.

Video on Apollo Crews, saying he debuts at Takeover. Who will get the CJ Parker role?

Finn Balor gets his sitdown. His is with Byron Saxton. Everything about Balor is second rate. He doesn't really say anything of note.

The Hype Bros Vs Dash and Dawson: It seems a bit counterproductive, after Dash and Dawson's coming out party last week, to job them out to the Hype Bros here. They do get their heat back by laying out Mojo and Ryder after the match though.

Regal is in the back again, this time with The Vaudevillains. He tells them they have another shot at the tag titles at Takeover, but suggests they find something to neutralise Alexa Bliss. Again, I wish I didn't know the pay-off to this. So, I did watch Takeover: Brooklyn at the time, or most of it anyway, just because of all the hype it was getting. The only full NXT show I'd seen before this project. 

A video of Bull Dempsey getting Bullfit. He's taking it seriously now. Is that Liv Morgan making her on-screen debut in these skits?

Samoa Joe Vs Rhyno: Pretty fun big man match. Joe wins with the Muscle Buster. Calling these two 'two of the most decorated big men in history' is a bit of a stretch. Rhyno really needs to beat someone worth a damn.

Episode MVP: Probably Joe.

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8/12/15

The show opens with William Regal announcing that he is making the NXT title match at Takeover a ladder match, per Kevin Owens' request, and with Finn Balor's agreement.

Tye Dillinger Vs Solomon Crowe: This is the official debut of Dillinger's perfect 10 gimmick, complete with new tron and new attire, and actually winning a match. Crowe is pretty much DOA at this point.

Baron Corbin Vs Axel Tischer: Corbin puts Tischer down quickly. He then cuts a promo saying nobody gets up from the End of Days, and goes to deliver more punishment. Steve Cutler runs out, but he eats an End of Days too. Corbin cuts another promo, but Samoa Joe's music hits and Joe walks out. Joe says he's impressed with Corbin, but Corbin won't put him down. Corbin says he just fought two guys, so they'll fight, just not right now. He starts to leave, shoulder bumping Joe as he goes. Joe tries to attack, but Corbin starts laying him out with punches. Joe bumps for each punch, which puts Corbin over big. Corbin goes for the End of Days but Joe locks on the Kokina clutch and puts him to sleep. I liked this segment a lot. Joe made Corbin look like a beast by bump and feeding for his offence, but then looked like a total killer himself by putting Corbin to sleep. They're a bit uncreative in the way they set up Corbin's feuds though. This is basically the same set-up (other big guy steps to him) as the Dempsey and Rhyno feuds. 

Another Bullfit video, showing Bull dominating in the weight-room, followed by Tyler Breeze cutting a promo about how he will get rid of Liger like he got rid of Hideo Itami. Is this Breeze taking credit for the attack on Itami? Because that pretty much passed without comment.

Finn Balor Vs Marcus Louis: Balor wins with the Coup de Grace. Owens attacks him and drops him with a pop-up powerbomb.

Greg Hamilton interviews the Vaudevillains in the back. They say they have a plan for Alexa Bliss. Bliss shows up and slaps them both again. Oh, you'll get yours Alexa.

Bayley Vs Becky Lynch: Number one contenders match. Sasha Banks joins the commentary team. It's a muddled performance from her. Corey Graves tries to run Becky down by talking about her wearing sunglasses inside, which means she's a jerk. Saxton points out that they're goggles, and then Sasha says let's talk about her (Sasha's) sunglasses instead, which Corey says are a fashion statement, directly contradicting what he just said. The action in the ring was strong though. Crowd was pretty split. Becky put in a good performance, working over Bayley's arm. Sasha says if she was really smart she'd specifically target the hand. Bayley reversed the Dis-Arm-Her into a cradle to pick up the win. She and Sasha stare each other down to end the show.

Episode MVP: Becky Lynch.

3 star match: Bayley Vs Becky Lynch.

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8/19/15

The go-home for Takeover kicks off with the Sasha Banks/Bayley contract signing. NXT are 'undefeated' in these contract signings. They've all been good, and they've all been different. And they've all felt necessary and not just something to fill some time. In this one, Bayley cuts her promo about how she's been in this position before and come up short, but this time feels different. It's a solid babyface promo. Banks uses her stamp to sign the contract again, and then just walks away. Bayley senses something is up and says she's ready for a fight. Banks responds by cutting a good promo, saying that Bayley simply isn't worth her time, and that she doesn't see her as a threat the way she saw Charlotte and Becky as a threat. She then walks away, but Bayley attacks her on the ramp and ends up having to be pulled away by refs. This really encapsulated who these two characters are, and the dynamic between them going into their match. Bayley is looking for the fairytale ending for her story, but also wants to be taken seriously. Sasha is all hubris, and doesn't see Bayley as on her level. I'm really looking forward to this match.

Tyler Breeze Vs Rob Ryzin: Quick squash win for Breeze. He then puts a Liger match on his opponent and gives him a Beauty Shot. 

Enzo and Big Cass and The Hype Bros Vs The Four Pals: I see Jesse Sorensen is on the pals team. Wiki tells me Jesus De Leon and Aaron Solo are also part of the team, but no idea on the fourth guy. Anyway, this is a win for the name guys. Seemed kind of weird to do an 8-man squash, but then they say that next week this team will take on Dash and Dawson, and Gable and Jordan. I like 8-mans, so that's cool.

Samoa Joe Vs Steve Cutler: Super-quick squash win for Joe. I liked that Cutler tried to attack Corbin last week. It's nice to see a guy seem to have a bit of agency. Corbin attacks Joe, and this time he leaves him lying with the End of Days. These two will meet at Takeover. I don't remember that match happening at all.

Blake and Murphy Vs Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins: Didn't I just see this match? Except that that one was a total squash win for the champs, whereas this time Fulton and Dawkins get most of the match, before Blake and Murphy pull out the win. It came across as a test for Fulton and Dawkins to see if they actually have anything. Fulton in particular looked good here (and even got a Sawyer chant), just big and strong and, yeah, green, but in an enjoyable way. I really don't get why they did nothing with him. The Vaudevillains came out to talk about their Takeover match, but before they got a chance to say anything, Bliss marched up the ramp and slapped them both. Then she slapped them both again for good measure. Gotch's reactions to getting slapped are so great. He really has his character down. 

The main event was Kevin Owens's 'final declaration' before the ladder match at Takeover. I hate when they advertise promos in this way. It just screams 'content for content's sake' to me. But this was a really great promo from Owens. Really good stuff. He riles up the crowd something rotten. Calls them the 'John Cena of wrestling fans' because they're so fake, citing how they say they want NXT to thrive, but then cry because Takeover is going to be in Brooklyn and they won't get to see it live. He says they cheer him and chant for him, until he lays a hand on someone like Sami Zayn or Finn Balor. He's all fired up, and his delivery is great. Then the arena darkens, and Finn Balor appears sitting on the turnbuckle. This is a great visual as Balor is lit so well that he's pretty much the only thing you can see. They have a quick brawl before Owens scurries away, and Balor says he's going to shut him up once and for all at Takeover. Really strong angle, conjured up pretty much out of thin air, to end a good go-home show.

Episode MVP: Kevin Owens. That promo was fire. Bring on Brooklyn.

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On 8/27/2019 at 9:35 AM, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

8/5/15

Owens is worried that he's going to get screwed at Takeover due to his history with William Regal, so to take that possibility out of the equation, he proposes a ladder match. Solid reasoning behind making it a ladder match,

Well yeah, if you ignore all the times people have been screwed in ladder matches.

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NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

The show opens with Triple H in the ring, under a spotlight, performing a ridiculous monologue, culminating in 'We Are NXT' and a huge pop from the crowd. I kinda hate how self-congratulatory NXT is. Just be a great wrestling show, without all this patting yourself on the back stuff..

Jushin 'Thunder' Liger Vs Tyler Breeze: That bit of nonsense is immediately forgotten though, as here comes Breeze with an awesome entrance, taking selfies with models dressed as different New York monuments (and a taxi). This is so great. A big fuck you to these fans for chanting 'Full Sail sucks' during a Liger match. Liger is such a charismatic fucker. He mocks Breeze's pose in the corner, and takes selfies with the selfie stick. This is a fun opener. Breeze gets some shine, and Liger plays his greatest hits, finishing with a Liger Bomb. I wish NXT would bring in more guys for one-offs like this.

The Vaudevillains Vs Blake and Murphy: Alexa Bliss cuts a promo saying she knew the Vaudevillains wouldn't be able to get any back-up, because they're pathetic. The Vaudevillains shush her and motion to the ramp, and out comes Blue Pants! Huge pop for her. She's so adorable. Fuck the production team for missing her little dance. I'm confused about the connection between The Vaudevillains and Blue Pants though. The crowd was already chanting for her before she came out. The only clue I can think of that she was going to be the one to neutralise Bliss is that the Vaudevillains were wearing spiffy new blue gear for this match. This is a fun little match. Gotch, in particular, looks good here, showing off some kooky new offence, and playing a pretty good hot tag. It all builds nicely to the big pay-off- Bliss trying to get involved, but Blue Pants slapping her and then taking her down to a huge pop. It's so funny how over she got, and hwo they gave her this big of a spot despite her not even being under contract. I wouldn't why they didn't sign her. So the Vaudevillains hit the Whirly Dervish and pick up the win and the belts. The crowd loves it. And so ends the reign of Blake and Murphy, who, in reflection, have been the best NXT tag champs to date. No that the field has been particularly strong, but I've enjoyed their run. Some good stuff in the ring, and I love their commitment to being heels, from using Alexa, to being super goofy and annoying, to looking ridiculous. I like this team.

Apollo Crews Vs Tye Dillinger: I guess Dillinger had entered the 'putting over the new guys' portion of his NXT career in record time. Crews is a guy who I've never cared about, but from time to time he'll have a match that really draws me in. It's funny, I was reading the thread for this show from here on the board, and there were lots of people in there saying that Crews is a guaranteed big star, a licence to print money (actual quote) and someone even said he has the it factor, which I think is evidently the missing ingredient from this obviously great athlete. Another weird thing; I never followed the indies during this time, but I was always hearing about guys like Generico, Steen, Devitt in Japan, most of the guys they brought in. I knew the name Uhaa Nation, but I don't believe I've ever heard anyone pimp any of his work, or really talk him up in any way. I don't even know where he worked. This is fine as a showcase match for Crews, and he gets over with the crowd pretty well.

In the back, William Regal announces the Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament. I'm looking forward to that.

Samoa Joe Vs Baron Corbin: Really nice video package to hype this match, with Corbin again talking shit about the indie guys, saying he's never heard of any of them. Great line where he says they had to bust their asses all over the world to get signed, while all he had to do was make a call. Then Joe counters with 'the difference between me and you is that they called me'. These two have a really physical slugfest. Very different from anything else on the card. Joe is really laying his shit in, of course, including a great spinning back fist. Corbin does some impressive power stuff. The finish has him do a double handed chokeslam on Joe that looks great, but when he goes for the cover, Joe spins him into the Kokina Clutch, and Corbin fades out. Good finish because it show how dangerous Joe is, even from on his back, but it also protects Corbin somewhat, as he simply got caught in a hold he couldn't escape from.

They show Kana (which the graphic spells as Kanna) in the crowd next to Ric Flair and Sgt Slaughter. Weird combo of people, but cool to see Asuka. They also did a video package for Nia Jax earlier. A changing of the guard is coming.

Bayley Vs Sasha Banks: Another amazing video package for this one, highlighting the success of the other Horsewomen, and juxtaposing that with Bayley's consistent failures. Stephanie McMahon comes out first and waffles on about the women's revolution. She calls this the co-main event. No, you don't get to have your cake and eat it too. Put the women on last, then you can call them the main event. Sasha has the entrance of the night, coming out in an Escalade with a bevy of bodyguards. Crowd is split during the introductions. I was worried the crowd being split might take away from the match, but by the end they were pretty much all in on Bayley. This is one of those special matches that mixes great in-ring work with tonnes of emotion and storytelling. Just like she said she would, Sasha went after Bayley's hand, crushing it in the ring steps and, in the spot of the match, stomping on the hand while she has her in the Banks Statement. Sasha also busts out a flip dive over the ref to the outside. Bayley is great in this match too. You couldn't do this story with anyone but her. Her selling of the hand is a bit inconsistent, but otherwise she's a great underdog babyface. But Sasha is definitely the star of this match, and the star of NXT in general. Another great finish here. Bayley nails a reverse rana off the top and then hits the Bayley-to-Belly for the win. The reverse rana is probably my least favourite move ever, and I've bagged on that move several times on this board, but this one looked great, and it fit as a genuinely holy shit moment, Bayley having to pull out something completely crazy to finally get over the hump. The crowd goes wild. Becky and Charlotte come out and celebrate with Bayley (which follows up on them wishing her luck in the back earlier). And then comes the bit I hated. Sasha joins in the love fest, hugging Bayley and celebrating with the other Horsewomen. I would be more forgiving of this if it was her genuine swansong with the territory, but they have another hate-filled match at the next TakeOver, so this is just needlessly breaking the fourth wall, and more of the kind of shit I hate. Save that for the back. Otherwise, this was perhaps the greatest NXT match up to this point.

Finn Balor Vs Kevin Owens: Ladder match for the NXT title. On a show full of great entrances, Balor embarrasses himself and me with the demon shit. At least we get the funny visual of Owens sitting back in a chair at ringside while this goes on. Something distracts the crowd early on (I think I read that some fans got ejected for throwing streamers into the ring, and later got let back in), and then when the crowd was singing the Ole song I thought they'd lost them completely, until I realised it was the Sami chant to mock Owens. Owens shut that down quickly by mocking how Sami got his shoulder injury. Other than that, I found this match pretty boring. I did appreciate that they eschewed a lot of the annoying ladder match tropes like slow climbing and setting up stunts, and instead concentrated on just beating the shit out of each other. But it just never really kicked into a high gear for me. Maybe it's just that I can't get into Balor at all. Owens took a couple of nasty bumps, and the finish was good, Balor delivering a Coup de Grace from the top of the ladder. I think that's probably Owens's last NXT match? I thought he had a really good run. He was definitely better when he had Sami to play off though, and I wonder how that would have resolved itself had Sami not got injured.

Show rating: Awesome show for a number of reasons. First of all, presentation-wise, they really nailed it. They basically out-Mania'd Mania with the cool entrances and new ring attire, and making everything feel special and like a big deal. There was also a lot of variety on the show. You had big bumps, you had stiffness, you had comedy, storytelling, hatred. What was really nice to see, and what NXT is really good at doing, is a card booked to make the crowd feel good, not to piss them off or troll them. I don't think every show should have the babyfaces going over all the time, but the babyfaces going over in all of these matches felt like the right call. You maybe could have put Corbin over Joe, but I assume they knew Joe was going to be the next champ. I would have been good with Owens going over, and the crowd probably would have been too, because Owens is popular, but he's done with NXT. So yeah, every match had the right call. The crowd was mostly great, popping for all the right stuff. It was just a real fun night of wrestling. One great match, and nothing that was what you'd call bad. 4 stars.

Show MVP: Sasha Banks. Absolutely killed it in the women's match. 

4 1/2 star match: Bayley Vs Sasha Banks. This match definitely should have gone last. A worthy culmination to the Bayley story.

 

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Looked forward to you hitting NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2015. A milestone moment in Sasha Banks vs. Bayley. You're right that it needed to be the main event and I feel same on the reverse rana. To me, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and Respect 2015 are the two best women's matches in WWE history. I've always preferred the Respect match. Be interesting to see which camp you fall in, mate.

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