My NXT project

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

NXT Takeover: Unstoppable

Finn Balor Vs Tyler Breeze: We start the show by seeing video of Hideo Itami laying injured in the parking lot, apparently the victim of some attack. Kevin Owens walks by and says 'that's a shame'. We're told Itami has a torn rotator cuff, and thus, the triple threat is now a one-on-one match. Breeze gets an awesome entrance with a bunch of female 'models' taking selfies with him. Balor does the shitty Demon entrance. He looks like a kid playing fancy dress when he does this, but the crowd eats it up every time. The crowd is crazy hot in general for this match, and the match itself is very fun. Both guys are working really hard to steal the show it seems. Balor dives off the entrance set onto Breeze, and then finishes him off with the shotgun dropkick and Coup de Grace. I feel like Itami was probably going to go over here to give Owens a different challenger. Owens is watching in the back and doesn't look impressed.

Charlotte and Bayley Vs Emma and Dana Brooke: This crowd is great. This is the most over Charlotte has ever been in NXT. Loud Emma chants too. Bayley, of course, is the most over person in the match. The match itself was fine, but nothing special, until a bit of a botched finish left a bad taste in the mouth. Charlotte had Emma in the figure 8 and Bayley was supposed to stop Dana from breaking it up, but she was late (or Dana was early), which left Dana just standing there in the position to deliver a double ax handle for several seconds. Charlotte pinned Emma with Natural Selection. Emma really needs a win.

The new NXT class is shown at ringside. I think this show marks the debut of the 'looks who's in the crowd' shots, as we saw Stephanie with some Game of Thrones dude earlier. Anyway, the Iiconics are there, and there's a big pop for Apollo Crews, who gets 'Uhaa' chants. I don't recognise the other guy.

Baron Corbin Vs Rhyno: This is exactly what it should be- short, intense, hard-hitting. Corbin gets the win with the End of Days. Interesting to see Corbin start to transition into a heel character.

Blake and Murphy Vs Enzo and Big Cass: Tag titles on the line, finally, between these two teams. I know Blake and Murphy got quite a bit of stick for being unworthy champions, but I really like these guys. Nice commitment to being heels with their ridiculous hair styles (Blake has his hair in bunches). Enzo and Cass (and Carmella) blow the roof off with their entrance. Pretty basic match, helped once again by he hot crowd. The challengers look to be closing in on the belts, but Alexa Bliss comes out and attacks Carmella, which is enough of a distraction for the champs to retain. That cements Bliss's heel turn and relationship with Blake and Murphy, which seems like a good fit.

Sasha Banks Vs Becky Lynch: I'm excited for this one. I see a lot of hype for it, and now I see why. This is pretty awesome from start to finish. Becky debuts her steampunk look, which automatically makes her way cooler to me. A lot of gritty grappling to start off. Surprisingly, it's Sasha who is busting out the best armwork here, really punishing Lynch with some wrenching submissions. Becky settles into an underdog role, fighting from underneath. This is another awesome display of heeling from Banks, from her nasty ringwork to mocking Becky's mannerisms to trash talking. Crowd is great again, and is probably 60-40 for Sasha. I like the 'Sasha's ratchet- no she's not' dueling chant. I like when wrestlers have a signature chant. Becky makes her comeback and locks on the Dis-Arm-Her, but Sasha gets to the ropes. Becky goes up top, but Sasha leaps up and hits an over the knee armbreaker, transitioning into the Banks Statement, and Becky has no choice but to tap. Sasha wins my heart forever by refusing to let the referee raise her injured arm, but then smugly approving when he goes to the other side to raise her other arm. Best NXT women's match to date. After Sasha leaves, Becky rises to her feet and they play her music as she is warmly applauded.

Kevin Owens Vs Sami Zayn: Lots of build-up throughout the night for this one, with video packages and the like. As there should be for your main events. NXT always does a great job of making their big matches feel special. Of course, the story is Zayn's shoulder injury. Owens comes out wearing a John Cena shirt, a nod to his attack on Cena on Raw, and also to Zayn's match with Cena where the injury occurred. I didn't know what to expect here, as I didn't even think this match was going to happen. They worked around the injury really well. Zayn was on Owens from the get-go, in contrast to their last match, when Owens really dominated from the start. They do some brawling around ringside, and Owens is really on the back foot throughout. Then, out of nowhere, Owens catches Zayn with a pop-up powerbomb onto the ring apron, and that ends up resulting in a no-contest as Sami is unable to continue. I like how protected that move is. The no contest might have pissed some people off, but I thought it was a good finish. And, as always it seems with these shows, there is a sting in the tail. Owens looks like he's going to continue the assault on Sami, so William Regal comes out and ends up dragging him off by his nose. Owens headbutts Regal, which Regal sells like death. That might be a big enough angle to end the show on, but we're not done there. Owens grabs a chair to do more damage to Zayn, but Samoa fucking Joe's music hits, and the crowd loses their shit as Joe walks out menacingly. Joe and Owens have an intense face-off, before Owens backs away. That was awesome. I was expecting Balor to come out, so Joe was a huge upgrade. I have to note, Joe's music was a bit late in playing so, instead of just standing there like a lemon with the chair, Owens did get one shot in on Zayn. The difference between a seasoned wrestler like Owens, and a rookie like Dana Brooke. It's funny, WWE could run Owens Vs Joe tomorrow and I probably wouldn't give much of a shit, but I really want that match to happen in 2015 NXT now.

Episode MVP: It's Sasha. It's always Sasha. She pretty much been stealing every show she's on this year.

3 3/4 star match: Sasha Banks Vs Becky Lynch.

Show rating: This might be my favourite Takeover yet actually. Every match, apart from the women's tag I guess, had purpose, meant something and was at least fun. The crowd was the best I've seen at an NXT show. They were just rabid all night. The women's match was excellent, and the show-ending angle was awesome. Another home-run. 4 stars. 

 

[The Natural]

@Yo-Yo's Roomie. Been looking forward to you hitting NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable 2015. I still think Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch is Becky's best wrestling match. 2015 was Sasha Banks year. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn is one of the most underrated NXT matches ever, it's impressive considering Zayn's injury shortened it. I'd like NXT to bring back the referee stoppage as seen in Zayn vs. Owens from NXT TakeOver: Rival 2015 and the no-contest here. It's capped off by Samoa Joe's debut in NXT.

Edited July 23, 2019 by The Natural

[Niners Fan in CT]

I'm glad you finally arrived at this match @Yo-Yo's Roomie  there are people here who don't remember how great Sasha is and has been for a long time. This NXT run was amazing. 

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

5/27/15

Sami Zayn's music kicks off the show, but it's Kevin Owens who walks out. Quality heeling. Owens says he was going to issue an open challenge for his belt, but he isn't an insecure man who feels he needs to prove himself every night. Big pop and 'Cena sucks' chants for that. Owens turns it around by saying Sami Zayn sucks too. Owens is on a role as a heel right now. He addresses Samoa Joe, and says the only reason he walked away from a fight with Joe was to give the fans their moment, which proves what a good person he is. Regal comes out and the two exchange words. Regal accuses Owens of attacking Itami, but Owens denies it. But he happily takes credit for ending Zayn's career. Solomon Crowe, of all people, comes out and basically goads Owens into a match tonight. Good strong opening segment, resulting in a fresh match-up being made.

We see a video, post-Takeover, of Renee Young interviewing Zack Ryder. Mojo Rawley comes in all hyped up. I guess this is the genesis of the Hype Bros. I'm not sure I can deal with this.

Emma Vs Bayley: Emma has new heelish music, and is accompanied by Dana Brooke. She works really well as a heel here, and picks up a much-needed win, making Bayley submit to the Emma-lock, which she makes look really brutal by really wrenching it on. Dana and Emma look to beatdown Bayley, which brings Charlotte out. The heels end up getting the upper hand and administer kind of a weak beatdown to leave Charlotte lying.

Another video from Takeover shows Baron Corbin and Rhyno squaring up, with Rhyno saying he had fun in their match, and they should do it again sometime.

Blake and Murphy Vs Elias Sampson and Mike Rallis: Rallis is better known as Riddick Moss. The champs get the win in a competitive squash. Alexa Bliss delivers a sparkle splash to Sampson post-match.

Devin Taylor is still around, and she interviews Blake, Murphy and Alexa in the back. Alexa says that winners gravitate towards each other, whereas Carmella is used to being around trash which is why she hangs out with Enzo and Cass. She says she and Carmella have a match next week.

Finn Balor Vs Tye Dillinger: Wait just a minute, what's this half-arsed demon shit from Balor? He comes out with a demon shirt on, and a demon bandana over his mouth. He's got the lighting and the smoke. He's doing like a half-scuttle, half-walk to the ring. No, no, no, Finn. Either do it properly, or don't do it at all. Balor with the win in a short match.

Another tag team seems to be on the horizon as we see Jason Jordan in the back being interviewed about his future. Jordan says he's doing fine and has found himself the perfect partner. Chad Gable is in the background listening in, and he tells Jordan that he  should be his partner. He gives Jordan a rally towel with his name on it. Jordan says he already has a partner, but if he needs him he'll call him. Now this is a team I am excited to see.

Kevin Owens Vs Solomon Crowe: Pretty decent little match between these two. Crowe is starting to find his footing in the ring, but his look is terrible and hard to take seriously. Owens ends up getting the win. Samoa Joe's music then hits, and Joe walks out. Owens decides to head to the back, leaving Joe to stare him down from the ring. Joe looks like such a killer. I can't wait to see them go at it.

Episode MVP: This was a really strong episode, with lots of developments, and a few good performances. Kevin Owens is the main man here though. His character is really carrying the show right now and providing a good focal point for the rest of the roster.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

6/3/15

Tyler Breeze Vs Adam Rose: This match seemed rather random, then I remembered what happened when they tagged a few weeks back. Rose looks really skinny. He has kind of a Rick Rude physique now. It just looks kinda odd on him. These two really worked hard here and had a pretty entertaining match, which I wasn't expecting at all. Breeze wins with the Beauty Shot.

Devin interviewed Solomon Crowe in the back. I'm not sure if he was saying he was injured or not. He just said that when he gets back he'll be in the ring with the NXT champion again. So, that kind of implies that he's going somewhere.

Greg Hamilton comes onto the stage and introduces Eva Marie. He asks her why she was in the crowd at Takeover, and Eva Marie basically declares her intention to be a regular in-ring competitor on NXT. To say the crowd isn't happy about this would be an understatement.

Alexa Bliss Vs Carmella: both women are out with their respective teams. This match is bad. Maybe the worse women's match in NXT since Charlotte/Summer Rae. Alexa gets a win with a roll-up and holding onto the ropes.

The Vaudevillains Vs Jason Jordan and Marcus Louis: Okay, okay, back up here. First of all, awesome, the Vaudevillains are back. Happy to see them again. But more importantly, Marcus Louis?! What the fuck? I thought he was done. You mean to tell me all this time they could have been continuing the Phantom of the Opera gimmick with him? But they just trot him out for this random tag team match? And he's the partner that Jason Jordan said was the perfect partner for him? Louis is still doing the same gimmick, by the way. The Vaudevillains are big babyfaces here, especially Gotch, it seems. They pick up the win, and Jordan is unhappy at Louis for getting pinned after the match.

Finn Balor Vs Rhyno: So, William Regal announced that Finn Balor will get his title match with Kevin Owens at the Japan network special. Balor then does a promo about his history in Japan. Balor is really bad on promos. he has this very deliberate style that just doesn't work for him. I dunno if someone told him to speak slowly because of his accent or something, but it just makes him sound like he can't catch his breath or something. The match itself is okay. Not a patch on the Rhyno/Sami match. Finn is doing his half-arsed Demon entrance again. He wins with a roll-up after avoiding a gore. As Balor celebrates on the ramp, I think how cool it would be if Rhyno gored him. And, lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. It was an awesome gore as well, taking Finn clean across the ramp. Nice ending to the show.

Episode MVP: Tyler Breeze.  

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

6/10/15

Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley Vs Elias Sampson and Mike Rallis: Well, I guess they cut the middle part out of the story of the Hype Bros forming, and just skipped right to the pay-off. They were actually pretty over here, and looked decent in this short semi-squash. Good idea to put Mojo in a team with an experienced guy. There's a big contingent of Mojo fans in attendance again.

Emma Vs Blue Pants: Yay, Blue Pants is back. Nice short match here with Emma going over with the Emma-Lock. I like that Emma is starting to get some wins under her belt.

Tyler Breeze Vs Bull Dempsey: Dempsey is another guy I thought was done. It looks like they're testing the waters for a Breeze face run again here. They just seem to like to throw other heels at him from time to time. Actually, I think they've run this match before. Oh boy, so it looks like they're doing a stupid fat slob gimmick for Bull. They have him chasing Breeze around the ring and having to stop to catch his breath. This'll get him over. Back in the ring Breeze hits the Beauty Shot for the win. Then, later, in the back, Bull walks into Regal's office scoffing a bag of crisps. Regal tells him he needs to get his act together and takes the crisps off him. Bull pulls a chocolate bar from his singlet. So he's Bastion Booger now? I'm disappointed in NXT for going down this road.

Becky Lynch Vs Jessie McKay: Billie Kay in action here. Big pop for Becky. Competitive squash win for Lynch. They're calling the Dis-arm-her the Disgoosting armbar here (disgusting with an Oirish accent). Yeah, change that.

Another backstage bit with Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Basically the same as the first one.

Baron Corbin Vs Angelo Dawkins: The standard Corbin win. He's still pretty over as a face here. 

When we cut back to commentary after the break, Kevin Owens has joined the team and has his arm around Byron Saxton, threateningly. Saxton has the most sour look on his face. It's pretty awesome. 

Samoa Joe Vs Scott Dawson: Joe's in-ring debut. Good short match to introduce him. I forgot about the Muscle Buster. Joe looks way leaner here than he does right now, which I can understand. Joe calls Owens to the ring to fight, but Owens says Joe hasn't earned a shot at the title. Regal comes out and says Owens is right in that Joe hasn't earned a title shot, but he has earned a fight, and next week it will be Joe Vs Owens. Awesome.

Episode MVP: A pretty low-key episode this week. I'm giving it to Joe.

 

 

 

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

6/17/15

Enzo, Big Cass and Carmella Vs Blake, Murphy and Alexa Bliss: This is a fun way to open the show, with a hot crowd. Enzo pins Blake after a rocket launcher. Blake's hair is getting more and more ridiculous. 

We get a long video feature, part one of two apparently, on Finn Balor, showing his childhood and start in the wrestling business. This is a good feature, and the type of thing this company should do more often to give a bit of depths to the characters.

Charlotte Vs Cassie: Cassie is Peyton Royce. She gets a little bit of offence in before Charlotte puts her away.

Kevin Owens Vs Samoa Joe: I was really looking forward to this match, but I didn't like the way it was laid out at all. I almost think Joe should have squashed Owens here to build up his aura, and maybe end on a DQ. It should at least have been more out of control, or had more of a clash of the titans feel. Instead, they worked it like it was just another match, featuring long KO chinlock segments. Boring. It finally did break down and the referee ended up throwing the match out as they brawled at ringside and couldn't be separated. Entertaining post-match brawl, but this was a missed opportunity for me.

Episode MVP: Very thin episode this week. Dana Brooke cut a decent little promo in the back, so she is my default MVP this week. As an aside, this was the first show that aired after Dusty's passing. I'm sure there'll be some tributes and the like at the next batch of tapings.

[Brian Fowler]

At the time, I seem to recall everyone figuring Joe and Owens were holding back for a bigger, possibly TakeOver match.

[NikoBaltimore]

On 8/4/2019 at 2:00 AM, Brian Fowler said:

At the time, I seem to recall everyone figuring Joe and Owens were holding back for a bigger, possibly TakeOver match.

Spoilering in case he doesn't want to find out yet:

I don't seem to recall Joe and KO having another match in NXT.  And if they did it wasn't the epic matchup that I'd remember it being.  But by not doing that kind of that match it really is a missed opportunity.  Was hoping we'd get that on the main roster but either they haven't crossed paths or it was a throwaway match at best

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

6/24/15

The show starts with a 10-bell salute for Dusty, with all the roster on the ramp. Holy shit, Sylvester LeFort!? This guy is still employed? The only person I notice who is visibly crying is, funnily enough, Kevin Owens. He looks really broken up.

Greg Hamilton interviews Hideo Itami in the ring. Itami says when he comes back, he'll be going after the man that attacked him. Kevin Owens comes out and says that wasn't him, but demands Itami apologise to him for calling him a bad person. Funny moment as Owens stumbles over his words really badly, but recovers by saying that he almost sounded like Hideo Itami trying to speak English. Itami refuses to apologise, so Owens heads to the ring. Finn Balor makes the save, but then Rhyno comes out and attacks Balor again. I guess Balor/Rhyno is our main event.

Enzo and Big Cass Vs Jason Jordan and Sylvester Lefort: I don't this Jordan storyline to build to him finally picking Gable as his partner, but it is really daft that he's just picking the jobbiest of jobbers as his partners. I'm expecting him to come out with Yoshi Tatsu next week. He should at least be picking guys with a bit of credibility. Jordan gets rolled up by Enzo here, but blames Sly for the loss. I really hate Enzo and Cass, by the way. I'm kinda surprised these guys were so popular here back in the day, because there act got obnoxious here really quickly. I know I'm watching this with the benefit of hindsight, and seeing them on the main roster, but I feel confident in saying that I would have felt the same way if I was watching this is real time. That stupid dance that Enzo does is the worst. No, not that dance, the other one.

Dana Brooke Vs Cassie: Pretty nothing match here, with Dana going over. Cassie looks better as a babyface than you might think she would. Weird attire though.

Part two of the Finn Balor feature airs, focusing on his time in Japan. Super weird in the current climate to see Bullet Club merch and logos featured so prominently on WWE TV. Balor talks about his love of making Lego. I make Lego too. With my 6-year old son. I'm not one of those people who mourns for the days when the lockerroom were all partying after the shows, but one of my problems with Balor is that I can't take him seriously as a tough guy, and coming out and saying 'I like to build Lego' is an almost comical vindication of that. Still, Finn does come off as genuinely likable, and I particularly liked the little bit on his friendship with Matt Bloom here.

We see a bunch of tweets of photos showing Bull Dempsey trying to get in shape (actually him just sleeping in various places with crumbs all over him) as this interminable storyline continues.

The Hype Bros Vs Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton: A showcase win for the Hype Bros. 

In the back, Eva Marie asks William Regal for a chance to compete on NXT. Regal says she'll have to prove herself. Eva Marie needs to prove she can be trusted with a bottle of fake tan first, because she is an odd colour here.

Finn Balor Vs Rhyno: Kevin Owens is back on commentary, to the delight of Byron Saxton. This is probably better than their last match. Balor picks up the win with the Coup de Grace. Owens hits the ring and he and Rhyno beat Balor down until Joe makes the save.

Episode MVP: These shows are really missing a Sami Zayn or a Sasha Banks lately. I guess Kevin Owens for his promo and commentary work.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

7/1/15

The Vaudevillains Vs Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder: Byron and Corey bicker incessantly about how manly the Vaudevillains may or may not be. It's tiresome. The Vaudevillains pick up the win.

Baron Corbin Vs Tucker Knight: Wow, didn't know Tucker had been in the system this long. He's a big unit. Corbin runs through him, finishing with an impressive End of Days.

In the back, The Vaudevillains and Enzo and Cass are arguing in William Regal's office about who should be the number one contenders for the tag titles. Regal makes a match between them next week to settle the issue.

The final part of the Balor story focusing on his arrival in NXT. Everyone agrees that he's a real nice guy who deserves all the success he gets. I believe it too. I just don't find him interesting at all.

We then see footage of Eva Marie working out in the ring under the watchful eyes of Regal and Sara Amato. She's just doing a bunch of very basic shit.

Emma Vs Carmella: Emma picks up the win. I'm loving heel Emma. One of the highlights of the show.

In the back Bull Dempsey is having a meltdown because he can't get candy out of the vending machine. Regal comes along and tells him to get a grip. That's followed by another Jordan/Gable bit.

Tyler Breeze Vs Tye Dillinger: Again, Breeze is in there with a heel. I think this is the third straight heel/heel match he's been in. Lots of '10' chants for Dillinger, with the announcers referencing his perfect 10 gimmick that hasn't actually debuted on TV yet, which is weird. Breeze gets the win.

Emma and Dana Brooke are in the back  eyeing up the NXT women's championship belt in Sasha Banks lockerroom. Devin Taylor comes in saying she's supposed to be interviewing Sasha here. Sasha follows and asks them what they think they're doing. They say they're taking over the NXT women's division. They end up challenging Sasha to a tag match, mocking her because no-one likes her or would want to tag with her. Sasha says she'll find a partner. I'm guessing it's either going to be Devin, who Dana continues to have her little thing with, or Bayley, to set up the Sasha/Bayley feud. Nice to have Sasha back on TV anyhow.

Finn Balor and Samoa Joe Vs Kevin Owens and Rhyno: Decent tag match, but nothing memorable. Rhyno accidentally gores Owens, and Balor pins him with the Coup de Grace. I'm surprised they went with Balor pinning Owens right before Beast In The East, since I believe Balor wins the title there.

Episode MVP: Emma. It's slim pickings again though.

[MORELOCK]

42 minutes ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

I really hate Enzo and Cass, by the way. I'm kinda surprised these guys were so popular here back in the day, because there act got obnoxious here really quickly. I know I'm watching this with the benefit of hindsight, and seeing them on the main roster, but I feel confident in saying that I would have felt the same way if I was watching this is real time.

To me, the closest comparison has always been the New Age Outlaws. VERY entertaining in their initial heel run, and instantly insufferable when their catchphrase got over and forced a face turn - to the point where nobody remembers why they enjoyed them in the first place.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

I agree. But the Outlaws at least had a bit of a run at heels first. Enzo and Cass got over and turned face pretty much straight away. Which, I mean, is good for them, I guess. I'm not even surprised how popular they got. I'm just a little surprised how popular they were on this particular board, until the bloom hardcore came off the rose.

[TheVileOne]

So is the FS1 move a done deal? Or is it still just a rumor?

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

So, I ended up watching The Beast In The East. I'd never seen it before, and knew I had to watch the NXT title change at least. But, being anal, I decided just to watch the whole thing. Quick thoughts:

Chris Jericho Vs Neville was probably the best match of the night. Jericho picked up the win. Nikki Bella beat Tamina and Paige to retain her divas title. Pretty poor match. Brock Lesnar squashed Kofi Kingston in a couple of minutes. The whole show was built around Lesnar, just for that? Owens/Balor was next, and then the main event was Dolph Ziggler and John Cena against King Barrett and Kane. This was boring as fuck. It felt like it went 30 mins, but wiki says 23. Which is long enough. Ziggler was the only guy who seemed interested in injecting any excitement into this, and his exchanges with Barrett were the best parts of the match.

Finn Balor Vs Kevin Owens: They give this the big match treatment, with the fans throwing streamers into the ring at the introductions, and both guys being presented with flowers before the match. Owens, true to form, threw his out the ring. Balor came out in full Demon paint, and looked like a bigger idiot than usual. The match was okay. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Both guys busted out some new (to their WWE runs) moves, and they had the crowd along for the ride. Balor picked up the win and championship after a second Coup de Grace. The coolest part was Tatsumi Fujinami coming into the ring and raising Balor's hand after the match. Balor offered Owens his hand, and I thought they were going to do the lame NXT curtain call thing, but Owens blew him off. Owens's reign was pretty good. I have low expectations for Balor's.

[Pete]

1 minute ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

So, I ended up watching The Beast In The East. I'd never seen it before, and knew I had to watch the NXT title change at least. But, being anal, I decided just to watch the whole thing. Quick thoughts:

Chris Jericho Vs Neville was probably the best match of the night. Jericho picked up the win. Nikki Bella beat Tamina and Paige to retain her divas title. Pretty poor match. Brock Lesnar squashed Kofi Kingston in a couple of minutes. The whole show was built around Lesnar, just for that? Owens/Balor was next, and then the main event was Dolph Ziggler and John Cena against King Barrett and Kane. This was boring as fuck. It felt like it went 30 mins, but wiki says 23. Which is long enough. Ziggler was the only guy who seemed interested in injecting any excitement into this, and his exchanges with Barrett were the best parts of the match.

Pretty much. Brock had gone to Japan with Brad Rheingans because he was visiting Masa Saito in hospice, and they gave him a booking. It was a working vacation for all intents and purposes.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

7/8/15

Sasha Banks and Charlotte Vs Dana Brooke and Emma: Sasha came out alone and said that Brooke and Emma were right in that she couldn't find a partner, but that she'd kick their asses on her own. Then Charlotte's music hit. Ugh. The most boring option possible. I was hoping for Devin. Bayley would have been good. Blue Pants would have been a great option. Charlotte says she'll team with Sasha, but that Sasha owes her one. Banks agrees and they do their little BFF pose. At least Sasha gets to be the star in the match, getting the hot tag and quickly wrapping this up. It ends with Banks and Charlotte making Brooke and Emma tap to their finishers. Then Charlotte says Banks owes her a favour and she wants a title shot next week. Sasha agrees.

In the back, Devin is interviewing Chad Gable. Jason Jordan comes in and begrudgingly agrees to team with Gable. Gable has tonnes of charisma. Looking forward to this team.

Solomon Crowe Vs Marcus Louis: Crowe says he's back and meaner than ever. He wants to be known as NXT's resident litttle monster. Which is a shitty nickname to go along with the rest of his generally shitty presentation. Crowe wins with a new submission.

The Vaudevillains Vs Enzo and Big Cass: This is the number one contenders match. Solid enough stuff. The Vaudevillains are playing the heels in this match, and get a sneaky win when Aiden English rolls through Enzo's cross body block attempt. So it's going to be Blake and Murphy Vs The Vaudevillains for the tag titles at a later date.

Episode MVP: This was a slight show, because they showed lots of highlights from Beast in the East. Sasha stood out the most this week.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

7/15/15

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable Vs Elias Sampson and Steve Cutler: Not seen Cutler for a while. When is Elias going to become the Drifter? Seems like he's been jobbing for ages. This isn't really fair. Jordan and his last two partners had proper opposition, whereas Gable gets the jobbers, so of course he looks good. Actually, Gable does look good. Really good. Even at this early stage, he seems to have the it factor. Really strong showing from he and Jordan here.

Samoa Joe Vs Axel Tischer: Hey, it's Alexander Wolfe. I had no idea he was German. Joe gives this guy way too much of the match. He should have rolled over him. He's starting to feel less special as the weeks go on, now that they seem to have moved on from him and Owens. 

There's a vignette on Baron Corbin where he talks about all his accomplishments and then starts shit-talking the indie darling of NXT. So, that's the start of that gimmick.

Blake and Murphy Vs Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton: Dawkins and Fulton must be proper green because they're both big dudes, but never get to really show anything. The tag champs mow them down here. I don't think Fulton ever gets in the ring actually. Then, after the match, Alexa Bliss delivers an assisted sparkle splash to Fulton. This is a good heel act the champs have got here.

Sami Zayn comes out with his arm in a sling to give an update on his injury. He talks about 2014 being the best year of his career, but 2015 being the worst. He says it probably won't get any better, because he probably won't be able to compete again this year. But, he says, when he does come back, he's going to get the NXT title back, and get revenge on Kevin Owens. I think the shows have noticeably got worse without Zayn around, but he weirdly feels out of place on NXT now.

Sasha Banks Vs Charlotte: The big story is that Sasha and Charlotte (and Becky) all made their Raw debuts the week before this, so there's lots of talk of that. I'm sad that that means the countdown is on for the end of Sasha's NXT run. These two have another good match together. They have such great chemistry. Charlotte does what I think is her first Flair flop. She really doesn't need to be doing that. It doesn't fit her character at all. Sasha survives the figure-8, and makes Charlotte tap to the Banks Statement. Wow. Really pleasantly surprised that Charlotte put her over like that. Take a bow, ladies. Oh, but don't hug. Aww, they hugged. That's a shame. I hate this mutual respect shit they were constantly doing with the women in NXT. If this was Sasha's face turn, that would be fine, but I know she's got the big feud with Bayley coming up where she definitely isn't a face.

Episode MVP: Man, Gable impressed me big time this week. Charlotte was looking good in her match too. But Sasha is still the best every time out.

3 1/4 star match: Sasha Banks Vs Charlotte

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

7/22/15

Greg Hamilton interviews Finn Balor in the ring to start off the show. This is Balor's first appearance on NXT since winning the world title. They talk about his upcoming rematch with Kevin Owens that is set for the next Takeover, Takeover: Brooklyn. Balor isn't very good on promos, but he comes off sincere here, and gets the job done, basically putting over how dangerous Owens is, but saying he will walk out of Brooklyn still the champion. 

Devin interviews Eva Marie in the back. Eva does okay here, saying that she's put in her blood, sweat and tears to get ready for her in-ring return. She addresses the fans not liking her, and tells them to give her a chance, because this means everything to her. Her match is up next, so let's see.

Eva Marie Vs Cassie: I should say that I had no preconception about Eva going into this. I never really paid any attention to her before, never watched an episode of Total Divas. I know that she is very much not liked, but I never understood the vitriol, other than she was signed seemingly just for being hot, and isn't a wrestling person. So, I wasn't looking to pan this match or anything. But... Well, this is probably the worst NXT match ever at this point. Not only does Eva look so far off being ready from a mechanical standpoint, but, well mechanical is a good word to use here, because there's something very robotic about her. She's like a droid who's programmed to be a hot woman, but the technology isn't quite there yet so it just feels off. And nothing is natural. Everything she does, from running the ropes, to locking on a rest hold to going for a cover looks like she's having to really search her memory banks to remember how to do it. Imagine watching a match and looking to Peyton Royce to hold the thing together, because that's what this is. Eva Marie wins it with Sliced Bread #2. Am I remember correctly that Brian Kendrick was working with her at this point? He's got his work cut out for him. And all the while, Corey Graves is putting this over on commentary.

Funny backstage bit with Regal walking into his office to find Tyler Breeze waiting for him in a seductive pose. Breeze says he assumes Regal has something big planned for him for Takeover. Regal tells him he's working on something. I wish I didn't know who it was, because that would be an awesome surprise/

Baron Corbin Vs Jesus De Leon: Jeez, where did they undig De Leon from? Corbin beats him in quick fashion.

Samoa Joe Vs Mike Rallis: Another squash for Joe. He looks better in this one.

Bayley Vs Emma: This is Bayley's return match after having her hand broken by Emma. Dana is with Emma as always. Nice little match with Bayley winning with the Bayley-to-Belly. Is Emma just naturally awkward and dorky? Because she still comes off that way, even after dropping that gimmick. Or is she just playing it more subtle now? Bayley gets on the mic and says that she wants the NXT women's title, and to do that she needs to beat the very best. So she challenges... Charlotte? Wait, hold up. Okay, I know what she was going for here. She's working her way back up to the top of the division. But the way she said it made it sound like she was challenging Sasha to a title match, and this came off like she just thought Charlotte was still the champ. 

Dasha makes her debut as a backstage interviewer. Which one is Dasha again? The one who got fired for having a personality? She is interviewing Charlotte. Charlotte accepts Bayley's challenge but then Dana walks in and shit-talks her, so Charlotte says Bayley can wait another week, and she'll face Dana next week instead. 

The Vaudevillains Vs Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins: Fulton and Dawkins get a bit more in this week, and don't look too bad. The highlight is Dawkins having Gotch in a abdominal stretch, and Gotch escaping by grabbing his own foot and using it to beat Dawkins over the head. The Vaudevillains win. Blake, Murphy and Alexa are in the back and Devin asks them about their title match next week. Alexa says her boys will win, she'll make sure of it. Blake has dyed his hair blonde now. His commitment to making himself look stupid is commendable.

The main event is a contract signing between Kevin Owens and Finn Balor. Regal is out to officiate as always. Owens marches out first and cuts a good promo, heels on the crowd, calls Balor's win in Japan a fluke, and talks about everything he's done in his 6 months on NXT and Raw. Balor keeps it short and sweet, saying he'll shove Owens's words down his mouth in Brooklyn. They both sign the contract, then Owens attacks Balor, and punches Regal to the ground for good measure. I wish this were building to a Regal/Owens match, because their interactions are always good. Balor makes a comeback and runs Owens off as the show closes. Another good NXT contract signing. This followed the rules of the basic contract signing angles, but it was well executed, and the punch to Regal raised the stakes.

Episode MVP: Bayley. She looked good in her return.

[NikoBaltimore]

48 minutes ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

Eva Marie Vs Cassie: I should say that I had no preconception about Eva going into this. I never really paid any attention to her before, never watched an episode of Total Divas. I know that she is very much not liked, but I never understood the vitriol, other than she was signed seemingly just for being hot, and isn't a wrestling person. So, I wasn't looking to pan this match or anything. But... Well, this is probably the worst NXT match ever at this point. Not only does Eva look so far off being ready from a mechanical standpoint, but, well mechanical is a good word to use here, because there's something very robotic about her. She's like a droid who's programmed to be a hot woman, but the technology isn't quite there yet so it just feels off. And nothing is natural. Everything she does, from running the ropes, to locking on a rest hold to going for a cover looks like she's having to really search her memory banks to remember how to do it. Imagine watching a match and looking to Peyton Royce to hold the thing together, because that's what this is. Eva Marie wins it with Sliced Bread #2. Am I remember correctly that Brian Kendrick was working with her at this point? He's got his work cut out for him. And all the while, Corey Graves is putting this over on commentary.

This is an excellent review of Eva's match and I got quite a chuckle out of it.  I did watch Total Divas (me and my stupid life decisions) and she did train with Kendrick.  She did seem eager in wanting to learn what she can and from what I can tell was committed to it.  Or it could just be reality show editing for all I know.  But it was enough for me to be hopeful enough that while trolling the crowd she was competent enough to back it up.  I was a bit more forgiving with her first TV match though by the next one I checked out.

And now that I'm caught up on wrestling I may follow along with you on the lead up to Takeover Brooklyn.  That show was one of my absolute favorites and I'm curious to see how the build and show hold up.

[MORELOCK]

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

Eva Marie Vs Cassie: I should say that I had no preconception about Eva going into this. I never really paid any attention to her before, never watched an episode of Total Divas. I know that she is very much not liked, but I never understood the vitriol, other than she was signed seemingly just for being hot, and isn't a wrestling person.

That's really all it was. The narrative about her was already fully formed, and people were venomous in their hatred for her well before they ever saw her wrestle. It turned out that they were correct, but it felt very unfair at the time. She seemed to be sincerely trying and just couldn't put anything together. It was worth a try - Sable made them a shitload of money working with basically the same amount of talent.

[LoneWolf&Subs]

The major criticism didn’t really start until she was stuck in development for an eternity, and while she was down their(as well as filming Total Divas) the women’s division changed so much around her into a performance based division, rather than looks based. As well as in fact, improving like a slow moving glacier. Developing no redeeming skills during her time in Florida. So the criticism of her was very valid. I’ve criticized Alex Bliss as a wrestler plenty, but at least she has redeeming skills. She isn’t just a look. Eva couldn’t talk, perform in the ring, and had zero charisma. You want to point to somebody who was unfairly criticized, at least after she improved. Look at Nikki Bella, who tried her best after they split up the Bella team. She won some people over, but the hardcores, and some casuals still rejected her for representing the previous Divas era, and maybe due to some nepotism.

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by LoneWolf&Subs

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

7/29/15

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder Vs Enzo and Big Cass: This is the start of treating Dawson and Wilder as a serious team, as they pick up what I think is their first win. Interesting how Enzo and Cass seem to lose most of their matches. I guess it's because they can always stay over with their mic work. I will say that as a team in shorter matches, they're perfectly fine. Enzo gets his ass kicked, and makes the hot tag to Cass who can hit some high impact stuff. I also give Enzo credit for having no ego in terms of how he presents himself as a wrestler. He doesn't mind getting his ass kicked, and he doesn't mind hiding behind Cass, as he does here. Corey compares him to Scrappy Doo, but that's bullshit because we all know Scrappy didn't sell for anyone. Anyway, that's all the nice things I'll say about Enzo and Cass probably ever, and this is all about The Revival coming out anyway. They debut the Shatter Machine here, called by that name. And they already look great in ring.

Devin interviews Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Interestingly, they're being presented as heels, as they trash talk Enzo and Cass and the Hype Bros (who I forgot existed). I don't see this lasting. Gable is just too entertaining. The gimmick here is that Jordan won't say Gable's goofy 'ready, willing and Gable' cathcphrase.

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.

Another backstage bit with Tyler Breeze asking Regal for a big match at Takeover. These two have good chemistry together. Regal tells Breeze that he'll have an opponent for him soon, but to be careful what you wish for.

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable Vs Elias Sampson and Levis Valenzuela Jr: Valenzuela is No Way Jose. This might be legit the first time I'm ever seeing him wrestle despite him being on the main roster for, what, a year? Jordan and Gable get the win with the assisted back suplex.

Dana does a promo on Charlotte in the back with Devin. She says that tonight is too important to pat Devin on the head, but then says 'psych' and does it anyway. I don't know why, but Dana is starting to grow on me. Her using outdated phrases like wack and psych, and her ridiculous poses that she does a billion times every time she appears are stupid, but in an endearing way. It doesn't hurt that she has Emma with her.

A terrible vignette airs of Bull Dempsey trying to get in shape. I was hoping this storyline had been dropped. It's played for laughs, with Bull failing at everything he tries, before saying it's time to get Bull-Fit. The worst thing about this is that Bull isn't even particularly fat. He's just a big, thick dude. 

Charlotte Vs Dana Brooke: This ends up being not much more than a competitive squash, Charlotte winning with Natural Selection. They're pushing Charlotte on the main roster, so she pretty much had to win here.

Samoa Joe cuts a promo in the back about his match next week with Rhyno. Then we see a video of Kevin Owens apologising to William Regal for sucker punching him at the contract signing. When Owens walks away, Regal says that he can't wait for Owens to get his ass kicked by Balor in Brooklyn.

Kevin Owens Vs Martin Stone: Stone is Danny Burch with a new name. We haven't seen him for a while. He gets a few licks in but Owens pretty much squashes him. After the match, Owens gives Stone the apron powerbomb.

Blake and Murphy Vs The Vaudevillains: Tag team title match. This has been a good week for the tag division, but the Revival picking up their first win, and Gable and Jordan keeping their momentum going. And this is a pretty good match for the titles here. Interesting to see the Vaudevillains wrestle pretty much as classic babyfaces. As they close in on the win, Alexa Bliss distracts Aiden English, allowing Murphy to roll him up and pin him with a handful of tights. The Vaudevillains are furious and lay a beatdown on the champs, then corner Bliss. Bliss begs off but the Vaudevillains collect themselves and hold the ropes for her to get out of the ring. Bliss berates them, basically calling them pussies, and slaps them both before leaving with the gloating champions. Nice way to continue this feud.

Episode MVP: There was a lot to enjoy on this show. Hard to pick an individual MVP when the show was so tag heavy. I'm going to go with Simon Gotch though. His hot tag work in the main event was fun, and I just love his mannerisms.

[NikoBaltimore]

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 August 21, 2019 by NikoBaltimore
Turns out I was the one that needed to be corrected. Whoops.

[MORELOCK]

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