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Yo-Yo's Roomie

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That Bobby Roode promo is an all-time classic. It is one of my favorite promos ever. I just love the delivery so much. He did suck an awesome job with the generic new person in NXT rah rah speech and Full Sail bought it hook line and sinker, all before it just became him saying he was going to replace the fans with a better type of person. 
 

Bobby Roode’s NXT run is one of my favorite runs they had. I know it is Evil Rich Guy but Evil Rich Guy is my favorite character. He had such a great pretentious theme song, mannerisms and superb arrogance. The only regret is NXT fans should have is that they never thought to pair The Revival with him so they could be some Horseman-type stable. 
 

But Bobby Roode rules so much.

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I just rewatched that Bobby Roode promo. It is so friggin' great. The pacing of it is great. He does such a great job with the generic "rah rah WE ARE NXT" things that were so cookie cutter. And then it progresses with Bobby Roode becoming more and more self-centered but without the crowd turning on him yet. And then when he gets into talking about CEOs and executives replacing the cargo shorts wearing losers in the crowd -- people turned on him so very quickly. It is so much better that way then him coming out and just being obnoxious right away.

I actually teach a public speaking class at a college nearby. No joke, I'm showing them this promo this week as an example of poise. It is just so amazing to me to think that Bobby Roode can deliver the cheap pop stuff so effectively knowing that he's about to say some legitimately hilarious stuff as a villain in just a minute or two, and he has to do so with the same type of delivery to not oversell it.

A+ promo.

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  • 2 weeks later...

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II

Nice video package to start with some of tonight's competitors looking back to where they were a year ago.

Austin Aries Vs No Way Jose: Jose comes out with the conga line for the first time. Interesting that Aries got turned heel by basically being paired with someone more popular than him (Nakamura), and now his first programme as a heel is against someone he's bound to get cheered against. This is a decent match. Jose has convinced me that he deserves better than being cannon fodder. In another universe he's having bloody brawls in Puerto Rico. Cool finish from Aries hitting a sunset flip powerbomb and then transitioning right into the Last Chancery and forcing Jose to tap. Aries locked the hold in again after the match and Hideo Itami's music hit to a big pop. Itami came out looking badass in a suit, but Aries attacks him. Itami fires right back and ends up hitting a GTS on Aries which sends the fans into a frenzy. Is that the first official on-screen GTS Itami has hit? Cool moment.

Ember Moon Vs Billie Kay: Moon gets over pretty good on her debut. Standard match. The Eclipse gets a huge pop though.

Bobby Roode Vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas: Big entrance for Roode as he comes down on a podium over the stage. The crowd sings along with Roode's entrance music. Didn't take long for that to get over. I like Roode, but there's something that doesn't click about him in this gimmick for me. I don't know if it's because the music is just too goofy and comedic to be taken seriously for a main event-calibre guy (and Roode doesn't have the right kind of charisma to bridge that gap) or if it's just because when he smiles  his face gets all wrinkly like that teen idol in that one Simpsons episode, and thus he looks too old for the gimmick. It just has never felt right to me. Just like the Aries match, this is another heel who was bound to get cheered over his opponent in front of this crowd. Another pretty good match here. Roode hits a shitty pump-handle slam, dubbed the Glorious Bomb, for the win.

The Revival Vs Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa: A backstage bit before the match shows Ciampa presenting Gargano with their own shirt, which introduces us to the #DIY name. It's a pretty crummy name for a tag-team, but I prefer teams have names anyway. This is a cracking match, and the crowd is super-hot for it. Not on a par with the Revival/American Alpha matches, for me, but still very good. Gargano gets his leg worked over during the match, which ends up leading to the finish, as the Revival hit their leg-breaker double team move on him (the same move that took out Big Cass), and then Dawson makes him tap to the reverse figure-four. Gargano is disconsolate after the match, but Ciampa consoles him. It kinda looked like they were setting up for Ciampa to turn heel on Gargano with how long this bit lasted, but obviously that didn't happen.

Asuka Vs Bayley: Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte are all in the crowd for this one. Nice touch that Charlotte is sitting away from the two babyfaces. Another hell of a match from these two. They have the best chemistry because their styles don't really mesh at all but somehow it works and everything looks like a struggle. Asuka gets to kick out of the Bayley-to-Belly, and Bayley escapes from the Asuka Lock. IN the end, a clearly beaten Bayley invites Asuka on to her, and Asuka obliges, putting her down with a rounhouse kick to retain the belt. There've been some great finishes tonight, and this was another one. Asuka helps Bayley up after the match, and they hug. This is obviously the end for Bayley in NXT, as she hugs her fellow Horsewomen after the match, and soaks up the adulation of the crowd. I didn't expect to be saying this going into this project, but I think that Bayley is probably the MVP of NXT. Her whole journey has been a joy to watch, and she had the best connection with the fans. Just a great run from her.

Shinsuke Nakamura Vs Samoa Joe: Joe gets a Goldberg-like entrance in the back, and I laugh at him shoving one of the security guys against the wall. I laugh even harder when I realise said security guard is MJF. Awesome entrance for Nakamura with the violinist playing him to the ring. It would have been better had it not lasted so long (I think the violinist was even getting bored), and if it were just the violin on its own and not the actual music playing too. Anyway, it was still cool. The fans keep singing his theme throughout the match too. Once again, this is a title match that delivers. Lots of stiffness in this one, as you would expect. Joe dominates a lot of the match, but Nakamura kicks out of a Muscle Buster and escapes the Kokina Clutch. Another good finish for this one. Nakamura escapes another Muscle Buster attempt and kinda falls in exhaustion which allows Nak to hit a quick Kinshasa. Joe kicks out but Nakamura stays on him, hitting the diving dive from the second rope to the back of the head, and then another Kinshasa for the victory and the championship. It looks like Joe got legit rocked by that first Kinshasa, and may have even got his jaw broken. For some reason, I was expecting Joe to retain here, so the finish came as a bit of a surprise to me.

Show MVP: I'm gonna go with Bayley. Really good babyface performance in her match, and I'll likely never get the chance to give her one of these again.

Show rating: This was, surprise surprise, a really good show. Not as significant as last year's show, but definitely a great night of wrestling. Nothing bad on the whole show, and the top three matches all came through. 4 stars.

3 1/2 star matches: The Revivak Vs Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciamps, Asuka Vs Bayley, Shinsuke Nakamura Vs Samoa Joe.

 

 

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The Takeover before was heavily leaning towards the end of one era and this show with Bayley leaving pretty much sealed it.  I remember being really bummed when she lost both matches against Asuka as like you mentioned she to us is the MVP of NXT.  But looking back this show was a great sign of things to come and I remember being in love with the Revival/DIY match.  Also loved the violin for Nakamura's entrance and even bought the song when they released it through WWE music.

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

Jose has convinced me that he deserves better than being cannon fodder. In another universe he's having bloody brawls in Puerto Rico.


This was the match I was talking about a couple of pages ago. I remember being impressed and thinking he could go if given the opportunity. But four years later I'm guessing this was his first and last opportunity.

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8/24/16

This show featured lots of video packages from Takeover, as well as a couple of matches taped before Takeover began.

Tye Dillinger Vs Wesley Blake: Blake has new entrance music and a new look. I'm not sure what he's going for here. Tye is super-over as always. Standard match with Dillinger going over to snap his losing streak.

Amongst the post-match interviews we see from Takeover, we get Bayley talking about her tough loss to Asuka. Ember Moon comes up to her and tells her that she pushed Asuka to the limit and that she's an inspiration to her. Featuring Ember like this kinda killed her mystique a little bit and made her seem like just another girl.

We see footage of Johnny Gargano losing to TJP in the Cruiserweight Classic, in part, as Ramo mentioned above, due to the damage done to his leg in the match against the Revival. We also get a hype video for Sanity (actually one aired during Takeover too).

The Authors of Pain Vs TM61: Like AOP's match against American Alpha, this is a lot of fun and shows that AOP are already a very capable power team when in there against smaller guys willing to make their offence look great. TM61 put up a good fight, but eventually go down.

Episode MVP: Shane Thorne.

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8/31/16

We start with a bit in the trainer's room with the doctor telling William Regal that Samoa Joe will be out for a while due to the injuries he sustained at Takeover. Did he legit get his jaw broken by that Kinshasa?

Tye Dillinger Vs Buddy Murphy: Murphy still has his old Blake and Murphy music and look. Decent match with Dillinger going over.

In the back, Tommaso Ciampa is being interviewed. He talks up Johnny Gargano's heart. The Revival walk in, and Ciampa doesn't wait for them to attack, instead throwing the first shots. He gets overwhelmed and The Revival beat him down. The fight spills into the arena and eventually into the ring. Ciampa refuses to stay down and ends up taking a Shatter Machine. It kinda looks like Ciampa gets the brunt of the impact right on his balls, or else he does a great job selling the effect that might have. Really good segment to continue this feud.

Steve Cutler Vs Kenneth Crawford: This seems ripe for someone to do a run-in and lay both guys out, but it doesn't happen. Instead it looks like they're trying to do something with Cutler, as he gets a little pop-up promo talking about how everyone will respect him. Well, it's Crawford who looks the more impressive during the match, but Cutler picks up the win.

No Way Jose Vs Angelo Dawkins: Standard win with Jose.

Andrade 'Cien' Almas is in the back being interviewed. Austin Aries comes in and complains about people always trying to steal his spotlight. Almas challenges him to a match for next week. 

Liv Morgan Vs Aliyah: Man, this show is awfully short on in-ring star power. Liv picks up the win.

Jose is in the back celebrating his win and runs into Bobby Roode, who just glares at him. More lazy setting up of future matches. This episode has been a bit of a dud apart from the Revival angle.

'Main event' is Shinsuke Nakamura making his triumphant return to Full Sail. He comes out, cuts a short promo about the beginning of the era of Strong Style, poses, and that's your show.

Episode MVP: Tommaso Ciampa.

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9/7/16

TM61 Vs Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese: I'm not sure how I feel about using these cruiserweight guys as jobbers on NXT. I'd probably like it more if I wasn't already used to seeing these guys on WWE TV. This is a good little match, and totally gets Tony Nese, of all people, over. He looks really good here. After some close nearfalls for the underdogs, TM61 pick up the win with their finisher, Thunder Valley.

Tom Phillips conducts a sit-down interview with Asuka. Asuka puts over Bayley's heart, and then debuts the 'no-one is ready for Asuka' line.

Steve Cutler is facing Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event tonight and cuts a quick promo in the back about making everyone respect him. 

Ember Moon Vs Leah Von: Moon picks up the straight-forward win. She's getting over pretty good.

No Way Jose gets interviewed about his interaction with Bobby Roode last week. He says he hasn't changed for anyone in the past, and he's not going to start now.

Ciampa and Gargano are in the trainer's room and say that if they are cleared to compete they will have a match on the Cruiserweight Classic finale, and after that they will be coming for the Revival.

Austin Aries Vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas: Good match here between two good workers. Crowd is more behind Aries. I can't wait for Almas to turn heel. Aries gets the win with the Last Chancery.

Shinsuke Nakamura Vs Steve Cutler: Samoa Joe joins the commentary team, and plays it babyface throughout the match, putting over Nakamura, saying the better man won etc. Nakamura runs through Cutler, which makes giving Cutler a win last week seem a bit pointless. I mean, they gave him nothing in this match to make him seem like a threat or a guy on the ascendancy. 

Episode MVP: Tony Nese. 

3 star matches: TM61 Vs Daivari and Nese, Austin Aries Vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas.

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

Steve Cutler Vs Kenneth Crawford: This seems ripe for someone to do a run-in and lay both guys out, but it doesn't happen. Instead it looks like they're trying to do something with Cutler, as he gets a little pop-up promo talking about how everyone will respect him. Well, it's Crawford who looks the more impressive during the match, but Cutler picks up the win.

I’m curious since you didn’t mention it, but did you recognize Kenneth Crawford? IIRC, he had yet to lose weight and slim down at this point?

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5 hours ago, JonnyLaw said:

I’m curious since you didn’t mention it, but did you recognize Kenneth Crawford? IIRC, he had yet to lose weight and slim down at this point?

Crawford has appeared at least once before, and actually teamed with Angelo Dawkins to do a job. 

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15 hours ago, MORELOCK said:

I believe these NXT shows happened right around the time that the Cruiserweight Classic was taped. I was always curious why Crawford wasn't among those signed.

I assume you're thinking of Kenneth Johnson, who was in the CWC. Kenneth Crawford has been with WWE since 2015 and (based on Cagematch showing no Pre-WWE history) seems to be a Performance Centre creation. I won't say his current name in case of spoilers.

Edited by Sky Blue Sam
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I don’t know that it would be a spoiler, because there wasn’t an angle or anything involved in his name change/switch to current gimmick. He just looks different because he slimmed down.

Kenneth Crawford Then:

4KcgUms_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&f

Kenneth Crawford Now:

 

 

Montez_Ford_bio--dc9875c58e5e7001274c6ca

Edited by JonnyLaw
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9/14/16

We kick off with Samoa Joe making his way out. He cuts a promo about how losing the title has caused him to take stock, and he realises that he went too far in a lot of his actions, all because he wanted to be NXT champion so much. He invites Shinsuke Nakamura out to join him. The champ obliges, and Joe tells him that he was wrong when he said that he was an unworthy challenger, and that he is, in fact, a worthy champion. He says that when he is medically cleared, he wants his rematch. Nakamura agrees. Joe offers his hand, and they shake on it, and Joe leaves. Nakamura soaks up the adulation of the crowd, but, as he poses on the ramp, Joe returns and attacks him, eventually laying him out with a urinage on the ring steps. I thought they might have dragged this angle out a bit longer, as they could have easily got a few weeks out of this to take them to whenever Joe is ready to come back. They really put over how heinous this attack was, with Nakamura being stretchered out and Phillips and Graves condemning Joe. I dunno, it seemed a bit tame for that kind of response. I mean, a urinage on the steps should be a big deal, but you see similar stuff on the weekly.

In the back we see Regal furiously searching for Joe, but then see Joe speeding off in a car.

Liv Morgan Vs Rachael Fazio: Fazio is Rachael Ellering. She gets very little offence in as Morgan picks up the win. Liv then cuts a promo saying that Asuka may think she cleared out the division, but she is still here and is coming for the title. Not a good sign that Liv sounded really winded after a sub-2 minute squash. She's the last person I'd buy having a chance against Asuka anyway.

Hideo Itami Vs Drew Gulak: This is definitely an example of NXT using a CWC guy that I can get behind. I love me some Gulak. He starts the match off with a big slap to Itami's face, and the two proceed to have a fun little stiff-fest, ending with Itami hitting the GTS for the win. Tom Phillips has got a bee in his bonnet about Austin Aries not showing up to confront Itami.

The Authors of Pain Vs Chris Payne and Doug Sessa: I don't know anything about these jobbers. Standard win for AOP. I'm getting a bit worried about Paul Ellering. He just stands there and doesn't actually do anything.

Bobby Roode Vs No Way Jose: Decent match. Roode has already abandoned the Glorious Bomb as a finish, and is using the DDT now. It isn't perfect, but it's much better. 

Episode MVP: Joe. Really good promo and good beatdown.

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47 minutes ago, JonnyLaw said:

I don’t know that it would be a spoiler, because there wasn’t an angle or anything involved in his name change/switch to current gimmick. He just looks different because he slimmed down.

Kenneth Crawford Then:

4KcgUms_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&f

Kenneth Crawford Now:

  Hide contents

 

Montez_Ford_bio--dc9875c58e5e7001274c6ca

You learn something new every day. Thanks, @JonnyLaw.

What I did know: Kenneth Crawford is married to...

maxresdefault-2.jpg

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