EVA Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 5 hours ago, Casey said: Wait, people actually think that little rant was Sam Roberts' actual opinion, and not a very obvious instance of someone being fed lines from the back? Okay. Yeah, I just watched the clip, and it was very clearly a scripted bit. Dude had his ACTING~!!! face on from the jump. The fact that they followed up on it after the match just confirms it was an angle. Normally, I think this dude sucks, but considering how many people bought it, I guess he actually...did a "good" job in this instance? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORELOCK Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 17 minutes ago, RIPPA said: Well you could also say Pete Dunne but he seems to be walking between both NXT worlds And if we are breaking up UE - you have Roderick Strong I think it’s also a little unfair to discount the women’s side since Kairi Sane is clearly the babyface they wish Gargano had been I only specified the men because I don't think there's a similar problem on the women's side. None of the women are overexposed, mostly because they don't give them a whole lot of time. My only issue with the booking in regards to Bianca was that her match didn't receive much buildup for it to be the end of her streak. I do think they run the risk of another Asuka situation if they leave the title on Shayna for too long - in this case with Bianca in the Ember Moon role of "can't win the big one." It took someone as good as Shayna to rehabilitate the women's division after they had Asuka run through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peck Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 What did Bianca expect would happen when she POUNCED referee Jess? In all seriousness, that ref bump was awkward and clumsy and took me a bit out of the match. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterien Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 That tag match was awesome, Roderick Strong has been MVP in every Takeover match I’ve seen lately. He’s so damn good. I remember skipping all his ROH matches back in the day but being in UE fits him like a glove. Edit: Ohno/Riddle was great too. You could tell the crowd was a bit spent from the tag. Ohnos role in NXT fits him perfectly. Is Riddle a potential main guy? I don’t think so right now but he carries himself very well. This is a great show. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Given that it was probably the first bump she ever (maybe she was an indie wrestler in a previous life) took it was fine. Most ref bumps from non wrestlers look cartoonish anyway. The only real positive from the pre-show is that Kairi Sane should win every single award. Even ones that she wasn't nominated for 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 So let's say the six guys in the brawl main event Mania TakeOver in a ladder match. What would the rest of the card even look like? Also, dead air would be preferable to any pre-game table ramble in any sport ever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 If nobody watches them, they'll stop doing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Oyaji said: If nobody watches them, they'll stop doing them. Then why is 205 Live still a thing? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Man, I didn't really care for Ricochet/Gargano. Not getting the MOTY hype for that at all. I'm generally pro-Ricochet, but this veered way too far into the overly cooperative/contrived/flippy stuff. Gargano kinda sucks at working heel, too. Always has. This was a lot more Ricochet/Ospreay than Ibushi/Ospreay (and they certainly did themselves no favors by cribbing the rana spot from those guys). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James F'n X Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 So the Gargano/Ricochet match was pretty much everything I hate about modern wrestling. Tons of choreographed spots with no time to breathe. I will give them this - everything looked really good, which is hard for matches like this. If there's a slipup, it's usually really easy for folks to fall off script and make things look terrible. That style of match isn't for me though. Which is fine, because the rest of the card was right up my alley. It's kinda ridiculous what Hanson and Rowe can do in the ring and O'Reilly and Strong are perfect foils for it. Riddle/Ohno was really good. Baszler/Belair was incredible for the limited experience both women have. And Ciampa's just so ridiculously good right now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 32 minutes ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said: So let's say the six guys in the brawl main event Mania TakeOver in a ladder match. What would the rest of the card even look like? Also, dead air would be preferable to any pre-game table ramble in any sport ever. NXT Super 6-Pack NXT Women's Title (Shayna vs Bianca II) NXT Tag title (War Raiders vs Aichner/Barthel, maybe?) NXT UK title (Dunne vs WALTER) NXT UK women's title (Toni vs challenger) NXT UK Tag title (Drake/Gibson vs Moustache Mountain or Lorcan/Burch) They could also conceivably have the WWE women's tag titles in play, since Kairi/Io are tagging. Running a stack NXT/NXT UK card for that show seems like a good way to ensure a sellout crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Seven matches and no Riddle? Pass. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Obviously, not all seven matches would happen. Women's tag is just a pie in the sky theory on my part. And I don't what they do with Riddle, other than bump someone out of the 6-pack challenge to give him a spot. Just throwing some ideas out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I think they keep UK stuff mostly separate for the time being. NXT proper doesn’t need Dunne-WALTER as much as the next UK TakeOver does. It’s been brought up a few times how logjammed NXT has become. I think a six person main really opens up other spots for new stars to have meaningful matches. Let’s see them actually use Lee, Dijak, etc. If they need to reach out to BSS and Toni to fill the card, they’re going in the wrong direction. Just my two cents about my dumb hypothetical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORELOCK Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 The company plan seems to be to keep NXT-UK mostly separate for now, so I'm guessing Dunne and Moustache Mountain will not be appearing on NXT proper as often, if at all. Regardless, it's an NXT Takeover on WrestleMania weekend - there is zero chance that it doesn't sell out. With Cross and Evans called up and Kai injured, the only real options for the women are running both a Women's title rematch and the Io/Kairi-Shafir/Duke rematch. Unless they want to try to build up someone like a Mia Yim they don't have a lot of options. Not a lot of options for singles men's matches, they would basically have to run Riddle-Lee, which would be a great match but neither guy needs to be losing it. Strong could potentially job to either, but they wouldn't get much of a rub out of that. They do have a lot of tag teams that could be thrown out in various combinations: Whichever UE combination, Lorcan/Burch, EU, Street Profits, Forgotten Sons. I don't know when Tino and Moss are due back. I still think Tino could be a fantastic heel if pushed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 You're not wrong. But as someone mentioned earlier, they need to build up some people to either take soon-to-open spot or at least become a viable midcard, which is what the North American championship was supposed to represent. They haven't done that, the only guy getting shine beyond the usual suspects is Riddle. If Kairi/Io indeed get into the women's tag scene, then that side of the card is paper thin. They're not doing much with Mia and Deonna. Kacy seems to be doing well, maybe she gets TV time. They've done nothing with Candice. NXT may actually be worse than the main roster in having tons of talent that seemingly don't ever do anything. ETA: I think Tino was getting a look as a possible commentator because of ongoing injuries, but that may have changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Speaking of the NA belt, if they’re headed towards a six man TakeOver main then I hope they flip it on TV in a few weeks to someone they’ve had on the fringes until now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehabilitated Rick Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I think that's a solid idea. Gargano drops it to Riddle, who then feuds with a newly turned Keith Lee (with Lars gone, someone has to fill the monster role). Still, what is Mania, like 2/3 tapings away? A 6 man for Takeover could be conceivable but there's a bunch of time to fill before the next Takeover. Gargano/Ciampa for all the gold makes the most sense . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 4 hours ago, Rick said: Bianca/Shayna was fine but it's clear Bianca has a bunch of flaws. Her sell job (or lack of) to finish the match was atrocious. I agree with this but you know what, I'm not too high on Shayna's in-ring work either. Her various choke submissions looked pretty bad all night. She doesn't move around that well either, she often looks lost like she's trying to remember what the next spot is. She's solid but the more I see her the less I look forward to seeing more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 2 hours ago, EVA said: Normally, I think this dude sucks, but considering how many people bought it, I guess he actually...did a "good" job in this instance? Whether he's being fed the lines or not doesn't change anything. Someone in the company thought it was a good idea and Roberts' face will never not be punchable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 14 minutes ago, Niners Fan in CT said: Whether he's being fed the lines or not doesn't change anything. Someone in the company thought it was a good idea and Roberts' face will never not be punchable. I think it changes a lot, considering a great many people were reacting like these were his own, off-the-cuff feelings. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
For Great Justice Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 The only thing they have left to do with Ciampa/Gargano is the first ever NXT HIAC and even I have little desire to see those two go at it again, especially in that environment (hello, vibes of HHH and HBK from 2003/2004). They have a clean slate storyline-wise to get to the show so they could go in any direction, but it still feels to me like we are headed toward Riddle and Dream getting singles wins for the belts and DIY off to Smackdown as a heel tag team to mix it up with the Usos et al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dokdoyle Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 6 Guys 3 "Heels" 3 "Faces" I mean, there is a Elimination Chamber PPV coming up, and would it be a shock that that Papa H may be looking for a little bit of cross over for a group of people where most of them are going to end up on the main roster eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 47 minutes ago, dokdoyle said: 6 Guys 3 "Heels" 3 "Faces" I mean, there is a Elimination Chamber PPV coming up, and would it be a shock that that Papa H may be looking for a little bit of cross over for a group of people where most of them are going to end up on the main roster eventually. I'd considered the idea of a chamber match, but Mania weekend would be too soon for them to dust that thing off again. So I love the idea of them on the actual Elimination Chamber PPV. I doubt they'd do it, but I love the idea. 1 hour ago, Rick said: Still, what is Mania, like 2/3 tapings away? A 6 man for Takeover could be conceivable but there's a bunch of time to fill before the next Takeover. Gargano/Ciampa for all the gold makes the most sense . They could definitely blow this thing off in a six man tag in two weeks. No doubt. But the more I sit with this idea, the more I like a ladder match to close the books on this period in NXT. In addition to the benefit of letting new guys shine on the Mania weekend card, there's a lot of history that can be played up to tickle the fancy of the long-term storytelling lovers. These six guys have dominated the top of the NXT card for well over a year with a lot of that time spent battling one another. Velveteen Dream: History and big matches against Black, Ricochet, Gargano, and Ciampa. Just started feuding with Cole. Ricochet: History and big matches against Gargano, Cole, and Dream. Black: History and big matches with Gargano, Ciampa, Velveteen, and Cole. Gargano: History and big matches with Ciampa, Black, Ricochet, and Velveteen. Ciampa: History and big matches with Gargano, Black, and Velveteen. Cole: History and big matches with Black and Ricochet. Feuding with Velveteen. Won last year's NXT ladder match. If the deck is getting cleared after Mania, letting these six settle all family business would be a fitting end. And a ladder match would be a great follow-up to last year's Mania-weekend hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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