The NXT Thread

[Spontaneous]

Problem is Bull Dempsey is just a big dude, Hero/Ohno was supposed this word class striker but looked like he had an average physique. The perception of their physique to character/gimmick is different.

[rovert]

 

Hopefully this is an unfounded rumor.  I like Graves. 

 

Not unfounded.  I wasn't meant to get out and there was a huge witch hunt regards to leaks in NXT last week.

 

After seeing Bull Dempsey in the ring, I take back all my perpetuating of the "Chris Hero looks out of shape so they released him" gimmick.  When you think about it there are a ton of guys in NXT with less than WWE ready physiques.  

 

Hero's release was a way multifaceted than his body.

 

Bull Dempsey is paid to train yet his body is the exact same as it was on the Indies. The size of his arms relative to his body is pretty tragic.

[scraylo187]

 

 

Hopefully this is an unfounded rumor.  I like Graves. 

 

Not unfounded.  I wasn't meant to get out and there was a huge witch hunt regards to leaks in NXT last week.

 

After seeing Bull Dempsey in the ring, I take back all my perpetuating of the "Chris Hero looks out of shape so they released him" gimmick.  When you think about it there are a ton of guys in NXT with less than WWE ready physiques.  

 

Hero's release was a way multifaceted than his body.

 

Bull Dempsey is paid to train yet his body is the exact same as it was on the Indies. The size of his arms relative to his body is pretty tragic.

 

 

Maybe Chris Hero was just a huge cooter backstage

[JRGoldman]

A few weeks ago, Graves tweeted something like 'I'm never coming back. Stop asking.' and then quickly deleted it. I would imagine the report is based around that.

[JonnyLaw]

So this is one of those clickbait articles, but I thought it was actually pretty decent at distilling why NXT is, in my opinion, the best wrestling show on TV right now: http://whatculture.com/wwe/10-ways-nxt-making-wwe-look-bad.php

[Gorman]

 

I love Tyler Breeze, whom gets better every week, but him at the booth was painful tonight. Ah, he'll learn. I love Renee as much as the rest of you, but she is not so good on commentary at all. They needed to work the conversation to what Tyler Breeze thought about Aaron Neville more quickly, and even though Breeze is a douchey heel, I think he shut Renee down a bit too quickly at the beginning. Take some improv classes, Breeze! Yes, and!

 

Chuckling at the typo.

 

 

 

I don't know much, but I know this is funny.

[Roman]

Hopefully this is an unfounded rumor.  I like Graves.  After seeing Bull Dempsey in the ring, I take back all my perpetuating of the "Chris Hero looks out of shape so they released him" gimmick.  When you think about it there are a ton of guys in NXT with less than WWE ready physiques.  

 

You're not alone.

 

 

0:40

[Greggulator]

We begin right away with ENZO AMORE accompanying COLIN CASSIDY come down with a pre-match introduction before the big man's match with one of The Legionaires. Man, Enzo and Cass's act is SO CLOSE to being big-time. They have great chemistry together and the crowd obviously loves them to death. They're a few weeks away from really having that flow down perfectly. Some of the timing is a bit off -- they did the spelling a bit too fast, for instance. But it's RIGHT THERE to being the next New Age Outlaws type of thing. I generally hate the Outlaws and that sort of thing, but I won't deny their shtick's popularity. Great stand-up comedy feels like it's someone having a conversation with you, despite there being a few hundred other people in the crowd. But every great stand-up -- Louis CK, Chapelle, EVERYONE -- has rehearsed their material literally thousands of times. But, somehow, they make it seem like it's the first time they have ever thought what they are verbally expressing. Wrestling's a similar performance art. Enzo and Cass feel like it's still a little bit in workshop mode. But we can see what the finished product might look like -- and it's awesome.

SYLVESTER LAFORT comes out and does his obnoxious Frenchman spiel and refers to my native home state of New Jersey as a cesspool. Ah, awesome. This match starts with some nice, aggressive punches from LaFort, until he tries to whip Cass into the ropes. Cass puts on the breaks and hits him with an AWESOME East River Crossing (is that the same thing as the Winds of Change?). It looks like an instant death move. He then does the S-A-W-F-T deal into his big elbow for the quick win. This felt like Cass has kayfabe moved up to a new level -- maybe not in terms of having a good match, but he's now at the point in his career where he can beat a dude with one move right out of the gate.

WHATEVER THIS GIRL'S NAME is in the back with ADRIAN NEVILLE. Adrian starts talking about his match with RVD when out comes TYLER BREEZE. Breeze says he was impressed with Neville during his match against RVD. But not because he beat RVD, but because he could stay focused despite Breeze being only 20 feet away. Breeze taunts Neville as the number one contender. Neville tells him he's up for a match tonight. Breeze can't because he suffered a career threatening injury in a HAND MODELLING ACCIDENT, and has the finger splint to prove it. That's so awesome. Breeze is really starting to remind me a lot of Bo Dallas. Their shticks are so different, obviously. But Bo became as great as he did when he figured out how his character was entertaining -- that complete lack of self-awareness. Breeze is seeing what's working best in terms of getting responses from people, and it shows. His initial push was a lot of fun as a model, but now he's become so much more than just a one note character.

The remnants of the BFFs come down. Sasha looks AWESOME tonight. Charlotte and Sasha are taking on BAILEY and BECKY LYNCH. The two inflatable things now have names! Bailey does an insert in which she talks about having her own BFF -- a Bailey Friend Forever -- with Becky.

We've had a huge thing on the Raw thread about AJ and Paige. The diva's division, was just trash. It was partially trained "fitness models" like Aksana rolling around a mat like some feral cat when they weren't busy seducing Teddy Long. The Bella Twins were absolutely worthless. The list of terrible stuff goes on and on. They were just eye candy for the guys, without really any characters or directions and absolutely none of them showed any reason why I should care about them. But the WWE has really focused on making the divas actually worth something besides placing them under a hose for some dumb calendar a bunch of creeps would buy. AJ and Paige are actual people. Alicia Fox was the best act on Raw for a few weeks. The Bella Twins now have some sort of direction. Naomi's being treated like an actual wrestler. Tamina looks like a great henchwoman. They're TRYING to do something with Cameron. Emma's tanked so far on WWE but anyone who watched NXT knows how awesome she is.

The BFFs and Bailey have it, too. I want to like women's wrestling. I really do. I watch women's college basketball. I watch women's tennis. And I watch it the same way I watch men's sports. I want to watch women's wrestling in the same way. I don't need (or want) porno sax's or girls doing butt-to-butt contact or twerking or anything dumb.

Regal talks about how Bailey and Becky both have this positive outlook on life. They also win the first parts of the match -- including with a really fun reversal sequence and the like from Becky that gets a Malenko-Guerrero Respect Clap from the crowd. This match is a lot of fun. Charlotte and Sasha look like awesome mean girls when they put Bailey through a great heat segment. They do all these nasty little touches -- stepping on hair, a lot of "AWWWWW BAILEY" sort of stuff. Bailey gets out of the double team with a weird Irish whip/noggin-knocker type thing, followed by dropkicking Charlotte into Sasha. That makes a lot sense from Bailey's character -- it looks really slapstick comedy. Becky does feisty Irish really well, and doesn't jig at all. She hits a bunch of fun stuff but the BFFs get control and Charlotte picks her spots, and wins with the Bow Down To The Queen. Great ending there -- Charlotte's the champ, and showed why. She walked off without Sasha, who was in disbelief she would do such a thing. Sasha then turned back to taunt/threaten Becky, until Bailey shoved her off.

Great character stuff from four very, very, very good professional wrestlers.

 

JUSTIN GABRIEL does an interview. He talks up Sami Zayn. TYSON KIDD comes out -- FACT! -- and talks about how Gabriel's in purgatory. You start on Raw and Smackdown and on PPVs and then all of a sudden the phone calls stop coming. And the only way out is to put the boots to those trying to rise up. Gabriel says he's going to prove Kidd wrong... by beating Sami Zayn. Wait, what? Isn't that just what Kidd said Gabriel should do? Gah.

Charlotte and Sasha are in the back. "What gives, Charlotte?" Charlotte talks about how they won't be tagging anymore. But they can still be friends -- the kind that say "hey" in the hallway. That is SO middle school and great. Then there's just a lot of exposition about Summer and Bailey having a match to determine the number one contender and good luck because you'll need it and blah. A little too much for them to get over.

CJ PARKER comes out to new music that sounds like a pop-punk cover of "Valerie" by The Monkees. His screen cuts say things like "There is no Planet B." Some dude in tie die brings him a sign that for some reason has an anti-Xavier Woods message. He beats some square-jawed ex-Marine jobber really quickly. He then explains his hatred of Xavier Woods -- If CJ had Xavier's spot, he wouldn't be dancing and pandering to these people. He'd be winning titles and changing the world along with him. Good, nice, logical reason for a heel to hate on someone. Regal's anti-hippie commentary is the best, too.

RENEE sits down with Tyson for a no holds barred interview about all he's been through/done the past few weeks. This is actually really good work here from Tyson. He keeps talking about how his wife has his "best intentions" and the like, but his head hasn't been in the right spot and etc. He does a very good job conveying that he's trying to say the right thing but, deep down inside, is a petty little crybaby. Renee then says there are a lot of people claiming Tyson and Nattie are having marital problems. Is this true? He glares at Renee before walking off shaking his head, trying to deny to himself that jealousy towards his wife. This is really solid stuff.

Now it's main event time. SAMI ZAYN comes out skanking to the ring a bit. Regal talks about how beloved he was in a trip to Dubai and has such a likability. At the same time, Sami shakes hands with the ring announcer. Perfect timing. This match with JUSTIN GABRIEL is very good with a lot of really great work from Gabriel, who works a subtle heel to set up what happens at the end of the match. Tyson Kidd's at ringside and when Sami gets a bit of an advantage, is always there to encourage Gabriel. It reminds me a bit of when JJ Dillon lurked outside the ring and convinced Barry Windham to turn -- not as epic or anything, obviously, be the same "Hey, I told you it was going to be like this" mindset. Gabriel does a lot of little things like closed fists when Sami's still in the ropes and the like. They trade bombs at the end of the match. Gabriel is going up top for the 450, but Sami knows it's coming and they fight for a while on the ropes. Gabriel thinks he has time to go for a move, but Sami leaps under and catches him in whatever they call his tap out finish.

Post-match, Kidd sucker punches Sami Zayn and stomps him. Eventually, Gabriel joins in after initially debating whether to do so. Neville then runs them both off.

I always liked heel Nexus Justin Gabriel a ton. He was one of the best parts of that story. I loved his smug, distant stare whenever he was about to hit the 450. He was such a cocky little douche. He and Tyson as heels trying to destroy NXT before the young bucks take their spots has some potential to it.

[SirSmUgly]

I enjoyed the tag match quite a bit, and the last five or six minutes of the main was really good. That cradle piledriver-type thing Gabriel did to Zayn looked nasty. My only complaint is really with the WWE style and not with them, and that's that one of the many bombs that each guy connected with before the submission finish should have got three earlier. This is especially true of that nasty cradle piledriver variation Gabriel did; I cannot emphasize enough how brutal it looked (at least to me).

 

Becky Lynch is a good fired-up hot tag.

[Mick32]

I absolutely agree that Cassidy and Enzo have "something". It's a pretty good act.

[Jamal]

I also enjoyed Becky/Bayley vs Sasha/Charlotte. Much better showcase of what Becky can do and loved that she didn't jig lol

[rovert]

 

If you want to put a face on someone on the "ones to watch" list Chad Gable (Chas Betts) pops up here. 2012 U.S. Olympic wrestler and according to Rob Naylor had the most impressive tryout in NXT/FCW history. He is Kurt Angle like however he is only 5ft 9in.

 

Also young JoJo content!

 

 

When Becky turns on her it will be so great:

[MGFanJay]

Bayley's chin looks gigantic in that lower-left photo.

[rovert]

Bayley's chin looks gigantic in that lower-left photo.

 

Well it kind of is. Her first match in FCW was under a mask as they weren't hot on her looks. 

 

I remember the comments on social media when she was signed. Wrestling is a cosmetic business but people were excessively nasty about her.

[Big Fresh]

Well that's a bummer. I know she's not Stacy Keibler or Trish Stratus, but she's absolutely a cute girl.

[Victator]

Becky Lynch looked really bad in her debut. If I did not know better, I would think that was her first match ever. 

Renee and not Riley guy made me appreciate Cole and Lawler. Renee has a 1999 Joey Styles esque contempt for every thing. 

[MGFanJay]

Well that's a bummer. I know she's not Stacy Keibler or Trish Stratus, but she's absolutely a cute girl.

Agreed - I was just taken aback by the lower-left photo.

[Go2Sleep]

Am I the only one that doesn't like Big Cass at all? Enzo seems like he could make a decent annoying heel manager, but Cass is just a giant goof and his "forced-ness" noticeably stands out on a show where most people are doing ridiculous gimmicks in their first major tv exposure. He also has a Matt Morgan-esque un-intimidating 7-footer aura (like he looks like he'd be an ok NBA bench player, but looks silly trying to be a pro wrestling monster) and possibly the worst finisher in wrestling right now. It's not just that it's an elbow drop, it's a terrible looking elbow drop.

 

Can anyone convince me he's appreciably better than Mojo?

[Goodear]

Cass probably has a low ceiling due to the stuff that you mentioned and utterly fails at being an intimidating monster.  But he does really well in terms of personality which is really strange for a big guy and does very well with non wrestling material like when he had a sing off with Aiden English (like the best sing off ever) and with a match with Tyler Breeze where they didn't touch each other for like 7 minutes and was still the match of the night.  He's still working on ways to work his S-A-W-F-T stuff into his performances without stopping the whole match cold but he's usually good for one stiff boot or high knee every time out.

[rovert]

Well that's a bummer. I know she's not Stacy Keibler or Trish Stratus, but she's absolutely a cute girl.

 

She won't pass the Vince McMahon/Kevin Dunn smell test sadly once she gets to the main roster.

[JonnyLaw]

 

Well that's a bummer. I know she's not Stacy Keibler or Trish Stratus, but she's absolutely a cute girl.

 

She won't pass the Vince McMahon/Kevin Dunn smell test sadly once she gets to the main roster.

 

 

This creates a disturbing visual.

[ebbie]

Well that's a bummer. I know she's not Stacy Keibler or Trish Stratus, but she's absolutely a cute girl.

Isn't it generally thought of "the faker the implants look, the uglier they think you are?" Tons of developmental chicks get implants and I feel sorry for them.

[scraylo187]

Bayley is perfect and damn you all.

 

Also, I think you might enjoy Cass more if you give up on trying to picture him as a monster and reinvent him in your eyes as 'Enzo brings EdgeTest to the ring who fights a little in between Enzo being great.' 

[SirSmUgly]

I'm not a fan of Cassady as a wrestler, but he and Enzo have awesome chemistry, so I'm willing to put up with the Lance Hoyt-like performances. 

[Greggulator]

And we start things off tonight with a match to determine the number one contender for Charlotte's NXT Divas Title. BAILEY got there because she recently pinned Charlotte in six-woman action. SUMMER got there by going to the brass and parlaying her movie career and reality TV stardom into a chance for the title. That's such an awesome explanation. On top of the face/heel dynamic, it also plays into the corrupt nature of The Authority -- the whole "Face of the WWE" issue. While HHH/Steph might not have a stake in the title, NXT Commissioner JBL (or some unnamed, unseen bureaucrat) understands that the company's champions should either be the spawn of stars from another generation and/or traditionally attractive people. Charlotte covers the lineage part of that, as her dad was HHH's mentor and hero. Summer Rae has the traditional Mean Girl blonde good looks. Of course she'll cut the line.

The match itself is very solid. It's not Paige/Emma or Charlotte/Nattie, but it's just a very good match. Bailey brings the fun face offense. Summer has really nailed down how to work as her character, using a lot of leg-based moves and has great horrible person facial expressions. There's a lot of fun stuff in this. Summer wins it with her finisher, the Summer Crush, which is an awesome name for a move. My only problem with this match was some weird awkwardness from the ref, particularly at the final pinfall. But this was a very competent wrestling match between two very good professional wrestlers.

We go backstage to see SAMI ZAYN and ADRIAN NEVILLE talking about how JUSTIN GABRIEL and TYSON KIDD attacked them last week. Man, Sami absolutely rules it in these segments. He just hits his marks constantly. I don't think there has ever been a more natural sounding and seeming babyface ever. We then go backstage to get words from Justin and Tyson. Justin explains his actions -- he started on NXT four years ago, and here he is, back there again. He doesn't slag on NXT -- he knows how good it is -- but he's just better than Zayn and Neville, especially looking. And Tyson had to point that out to him. Sometimes in life, to get ahead, you have to break some rules. Tyson does a great smug jerk in the background. Effective spot. Nothing brilliant here, but Gabriel's motivations are clear.

And this is interesting as SIN CARA takes on WESLEY BLAKE, who Albert says is trained by Dory Funk! Albert and Renee bring up Sin Cara coming down to NXT to reestablish himself, ala Gabriel and Tyson Kidd. I sort of love that "relegation" feel to that. This is essentially a lengthy squash, with Cara winning after his angle senton splash.

We're now backstage with Tyson Kidd and NATTIE. Nattie asks Tyson about his interview with Renee. This is rough to sit through. It's not necessarily bad -- neither are actors and they're trying their best, but it's not their strengths. But I just don't like the logic of it. Any wife in the world would have had her husband's nuts after an interview like that and pretty quickly. They both work for the same company and are apparently both hanging out in greater Orlando. They set it up like Nattie hasn't seen her husband in the one week since his interview. Maybe they got busy? Orlando and Winter Park do have some attractions -- the theme parks, Bible Land, a farmer's market, a few nice downtown spots in Winter Park, the beach is an hour away, etc. But, still. This could have been tweaked just a little bit to make it fit in logistically and logically, but it's just forced and awkward.

Summer is staring at a mirror gloating as SASHA BANKS looks on. Summer talks about how when she wins the title, Sasha will want to hang out with her again. The Summer of Summer awaits. Sasha was actually decent here delivering her material, something she's usually terrible with. But this was decent.

CJ PARKER comes out to the ring and calls out XAVIER WOODS. CJ wants to apologize for what he did the week before. "I'm not an idiot," says Xavier, as Parker holds his hand out to offer peace. Xavier laughs, taunts CJ with a peace sign and goes to walk away. Parker, naturally, goes to sucker-punch him with his kick finisher. Only, it comes absolutely nowhere near Woods. It's HILARIOUS. It's a really terrific awful botch and I can't believe they let the segment air. Hilarious. Even the incredibly supportive NXT audience chants "air kick."

THE VAUDVILLAINS have a goofy silent film-type video. I love this gimmick so much. This is followed by a promo exerting The ASCENSIONS dominance over NXT.

BULL DEMPSEY comes out next. "I don't think this man has felt a lot of love in his life." He's taking on ex-backpack rapper ANGELO DAWKINS. Dempsey works a really stiff style, with a lot of strikes and headbutts and other stuff. His finisher is some sort of side slam thing. Nice, quick squash.

We go backstage and SAMI ZAYN has the microphone to welcome his guest ADRIAN NEVILLE! This is very Cena -- but in a good way. Adrian talks about how they're longtime friends and he'll always have Zayn's back. "But Sami, I want to know what's next." "I'm going to give this microphone back to Devin and we're going to show Justin and Tyson what's up." He then tosses the mic to a stunned Devin. This was great.

The main event is a total blast. There's a lot of fun highspots and flying moves and the like. However, the end of this match is really great. Nattie is on the apron. Sami punches Tyson, who hits Nattie, who hits the floor. Tyson and Sami are both concerned and head to the apron. Only Tyson backpedals and rolls up Sami for the cheap three. He then starts to celebrate before remembering his wife is hurt and tending to her. Awesome and a total sleazebag  heel gesture, which I can appreciate.