Cristobal Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Between Hero, Almas, and Strong, NXT's undercard is approaching late-90s WCW in terms of how ridiculously talented they are compared to the spot they're in. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 My direction for NXT would have been building to heel Strong vs. face Gargano. That's the type of feud the NXT audience would eat up if done right. Plus, they both have the added benefit of being former indie guys who aren't in their late 30's. I fear the direction for NXT will wind up being Roode vs. McIntyre in perfectly acceptable *** 1/2 wrestling matches. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I am just so done with Bobby Roode main events. If he holds the belt through Summerslam, it might just kill the brand for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Drew's another guy who is much better at heeling than being a rah rah face. Charlie, the one thing that may be in favour of a Gargano push is Ciampa's alleged injury. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonteCarl Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Can we talk about how much better Ohno's gear looked when he left the shirt untucked. And the shirt wasn't quite as form fitting to his belly, either. Who tucks a shirt into tights, anyway? Why did they think that was a good idea for those first two matches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beech27 Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 32 minutes ago, Charlie M. said: My direction for NXT would have been building to heel Strong vs. face Gargano. That's the type of feud the NXT audience would eat up if done right. Plus, they both have the added benefit of being former indie guys who aren't in their late 30's. Underdog Gargano fighting a war of attrition and eventually tearing the belt away from Roode, only to get destroyed by Strong (I think Ohno and Black would work too) in his first defense would be great, if maybe a tiny bit close to the Neville/Zayn/Owens transition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstout Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Black reminds me more of a deluxe version of Baron Corbin - he already does what Corbin is trying to do about 15 times better than Corbin does coming out of the gate. I liked the three-way tag title match more than Roode-Nak, but not by much. It's amazing how much better the second Roode-Nak match was than the first. Just leaps and bounds. Rest of the show was big fun. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Someone is going to have to explain Almas to me, because he strikes me as pretty much functionally useless every time I see him. But as long as Bobby Roode is around, I'm pretty happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstout Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 For someone they supposedly had big plans for once upon a time, Almas is being done NO favors being NXT's JTTS, a role he's had for a while. Somebody gonna debut on a Takeover? He's gonna beat Almas. That said, they could always slap a mask on him and wash most of that stink right off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 11 minutes ago, jstout said: For someone they supposedly had big plans for once upon a time, Almas is being done NO favors being NXT's JTTS, a role he's had for a while. Somebody gonna debut on a Takeover? He's gonna beat Almas. That said, they could always slap a mask on him and wash most of that stink right off. Thing is, I'm yet to see any reason they should be doing more with him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristobal Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Brian Fowler said: Thing is, I'm yet to see any reason they should be doing more with him. The Almas/Lorcan series has pretty much been the best thing in NXT all year that didn't involve DIY or The Revival. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Almas has done his share of good shit. The Roddy match, his mini-program with Cedric, the Lorcan matches. They just all seem to happen in a vacuum where nothing leads anywhere for him. Its definitely not a good sign that he's slid into the CJ Parker/Bull Dempsey "welcoming mat" spot. Then again, Dillinger was there a while, and look at him now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 17 minutes ago, EVA said: Almas has done his share of good shit. The Roddy match, his mini-program with Cedric, the Lorcan matches. They just all seem to happen in a vacuum where nothing leads anywhere for him. Its definitely not a good sign that he's slid into the CJ Parker/Bull Dempsey "welcoming mat" spot. Then again, Dillinger was there a while, and look at him now. Maybe Almas will get over if he gets a gimmick like Dillinger's TEN chant. Maybe it's the language barrier, but something just isn't clicking. Maybe it was bringing him in as a face and the quick heel turn. I don't really mind Almas being the designated job guy since I'm more of a fan of the guys he's been jobbing to. I can see him ending up like Mistico where WWE just isn't right for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I wouldn't hate it if he's back in Arena Mexico this time next year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 21 minutes ago, Oyaji said: I wouldn't hate it if he's back in Arena Mexico this time next year. I'm sure he wouldn't either. Being able to add former WWE Superstar to his name would probably get him a nice pay bump from other companies looking to book him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 CMLL would take him back with open arms. I remember seeing instagram photos of him with his Los Ingobernables homies shortly after he signed with WWE and looking so happy to be back with his buddies. The transition from lucha libre to American style is super difficult and not everybody can make it. Not only the insane differences in psychology but you work the right side in Mexico and the left pretty much everywhere else. Mysterio and Eddie doing as well as they did just reinforces how fucking godly they both are/were. I'm not writing him off, but it feels like WWE may already be throwing him to the wolves despite his game still needing a lot of work to "fit in". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 Just now, Oyaji said: CMLL would take him back with open arms. I remember seeing instagram photos of him with his Los Ingobernables homies shortly after he signed with WWE and looking so happy to be back with his buddies. The transition from lucha libre to American style is super difficult and not everybody can make it. Not only the insane differences in psychology but you work the right side in Mexico and the left pretty much everywhere else. Mysterio and Eddie doing as well as they did just reinforces how fucking godly they both are/were. I'm not writing him off, but it feels like WWE may already be throwing him to the wolves despite his game still needing a lot of work to "fit in". I would happily trade Rush, La Mascara and Pierroth to Vince to get Sombra back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapRef41N93W Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 5 minutes ago, Oyaji said: The transition from lucha libre to American style is super difficult and not everybody can make it. Not only the insane differences in psychology but you work the right side in Mexico and the left pretty much everywhere else. What does this mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 I had heard from people the whole "opposite side" thing isn't as true as it used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 Well, traditionally at least, you would tend to work the right arm or leg when doing a move and you'd use your left arm for clotheslines and such in Mexico IIRC. It's the opposite in the good ol' US of A. Rush > Sombra IMO, though I prefer the character stuff Rush does to the amazing in-ring work Sombra did (not as if he didn't bring the cocky mannerisms that Naito's borrowed and gotten rich off of). I've never been as emotionally invested in a Sombra match like I have the two Park/Rush matches. Even the mask match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumanChessgame Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 I'd never seen anything from Almas prior to his NXT run so I can't say how much is different about him. He strikes me as a good worker and his stuff with Lorcan has been top notch, but they've done nothing to make me care about him. It's a problem in nowadays wrestling in general that too many guys just don't have gimmicks or anything that would get anyone invested in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdangerously Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 7 hours ago, Charlie M. said: They better have big plans for Roderick Strong because what they're doing is an absolute waste. I fear they may not understand what they have in him or he likely rubs people the wrong way backstage. He's bland as fuck, though. I know he's a better heel than he is a face, but he isn't exactly Ric Flair or even Rick Rude as a heel, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk128 Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 18 hours ago, jstout said: Black reminds me more of a deluxe version of Baron Corbin - he already does what Corbin is trying to do about 15 times better than Corbin does coming out of the gate. Black and Corbin just need a 3rd badass angry guy to make a damn fine stable. Who do they have in the PC that's a tatted up mofo who is a good all-rounder? Stables would also help many of the wrestlers struggling with lackluster characters right now (Strong and Almas being head candidates). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 According to Meltzer, Almas, Nakamura, and Dillinger are being called up to the main roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 1 hour ago, turk128 said: Black and Corbin just need a 3rd badass angry guy to make a damn fine stable. Who do they have in the PC that's a tatted up mofo who is a good all-rounder? Stables would also help many of the wrestlers struggling with lackluster characters right now (Strong and Almas being head candidates). I maintain that Austin Aries injury really hurt Roderick Strong. In fact, I would have pegged them to be the guys to dethrone the AoP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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