My NXT project

[Brian Fowler]

Bobby Roode is the best act in NXT history

[The Natural]

6 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Bobby Roode is the best act in NXT history

I like Bobby Roode but have to disagree. My vote would go to the Revival and Sasha Banks.

[Greggulator]

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.

[JonnyLaw]

On 1/28/2020 at 11:08 AM, The Natural said:

I like Bobby Roode but have to disagree. My vote would go to the Revival and Sasha Banks.

You misspelled Bayley.

[Brian Fowler]

Bayley, Sasha, Sami, and The Revival are all way up there, but none of them had the mic skills Bobby brought.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

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.

 

 

[NikoBaltimore]

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.

[MORELOCK]

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.

[The Natural]

I do enjoy this thread, more so when @Yo-Yo's Roomie hits the TakeOver shows NXT's known for. Cheers, mate.

[Ramo2653]

Did Johnny's leg being worked over feed into the match against TJP in the CWC or was it the Gargano/Ciampa match? Either way, it was a slick bit of story telling considering the CWC was taped before Takeover.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

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.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

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.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

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.

[JonnyLaw]

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?

[MORELOCK]

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.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

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. 

[Sky Blue Sam]

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 February 19, 2020 by Sky Blue Sam

[JonnyLaw]

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:

Kenneth Crawford Now:

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by JonnyLaw

[NikoBaltimore]

Whoa, I had no idea that was him.  Damn, that's crazy and good for him.

[JonnyLaw]

I feel like I found out after watching an old NXT and wondering whatever happened to him, then googling it and having a similar “Whoa” reaction.

[The Natural]

8 minutes ago, NikoBaltimore said:

Whoa, I had no idea that was him.  Damn, that's crazy and good for him.

Neither did I. Echo all you say.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

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.

[The Natural]

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:

Kenneth Crawford Now:

  Hide contents

 

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

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

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

9/21/16

Again, we start with Joe coming out. He has a copy of Shinsuke Nakamura's medical report, and gleefully reads off all the injuries he inflicted on the champ. It recommends Nakamura go through a 6-12 week period of rest and rehab, which Joe has an issue with. He calls out William Regal to address this. Regal comes out and says he doesn't fully know what the situation is yet, but that he will deal with it in his own way. Joe gives him an ultimatum: give him Nakamura or hand him back his title, otherwise the whole roster will pay.

We see highlights of the CWC match between Kota Ibushi and Cedric Alexander, with Alexander getting a standing ovation after his losing effort, and chants of 'please sign Cedric', after which Triple H comes out and shakes Cedric's hand. That seemed like a pretty cool moment. So, now we have an interview with Cedric who is making his NXT debut tonight. He says he asked Regal for the best competition, and tonight he has a match with Andrade 'Cien' Almas. 

Backstage interview with Liv Morgan. She basically reiterates what she said last week. Asuka comes in and invites Liv to find out if she's ready.

Austin Aries Vs Oney Lorcan: Hey, remember when Lorcan won that match, what, 2 months ago? That was put over as a big deal. And then cut that promo about needing to go back to his roots? Which wasn't explained at all. Well, here he is, the same old Lorcan. Phillips is still on his soapbox about Aries not confronting Hideo Itami last week. Aries is such a good heel, doing a lot of stooging here for Lorcan before picking up the win with the Last Chancery. Nice match from these two. Aries gets on the mic and says that last week he was busy, but he's here now and calls Itami out. Itami comes out, but Aries runs away.

Hype video for Dan Matha. Don't know anything about this guy. He looks confused.

Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano are being interviewed in the parking lot. The Revival show up and a brawl breaks out. This feud is probably the best thing in NXT right now.

Billie Kay Vs Aliyah: Woah, where did this come from? I wasn't expecting these two to come out and have this kind of stiff match. Billie Kay has shown me more in these few weeks in NXT then she ever has on the main roster (in the ring, that is?), and I don't know what to think of Aliyah because she always does short jobs, but does look like she has more in her locker. This was a cool little match won by Kay.

Mandy Rose is being interviewed in the back about her social media comments towards Ember Moon. What these comments are, I don't know. She says that Ember doesn't fit the mold here in NXT. Oh, get the fuck out of here with this lazy garbage. 

Liv Vs Asuka is announced for next week. None-title I believe.

Cedric Alexander Vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas: This is a good showcase match for these guys, and especially to get Cedric over to a larger audience. Lots of flipping and exhibition-style stuff, but done in a non-annoying way. I feel bad for Almas. The crowd isn't really hostile towards him. They just aren't really interested in him at all. They don't think he's cool, is I guess what it feels like. And he really isn't in this babyface persona. Some big nearfalls, and then Cedric catches Almas with the Lumbar Check out of nowhere to pick up the win. Almas shakes his hand afterwards, and then pulls him in for a warm embrace as the crowd applause. This was all to make Cedric feel like a big deal. I'm such a cynic because I really thought Almas was going to beat him down here, and that's usually my reaction when they do these kinds of spots.

Episode MVP: Cedric.

3 star match: Cedric Alexander Vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

9/28/16

William Regal, in his office, announces the return of the Dusty Rhodes Classic, which will begin next week. Cool.

Tye Dillinger Vs Angelo Dawkins: Dillinger is on a role after beating Blake and Murphy back to back. He picks up another win here, but then is greeted by Bobby Roode on the ramp. Roode says he came to NXT to win the Dusty Classic (really?), but he hasn't really made any friends in the back. He says he and Tye have known each other a long time and thinks he could be the perfect partner. The crowd is loving this possible teaming of two of the their favourites. Tye milks it a bit and then shakes Roode's hand. This is an interesting turn of events.

Hideo Itami is interviewed in the back. He has a match with Lince Dorado tonight, and calls Dorado a fighter with a lot of heart, unlike Austin Aries.

The Revival Vs The Ealy Brothers: The Ealy Brothers are a set of identical twins. I don't know anything else about them. This match never starts as Samoa Joe bypasses the Revival on the ramp and beats down both Ealys. He cuts a promo warning Regal to make his decision or the beatings will continue. Good stuff.

Ember Moon Vs Mandy Rose: Big blow-off match to the feud which started last week based on something Mandy said on social media. I'm excited. Well, to be fair, this does have blood as Many busts open Ember's mouth hardway. Ember wins with the Eclipse.

Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano cut a promo in the back about winning the Dusty Classic and then winning the tag titles.

The Authors of Pain Vs Jesus Yernat and Jonathan Cruz: Yernat is Mr 450, back to do a job. Cruz is another Puerto Rican guy, trained by the Dudleys. The jobbers do a great job dying for AOP. Just when I was having my doubts about Ellering's involvement with the AOP, he actually cuts a promo here, saying a new chapter is beginning and it will involve pain. Short and sweet. AOP have their names now, by the way.

Regal is in the back making a statement about Joe, saying he won't bend to his will. Blake and Murphy come in demanding to be put in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Seriously with these two? Just fucking end it already. They begin arguing about who was to blame for the dissolution of their team the last time, and Regal just blows them off.

Asuka Vs Liv Morgan: This is perfect. Liv throws some strikes and a dropkick at Asuka, who no-sells them, and then quickly taps Liv out with an arm submission.She gets on the mic and says no-one is ready for Asuka.

Hideo Itami Vs Lince Dorado: Decent enough match, which was the crowd was into. And I learnt what a Lince Dorado is (Golden Lynx, if you didn't know). I also learnt Dorado is Puerto Rican, which makes me wonder why he's carrying a pinata around with Kalisto and Metalik. Big 'Go To Sleep' chants, and Itami obliges, putting Dorado away. After the bell, Aries attacks, but when it looks like Itami is about to fight back, he scarpers. I'm not really into this Itami/Aries build. It needs something to spark it into life.

Episode MVP: Asuka.