My NXT project

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

10/5/16

The Authors of Pain Vs The Bollywood Boyz: The Boyz get a little pop-up promo introducing themselves, and then have the crowd dancing with them as they come out. And then job very quickly to AOP. This was a Dusty Rhodes Classic first round match. We get a quick look at the bracket and on first glance there seems to be a lot of thrown together teams in this. I hope we get some big stars in it like last time. I see Tony Nese and Drew Gulak, and I see Rich Swann teaming with No Way Jose. And then Cedric Alexander and Andrade Almas are teaming up later tonight. 

Rich Swann Vs Patrick Clark: This is interesting. Clark is pretty much doing the Velveteen Dream gimmick here in all but name. Swann has some great facial reactions to this. Swann works the crowd into a frenzy with his entrance and dancing, and they're big into him during this match. The more I see Swann the more I like him. He picks up the win here.

Liv Morgan is recuperating in the back last week after her loss to Asuka. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce come in and mock her. The Iconic Duo are born.

Peyton Royce Vs Danielle Kamela: Kamela is Vanessa Borne, who I guess is still in NXT. Kay is out with Royce. They have a great look. Royce still doesn't look too good in the ring, but she picks up the win with a fisherman's suplex. I'm looking forward to seeing the Iiconics develop their act.

Tye Dillinger and Bobby Roode are in the back being interviewed about the Dusty Rhodes Classic. I guess they are facing the debuting Sanity next week. Should be interesting. Roode is leaning into the inherent goofiness of the Glorious shtick here, which is entertaining. There's no way this doesn't end with him attacking Tye though.

Next we have Dan Matha coming out for his debut. This is a big dude. I don't normally notice this kind of stuff, but he has a lot of acne on his back. Hahaha, this is amazing. Three weeks of hype for this guy, and he comes down for his debut only for Samoa Joe to come out and beat the shit out of him. Seriously good stuff, defying everyone's expectations here. The crowd was abuzz when Joe made his way out. Of course, this killed Matha dead pretty much, but I really liked this. Joe told Regal he has one week to make up his mind.

The Revival Vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Cedric Alexander: I thought we might see an upset here, maybe due to #DIY involvement. Pretty good match, and the Revival pick up the win with the Shatter Machine on Cedric. Almas consoles Cedric after the match. But wait, is it coming? Is it? Yes, it is. Almas turns heel on Cedric and beats him down. Is the legacy of the DRC the amount of strong heel turns that come out of it, rather than the amount of good teams/matches it produces? This was solidly done, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Almas goes from here.

Episode MVP: Samoa Joe.

[Ramo2653]

The Dan Matha misdirection was great. I saw him wrestle once when NXT came to town, nothing too special although he did rile up the crowd by calling all of the guys "soy boys" I have to assume he's one of the tens of jacked guys just training at the PC and doing occasional loops.

One of the Ealy twins had a nasty concussion and I think they just let their contracts run out.

Looking back, this was a fun time for the women's division, Auska was clearly on top, but you everyone else trying to position themselves which led to stuff like Liv getting a shot and the Iiconics gaining traction.

Back to Joe, my favorite line was when he's speeding away in the car and he yells at Regal "Get better security!" like it's Regal's fault for him attacking randos and disrupting the show.

[JonnyLaw]

Matha was teaming with Riddick Moss recently, but then Moss got called up without him, so who knows what’s going on with him.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

10/12/16

SAnitY Vs Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger: I am all in on Sanity after this debut. The presentation and booking here was just perfect. The four of them came out in hoods and bandannas covering their faces, and looked super menacing. Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton are in action here, and start off attacking Tye. Tye tries to tag Roode, but Roode wants no part of Sanity and heads to the back. Wolfe and Fulton quickly put away Dillinger, and then the other members join in the attack. First Nikki Cross goes to town before revealing her face, and then Eric Young gets his shots in before he takes off his bandanna to a big pop. This all got over great, and was a fantastic debut.

Billie Kay Vs Liv Morgan: Peyton is out with Kay. Not a particularly good match. Royce trips Liv from ringside but is late with it so Liv has to hang her foot out for her. Kay takes advantage with the big boot for the win.

TM61 Vs Riddick Moss and Tino Sabatelli: My first time seeing Moss and Sabatelli. They have a good look, and I like the gimmick of them being big time athletes. I guess Tino has some history in the area, as he is really over, with dueling chants of 'we want Tino", 'no we don't'. Moss definitely looks the more polished of the two in the ring. This match is okay. TM61 win to advance in the Dusty Classic.

Buddy Murphy Vs Wesley Blake: It's the match a year in the making. These two have a pretty good story-based match, with them both trying to outdo one another. The real story here though begins when the action spills to the outside, and Samoa Joe makes a beeline to the ring. Joe beats down both guys, with Murphy taking the brunt of it, and then roars into the mic that Regal's time is up and he wants Nakamura or the title. Nakamura's music hits and the champ comes out in a neckbrace, but he takes the brace off, much to Joe's surprise, and heads to the ring where the two engage in an epic brawl. Joe ends up running off, so Nak starts beating up the security guys who were trying to separate them. Joe comes back out for a sneak attack, but Nakamura fights back and ends up hitting the Kinshasa. This was a fantastic way to end what has been a fantastic angle, with Joe coming out and laying waste to people. Now we just need the rematch.

Episode MVP: Great episode this week. I loved the Sanity debut and the closing angle. Joe is the guy who stood out once again though, with his intensity and mic work. 

[Sky Blue Sam]

Timo had been a big part of the PC based show Breaking Ground, so he had a following based on that

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

10/19/16

No Way Jose and Rich Swann Vs Drew Gulak and Tony Nese: Dusty Classic action to get us underway. Fun match. Swann and Jose know how to get the crowd into them. Swann, in particular, looks great here. Gulak and Nese are pretty much just bodies for them to beat, but it was fun. I guess Jose and Swann have AOP next, and they cut a promo about how they shouldn't be underestimated.

Tye Dillinger is in the trainer's room, and he says he wants a match with Bobby Roode at the next Takeover in Toronto. Match is confirmed.

So, I guess Hideo Itami is injured again and is out of the Dusty. Was supposed to team with Kota Ibushi. Backstage interview with Austin Aries who gloats about this, and has his own Dusty Classic match tonight, with a mystery partner.

Bobby Roode Vs Sean Maluta: Straightforward win for Roode. He cuts a promo on Dillinger, saying that Tye begged him to be his partner, and he felt sorry for him. Tye hits the ring and the two have a fun little brawl, with Dillinger coming out on top and sending Roode scurrying away. Good fire from Tye here, and it's kinda nice to see him in a meaty storyline. The idea that Roode disrespected Dusty, who means a lot to Tye, is a good one on which to base a feud.

Liv Morgan is being interviewed in the back about her problems with Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. The Iconic Duo (still not named as such) attack her and drag her out into the arena. They beat her down on the ramp and then cut a promo saying that they own the women's division now. This was good stuff.

Austin Aries and Roderick Strong Vs Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight: Okay, pretty noteworthy match here. First, you have the debut of Heavy Machinery, and Otis's first appearance. Then, on the other side, you have the mystery partner revealed as Roderick Strong for his debut. This is a really good mystery partner reveal. I certainly wasn't expecting it. Otis and Tucker get over pretty well with the crowd, doing some crowd-pleasing spots, but eventually Aries and Strong wear them down and pick up the win. Fun little match, and I really like Aries and Strong as a team.

Danielle Kamela Vs Nikki Cross: Yes, Sanity is in the house! Cross pretty much batters Kamela, pins her, but then continues the beatdown to the point that the ref reverses his decision. The other members of Sanity have to physically pull Cross away from Kamela. This is a great way to get Cross over as the most unhinged member of the group, and to establish the dynamic between them a bit better.

Shinsuke Nakamura comes out for a 'champion's address'. He says that he isn't done with Samoa Joe yet. He is soon interrupted by, of all people, Patrick Clark. Clark refers to himself for the first time as the Velveteen Dream, and wants a match for Nakamura. Nak lays him out with a kick. Joe comes down for a sneak attack, but Nakamura sees him coming, so Joe backs off. Nakamura finishes with a kinshasa on Clark to end the show. Interesting that they'd put Clark in that position. He's awfully green, but they clearly see something in him, and this felt a little different than the Steve Cutler situation a few weeks back.

Episode MVP: Lots of fun stuff on this show, and it's pretty newsworthy looking back on it with the debuts, the bit of spotlight on 'Velveteen Dream', and even the Iconic Duo making a statement and really looking like players for the first time. No-one looked better on the show for me though than Rich Swann, so he's my MVP.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

10/26/16

#DIY Vs Ho Ho Lun and Tian Bing: DIY are very over with the NXT crowd. The Chinese guys look pretty green. DIY win to advance in the Dusty Classic.

Aliyah Vs Billie Kay: Peyton is with Billie, of course. Do these two just not like each other? Because they have no problem laying their shit in against one another. This is the second inexplicably fun match between these two in the last few weeks, and it's getting Aliyah over with me. I love the finish here. Liv Morgan comes out to a good pop and attacks Royce. Billie is trying to drag Royce into the ring and out of harm's way, and that gives Aliyah the opening to roll her up and pick up her first win. Aliyah gets out of dodge, but Kay and Royce beat down Morgan. Then, Aliyah comes back in to a big pop to try to even the odds, but the babyfaces end up getting beat down. Who knew I'd be marking out for Aliyah being a good babyface and trying to make the save, and now I'm looking forward to the prospect of a Kay/Royce Vs Liv/Aliyah tag match.

Tye Dillinger Vs Noah Potjes: Tye is all business here and puts Potjes away prett quickly. He gets interviewed on the ramp, but that is only to set up the attack by Bobby Roode, who hits him with the Glorious DDT on the ramp.

Asuka Vs Thea Trinidad: Okay, Trinidad is Zelina Vega, for those who didn't know. This is a squash match, but man, Asuka is great in this squash matches. She absolutely kills Thea with a German here before making her tap. William Regal comes out to announce Asuka's opponent for Takeover, and refers to the tron, where Mickie James appears to cut a promo about making her return. Big pop for the reveal, and Asuka seems happy. Mickie's promo about laying the foundation is annoying, but I'm down for this match.

Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins Vs Lince Dorado and Mustafa Ali: Dorado and Ali's tron is amazing- it just says MUSTAFA LINCE in big letters. Really went all out for that one. Fun match here. The face team is very over. Man, TJP was super cool in hindsight, but they just made him seem like such a boring dork. Fun match with lots of flying around. TJP picks up the win for his team with the kneebar, and they advance to face Sanity in the next round. There were a lot of filler teams in the first round, but the second round is sounding good. I'm already liking this year's tournament more than last year's.

Episode MVP: Asuka, though Aliyah pushed her close.

[JonnyLaw]

I don’t think I’ve ever hated a wrestler right off the bat as much as I hated Ho Ho Lun, and it entirely came from watching him fix his hair instead of selling while laying on the mat.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

11/2/16

This show promised us all four quarter-final matches in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. It was a promise it could not keep.

Shane Thorne Vs Roderick Strong: So, this was supposed to be TM-61 against Austin Aries and Roddy, but Aries came out in street clothes and then took off his sunglasses to reveal a busted up eye, suffered at the hands of Shinsuke Nakamura. I always thought it was Hideo who fucked up his eye. Aries cuts a promo saying he isn't cleared to compete, but will be next week, so TM-61 should do the right thing and forfeit. William Regal comes out and says Roderick Strong will take on one member of TM-61 for a spot in the semi-finals. Doesn't really seem fair, and is a major disappointment to me as I was looking forward to this match. But okay. Strong and Thorne actually have a good match, and some outside shenanigans lead to Thorne rolling Strong up for the win. I believe this injury actually puts paid to Aries's NXT career completely, as I think he transitions into a role as 205 Live commentator, and then competitor, from here. 

#DIY Vs The Revival: I can understand that an injury forced their hand in the first match, but what's the excuse for not delivering on this match? Because this was some serious bullshit. With DIY in the ring, the Revival come out not dressed to compete, and with Dawson on crutches with what looks like a fake injury. They cut a promo basically saying Dawson is injured, and they forfeit the match. This is a crock of shit, and I've actually turned on this tournament now.

The Authors of Pain Vs No Way Jose and Rich Swann: This is fun enough, with Jose and Swann putting up a good fight before taking the fall. 

SAnitY Vs Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins: I continue to enjoy Sanity as an act. This is better than the previous match actually, and both Ibushi and TJP get to show a lot here, before they go down rather anticlimactically. Surprised it was Ibushi taking the fall too. Is that him done now?

Episode MVP: Shane Thorne.

3 star match: Shane Thorne Vs Roderick Strong

[Brian Fowler]

Ibushi had the Bobby Roode match (up on the network in hidden gems somewhere) a few days before that which I definitely recommend checking out.

I'd totally forgotten Ibushi stuck around for the Dusty Classic, so I'm fairly certain that's the end of his run, but I can't guarantee it.

[JonnyLaw]

16 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Ibushi had the Bobby Roode match (up on the network in hidden gems somewhere) a few days before that which I definitely recommend checking out.

I'd totally forgotten Ibushi stuck around for the Dusty Classic, so I'm fairly certain that's the end of his run, but I can't guarantee it.

How could you forget all the outrage at the time about them jobbing Kota out to repackaged Sawyer Fulton and Alexander Wolfe?

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

11/9/16

The Authors of Pain Vs #DIY: Dusty Classic semi-final. I liked this match a lot, both the match itself and the booking of the finish. Great spot with Johnny Gargano trying a dive, AOP catching him, Tommaso Ciampa following up with a dive of his own, but AOP blocking it by just throwing Gargano at him. One of the AOP hitting a fallaway slam on Gargano at the same time as a Samoan drop on Ciampa was another highlight, though probably not for Ciampa, whose face got squished. The finish was DIY hitting their finish, Paul Ellering distracting the ref, and The Revival appearing out of the crowd to lay waste to Gargano. That left Ciampa open to the double team and AOP moved on to the final. Both teams end up looking strong, and you continue the Revival/DIY feud.

TM-61 Vs SAnitY: This second semi-final was fun too. TM-61 get dominated for most of the match but pull off an upset win with a roll-up. I like TM-61, but probably would have just gone with Sanity in the final. I mean, I get why they didn't, but an AOP/Sanity final probably would have gone over really well. This tournament resurrected itself tonight with two good matches.

William Regal announces that the Revival will defend the tag titles against DIY at Takeover in a 2/3 falls match. I've seen that match before, but am looking forward to revisiting it.

Ember Moon Vs Rachel Evers: Feels like a while since we've seen Ember. She picks up the win here in a semi-squash.

Next is the contract signing for the Shinsuke Nakamura/Samoa Joe title match at Takeover. Regal and Nakamura both make their way to the ring, but Joe sets up his own table on top of the ramp, saying that Regal's security has a bad track record when it comes to keeping him safe. He makes Regal walk all the way up the ramp to hand him the contract, which gets quite a bit of heat. Man, a Joe/Regal match would have been incredible. Regal takes the contract back to the ring, but instead of signing it, Nakamura starts beating up the security team. He powerbombs one through the table, and then signs the contract while Joe looks on concerned. My favourite thing here was Regal just watching on in resignation as Nakamura battered these poor guys who were just doing his job. Regal had no more concern for them than he did the table. This was overall another strong NXT contract signing.

Episode MVP: Samoa Joe.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

11/16/16

This was mostly video packages to hype up Takeover. There was a nice one for the Tye Dillinger/Bobby Roode match that talked about Dillinger's first stint in WWE, as part of the ECW brand.

Liv Morgan Vs Peyton Royce: Billie Kay is, of course, flanking Royce. Royce has a nice rope-assisted submission spot which I haven't seen her do on the main roster. Morgan looks like she's closing in on the win, but Kay interferes for the DQ. The two beat her down a bit, while the fans chant for Aliyah, which must be a first. Aliyah, who is my new fave, by the way, comes in for the save, but takes a beating too. Finally, Ember Moon's music hits, and Moon comes in for the save. Moon and Morgan celebrate in the ring, and that ingrate Morgan never once goes to check on Aliyah on the outside. Finally, Aliyah drags her poor beaten body in the ring, and the three of them celebrate together.

We get a vignette promising 'the return' is next. It turns out to be for Elias Samson. 

Elias Samson Vs Nathan Cruz: Graves picks up where he left off in talking endless shit about Elias, who picks up a quick win here. I can't say I've really missed Elias, but it's not like I dislike him either.

There's a backstage interview with Moon, Morgan and Aliyah in which they challenge Kay and Royce to find a partner for a 6-man tag.

Andrade 'Cien' Almas Vs Cedric Alexander: It seems like weeks ago that Almas attacked Cedric. Well, it was weeks ago, but you know what I mean. There really hasn't been any follow-up on it at all, and since we got an ad for the soon-to-be-debuting 205-Live during this show, I guess Cedric is done with NXT after this match anyway. This one took a while to get going, but once Almas starting ratcheting up the aggression, it got pretty good. Almas picked up the win with the hammerlock DDT. He already works much better as a heel.

Episode MVP: Andrade 'Cien' Almas.

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

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

NXT Takeover: Toronto

Bobby Roode Vs Tye Dillinger: Roode comes out with a choir singing his theme, which is pretty great. This match is pretty great actually. I knew they could have a really good match if given the time, but I wasn't expecting something this good. On another night, this would have stolen the show. They got 15 minutes plus, and just had a great action-packed match, which the crowd were totally along for the ride on. My favourite spot was actually a comedy spot they did early on. Roode is begging off, but it looks like he's holding up the 'ten', which Tye mocks. So Roode puts his hands down on the mat, and Tye stomps on them, and now Roode is flexing his fingers his pain, and now it really looks like he's doing the 'ten' thing. Funny spot. Then they just went balls out, and I had a blast watching it. Roode picked up the win with the DDT, but Dillinger got a post-match ovation.

The Authors of Pain Vs TM61: Final of the Dusty Classic. These guys had a tough act to follow, but the match was well laid out. Paul Ellering was suspended above the ring in a shark cage, which I feel was a bit tacked on, but was due to Ellering's increasing interference in his charges' matches. Very early in the match, Shane Thorne does an insane dive off one of the beams suspending the cage, which brings the crowd into the match. This is just as good as the last time these two teams met. Ellering throws a chain into the ring, but TM61 manage to dispose of it. However, they end up falling victim to AOP anyway. Predictable result, but fun match. Dustin Rhodes and Triple H are out to present the trophy. I like how official this all is.

DIY Vs The Revival: 2/3 falls for the tag titles. I have seen this match before, so knew going in what I was getting, that being an absolute classic, and strong contender for best NXT match ever. Just the work of these guys, Revival in particular- so crisp, so fluid, so creative, and with a high degree of difficulty. And the crowd is absolutely molten. I said Roode and Dillinger would have stolen the show on another night, but nothing was topping this. The first fall was Revival catching Gargano with the Shatter Machine as a counter to his springboard spear. DIY leveled up with their double strike combo on Dawson. Gargano got his redemption moment, surviving the Indian deathlock which he had tapped out to before. The finishing stretch was a frenzy of nearfalls, including DIY hitting a Shatter Machine of their own. In the end, DIY locked on a pair of submissions in the middle of the ring, and the Revival had no choice but to tap out, making DIY the new champs. Really, really high quality stuff.

Asuka Vs Mickie James: Asuka had a great entrance here, as everyone in the front row had Asuka masks that they put on. Cheap but effective way to do a special entrance. But, man, this was a big disappointment. I was expecting something decent here, but this didn't deliver at all. The highlight was actually the post-match when Mickie offered Asuka her hand, and Asuka just put the belt in her face. Asuka getting more dickish is definitely something I can get behind. But the two just didn't really gel. The story for much of the match was that Mickie not only 'still had it', but was actually a step ahead of Asuka. Except she wasn't. Her performance seemed really off and that hurt the whole match. Asuka's win was presented really as just Mickie dominating the match but getting caught in the submission and having to tap out.

Samoa Joe Vs Shinsuke Nakamura: Nakamura comes out with a bevy of violinists playing his theme this time. I don't know if they're actually playing though, because the actual theme is playing so loud. I wish they'd just go with the violinists. Joe gives no fucks about any of this. This took a while to get going, but ended up being really good, in a stiff and scrappy kind of way. I'm not convinced these two have great chemistry, but they seem to be able to will their matches into being good. I really like the finish, which saw Joe giving a low-blow to Nakamura on the outside, and then hitting the uranage on the steps, just as he had done to take him out of action weeks earlier, before rolling him into the ring and hitting the muscle buster to pick up the victory. I pretty much knew Joe was going to win this, but I imagine it was quite a shock at the time.

Show rating: Three matches ranging from good to great, one very decent match, and one disappointing match. But just on that tag title match alone, this is a show well worth seeing. 4 stars.

Show MVP: For the first time ever, I'm gonna call this a tie, and just give it to all four men in the tag title match.

3 1/4 star match: Samoa Joe Vs Shinsuke Nakamura

3 1/2 star match: Tye Dillinger Vs Bobby Roode

4 1/2 star match: DIY Vs The Revival

[Ramo2653]

I'll have to go back and watch the Mickie/Auska match because I remember really digging that match.

[The Natural]

On 4/30/2020 at 5:30 AM, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

NXT Takeover: Toronto

DIY Vs The Revival: 2/3 falls for the tag titles. I have seen this match before, so knew going in what I was getting, that being an absolute classic, and strong contender for best NXT match ever. Just the work of these guys, Revival in particular- so crisp, so fluid, so creative, and with a high degree of difficulty. And the crowd is absolutely molten. I said Roode and Dillinger would have stolen the show on another night, but nothing was topping this. The first fall was Revival catching Gargano with the Shatter Machine as a counter to his springboard spear. DIY leveled up with their double strike combo on Dawson. Gargano got his redemption moment, surviving the Indian deathlock which he had tapped out to before. The finishing stretch was a frenzy of nearfalls, including DIY hitting a Shatter Machine of their own. In the end, DIY locked on a pair of submissions in the middle of the ring, and the Revival had no choice but to tap out, making DIY the new champs. Really, really high quality stuff.

Show rating: Three matches ranging from good to great, one very decent match, and one disappointing match. But just on that tag title match alone, this is a show well worth seeing. 4 stars.

Show MVP: For the first time ever, I'm gonna call this a tie, and just give it to all four men in the tag title match.

4 1/2 star match: DIY Vs The Revival

Glad to see you back at this, @Yo-Yo's Roomie. I gave the Revival vs. #DIY from NXT TakeOver: Toronto 2016 the full *****. My WWE MOTY. You're right that it's a contender for the Best Match in NXT History. What a year The Revival had in '16 vs. American Alpha and #DIY. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by The Natural

[Brian Fowler]

A strong candidate for my favorite WWE match ever.
 

Every really great NXT match has me briefly thinking they topped DIY/Revival, and then a few months later those matches fade from my memory and Toronto still shines.

[The Natural]

Hope you're well, @Yo-Yo's Roomie. Good looking back at what NXT became from how it started. 2015 is probably my favourite year of NXT, then 2018.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

I'm doing good, thanks, Natch. You?

I actually finished going through 2016, but just never wrote the last few shows up. Real life kind of got in the way, as I know it did for a lot of people.

[The Natural]

On 11/11/2020 at 4:12 PM, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

I'm doing good, thanks, Natch. You?

I actually finished going through 2016, but just never wrote the last few shows up. Real life kind of got in the way, as I know it did for a lot of people.

Glad you're good, @Yo-Yo's Roomie. Thanks for asking about me, rough spell. Just have to ride on through. You're right that real life takes over things for people particularly in a year like this with the coronavirus pandemic. Best wishes, buddy.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Stay strong, brother. Let the power of Hulkamania carry you thr.... No, maybe not. Tap into the power of the Yes Movement. How about that?

[The Natural]

On 11/16/2020 at 2:18 AM, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

Stay strong, brother. Let the power of Hulkamania carry you thr.... No, maybe not. Tap into the power of the Yes Movement. How about that?

Cheers, mate and Yes! Yes! Yes!