Mojo Rawley's fine. He's fine. He's totally fine. He's OK. Nothing much wrong with him. He's got a lot of energy to him, which one supposes is the point of his character. Terrible finisher - an aggressive arse splash. The NXT crowd hasn't taken to him, though that hardly makes him unique. NXT's booking is much more reactive than the main shows': Bo Dallas and CJ Parker were turned heel when they flopped as faces; The Ascension and Tyler Breeze, to varying extents, were turned into quasi-faces after they were embraced by the crowd.
Sami Zayn is, rather obviously, fantastic - one of the best wrestlers on the planet. If you've not see Sami's matches against Jack Swagger, Cesaro or, most recently, Tyler Breeze, look them up. The Swagger match, despite being one of the best matches of 2013, is an absolute
cunt to find. That said, I really do recommend it. Here's a pretty bad quality copy of it for your perusal:
http://vk.com/video109379112_166175630
The day Sami Zayn comes up the main roster will be a bittersweet one. On the one hand, that's the goal, that's what everyone is aiming for, that's the ultimate recognition that you are really, really good. On the other hand, we're likely to be treated to months or years of misuse before the crowd grabs hold and/or management realises just how good he is (see: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro). Not to mention NXT - being the best wrestling show in America almost by default - losing its most superior talent.
Mojo Rawley and Sami Zayn, therefore, a study in contrast. Stick them together though and... no, it's obviously not going to work. The crowd will still adore Sami, still shun Mojo and most likely just see it as an untalented wrestler being attached to a talented one in a desperate attempt to leach some popularity. Which it would be. It's also obviously not going to
happen.
If the team did form I'd like them more than current potential "threats" to the NXT Tag Team Championship such as the Sawft guys
Why?
and The Vaudevillians (the latter who I consider one of the worst teams in WWE history)
Dear God,
why?
NXT's tag division is different to its singles and women's divisions in as much as it's not obviously fantastic.
As singles competitors, few would disagree with just how impressive the likes of Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville are. Tyler Breeze has a lot of fans. Even Tyson Kidd, since essentially being demoted down to NXT, has demonstrated incredible talent.
NXT's women's division is almost indisputably better than its main roster counterpart. On the main roster, Paige, an NXT product herself, and AJ Lee are a thin layer of outstanding talent above a cesspool of horrendous shite. In NXT, Charlotte has gone from wrestling like an obvious rookie to being able to put on a clinic with Natalya at NXT Takeover within the space of a few months. Sasha Banks is as gifted in the ring as she is charismatic (i.e. very). Bayley is one of my personal favourites and is effectively NXT's people's champion at this point. Others like Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch have only given us a glimpse of what they can do but show a lot of promise.
The tag division on the other hand has for the longest time been The Ascension. The Ascension. The Ascension and that's it. No one else.
Some people don't - or didn't, or won't - like The Ascension. I
do. They're the modern day version of the Legion of Doom or Demolition. Far be it from me to string up a strawman but people have mistaken their tendency to have squashes as an inability to have longer matches. Firstly, that's obviously not what that means. Secondly, they
have had longer matches. Thirdly, even if they pissed their tights and ran if they were told a match would go longer than five minutes, who cares? They squash people. It's what they do. They're gladiators - squashing people is their
gimmick. It's what makes sense.
Before The Ascension, you had The Wyatt Family, who were obviously quite significant, and Adrian Neville's two teams (with Oliver Grey and Corey Graves respectively), who were obviously less so.
After The Ascension's rise, it's become obvious how little emphasis has been put on creating new tag teams to put on the main roster. And that's fine. Don't have a lot of tag teams? Just throw some guys together, build them up a little bit and then have them summarily demolished by your only 'proper' team, who fortunately happen to be gladiatorial badasses. Work with the tools you're given.
The recent tag team tournament has been this in microcosm.
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady - the aforementioned "sawft guys" - are arguably the most legitimate team besides The Ascension but still have the scent of singles competitors being mushed together. Don't get me wrong, it makes sense that they'd associate with one another, they just don't feel like a 'proper' tag team.
Enzo Amore is exceptionally gifted on the microphone. The crowd realised this, started cheering him, started chanting along with S-A-W-F-T, and he was swiftly turned face. Cassady is less gifted on the microphone but still good. He's also seven feet tall and you can't teach that. Together, they feel like two distinct - though paradoxically similar - talents, jockeying for position. They won't be together forever. If pushed, most would admit that its Cassady riding on Enzo's coat tails, though Cassady is - and has proved to be - more than capable of getting by on his lonesome.
The Vaudevillains, recently and bemusingly described as "one of the worst teams in WWE history," are one of the most vividly painted tag teams in a long time. They're a throwback to 1930s Vaudeville and its bastard sister professional wrestling, which I think still exists in one form or another. Aiden English's gimmick was that of "the drama king," some sort of actor turned professsional wrestler or something, but he's had his eccentricities reined in to more easily match up with his partner Simon Gotch, an old timey strongman and, um, star of the silent era. They're good fun. They're not only a throwback to 1930s Vaudeville but to 1980s wrestling, the philosophy of which enveloped much of NXT. Broadly drawn characters. Shorthand. Keep it simple, stupid.
And then you have Kalisto and Sin Cara. They're both luchadores. In a business where both of you being black is a good reason to team up, that makes perfect sense.
Not bad but all definitely premium grade Ascension Chow.
