NXT Review and Aftermath Thread

[Mighty NorCal]

Its time.



2/3


What the fuck, I thought the Vaudvillians were gonna get the new menacing music?



Carmella and Emma had a rather disappointing match. Nothing "NXT" about, would have been very average divas match t any level.


Oh yea!! Finn Balor is on NXT! Boy, he and Crewes sure headlocked, chinlocked an arm locked the hell out of each other didnt they. Londos would have been proud.


Not a great show by NXT standards.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I thought the show was great. I'm glad Vaudevillians won, they'll turn heel soon, of that I've no doubt! I LOVED Asuka's match, it was a great squash and showcase of her character and abilities, though I'll be honest I've never really been fond of that running ass move she does. I also think her jacket is too big for her she looks very awkward walking around in it.

Speaking of jackets, Finn Balor's... All that posing he does opening and closing his jacket in time with his music looks stupid, I'm fine with the throwing up the hands thing as it involves crowd participation but his jacket antics are too excessive. He should put the collar down on it too.
Joe's "promo" if you can call it that, was great.

Crews and Balor was good, I liked how much technical work was in it. And since. AJ has come to WWE guess Balor feels like he can bring back Bloody Sunday.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I've a bone to pick about how the main event this week was advertised at the top of the show. A question: what exactly is a title-free match? Do you mean a non-title match, i.e. how a match in which a title is not being contested has been described since the invention of titles?

Mojo Rawley, in the opening tag match, actually got something approaching a positive reaction. Whether it was the Rawley Section, or whatever he calls it when a dozen of his mates show up wearing his merch, I can't say. Considering the dead air when he was doing his house of fire routine, maybe it was. The Vaudevillains are overdue a call-up. WWE's tag roster is so threadbare that you'll never be able to convince me they couldn't use more bodies, particularly ones with such a novel gimmick as The Vaudevillains.

Is Carmella still supposed to be a hairdresser-turned-wrestler? There'd be more heat to her imminent encounter with Bayley if you ran it under a warm tap. No wonder it was felt they couldn't put it on a Takeover. Having her do her own introduction on the way to the ring, while no doubt an attempt to ignite some interest, really emphasized the tiers of popularity that exist in NXT. Enzo Amore she ain't. A pity - she's talented in her own right. That said, I think I blacked out a bit during her match with Emma. And a ripple of polite applause did ring out.

How a man who spent a decade in a mask yelling in broken Spanglish became so good at promos is anyone's guess. This week wasn't a shining example but, you know, generally. Samoa Joe's aggressive lunge made a clearer statement.

Having Enzo and Cass on the same show as Carmella, driving ever more nails into her coffin, seems cruel. Enzo Amore: concerete proof that the least important part of professional wrestling is wrestling. If The New Day ever get bored of fighting the same guys in facepaint every month and if ever they need to play heels a team more interesting than themselves, and they do, Enzo and Cass are just a plane flight away.

William Regal was a spectacular general manager in 2001 and he's a spectacular general manager fifteen years later.

Putting Asuka on the same show as Carmella! You utter bastards.

Apollo Crews trying to emote is perhaps more painful than when he would smile all of the time. Finn seems like Marlon Brando in comparison. Remember when I thought I was going to get Finn Balor vs. Apollo Crews in London and went absolutely apeshit? Well, this was the match I feared would happen. NXT Headlock TakeOver London.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

2/10

Atmosphere wasn't helped as much by being at UCF as I expected. EVetrything looked real good, but I expected a rowdier crowd. I would still like this to become the "home" Takeover venue, and keep Full Sail for the TVs. I think that would be a good balance.



Corbin's entrance looked awesome in this arena, and that was a damn fun little match between he and Johnny Wrestling.

Cameron Vs Alexa Bliss was.....Really fucking strange, but oh well. For their part the crowd really got into this by the end.


Loved the go-home segment, super hot finish with interesting angles all over the place....Once again doing the unthinkable for a womens division.


Much better show than last week. Good look, fun atmosphere, and seeds being planted.

 

[Piss Bucket]

Well I've just watched last night's show, at the end of the main event, which was excellent, I thought I saw Carmella win because Bayley's shoulders were down during the final pin fall, but I guess I saw it wrong.

Looking forward to the Sami Zayn against Samoa Joe match next week, should be a cracker that one.

 

[Uncle Sam]

2/10

I thought this was your score of the show at first and was wondering if something had gone horribly awry. With you, not NXT - it was a pretty good show.

Gable, Jordon, Enzo and Cass sharing the screen was an unexpected treat.

The most pleasant surprise, however, goes to Carmella's title shot. Not an all-time classic, like many matches involving Bayley and the title, but much better than the wet fart I was fearing. Much, much better (i.e. good).

A new challenger approaches...

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Bliss seemed so pissed off at Cameron I loved it!

I also really enjoyed Bayley and Carmella's match, Bayley has an amazing character but she really is such a great wrestler too. Total package and one that is unique too. Carmella held her own as well, her best match thus far.

Joe vs Zayn... As much as I love Zayn and the idea of Balor vs Zayn, I think Joe will win. Balor I think will drop the title to Joe. I just can't see Balor dropping it to another top face. Unless Balor himself turns in his match with Zayn. I'd really like Balor to be the one who took out Hideo.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The low point of the show for me was Elias Sampson. I know he's only his 2nd or 3rd match on NXT, so I'm not throwing him under the bus yet, I just don't get a positive vibe out of the guy. Truthfully, my impressions of the guy are that he's just flat out dull and this gimmick of his being a wandering street musician who can kick ass sounds like the main character from some direct to DVD release from WWE films.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Feb 17,


I was a bit disappointed with what seemed to be a somewhat docile reaction for Enzo and Cass. Fine 8 man tag match.


Very happy to see Deonna Purazzo back. She is one of the indy talents I find most interesting, and I hope her and Santana Garrett get signed for good. The division could use more depth and capable workers.


DAMN FINE match between Joe and Zayn. Their chemistry continues to grow, and I can see their impending blow-off match being a MOTY canidate.

 

[FromTheSouth]

I'm disappointed that Carmella wasn't out there. Setting up a second tier feud in the Women's division should be a priority. Bliss and Carmella are athletic enough to raise some interest. That division has two stories: Bayley vs. The World and Askura is weird. They had a secondary feud going with Askura and Dana Brooke, but Dana's injury put that to bed. Carmella was impressive against Bayley and Bliss is a capable worker, constantly improving. I watched her title match vs. Banks and then her match vs. Bayley and there is a world of difference in story telling. If they're going to make her heel (which is a huge mistake), they should use her.

Also, Big Cass is VKM's wettest dream. A big man who can move and talk a bit? He's Craig Morgan +50 IQ points and oiled up joints. I'm excited for he and Enzo to debut, reportedly, at Fast Lane.

 

[Piss Bucket]

I've just read last night's results on the main site, so the Zayn against Joe match was a draw, again! Eh? Are they planning a 3 way at Takeover: Dallas?

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I got a real old school vibe from Zayn vs Joe. A great match it was, loved the slow pacing at the start, building and building... Joe threw some really fake looking punches but ill forgive him! But I'm kinda ehh on another draw finish. I'm all for creative finishes like that but to do two draws in consecutive matches I think is too much. Joe should've won this, perhaps in a semi screwey way like Sami passing out to the choke while held on to the rope without the ref (or Joe) seeing. Or even having the ref just award Joe the win in that double pin scenario. That would've created great heat.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I've just read last night's results on the main site, so the Zayn against Joe match was a draw, again! Eh? Are they planning a 3 way at Takeover: Dallas?

It's a possibility, one that I think would be almost a certainty if this was the main WWE roster as a triple threat would be the easiest and laziest way to book the thing. While it could still happen, I don't see it as this sort of general laziness doesn't really fit with the booking that's common place in NXT. Although, to be fair, WWE has ppvs monthly whereas NXT generally has a lot more time to slowly build things up for their TakeOver specials. While WWE does get crap for rushed build and storylines, understandable to some degree, the ppvs are pretty much the bread & butter of the WWE Network. If the Network continues to grow and within, say, 3 to 5 years, and they routinely have subscribers in the 3 to 4 million range, then it's possible they could go the route of having less ppvs, but I doubt it.

If I had to guess, they'll go for some sort of match with Zayn and Joe that all but guarantees a winner. Maybe some sort of street fight, possibly a cage match, maybe 2 out of 3 falls, falls count anywhere, etc..

 

[ShinChan]

So I watched this week's NxT which had only one match which was Samoa Joe VS Sami Zayn for the No.1 contender for Finn Balor's NxT Championship. After two ties, This match was made with the stipulation of 2 out of 3 falls match. Samoa Joe won the match by 2-1.

I really liked the chemistry between these two guys. Samoa Joe has been awesome since his heel turn and so is Sami Zayn after his return from injury. This match had more strikes than grapple moves which I liked. It made me feel like a very prestigiuos thing was on stake for these guys which is commendable.

Now hoping for good matches in form of Zayn/Nakamura & Balor/ Joe at TakeOver Dallas.

​

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I enjoyed the match quite a bit, I'm not surprised it's gotten some complaints from fans who've called it a terrible match because it wasn't as high octane and up tempo as many of Zayn's matches are. I thought the match had great storytelling and I also enjoy a nice grappling session now and again; besides, the guys had to pace themselves as they wrestled for about 45 minutes and would have gotten gassed less than halfway into the match had they gone balls out.

 

[ShinChan]

Last week's featured a rematch between Asuka and Emma.

It was really a very good match. Asuka is very good at in-ring work. I didn't like Emma in her main roster run along with Santino but she is fun to watch in NxT with Dana and now on main roster too. Emma's match with Paige for the inaugral NxT Women Title was very good too. Emma has been an underrated wrestler.

Coming back to the match, it was refreshing to see someone dominate Asuka for sometime. Dana's heel assists were fun too. The bunch of moves Asuka performs is fascinating.

Looking forward to Asuka VS Bayley at the ppv while also hoping a good run for Emma on the main roster.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I meant to post my thoughts on the show a week ago but it's been a busy week and I wanted to allow time to sit down and watch the content on the WWE Network in order to provide thoughts not only from being there in person but also still addressing my thoughts on the matches as viewed on The WWE Network. Anyway, here we go.


NXT Takeover Dallas

This was my first time to attend an NXT event in person so I was really excited. The first thing I did was look for merchandise and programs. I found the Wrestlemania program before finding an NXT one and they only took cash so I had to go find an ATM Machine since I never carry cash on me, and took out enough to get the Wrestlemania program with a little extra left over. That extra ended up being just enough to buy the NXT program that they began selling to people in line as guys began walking down the hall with them instead of being set up at a booth for sale like the Wrestlemania program was. Bought both, that worked out nicely. Then I was standing in line for what seemed like an eternity. Got to meet a few cool people in line, talked about where we were from and what matches we were looking forward to. At one point when I was in line a backstage interviewer showed up with camera people to do one of those spots of the exctied crowd during the pre-show. The line started moving before she began filming though. Once I got inside the arena I bought a bottle of water, found my seat, and got ready for what was to come.


Manny Andrade VS Christopher Girard
This was a dark match that started out the evening. Nothing special. An ok start for being the first thing anyone there saw.

Apollo Crews VS Elias Samson
This should have been on the main card, however I understand taping for an upcoming NXT episode. Man, the crowd HATED Elias Samson. Thunderous boo's for him.

American Alpha VS The Revival (NXT Tag Team Championship)
Now we're on the main show. Great reaction from the fans for American Alpha. This match was a fun one and a really good choice for opening the show. The right call was made in who won and there's nothing I would change about it other than that botch.... The "Which one's Dawson, which one's Dash?" chant was a good one.

Austin Aries VS Baron Corbin
Arguably the worst match of the night if you disregard the pre-show match and the NXt taping match. On a show with a quality like the NXT Takeovers all have had, you rarely see a bad match though. This wasn't bad, it just happened to be on a show full of better matches. There were some dueling chants. Glad that Aries won, some may have thought that Corbin should have, but he ended up finding an even bigger moment at Wrestlemania.

Sami Zayn VS Shinsuke Nakamura
WHAT. A. MATCH. Goodness, this was brilliant. Both guys got great reactions, with Nakamura having the top reaction of the night. I have literally nothing bad to say here. It's the match of the year candidate so far and blew everything else from the rest of the weekend out of the water. The fans at one point chanted "Fight forever!" and I couldn't agree more. I'm lucky to have been there to see it for myself in person.

Asuka VS Bayley (NXT Womens Championship)
They had the nearly impossible task of following the Sami VS Nakamura match.... Considering that, they did a really good job here. I wasn't surprised by Asuka's win although it did seem to come out of nowhere in person, from the spot I was sitting in you couldn't tell Bayley passed out. The ending made a lot more sense when viewing on The WWE Network. During the entrances, before Bayley entered there were tons of guys in black suits up on the stage trying to get all the cherry blossoms from Asuka's entrance off the stage. It was funny looking.

I legit marked out when they showed Bobby Roode.

Finn Balor VS Samoa Joe (NXT Championship)
The top heel of the night? The referee from this match. The fans were furious at the constant stopping and some vulgar chants were heard. It did get frustrating after the first two stoppings, but when viewing this show on The WWE Network, it worked. This match felt more like a fight than a match and the stoppings helped in that capacity, unintentional or not. The entrance for Balor with the chainsaw was cool and the match saw some dueling chants. I wanted Balor to win although the guy sitting next to me did NOT. The moment the match ended he stormed out of the arena.

Overall Thoughts
There isn't all that much that I would change, truly. Maybe taping a couple of more matches for an upcoming NXT could have been cool, since both London and Brooklyn got more than one. With this being hyped as the biggest NXT event ever, it should have been as big as London and Brooklyn were with getting more matches whether they made the main card or not. Other than that it was about as good as it could possibly have been. All of the matches other than Aries VS Corbin were great, and even that wasn't bad. The best hands down was Sami VS Nakamura. If anything, that's what I predict this show will end up being remembered for. If you missed this show and haven't seen it yet, go watch it. Now.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Gable and Jordan continue to impress, loved their squash match this week. They're my favourite thing in NXT. Week in, week out they deliver. Seeing Gable's technical prowess and Jordan's power is such a winning combination.

 

[ShinChan]

I managed to watch American Alpha, Shinsuke Nakamura and Balor's promo after his match with Elias Samson this week.

First of all, American Alpha has me impressed very much. I have seen them before and love them as much as i love Cesaro. I insisted my father to watch this match. My father has always preferred wrestling over any other thing and he was pretty impressed with these guys too. These guys have the uniqueness to entertain with wrestling itself.

Sexondly, I now know why Nakamura is termed as Swagsuke instead of Shinsuke. And Shin should be saved only for Shinchan.
He really possesses an awesome swag which impressed me a lot. I loved his moveset too. It was the first time I saw him and he is just too great. Yeaaaooooohhh.

Thirdly, I really liked Balor's promo this week. He was far better than in the past in terms of mic work. The aggression and intensity was just great. Samoa Joe suits very well as a dominant badass heel. And there is no chance that Balor regains the title so we are on for a dominant Joe reign until he loses to Swagsuke.

The main thing that makes me tune into NxT is their capability to showcase any particular feud or match in the right amount of time. 1 hour never feels like too much in less time. Time management is great. Although the wrestlers play a great role in entertaining, yet it is the time management that enhances the quality of wrestling. And Graves is great too at commentary.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Man I love NXT so much... Consistently entertained week after week! Gargano and Ciampa I think are good in ring but are a little bland look and character wise. I can remember Gargano doing a horrendous promo so perhaps a heel turn or a mouthpiece is what they need?

The contract signing was excellent, seriously I have enjoyed every NXT title contract signing, I usually have hated them in other promotions haha. Here they're brief and entertaining.

I'm so happy Jax went over Bayley. I was actually sold on Bayley's injury, literally her every movement was so well done. And Jax won in such a great way. I'm also glad she took my advice about how she pins her opponents after the leg drop, looks way better than spinning around and doing a standard cover.

Where does Bayley go from here though I wonder? Does she still have a rematch with Asuka?

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Man I love NXT so much... Consistently entertained week after week! Gargano and Ciampa I think are good in ring but are a little bland look and character wise. I can remember Gargano doing a horrendous promo so perhaps a heel turn or a mouthpiece is what they need?

The contract signing was excellent, seriously I have enjoyed every NXT title contract signing, I usually have hated them in other promotions haha. Here they're brief and entertaining.

I'm so happy Jax went over Bayley. I was actually sold on Bayley's injury, literally her every movement was so well done. And Jax won in such a great way. I'm also glad she took my advice about how she pins her opponents after the leg drop, looks way better than spinning around and doing a standard cover.

Where does Bayley go from here though I wonder? Does she still have a rematch with Asuka?

I'm sure Jax is a big follower. Baileys next move should be the main roster.

 

[ShinChan]

Bailey's next move should be the main roster.

Umm.. I think that Bayley's stint in NxT hasn't ended yet. She would and should surely get a farewell match at a TakeOver. She is written off NxT TV due to leg injury and I believe that she would be wrestling in TakeOver which takes place near Summerslam. Much like how Sami Zayn had a farewell match against Shinsuke Nakamura in Dallas.

About this week's NxT; I managed to watch Gargano/Ciampa tag match and Jax/Bayley match. I also watched the NxT Title contract signing and Regal's announcement about Tag Team titles.

First of all, the tag match was very good. I have really liked Gargano and Ciampa in NxT. Their ending moves were freakin' great. The intensity of the match was very good. I hope that they get to challenge American Alpha for the tag titles down the road.

Secondly, NxT Title Contract signing was brief as well as good. I am enjoying Joe's badass reign. Balor has been improving on promo work since he lost the title. Aggressiveness in this feud is great and I am expecting a great Steel Cage match from these two.

Thirdly, The Revival get a rematch for the tag titles against American Alpha at the upcoming TakeOver. The Double A's would and should surely retain their titles. Not sure where that leaves The Revival though.

And last but not the least, Jax' match against Bayley was good. I would have liked Bayley getting more offense though. But I am just nitpicking, maybe. The end was pretty good, increased Bayley's credibility and the injury angle was spot on.

 

[thekooljt]

Umm.. I think that Bayley's stint in NxT hasn't ended yet. She would and should surely get a farewell match at a TakeOver. She is written off NxT TV due to leg injury and I believe that she would be wrestling in TakeOver which takes place near Summerslam. Much like how Sami Zayn had a farewell match against Shinsuke Nakamura in Dallas.

About this week's NxT; I managed to watch Gargano/Ciampa tag match and Jax/Bayley match. I also watched the NxT Title contract signing and Regal's announcement about Tag Team titles.

First of all, the tag match was very good. I have really liked Gargano and Ciampa in NxT. Their ending moves were freakin' great. The intensity of the match was very good. I hope that they get to challenge American Alpha for the tag titles down the road.

Secondly, NxT Title Contract signing was brief as well as good. I am enjoying Joe's badass reign. Balor has been improving on promo work since he lost the title. Aggressiveness in this feud is great and I am expecting a great Steel Cage match from these two.

Thirdly, The Revival get a rematch for the tag titles against American Alpha at the upcoming TakeOver. The Double A's would and should surely retain their titles. Not sure where that leaves The Revival though.

And last but not the least, Jax' match against Bayley was good. I would have liked Bayley getting more offense though. But I am just nitpicking, maybe. The end was pretty good, increased Bayley's credibility and the injury angle was spot on.

I'm sorry maybe my eyes are deceiving me did you just say that Gargano and Ciampa tag match this week was very good? That tag match was TER-RI-BLE. I'm not saying that Gargano and Ciampa were terrible, but those two guys they were in the ring with OH MY GOD! Poor execution, missing spots and the list goes on. Its almost as if they JUST plucked them off the street, and put them in the ring. Those guys had no rhythm whats so ever. I wish I knew their names so I can give them a proper ridicule.

 

[ShinChan]

I'm sorry maybe my eyes are deceiving me did you just say that Gargano and Ciampa tag match this week was very good? That tag match was TER-RI-BLE. I'm not saying that Gargano and Ciampa were terrible, but those two guys they were in the ring with OH MY GOD! Poor execution, missing spots and the list goes on. Its almost as if they JUST plucked them off the street, and put them in the ring. Those guys had no rhythm whats so ever. I wish I knew their names so I can give them a proper ridicule.

I think that you misunderstood me, sir.

I was talking about the match from previous week in which Gargano/Ciampa won against some jobber-esque tag team.

And I think that you are talking about this week's match against TM61 i.e The Mighty Don't Kneel?

If it's the former, I have surely liked it. But if it's the latter, I haven't seen it yet.

 

[ShinChan]

25 June NxT.

The segment with Shinsuke Nakamura and Austin Aries was great. I am loving both these guys in NxT. Looking forward to their match at TakeOver.

The triple threat main event was pretty good and the right woman won the match. Carmella has improved very much at in-ring work and has impressed very much since Enzo/Cass have gone to main roster.

Alexa Bliss is a great sneaky heel who I love to hate. Isn't that the purpose of a heel? Yes, it is and Bliss is doing good job at it.

Nia Jax Vs. Asuka could be a great match considering how these two mesh up with each other's styles.