The Beast In The East 2015 Reviews & General Results Discussion!

[Dagger Dias]

So today early in the morning (it was early in US time zones anyway) WWE aired a special live event called The Beast In the East on the Network. I just caught it on the Network a moment ago, and for the most part it was an enjoyable show.

Chris Jericho VS Neville
Great way to start off the show.... up until the ending. Jericho winning this left me scratching my head. What exactly does he gain from that? Neville won't be too damaged by this loss, but still.... Anyway, a fun opening match.

Nikki Bella VS Paige VS Tamina (Divas Championship)
Yeah, this sucked. Paige winning was the only correct outcome. I'd have taken a Tamina win too, even though she had no chance. Nikki's undeserving reign continuing will only further prove how undeserving she is. The sooner it ends, the better. If you're going to have someone beat AJ's longest reign record, at least have one of the girls who can work a match do it. Maybe the NXT girls really should avoid getting promoted.... So, yeah. This was the worst match of the show, I feel sorry for Paige. She deserves so much better than this.

Brock Lesnar VS Kofi Kingston
Well, this went about as expected. Brock destroyed Kofi and his New Day allies to send a message to Seth Rollins. I was cheering for Kofi despite knowing the outcome's predictability, and still had fun watching it. If Brock's doing stuff like this, I'm fine with it. As long as he's not going for several months without defending a title again, that made me lose a ton of respect for him.

Finn Balor VS Kevin Owens (NXT Championship)
This more than made up for the infuriating Nikki retention. Owens and Finn stole the show and this match delivered in every way. Owens played the heel perfectly (no surprise there) and Finn got a well deserved homecoming complete with an NXT Championship win! So, guess he'll feud with Itami soon? Can't wait for that.

Dolph Ziggler & John Cena VS Kane & King Barrett
Ok, why did this main event? WHY? It wasn't that bad of a match but after Owens VS Balor it was just so underwhelming. It lasted a little longer than it should have and there was nothing special about it. This could have been a Smackdown main event. If you're main eventing a special live show, you should probably change things up and give the fans something cool to go home from. Nope! Instead we get Cena and Ziggler posing after a predictable tag team match. This going on last hurt the show overall for me.

Other Stuff
So we missed out on Cesaro VS Diego due to it being a dark match. Not entirely disappointed about that. Lucha Dragons VS New Day might have been cool to see on the main card, but whatever. We got the important stuff which was Lesnar and the NXT Championship match. I'd have changed up a few things such as making Owens VS Balor main event the show, Paige winning the Divas Championship, Neville beating Jericho, and removing half of the main event tag team match's time to allow Lucha Dragons VS New Day onto the main card.

Final Thoughts
I liked it. Sure there was nothing earth-shattering that happened on this show, but it accomplished what it needed to do. Lesnar sent a message to Rollins. We have a new NXT Champion who got a really cool win following a great match. The show is worth checking out, if anything, for Owens VS Balor. You won't regret checking that match out. WWE should do more special events like this on the Network on American holidays. Why not? The fans who have Network accounts will check the shows out on holidays and/or days off work/class, plus it gets more profit for the WWE from the fans who attend the events. Everyone wins.

Dagger's Review
Thumbs up! WWE should definitely do more stuff like this.

====

Now it's your turn.

What did you think about the matches and results on this show? Share your likes/dislikes or even a full review of the show if you want. Don't forget to include reasons behind why you liked/disliked it.

Discuss!

 

[K Web V3]

I watched it live at 230am lol.

Was surprised Jericho won. Figured he'd lose to Neville.
Divas match was ass.
Balor v Owens was awesome as expected.
Brock got a free vacay for a squash.
Tag match was cool, but nothing special.

Overall I enjoyed it. My son even woke up to watch the balor match haha

 

[laodaron]

A few notes: I gained a ton of respect for the Japanese audience. There were no fan takeovers, no booing the face and cheering the heel. There were no stupid chants during the matches. The Japanese audience made the show better for me than many WWE PPVs.

Michael Cole and Byron Saxton did the best job of announcing that I've heard in a very very long time. I was thoroughly impressed with their announcing.

Finn Balor getting the streamers before the title match was awesome.

Brock is over as fuck. So is Cena. So is Finn Balor.

Jericho winning was correct. He can't put over talent if he hasn't won in decades. It made sense, and it was a big mark moment that he put in the Liontamer to win instead of the Walls of Jericho. Neville certainly wasn't hurt by it. And losing a match isn't getting buried.

Paige just isn't very good. Neither is Tamina. Nicki stuck out as the far superior in ring talent this morning in this match. Plus, since one belt was booked to switch, changing belts in this match could possibly burn out the audience.

Brock is still the man, and Kofi took a nasty German suplex. I liked it. And Brock tossed Big E like a cruiserweight. And damn, the Japanese love Brock.

Balor v. Owens was obviously the best match on the card, and it was booked to be. I really am impressed with both guys. The Japanese still remember Finn from his years there. Big moment, and since it was NXT, obviously a WWE production can't close out the card with another promotions belt, even if that promotion is owned by WWE.

The main event was on purpose, like every house show. Cena goes out on top, because he's far and away the most over guy on the roster. Plus, I believe that Owens and Balor were given an open time frame, and 4 seasoned veterans knew exactly how to burn 11 minutes in a main event tag match. In reverse, there would be a possibility of Balor and Owens getting cut short.

All in all this was just 2 very impressive hours of WWE television.

 

[Savior of Silence]

I watched it live at 5:30 am here in New York.

Somebody above said that Cole and Saxton did a good job of announcing and I disagree completely. Saxton would say things and Cole wouldn't acknowledge and would just go on with his own announcing or there'd be an awkward pause. It really detracted from the overall atmosphere for me.

I also don't mind Jericho going over Neville too much. At the very earliest, this aired at 2:30 am in the US so most probably didn't watch it. Jericho gained some fame early in his career in Japan and the Japanese crowd popped pretty good for the Lion Tamer. Neville came out of the match still looking pretty good so his losing wasn't a turn off for me.

Jesus Christ, I hate Nikki Bella. If you're going to put the tag match in the main event because "lulz John Cena", then this diva match really should have been put between the NXT title match and the main event.

Lesnar match went as expected so no news there.

Balor/Owens should have been the main event. I actually went to sleep after this match because I simply didn't give a fuck about the tag match.

 

[TJ Matics]

Chris Jericho VS Neville

This was a good opener. I was a little surprised that the crowd was very clearly more pro-Jericho than Neville, even with Jericho working as a heel towards the end. I really underestimated his appeal/fan base here. Like most I was confused with the result, but maybe this will be the start of a feud that Neville will win in the end. Maybe not.

Nikki Bella VS Paige VS Tamina (Divas Championship)

This match was fine, though the triple threat with Naomi was better. Paige winning would have made less sense than Kofi winning, to anyone actually following along with the divas division. Nikki's reign will continue until NOC, after she beats AJ's record and Paige's reinforcements to take down the "Bella Empire" get called up. It should be noted that the only reason I have AJ on the brain is because they keep calling attention to her and her reign, I had forgotten all about her having the longest reign and really didn't care to be honest. After Nikki has the longest reign it'll be like winning King of the Ring, it'll be a nice talking point but doesn't hold much weight. Nevertheless, people can continue to whinge about Nikki all they want, I'd hate that pretty b!tch if she kept proving me wrong too.

Brock Lesnar VS Kofi Kingston

Just what you'd expect this to be, on down to the rest of New Day running out for a couple of F5s.

Finn Balor VS Kevin Owens (NXT Championship)

I don't think you can steal a show that's yours to begin with, but if you can than that's what we'll call it. Owens was brilliant and Balor was the hero...erm, demon, that won the "big one" for the feel good moment. I had planned to make a thread about this but I guess I can just ask it here:

Is Balor limited? Let me start this off by saying I've only seen a handful of his matches in NXT, hence why I'm asking. From watching his match with Prince Pretty to Owens just a couple of hours ago, it seems that he already has his own "5 moves of doom" down pact with not much meat in between. He starts his match hot, gets beat down, a little back and forth, sporadicly hits a few money moves and then wins. Now compared to Owens, just hearing the hype I thought the two were on the same level in the ring, but Owens seemed to out wrestle him by a lot. Not just because he's a heel and he's supped to control the match, but it was more like Owens had a lot more to pull from his arsenal. Balor was the reason I started watching NXT because he has a character that draws you in, and I still consider myself a fan, but take away the awesome entrance, with or without the face paint: do you just have another good wrestler? Not so much a sensational wrestler? Is he just limited in a "WWE style" of match?

Dolph Ziggler & John Cena VS Kane & King Barrett

I pulled the plug here.

Final Thoughts

This was an enjoyable show, and I would definitely tune in for another as long as the matches are as interesting. I'm already consistently watching the PPVs, NXT, and currently catching up with Total Divas, so this little treat definitely makes me fell better about my $9.99!

 

[GameOver]

Really the only matches worth a damn were Jericho vs Neville and the NXT title match, so 3 out 4 NXT stars. I fail to see what the point of Cena/Ziggler vs Kane/Barret as the main event was and why Brock Lesnar was handed Kofi Kingston like that was ever gonna be anymore then a squash

and the tag champs were on a preshow noone saw.

Shoulda had that in replacement of the diva match which was useless, sorry Tamina has very little talent the other 2 were fine but Tamina stunk it up

Brock should've atleast faced Big E Langston and have Kingston in the tag pre-show match, Big E would've atleast been a slugfest briefly. and where was Heyman? my girlfriend is a fan of wrestling now and she was hanging out to here him take the mic LOL

Neville vs Jericho was pretty good for Jericho not being in a ring in a long time, thought Jericho would've jobbed as he has often recently but either way it was a good match

KO vs Balor was damn good match, kudo's to both. Balor's makeup however for me is very offputting, but i agree on your assessment of Balor's inring ability, it's nothing fantastic. Sparks of Daniel Bryan/Sting and a finisher from Spike Dudley (which looks weak) but he's got the best NXT entrance atm and is adequate enough, it was obvious he was gonna win however since Cena is not booked as the US champion coming into the upcoming Australian tour next month, ok they coulda still worked around that but it's usually been the case in the past few years that who they advertise as champ is champ when they arrive so expect Owens walks out of Battleground as US champ and is on the main roster permanently

as for the commentry, well my momma said if you have nothing nice to say about someone don't say anything (they sucked)


3 stars, NXT stars saved an otherwise average show

 

[Navi]

Chris Jericho VS Neville

Good back and forth between the two. Wasn't sure at first who the crowd would go with, but they seemed to go with both. Both men were pretty evenly matched, but Jericho looked like he was getting a little tired halfway thorough. Might be the fact of a long flight, or just that he's not really been in the ring that much lately. Both tried to hit their finishers, and the commentary was great. Loved how they explained a little of Jericho's history with the Japanese, and it made a lot of sense as to how the crowd were reacting. Good opener.

Nikki Bella VS Paige VS Tamina (Divas Championship)

Easily the worst match of the show. It's gotten to the point that they've mentioned her reign so much, it's so very obvious that they are trying to outdo AJ Less's. Shows just how petty the WWE is. Anyway match was quick, which is a good thing, Paige is really starting to annoy me with her yelling and I have no idea why Tamina was even in it to begin with. Where was Naomi? Anyhow, quick match, ending wasn't a surprise, yea.

Brock Lesnar VS Kofi Kingston

Total squash, but lasted longer than I thought. Felt sorry for poor Kofi, he really didn't look like he was enjoying being there. Lesnar is crazy over everywhere and he might have broken a sweat, but I think that happened when he F-5'd Big E. What we need Lesnar to do on RAW this week, is just come out and F-5 everyone in sight. Not much more you can say. Oh if I was Rollins, I'd be calling in sick on Monday night.

Finn Balor VS Kevin Owens (NXT Championship)

Stole the show for sure, and kind of embarrassing that the guys from developmental put on what some think could be the match of the year. Went the way I thought it would. Owens drops the title so he can join the main roster permanently, and Balor wins in the land where he spent so many years wrestling. The crowd was well into this, and the streamers and flowers were a great touch. Owens slayed me when he tossed the flowers, typical heel move, but it was a hoot. Owens is no doubt gunning after Rollins to become the number one heel, if he isn't already. I can see Balor having a good run with the NXT title and probably coming up to the main roster by Mania. By that time Owens will be well on his way.

Dolph Ziggler & John Cena VS Kane & King Barrett

Couldn't figure out for the life of me why this match went on last. Was it because they wanted to make sure the NXT guys got the time they needed? Or was it because Cena was in it, and someone of his stature usually always is the main event? It was an okay match, nothing to really write home to Mom about. We could have seen this on RAW last week, or the week before, and we probably did. But Cena is way over in Japan, so is Ziggler. They sent the fans home with the feel good ending they always do.

Other Stuff

Missed the Cesaro match, and the tag match with the Lucha Dragons. I understand they were on some sort of preshow. I'm going to check out the On Demand channel and see if they've put them into the re-broadcast.

Final Thoughts

All in all I didn't mind getting up at 5:30 to watch it. It went as most predicted it would. To help sell the Network they have to do more shows like this.

Found that without JBL, the commentary was excellent cause we didn't have him interjecting every two minutes with a stupid statement. Cole and Saxton did a great job calling the matches and providing some history with them. I think they also got away with a lot more than they usually do, laughing at that. Anyway, the WWE should really take the show on the road more often. It's refreshing to see fans who actually want the wrestler's to be there, compared to some crowds we've seen recently that have been quite dead.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I thought it was a really good show and really wish they would do more shows like this.

Jericho vs. Neville was a very good opener, and I actually liked Jericho winning. If Jericho puts over everyone, then it doesn't matter.

The Diva's Triple Threat was actually one of the better diva's matches I've seen in a while. Sure, I wanted Paige to win but the heels have got to win every now and then.

Lesnar vs. Kofi was entertaining. Lesnar looked dominant as he should have.

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens was match of the night. So many near falls and Balor winning the title in his hometown was a nice moment.

The tag team match main event was... okay. It was fairly anti-climatic, and Owens vs. Balor should have main evented, but that's just a minor complaint. The match itself was pretty good, just not main event worthy.

Overall, I really liked the event and hope to see more events like this.

 

[King502]

Chris Jericho is just in huge in Japan as uncle Jesse from full house so I'm not shocked he won

 

[Mustang Sally]

Wasn't the order of matches done in odd fashion? Seeing Brock Lesnar come out so early in the program was puzzling, yet due to his opposition, I'm figuring the match was scheduled to be 'undramatic' and WWE felt it wise to not try and pass it off as a main event,

Similarly, it's understandable that the NXT title match wasn't the last one of the evening, given that it was inadvisable to have the 'minor league' championship made the featured match of a WWE card.

Okay, so were we to see the Dolph/Cena vs. Barrett/Kane contest as the main event? That seems ridiculous, no?

I'd say there was no main event, which has got to be the first time I've ever seen that on a WWE broadcast.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

This was a good opener. I was a little surprised that the crowd was very clearly more pro-Jericho than Neville, even with Jericho working as a heel towards the end. I really underestimated his appeal/fan base here. Like most I was confused with the result, but maybe this will be the start of a feud that Neville will win in the end. Maybe not.



This match was fine, though the triple threat with Naomi was better. Paige winning would have made less sense than Kofi winning, to anyone actually following along with the divas division. Nikki's reign will continue until NOC, after she beats AJ's record and Paige's reinforcements to take down the "Bella Empire" get called up. It should be noted that the only reason I have AJ on the brain is because they keep calling attention to her and her reign, I had forgotten all about her having the longest reign and really didn't care to be honest. After Nikki has the longest reign it'll be like winning King of the Ring, it'll be a nice talking point but doesn't hold much weight. Nevertheless, people can continue to whinge about Nikki all they want, I'd hate that pretty b!tch if she kept proving me wrong too.



Just what you'd expect this to be, on down to the rest of New Day running out for a couple of F5s.



I don't think you can steal a show that's yours to begin with, but if you can than that's what we'll call it. Owens was brilliant and Balor was the hero...erm, demon, that won the "big one" for the feel good moment. I had planned to make a thread about this but I guess I can just ask it here:

Is Balor limited? Let me start this off by saying I've only seen a handful of his matches in NXT, hence why I'm asking. From watching his match with Prince Pretty to Owens just a couple of hours ago, it seems that he already has his own "5 moves of doom" down pact with not much meat in between. He starts his match hot, gets beat down, a little back and forth, sporadicly hits a few money moves and then wins. Now compared to Owens, just hearing the hype I thought the two were on the same level in the ring, but Owens seemed to out wrestle him by a lot. Not just because he's a heel and he's supped to control the match, but it was more like Owens had a lot more to pull from his arsenal. Balor was the reason I started watching NXT because he has a character that draws you in, and I still consider myself a fan, but take away the awesome entrance, with or without the face paint: do you just have another good wrestler? Not so much a sensational wrestler? Is he just limited in a "WWE style" of match?



I pulled the plug here.



This was an enjoyable show, and I would definitely tune in for another as long as the matches are as interesting. I'm already consistently watching the PPVs, NXT, and currently catching up with Total Divas, so this little treat definitely makes me fell better about my $9.99!

balor is a baby face, so yea, the formula is opening shine, cut off, beat down, hope spot, beat down, hope spot, beat down, come back, go home. If you only care about the moves done, you don't get it. Balor tells a story with his selling and desperation.

 

[TJ Matics]

balor is a baby face, so yea, the formula is opening shine, cut off, beat down, hope spot, beat down, hope spot, beat down, come back, go home. Balor tells a story with his selling and desperation.

True this is the story told for most baby faces, but I find it extremely inconsistent with a character who's unleashing a freaking demon. Coming out with such a grand entrance and all the hype to then just watch someone wipe the mat with that paint is very underwhelming. Nevertheless your answer seems to be that he's not limited it's just the style of baby face vs heel holding him back, thanks much.

If you only care about the moves done, you don't get it.

If this is what you pulled from my original post, then you don't get it. I already addressed the fact the Owens was the heel in the match and he was supposed to control majority of it, my point, again, was that it seemed as if Owens had and has had in the past more to pull from his arsenal than Balor has. Even when Balor was on the offensive in that match and others.