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The SmarK Rant for NXT Takeover REvolution

The SmarK Rant for NXT Takeover REvolution

Live from Orlando, FL

Your hosts are Rich Brennan, Corey Graves & Alex Riley. So I guess Graves has decided to hang it up after all. It must suck to be forced into retirement before you even make it out of developmental.

Kevin Owens v. CJ Parker

Hopefully this “KO” will work out better than the first one. Huge pop for Owens once his video reveals his identity and he attacks Parker, tosses him, and then splats him with a dive on the ramp. Back in, CJ catches him with a spinkick and throws weak knees, followed by the palm strike for two. This actually busts Owens’ nose open, and he levels Parker with a lariat and a muscle buster. Powerbomb finishes at 3:12. So that was quite the debut. **1/2

NXT Tag titles: The Lucha Dragons v. The Vaudevillains

Sin Cara gets a quick bodypress on Gotch for two and the Dragons double-team him with a senton for two. The villains work Sin Cara over and English gets two. Blind charge hits elbow, but Cara remains trapped in the corner. The beating continues for a bit and Kalisto gets the hot tag and throws kicks on Gotch. They toss the heels and follow with a double dive on English, but Gotch gets out of the way and tries to capitalize on Kalisto. Sadly, he takes the SDS and gets pinned at 6:54. Kind of a nothing match, not much heat to it. **

Tye Dillinger v. Baron Corbin

The crowd timing the match is a funny bit. Corbin hits the Snake Eyes, big boot and finishes with the End of Days at 0:40. That’s a hell of a name for a finisher. He and Bull Dempsey have a staredown at ringside afterwards in some good old fashioned rasslin’ story development.

The Ascension v. Finn Balor & Hideo Itami

Well the babyface team doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue easily. But Finn Balor’s interpretive dance entrance WINS THE INTERNETS because holy shit. This was like something out of NJPW’s over the top theatrical entrances and I love it. The babyfaces clear the ring and the crowd chants “Marking out”. Itami and Balor control Viktor in the corner and Balor throws chops for two. Over to Konor, who gets dropkicked for two. Itami throws kicks, but walks into a flapjack for two and the Ascension takes over. Konor stomps away for two and Viktor goes to a chinlock. Konor with a corner clothesline for two. Viktor does some old school cutting the ring off, but misses a charge and hits the post…and then Konor knocks Balor off the apron like an ASSHOLE. That’s great. Itami keeps fighting back, and this time makes the hot tag and the crowd goes cray cray. He kicks Viktor into the corner and then hits him with an enzuigiri on the top, putting him on the floor and following with a dive on both Ascension. Back in, he misses a double stomp on Viktor, but hits an inverted DDT for two. Viktor with the STO for two. Itami tries a GTS as the crowd freaks out, but Konor breaks it up and they set up for the Fall of Man. Balor hits a Pele on Konor and both faces go up with stereo double stomps to finish at 11:34. Devitt is a STAR and I was way into this one. Although he was such a huge star that he pretty much overshadowed Itami in the process, which might be a problem. ***

Meanwhile, Renee Young interviews Roman Reigns, who as usual has nothing much to say.

NXT Women’s title: Charlotte v. Sasha Banks

Sasha throws chops in the corner and gets beat up as a result, and they take it to the floor. Sasha sends her into the stairs and back in for two. Sasha stomps away in the corner and gets two off that. Sasha stops for a strut and gets rolled up for two, and they do a nice little reversal sequence that leads to Sasha hitting a backstabber into a straitjacket hold. Charlotte powers out of that, but Sasha takes her down with a headscissors. Charlotte powers out with an electric chair and makes the comeback with clotheslines and a neckbreaker for two. Sasha dumps her and follows with a suicide dive, and that gets two. They trade chops and Charlotte puts her down with a spear, but goes for the figure-four and Sasha cradles for two. Neckbreaker gets two and she fights for the count. Good to see that. I also love the touch of Sasha getting all pissed off because she can’t beat Charlotte. Charlotte misses a moonsault, but recovers with a senton instead for two. What a great spot. Sasha escapes a Razor’s Edge and sends Charlotte into the corner for a superplex, but Charlotte blocks it. Natural Selection from the top rope finishes at 12:13. Good, no point in bringing her up after the debacle on Monday. This was an amazing performance from Sasha Banks, as I had no idea she had this kind of match in her. ***1/2

NXT title: Adrian Neville v. Sami Zayn

The heat for Zayn is off the charts as he somehow manages to keep people invested in him despite all the failures. They trade wristlocks to start and Neville starts working the arm, which leads to a stalemate. Sami with a backbreaker to put Neville on the floor, and Sami hits him with a quebrada. Back in, Neville with a crucifix for two and a back elbow for two. Low dropkick gets two. Neville with the chinlock, and three kneedrops for two. Sami fights up, but Neville gets a dropkick for two. Sami fights back again and dumps Neville for another dive, then follows with a crossbody for two. Neville tries a handspring and Sami catches him with a powerbomb for two. Neville with a running elbow and german suplex for two. Sami escapes a powerbomb, but tries a ropewalk and Neville reverses into his intended powerbomb for two. Neville throws forearms, but Zayn gets more fired up and comes back with a lariat. Heluva Kick misses, however, and Neville goes up, but the Red Arrow hits knee and Zayn hooks the Koji Klutch. Sadly, he makes the ropes. The ref gets bumped “accidentally” by Neville, and he hits a superkick and crazy inverted rana for two. How do you even take that bump? They slug it out and Zayn drops him on his head with a suplex, so Neville bails. Zayn follows with the diving DDT through the ropes, and back in the ref gets bumped AGAIN. Neville grabs the belt while Zayn wastes time checking on the ref again, but this time Sami gets the belt and contemplates using it. Sami finally decides that he can’t win it that way, so Neville rolls him up for two. Zayn has had enough and comes back with the exploder into the corner and Heluva Kick to FINALLY WIN THE BIG ONE at 23:13. And the crowd LOSES THEIR MIND. What a cool morality play, with Zayn getting tempted and beaten down, but finally learning that hard work and fair play can triumph in the end. **** And Kevin Owens comes out for a big tearful manly hug with his best friend. Neville also gives him a hug as we get the celebration with the entire locker room and Owens comes out for one more hug to end the show…and then FUCKS HIM UP WITH A POWERBOMB ON THE FLOOR. While the end graphic was on the screen no less! Well there’s your next challenger.

The Pulse

Easily the best, or at least more purely enjoyable, show of the year thus far. All killer, no filler. Even if the weekly show has been pretty weak as of late, everyone came out trying to steal the show and more than a few succeeded. Three great matches to close the show, in three totally different styles, makes this a giant thumbs up.

Comments

  1. I didn't get to catch most of it, but I watched the main event and Owens' debut, and I thoroughly enjoyed both!

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  2. Main event was great. Great match, hot crowd, the works. The post match stuff was well done too. That powerbomb on the apron was pretty gruesome looking.

    Owens' debut was entertaining too.

    I like both Balor & Itami although it seems like I'm the only one who didn't care for Balor's entrance. But both guys worked well as a team and I hope they keep tagging.

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  3. "The heat for Zayn is off the charts as he somehow manages to keep people invested in him despite all the failures."



    See also: Ambrose, Dean.

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  4. Also, he POWERBOMBED him on the RING APRON, not the FLOOR. It sounds much more impressive, and it definitely was.

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  5. really? This is my first chance to see Balor (I was able to catch the entrance while I was tutoring), and I thought his paint-job was badass.

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  6. I concur. I had seen pictures, but never him in paint live, and it did not disappoint.

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  7. Itami definitely needs something to give him a boost, especially when Balor busts out the Whomp-Ass~! Body paint. After a second viewing, I still had the divas match at ***3/4 but I liked the main event more, so ****1/4 for me.

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  8. It wasn't the paint. His Boogeyman Seizure crawl to the ring was weird. The paint itself was fine.

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  9. It looked insanely brutal. Anything done on the apron looks killer.

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  10. fantastic show, start to finish, and the lack of backstage promos/skits along with the showing the main event guys walking backstage gave it a "big event" feel, something that I feel is sorely lacking from the main roster PPVs these days

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  11. Might be in the minority here, but I kinda dig the Ascension. I don't like them paired off with Itami and Balor, but I think they have some promise. What a great show!

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  12. I feel like the office is behind those guys 100%, and I feel like they have great potential to be a Road Warriors type of team (if they can pull decent promos together). I think we'll see them either at TLC or on Raw Monday

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  13. They were showing promise for a while but never really developed, and I think they're gonna die on the main roster when people realize how small they actually are.

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  14. CruelConnectionNumber2December 11, 2014 at 11:18 PM

    He powerbombed him on the floor. Onto the ring apron.

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  15. CruelConnectionNumber2December 11, 2014 at 11:19 PM

    It was a little strange. But he was channeling a demon from the dark places of his mind which, if one unlocks, can make you unstoppable.

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  16. Just put on the show...Kevin Owens's theme song is great.

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  17. CruelConnectionNumber2December 11, 2014 at 11:20 PM

    The Ascension did some hot moves tonight. Kick. Chin lock. Stomp. Punch.

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  18. Allow me to join the chorus of how awesome this show really was. I actually feel sorry for AJ and Nikki on Sunday, because they aren't following Charlotte/Sasha in any way.


    Balor is the shit.


    Zayn might end up this generation's Steamboat if he keeps up. He's just the babyfaciest babyface to ever babyface a babyface.

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  19. John Cena hasn't unlocked that part of his mind and he's still unstoppable!

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  20. Great debut from Owens...seems to me this is what Samoa Joe would've been had he made it to WWE.

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  21. WWE's women's division would be so much better if they simply swept out the Total Divas and called up the women at NXT who actually know how to fucking work.

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  22. Virgil's Gimmick TableDecember 11, 2014 at 11:42 PM

    "Lol, women are sex dolls"

    -Kevin Dunn

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  23. Not the only one. My first reaction to Balor's reaction was that it was really lame. I watched it again and enjoyed it a little more, but it's still ridiculous, and not in a good way.

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  24. I remember the original conception of Smackdown was to be a all women's show, which would have been horrible at the time, but WWE could make something like that work today so long as they treat it with respect.

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  25. I'm gonna get killed for this but I hated the new "Finn Balor"

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  26. I called Owens attacking Zayn after he won the title months ago. Go me!

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  27. Yeah I didn't wanna be harsh but lame was the word that came to mind.

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  28. Not when the Diva pecking order is determined by what world champ they're blowing.

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  29. Balor? I hardly know her!

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  30. Steen is pretty much known for that in PWG.

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  31. Is that because of his ringwork in comparison to his NJPW work, or something else?

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  32. I hate being bored but not wanting to do anything. I've got WWE Network & Netflix just sitting there. I've been watching SOA and I started Arrow but don't wanna watch either. I just bought the new Game of Thrones game but don't wanna play that until I finish season 4(which I can watch at any time on HBOGO but don't want to). Too many options dammit!

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  33. Just finished watching the show and... holy underwear was that good. Surprise of the night for me was Sasha Banks. I went in thinking "eh... Diva," and came away like with Tyler Breeze at the last NXT special. Just a great show from top to bottom.

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  34. Yeah but a good story can be told with minimal moves. I watch for a good story, otherwise its like watching spot monkey . Decades of wrestling were comprised of headlocks, punches and kicks.

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  35. My brain must not be working...but who is the WWE's "previous" KO?

    (And interesting to watch the NXT ref go to the gloves and continue to check on both wrestlers after the palm strike hardway'd Owens. I wonder if the match was scheduled to go longer but when the color appeared, they told them to go home? I also got the sense that Owens was told by the ref to not look at the hard camera until he cleaned the blood up a bit. Sigh...PG era.)

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  36. Look up some of Balor's entrances on youtube. It's kind of his thing. I'm actually surprised that they let him continue doing it. I personally love it. Something awesome and different.

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  37. Kassius Ohno aka Chris Hero.

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  38. What a fantastic show. Nothing wwe has done this year has come close to it. Steen turning on Zayn was just the icing on the cake. I ordered the KO shirt immediately. So beyond excited Steen is finally on the big stage. He killed it tonight.

    Also, Sasha Banks is the shit.

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  39. Thanks, Art.

    I felt like Zero losing the entire 13th Century not being able to come up with that.
    http://youtu.be/qmTWhvWgST0

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  40. I know the feeling of just blanking on something. It's one of the most aggravating feelings you can have.

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  41. Honestly, people? Rating that putrid ass dog shit of a Survivor Series main event the same or HIGHER than this main event? Fuck is wrong with you people?

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  42. And ROH.

    It was a Steen standard everywhere he worked.

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  43. He's just the babyfaciest babyface to ever babyface a babyface.

    People, myself included, have been saying that about his spanish cousin Generico for years.

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  44. I don't know but I'll admit Itami, Balor and Owens have quickly grown on me.

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  45. The ending was one of those moments where I wish JR was commentating. I'd even accept the late '90s WCW announce team. I can totally hear Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay expressing outrage, shock and disbelief at that moment in my mind.

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  46. Threadjack:

    Anyone else see this? http://www.theonion.com/articles/the-onions-person-of-the-year-2014-tie-malala-yous,37661/

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  47. Virgil's Gimmick TableDecember 12, 2014 at 1:47 AM

    Someone fetch the tear gas.

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  48. It's still Lance for me. That tinge of disappointment in Uncle Lance's voice sends it above the rest.

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  49. This is the best show of the year, right? This sounds like the best show of the year.

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  50. As we've already learned with Paige and Emma, calling up the NXT women doesn't mean dick, because the booking and the lack of ring time on Raw will kill them out of the gate every time.


    You'd think they could actually get enough time to develop stories in the ring on a THREE-HOUR SHOW, but then again, I'm not HHH, so what do I know?

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  51. I liked WrestleMania and Payback better.

    But this show's main event was great.

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  52. The Road Warriors made a career out of it. It's all a matter of presentation.

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  53. No Daniel Bryan reference? For shame.

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  54. At the same time, THANK GOD Michael Cole was far away from this.

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  55. It's not HHH's call, Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn are the people responsible for the shitty Divas division on the main roster. It was Vince's idea for Charlotte to job to Nattie in 3 minutes on Raw.

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  56. I think if Samoa Joe had joined WWE back in the day, he would've ended up as Umaga.

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  57. Zayn's great. But I made the mistake of watching Dustin "Screech" Diamond's sex tape a few years ago, and Zayn looks uncomfortably like Screech.

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  58. finn balor is a whack name. why just why cant they let him use prince devitt, or at least devitt.

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  59. Also, the post-main event angle is exactly the kind of cool story they can tell without the aid of a heel authority figure. No need for bureaucracy, 20-minute non-wrestler promos, etc. It's just a guy being a gigantic dick and putting himself in line for a title match. All the heat is on the WRESTLERS. Steen killing Zayn dead is a textbook case of why I want to see the heel authority figure trope die, once and for all.

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  60. As Scott pointed out, she hadn't really shown too many hints of this kind of ring work, but I'm glad to see it all clicking for her now. I was damn impressed

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  61. lol remember emmas dreadful debut, instant burial bc the 100 nerds that go to every nxt show werent in the crowd to do and get over her whacky dance.

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  62. I have a theory as to why that is - the commentators.


    On NXT, the commentators, even the less than stellar ones, pay extra-special attention to their pasts in the industry and PUT IT OVER like it means something. Their backstories aren't ignored, but instead celebrated. I was listening to the commentary tonight, and they took extra-special care to put everything in their past and present over like it was the second coming of awesome. It's like the antithesis of Raw.

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  63. They are adamant about changing the names. It's their thing. Ambrose on Jericho's podcast said he wanted to keep Jon Moxley and even said he'd sign over the rights to the name to WWE to use it but they made him change it.

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  64. anyone got the story on how cm punk got to keep his name?? that one always baffled me.

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  65. He seems like the cutoff of when they did away with it. I've always heard it was Paul Heyman standing up and going to bat for Punk saying them should let him use the name.

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  66. yeah, they've been beating that horse for 17 years now, it's time to let. it. go.

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  67. Isn't he teaching wrestling to poor orphans in Mexico?

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  68. I liked the touch of them explaining how Owens and Zayn have been friends for so long. They aren't saying "hey these guys were ROH tag champs and had a brutal ladder match" but they are at least acknowledging their past and it only served to increase the blow of Owens attack. Some random guy attacking Zayn after his big win? A dick move to be sure. But a man that's been established as his longtime friend doing? That's planting the seeds for a war.

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  69. It kinda plays into the "Brass Ring" concept as well. A lot of times no one emerges as a challenger until the Boss either appoints them as #1 contender or they are placed in a #1 contender match.

    What Owens did is his character making his own move and his own match in a sense where he attacked the champ and laid him out so he's the natural next guy in line.

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  70. They did the same during the Itami/Balor tag match, taking pains to mention them wrestling in Japan, Europe, and them being stars there, as opposed to just straight ignoring everything before WWE. The Owens buildup, where they did the whole 'They called everyone before me' deal was brilliant too, as it gave his character some depth before he even debuted (you could go multiple ways with him attacking Zayn or not, which to me is a good character), and the commentary drove that home the whole time. It's just insane how much better all the aspects of NXT are than WWE right now.

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  71. NXT definitely benefits from only being one hour a week. They have a ridiculous roster for an hour long show every week and it's a lot easier to be creative and not get burned out on the creative side when you sit down and say "Alright how are we gonna fill this hour?" vs. "How are we gonna fill these 3 Hours?"

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  72. That's what Ambrose's response was too. Dean? Am I a frat boy?

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  73. I would have zero complaints if they took NXT to two hours. Not 3, Raw has proven that's just a bad idea, but they've got the roster to do two hours and not have a problem at all.

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  74. I feel like the last time WWE went this route was when Ryback attacked Cena the day after WM29. As I recall, that whole feud happened without any authority figures needing to co-sign Ryback or stack the deck unnecessarily against Cena.

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  75. I liked that too. The entire introduction of Itami has revolved around his success and stardom in Japan which immediately makes him feel a little more important.

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  76. "OHMYGOD! Kevin Owens just -- King -- Oh, NONONONONONONO...."

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  77. Haha, amazing? I'd say it was good once it came down to Ziggler. Too bad the rest of the match was mind numbingly boring, clunky, and fucking terrible. 5 minutes of a guy getting beat down and getting fluke pins doesn't make the entire match "amazing."

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  78. At the same time, at least it wasn't Cole, JBL, and King. Could you imagine?

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  79. Virgil's Gimmick TableDecember 12, 2014 at 3:06 AM

    I guess you don't enjoy wrestling very much because you seem to hate good things.

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  80. Mark my words, from this day on, WWE will never, ever rid of the evil authority figure. It's the easiest booking imaginable and they know its in a position to be the top heel in the company. It's perfect for the lazy motherfuckers writing these shows and the crowd eats the shit up. It's sad. They'll never let anyone organically get over like that.

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  81. Yes. Seriously, it is. If anyone tells you differently, they're dead fucking wrong.

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  82. So, I signed back up for the Network to watch this.


    Great so far.


    They are REALLY smart to pull the trigger on Owens/Zayn as quickly as they did. They ALWAYS have incredible matches, they know each other ridiculously well, and it's the type of feud that could carry NXT until Zayn goes to the main show.


    Then, when Owens gets to the main show, they could actually CONTINUE the feud. It just works so damn well, and we know how well they play off of each other.

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  83. Pretty much every review of the match you'll see they'll say the same thing, except I'm not entirely high on the last 10 minutes like everyone else. The majority of the match was dog shit. Everyone knows it.

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  84. I was thinking it would happen, but when the copyright came on screen, I got up to leave for a smoke. Fooled my ass.

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  85. It's not even hyperbole to say that Finn Balors entrance was one of the greatest and most well timed displays in wrestling history. The music, lighting work, even the pyro (dry ice), worked soo well together that the production felt like something out of Cirque du Soleil. Not to mention Balor has a commanding and well crafted visual presence. First entrance that was not a return pop that had an audience going holy shit. It was one of those moments that made me proud to be a fan of wrestling

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  86. Dedicated UnderachieverDecember 12, 2014 at 3:37 AM

    North American show, 100% yes.


    World wide? G1 Night 8 had nights of 6 ****+ matches. That's kinda hard to beat...

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  87. Its safe to say Sasha Banks was bumping "like a boss"

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  88. You did Teddy Long's a couple of weeks ago

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  89. I wasn't watching NXT then, but apparently Emma started out as a clumsy heel who thought she was a great dancer.

    Perhaps if WWE had given her a bit of a back-story on Raw instead of having her in the crowd for a few weeks, she could've been more over with the casual main roster crowds.

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  90. I've seen how most people talk about them on here, and Id suggest the blog feels the same way unless they're wrestling a good match.

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  91. I honestly wonder if Vince McMahon was watching and what he thought of the show. He clearly had no involvement in it whatsoever. The wrestlers were told to go out there and have a great match, none of this “make sure you don’t steal the show” nonsense. Man how I wish the main show was anywhere near this good. Big up HHH

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  92. Another observation - Roman Reigns was the 'cool down' segment of an NXT show. Awesome.

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  93. Awesome show. NXT is why I've kept the network, and this show definitely made it worth it.

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  94. That was the YouShoot. This is the RF Video version.

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  95. Oh, i'm sure that's the case. I voted Del Rio, but i'll just end up getting that one anyway.

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  96. That was just brilliant. So much fun. Zayn/Neville and the post-match felt like NWA.


    I've not particularly noticed before, but there are some great entrance themes. Owens' debut was nailed all round, including his music.

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  97. So who do you pair Ascension up with on the main roster? I'm thinking they can look intimidating with the Usos, maybe. Not too sure until I see the two teams next to each other. Maybe, up against the smaller members of New Day? I bet Kofi could bounce around for them. There's not a lot of undersized good guy teams at the moment.

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  98. BTW, Zayn totally reminds me of this luchadore I met at a Chikara show. Dude was really nice, but we had some communication barriers, he only some broken English. Man, I wish that dude hadn't moved back to Mexico.

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  99. I actually thought it was a nice touch to have Roman say he came down specifically to see Zayn/Neville. Literally took 2 seconds to make the match seem like an even bigger deal.

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  100. I just hope they save it for PPVs to avoid fans getting burned out by it. I could totally see Vince demanding that Balor do a wacky entrance at every single show because "that's his gimmick."

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  101. Steen Owens is FAT!


    /RIP Farva


    He's really not that fat actually. Bull Dempsey looks like a big pile of poo compared to him.

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  102. I hope they have Baron Corbin give Dempsey the Mojo Rawley treatment and get him off my TV. He's awful.

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  103. Anyone else worried Zayn is gonna get heat for dropping a bunch of F-Bombs that they had to bleep out?

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  104. It was the best show of the year, unless you like sweaty Japanese guys slapping each other's chests to a crowd that sits on their hands.


    I guess it depends on your tastes.

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  105. Yeah, he not only looks like a greasy slug, but he's pretty terrible in the ring.

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  106. Depends on if Vince or one of his kiss-asses was actually watching the show.


    If Triple H is the only one back there, no.

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  107. They didn't beep the crowd chanting holy shit, I noticed. I don't think it'll be an issue on the network.

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  108. It is safe to say that, yes.


    She was definitely the boss tonight. She was great.

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  109. Agreed on the music - Neville's suits him down to the ground (or up in the air? :p), The Ascension's is proper old school nu-metal fun and Balor's was utterly immense, especially in conjunction with the long-awaiting proper entrance. :)

    (Oh, and an honourable mention for the Vaudevillians' entrance too, as that is ridiculously fun.)

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  110. I can still hear Cole in my head at MITB11, "GTS CONNECTING!!! GTS CONNECTING!!!!" ugh...


    and WMXXX...


    "TAP OUT BATISTA!!! TAP OUT BATISTA!!!! TAP OUT BATISTA!!!!"


    Shut up, you annoying fuck.

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  111. Couple things about Balor's entrance. Did you guys get a real Carnage feeling from his look, or was I forcing myself to see something? And, I think it would be neat of he only brought out the full-on makeup and lights/smoke for big matches. He could a lesser entrance for regular weekly shows, and make the big entrance a bigger deal.

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  112. Kudos to the NXT announcers for not speaking during either Balor's entrance nor the angle after the main event. The RAW announcers would have talked through them nonstop, with Cole declaring the entrance amazing five seconds in. He would have used the serious voice and decried the Owens attack as awful.

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  113. Yeah, on a week to week basis that entrance will lose its magic.

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  114. Carnage & Venom. He's done both from what I can tell from Googling.

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  115. This really is booking 101. I haven't watched wrestling regularly since EDDIE died, but I'm tempted to start watching this show. This really reminds me of the old Crockett weekly TV with the smaller venue and more intimate feel, albeit with a smarkier audience.

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  116. MikeyMike, JuggernautDecember 12, 2014 at 6:28 AM

    You mean you don't like it when Michael Cole yells "OHHHHH MY!"

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  117. That's a damn good point. I used to make fun of WCW for Fat Tony talking over EVERYTHING, and Mike Tenay basically reading you the Cliff's Notes of the script as soon as something happens.

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  118. Save it for the big shows. Imagine it at Mania.

    I always liked Rey's superhero specials. Balor's could be like that.

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  119. MikeyMike, JuggernautDecember 12, 2014 at 6:30 AM

    Nah, WrestleMania 30 was better.

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  120. You've just described the first time Balor and Owens come to RAW.


    Predictions of doom.

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  121. "Well to the familiar strains of... the Voodoo Chili theme song"

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  122. I've only seen Unforgiven 2008, what 5 other PPVs from that year are worth a look? As I wasn't watching WWE in 2008. Thanks.

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  123. I know it's 100% Vince, but someone needs to convince them that the announcers need not talk every moment of every match. It almost literally becomes a drone which you wish you could shoo away like a bug in your ear. I've actually considered switching over to the Spanish language feed so I can ignore the commentary and just focus on the crowd--except that the crowds have been so dead lately it almost doesn't matter.

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  124. Holy balls I remember blowing a gasket at that one.

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  125. Personally, I had the singles title matches a smidgen higher than Scott.


    Banks/Flair: ***3/4
    Zayn/Neville: ****1/2


    But that's just me.


    And I'm with others who said Balor's entrances could be really awesome at Wrestlemanias.

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  126. I don't really follow NXT and have little idea who Prince Devitt is or was. Im in the UK but ill as fuck, so I stayed up and watched this live and from not having a clue who he is, or what he's done in the business, I believed Finn Balor was a STAR before the match even started.

    Really interested to see how the WWE fuck this up.

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  127. Man, thus show is bringing out people I've never seen here before.

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  128. I think a lot of us look back and think that the match quality was fine, but the bigger issue was...what it *could have* been.
    To paraphrase the CM Punk quote...that's a program that made a million dollars when it should've made a billion dollars.

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  129. I thought it was hilarious on the Paul Heyman documentary when Stephanie said something like (paraphrasing), "Paul and my father have different opinions on how to call a match. Paul likes to talk a lot, and my father's philosophy is to let the story marinate."


    When she said that, I went "lolwut?"

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  130. Teams to BUMP for them. Im talking over the top bumps that make them look devastating.

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  131. I actually prefer "Dean Ambrose" - sounds like a real name for a real person. "Jon Moxley" sounds a little staged, and doesn't roll off the tongue as well.

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  132. Does that mean Sable's coming back??

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  133. He's like if Dustin and Seth Rogen had a child.

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  134. Konnor is at least decently sized, but Viktor is pretty small.


    Then again, "Demolition" weren't exactly tall or had great physiques, so maybe there's some hope for them.

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  135. Oh yeah, and I also love it when a HUGE SURPRISE happens and the announcers already have all the backstory information. Case in point: Sting comes out, and JBL immediately starts listing off his accomplishments in a completely unsurprised voice.

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  136. It's totally worth watching week to week for all the reasons you mentioned.

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  137. Given the Charlotte situation, I'm at the point where I'd rather see these wrestlers stay in NXT if they aren't going to use them properly on the main roster. Cesaro could be killing it with any one of the new imports; watching him and KO beat the shit out of each other right now would be glorious.

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  138. He's had 2 or 3 matches on nxt already and he didn't do the paint, so I think it's a big match thing.

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  139. For me, it was easily the show of the year.

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  140. Agreed. Ever since Zayn debuted and had those Cesaro matches, I've been saying "When is this guy gonna get called up?" At this point, his nxt run has been so good, I don't know that I do want to see him called up.

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  141. That's a really good point. I love it when title matches are treated with that kind of reverence.

    I was just watching Flair/Steamboat 2/3 falls the other night, and it struck me how much I love Terry Funk's commentary. Every time Ross pays him a compliment or talks up Funk still being an active wrestler, Funk would divert that right into the match in front of him. He knew he was going to be the next challenger, but he spent the WHOLE time talking about how great Flair and Steamboat are, how great the match is, and how important the title is. It gave such an air of sports legitimacy that is missing from the product today.

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  142. Good call; it's more special if you don't see it every time.

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  143. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©December 12, 2014 at 9:30 AM

    That's how good NXT is.

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  144. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©December 12, 2014 at 9:31 AM

    You will never find a crowd that's more invested than the NXT crowd.

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  145. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©December 12, 2014 at 9:31 AM

    Now that's something Taz would say.

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  146. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©December 12, 2014 at 9:35 AM

    Of course it will never top the original Vaudevillian's entrance theme, and how the crowd would clap along with it.

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  147. Stephanie on these docs and on the network is a clueless corporate robot. I'm pretty sure she will be worse than Vince when he's dead, I'm just not sure how much

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  148. Everything about the Vaudevillains is fun. And manly.

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  149. I hate the fucking oh hhh myyyy

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  150. I was worried that his ceiling on the big show was Evan Bourne. After last night I'm convinced he can be bigger than that. It was like a crazy high flier with hints of Stardust's mannerisms except for it doesn't feel like "manufactured quirkiness"

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  151. That's the sign of good commentators, when you don't even notice them. They don't get in the way of the show and try to make themselves the show. This was one of the best PPVs I've seen in years. Seriously, the four NXT specials this year blew away any of the WWE/TNA PPVs this year. Best reason to have the network, well that and Prime Time and TNT!!!

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  152. It would mean a little dick (heh) if it got the Bellas out of the company.

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  153. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighDecember 12, 2014 at 10:44 AM

    Owens just ignoring regal when regal ran out was a nice touch.

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  154. During the main event someone almost said the F word

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  155. I was worried Vince would obsess over his first name and just call him Fergal.

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  156. I certainly feel that way.

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  157. Virgil's Gimmick TableDecember 12, 2014 at 11:56 AM

    Sadly you're right. It's pretty damn sickening around here when it comes to the misogyny.

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  158. Well, the PWG crowd...

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  159. Maggle look at this goofy cat! Haha THIS IS SO SILLY AND FUN

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  160. I definitely need to rewatch the Balor match, because watching it live and only half paying attention, my reaction was pretty much "what is this Boogeyman shit?"

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  161. Exactly what he was going for.

    He also does the Venom:
    https://38.media.tumblr.com/4e3622da0219a05480a5cd52e17fde97/tumblr_n01cjyAZrS1skhi2zo1_500.jpg

    Punisher:
    https://www.google.com/search?q=DEVITT+punisher&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Bz6LVIySEoWWNtjJg4gP&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1536&bih=731#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=54c4bE4TST3ZxM%253A%3Bs7DVylM-gQq1TM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fpbs.twimg.com%252Fmedia%252FBmGXbneIUAAfwjY.jpg%253Alarge%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fwwebalor%252Fstatus%252F459815144558968832%3B768%3B1024

    And Freddie Krugar http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/hbkidcool/imgs/4/b/4bbe9ac2.jpg


    To name a few

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  162. Exactly what I was thinking ^ Save it for Mania's, RAW debut, Summerslams, etc.

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  163. He's taking care of those orphans. Good for him

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  164. On commentary I mean

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  165. Every time I read your comments, I hear it in Paulie Walnuts voice because of that avatar.

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  166. Sorry, he meant a crowd that matters.

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  167. It's really funny. I'm so used to seeing El Generico and Pac in the indies that much of the stuff last night just seemed "par for the course"


    Don't get me wrong -- still a really great match that pushed all the right buttons -- but I personally would have put it at about **** myself, largely based on their past work. (Undoubtedly unfair, but it is what it is)


    And Owens's powerbomb on the apron, he did 4 times to Trevor Lee at the beginning of their match at Steen's last PWG show.

    Either way, I re-signed up for the network on the strength of NXT. I need to send that information in. I sure as hell don't want them thinking I did it because of the Slammy's or TLC (which sounds like a good PPV on paper, but it also sounds like a pointless PPV on paper)

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  168. This was the 3rd NXT program I have ever seen, I didn't know any of the storylines coming in, and this show blew me away. I didn't know who the fuck Kevin Owens was coming in but he looks like a big star after a single match and an angle. Little things like making the tag team guys on the apron hold the turnbuckle string are what set this show apart. They take the wrasslin seriously, and I am extremely pleased.

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  169. I don't watch the indies much at all, so I didn't see those spots. I guess it's better when it's new to you.

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  170. It's still good either way, don't get me wrong. And it was definitely an awesome match.

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  171. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighDecember 12, 2014 at 1:22 PM

    I think they will limit it to big shows

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  172. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighDecember 12, 2014 at 1:24 PM

    Small thing but having hogan at his introduction press conference was a nice move also

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  173. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighDecember 12, 2014 at 1:24 PM

    Umaga was awesome

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  174. Man, I LOVE the Reseda crowd.


    I was watching Kurt Russellreunion 3 the other day, when they were in front of a different crowd, and though the wrestling was great, the idiot crowd just sat on their hands.


    I'm hoping PWG comes to Northern California during Wrestlemania weekend. I'm not going to WM (despite working about a mile from Levi, I'm just not really interested), but I sure as hell would go to a PWG show.

    I am a bit nervous about the "non-Reseda crowd" thing, though.

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  175. True, although I thought part of it might be that they want smarkier NXT/WWE fans to think "oh look, Roman Reigns is saying nice things about stuff we like"

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  176. I'm impressed they let the "holy shit"s from the crowd come through.

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  177. Trust me, the PWG Reseda crowd matters. WWE would DIE to get half the reaction they get. Imagine the reaction last night's NXT show got, the same volume and excitement, with about 1/4 the number of people.

    There are always more than 400 people packed into a tiny building without air conditioning in the L.A. Heat, and they are absolutely RABID fans (in a good way, not a "let's trash everything" dickhead way).


    400 people that sound like 4000 when great things happen. It's a really neat setup, because the crowd brings out the best in the wrestlers which brings out the best in the crowd.


    Plus, how many shows have you seen where large sections of the crowd need to move their chairs multiple times during a match before a wrestler ends up in their lap?

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  178. The woman compared 9/11 to how people were "bullying" her father, and THIS surprises you?

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  179. I heard they were distant cousins.


    It also explains why Owens hates him so much. His half brother (Kevin S-omething or other) and Zayn's cousin really hated each other for some reason.

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  180. Damn, I kind of want Zayn to get on a team with Kingston or someone so we can see if they can have tag names as creative as "Two Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber"

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  181. It's why I re-signed up.


    They should really have a way to say WHY you signed up (or keep up) -- I have a hunch a lot of entries would be something like: "NXT. Not HHH. Not Brock Lesnar. Not Big Show or his 500 turns a day. NXT. Put more of THAT on the air, and less Grumpy Cat."

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  182. Kudos to the NXT announcers for talking about wrestling for 2 hours and not trying to get their open-mic level humor over

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  183. In a perfect world The Ascension rip the Usos heads off

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  184. if they ever turn face maybe they can bring that song back

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  185. I've been to a few shows there, and while I enjoyed it overall, the "chair moving" is why I don't totally love that environment. I'm there to watch wrestling, not dodge wrestling.

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  186. Who the hell is Kevin Owens

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  187. I give it 6 months before Balor is doing comedy with Sheamus and Hornswoggle. 3 before KENTA is back in Japan.

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  188. Roman Reigns: "I wanna be the first NXT alumni (it's alumnus, Roman) to win the World Heavyweight Championship!"


    Sorry, Daniel Bryan beat you to it.

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  189. You don't major in English at Georgia Tech

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  190. It's ridiculous how much better NXT is than the main WWE shows right now.

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  191. This was so good that it's only a matter of time before Vince starts airing "Son-In-Law Paul's Rasslin' War Room" skits.

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  192. "If the coyote can go without screwing things up, in about 2 years, he's gonna catch and eat that roadrunner."

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  193. Does make me wonder if WWE orders booking supplies from ACME.

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