NXT
Takeover: R-Evolution
Date:
December 11, 2014
Location:
Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators:
Alex
Riley, Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
We're
at the latest major show for NXT and the main event is a pick em at
this point. We have Sami Zayn putting his NXT career on the line for
one more shot at Adrian Neville's NXT Championship. Other than that
we have Hideo Itami/Finn Balor teaming up to take on the Ascension
and the debut of Kevin (Steen) Owens. The card is stacked so let's
get to it.
The
opening video focuses on the main event but also gets in a bit of
Kevin Owens.
Kevin
Owens vs. CJ Parker
Owens
hits two straight running clotheslines in the corner at the bell and
the Cannonball crushes Parker in less than fifteen seconds. He rips
up Parker's My Fight Matters sign and hits a HUGE flip dive over the
top to take Parker out. Back in and Owens hammers away, only to eat
a boot to the jaw.
Parker
misses a running backsplash but the Third Eye gets a VERY close two.
Back up and Owens no sells a charge in the corner and takes CJ's head
off with a clothesline. Owens is bleeding from the eye as he picks
up Parker for a kind of pumphandle shoulder breaker. He throws
Parker up and powerbombs him in half for the pin at 3:22.
Rating:
B.
WHOA. Yeah the rating is high but this was one of the most
impressive debuts I've seen in a very long time. Owens looked like a
killer out there and just destroyed Parker. I even dug that they
gave Parker some offense and a near fall to add some drama. Owens is
the kind of insane guy that they haven't had in awhile and seemed a
lot like what they were shooting for with Dean Ambrose. Excellent
stuff.
Neville
is ready.
Lucha
Dragons video.
Tag
Team Titles: Vaudevillains vs. Lucha Dragons
The
Dragons are defending and beat the Vaudevillains in the #1 contenders
tag team tournament a few months back to give the Vaulevillains a
reason for revenge. Gotch
and Cara get things going with a standing Lionsault getting two for
the champ. A headscissors/armdrag combo takes both Vaudevillains
down before it's off to Kalisto for a front facelock. Back to Sin
for a dropkick as the fans are entirely behind the challengers.
English
comes if off a blind tag and low bridges Cara out to the floor.
Fans: “THAT WAS MANLY!”
They
head back inside with Gotch cranking on the neck before getting two
off a crucifix. English
sends him outside for a baseball slide, earning him a chant of his
own. The
villains keep taking turns on Cara with Aiden cranking on a chinlock.
Sin finally pops up and flips over English to make the tag off to
Kalisto. Things immediately speed up and everything breaks down.
The Dragons send them to the floor for a big double dive, only to
have English shove Gotch out of the way to take the shot himself.
Fans: “CHIVALRY!” Back in and the Salida Del Sol on Gotch
retains the titles at 6:50.
Rating:
C.
The match was pretty standard but the ending was really a surprise as
I would have bet on the Vaudevillians to pick up the belts here.
That being said, it's not the worst idea in the world as the
Vaudevillians are being turned face by the audience reactions alone
so it's only a matter of time anyway. Still a surprise though.
Tye
Dillinger vs. Baron Corbin
As
usual the fans count the time of Corbin's match, ending at a far
higher than usual 39 seconds with End of Days. The match was so
short that I didn't have time to mention Bull Dempsey watching from
ringside.
Sami
is in the locker room and turns down Cass and Enzo's offer of milk.
He looks over and sees Owens looking back at him. We can't hear
anything said (if anything was) as we're listening to an inset
interview from yesterday with Sami saying he's ready.
We
recap Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. Ascension. Itami is a hotshot
rookie and Ascension are bullies. Balor debuted to help Itami in his
war and this is the showdown.
Hideo
Itami/Finn Balor vs. Ascension
Balor
has an insane entrance now with a pounding red light that sounds like
a heartbeat, a ton of smoke and face paint that looks like a cross
between Delirious, Great
Muta
and Ultimate Warrior. Ascension
looks stunned as the fans are bowing to Finn. It's
a brawl to start before the bell with Ascension getting pounded down
in the corner. Stereo corner dropkicks send them out to the floor
and we get the opening bell.
Itami
dropkicks Viktor down to start and it's off to Finn for a slingshot
stomp. Balor charges into a knee in the corner to change control and
it's off to Konnor. Back to Itami who hammers away but eats a
flapjack as Ascension keeps control. Viktor
breaks up a hot tag attempt with a hard elbow drop to the back for
two. Off
to a reverse chinlock followed by a fist to the head and yet another
chinlock. Ascension
keeps up the double beatdown as Viktor puts on another chinlock.
Hideo
finally kicks Konnor to the floor and dives for a tag, only to have
Konnor knock Finn off the apron.
The
hot tag comes a few seconds later and Finn cleans house with
enziguris. Viktor avoids the top rope double stomp but eats a
reverse Impaler. Konnor makes the save but Itami takes him to the
floor, only to have to save Finn from an STO. Itami loads up GTS
(his invention) and the fans go NUTS, but Konnor makes the save.
Hideo breaks up the Fall of Man and the super team goes up for double
foot stomps for the pin on Ascension at 11:45.
Rating:
C+.
This was better than I was expecting but the ending was never in
doubt. I can't get over that ROAR for the GTS attempt though. It's
a good sign that Itami can do more than kick because he really hasn't
shown me much yet. Ascension is ready for WWE and has been for like
a year, so this is probably their swan song.
Roman
Reigns is in the back and says he's here to see an awesome main
event. His
goal is to be the first NXT alumni to become WWE World Heavyweight
Champion, which creates some continuity issues as that would be
Daniel Bryan. I know it's a different version of NXT but it's a bit
confusing.
Ric
Flair is here and gives Charlotte a hug for luck.
We
recap Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks. They used to be friends but
Charlotte won the Women's Title. Banks says that belongs to hear and
tonight is the showdown.
Women's
Title: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte
Sasha
throws her modified Charlotte shirt (Charlotte: “Do it with some
Flair!” Banks: “Do it like a Boss!”) and the champ chases her
to the ropes. They trade chops in the corner with Charlotte getting
the better of it (of course) but Banks gets in a quick kick to the
head to take over. She sends Charlotte hard into the steps for two
back inside but stops to yell at Little Naitch.
Banks
drives her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs before a
double knee to the ribs has Charlotte in even more trouble. She
mocks the strut though and Charlotte gets all fired up. The champ is
so fired up that they mess up a spot, followed by a Backstabber into
a double arm stretch from Banks. She pulls Charlotte down by the
hair out of the corner and puts on a Figure Four neck lock, complete
with a WOO. Charlotte finally lifts her up for an electric chair
drop to put both girls down.
A
series
of forearms puts Banks down and a suplex into a neckbreaker gets two
on Banks. Charlotte
misses a charge though and falls out to the floor, setting up a
pretty bad looking suicide dive from Sasha. They
slug it out with Banks getting the better of it but eating a big
spear to give Charlotte control again. She charges into a boot but
counters the Bank Statement.
The
Figure Four is countered into a small package for two and Banks gets
two off a neckbreaker. A big suplex sends Banks flying and the fans
think THIS IS WRESTLING. Charlotte tries a moonsault but has to land
on her feet, only to flip forward for a backsplash for two as Banks
gets her feet on the ropes. Sasha sends her hard face first into the
middle buckle but Charlotte throws her off to block a superplex. A
top rope Natural Selection is enough to retain the title at 12:06.
Rating:
B.
The Women's Title match has become a highlight on all these shows and
Banks just had her best match ever by about a million miles. Much
like Ascension, Charlotte has been ready for the next level for
months now and really should be on Raw like tomorrow. Well Monday
but you get the idea. Really solid match here and a great match that
happened to have women in it rather than a good women's match if that
makes sense.
Long
recap of Zayn vs. Neville. The short version is Zayn has never won
the big one but has to win the title here or leave NXT.
NXT
Title: Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville
Neville
is defending and they
have over thirty five minutes for this. After
the big match intros, we're finally ready to go. Feeling
out process to start with no one able to get an early advantage.
Neville cranks on a wristlock but Sami takes over with one of his
own. They head back to the mat with Adrian working on a hammerlock
before grabbing a chinlock. The
champ grabs an armbar and another OLE chant starts up.
Sami
spins out and grabs a wristlock of his own but Neville flips over to
land on his feet instead of on the mat. Adrian
says bring it but gets caught in the armbar again. Neville flips
into the corner again but walks into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to
give Sami his first real advantage. The champ rolls outside and
takes the bouncing moonsault as Sami is in full control. Neville
takes his time getting back in and gets rolled up for two. He
sends Sami into the buckle to take over and a dropkick to the back of
his head gets another near fall.
We
hit the chinlock for a bit before a big uppercut gets two for Adrian.
Neville drops a series of knees to the chest for two more and we hit
another chinlock. A
nice middle rope dropkick gets the same result and Neville is slowly
getting frustrated. Neville
kicks him in the face a few times but eats a hard clothesline and
dropkick to give Sami an opening. Back
to the floor but Adrian rolls back inside to avoid the dive and snaps
off a hurricanrana to send Zayn to the floor. Sami does the exact
same thing to avoid a dive and backdrops him to the floor, setting up
the signature flip dive to take over again. Sweet
sequence.
Back
in again and the high cross body gets two for Sami. Neville tries to
cartwheel at Sami but winds up on Neville's shoudlers for a spinning
Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Now the real pressure is starting to get
to Sami but a jawbreaker brings him back to reality. A running boot
to the face and a bridging German suplex get two for Neville and both
guys are getting winded. Sami
runs the corner but gets caught in a sitout powerbomb, landing HARD
on the back of his head for two.
Back
up and Neville fires off some hard forearms to the head but Sami gets
right in his face and they slug it out until Zayn takes his head off
with a clothesline. Neville takes him right back down with an
enziguri out of the corner. Fans: “NO! NO! NO!” The Red Arrow
hits knees and there's the Koji Clutch but Adrian gets his foot on
the ropes, nearly sending Sami to tears. Neville
counters the suplex into the corner with a rollup but the referee
gets bumped off the kickout.
He's
back up quickly though but a
loud
superkick and
a reverse hurricanrana (Sami landing on his head again)
gets a VERY close two on Sami after he checked on the referee. Back
up and Sami charges into a forearm but starts rolling Germans, capped
off by a half nelson/chicken wing suplex. Neville bails before Sami
can try the Helluva Kick but Sami follows him out for the dive
through the ropes into the tornado DDT. Back in again and the
Helluva Kick connects but the referee goes down again with
Adrian possibly
pulling him into
the path of the kick.
Neville
throws in the title belt but a big boot knocks him down. Sami looks
at the belt and picks it up, drops some F Bombs, but can't bring
himself to cheat. Neville grabs a rollup for two but walks into the
exploder in the corner. The Helluva Kick connects and Sami FINALLY
wins the title at 23:55.
Rating:
A.
Oh yeah it rocked. This was exactly what it should have been with
Sami finally exorcising his demons and winning the belt. I loved
that section near the end where he wanted to cheat but finally threw
it down and won with what brought him to the dance. This was the
outstanding showdown main event and exactly how they should have done
it. Adrian comes off looking like a warrior who might have cheated
(it wasn't clear) to try to keep the title. Great stuff here with
some very close near falls and incredible drama.
You
can hear the fans thanking Neville during the replay package.
The
locker room comes out to celebrate and Owens hugs his friend. Even
Pat Patterson is here to celebrate. Neville
gets back up and stares Sami down. The new champ extends a hand but
Neville kicks it away and pulls him in for a hug. Everyone clears
out and Sami gets to do a victory dance. One more hug from Owens
looks to end the show....BUT HE BLASTS SAMI WITH A RIGHT HAND AND
POWERBOMBS HIM ON THE APRON! What a perfect fake out as everything
looked finished and then they throw that curve.
Overall
Rating: A.
As usual, this show blew the roof off the place and continues to be
the show I look forward to more than almost anything else. The worst
match on the show was a totally fine tag match and Owens was about a
thousand times more awesome than I was expecting. Couple that with a
Match of the Year candidate with the perfect ending and there's
almost nothing bad here. Outstanding show and again worth checking
out.
Results
Kevin
Owens b. CJ Parker – Powerbomb
Lucha
Dragons b. Vaudevillians – Salida Del Sol to Gotch
Baron
Corbin b. Tye Dillinger – End of Days
Hideo
Itami/Finn Balor b. Ascension – Double pin after top rope foot
stomps
Charlotte
b. Sasha Banks – Top rope Natural Selection
Sami
Zayn b. Adrian Neville – Helluva Kick
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
THANK YOU BASED NXT
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU BASED HHH
Would have saved the show ending angle for another show. But that is just me. Very fun show.
ReplyDeleteI would agree if they hadn't waited like they did. I totally bought that everything was fine and they did that to end it.
ReplyDeleteWoman's match was better than the Main Event. Very sexist review IMO.
ReplyDeleteOr a review that has a different opinion than yours?
ReplyDeleteHe was an ECW fan. His opinions don't matter.
ReplyDelete"Charlotte has been ready for the next level for
ReplyDeletemonths now and really should be on Raw like tomorrow. Well Monday
but you get the idea."
I don't blame you for erasing her match a few days ago from your brain, but technically she's already been on Raw and gotten Kevindunn'd.
Spot on. If only the reviewer could treat women in as high a manner as ECW, we'd all be better off.
ReplyDeleteTrue, and she should be again. Unfortunately they'll probably wait three months and hope we forget.
ReplyDeleteSHH! Tommy Dreamer might show up and cry if you say that too loudly.
ReplyDeleteNo idea what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteMy comment wasn't opinion.
ReplyDelete98% of the time I don't post opinions.
ReplyDelete"...IMO." ~ you
ReplyDeleteYou said your comment wasn't opinion. Let me spell it out for you:
ReplyDelete"Very sexist review i-n m-y o-p-i-n-i-o-n."
You said that.
I know. You don't post opinions 98 percent of the time. You post shitty opinions 98 percent of the time. Get out of your mom's basement, get a job, and then maybe you'll have something better to do than call people sexist.
ReplyDeleteIn your very first comment you said "IMO". Then you claimed your comment wasn't an opinion. Even though it was such a clear opinion, you even labeled it as such.
ReplyDeleteYeah that part was opinion, good catch. But I only post opinion 2% of the time. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGet out of my mom's basement? Ok.
ReplyDeleteNo, the part about the woman's match being better than the main event wasn't opinion. The part of the sexist review was.
ReplyDeleteNah, the main event was better. The women's match was a very close runner up though, a damn fine match indeed. But add the post-match celebration attack by Owens and the overall ME was impeccable.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't recommend trying to have a debate with him. It doesn't seem like something that will have a lot of logic involved.
ReplyDeleteOwens attacking Zayn was like the Anti-Elizabeth/Macho WM VII moment. Extracurricular actives that added that much emotion to the match itself. In this case, abject horror.
ReplyDeleteWhat debate? Just stating facts :)
ReplyDeleteHey now!
ReplyDeleteIndeed but facts don't seem to work that well in cases like these.
ReplyDeleteDid you write this review?
ReplyDeleteYes I did.
ReplyDeleteBetter luck next time.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI did think you were a little stingy on the women's rating. It was at least a B+ in my opinion. They looked like they only cared about each other (as it should be) instead of auditioning for people in the back or playing to the crowd too much. Sasha took some of the most painful bumps of the night, too. There was only a couple of minor missteps the entire match.
ReplyDeleteI will never understand why 2% of wrestling fans care about that fat French Canadian.
ReplyDeleteSome of those missteps hurt it. It's certainly good but it ended a bit abruptly for me. I would have liked it to go longer though and that probably would have driven it up higher.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that you were getting the better shows when you signed up to do Raw reviews. My sympathies
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was thinking about 3-5 more minutes would have made it perfect.
ReplyDeleteCalm down troll. Good wrestlers are good wrestlers.
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes this was fun to watch. And that Finn Balor entrance...man.
ReplyDeleteYeah. And that Lardo ain't one.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Steen in the ring and he has a lot of charisma. Good wrestler, glad WWE signed him
ReplyDeleteI think he is, Dougie. Have you seen some of his matches with the Briscoes or his feud with Generico?
ReplyDeleteDid you read that on the wrestling observer?
ReplyDeleteNo, Dougie. I watched Steen when he was in ROH and enjoyed what he had to offer
ReplyDeleteVery sexist review IMO.
ReplyDeleteBetter luck at posting next time!
I've seen him eat a whole bundt cake.
ReplyDeleteShhh, stop. You're clearly not allowed to have a differing opinion here.
ReplyDeleteSo IMO it wasn't your opinion?
ReplyDeleteAlright, that kind of made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteThat's not the question I asked, Dougie. Have you seen his ROH work, in particular his high profile matches with Generico and Briscoes?
ReplyDeleteI've actually been a fan of his since I first saw him wrestle at an ROH preshow. We got into it, he was a really good heel
ReplyDeleteReal men use stars.
ReplyDeleteHe's an actual smash mouth pro wrestler and has more agility an cardio than you, despite having some extra weight behind his blows is why.
ReplyDeleteApparently it was a small enough cake that he can still dive over the top rope. He looked about 30lbs lighter than when I saw him Wrestlemania weekend.
ReplyDeleteNXT needs a WrestleMania. Next December they should reinstitute Starrcade and give it to NXT.
ReplyDeleteDON'T FEED THE TROLLS.
ReplyDeleteNo it wasn't. Women's match was very good but lacked psychology for the most part. GREAT effort though. Everything looked good. I had Women's Match at *** 1/2 and Main Event at **** 1/2.
ReplyDeleteDid you watch the match? Or are you just posting contrary opinions so you can show your friends at that other forum how cool you are?
ReplyDeletePoser.
He put mayonnaise on it!
ReplyDeleteOkay, it doesn't sound like you've seen much of Steen's work. That's a shame
ReplyDeleteYou're allowed to have a differening opinion. But it's clear he didn't watch the match. If he did he'd be pointing out what it was about the match he DIDN'T like. He's being a troll.
ReplyDeleteI was speaking tongue-in-cheek. I get it.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying eating a bundt cake covered with mayo isn't work? Because he was perspiring profusely.
ReplyDeleteVintage Kyle Fitta!
ReplyDeleteYou're 12.
ReplyDeleteUpvoted for making me chuckle.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wwe.com/f/styles/photo_large/public/photo/image/2014/12/21_NXT_12082014sm_1103b-1248636469.jpg
ReplyDeleteFinn Balor. Wow.
I'd say quit while you're ahead, but you're not.
ReplyDeleteWhoever is shadowing Sasha Banks is way hotter than her.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. She has a bit of a Lita vibe to her.
ReplyDeleteI think its Becky Lynch
ReplyDeleteYes! Called the ending and the epilogue after the last special here in the comments. The only thing missing was the snot rockets and a derisive "Ole!" to end it.
ReplyDeleteWithout the plastic tits.
ReplyDeleteYou're still the best, Dougie! Great work!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the pre-WrestleMania super show in February/March is gonna be that for them.
ReplyDelete"Hey, can anyone help me? I'm missing a whole box of brass rings." - Triple H on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteLet me guess, you think Miz is better?
ReplyDeleteBecky Lynch/Rebecca Knox is a good one, too. Her big negative in the future is she has the biggest Oirish accent.
ReplyDeleteThe 2% is the hardest to get. That's why they leave it in the milk.
ReplyDeleteNXT crowd didn't give Roman the rosiest reception. But they've been smarky. I think I even heard a "Marking Out" chant.
ReplyDeleteThe Marking Out chant was for Balor, and it was legit fans were really impressed with his entrance.
ReplyDeleteYea her accent is pretty bad, but as a heel it probably works in her favor.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone checked the Lost & Found for Steen's nose?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you could hear it breaking despite the lively crowd. Friggin' sick.
Did you look at what it did to Parker's hand yet?
ReplyDeletehttp://t.co/M8hW4Isvlm
You leave Carl Oulette out of this.
ReplyDeleteWell, realistically, once a woman gets to the main roster it's (sadly) all about sex appeal alone. But luckily for her, chicks with Irish accents are hot.
ReplyDeleteIt was still bleeding even when he hugged Sami!
ReplyDeleteThat's because he's... You know... Not a good wrestler and stuff.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit!
ReplyDeleteYikes.
ReplyDeleteHunter said as much in a conference call, actually.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's where I got the idea. That sort of stuff gets old fast.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that made a lot of people on the main roster happy.
ReplyDeleteYears ago when it came time to promote someone to a lead role where I worked, my boss and I had a chat as to who it should be.
ReplyDelete"Mason for sure", I said. "He outperforms everyone else on the team by a factor of 10".
My boss said, "I agree with you, but I'm worried that some of the team might be mad we promoted him ahead of them."
I replied, "Good. Because no one will argue his quality, so they'll either get mad and make themselves even better to keep up with Mason, or they'll get mad and leave. Either way our team is better off."
Boss: "you sold me. Let's do it."
Best decision we ever made there by far - those who stayed upped their game considerably (and eventually went off to do high end stuff of their own, or building companies of their own) and those who left we didn't miss.
That was...some good shit.
ReplyDeleteSteen looks like one of those neat, Acrofatic guys. I don't think his physique will be a problem at all.
ReplyDeleteSo bad ass. Wow
ReplyDeleteIf I could show you an easy proven and guaranteed way to make $379 a day and more, working part-time from the comfort of your home, would you be interested?If YES! Then this will be the most exciting message that you will ever read►http://GoogleHomeCareerJobs/Get-StartProfit6543 TAKES ONLY A FEW MINS...
ReplyDeleteAcrofatic is a brilliant word. Love it.
ReplyDeleteBloody hell!
ReplyDeleteAll things considered, best non-Wrestlemania PPV of the year?
ReplyDeleteCasual WWE Fan:
ReplyDeleteWait? Women can actually wrestle?
Why id David Flair dressing in drag?
When did Jeff Hardy get back.. and why is he teaming with Tajiri?
What is Seth Rogen doing wrestling a Hobbit?
Curious: If Adrian Neville does come up to the main roster.. How does he fit in? He could be a heel, but his moves would make him a face.. Who does he feud with? I'm not optimistic about his chances.
ReplyDeleteHis hand now has a vagina! Makes jerking off way more exciting..
ReplyDeletePeople wouldn't like him and give a shit about him if he couldnt go in the ring. And he's been doing it for over a decade. And you're doing a VERY poor Farva by the way
ReplyDeleteYou're family is full of addicts.
ReplyDeleteThis is the prefect response.
ReplyDeleteStanding O for Big Doug!
ReplyDeleteLol! Long live the king
ReplyDeleteAnswers:
ReplyDeleteYeah, until they reach the main WWE roster where (Women Wont Entertain)
Thats a bit unfair as I dont think Davids physique could pull off that outfit.
A disgrace to Finn Balor and his performance last night comparing it to anything Jeff Hardy has done. (At least outside of the ring)