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NXT - June 10, 2015

NXT
Date: June 10, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton

Reviewed by Tommy Hall

The big story tonight is the in ring debut of Samoa Joe, who debuted a few weeks back and has had some intense staredowns with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. It should be interesting to see who Joe's first victim is, because it's fairly clear that he's coming for Owens and the title. Right now though, Finn Balor is the #1 contender and will be facing Owens for the title in Tokyo on July 4. Let's get to it.


The opening video is all about Joe debuting in NXT and setting his sights on the title.

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder/Mojo Rawley vs. Mike Rallis/Elias Samson

Ryder is WAY over here and the fans even seem happy to see Rawley. Mojo shoves Rallis down, slams Samson, but then stop, HAMMER TIME. Ryder comes in and takes some shoulders in the ribs, only to raise his knees in the corner to stop a charge. The middle rope dropkick sets up the Broski Boot but Samson offers a distraction to take over.

We hit the chinlock but a GET HYPED chant brings Ryder to his feet for the hot tag to Rawley. Mojo cleans house with some very fast paced offense, including a big running punch and capped off by a middle rope Hart Attack with the Rough Ryder instead of the clothesline for the pin on Samson at 3:55.

Rating: C. I've always liked Ryder and this was a good sign for him. A lot of guys could use a recharge down in NXT and Ryder is probably at the top of that list. He clearly still has a following as the fans were all over him. Rawley was doing exactly what he should have done all along here: cleaned house and never looked back. One of his biggest problems was getting beaten up until the last 45 seconds of the match for a big comeback. Guys like him should hardly ever be on defense and the reaction was a lot better as a result.

Finn Balor promo with his voice talking about how everyone has two sides. Shots of the demon paint keep appearing until “FINN BALOR ARRIVES – July 4 in Tokyo” comes on screen. Oh that's going to be amazing.

Dana Brooke video. She's the Total Diva.

Emma vs. Blue Pants

SHE'S BAAAAACK! Big Cass' Price Is Right entrance music got one of the loudest reactions in recent weeks. The fans are smart enough to know that it's Blue Pants' birthday. Emma jumps her to start, making her the most hated woman in the promotion. A dropkick gets two and we hit the bow and arrow on Blue Pants. Fans: “BLUE PANTS ROCKS!” Blue Pants gets some rollups for two but it's back to the chinlock. Emma drops an elbow to the back of the head for two more but Blue Pants comes back with some kicks to the head. Blue Pants gets going but Emma trips her down and the Emma Lock gets the submission at 4:40.

Rating: D+. Here's the key thing about Blue Pants: she isn't used that often. They could bring her in more often for some loud reactions, but they would eventually die down because Blue Pants is so beloved due to being a special attraction. If this were the main roster, she would be in five segments a night and people would get sick of her in two weeks. This common sense stuff is addictive.

Enzo, Cass and Carmella say that Blake/Murphy/Bliss wouldn't last one week in the Hunger Games and if they grew up where they're from, it would be time to go live with Uncle Phil. Six person tag next week.

Tyler Breeze vs. Bull Dempsey

Dempsey knees him in the head to start and we're quickly in a chinlock. Fans: “BULL IS GORGEOUS/NO HE'S NOT!” Back up and the standing splash sets up the top rope headbutt but Breeze rolls away before the jump. Breeze gets him in a chance around the ring and Bull keeps getting winded. Fans: “CARDIO! CARDIO!” Breeze laps Bull, throws him inside and gives him a Beauty Shot for the pin at 2:49. Tyler is basically a face now due to all of his hard work and string of good matches.

We look back at Becky Lynch's standing ovation after losing to Sasha Banks. Brennan's nickname for her: The Lass Kicker. As much as I hate myself for this, I kind of dig that name.

Becky Lynch vs. Jesse McKay

Becky has a very high energy entrance now, complete with smoke along the entrance. The fans are responding to it and it's easy to sey why. McKay used to wrestle in Shimmer under the same name. Jesse gets in a kick to the ribs to start, followed by another to the face. An armbar has Becky in some trouble but she comes back with a hammerlock suplex and some legdrops. “BETTER THAN HOGAN!” Let's not get crazy here. Something like a torture rack Samoan drop sets up the armbar (Rich: “The Disgoosted Armbar!” Graves: “The WHAT?”) for the submission at 4:16.

Rating: D+. I really wasn't feeling this one as Jesse got in way too much offense in what should have been a Becky showcase match. McKay was good enough in there though and could be something interesting if she's allowed to develop like the rest of the girls down here have done. This was too much like an old Mojo Rawley match though: awesome entrance, next to no offense until the very end.

Regal announces that Owens will be on commentary for Joe's match but Bull Dempsey comes in eating a bag of Doritos. He blames his loss on a lack of sleep. Regal gets serious and tells Dempsey to get his act together. The boss leaves so Dempsey pulls an open Snickers out of his singlet. Well they had to do something new with Dempsey so this works well enough.

Jason Jordan says he has another partner when Chad Gable comes in, saying it should be him. “I'm ready, willing and Gable. See what I did there?” Jason says no but Gable adds his name to Jordan's locker.

Baron Corbin vs. Angelo Dawkins

Corbin throws him around to start and walks him around the ring before a slam. A bulldog attempt is countered by a huge clothesline and End of Days gives Baron the pin at 2:29.

Samoa Joe vs. Scott Dawson

Owens is on commentary and Joe's music still sucks. He does however look a bit more toned. Fans: “PLEASE DON'T DIE!” How nice of them to be worried about Joe's safety. They trade armbars to start until Joe takes it up a notch with a back elbow to the face. Owens: “Wow a back elbow! I've got a mean back elbow.” The release Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the Muscle Buster for the pin on Dawson at 3:45.

Rating: C. Total squash here and it did exactly what it was supposed to do. Owens is great on commentary as the guy trying to cut into Joe's hype and this was a very fun use of about five minutes. Joe's physique looked about as good as you can fairly expect. The guy is never going to look like John Cena and it's unfair to expect him to, but he looked fine here.

During the replays, Kevin offers to get Brennan a Joe shirt from the merchandise table. Owens goes to leave but Joe calls him to the ring. Kevin won't get in because he's a good man who won't drop Joe after his first match. Joe is a rookie here in NXT and one win isn't enough for an NXT Title match. Cue Regal who agrees with Owens. Joe hasn't earned a title shot, but he's earned the right to a non-title fight against Owens next week.

Overall Rating: B-. Matches made for the future, six matches, some amusing promos, two in ring debuts and a new character for Dempsey. How in the world can they get all that inside an hour and have almost no filler? This was the efficient NXT that flies by every week because it's very well put together. Couple that with an energetic crowd and you have one heck of a fun show.

Results
Zack Ryder/Mojo Rawley b. Elias Samson/Mike Rallis – Middle rope Rough Ryder to Samson
Emma b. Blue Pants – Emma Lock
Tyler Breeze b. Bull Dempsey – Beauty Shot
Becky Lynch b. Jesse McKay – Disgoosted Armbar
Baron Corbin b. Angelo Dawkins – End of Days
Samoa Joe b. Scott Dawson – Muscle Buster


Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Comments

  1. I dunno man, I can't see them having any success by turning Dempsey into an out-of-shape slob unless the goal is to get him into incredible shape and reintroduce him in six months. Seems like he'd be a short-term comedy act at best, and nobody really wants Bullstion Booger, do they?

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  2. C'mon, you want to see Bull beat up some jobber while eating a sandwich.

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  3. kbwrestlingreviewsJune 10, 2015 at 8:08 PM

    I doubt it's going to be anything great but it's better than nothing.

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  4. AnInternetToughGuyJune 10, 2015 at 8:37 PM

    Something I did not know I wanted until now.

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  5. Bull's ceiling has always been midcard. So giving him a comedy act gives him a way better chance than the baby Rhyno gimmick.

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  6. If they ever called Bull up to the main roster he could have an easy opening match comedy pop spot where he comes out eating whatever the popular local cuisine is, kills a fool, and then goes back to the food. Like in Boston he comes out with a lobster roll or whatever. Cheap pops aren't always bad.

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  7. I actually liked the promo. "I was doing good until then I wasn't. But the thing is, I was up all night training? So that's why I was tired." That's gold right there.

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  8. I know the topic has been beaten to death, but there's no reason Ryder couldn't have been a mega-over opening match guy for the last few years.

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  9. kbwrestlingreviewsJune 10, 2015 at 9:14 PM

    I'd have loved to see him as Cena's little buddy. Have him be a midcard guy and occasional champion and he'd be fine. But no, we need to crush him into powder for the sake of a filler Kane feud.

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  10. Blue Pants is the best

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  11. Since TNA doesn't exist in my world, this was truly my first time seeing Samoa Joe wrestle. I can't wait for him to join the main roster. Raw is so freaking stale right now.

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  12. Plus Cena made out with his woman for some reason.

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  13. Jesse McCay stunk.

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  14. The Ghost of Faffner HallJune 10, 2015 at 10:10 PM

    I now literally want nothing BUT Bullstion Booger.

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  15. Entire offense nothing but shoulder blocks, never stops eating.

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  16. In Cena's defense, it was Eve Torres.

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  17. Oh, but conversely, Emma-Blue Pants was really fun "television" even though it wasn't a technical marvel. Blue Pants is an awesome sometimes-treat and Evil Emma is pretty great with her facial expressions and body language. I loved her pissed-off "uh huh, yeah, I used to do that dance, haha, so cool, fuck you" nodding before she jumped her.

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  18. It better be a meatball hero.

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  19. My favorite Ryder moment was that time Vince trolled him by saying he could have tv time in his hometown.

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  20. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 11, 2015 at 1:31 AM

    There's a very good reason: he SUCKS.

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  21. I'm no expert, but didn't TNA do the "he can't stop eating" thing with Shark Boy?

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  22. William Regal is the best. He has the right amount of gravitas without being oppressive. He has credibility and can spend some of that capital being the straight man in a comedy sketch without coming across lessened or as a buffoon (something that wasn't always true when Regal was in a similar position on the main roster shows.)

    So good.

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  23. Shoulder block, shoulder block, shoulder block, shoulder block...drops sandwich by accident.

    Top Rope Burning Hammer.

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  24. kbwrestlingreviewsJune 11, 2015 at 6:54 AM

    Yeah but with far less charm.

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  25. Not sure why, but I love it when people come barging in demanding matches halfway through the show and he's like "dumbasses, the card is full tonight but I can book you next week."

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  26. Just way she was agented.


    Jessie is one of the best female Wrestlers in the Word has been for several years.

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  27. Lacks greatly in the ring though.

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  28. She's getting better. Much though we are loathe to admit this sometimes, it IS developmental. She's developing. For some reason it doesn't bother me on NXT if I see a super green match. As opposed to the main roster where I get annoyed.

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  29. Maybe, but her execution didn't look great tonight.

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  30. She's not getting better and she isn't in developmental.

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  31. She's not? What's NXT if not developmental? She's not Lynch or Flair, but her match with Emma wasn't Bella levels of bad.

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  32. I 100 percent agree with this. I've ALWAYS had a problem with that on the main shows. And even on Smackdown, when they'd make a tag team match, playa, it wasn't AS bad. The match was often booked as a single and they'd just add the teammates.


    On Raw, Kayfabe, what was going to happen if Roman Reigns had not opted to interrupt Hunter and Steph. Was the show just going to end 20 minutes early? They never explain!

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  33. I don't know if they'll have him eat during matches. I hope not. But his little promo was the first actual bit of humanity I've ever seen from the guy.

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  34. He's insanely over, gets the crowd warmed up, and can work a passable five minute match. That's all you need to open a show.

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  35. I loved Owens smugness, teeling Joe that he couldn't get a title shot after just one match, because that's not how things work. It was hilariously heelish.

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  36. This may be the first time that "charm" and "Bull Dempsey" have ever been connected.

    Nicely done (everyone!)

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  37. See, I thought Bull was great in that little promo with Regal. He really nailed the whole "awkward manchild" schtick.

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  38. Well it worked wonders for Brodus Clay.

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  39. Only if it's a meatball sub and a diet cock like Magnificent Muraco.

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  40. The Bellas have better strikes and selling.

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