The Official WWE / NXT Discussion Thread *May Contain Spoilers*

[milamber]

<p>Kofi killed it with that performance. Shame it was supposed to Ali in that position.</p><p> </p><p>

I still hate that the New Day don't go solo more often. Why hasn't Big E been challenging for the US title? I'd love to see him facing the likes of Nakamura and Rusev.</p><p> </p><p>

The Post-match interview with The New Day is brilliant:

</p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/F6n5Pf3gaEU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="How is Kofi Kingston feeling after his gutsy Gauntlet Match performance?: Exclusive, Feb. 12, 2019"></iframe></div></div>

[milamber]

Ricochet vs Cole was great. Ric sold his targeted leg by hitting a one-legged springboard senton and one-legged frankensteiner!

[Jaysin]

Fun show overall. Ruby getting squashed was awful. I was looking forward to that match.

[eayragt]

<p>Daniel Bryan is just awesome. Brought back memories of him making Santino look like he was going to become champion.</p><p> </p><p>

To note, Bryan did squash Santino the following week. This mini feud will probably get a more competitive conclusion, but Bryan will rightfully come out on top.</p><p> </p><p>

I see a US Title reign in the future for Kofi.. which probably do nothing for him.</p>

[BHK1978]

<p>I honestly only enjoyed the two elimination chamber matches. The rest of the show felt like a giant waste of time.</p><p> </p><p>

Oh well I lose the network tomorrow and will pick it up again next year for the Rumble and Elimination Chamber because it has gotten to the point where those are the only two PPVs I enjoy.</p>

[milamber]

<p><strong>Women's Tag Title Chamber</strong> - Good match even though it was sloppy at times. Everyone worked hard and the Tornado Tag rules made it more exciting. The modified finisher was a nice touch. I'm shocked Nia and Tamina didn't win. Vince probably doesn't want Sasha and Bayley to jump ship to AEW.</p><p>

<strong>Miz & Shane © vs The Usos</strong> - Solid match. AEW strikes again.</p><p>

<strong>Lashley © vs Balor</strong> - Solid match. About time Balor held gold again.</p><p>

<strong>Ruby vs Ronda ©</strong> - I understand the idea behind the flawless victory... I mean squash... but Ruby got done dirty and it could have been a good match. Ronda's MK gear and the post-match segment <em>almost</em> made up for it.</p><p>

<strong>Corbin vs Strowman</strong> - Skipped to the finish. This was a Raw re-re-rematch designed to get a few guys their PPV bonuses.</p><p>

<strong>WWE Title Chamber</strong> - Great match. Got the Joe vs Bryan match I wanted just not at Mania. Feel sorry for Ali missing out on the 2 biggest matches of his career but Kofi made the most of his misfortune.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Verdict:</strong> The Chamber matches delivered but overall it was an average PPV.</p><p> </p><p>

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[Rayelek]

Pretty men ppv to me. Women's Chamber match delivered. Steowman/Corbin sounded fun when announced but was disappointing. Same with Lashley/Rush/Balor. Looking forward to the inevitable Shane/Miz break up. Ronda and Ruby had a dull match, didnt enjoy the post-match on that one. Men's chamber was good. Started solid, finished solid, pretty dull in the middle, basically.

[milamber]

<p>I can't imagine how bad Raw would have been without the NXT guys being showcased. Looks like Ricochet and Black might stick around. Corbin vs Strowman match #1304584 would have been the highlight LOL.</p><p> </p><p>

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[Blackman]

With the main event still to go, "meh" is the dominant sentiment atm. The post-match Becky/Flair/Ronda segment was very disappointing for a supposed WM main event buildup. The women's chamber was ok, but that's all it was at it had multiple awkward spots. The rest seemed just like... RAW filler 'gimmick' matches.

 

Bryan's gimmick is killing it though.

[Rone Rivendale]

Not sure I agree with every NXT wrestler getting a win last nite. It's like "Hey, look at these minor league guys who are already better than the guys we have. Our main roster sucks!"

 

Or maybe I'm being the 'Get off my lawn' old man here.

[Greylocke]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="milamber" data-cite="milamber" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><strong>Women's Tag Title Chamber</strong> - Good match even though it was sloppy at times. Everyone worked hard and the Tornado Tag rules made it more exciting. The modified finisher was a nice touch. <strong>I'm shocked Nia and Tamina didn't win. Vince probably doesn't want Sasha and Bayley to jump ship to AEW</strong>.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Seriously? I'm pretty sure Sasha and Bayley have been slated to be the first tag champions for nearly a year now even before the tag titles were officially announced. It was literally the only reason to keep this awful friendship storyline between them for so long when everyone was looking forward to Sasha turning heel on Bayley. I think they might even have debuted the titles earlier if it wasn't for Sasha's short injury break.</p><p> </p><p> And the fact that they were the only established face team all year long (Naomi and Carmella was a last-minute thrown-together filler) made it pretty obvious that they had to win here. Any heel team winning here would be terribly short of challengers. Meanwhile, we have at least 4-5 heel teams that can be rotated to challenge face champions long enough to last a year if booked well (which it probably won't be , but still).</p><p> </p><p> This match was the second-most predictable to me, other than Rousey beating Ruby (which I think everyone saw coming).</p>

[milamber]

<p>Smackdown was better at everything than Raw this week: the crowd, the matches, the presentation</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rone Rivendale" data-cite="Rone Rivendale" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Not sure I agree with every NXT wrestler getting a win last nite. It's like "Hey, look at these minor league guys who are already better than the guys we have. Our main roster sucks!"<p> </p><p> Or maybe I'm being the 'Get off my lawn' old man here. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Pretty sure Hunter is in charge of their booking for now. No one has been buried yet.</p>

[sheepy]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rone Rivendale" data-cite="Rone Rivendale" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Not sure I agree with every NXT wrestler getting a win last nite. It's like "Hey, look at these minor league guys who are already better than the guys we have. Our main roster sucks!"<p> </p><p> Or maybe I'm being the 'Get off my lawn' old man here. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I kinda hate the glut of callups. To me it makes them just a bunch of guys. I’d far rather they stagger them and spread them out.</p><p> </p><p> I kinda miss the old school brand split where the brand owners would bid on new sign ups.</p><p> </p><p> As someone who never watched WCW I always remember the Steph / Bischoff competing over Scott Steiner. Made him a huge deal when he debuted and someone you had to keep an eye on.</p>

[milamber]

I love NXT. The Dream vs Gargano NA title match was Takeover quality.

[milamber]

<p>Toni and Rhea had a good title rematch on NXT UK. Rhea has the potential to be one of the top heels on the main roster (male or female) in the couple of years if she gets called up.</p><p> </p><p>

Next week we get Gallagher vs Bate, WALTER vs Ohno and a Lorcan/Burch vs Grizzled Young Vets title match. Talk about a stacked show.</p>

[milamber]

<p>What a week for WWE.</p><p> </p><p>

Itami and Dillinger are officially gone. Arn Anderson was fired after a heated argument with Vince. TJP was fired for being a twat and Lio Rush could be next. </p><p> </p><p>

Noam Dar is going full-time with NXT UK which leaves 205 Live's roster looking paper thin.</p>

[Mammoth]

I hope Vince hasn't shot himself in the foot here as Arn Anderson could be one of the biggest signings AEW could possibly make. He's like a parent to Cody so it makes sense, and having his experience and knowledge behind the scenes could ensure the ship is sailed in the right direction. The guy knows more than most how big companies are run and he's been one of Vince's right hand men for over a decade. There's obviously no guarantees as Arn could quite as easily retire but as he was fired, I don't get the feeling that he's done with the business.

[Rone Rivendale]

<p>"The Rise and Fall of WWE: Chapter 7, Vince fires Arn Anderson"</p><p> </p><p>

Look forward to the DVDs. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

[Greylocke]

<p>Apparently, the latest rumours regarding Ambrose is that he pitched the idea for WWE to announce his departure in advance with the potential for a swerve where he shows up after his current contract has expired. WWE lets him run with it to see if he can generate enough buzz, and will offer him a new contract with ‘right to refusal’ creative clause if he succeeds (if he doesn't then he leaves as planned).</p><p> </p><p>

No legitimate source that i know of, so probably fake. But if it somehow comes to fruition it might just get me to start following their regular TV shows again.</p>

[milamber]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Greylocke" data-cite="Greylocke" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Apparently, the latest rumours regarding Ambrose is that he pitched the idea for WWE to announce his departure in advance with the potential for a swerve where he shows up after his current contract has expired. WWE lets him run with it to see if he can generate enough buzz, and will offer him a new contract with ‘right to refusal’ creative clause if he succeeds (if he doesn't then he leaves as planned).<p> </p><p> No legitimate source that i know of, so probably fake. But if it somehow comes to fruition it might just get me to start following their regular TV shows again.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> You know that wouldn't surprise me. Vince is battling poor ratings and the threat of superstars leaving so he's throwing everything he and creative can think of at the wall and seeing what sticks.</p><p> </p><p> Latest rumor is he's unhappy about Taker appearing at the Starrcast 2 convention so he's adding him to the Mania card (like a dog marking his territory I guess) and he's going to shoehorn in a Cena match at Mania. This will apparently be the latest a Mania card has been finalized.</p>

[milamber]

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[milamber]

Raw was more entertaining than usual plus the good news from Roman. But Smackdown was still better.

[Greylocke]

<p>Apparently, Ric Flair was legit drunk and wasted on RAW during the segment.</p><p> </p><p>

It'd be hilarious if they reveal next week on RAW that Batista didn't actually do any damage to Flair. He just broke into the locker room, found Flair already passed out on the floor and just dragged him out.</p>

[Jaysin]

<p><a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/ronda-rousey-becky-lynch-are-at-each-others-throats-on-twitter-right-now-and-its-phenomenal" rel="external nofollow">https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/ronda-rousey-becky-lynch-are-at-each-others-throats-on-twitter-right-now-and-its-phenomenal</a></p><p>

Ronda comes across really poorly here in my opinion. I haven’t watched since Elimination Chamber, is Ronda supposed to be a heel now? Pointing out the fake mug shot and talking about the script is just stupid. She’s nowhere near good enough to pull off the “above the business” schtickt.</p>

[milamber]

NXT UK

 

- Bate vs Gallagher was a catch wrestling masterclass. Wish it had gone longer.

- Ohno vs WALTER was a good big man match.

- Lorcan & Burch vs Grizzled Vets for the NXT UK Tag Titles was good.

 

 

NXT

 

- I like that they used the Dusty Classic to tie the Gargano/Ciampa storyline on NXT and their main roster call-up together... especially if the rumor is true that Hunter was given short notice by Vince.

- More tag matches for the women means more TV time. I wonder if NXT will get its own Women's Tag Titles soon.

- Lee vs Dijakovic was a super fun indie-style match. Rematch please.

- Sasha and Bayley back in NXT!!! More crossover between brands is good for business. Let them squash Shayna's friends and take on the Sky Pirates!

- Mia vs Shayna was a short but good title match. Mia's selling of Shayna's nasty offense was the best work she's done since the MYC. Even though the result wasn't in doubt it was stupid to have Regal tweet that the winner of Io vs Bianca will face Shayna at Takeover: NY before the match aired.