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

[foolinc]

I thought Daniel Bryan was WWE's best Babyface. I was wrong. It's Bayley.

[Big Roguey]

I thought Daniel Bryan was WWE's best Babyface. I was wrong. It's Bayley.

 

With Sami a close second. Sami and Tyler were the stars of that four way match IMO.

[takerlives77]

Excellent show for sure, NXT is on fire. I thought every match was good for what it was designed to be and I think Corbin looks really interesting. I haven't really seen much of KENTA but everyone knows he's awesome in the ring. However it was great to see he can get on the mic even for a short time and he's got bundles of charisma too, he'll do fine I think. To me it looks like they'll get some miles out of Zayn and Neville tension before a Neville turn simply because Zayn is so easy to cheer, his frenzy at the end really made me want him to win and that kind of investment in the story these days is rare. Saying that though, Bayley and Charlotte made me do the same thing. I honestly don't have anything bad to say about NXT right now because probably the only person I don't like seeing is Mojo and he seems to get beaten more often than not. Really making me consider getting the network so I can watch every week. Got a lot to think about haha

[milamber]

NXT Takeover - Fatal Fourway Review:

 

Lucha Dragons vs The Ascension (NXT Tag Titles) - Good match and the best I've seen from both teams. Kalisto has the potential to be as big as Rey Mysterio.

Parker vs Corbin - Corbin has an intimidating look and a wicked finisher. I've warmed to Parker's gimmick but he hasn't proven himself in the ring yet.

Leforte vs Enzo (Hair vs Hair) - OK match, fun angle. The Legionnaires are French cartoon villians. Enzo & Cass are awesome and deserve this chance to shine. "Enzo! Get the bucket!"

KENTA - Hideo Itami doesn't sound as cool as KENTA but at least they acknowledged his real name and pedigree. I marked out when he stood up to the Ascension. Hideo & Devitt vs The Ascension next week?

Bull vs Mojo - Squash match to show off Bull's versatility.

Bayely vs Charlotte (NXT Women's Championship) - Great match. I'm glad Charlotte didn't drop the title yet. They changed Bayley's catchy entrance theme I love it when the women chop each other. I'd like to see more high-flying moves in the Women's and Divas divisions. Charlotte is becoming the female Orton -- solid wrestler with a slow, methodical style that works well against opponents with a contrasting style like Bayley.

Breeze vs Zayn vs Kidd vs Neville (NXT Championship) - Match of the Year Contender. I'm shocked that Neville (legally) cheated to screw Sami and retain the title. Everyone played their parts brilliantly but for me Kidd's ring general role earned him my MOTM.

 

Verdict: One of the best PPVs so far this year. I wish Paige vs Lynch had been on the Pre-Show instead a dark match.

 

(worth watching)

 

http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2378672/20140911-neville-fatal-4-way-nxt-642_medium.jpghttp://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2378576/NXT_TAKE02_Photo_36-453336968_medium.jpghttp://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/5004946/20140911_EP_LIGHT_NXTTakeover_Kenta_P.jpg

 

http://photos-f.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xfa1/10691654_602691909841517_2145910040_n.jpg

[DaMegaFish]

I've never heard of WWE Warehouse, but this is definitely a fun watch

 

http://youtu.be/rSkRCor_AbY

[Mootinie]

One thing I really like about NXT is the multi-layered storytelling. Every person had some kind of agenda, it wasn't just a case of the storyline being a means to an end, everything was given depth and I thought Takeover II was one of the best events I've watched all year. Every person in the Fatal 4 Way was going into the match with something weighing heavily on their mind, from Zayn being desperate to finally capture gold, to Tyson Kidd wanting people to acknowledge his accomplishments and see him as more than Nattie's husband. I'm not sure it's a Match Of The Year contender, but I'd give it a good 4-star rating or so. I even like KENTA's new name... I'm warming to it already.

[milamber]

Smackdown Review:

 

Show, Henry & The Usos vs The Wyatts & Dust Bros - Solid but routine match won by the babyfaces.

Dallas vs Gabriel - Solid match. Gabriel (who's a heel on NXT but screw continuity) got in a lot of offense but Bo won. Swagger attacked Bo who escaped.

Paige vs Summer - OK match. Paige won with AJ's Black Widow. AJ delivered a super smooth Paige Turner to Layla. Later Nikki, Paige & AJ had a good segment backstage.

Henry vs Rusev (Arm Wrestling) - Lana took a potshot at Henry's Olympic failure. Henry handled it well, won right-handed, then almost won left-handed when Lana threw chalk dust in his face. Rusev floored Henry. Good segment.

Miz & Mizdow vs Ziggler & R-Ziggler - Entertaining comedy match ending with Ziggler pinning Mizdow. Ziggler and Truth even pulled off Twin Magic which was better in execution than it sounds.

Jericho & Reigns vs Rollins & Orton - Another solid but routine match. Reigns and Rollins ended up brawling in the stands and Jericho pinned Orton.

 

Verdict: Average show. The talent's there and the midcard has plenty of interesting feuds running yet Raw and Smackdown have been lacking in quality wrestling and wow factor segments. NXT is leading the way right now.

[Blackman]

As the gimmick settles down, I decided I don't really like Swagger (anymore?) in this role. He doesn't play it well. I'd like to see him more as a 'silent' heel (or not as a heel at all).

 

And Paige vs AJ just doesn't add up. Paige isn't bad playing the gimmick and she's supposed to look 'weird' but ironically looks weird doing so. The title being AJ's "baby", she "lost her kingdom", playing "mindgames" while it's Paige who's doing the 'imitation' yet is baffled when AJ just does her usual strut thing. It makes the watcher believe she somehow identifies with AJ so much she believes she... is AJ? There is some historic ground to assume this urge: She "loved her" when she had her Punk-style run as anti-diva, while she was the anti-diva herself. So AJ becomes crazy again so Paige's image of AJ is no longer internally consistent and she weirds out and gets disrupted? And there's a whole lot that doesn't make sense from a psychological perspective. I just can't make sense of it. And the gimmick can't be THAT deep and complex (I mean: it's the WWE ffs). In summation: it's a crappy storyline.

 

The Cena storyline is also a dubious thing. He's sticking to his values yet this narrative is far from consistent with his behaviour in the ring, attacking Lesnar from behind or before he enters the ring. I know it lacks realism in the ring, and that's ok, but they could've spend a little more energy writing logically consistent storylines. But let's just explain it by saying he was a 'little' too eager.

 

And Jericho's promo from SD! wasn't all that either. Thank god there's NXT, where - for some reason - almost all material is gold. But like we said before: NXT is WWE's answer to sooth the few pure wrestling fans. It's been made pretty clear by the signing of KENTA, and I'm happy he's going to feud with the Ascention, who just dropped the titles. Awesome booking.

[DaMegaFish]

As the gimmick settles down, I decided I don't really like Swagger (anymore?) in this role. He doesn't play it well. I'd like to see him more as a 'silent' heel (or not as a heel at all).

 

And Paige vs AJ just doesn't add up. Paige isn't bad playing the gimmick and she's supposed to look 'weird' but ironically looks weird doing so. The title being AJ's "baby", she "lost her kingdom", playing "mindgames" while it's Paige who's doing the 'imitation' yet is baffled when AJ just does her usual strut thing. It makes the watcher believe she somehow identifies with AJ so much she believes she... is AJ? There is some historic ground to assume this urge: She "loved her" when she had her Punk-style run as anti-diva, while she was the anti-diva herself. So AJ becomes crazy again so Paige's image of AJ is no longer internally consistent and she weirds out and gets disrupted? And there's a whole lot that doesn't make sense from a psychological perspective. I just can't make sense of it. And the gimmick can't be THAT deep and complex (I mean: it's the WWE ffs). In summation: it's a crappy storyline.

 

The Cena storyline is also a dubious thing. He's sticking to his values yet this narrative is far from consistent with his behaviour in the ring, attacking Lesnar from behind or before he enters the ring. I know it lacks realism in the ring, and that's ok, but they could've spend a little more energy writing logically consistent storylines. But let's just explain it by saying he was a 'little' too eager.

 

And Jericho's promo from SD! wasn't all that either. Thank god there's NXT, where - for some reason - almost all material is gold. But like we said before: NXT is WWE's answer to sooth the few pure wrestling fans. It's been made pretty clear by the signing of KENTA, and I'm happy he's going to feud with the Ascention, who just dropped the titles. Awesome booking.

 

I strongly dislike Swagger (and to an extent, his manager Zeb) forgetting the best way to win with a ankle lock is to step over the leg and drop to the mat. When Kurt Angle used to do that, you knew the opponent was in real trouble. I got to the point where watching Swagger feud with Rusev I would be pulling my hair out when he wouldn't. You can't pretend that nobody remembers how to really sink in that move. Frustrating.

 

I'll agree completely about John Cena. Let's not forget the terrible "I'm going to headlock kidnap you" that happened last night. Ric Flair talked about it in his book when somebody did that to David Flair. There is suspending disbelief, and then there is going to ridiculous measures. The #1 good guy in the company is threatening to sue and kidnapping people with headlocks. This is what we've seen within the past month.

 

I'm not going to attack NXT too much, because I think it's generally good. I know I've heard a lot of praise for Takeover 2 and I liked it, but I still enjoyed AirRival the most out of their showings this year.

[milamber]

Raw Review:

 

Opening segment - Only entertaining because of Heyman.

Jericho vs Kane - Solid match, about the best you can expect from Kane.

Swagger vs Dallas - Solid match.

Paige & Nikki vs Brie & AJ - Solid match even though AJ got shortchanged. Brie sold both finishers well and Nikki's heel tactics were spot-on.

Show vs Bray - OK match, predictable DQ finish. Show has improved lately but he's only interesting in tag matches.

The Usos & Sheamus vs Cesaro & The Dust Bros - Good match. I hope the heels all win at NOC.

Half-Time - Again Heyman made the first part of the segment watchable. I love seeing Brock with the belt around his waist. The fight was 50/50 but Cena is still the legit underdog after the SummerSlam beating.

Naomi vs Cameron - Barely watchable. Too many restholds from Cameron and her stupid pinning botch (which they could salvage by having her work a ditzy gimmick). Dredging up an old feud for Total Divas is lazy booking but at least Naomi won.

Miz & Mizdow vs Ziggler & R-Ziggler - Smackdown rematch, except Miz took the pin this time.

Reigns vs Rollins - Rollins carried Reigns to a good match. Fantasy booking: Rollins wins at NOC, then he and Orton try to finish off Reigns only for Ambrose to stop them. That would set up an Orton/Rollins vs Ambrose/Reigns tornado tag match at HIAC.

Henry, Rusev & Lana - Solid segment but I'm not sure why it was on last.

 

Verdict: A slight improvement on the last few shows thanks to Heyman, Brock & Rollins.

[Kitarzu]

Sarcasm Mode ON

 

Could anybody explain these?

 

http://giant.gfycat.com/PotableJollyJackal.gifhttp://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/1300/4226/original.jpg

Sarcasm Mode Off

 

Who produces this ....? It's almost unwatchable.

[DaMegaFish]

Sarcasm Mode ON

 

Could anybody explain these?

 

http://giant.gfycat.com/PotableJollyJackal.gif

Sarcasm Mode Off

 

Who produces this ....? It's almost unwatchable.

 

 

If Cameron ever once could somehow get the ref to count while an opponent is on their stomach by making the ref second guess themselves for just a moment, it would be a career win and make using the tactic valid.

 

Not that it really counts, but in the backyard group I had been with (we had a real ring, just no real training) I put on a boston crab and released it 5 second later throwing my arms up in victory and saying "He quit! He quit! I heard it!" The ref didn't believe me, but if a ref would ever award me a victory like that, then the tactic completely pays off.

 

I love how I can rationalize some of the stupidest moments in wrestling sometimes.

[Kitarzu]

If Cameron ever once could somehow get the ref to count while an opponent is on their stomach by making the ref second guess themselves for just a moment, it would be a career win and make using the tactic valid.

 

Not that it really counts, but in the backyard group I had been with (we had a real ring, just no real training) I put on a boston crab and released it 5 second later throwing my arms up in victory and saying "He quit! He quit! I heard it!" The ref didn't believe me, but if a ref would ever award me a victory like that, then the tactic completely pays off.

 

I love how I can rationalize some of the stupidest moments in wrestling sometimes.

 

It would be great for a comedy gimmick! I'm surprised how people who has no, or almost close to none, skills still has a job.

[lazorbeak]

It would be great for a comedy gimmick! I'm surprised how people who has no, or almost close to none, skills still has a job.

 

Kamala would pin backs in the 70's/80's as part of a "I don't understand civilized wrestling customs" comedy bit.

[Blackman]

I must agree with the NXT commentator that "Tytus O'Neill might be too talented for his own good".

 

A daring approach to a main event: let's get someone from the main show and mix him up with the NXT main eventers. Awesome. Except this week it didn't work out imo.

[foolinc]

If Cameron ever once could somehow get the ref to count while an opponent is on their stomach by making the ref second guess themselves for just a moment, it would be a career win and make using the tactic valid.

 

Not that it really counts, but in the backyard group I had been with (we had a real ring, just no real training) I put on a boston crab and released it 5 second later throwing my arms up in victory and saying "He quit! He quit! I heard it!" The ref didn't believe me, but if a ref would ever award me a victory like that, then the tactic completely pays off.

 

I love how I can rationalize some of the stupidest moments in wrestling sometimes.

 

This happened in CHIKARA years ago with a two count.

[milamber]

NXT Review:

 

Opening segment - Nice heel promo from Titus. Zayn took the mickey out of him. Neville challenged Titus and Zayn took offense. Kidd came out and stirred the pot. Cue Regal to make a tag match. Fun segment. I wonder where Breeze is?

Charlotte vs Emma - OK match. The chemistry isn't there yet. I hope Emma stays in NXT to get her mojo back.

Gabriel vs Itami - Solid match. Gabriel controlled it early but Itami won with a Top Rope Stomp. The announcers played up his reputation in Japan and diverse training. The Ascension ambushed him after the match. Only problem I see is that Itami uses a lot of Bryan's moves and he lacks an exciting finisher.

Parker vs Corbin - Takeover rematch, same result.

Titus & Kidd vs Zayn & Neville - Good match. Zayn and Neville one-upped each other at Kidd's expense. Titus and Kidd dominated Zayn for a long stretch. Neville set up for Red Arrow only for Titus to push him onto Kidd's knees and Kidd got the pin. Titus was serviceable as a monster heel but he's as slow and limited like Big Show.

 

Verdict: Solid show but as a follow-up to Takeover 2 it should have been a lot better.

[The Swanton825]

Only problem I see is that Itami uses a lot of Bryan's moves and he lacks an exciting finisher.

 

You do know Bryan got a lot of his moves from guys like KENTA right? And he can't exactly use the GTS or the Busaiku Knee. The more I think about it, the more I'm sure he's going to end up just like Low Ki, he's even using the same finisher now.

[milamber]

You do know Bryan got a lot of his moves from guys like KENTA right? And he can't exactly use the GTS or the Busaiku Knee. The more I think about it, the more I'm sure he's going to end up just like Low Ki, he's even using the same finisher now.

 

I've seen very little of KENTA but I know he used GTS and Busaiku Knee before Punk & Bryan. But I was speaking from the perspective of the casual fan who will see his kick-based offense and think he's copying Bryan. Also, doesn't Devitt use Low Ki's Stomp finisher? Personally, I'd love to see Itami use a wide variety of styles and a few different finishers but knowing WWE (at least when he's ready for a main roster call-up) they'll try to pigeon-hole him into a recognisable style, probably one similar to Bryan.

[Teh_Showtime]

Devitt uses the bloody sunday single arm DDT

 

and why is Bryan the only guy who is allowed to kick? This is the same company with about 5 monster heels using roughly the same moves at any give time on the roster.

[milamber]

WWE.com Interview with the NXT Five (Neville, Zayn, Itami, Steen & Devitt)

 

Devitt uses the bloody sunday single arm DDT

 

and why is Bryan the only guy who is allowed to kick? This is the same company with about 5 monster heels using roughly the same moves at any give time on the roster.

 

I'm just going by the 1 match Itami has had and most of his offense was very similar to Bryan's, except for the low dropkick and finisher, and I've seen people comment about it on other sites.

 

From a Cageside Seats review of the show: "A little worried that folks are going to see him as a knock-off Daniel Bryan. The finishing sequence he used tonight is something the WWE Universe associates with the beard. And it's really weird that he used the top rope double foot stomp as his finisher...since WWE guys took his finishing moves, he's taking one of Devitt's signature spots before the Irishman debuts?"

 

It was just an observation and for me it's not a big deal, but like the above reviewer I was just thinking about how less educated fans might react.

[The Swanton825]

I'd like to think the casual fan isn't that stupid. Lord knows WWE has made damn sure to treat them otherwise though.

[Blackman]

I'd like to think the casual fan isn't that stupid. Lord knows WWE has made damn sure to treat them otherwise though.

 

No but the casual fan wouldn't care about these 'petty' things.

[demondragonking]

<p>Interesting news from the dirt sheets. Roman Reigns out about 6 weeks with Hernia. Be interesting to see what the fallout for that is.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

As to the upcoming PPV I honestly would not be surprised to see Cena come away with the win here because I have zero faith this company knows what the heck it's doing anymore in regards to logic and suchlike. Also I have to chuckle at those picking AJ or Paige to win the Diva's championship matchup with the new season of that divas show starting and this whole Bella nonsense all but sidelining anything else diva related. Just my thoughts on the matter, no harm no foul if I'm wrong. *shrug*</p>

[milamber]

<p>Sucks about Reigns. They'll probably have Rollins in the ring and have the ref count Reigns out. Then Ambrose (in the bunny suit) will attack him <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

Smackdown was average again. The only stand-out match was Miz & Cesaro (/w Mizdow) vs Ziggler & Sheamus (w/ R-Ziggler). 2 of the most interesting feuds right now, IMO.</p>