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

[moon_lit_tears]

I'm enjoying this show quote a bit. Xavier Woods was amazing during a great tag title match.

 

I was a bit shocked with Cesaros entrance then the weird win. With stuff that just happened in Baltimore he came out with his head covered and a mask? To police sirens then Woods doing the pun, I've seen people ranting that WWE says all blacks look alike. May not have been the best move for WWE tonight.

[Jaysin]

The pyro spot and predictable finish to Cena and Rusev ruined an otherwise entertaining match.

 

Naomi's light up shoes were the highlight of the divas match. It was decent enough, but the Bella's are insanely unlikable

[lukess11]

Pretty solid PPV, considering it is on a 2nd or 3rd teir.

[Crychon]

I thought the 2nd half of the card (starting with Cena/Rusev) was kind of weak until the main event, which was a lot better than expected.

 

Overall, most of the show exceeded my expectations, with the exception of Cena/Rusev, the Divas and Neville/Barrett.

[RKOwnage]

I was at work and couldn't watch the first 2 hours. Think I might just check out the tag match if it was really that good.

[moon_lit_tears]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="RKOwnage" data-cite="RKOwnage" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I was at work and couldn't watch the first 2 hours. Think I might just check out the tag match if it was really that good.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> The Wyatt Ryback match was the best IMO.</p>

[Jaysin]

Some thoughts on Payback

 

Macho Mandow & Axelmania vs The Ascension- I hate the Ascension with a passion. They're boring and awful power and paint wrestlers. I love power and paint gimmicks, but they just don't do it for me. While I loved Axelmania at first when he was just mocking Hogan, I'm kind of indifferent to Macho Mandow and Axelmania as a team. If they were a serious/non joke team I'd be all for it as I'm a huge fan of both workers, but their impressions are so bad. The match was just there. It wasn't anything special.

 

Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus- Very entertaining match even if Sheamus bores me. Ziggler's blade job was blatant, but it kept me entertained throughout.

 

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs The New Day- I'm a huge fan of everyone involved in the match and the heel New Day is awesome. The finish was predictable, but still fun. Xavier Woods was fantastic on the outside. The crowd chanting "This is awesome" and Woods responding with "We are well aware!" was great. Kidd and Cesaro are just absolute workhorses and it's a shame they're probably never going higher than the midcard.

 

Ryback vs Bray Wyatt- Another match where I enjoy all those involved. Ryback busted his ass and Wyatt was a beast. Very enjoyable match from two guys who need wins.

 

John Cena vs Rusev- Like I said before, other than the pyro spot and the predictable anti-climatic finish, this was a fantastic match. Rusev looked incredible even though he lost.

 

The Bella Twins vs Naomi and Tamina- The Bella Twins as faces makes no sense in the slightest. They haven't changed their characters and they're so unlikable. Naomi's color changing light up shoes stole the show for this match in my opinion.

 

Neville vs King Barrett- Very fun, but short match. Neville's botch in the corner was pretty humorous, but they recovered nicely. It's a shame Barrett isn't a multi time world champion by now. He's so good.

 

Ambrose vs Reigns vs Orton vs Rollins- Awesome main event. Everyone got a chance to shine and the temporary Shield reunion was great. The entire match I had Stone Sour lyrics stuck in my head...

 

"But all I know is that heroes come and villains go. Just give the lunatic a chance."

 

I knew Ambrose wasn't going to win, but it was still an entertaining bout.

 

If I had to grade this show, I'd give it a very strong B+.

[milamber]

<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Payback Review:</span></strong></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Pre Show</strong> - Weakest pre-show in a while. A jobber match then a meaningless tag match. The Meta Powers are entertaining but I imagine it will get boring real quick.</p><p>

<strong>Sheamus vs Ziggler</strong> - Good match.</p><p>

<strong>The New Day vs Brass Ring Club (Tag Team Championship)</strong> - Good match despite a few botches. New Day pulling out Triplet Magic to win was the perfect way to keep the feud going.</p><p>

<strong>Wyatt vs Ryback</strong> - Solid match but I still don't care about this feud. At least Bray won. He needs a top tier opponent like Orton or Ziggler or some new followers.</p><p>

<strong>Rusev vs Cena (US Championship)</strong> - Solid match once they got out of the ring. Good use of Lana but another loss makes Rusev seem weak despite another outstanding performance. Time for both guys to move on.</p><p>

<strong>Bellas vs Naomi & Tamina</strong> - OK match. The chemistry the NXT women have is lacking on the main roster.</p><p>

<strong>King Barrett vs Neville</strong> - Solid match with a fun ending.</p><p>

<strong>Fatal 4-Way (WWE Championship)</strong> - Great match. I marked out for the Shield Triple Powerbomb. Liked the Pedigree finish even though it was sloppy.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Verdict:</span></strong> Solid PPV.</p><p> </p><p>

<span>http://i.imgur.com/MFtNEEG.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/UPuMUny.jpg</span></p>

[milamber]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="moon_lit_tears" data-cite="moon_lit_tears" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I was a bit shocked with Cesaros entrance then the weird win. With stuff that just happened in Baltimore he came out with his head covered and a mask? To police sirens then Woods doing the pun, I've seen people ranting that WWE says all blacks look alike. May not have been the best move for WWE tonight.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I'm not singling you out personally but it's sad this is even a discussion. I didn't take any notice of what Cesaro was wearing (I often skip through entrances because I don't watch live) and I believe it's a European ambulance siren.</p><p> </p><p> As for New Day, Xavier set up the finish earlier by trying to get the ref to allow the Freebird Rule during the match. When he did the switcheroo all the ref could see was a wrestler with bright-colored tights pinning Cesaro's shoulders to the mat.</p>

[moon_lit_tears]

<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>I'm not singling you out personally but it's sad this is even a discussion. I didn't take any notice of what Cesaro was wearing (I often skip through entrances because I don't watch live) and I believe it's a European ambulance siren.<p> </p><p> As for New Day, Xavier set up the finish earlier by trying to get the ref to allow the Freebird Rule during the match. When he did the switcheroo all the ref could see was a wrestler with bright-colored tights pinning Cesaro's shoulders to the mat.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> It's a topic because there are wrestling fans in Baltimore, the fact that's where this was held. Being from Maryland and spending a few years in Baltimore means I still have ties to the city. I was reading this on one of the Baltimore news sites under their sports pages shortly after the PPV finished people were bashing WWE they even had a few people on camera after the event let out pissed about what happened.</p><p> </p><p> I know this was all set up before, but in the light of the recent events they should have made a few slight changes. I know it won't matter in the greater scheme of things, but some (i'm not one of these people mind you) feel that this is a slight on Baltimore from the WWE.</p>

[crownsy]

<p>Watched Raw in bits and pieces, was Lucky enough to Catch Owens coming out for the open challenge.</p><p> </p><p>

I thought that segment was, overall, very good. Owens seemed to start out really nervous and awkward, but i thought he saved it and went into his usual good Promo self when Cena "offered him some vetran advice" Was happy to See Owens shut that down, and it seemed to Jolt him into his normal character. And the Pop up Powerbomb looked great, made him seem like a big deal as it's a finisher which actually looks like a match stopper. </p><p> </p><p>

Not sure how I feel about the Chamber match with Cena. On the one hand, I guess they could be booking Sami over him on WEsnday, and he could take the US title off Cena at the Chamber.</p><p> </p><p>

What I don't want to see is Owen's come in as NXT champ, and lose. And not just because I am an owen's fanboy or a CEna hater, I just think it would be a mistake to hype Owen's or any other NXT champion up, then have him lose to the US champ. I appreciate what Cena is doing to make that belt relevant, but it's still a B level title, and the NXT championship should be booked above it.</p><p> </p><p>

We'll see though, lot depends on what the heck they have planned for tomorrow night with NXT.</p>

[RKOwnage]

To be fair, NXT is a B-level promotion in kayfabe, so even their champion in theory shouldn't be as good as 95% of the main roster. I have no problem with the US Champ, especially Cena as the top guy, beating Owens but I don't see it ending clean.

[Jaysin]

I can see the match ending with Owens just walking out after decimating Cena.

[smurphy1014]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I can see the match ending with Owens just walking out after decimating Cena.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I believe the IWC would explode if this happened.</p>

[milamber]

<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>Raw Review:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Opening segment</strong> - Smart focusing on the IC belt.</p><p>

<strong>Ryback vs Sheamus</strong> - Solid match.</p><p>

<strong>Neville vs BNB</strong> - Solid match. Neville is so good at selling. Bo is always a good laugh on the mic.</p><p>

<strong>Rusev/Lana</strong> - Good segment. I'm pretty sure Lana's accent slipping a little was on purpose.</p><p>

<strong>Ambrose vs Wyatt</strong> - Good match. I like that Ambrose doesn't hit the rebound lariat successfully first time now.</p><p>

<strong>Brass Ring Club vs New Day (Tag Team Championship)</strong> - Solid match and a fun tag team brawl. Harper & Rowan should be in the Chamber match instead of Ascension. Hopefully they will try to get involved.</p><p>

<strong>Cena & Owens</strong> - Mark-out moment! Owens looks and sounds like a main eventer on the mic. The cheap shot did more for Owens than a match would have. As a bonus we get the match at EC anyway.</p><p>

<strong>Ziggler vs Stardust</strong> - OK match. Too short because they probably didn't want Ziggler to get busted open again. Lana used Ziggler in a power play against Rusev and if Dolph's OK with it so am I.</p><p>

<strong>Harper & Rowan vs Fandango & Ryder</strong> - Solid match. Impressive team finisher. Ryder looks like a generic CAW and was surprisingly booed. He better hope his merch keeps selling.</p><p>

<strong>Nikki vs Naomi (Divas Championhip)</strong> - The match we should have had at Payback. Paige's return will hopefully lead to a triple threat with Naomi winning.</p><p>

<strong>Rollins Celebration</strong> - That was fun. Why is Rollins still the "future" when he's the "current" defending champ?</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>Verdict:</strong></span> Good Raw even without Orton & Reigns, although they went overboard with protected finishes. Lana, Owens and Ambrose stole the show. I'm excited about Elimination Chamber.</p><p> </p><p>

<span>http://33.media.tumblr.com/a94060cc9185a28c791e7eb4c2ca774b/tumblr_nokrxo4dbl1rnjfjfo1_r1_400.gif</span></p>

[Blackman]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="crownsy" data-cite="crownsy" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I thought that segment was, overall, very good. Owens seemed to start out really nervous and awkward, but i thought he saved it and went into his usual good Promo self when Cena "offered him some vetran advice" Was happy to See Owens shut that down, and it seemed to Jolt him into his normal character. And the Pop up Powerbomb looked great, made him seem like a big deal as it's a finisher which actually looks like a match stopper.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> The NXT championship still has less prestige than the US title, but due to the predictability of the booking no one seems to care about it now. Eventually someone has to beat Cena. Having him vacate the title would be downright retarded as they'd be negating their own narrative.</p><p> </p><p> As for the segment: I thought it was especially awkward. That said, giving Owens some high profile exposure will benefit them in the long run. I'm sure he won't be nervous in his eventual debut (which would damage his character a lot). It's been discussed here in the past: his look isn't all that, so his persona needs to do that for him. He can't screw this up. I do agree that the pop-up powerbomb was well-delivered. A great risk doing that with no-sell Cena.</p>

[RKOwnage]

<p>I think Ambrose should win at Elimination Chamber. It's been far too long since we've had a shocking, out-of-nowhere WWE Title win (not Money in the Bank). I think they should keep us on our toes every now and then, so even if Dean wins the belt and drops it right back on RAW/MITB, I think it would make for an awesome story if the 'unpredictable' Dean Ambrose shocked the world. With Seth winning it right back, it elevates Ambrose to a new level, but doesn't really hurt Rollins all that much. </p><p> </p><p>

Not to mention it's a Network-only PPV, so it convinces people to not miss out on the next time something crazy like that happens. Anyone agree?</p>

[crownsy]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="RKOwnage" data-cite="RKOwnage" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I think Ambrose should win at Elimination Chamber. It's been far too long since we've had a shocking, out-of-nowhere WWE Title win (not Money in the Bank). I think they should keep us on our toes every now and then, so even if Dean wins the belt and drops it right back on RAW/MITB, I think it would make for an awesome story if the 'unpredictable' Dean Ambrose shocked the world. With Seth winning it right back, it elevates Ambrose to a new level, but doesn't really hurt Rollins all that much. <p> </p><p> Not to mention it's a Network-only PPV, so it convinces people to not miss out on the next time something crazy like that happens. Anyone agree?</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> If they want to do that, I'd like to see alittle more buildup. Have Seth retain due to BS this PPV, have dean hunt him down by making the authority's life miserable until he gets a "no interference" type of match (which they could do by playing up Hunter's annoyance with Seth when he goes to far in using the authority as a shield) Then have Dean win and Rollins chase with his authority backing on the line (I.E fix this or your done as the future seth)</p>

[crownsy]

Haha ok i'll admit it I marked for that you got me NXT

 

So I guess this is them writing Sami off TV for the near future?

[Jaysin]

I haven't watched the show yet, but I just watched Joe's post show promo and it gave me goosebumps.

[Moe Hunter]

The first time they gave Rebecca Knox a full length singles match, and it's the best WWE Women's match in many, many years.

[Blackman]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="RKOwnage" data-cite="RKOwnage" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>out-of-nowhere WWE Title win (not Money in the Bank). </div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I agree, but the MitB cashin wasn't exactly unexpected (or do you mean the PPV?). And we get RKO's outta nowhere. Not satisfied? <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

[steesh07]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Moe Hunter" data-cite="Moe Hunter" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The first time they gave Rebecca Knox a full length singles match, and it's the best WWE Women's match in many, many years.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I agree, been a fan of hers since her early Shimmer days, cannot wait to see what's next. </p><p> </p><p> On that note, NXT Unstoppable was one of few PPV's I have watched through from start to finish in a long time and it was a great show. I still however do not like Tyler Breeze nor his character but Joe has definitely piqued my interest in NXT again.</p>

[BHK1978]

I forgot to say this but I went to the NXT house show (For lack of a better term) in Albany last Saturday and I have to say I was not all that impressed. Don't get me wrong it was decent but it was not mind blowing great like everybody says it is. The crowd was really into it which did make the show come off better than it would have been with a dead crowd but I would honestly rather watch an ROH live show over an NXT live show.

[RKOwnage]

<p>Watching Takeover now. Here's my thoughts, for anyone who cares >_></p><p> </p><p>

<em>Balor vs. Breeze</em> - It sucks that Itami got hurt because that would've been an amazing Triple Threat. I like Breeze and I like Balor, this match was pretty solid. Liked the stomp from the apron. What else is there to do with Balor? He's gotta come up to the main roster soon, but I still don't like him on the mic and he has to use the paint sparingly. It was extra cool at this event. The guy in the front row holding his son's ears while he and the crowd chanted "holy shit" was the MVP.</p><p> </p><p>

<em>Emma/Dana vs. Charlotte/Bayley</em> - Good match, thought it was over a couple of times. I still don't like Dana, and I still like Emma more than I should. Bayley has potential to be the Cena of the women's division in terms of connection with the kiddies.</p><p> </p><p>

<em>Rhyno vs. Corbin</em> - Was this Corbin's first real match? This went longer than expected and while both guys looked winded it was a nice brawl. Rhyno's face when the crowd chants Gore is hokey, but I like it. Also, when did the fans start booing Corbin? Did I miss a heel turn, or is it because they prefer Rhyno?</p><p> </p><p>

<em>Enzo and Cass vs. Blake and Murphy</em> - Blake and Murphy were good for the shock value of them beating the Lucha Dragons, but I don't like them much at all. I actually prefer Big Cass to Enzo, but they're such a perfect combo. Enzo's DDT was cool. I feel like Blake and Murphy retained to prolong this feud since the tag division is quite weak at the moment. I love Alexa Bliss.</p><p> </p><p>

<em>Becky vs. Sasha</em> - MOTN so far, these two are absolutely incredible. Even though I knew Becky wouldn't win, she really had me going for a while. I wanna see this ten more times, Becky is my favorite in the division. <a href="http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/2073/1093/original.gif?w=600&h" rel="external nofollow">I loved the finish.</a></p><p> </p><p>

<em>Owens vs. Zayn</em> - Owens with the Cena shirt was great. Props to Sami for doing this with that shoulder injury, he's a trooper. The best thing about Rich on commentary is the way he screams Blue Thunder Bomb!! Pop-up Powerbomb onto the apron was AWESOME. I like them writing Sami out this way, it makes a whole lot of sense in storyline. Very effective.</p><p> </p><p>

As for Joe, the man just has that it factor when it comes to being a badass. Way moreso than Owens does IMO. The debut was done secretly which is amazing in today's day and age. I think it's funny that the guys in the NXT main event/final segment are 30, 31, and 36 while the Elimination Chamber title match guys are 28 and 29 <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>

<em>Overall:</em> It was a pretty top-heavy special, but the definitely did the best they could do based on Sami's and Hideo's injuries. Enjoyable, but not their best one. Becky vs. Sasha was MOTN.</p>