http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Sun, 20 Sep 2015 01:35:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1

http://www.cheap-heat.com/here-comes-the-pain-top-5-moments-from-smackdown-917/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/here-comes-the-pain-top-5-moments-from-smackdown-917/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2015 17:41:32 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Top Lists Adam Rose Big E Big Show Brie Bella D'Von Dudley Dean Ambrose Hulk Hogan John Cena Kevin Owens Kofi Kingston Michael Cole Naomi Night of Champions Nikki Bella Roman Reigns Ryback Sasha Banks Seth Rollins Sheamus Smackdown Sting The Dudley Boyz The New Day The Wyatt Family Total Divas Triple H WWE Xavier Woods http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=14253 Welcome to “Here Comes the Pain” — Cheap-Heat.com‘s official Smackdown Countdown, brought to you by B+ Players Radio. When you don’t have the time to sit through an entire Thursday night edition of pre-taped content, we’re here to give you the “Top 5 Moments” in VIDEO FORM! Big thanks to WWE and their awesome YouTube/internet department who always post […]

Welcome to “ Here Comes the Pain ” — Cheap-Heat.com ‘s official Smackdown Countdown , brought to you by B+ Players Radio. When you don’t have the time to sit through an entire Thursday night edition of pre-taped content, we’re here to give you the “Top 5 Moments” in VIDEO FORM ! Big thanks to WWE and their awesome YouTube/internet department who always post exclusive content immediately. It makes our job a lot easier!

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Like this article? You can follow Mark Haggerty and B+ Player Radio on Facebook and Twitter . B+ Player Radio is a network of professional wrestling podcasts produced by writers, comedians, musicians, and most importantly— professional wrestlers! Listen to hours of exclusive content available every single week on iTunes – TuneIn Radio – SoundCloud and Cheap-Heat.com !

http://www.cheap-heat.com/educated-guess-nxt-takeover-brooklyn/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/educated-guess-nxt-takeover-brooklyn/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2015 15:50:56 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Apollo Crews B+ Players Podcast Baron Corbin Bayley Blake and Murphy Brooklyn Dragon Gate Field of Honor Finn Balor Jushin Liger Jushin Thunder Liger Kevin Owens Ladder Match NJPW NXT NXT Championship NXT TakeOver NXT Takeover Brooklyn Prince Pretty Pro Wrestling Syndicate PWS ROH Samoa Joe Sasha Banks Tag Team Championship Takeover The Vaudevillians Ty Dillinger Tye Dillinger Tyler Breeze Uhaa Nation Womens Championship WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=13675 Summer time is almost at an end, and soon we'll be privy to chilly autumn days and back-to-school shopping. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the last two weeks of the seasons! What's Crack-a-Lackin' everybody? My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and tonight is NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn LIVE on the WWE Network! I will […]

Summer time is almost at an end, and soon we'll be privy to chilly autumn days and back-to-school shopping. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the last two weeks of the seasons! What's Crack-a-Lackin' everybody? My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and tonight is NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn LIVE on the WWE Network! I will be one of the tens-of-thousands of people in attendance at the Barclay's Center, hoping against hope for an exclusive Jushin "Thunder" Liger t-shirt. But what about the card? What might we expect to go down when the men and women of NXT perform in front of 16,000 fans—40 times the size of the fledgling Full Sail fan base? I've got a few ideas. When other professional wrestling pundits are making predictions, I'm doing the due diligence required to form Educated Guesses .

Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
For someone that came into the WWE on a wave of momentum, Samoa Joe sure is jerking the curtain on an event that's set to break every record imaginable. Joe was part of TNA's tapings at the Manhattan Center , and made a name for himself with Ring of Honor in smaller venues across the city. This will DEFINITELY be the largest crowd Joe has ever worked in New York. It might even be the largest crowd he's worked in America , save for the dark match wherein he crippled Tyson Kidd. This is a tough one to predict; Baron Corbin is still undefeated as far as I'm aware—at least on television. One would assume Baron's toppling of the Samoan Submission Machine would cement him as part of the upper echelon of NXT. But Samoa Joe losing to Baron Corbin is a hard pill to swallow, especially when you've got almost twenty thousand blood thirsty New Yorkers who paid to see professional wrestling. You'd also have to guess that Corbin is due for his inevitable humbling sooner than later. Samoa Joe is the kind of "living legend" that can defeat Corbin at the end of a hard-fought battle, only to raise his hand in proverbial triumph at the end. Baron Corbin could lose the fight, but gain the respect of Samoa Joe—and in turn, the NXT fans.
Educated Guess: Samoa Joe

Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger
With CJ Parker exploring the independent ranks of professional wrestling, there's a hole left on the roster. Parker was, for lack of a better term, "Jobber to the Stars"—the first stop for future Superstars such as Baron Corbin and Kevin Owens. Tye Dillinger appears to have adopted the mantle, as the "Perfect Ten" is booked to compete with the recently signed Uhaa Nation—debuting as "Apollo Crews." Listen—I get what they're doing with the name; Apollo like Creed and Crews like Terry, I get it. But a simple Google Image Search for "Apollo Crews" will yield nothing but group photos of NASA astronauts. Just wanted to make that known before its too late. I think it's safe to say Apollo will more than likely achieve victory. I'll be curious to see if they do the Titan Tron "fade out" with the name change, the way they did with KENTA into Hideo Itami and Prince Devitt into Finn Balor. I'm also wondering if he'll continue to employ his "Uhaa Combination"; most independent stars are allowed to keep their finishing moves, with the exception of Kevin Owens' package piledriver.
Educated Guess: Apollo Crews

NXT Tag Team Championship
Blake & Murphy (c) vs. The Vaudevillians
This week's episode of the Outsiders' Edge features our official preview show for both NXT and SummerSlam. No one on the show could understand why the Vaudevillians are in contention for the titles, especially since Enzo Amore and Big Cass aren't even scheduled for the main show. They're in an eight man tag during the TV tapings! Enzo and Cass are more over than the Vaudevillians, they've got history with Blake and Murphy, and it's their hometown! Big Cass is from the City, whereas Enzo's from Hackensack—which is THROWING DISTANCE from Brooklyn! I made a really outlandish guess, and said maybe something happens to the Vaudevillians? Maybe they get attacked before the show, or perhaps they're defeated courtesy of some underhanded tactics. We very well could see the "Certified G," as well as the big seven-foot Italian. Getting back to this match—there's no way the Vaudevillians are winning the titles. If this is truly the match they're going with, then I have no doubt Blake and Murphy are set to retain.
Educated Guess: Blake & Murphy

Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Tyler Breeze
I write a column for Daily Wrestling News called " Weights & Measures ," about the "Excitement Factor" going into an event. It's just your average percentage scale with 0% representing no interest whatsoever, and 100% being the presumable cap. I broke the rules this month and said this match was at a 500% . You heard me. FIVE HUNDRED PERCENT! I mentioned earlier that I'm looking forward to finding an exclusive Jushin "Thunder" Liger t-shirt, but there's so much more involved! This guy has been wrestling professionally since 1984; he was in the OPENING MATCH on the first- ever WCW Monday Nitro. He's wrestled everyone from Ric Flair to Daniel Bryan to Dalton Castle! And now he's come to the WWE for the first time in his 31-year career at the age of 50 to wrestle one of the brightest stars in the company! Tyler Breeze seems to have been left by the wayside in recent months—since NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way— and has been defeated in the opening match on the last TWO TakeOver specials. Tyler is destined for great things in the WWE and the business at large, he's just been submerged beneath a deluge of debuting independent darlings. His time will come; tonight will be a defining moment in the career of Tyler Breeze.
Educated Guess: Tyler Breeze

NXT Women’s Championship
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley
I know everyone is enamored with how amazing the women of NXT are, and all of the Tony Schiavone-wannabes are bolstering hyperbolic boastings such as "Sasha versus Bayley will be match of the night." Guys—Kevin Steen is wrestling Prince Devitt in a fucking ladder match. Jushin Liger is making his WWE debut. Uhaa Nation is making his WWE debut. Samoa Joe is working his largest crowd in New York ever. Sasha versus Bayley will be an outstanding match—but it will not be match of the night. There's just no way. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch stole the show last month, which wasn't hard to do considering the main event never got started. Still, all scrutiny aside, I believe Sasha Banks is unquestionably the most talented in-ring performer the Diva's Division has ever had. Ever. Bayley is a fantastic sports entertainer and appears to have no trouble connecting with the crowd. I've said before that Bayley could very well be the WWE's female equivalent to John Cena—a smiling role model who wears bright colors and sells a ton of frivolous merch. But I don't think her in-ring ability is on par with Becky Lynch, or Charlotte, or Paige—let alone Sasha Banks. I think this is going to be a fun match, it'll be long with a lot of drama, and there will definitely be hugging and crying in the end.
Educated Guess: Bayley

NXT Championship
Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens
I'm not a main event mark, believe it or not. I'm one of those people who saw Savage/Steamboat and has since said: "The best stuff is on the undercard." And quite often, that's very much the case. But tonight's main event is going to be special. I've been to hundreds of events in my life; I've seen WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW, PWG, ECW, PWS, and dozens upon dozens of regional Indy promotions. This will be my first NXT event, and despite how long I've been attending wrestling live—this will also be my first ladder match . So no matter what happens, I'm going to be happy with the result. I think most people are going on the assumption that Finn Balor has to win this match because Kevin Owens is on the main roster. While I'm assuming Finn will win, I'm not so quick to assume Kevin can't. Kevin Owens needs to maintain some sort of constant presence in NXT until Sami Zayn returns. Not only is the rivalry ongoing, but with Zayn and Itami on the injured list, NXT is pretty scarce in terms of main event talent. I'm very much looking forward to this match. I think it'll probably steal the show, and could very well be the "Match of the Weekend " when all is said and done.
Educated Guess: Finn Balor

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News !

В

http://www.cheap-heat.com/ring-dissection-money-in-the-banks-sasha/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/ring-dissection-money-in-the-banks-sasha/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2015 02:47:22 +0000 Scott Hayes Blogs Other Blogs NXT Sasha Banks WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11251 Welcome class to another lecture plus lab. Today I'm setting to cast a scientific eye to a most wonderful specimen: Sciency Name: Wrestlerus Bossius Legitimus. If somehow you weren't aware? This total package of the World of Professional Wrestling is Sasha Banks. She currently rules the Squared Circle as NXT's Women's Champion, and as I'll […]

Welcome class to another lecture plus lab. Today I'm setting to cast a scientific eye to a most wonderful specimen:

Sciency Name: Wrestlerus Bossius Legitimus.

If somehow you weren't aware? This total package of the World of Professional Wrestling is Sasha Banks. She currently rules the Squared Circle as NXT's Women's Champion, and as I'll explain over the course of today's lecture? One of the BEST things NXT has done. One of the best, well defined characters in all the WWE, a terrific wrestler, a good promo, and charisma off the charts.

So lets take our scalpel to look at the short, but spectacular career of Sasha Banks. Her rather amazing rise to, damn near, the top of the realm as the Queen of Women's Wrestling, and how her along with the bevy of talented women that are either IN NXT, or have come up through NXT mean great things for the future of these WWE's Diva's Division.

First Things First: AKA A little History (wikipedia)

Sasha Banks was trained and debuted as a professional Wrestler (The good professor reminds the class that we should all remember the #2ndW, despite the WWE's wishes) – sometime in 2010. She trained and started her career in Chaotic Wrestling which is located in Massachusetts. She made her in ring debut as an 18 year old. AN increasingly common theme with many of the best Women over the last few years: AJ Lee, Paige, Nattie, Bayley… All got involved with the business, or grew up wanting this. Admittedly I'm assuming this about Banks, but I think its a damn safe conclusion to jump to. You don't, end up wrestling at age 18, unless its something you've had your sights set on. She was in a ring, basically, as soon as she was legally allowed. She clearly had a successful run in the indies. Won some championships and it wasn't long before she got a tryout with WWE.

In August of 2012 it was announced that she had signed a developmental deal and ended up in NXT. Which is where she became Sasha Banks. It is here where she set off on becoming one of the most complete characters and all around performers in NXT, and the WWE as a whole. But first things FIRST? She debuted in NXT onDecember of 2012. A little over two years after her professional debut. It sounds like when Kevin Owens was griping about people getting to NXT before him, he should have included the Boss on his list. Cuz that's a helluva successful two years! And she was only getting started!

Spoiler Alert?

Her debut match in NXT was against Paige. Her first televised win month later against Alicia Foxx. I wonder if she knew that almost exactly two years, she'd be the NXT Women's Champion, and helping leading a new era for Women inside the WWE? I'm sure it was a goal, but to get where she has gotten how quickly she's gotten there? She truly is a…

Legit Boss

Arguably one of the most consistent characters in the entirety of the WWE Universe. Be it as part of the BFFs or Team BAE (Best at Everything for the uninitiated, and the only reason your humble writer will ever utter or type the phrase "BAE") – Sasha has cultivated a mean girl persona that has graduated to brilliantly manipulative egotist. Manipulating her friends and fellow competitors to aid and abed her. Manipulating the crowd and relishing in her dirty deeds.

Her ring entrance now involves her grabbing the middle rope and leaning out towards the crowd while she dangles the NXT Women's championship towards the crowd. Taunting us. Literally shoving our faces in everything that she is and everything we're not. How at 23 years of age the sky is the limit and that she is only beginning to scratch the surface of what she can, and no doubt will accomplish. She has evolved into the "Legit Boss". Everything about her oozes superiority. For the most part standing on her own since the fracturing of Team BAE, though there is a chance that maybe she and Becky Lynch can reform their alliance. Even when she's shown glimmers of that toughened cocky Boss shell breaks… the post match hug after beating Charlotte… she quickly shoves the former champ away. Even the post match interview with Renee Young where she starts off in total Boss Mode, but Renee did a great job working her out of that and got some legitimate emotion (The picture above of her with the Championship is the interview I'm referencing) . How much it meant to be holding that championship. Its no wonder that despite her more vile tendencies?

People are cheering for her. Crowds roar their approval when her music hits. She has a natural charisma and people genuinely care bout her and what she does in the ring. So much so that even those that chant "SASHA'S RATCHET" feel like THEY're trying to play a role of a fan who genuinely dislikes Sasha Banks, as opposed to actually hating The Boss. These fans will almost always be answered with "NO SHE'S NOT!" She's on the precipice of being in the company of Stone Cold, or the Rock, or a few select others, where despite her being a villain? The crowd won't accept it. The "crowd turn" could easily be in Sasha Banks' future. A main roster call up is DAMN sure in the future, where she could continue to excel and shine. Like the name of the column states there is:

MONEY IN THE BANKS!

The #GiveDivasAChance movement was partly inspired by lackluster and lazy booking the Divas on the WWE's main roster Got. They'd get "pennies on the dollar" when it came to their NXT Counterparts when it came to ring time, or opportunities for segments or interviews. And its shown. WWE roster members pine for the time and chances NXT gives their talent. Its such a cliche among wrestling fans ,and I'll own up to it, for a lot of years I've felt conditioned to see Diva's matches on Raw or PPVs as "bathroom/snack break" fodder. I've even looked back over time and its been since the days of Molly Holly, Lita, Victoria, or Gail Kim that I've cared about the WWE's Women's division as a viable WRESTLING product (#RememberThe2ndW) , and I can't really remember definitively when I could say I had a "favorite Diva"… Maybe Lita?… Probably was a "Knockout"… (Spinoff Column Self Plug: I'll do an OCHO of women's wrestlers soon) ALL that has changed for me, and for a lot of wrestling fans. The women of NXT from Paige and Emma to Bayley, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and of course… Sasha Banks have given us a reason to care. They have set the bar so insanely high in NXT that a lot of us are worried about what lies ahead. We KNOW what can happen after call up… Emma… Or? WHAT CAN HAPPEN… Paige!

There are questions, but for the Women of the WWE, as the NXT Opening states: THE. FUTURE. STARTS. NOW! That future is the current NXT Women's champion. She's had an amazing ascent to where she is now. Two years ago she was a newbie in NXT. Two years before that? She was just learning her craft. Can we imagine for a second…

Where is Sasha Banks going to be two years from NOW?! I don't know, but I know for DAMN sure I won't be taking a snack break.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/strange-and-stimulating-superstars-32-random-wwe-facts/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/strange-and-stimulating-superstars-32-random-wwe-facts/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2015 04:45:48 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Adam Rose Aiden English Bad New Barrett Big Cass Bram Byron Saxton Cameron Carmella Charlotte Christian Christian Cage Cody Rhodes Colin Cassady Corey Graves Daniel Bryan Dean Ambrose Dolph Ziggler Erick Rowan Hunico Jerry Lawler John Cone Kane Kevin Owens Mark Henry Maryse Michael Cole NXT Paige Renee Young Sasha Banks Sheamus Sin Cara Summer Rae The Miz The Undertaker TNA Tyson Kidd Wade Barrett William Regal WWE Zeb Coulter http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10853 Strange and Stimulating Superstars 32 Random WWE Facts Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I'm always compiling countdowns and lists of data for my work here at Cheap-Heat, as well as my podcast "The B+ Players." But there are a lot of random bits of information regarding the current WWE roster that don't seem to fit […]

Strange and Stimulating Superstars
32 Random WWE Facts
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

I'm always compiling countdowns and lists of data for my work here at Cheap-Heat, as well as my podcast "The B+ Players." But there are a lot of random bits of information regarding the current WWE roster that don't seem to fit anywhere in particular. Some are sad, others are funny—but most are just downright surprising. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and these are "Strange and Stimulating Superstars: 32 Random WWE Facts."

Christian
"Christian Cage" is a combination of the names Christian Bale and Nicholas Cage.

Sheamus
When Sheamus was a boy,В he sang in the Palestrina Choir in Ireland until the age of 13 and upon graduating from college worked as an IT technician.В

The Undertaker
The Undertaker has appeared in more video games than any other wrestler—EVER. More than Hulk Hogan, the Rock or even “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. And that includes games outside of the WWE Universe.

Summer Rae
Before she became a WWE Diva, Summer Rae was the captain and cornerback for the Chicago Bliss Lingerie football team.

Renee Young
After high school Renee Young began training in improvisational comedy, and moved to Los Angeles at 19 years old to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.

Adam Rose
Adam Rose's theme song was used by the NHL's Ottawa Senators as part of their goal horn during the 2014-2015 season.

Zeb Coulter
In August 2012, Zeb Coulter’s 16 year old grand-daughter Amelia died in a car accident. The other driver, who had drugs in his system, was on parole, and running from the police at the time. Less than one year later, Tennessee legislators signed Amelia’s Law, which requires parolees—whose crimes were related to drugs or alcohol—to wear a monitor that would test the parolees blood every half hour. The law went into effect on July 1, 2014.

Kevin Owens
French-Canadian NXT Champion Kevin Owens credits Jim Ross’s WWE commentary for teaching him how to speak English.

Corey Graves
Cory Graves is aВ professional piercer, having trained under a friend who needed to hire a full time piercer in his tattoo shop.

Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler was involved in a romantic relationship with standup comedian and Comedy Central personality Amy Schumer.
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Kane
Glen Jacobs, better-known as Kane, is an outspoken libertarian, and was even approached by several Tea Party organizations to run for senate in Tennessee.В

Sasha Banks
Although she’s cousins with Snoop Dogg, Sasha Banks has stated her favorite type of music is “Korean Pop.”

The Miz (and Maryse)
The Miz and Maryse were married at the One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas—the same resort featured in James Bonds’ Casino Royale.

Paige
Paige first entered the wrestling ring at 10 years old—training under her mother and father—and made her professional debut at just thirteen.

Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan has Vitiligo, a dermatological condition that alters the level of pigmentation in one's skin.

Sin Cara (Hunico)
Sin Cara AKA Hunico worked as a funeral director before becoming a full-time professional wrestler and even attained his embalming license in Juarez, Mexico.

Cody Rhodes
In addition to being the son of Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes is the nephew of Fred “Shockmaster” Ottman and Jerry “Nasty Boy” Sags.В

Byron Saxton
Byron Saxton was in the same Virginia kindergarten class as his former Raw Pre-show host Alex Riley.

Jerry Lawler
Jerry “The King” Lawler owns a replica Batmobile from 1960s Adam West series.

Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose dropped out of high school a year into his wrestling training.

Referee John Cone
WWE Referee John Cone owns a donut shop called “The Donut King” in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.

Big Cass
After graduating from NYU, Colin “Big Cass” CassidyВ started a ticket brokerage company, specializing in events atВ Yankee StadiumВ andВ Madison Square Garden.

William Regal
William RegalВ was once arrested on a flight from Japan to the United States when he drunkenly urinated on a flight attendant. He claimed to be so drunk that he could not remember the incident and woke up in a cell inВ Anchorage, Alaska.

Erick Rowan
Erick Rowan’s family immigrated to Minneapolis from Norway and in 2010, Erick finished third on the first season of the Norwegian reality series “Alt for Norge.”

Bad News Barrett
Before becoming a wrestler, Bad New Barrett was a celebrated bare knuckle fighter. One night following an especially lucrative prize-fight, Barrett was stabbed with an eight-inch blade by an assailant trying to steal his money. The thief was said to have incurred serious injuries, and Barrett escaped with the cash.

Michael Cole
Before he was the “Voice of the WWE,” Michael Cole was a news reporter and was among those camped outside the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas in 1993.В

Tyson Kidd
In 1996 at the age of sixteen, Tyson Kidd wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation on a house showВ in Calgary that also includedВ Teddy HartВ andВ Harry Smith.В

Cameron
Cameron double-majored at California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor's of Arts in Marketing. Before she was signed to the WWE, she worked as a behavioral therapist for autistic children in North Hollywood.

Charlotte
Ashley Flair AKA Charlotte is married to TNA wrestler Thomas Latimer AKA Bram.

Aiden English
Aiden English became involved in professional wrestling after studying stage combat in college.

Mark Henry
Mark Henry was as one of the pallbearers for actorВ Michael Clarke Duncan’s funeral inВ September of 2012.

Carmella
NXT Diva Carmella is the daughter of former wrestler and WWE enhancement talent Paul Von Dale.

There you have it—32 inexplicable facts about the current roster of Superstars, Divas, referees, and broadcasters. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat, listen to my podcast "The B+ Players," and follow me via social media: @TapeTraderz on Twitter and "The B+ Players" on Facebook.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwe-nxt-review-february-25th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwe-nxt-review-february-25th-2015/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2015 02:52:56 +0000 Scott Hayes Reviews WWE Network Reviews Alex Riley Baron Corbin Bayley Becky Lynch Brian Kendrick Bull Dempsey Charlotte Finn Balor Hideo Itami Jason Jordan Kalisto Kevin Owens Lucha Dragons NXT Rhyno Sami Zayn Sasha Banks Sin Cara Soloman Crowe Solomon Crowe Tye Dillenger Tyler Breeze WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10018 Its Wednesday and we all know what that means! Best 3600 seconds of a wrestling fan's week! You're looking LIVE Ya know… if you consider filmed nearly 3 weeks go, "LIVE". – at the NXT Arena. Crowd chants NXT. Announcers welcome us. IN RING! Hideo Itami is on his way. Who will he he be […]

Its Wednesday and we all know what that means! Best 3600 seconds of a wrestling fan's week! You're looking LIVE Ya know… if you consider filmed nearly 3 weeks go, "LIVE". – at the NXT Arena. Crowd chants NXT. Announcers welcome us.

IN RING!

Hideo Itami is on his way. Who will he he be kicking into oblivion on this last Wednesday of February? BULL! BULL! BULL! Bell rings. Bull gets the early advantage, using his size advantage to negate Hideo's speed and legs. Eventually Hideo gets rolling. Hits his flurry of kicks, chops, backhands, and other fast paced strikes. Hangtime dropkick in the corner. Drags the big guy up, whips him off the ropes and hits his running kick finisher. Win for Hideo. He celebrates. Heads up the ramp and BAM! Gets leveled by a muppet appendage… oh… wait… that's Tyler Breeze's selfie stick! Itami is down. Breeze tries to take a selfie with the selfe stick of himself and the downed Itami, but can't get the angle right, and by the time he does? Guess who's now on his feet photo bombing? Itami. He whoops Breeze. Crowd chants GTS, but Breeze flees the scene.

ANNOUNCERS!

Rich and Graves, joined by Alex Riley this week welcome us. They let us know we have Bayley vs. Becky Lynch tonight as well as Finn Balor vs. THE Brian Kendrick. Those should both be fun.

HYPE!

Announcers send us into a hype package of Kendrick. Really good stuff making Kendrick look like a million bucks and reminding the world of his WWE exploits.

THE Brian Kendrick approves of this.

IN RING!

Lucha Dragons are on their way out. Their opponents are Jason Jordan and Tie Dillenger. Jordan and Dillenger's entrance is "hacked" by Solomon Crowe who says he won't rest until he's the NXT Champion. Then he hits his tablet and that "unhacks" us back to the ring. Dillenger and Jordan get a little offense early, but the Dragons turn the tide. Start to dominate. Jordan gets annoyed with this. Dillenger at one point looks to his partner and yells "RELAX". So when Dillenger finally is able to get over there to make the tag? Jordan is like "I'm out". He bails. One SdS and swanton later? Dillenger loses. Lucha had some nice double team work in this. The story was about the break up. We go to commercial… I don't recap commercials unless they're AWESOME… and this was for Total Divas… so? You do the math.

BACKSTAGE!

Mic Stand is there to ask Finn Balor a question. Asks him how he's preparing for Kevin Owens. Balor is like, "Bruh… I got a match with THE Brian Kendrick tonight, a former WWE Tag Team Champion… I'm all �bout THAT action tonight, boss." Not an exact transcription . Dig that. Simple story telling AND love selling an opponent. Thumbs up, NXT. Thumbs UP!

IN RING!

Dillenger is STILL there? Oh, buddy… this can't end well for you. He says he isn't leaving until his tag team partner answers for his cowardly treacherous behavior! He doesn't care WHO is coming out, he'll fight him. Cue. Motorcycle. And Baron Corbin. Dillenger drops a mental "F-Bomb" and Corbin's entrance takes more time than the match. Dillenger did manage to lock in a solid side headlock. End of Days shortly after. Sounded like the Crowd got into the twenties before the ref hit the mat a third time!

BACKSTAGE!

Lady Mic Stand asks Charlotte about her NXT Women's Championship match NEXT week. Charlotte reminds us all that Banks has never beat her one on one and that the championship will be in the right place next week.

STILL BACKSTAGE!

Tyler Breeze has some words for Hideo Itami. Apparently Itami fell into Breeze's trap and he's gonna get squished like a cockroach.

HYPE!

Next week Sami Zayn will address the NXT Universe! They show Zayn's work in Abu Dhabi.

IN RING!

HAPPIEST ENTRANCE… EVER!

BAYLEY IS HERE! Becky Lynch is out next. Huge Bayley chants as the bell rings, and already this match is longer than Raw's Diva's match. 8 dudes chant Becky Lynch and get booed down. Lateral press with a nice bridge out by Becky. Becky dominates early. Hits what Rich calls a pump handle suplex. Her series of three leg drops. Bayley turns the tide. Hits her leaping through the bottom corner drop kick she did at "Rival". Needs to work on that one a little more. Though I'm all about the effort. Side mounted right hands from Bayley. High velocity shoulder driven to Becky's gut. Three jumping back elbows. Bayley starts to hoist Becky for the top rope bayley to belly, but Becky targets the shoulder. Bayley goes for the Bayley to Belly, but Becky blocks Yeah Alliteration! – locks in a nasty arm bar and makes it worse by mounting the shoulder and REALLY wrenching back. Bayley taps. Becky wins. Becky points at the crowd and lets them know "In YOUR Face… In YOUR Face… In YOUR FACE!" She celebrates we cut away.

Backstage!

Rhyno with Lady Mic Stand. Why are people shocked to see Rhyno in NXT? He tuned in, and he saw intensity and fire of NXT. The same intensity and fire he's always had! So he's gonna make it to the top by cutting people in half with a GORE! GORE! GORE!

BACKSTAGE!

Jason Jordan is chased down. Asked about leaving Dillenger high and dry, but says he'll give us an explanation when he's good and ready.

IN RING!

Main Event time, y'all! Kevin Owens is a guest on Commentary. THE Brian Kendrick is out first. Crowd gives him a "welcome back". He takes a lap congratulating himself for his return. Balor is out next. Balor stink eyes Owens when he comes out. Owens' opinion of Finn "extremely talented in ring competitor, but like Zayn and Neville – he will fall." Quick start. Kendrick tweaks his ankle flipping into the ring. Balor gives him space. Owens says that's a mistake. The match takes it to the ground. Speed picks up and Balor hits a nice dropkick. The story here is actually between Riley and Owens have a few terse exchanges. Riley staying on Owens about his treatment of Zayn and Owens saying that is why Riley was never a champion. This is brilliantly uncomfortable. Graves and Rich drive this home nicely. Owens decides to cut his guest announcing duties short. Back in the ring with the announcers back into things. Nasty chop by Balor. Taking him corner to corner to corner to corner… but doesn't chop in the final corner and the crowd groans with disappointment. Kendrick catches Finn with a boot and a leaping off the middle rope DDT. Missile Dropkick and… oh sweet mercy… NASTY tiger suplex. That was scary. Kendrick going for "THE Kendrick", but Balor hits a diving clothesline. Follows up with the Sling Blade. High velocity dropkick into the corner. Double STOMP. Coup de Grace. Seals it. Nice little return match for Kendrick. Finn celebrates. Crowd chants Finn. Owens stands at the top of the ramp. Stare. Down. O' … DOOOOOOOOOM! Owens then walks over to Riley… RUN ALEX… RUN!

He didn't listen to me. Owens just threw Riley over the table. Balor is like "Dude, whats up wit dat?" Owens walks off. And… scene.

OVERVIEW!

So I'm thinking this was first step to Riley getting back into the ring. Be interested to see if they go slower burn for this or if Riley attacks, or demands a match… OR? Gonna need a MONTAGE! Sports Training Montage! Solid story work this week. With Breeze and Itami continuing. Tag Team breaking up. Starting with Balor and Owens AND beginning whatever the deal with Riley and Owens might be.

It was a solid week. Nothing spectacular in ring wise. Bayley and Becky to me was probably the best bell to bell match. Kendrick and Balor was decent, but unspectacular. Fell a little flat for me considering who was involved. I think all the story telling there distracts from the in ring action. It was a good episode for furthering or kicking off storylines.

See you next week

http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter%e2%80%a8-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown%e2%80%a8-2/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter%e2%80%a8-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown%e2%80%a8-2/#comments Sat, 21 Feb 2015 00:30:53 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Other Reviews Reviews Bad News Barrett Becky Lynch Big E Big Show Bray Wyatt Brie Bella Brock Lesnar Cameron Cesaro Charlotte Damien Sandow Daniel Bryan Dean Ambrose Dolph Ziggler Erick Rowan Fast Lane Fastlane HHH J&J Security Jack Swagger Jamie Noble Jerry Lawler Jey Uso Jimmy Uso Joey Mercury John Cena Kane Kofi Kingston Konnor Lucha Dragons Luke Harper Mark Henry Michael Cole Miz MizDow Natalya New Day Nikki Bella NWA NXT Paige R-Truth RAW Roman Reigns Ron Killings Royal Rumble Rusev Ryback Sasha Banks Seth Rollins Sheamus Smackdown The Ascension The Bellas The Brass Ring Club The New Day The Usos Triple H Tyson Kidd Undertaker Viktor Wade Barrett Wrestlemania WWE WWE Network Xavier Woods http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9853 What’s Cookin & What Doesn’t Matter Your Weekly Smackdown Breakdown Written by Mark Adam Haggerty It's the final episode of WWE TV until the February "free-per-view," Fastlane. If the free month of November and the Survivor Series are any indication, I think it's safe to say this show will be more like an extended infomercial for […]

What’s Cookin & What Doesn’t Matter Your Weekly Smackdown Breakdown
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

It's the final episode of WWE TV until the February "free-per-view," Fastlane. If the free month of November and the Survivor Series are any indication, I think it's safe to say this show will be more like an extended infomercial for Wrestlemania, than a standard pay-per-view. There won't be a world title match, the number one contender bout is lacking any sort of momentum, and a talking segment featuring Triple H and Sting will more than likely main event the entire card. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it just the same as I look forward to every WWE pay-per-view. I feel like a battered spouse sometimes, the way the WWE abuses me from month to month, only to pull-out some grand gesture just before I'm ready to call it quits. But Vince McMahon knows I'll never leave—I just know that I can change him. This week's episode of Smackdown wasn't the sort of spectacle as the previous edition and its tag team gauntlet, but still much more wrestling than you'll find on Raw. When other sites are simply providing results, I provide you with insight as to what not to watch. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and this is "What's Cookin' & What Doesn't Matter."

Sometimes it seems as though Smackdown is booked like a "Barrel of Monkeys"; all the key components are thrown together and tossed out at random. This week's episode opens with a potential world title challenger at Wrestlemania, Daniel Bryan, as he heads into singles action against another former WWE champion, the Miz. Tonight's show features a ton of prerecorded interview segments, starting with the opening contest and the Miz backstage, explaining how he is responsible for Daniel Bryan's "Cinderella Story." The "Hollywood A-Lister" enters alongside his personal assistant and Michael Cole is quick to point out how Daniel Bryan superseded the Miz during his debut run on NXT, which is strange as that was the same year Michael Cole lived inside a glass box and feuded with Jerry Lawler. Before the match begins, the Miz must remove his sunglasses, and does so via a choreographed ritual wherein he flaps his arms as if preparing to take flight. I love it. On the apron, the Miz's personal assistant Damian Sandow stands by, repeating the gesture, but receiving twice the adulation from the live audience. The Miz, of course, takes issue with Sandow and the reaction he elicits from the crowd, so he orders the former "Intellectual Savior of the Masses" to retrieve an Egyptian cotton towel from the locker room. The match is underway and Daniel Bryan immediately seeks to teach the Miz a lesson for the way he treats "Mizdow." The bout begins with an incredible back and forth featuring everything that Daniel Bryan is known for, combined with the Miz's firm grasp on the endangered art of being a heel. The biggest problem historians such as Jim Ross and Bill Apter have with the current wrestling product as a whole, is the blurred "tweener" territory where most talents tend to reside. The Miz is similar to Triple H, Nick Bockwinkel, and Ted DiBiase, in that he cheats to win and has very few redeeming characteristics. Other "bad guys" like Seth Rollins perform inside the squared-circle with a crispness that helps win support from contrarian viewers, while the Miz is a mediocre wrestler who boasts about his impressive credentials. And impressive they are! I've mentioned before that the Miz is a "grand slam" champion, after capturing every major title the WWE has to offer. Podcasters and columnists alike prefer to run down the potential "ceiling" for a character like Sandow, but I think the sky's the limit for anyone working this close with the Miz. Of course the devilish villain fell by the end of the fall, tapping out to Daniel Bryan's "Yes Lock." Bryan is losing steam with a lot of fans around the world but I still think the "American Dragon" has what it takes to steal the show at Wrestlemania and bridge the gap between this and the next generation. A COOKIN' match given the top-tier talent involved.

The second match out-the-gate is a battle of power pitting the "Big Red Machine" against the "Big Guy." Kane and Ryback begin this slugfest with a stunning display of rapid striking variations and dominant high-impact maneuvers. The bout soon segued into a share of rest holds between superheavyweights whereby Kane managed to fight Ryback down toward the canvas. The audience started getting restless and their inaudible chants soon brought the big men to their feet. Ryback battled Kane into the ropes and hit the former world champion with a Lou Thesz press followed by an enormous splash. A big spine buster and it was almost feeding time for Ryback. The huge muscle-bound brawler lifted the "Devil's Favorite Demon" onto his shoulders and earned his victory with a brutal "Shell Shock" to the mat below. Say what you will about Kane, and despite my own reservations regarding him inside the ring, this year is Glen Jacob's 20th anniversary with the WWE. There's a lot to be said for an individual, especially a "big man," who's able to last so long. Will Ryback be around in 2030? Judging from the way he was huffing and puffing only half-way into this match, I'm willing to say no. Unless Ryan Reeves can upgrade his conditioning for matches on Smackdown, he's never going to be in the main event title picture at Wrestlemania. But maybe that's for the best. This was pretty lame, but fast enough so that Ryback was walking away with the win before the match ever got going, so I'd dare say it was COOKIN'!

The third match of the night is a non-title bout between R Truth and the WWE Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett. Before the competitors may enter, Dean Ambrose makes his way to ringside where he'll be joining Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Bryon Saxton on commentary. R Truth has been seeing far more action in recent weeks than I can remember in over a year! Last week Truth went to war with Bray Wyatt, and although coming up on the losing end, showed great promise—even earning a faint "You Still Got It" chant. Tonight �Truth is up against the statuesque bare-knuckle bruiser from Britain, "Bad News" Wade Barrett. As the match begins, Dean Ambrose spouts off at ringside regarding Barrett. He says the champion is "not one of those champions that goes down to defend his title every night." I thought that was sort of a strange criticism, as BNB puts his belt on the line just as often as anyone else– far more than the world champion, Brock Lesnar. Barrett commands the pace of the match, providing a preview for Ambrose as to what awaits him come Sunday. At one point, Barrett even took the fight to the outside of the ring where he continued to assault R Truth against the very announce table where Dean Ambrose sat. Back inside the ring, the multiple-time IC champion maintained his lead over the grizzled veteran, until R Truth was able to capitalize on the younger wrestler's error. Ambrose sat with his back to Barrett throughout the match, but it was the end of the bout that Barrett became distracted by Dean at ringside, allowing for the former NWA world champion Ron Killings to roll him up, earning his first television victory in—a really long time. The match was decent enough, but the segment was highlighted by the repartee between Ambrose and the commentators. My favorite of said interactions occurred when the "Lunatic Fringe" became distracted and just had to inform Jerry Lawler how proud he was, that the "King" could pull off such stylish t-shirts. When compared with other matches over the course of the evening, this was toward the bottom of my "Must Watch" list, but absolutely COOKIN' nonetheless.

Between matches we get to see another backstage soliloquy from Bray Wyatt to an unnamed supernatural entity, most likely the Undertaker. I really like the way the WWE is building toward this encounter, but I'd like to see something different for once in regards to an Undertaker match at �Mania. It seems that every year, the "Dead Man" disappears for 11 months, only to return to confront any given Superstar for the promos they've been cutting since the �Rumble. I understand that the Undertaker is getting older and perhaps looking to work a "Brock Lesnar schedule," but we need this program to kick into the next gear by the time Fastlane is over, otherwise there's no juice and therefore it DOESN'T MATTER!

I remember when the New Day vignettes began airing, featuring a revivalist choir and spiritual jaw-jacking regarding the current state of the WWE. It really seemed like this trio would be special, but instead they've become the "Black Job Squad." I hope there's a method to at least some of the madness within the WWE, especially as it relates to Big E, Xavier, and Kofi Kingston. Perhaps they'll lose so much that they grow tired of playing by the rules and revert to the "New Nation" idea we've all speculated on for over a year. Tonight Xavier Woods and Big E Langston are set to go two-on-two against the longest-reigning NXT tag team champions in history, the Ascension. Since debuting on the main roster just two months ago, the Ascension seems to be hitting their stride and working themselves out of the awkward ditch where they were once stuck. The biggest problem with Konnor and Viktor has been their size in relation to some of the biggest stars on the WWE main roster. But the New Day is a perfect transitional team for the Ascension, a smaller-sized group of guys that can help bridge the gap between the Lucha Dragons and the Brass Ring Club. I'm always happy to see the Ascension go over as I see big things for these guys in the near future. The match ended when Konnor and Viktor were able to catch Big E, a former Intercontinental champion, with the "Fall of Man." A three-count later and the Ascension is still riding high toward the tag team titles. I really like the Ascension, despite their obvious downfalls—I'd say this match was darn-near COOKIN'!

Either Daniel Bryan or Roman Reigns will walk into Santa Clara as challenger for the WWE world heavyweight championship; Daniel Bryan will square-off against Roman Reigns this Sunday at Fastlane on the WWE Network—so why was D-Bryan in the opening contest, and why was Reigns featured at the one-hour mark? The champion isn't around, so I don't understand the ideology in not allowing at least one of these Superstars to close the show. At any rate, the next match is ROMAN REIGNS against Luke Harper. The former Intercontinental champion Harper is a strange individual between the ropes, what with his innovative style utilizing both hurricanranas and Gator-rolls. If the idea is to book Roman Reigns against every heel on the roster heading into Wrestlemania, then I'm all for it. Let him wrestle Harper, let him wrestle Barrett, let him wrestle Rusev. Roman Reigns needs further exposure inside the ring as a professional wrestler, regardless of what it takes. Time is the best thing for Roman Reigns right now, but unfortunately he's got 37 days until Wrestlemania. Luke Harper puts him through the ringer, not necessarily by beating him down, but by working at a pace to which Roman needs to adapt. Roman changed the direction of the match with a big Samoan Drop, followed by an attempted Superman Punch. The wily Harper dodged the strike, but Roman pivoted, and caught Luke Harper with a thunderous spear. Another tally-mark in the "V" column for the winner of the 2015 Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns. A decent enough match considering the improvements Reigns has made in just a few short weeks. Luke Harper was phenomenal and I see him playing a much larger villainous role once the torch is finally passed and we enter into a new generation. COOKIN', for sure!

I joke about Kane being old and worn out, but I'm never angry when Kane is on TV. Every time I hear, "Well—well it's the Big Show," I lose my mind! I don't EVER want to see this dude. I sat down last night to watch the WWE's newest DVD release, "Real Giants," featuring some of the largest athletes in wrestling history. Now, I've never been a fan of the superheavyweights, but after watching that documentary, I have a newfound respect for guys just like Paul "The Big Show" Wight. Does that mean I want to see him wrestle? No! He's slow, lumbering, predictable, old, stiff, and disjointed—and that's just his ring-work. I'm also getting sick of listening to the 400+ pound giant on the microphone, touting his own athletic ability every chance he gets. If the Big Show was as good as he says, wouldn't he always be the champion? Why isn't he involved in the world title picture now, if he's such a dominant monster? This dude is famous for breaking a ring, and nothing else. However, if the Big Show is a seven on the 1-to-10 scale of talent, Erick Rowan would be a three. And wouldn't you know it, that's who the Big Show is wrestling tonight on Smackdown! Up until now, this has been a very enjoyable two-hours of television. But this five minutes of brawling following by a two-minute squash match were completely unnecessary, as I have no desire to see Erick Rowan EVER. He's the worst—I'd seriously rather get the Big Show for another ten years, than see Erick Rowan ever win any championship title belt. The match sucked, everything about it was terrible. The worst match of the night was won by the Big Show, and I won't even waste my time telling you why it DOESN'T MATTER!

The obligatory Diva's match is up next, and once again Nikki and Brie Bella have managed to take up residency at ringside. Generally I'd gripe about the repeated guest-commentary spots, but I'm really enjoying the Bellas and what they have to say. The Diva's Division is going through an adjustment phase where a greater emphasis is being placed on ring-work like never before. While both Bellas have managed to improve their bell-to-bell presence, I'm also happy to hear them as they begin to develop defined characters. The match in the ring sees Cameron return to the main roster ring against the number one contender Paige. It's funny how Paige is the only Diva who's been wrestling every week since the start of the New Year, and while I anticipated a train wreck courtesy of Cameron, I was pleasantly surprised to discover what sort of progress she's made since returning to NXT. The Bellas are wearing oversized sunglasses with red frames, claiming that they help reduce the reflection off of Paige's pale skin. Cameron received the brunt of the torture in this bout, as any Diva wrestling Paige over the past few weeks has been a mere prop in her feud with Nikki Bella. Cameron worked economically without risking exposure, however she was successful in several offensive attempts, including a beautiful snap-DDT. Her new style seems more in tune with the current NXT environment, influenced greatly by Sasha Banks, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch, and I hope this means we'll see more from the former-Funkadactyl as time goes by. Paige of course picks up the win, making Cameron tap to her dreaded P.T.O. For the record, "Paige Tap Out" is the worst name for a finishing move since the "Attitude Adjustment."

Back from a commercial break and the Uso's are on the stage doing their tribal dance, as Jimmy is set to go one-on-one with Tyson Kidd. This Sunday Jimmy and Jey will defend the WWE world tag team championships against Tyson and his tag team partner, Cesaro. The trio known as the "Brass Ring Club" also includes Tyson's wife Natalya, standing at ringside during this highly anticipated grudge match. The bout is quickly underway, but just as soon as the action would begin, Rusev made his presence felt in a major way. The "Bulgarian Brute" arrived on the scene and dismantled both Tyson Kidd and Jimmy Uso, before turning his attention to Jimmy's brother Jey. Rusev single-handedly demolished both tag team champions despite their best efforts. A number of stiff kicks to both brothers, and Rusev stormed outside the ring where he commandeered a live mic and proceeded to rant in what I believe must have been Bulgarian. Of the dozens of foreign phrases tucked away in his slurred speech, the only two words I recognized were "John" and "Cena." This past Monday night, the Doctor of Thuganomics paid a special house-call where he was forced to sedate Rusev with a fury of rights and lefts. This evening's display of dominance was Rusev's receipt, as clearly the United States Champion isn't concerned going into this weekend's Fastlane. Will John Cena be the first man to defeat Rusev? Or will Rusev managed to destroy Cena just as he has did the Big Show, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Sheamus, and countless others?

I've already voiced my displeasure as to how the number one contenders are forced to work the undercard, but the main event was a Sports Entertainment spectacle, nonetheless. Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins met this past Monday night, but the "Show-Off" was soon thwarted by the combination of Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble. Tonight's match features a stipulation whereby J&J Security are BARRED from ringside! Dolph Ziggler is the first man to arrive, soon joined by his opponent, an exceptionally lonely-looking Seth Rollins. Since debuting on the main roster, Seth has never been on his own, whether flanked by the Shield or followed by the Authority, Rollins generally rolls pretty deep. The action gets started with the Show-Off vanquishing the dastardly Rollins to the outside, where they continue waging their war until making their way back between the ropes. A commercial break later, and suddenly Seth is in control with Dolph locked firmly in a headlock. On the outside of the ring, Kane and the Big Show fill in for the barred security team, while Ryback and Rowan are on hand to see that the odds are even. Ziggler sought to sink Seth with a DDT, but was instead repositioned into a powerbomb predicament, which he then re-countered for a sit-down powerbomb-pin of his own. Rollins kicked out, but Ziggler followed up with a Fame-asser for a near-fall. Rollins spilled to the outside where he was then in the direct trajectory of Erick Rowan and Ryback, but was immediately drawn back into the bout by Dolph. The match continued inside, with both the Authority and Dolph's friends lobbying to interject. Finally, Ziggler spring-boarded off the top, but was once again caught by Rollins for a powerbomb. This time the "Architect" was able to heave the "Show-Off" directly into the turnbuckle at full speed. He followed up with a Curb Stomp, earning the victory as he prepares for—uh, no match at Fastlane. Once the bell sounded, the "Stooges" joined the rest of the Authority, which sparked an idea in Rollins. "There's five of us," he said, "And there's three on them." The hounds began to circle their prey as the babyfaces stood back-to-back preparing for a battle. They fought them off as long as they could, but would eventually succumb to the inevitable. Despite another rousing effort on behalf of Ryback, the Authority would win the match and the day, going into Memphis this Sunday with their heads held high.

This week's episode of "Countdown" on the WWE Network featured the "Top 10 Moments from Smackdown," wherein dozens of WWE Legends and current Superstars discussed Smackdown as being the "wrestling show" for the WWE. While I'm happy to hear so many people verify what we already knew, I'm kind of irritated that a wrestling company recognizes how little wrestling there is on Raw, and chooses to do nothing about it. I guess it's a matter of "different strokes for different folks," as I know a handful of people who much prefer the campy monologues of Monday night to the 20-minutes matches on Thursday. I thought this was a fine episode overall, but failed to hit on all cylinders the way WWE ought to be during Wrestlemania season. Let's hope for the best going into the "free-per-view" on Sunday. Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty with "What's Cookin' & What Doesn't Matter."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwe-nxt-review-february-18th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwe-nxt-review-february-18th-2015/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2015 02:51:12 +0000 Scott Hayes Reviews WWE Network Reviews Adrian Neville Aiden English Bayley Becky Lynch Blue Pants Buddy Murphy Carmella CJ Parker Colin Cassady ECW Enzo Amore Finn Balor Kevin Owens NXT Rhyno Sami Zayn Sasha Banks Simon Gotch Solomon Crowe Takeover The Vaudevillains Wesley Blake William Regal WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9831 Its THAT TIME! NXT. IS. LIVE!… if by "Live" I mean taped a week ago! RECAP! We open with a nice video package showing us what happened last week at Takeover: Rival. Lots of awesomeness, that's what happened. REGAL's OFFICE! Regal talks about the shocking show that was Takeover. He states that in NXT a […]

Its THAT TIME! NXT. IS. LIVE!… if by "Live" I mean taped a week ago!

RECAP!

We open with a nice video package showing us what happened last week at Takeover: Rival. Lots of awesomeness, that's what happened.

REGAL's OFFICE!

Regal talks about the shocking show that was Takeover. He states that in NXT a title CAN change hands via pinfall, submission, or Ref Stoppage due to knockout. Just in case you were scratching your head over the lack of pin, or submission in the Owens vs. Zayn Match. He also says Owens fancies himself a "Prize Fighter", who fights for money. Well? Mr. Owens doesn't make the rules here in NXT. Mr. REGAL DOES, SUNSHINE (I added Sunshine cuz its a wonderful word Regal sprinkles in from time to time, and should have used it here.) He announces a match for tonight: Kevin Owens vs. Adrian Neville, in a non-title match. Saying Neville hasn't earned a shot at the champ, but he HAS earned a match with Kevin Owens for Owens' sending Neville to the hospital a few weeks ago.

IN RING!

Kevin Owens is on his way out! He's dressed up for his in ring celebration… no shorts, he's wearing workout pants with his sleeve cut off "KO" shirt. Crowd echo chants "KEVIN OWENS… SAMI ZAYN". Owens talks about people mad at HOW he won the Championship. He says they have NO REASON to be mad. He didn't lie. He'd fight anyone and everyone to make a better life for his family. "What matters now is Sami Zayn is the past." Owens looking to the future, and that future is Finn Balor. Crowd chants "FINN". Probably cuz they're fans of Mark Twain. The ORIGINAL "Smart Mark". Tells Finn to pick a date and place and he'll be there. Says NOBODY is gonna take "THIS" holds up title for effect from him OR his family. I saw the adorable picture of his daughter with the belt, rumor has it her work rate is off the charts!

ANNOUNCERS!

Rich, Graves, and Albert talk about the show. We have Sashsa Banks versus Blue Pants also tonight!

IN RING!

Oh, wow… SURPRISE TIME, if you didn't read the spoilers:

the crowd reaction here is great as Rhyno makes his entrance! Confusion melting into a "What the… holy… FOR REAL" type pop. The crowd chants "HOLY SHIT". Because this is surprising. Huge "GORE" chant. Punches. A huge belly to belly. AND? GORE! GORE! GORE! GORE! 1…2…3! Huge "ECW" and "Welcome Back" chants for Rhyno. That was a fun surprise for sure.

BACKSTAGE!

Finn is asked about Owens'. He too will face Owens anywhere, anyplace, anytime. Says Owens fancies himself a prize fighter, and that he too is a prize fighter, THAT prize? The NXT Championship- only before he can finish that sentiment? Rhyno walks in. Stops. Eyeballs Finn. Smirks. Walks off. That could be fun. Also paints a picture that Rhyno might be around for a little while.

IN RING!

Black and White and grainy projector shot as the Vaudevillains are set for a tag team match. Announcers sell the fact that there is a void for WHO will step up to face Blake and Murphy? Gotch and English pose as we get the intro for Cass and Enzo. At least 5 leopards went into the making of Enzo's jacket and bandanna tonight. Enzo's beard is also insane. Carmella gets booed during Enzo's mic work. Big "HOW YOU DOIN'" chant from the crowd as it feels like a while since we've seen these two. Gotch and Enzo kick us off. Cheap shot from English on the outside gets the Vaudevillains the precious MO. Aggression from the Villains. Enzo makes the diving tag and Cass is in wrecking house. Sidewalk slam to Gotch. Big splash to English. Double team in the corner and then a big boot later and Enzo and Cass get a big win.

On the big screen Blake and Murphy talk trash on Cass and Enzo. Hit on Carmella. Tell her to ditch the sewer rats. Congrats, a bouncing tag team rivalry is born!

BACKSTAGE!

Adrian Neville can tie his boots. Asked about his loss to Balor and his upcoming match with Owens. Says he almost feels relieved because forever he's been hunted, and now he's the hunter, and Kevin Owens is about experience that.

MORE BACKSTAGE!

Quick hit post match interview type dealie with Bayley and Becky. Bayley promises she WILL be Women's Champion. Becky says Bayley cost her the title, and she is kinda sorry happy that Banks could win, but she is VERY Happy Charlotte lost.

IN RING!

CJ Parker is on his way. Jean shorts and a button down shirt informs us that he's not wrestling. CJ Parker is sick and tired. His being left out of Takeover is �BULLCRAP'. Now CJ Parker is taking over the show. Holding it hostage. Today's sign "CJ IS TAKING OVER THE TAKEOVERS". He is now Caution taping the ring. Uh oh. "Technical Difficulties". "This is Not A Test". Solomon Crowe attacks and destroys CJ Parker. The crowd figured out it was Crowe before the announcers.

IN RING!

SASHA BANKS IS OUT! Blue Pants is on her way out. Love they've bottled and used Cass's announcing slash singing for Blue Pants. Blue Pants might be the most over person in NXT. Blue Pants early X-Men color scheme is great. Sasha is giving her the chance to leave the ring, holding open the ropes for her. Blue Pants responds by kicking Sasha out of the ring. Drop Toe Hold! Sasha is angry. Double leg and fists of fury. Backslide gets OBP a solid two. Sasha drives her into the corner and drives a series of shoulders. Does her double knee in the corner. Covers, but pulls OBP up at the two. Crowd BOOS! Drags Pantalones Azul up, backstabber into the Crossface, aka the Banks Statement! OBP does the TAP.

Post Match. Mic Stand asks Sasha what it means to be champion. Sasha gets grabby with the mic. What's it means is Banks is "the baddest Diva in NXT".

EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE!

The post match fallout for Sami Zayn. We see doctors working on him and Regal coming out to check on him. So we get an interview with Doctor Chris Amann. Sami got evaluated, and got a CAT Scan. They let Sami go to Abu Dhabi. He'll be back and ready to go! At least the crowd didn't chant "Z-Pack" at him.

IN RING!

Adrian Neville is on his way out! Kevin Owens is next. Owens bails much like the start of his match with Zayn. Neville gets to him quickly. Big quick, but the tide is quickly turned with a gut buster and then standing senton from Owens. Owens with an elbow drop. Then a chop in the corner. He goes into methodical pummeling mode. Clubbing blows. Stomps. Forearm. Some cheer. Some boo. Rich tries to name Owens' fans "OWENS-IACS", Graves then hits a home run with, "Lets NEVER call them that." So far this is the match we got at Rival, only with Neville playing the role of Zayn. Neville trying to fight his way out of a REVERSE… CHINLOCK… O'… DOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!! Owens yelling "who's the champ", and crowd chants back "NOT FOR LONG". Owens rag dolls Neville over the top rope to the outside. Man… they are making him look like the most dominant dominator that ever dominated. Owens interplays with the crowd, ramping up his douche-ness to 11. Snap mare and a boot to the shoulder blades gets a ONE PLUS! Neville tries to stage a comeback. Slingshots, but Owens catches him into fireman's carry. Neville spikes Owens with a DDT. Owens first up. Crowd getting live. Exchanging forearms. Neville gets the upper hand. Forearms. Chops. Flying forearm and then kicks. Owens gets outta dodge. Neville with a moonsault to the outside takes out Owens! Two kicks to the chest and an enzugiri. Missile dropkick gets Neville the TWO PLUS! Owens again gets outta dodge. "You're a Coward" chant from FULL SAIL. Baseball dropkick from Neville! OH MY… 450 OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! THREE MINUS!!!! Albert asks if we've seen Owens in this much trouble? … uH… JASON? Its his fourth TV match. Great german, and then the DEADLIFT german with a bridge from Neville. High speed European, but as Neville goes in Owens lashes out with a HUGE running flying forearm. Neville in the corner. Owens charges for the cannonball… SUPERKICK. Reverse �RANA… that looked NASTY, almost botchy. OWENS KICKS OUT AT THREE MINUS! Neville drags and Climbs… Red Arrow, Owens rolls outta the way, and when both men are back up? Pop Up Powerbomb! One… Two… THREE! That. Was. AWESOME!

Owens celebrates we get replays of the awesomeness. Rich gives us the tag line "Kevin Owens Ferocious, UNYIELDING" … damn right he is. As the show comes to a close.

OVERVIEW!

Another excellent edition of NXT. We had groundwork laid for the Reign of Owens, and it got off to a rousing start with his non-title bout with Adrian Neville. We got a budding tag feud between the Champs and Cass and Enzo. Sadly, no clue where this leaves the Vaudevillains. Sasha Banks also made an impressive statement in her first televised appearance as reigning Women's Champion. PLUS we got a surprise return/NXT Debut of the War Machine, Rhyno. Plus his little tease face to face with Balor. Hit the ground running, NXT continues to be the fastest 60 minutes in Pro Wrestling! I URGE YOU TO WATCH OWENS NEVILLE, if you haven't. If you have? REWATCH IT!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-takeoverview-nxt-takeover-rival-february-11th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-takeoverview-nxt-takeover-rival-february-11th-2015/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2015 04:24:59 +0000 Scott Hayes Blogs Other Blogs Reviews WWE Network Reviews Adrian Neville Baron Corbin Bayley Becky Lynch Buddy Murphy Bull Dempsey Charlotte Finn Balor Hideo Itami Kalisto Kevin Owens Lucha Dragons NXT Rival Sami Zayn Sasha Banks Sin Cara Takeover Tyler Breeze Wesley Blake William Regal WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9700 Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girl… WRESTLING Fans of All Ages… well the literate ones at least. Welcome to another Whizz-Bang Edition of the NXT Recap slash Review slash Something. This a SPECIAL edition as this week's NXT was a SPECIAL TWO HOUR TAKEOVER: RIVAL. Five matches were officially announced with a sixth being added […]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girl… WRESTLING Fans of All Ages… well the literate ones at least. Welcome to another Whizz-Bang Edition of the NXT Recap slash Review slash Something. This a SPECIAL edition as this week's NXT was a SPECIAL TWO HOUR TAKEOVER: RIVAL. Five matches were officially announced with a sixth being added via twitter and then the pre show. So that's a whole lot of recappening (it is TOO a word!)

Good hype video. Paying special attention to Balor vs. Neville, Women's Fourway, and Zayn vs. Owens. Foreshadowing on which three matches would be my top three for this show.

IN RING!

Itami's music hits, as the twitter slash WWE.com match against Tyler Breeze.

ANNOUNCE TABLE! Rich, Corey and Albert welcome us to the show. They put over the action which is something they excel at doing. Throw to the replay of Breeze attacking Itami. "YOU BLEW IT… YOU RUINED IT. YOU RUIN EVERYTHING." – That is a hissy fit line that always makes me giggle.

BACK IN RING!

Breeze is out with a selfie stick. A "fan" then jumps the barricade and she jumps onto Tyler. Security takes the lady fan away. That is a quality selfie stick.. At least 3 muppets gave their lives to cover that selfie stick in their pelts. Bell rings. Itami is on the quick offensive. Itami gets the momentum with a nice knee to the midsection and then a vicious kick to Tyler's chest. Educated feet and going for the drop kick to a seated Breeze in the corner, but Breeze smartly gets outta dodge. Breeze gets on the offensive focusing on the bum knee of Itami. Wraps it around the ring post a few times, and… RING POST FIGURE FOUR! NICE! Breeze with a nice cloverleaf styled submission. Breeze hits the Super Model Kick for a TWO PLUS! Breeze can't believe it and the crowd gets loud for this. Tyler starts throwing hard rights, but Itami is like �NUH UH', and gets all hulked. Quick flurry of strikes: palms, forearms, kicks galore. Breeze in the corner. Stalling dropkick… RUNNING KICK TO THE HEAD! That's all they wrote. Solid opener. Breeze impressed me. I wonder what they'll do with Itami moving forward?

BACKSTAGE!

Referee and Regal are discussing something with Owens. He seems unimpressed with their talking and goes back to his phone, cuz that Candy ain't gonna Crush itself!

IN RING!

BULL! BULL! BULL! Out comes Bull Dempsey, who judging from my friend who doesn't watch NXT religiously, but pointed out that Dempsey's look teeters between "80s throwback" and "slob". Engines rev. Corbin is out and B-Lines it for Bull. Baron sporting his new t-shirt. Brawling all over the floor. Bull tries to flee. Baron chases. Bull turns the tide with a push into the apron and suplex onto the ramp. Crowd wants tables. Bull teases it but is all like, "PSYCH!" Full Sail not happy with that. More brawling. Stomps. Fists. Smashes. Bludgeons. And various What-Nottery. Huge Arn Anderson styled spine buster and Baron nearly gets the win. Graves says Dempsey was 10 feet in the air… uh… really Core? Corbin goes for a running clothesline to send Dempsey over the top rope. Corbin goes, but Dempsey doesn't… until like 4 seconds later than he should have. Oops-town Population: YOU, Bull. Dempsey hits the diving headbutt for a TWO PLUS! Stays on the attack. goes for a chair. Slides in. Charges. Corbin snatches him. End of Days. Ballgame. This was pretty average. A few botches. Didn't really find a groove. Didn't really make use of the NO DQ Stip. Post match Corbin sets up the chair and takes a seat and catches his breath and dismissively shoves Bull away with his boot. This was hindered by the fact this was their third match, in my opinion. And it was longer than the other two combined. I think Bull should've been using that No DQ stip to its FULLEST potential.

BACKSTAGE!

Becky Lynch is doing pushups on the steps. Bayley is looking nervous and that works its way into a confident nod.

IN RING!

LU! CHA! LU! CHA! LU! CHA! Sin Cara and Kalisto are out. They have a new camera set up next to the apron so we get a neat view of them trampolining into the ring. That was nifty. Next out are our tag champs. Who's music I find dreadful. Text from a buddy pointed out their tights were VERY American Wolves-y. Bell Rings. Cara and Murphy to start (Thank the wrestling gods they have their names on their tights tonight, so your humble writer can tell them apart with certainty.) – Uh oh botches are contagious early in this one. Not sure what happened. Arm drag gone awry? Crowd noticeably flat for this… and these people usually cheer and chant EVERYTHING. See:

Oh man another bit of sloppiness. Kalisto slips while running to the ring looking to do something. Cara gets the TWO PLUS with the victory roll from the top… SUPER VICTORY ROLL? Name will be a work in process. Double team pop up neck breaker is a nice move from Murphy and Blake. A kick gets Sin Cara free, and Kalisto in. Corkscrew cross body. Kalisto kick. The hurracanrana on a kneeling murphy was NICE. Kalisto has the SDS countered, A bunch of near falls. Trading two counts. Inventive double bridge where both guys had their shoulders down. Two Pluses all over the place…

YOU GET A TWO COUNT! YOU GET A TWO COUNT! YOU GET A TWO COUNT!

Cara hits the hoist one arm power bomb. Murphy hits a running suplex almost brain buster, and Blake hits a frog splash. Three Count. and STILL Our NXT Tag Team Champions! First half the match had some sloppiness and it took a while to find a rhythm. Last 5-7 minutes were pretty enjoyable. Lots of chain wrestling. During the celebration someone is coming next week. His hype video interrupts and looks like the last few where I've seen the names "Solomon" and "Crowe" at different times. Hint. and HINT!

HYPE! NXT #1 Contendership tournament is recapped and our next matchup is hyped.

IN RING!

Neville is out first because… well we all know why. Lights out, and Balor is crawling his way to the ring. Paint job is slightly different. A tongue sticking out of the mouth on his chest. Added what appears to be wings and a tail to his back. Add some smoke in the corner to his entrance. Its go time. I can't wait for this. Crowd chants Finn. Neville puts his mouthpiece in. Fast start with some chain wrestling. Crisp. Clean. These two might be the best combination of pure athlete AND wrestling ability. Neville's athleticism almost gets lost in the shuffle with all the talent in NXT. A couple early ONE! counts. Neville scores a spring board dropkick then lock in the… ahem… REVERSE CHIN LOCK… O'… DOOOOOOOOOM!!! To jump back, good work by the announce crew to explain Balor's entrance. The not only psychological warfare on his opponent but to psych himself up. They should also put the layer of "currying favor" with the crowd. Take notes, Cole and Company when you're talking about Bray Wyatt's "Creepy" entrance. Neville dominates for a spell. Balor tries to turn the tide with a chop so hard it welted MY chest. Neville keeps on it though with a dropkick and stalling vertical suplex. Neville nails some 12 to 6 elbows to Balor's head, and somewhere a UFC official is screeching "STOP THE FIGHT!" Back to the RCLO'D! Balor fights out. Whip. Balor eats a boot, Neville goes to the top rope and Finn nails an enziguri. Neville to the outside. Balor nails a huge Tope. Crowd chants NXT. Neville is on the move! Finn is stalking, and then drop kicks him into/through a ringside barricade. Crowd goes with a expletive laced chant of surprise. Back in the ring. Balor with a double stomp to the back of the HEAD?!?! WHAT?! I was SURE that was it. That was a THREE MINUS! WOW. That was an amazing move. First this is awesome chant. Neville nails a forearm and a bunch of kicks. Balor with the Pele! And Neville with a desperation Superkick! (Picks up jaw off floor) Germans from Neville. One of them stalled was amazing and into a bridge! THREE MINUS!!! Neville to the middle rope… ARE YOU KIDDING?! Was that a Phoenix Splash from the middle rope?! Done flawlessly. Dude is a mutant of athletic ability. High velocity European Uppercut. Balor with a desperation Sling Blade! HUGE Clothesline turns Neville inside out. Lifting to vertical reverse DDT! My fingers can't keep up with this. Balor going to the top, but Neville grabs the leg to avoid the double stomp. He hits a kick. Then a slam. Looking for the Red Arrow, but Balor lifts the knees, AND then turns it into a roll up, and they got me AGAIN! I was sure this was done. High velocity dropkick shots Neville into the corner violently. COUP DE GRAICE! Rich asks "Have you ever seen anything like it?!" Hyperbole, sure, but that was a DAMN AMAZING match. Standing Ovation rightly deserved, fellas. *Writers Note: It was my third time watching this match 3 times when I wrote this.

Its scary the guy was NXT Champion for how long, is one of the guys they use on the road for Raw/Smackdown, but Neville still is somehow underrated. Also can we get two outta three falls for these two?

BACKSTAGE! +HYPE!

Charlotte and Sasha are getting ready! Goes right into the video package for the Women's Championship Match.

IN RING!

Bayley is out first. Banks is second. Becky third. And in the sake of alliteration: Bram's wife third. Lets go! We hit the ground running. Bayley with a roll up on Charlotte. Team BAE team up early. They break the LED board by throwing Charlotte into it. Then they go at Bayley. Nice double team moves from BAE as they violently throw Bayley into the turnbuckles. That was unique. Both of them make the cover on Bayley. Alliance dissolved. Becky with a nice pump handle suplex. Now Becky is in control. She works on Bayley with a dragon screw leg whip and then a nice submission, but Banks is back to break it up. Banks with a nice series of shoulders into the corner. High velocity as she channels her inner Lesnar. Charlotte back in and attacking. Ends up hitting a neck breaker for a two plus. Then hits Banks with a leg drape neck breaker in the corner. Now Charlotte and Banks exchanging violent forearms. Charlotte goes for a spear, but Banks moves. Charlotte spears Becky. Bayley back in and wheel barrows Banks, and Bayley comes in and hits a codebreaker of sorts. Charlotte big boots Bayley out of the ring.Banks ends up back in control. Double knee drops in the corner to both Charlotte, who was across the middle ropes, and Becky who was on the bottom ropes. Bayley is back with a suplex! Bayley hits a series of three running reverse elbows into the corner. She hoists Charlotte to the top rope. Top Rope �Rana! Crowd firmly behind Bayley. Bayley to Belly! Lynch breaks it up. Bayley with a nice baseball drop kick from the floor up under the bottom rope. Nifty. BANKS SUICIDE DIVE! Three are down. Charlotte in ring. "WOMEN'S WRESTLING" chant melts into "THIS IS WRESTLING", and Charlotte sling shot over the top to the outside onto the other three! Charlotte throws Becky into the ring. But Becky nails a running knee lift and a T-Bone Suplex. Man the shots in this are so high velocity and landing. Chaos in the corner. Charlotte on the top. Bayley German's Lynch. Then TOP ROPE BAYLEY TO BELL! ONE TWO… BANKS! Banks throws Bayley out violently. Gets a three minus. Then locks in a nasty cross face. Really pulls back. Becky starts to get in, but Banks kicks Becky INTO Bayley. Back to the cross face. Stretching her. Keeps pulling back. Charlotte is not tapping, but is fading. Banks pulls back even harder and then turns it into a roll up! THREE SLAP OF THE MAT LATER…

AND… NNNNNNEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!! NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPION!!!!

This was spectacular. Awesome story, and action bell to bell. These ladies got put in the "spot of death" between the two huge main events and OWNED it. The velocity of moves and the WRESTLING was as good as anything we see on a weekly basis, ladies, or gents. Women's MotY can be handed out, as who knows if anything will approach this on the main roster, and I could absolutely see this being on many a top ten list at year's end. MIGHT be the best Women's match I've ever seen… but that might be me being to wrapped up in the immediacy.

HYPE!

Zayn and Owens video package is where the awesome in ring product meets the awesome WWE Production values and things like this is where we get the melding of these worlds.

IN RING!

We see Owens backstage as the "drop the cage" music kind of plays before he storms through the curtain and heads out. Same thing for Zayn. This is a neat twist. Zayn sporting nifty new tights. Crowd really into the "LETS GO!" Part of Zayn's theme. Owens is ready rocking in the corner… random thing I noticed yesterday, his armpits looks like Abdullah the Butcher's forehead. What the hell is going on there? Stare down. Owens standing and leaning in the corner. Sami crouching. Big Fight announcement. "FIGHT OWENS FIGHT" followed by boos and then "SAMI" chant. They stare. Crowd "OLE's". They circle, Sami advances. Owens bails. This continues. More stalling, but eventually, Sami flies over the ref and nails a somersault onto Owens on the outside. Zayn punching and kicking. Mounted punches into the corner. Owens hoists and drops him across the top turnbuckle. A couple NASTY running clotheslines into the corner where Zayn does his best Shawn Michaels. The whip into the corner was a looney tunes sell. Owens goes on the grind offensive. Wearing down Zayn. Punishing with holds and slams. Driving his knee into his back. Owens continues to punish making occasional covers and yelling at the referee. Zayn tries to fire back with fists to the gut, starts to get some momentum, but Owens drops him gut first onto the top rope which sling shots him back into the ring, Zayn crashing onto his face/upper body. Owens locks in the Reverse Chin Lock O' DOOOOOOM! Match totally at Owens' pace. Back suplex gets a two count. On the outside its violent. Owens is dominating. Crowd starts up a "Kill Owens Kill" chant. Back in the ring. Two PLUS on Sami. Zayn looks "woozy". VIOLENT forearms and stomps into Zayn. This is a methodical dissection. Gut buster, and senton. TWO PLUS!

Forearms and Sami with a slap! Now Sami fires up with three clotheslines! Owens spills to the outside. Owens takes a bite out of the ring steps. Now Sami is brawling. He's throwing haymakers. Owens tries to rolls Sami in, but Sami rolls right back out to the other side, runs around and NAILS a clothesline. Back inside. Blue Thunder Bomb! TWO.. PLUS PLUS! each man in a corner.. Sami charges… OUCH! SUPERKICK. Sami is out on his feet! Collapses into the corner. Running CANNONBALL! THREE MINUS! Owens pump handles Sami and drops him neck first onto his knee! Whoa. THREE MINUS.. MINUS!!! Whip going for a pop up power bomb. Zayn dropkicks out of it. Half and Half by Zayn. TWO PLUS! Zayn doesn't believe it. Zayn gets dropped throat first across the top rope. Owens up top… Zayn meets him in the high rent district. They exchange up top. Owens gets the upper hand. SWANTON-NO! KNEES UP! Exploder into the corner. Sami looking for the Heluva… Owens gets outta dodge. Sami chases. Outside Owens looks for the powerbomb into the ring apron, but Sami grabs the ropes, and stops it. Sami kicks and then hits that seated spring board moonsault to the outside, but his head hit the ramp. He's woozy. Sami staggers and stumbles back in the ring. Tries to come out of the corner, but stumbles and falls feeling the effects. Charges again, pop up powerbomb nearly ends it for Owens. Ref checking on Sami. Owens goes in with nasty forearms. European uppercuts.. Rabbit punches. Basically just wailing away on Zayn. Ref trying to get Owens off. Trainers are out to check on Sami. A few smart asses chant "Z-Pac" at this. Powerbomb number TWO. AND THREE! Owens with the cocky cover. Two Zayn fans are near tears. Trainers are still checking on him. They're in ring now. Owens decides he has his OWN medical advice… three MORE Powerbombs. Oh, nope ref stops him at the third one, and calls the match. Crowd starts a bullshit chant. Stunned. Some confusion, but the crowd roars when Owens is handed the NXT Championship. Owens wins due to Ref Stoppage. A fewf and are inconsolable. Owens is bouncing between laughing and crying. He points at someone in the audience. Announcers do a great job laying out. Selling the shocked nature of this. Clearly they LOVE Owens. He celebrates, and eventually stands over the prone Zayn. Very good match, that was intense and super story based, and REALLY puts Kevin Owens over in a big way and shows how much fight Zayn has. This felt like a first chapter to what could and should be an amazing saga. Sprinkle in Balor's #1 contendership and there is a lot they can do moving forward.

OVERVIEW!

ANOTHER excellent outing for the NXT Brand and their quarterly Takeovers. Top to bottom not as good as R Evolution, in my opinion, which is understandable, seeing as that show was about as perfect a wrestling show I've seen. There was one very average match: Bull and Baron. Two decent to good matches: Breeze/Itami, and Tag Titles. And three awesome matches that were unique and fun and told good stories and had amazing in ring action. And now we set off down the road to the NEXT Takeover. If you have wrestling fan friends who don't subscribe to the Network? You should invite them over and start doing NXT Viewing Parties. If they DO have the Network and DON'T watch NXT? Man… I don't know… rig them up to that contraption from Clockwork Orange, maybe?

Bottom line, if you're not, or they're not watching? You and they should be.

Till NXT time.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-over-under-wwe-nxt-takever-rival-odds/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-over-under-wwe-nxt-takever-rival-odds/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2015 02:44:49 +0000 Scott Hayes Blogs Other Blogs Adrian Neville Baron Corbin Bayley Becky Lynch Buddy Murphy Bull Dempsey Charlotte Curtis Axel Finn Balor Kevin Owens Lucha Dragons NXT Rival Sami Zayn Sasha Banks Takeover The Vaudevillains Tyson Kidd Wesley Blake William Regal WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9522 Ladies and Degenerates- NO! Not you guys! I'm talking about GAMBLERS! Welcome to another installment of the "Over/Under" this Cheap Heat's author's attempt at bring the sports book to the squared circle. Admittedly I have no experience handicapping, and from a betting standpoint I have little… actually… err… no… I have NO experience in any […]

Ladies and Degenerates-

NO! Not you guys! I'm talking about GAMBLERS! Welcome to another installment of the "Over/Under" this Cheap Heat's author's attempt at bring the sports book to the squared circle. Admittedly I have no experience handicapping, and from a betting standpoint I have little… actually… err… no… I have NO experience in any form of sports betting. Yeah… ya know… in case someone's watching. SO?

OVER/UNDER!

Disclaimer: The Over/Under is an entertainment slash hype slash super terrific fun time article. The author does not look up any possible "Lines" for wrestling matches, and suggests you not bet on a scripted contest. Though if you're at a party and your friend has had too many adult beverages and Raw is taped and you read spoilers and want to make five bucks at said friend's expense because someone upsets Kane in a match? FEEL FREE! (Hayes fact 814: Did that a party. Gonna totally send the link to this to said buddy.)

Overview: For the last few months these two have been all up in each other's bidness. What started out as a contest to see who could mash a random sack of potatoes faster? With Baron mashing so hard that it led to Bull's jealousy. Which led to a match. Which Baron won. Which led to a second match. Which Baron won. Which led to Bull costing Baron in his #1 Contendership Match. And now? These two "Hosses" will battle it out in a NO DQ Match. Their first two contests didn't last a combined 5 minutes. Baron dominated.

Favorite: Corbin -450 He's a huge favorite. He just lost and it was Bull that cost him. Violent revenge for NXT's Lone Wolf.

Underdog: Dempsey +300 Big Dog. Only way I see this win is if they really REALLY want to try hard to swerve us.

Prop Bet of the Match:
Over/Under 7 minutes. (That's bell to bell. No entrances included, or post match shenanigans included.)

Overview: This is easily the match I'm least looking forward to. I'm probably not alone, but there isn't a ton of investment in it for me. The story falls a little flat, but lets take a look at that story. The Lucha Dragons beat the Ascension and then… well… "Meh". They have a nice move set. A decent amount of support from the crowd, but something has felt flat with their reign. They dispatched the Vaudevillains easily. Were rolling, albeit, unspectacularly. Buddy and Blake appeared to fill a need as Tag Team on the Roster. Their win/loss record drove that point home. Then? They beat the Vaudevillains. THEN? They challenged the Lucha Dragons, cuz if you beat, basically the only OTHER full time tag team that isn't the champs? Boom. Title shot. AND.. THEN?!?!

AND… NNNNNEEEEEWWWWWWWWW… NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!!!!! They shocked the world. Okay, the portion of the world who A) Follow Pro Wrestling 2) Know that there is an WWE Network iii) WATCH NXT FOURTH) or at LEAST read spoilers slash results. (I hear the results guy HERE kicks 14 kinds of ass… Just sayin'.)

Favorite: Murphy and Blake -120. A slight favorite. They just scored the upset win. I wonder if they want to bolster the Main Roster's tag ranks, and so I wonder if the Dragons are a way to add another team to the tag division. Especiallly with two teams recently having or in the process of splitting (Miz/Mizdow, and Dust Bros).

Underdog: Lucha Dragons +110. Its not a huge instance of her being an Underdog. I won't be surprised if they walk out of Rival two time tag champions. I will be interested to see how this plays out and hopefully coming out of Rival we'll see a little more shine/interest in the tag division.

Prop Bet of the Match:
Will the NXT Crowd Chant "AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE… Oi Oi Oi"! (due to Murphy's Nationality) Yes -400 No +400.

Overview: Charlotte has been dominating the Women's division. She beat Bayley. Sasha Banks on the rise, and along with Team BAE (Best At Everything, for anyone unaware) bestie, Becky Lynch took out Bayley. Then Banks set off on a series of awesome Women's title matches. The stories did a nice job staying intertwined. Banks got one more shot, Lynch ended up jumping in and attacking Charlotte. <— Insert DQ Bell Ringing here. Bayley rushes to the ring to make the save. When Bayley takes too long gazing at the title lustily. Charlotte is like "HAND OFF". Bayley hits the Bayley to Bell! Regal makes the women's title match a fatal four way. They did a tag match the next week Of COURSE, chaos ensued. I'm really looking forward to this, and we could be seeing the Women's match of the year at Rival. Favorite: Charlotte -200. She's a dominant champion. Unless they're thinking "Call Up" for her, and really she is plenty ready, though I'd be sad to see her talents leave and be shuffled off into 3 minute matches centered around the cast of Total Divas? Eventually they grow up and leave the nest.

Even Money: I'm putting both Bayley and Sasha Banks here. Both have great stories and momentum behind them. This is a great match for someone (i.e. Charlotte) to lose and not get pinned and still lose the Championship. Bayley the plucky underdog/Little Engine that Could, with the most funnest entrance in the bidness! Banks, someone who is an amazing talent. Who has improved so much its mind boggling. She's a heel who is getting a "you deserve it" vibe from the crowd in her past title matches.

Underdog: Becky Lynch +600. Easily makes the least sense. Treading water as a face and then being paired with Banks almost as added muscle. Its not Lynch's time… YET.

Prop Bet of the Match:
Who takes the Tower of Doom Spot? Bayley -300. Banks -150. There is none even money. Lynch +100. Charlotte +200.

Overview: Back when we kicked off this trip toward Rival, Commissioner Regal announced a Number One Contendership Tournament. Balor beat Curtis Axel in the first round and Hideo Itami in the second round, which was a spectacularly physical encounter and almost made my prediction that "Itami hits his FIRST GTS on Balor" come true. I STILL think the first has Balor's name written all over it. Neville beat Tyson Kidd in the first round, another fantastic match, and took down the undefeated Baron Corbin in the Semi's sing it: "He got by with a little help from the Bull". So this sets up between two well traveled world class wrestlers. Both are super popular with the crowd. Neville a former NXT Champion and Balor a future NXT Champion… that is unless the WWE doesn't come calling. This has Match of the Year Contender written all over it. Don't blink. Sit back. And bathe in the excellence this contest can, and hopefully WILL, produce.

Favorite: Finn Balor -250. Crowd is behind him. Momentum is on his side. He's been awesome, and continues to entertain. A win here would be excellent as he continues rocketing up the NXT Ranks.

Underdog: Adrian Neville +100. Won't be shocked if he wins, but he certainly doesn't need a victory. Long rumored to be one of the next in line to get the call. Makes sense to elevate Balor if that rumor is true.

Prop Bets of the Match (two main events get multiple)
Balor Paints Up: Yes -300 No +300
"This is Awesome Chants": Over/Under 3.5
Post Match Attack: None -200 Tyler Breeze -100 Hideo Itami +100.

Overview: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG… breathe Hayes… BREATHE. Inhales… Exhales… I assumed we would see this. Didn't think it'd be THIS fast, and for the NXT Championship already. Sami Zayn had a long trip to the summit. At NXT R-Evolution he beat Adrian Neville in a fantastic match. The crowd, the story, the finish, the celebration. It was excellent. He and Owens hugged. He and Neville Hugged. This was all the feels we can feel watching this crazy form of entertainment! Then it lingered… and lingered… but they showed the closing graphic, and THEN Owens decided… "I'm happy for you, but I'm no THAT happy for you." Nasty pull down onto the ramp. Nastier power bomb onto the apron and the man who had debuted 114 minutes earlier just made a massive statement. Like he said in his hype videos. He was in NXT to fight, to better his and his family's life, AND its not lost on him that so many guys who he wrestled with and against across the globe got the call from WWE before he did. No wrestler was safe. No Friend. No CHAMPION. Sami begged for a match with Owens. Regal didn't want to reward Owens for his behavior, because it establishes a dangerous precedent. So it was to be non title… except… yeah Owens wasn't going to fight non title. The title is a PRIZE. One he wants. One that gets him more money. More prestige. More EVERYTHING. So in a contract signing the only thing that got broken TABLE LIVED! Were Regal and Zayn's wills. Zayn, in a self admitted lapse in judgement pleads with Regal to make the match, which he does, and here we are. Like the match for #1 Contendership? This could easily find itself on all kinds of Year End Lists.

Favorite: Kevin Owens -150. A slight favorite. Not many have walked into NXT/WWE and ended up where he is in such a short period of time. His THIRD TV Match will be for the NXT Championship. He's has promised to "take" the NXT Championship. Which is an interesting phrasing that has stuck in my mind since he used it.

Underdog: Sami Zayn -125. His chase was epic and super fulfilling. Imagine him losing the championship. The dejection, but also the realization that WHO will be able to stop Kevin Owens. Sami chasing is right in his wheelhouse, and really Owens winning really kicks off them going back and forth, if Zayn isn't destined for Monday and Thursdays? This could be the start of something incredibly beautiful. ESPECIALLY considering that a #1 Contender will be named as well.

Prop Bets of the Match:
Duration of first Hockey Styled Brawl #CrazyCanadians : Over/Under 14 seconds
Long Live the Streamers (Will any fans throw streamers) : No -350. Yes +200
There will be Blood: NO -200. THE HARD WAY – +100. Holy S. Holy S. Holy S. BLADE – +650.

So there you have it. Place your bets, I'm betting (see what I did there)

Takes action. No matter if you're dropping coin, or not on NXT Rival? You SHOULD be investing your time. The last show I was THIS excited for was R Evolution, and my geek out level is SKY HIGH. I'll see y'all for the Recap.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwe-nxt-review-february-4th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwe-nxt-review-february-4th-2015/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2015 03:26:25 +0000 Scott Hayes Reviews WWE Network Reviews Adrian Neville Baron Corbin Bayley Becky Lynch Big Cass Bull Dempsey Carmella Charlotte Colin Cassady Emma Enzo Amore Finn Balor Hideo Itami Kevin Owens NXT Rival Sami Zayn Sasha Banks Take Over William Regal WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9488 It is time for another edition of NXT. Its a “go home show” with some big matches and lots of intrigue for WHO will earn #1 Contendership for the NXT Championship. Plus what will our Fatal Fourway combatants do, and what of our NEW Tag Team Champs?! All this and much much MUCH more… or […]

It is time for another edition of NXT. Its a “go home show” with some big matches and lots of intrigue for WHO will earn #1 Contendership for the NXT Championship. Plus what will our Fatal Fourway combatants do, and what of our NEW Tag Team Champs?! All this and much much MUCH more… or maybe a little bit more.

IN THE RING!

I’m a hair late, and as I log into the WWE Network for another NXT? Emma and Carmella are in the ring. Cass and Enzo are ring side. Feels like a while since we’ve seen Cass and Enzo. We open with a little jaw jacking. Emma showing a little more an edge. Emma hits a dissmissive boot to Carmella’s backside. Locks in the Dil-EMMA (Tarantula) – and the ref breaks the hold. My feed freezes and Carmella has her Triangle Camel Clutch on Emma. Emma taps. The NY Crew celebrates. Emma stews.

HYPE!

Neville vs. Corbin and Balor vs. Itami still to come!

HYPE!

NXT RIVAL – NEXT WEDNESDAY! 2 HOURS! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG… *BREATH, HAYES. BREATH!*

IN RING!

Neville is in on his way. Motocycles rev. Here comes Corbin. Tie up and Baron goes all “I’m more bigger” and drives Neville back. Quick exchange and Neville goes all “I’m more FASTER” and nails some boots. A dropkick rocks the lone wolf into the ropes, and then Baron LEVELS Neville with a clothesline. Ouchtown, Population: Neville! Baron has the advantage. Overwhelming Neville. Keeping it grounded and methodical. Crowd pretty split. Maybe slightly pro Neville. I’m pretty sure this is ALREADY Corbin’s longest match. Neville with the low dropkick. Baron eats middle turnbuckle. Tide=TURNED! Neville tries a slingshot cross body to the outside… CAUGHT! And then Corbin hotshots him into the barricade. NASTY! Corbin rolls Adrian in, and the ref is “checking on Neville”, and UH OH… Bull! BULL! BULL! Bull runs Corbin into the ringpost on the outside. Corbin barely makes it in before the 10 count. Low dropkick. Red Arrow. Boom! Neville wins. I like that. I think a longer match for these two down the road will be really good.

HYPE!

Sami talked about last week’s contract signing. Said Owens played him and Regal. Saying he tricked Regal and “Regal has seen every dirty trick in the book!” I like Sami having some “buyer’s remorse” about signing the contract and giving into Owen’s demands. It so refreshing seeing wrestlers act and react like real people.

They announced that Bull and Baron will Battle in a No DQ match at Rival.

SLOBBERKNOCKER!

IN RING!

Bayley is out and she is gonna HUG YOU! Becky Lynch out next as this fills our “hype the Women’s Championship match”. Becky does a series of leg drops. She works the leg, but this sets Bayley off. Bayley returns the favor and wails away on Becky’s leg. Becky gets frustrated with the flurry of offense. Sasha Banks has gotten ringside. She’s admonishing Becky and rolls her back in the ring. Bayley to Belly and boom. Bayley wins. Charlotte’s music hits and she stands at the top of the ramp to remind us all who exactly is the Champ, or something.

BACKSTAGE!

Owens says he got what he wanted last week. ANd next week? He’s TAKING the NXT Championship. Trust him. Uh Kev, I like you… like… a lot, but TRUST? You powerbomb besties on the apron and strong arm title shots. You don’t exactly OOZE “trustworthiness.

IN RING!

OH GOODNESS There’s a lotta time for these two. THANK YOU! Neville joins the announce team. Itami out first. Balor does his thing next. They circle. Crowd chants “this is awesome” before they tie up. Good mat wrestling exchanges. Smooth and crisp. Crowd chants “better than Raw”. Whips, leapfrogs, and a nice dropkick from Finn takes us to a comercial break. Hey, did you know Wrestlemania is a THING? We come back and Itami is in control. Crowd firmly pro-Finn. Itami locks in the Reverse.. CHINLOCK…O’ DOOOOOOOOOM!!!! They exchange forearms. Whip, Itami with a sunset flip, but Finn rolls through and hits a low dropkick. Balor with an abdominal stretch variation. Even working the hands/wrist while doing so. But then quickly lets that go for roll up and the old “TWO PLUS!” Balor’s turn ot lock in the Reverse Chin Lock O’DOOOOOOOM! Yes I did it like that on purpose cuz “O’Doom” is like an Irish last name, and Finn is IRISH! More good submission stuff. Roll up and Finn gets another two.

ANOTHER Commercial BREAK! – The Rival commercial with quotes from media outlets and overlayed with crowd chants is great.

BACK IN THE RING!

Huge chop by Balor is a fine “welcome back”. Followed by a running chop. His chops are great. At some point in time, Balor’s mouth got busted. Itami gets a flurry in. Crowd chants “GTS”. He hoists Balor and the crowd loses their MIND. Balor fights out. A crazy stiff flurry from Itami. Palm strikes and a spinning backhand. OUCH. Balor ends up hitting a violent running dropkick that Itami sells like he got gored by a rhino… not Rhyno, not the wrestling move, but legit run over by a beast. He flies back into the corner with crazy high velocity. Back of his head hit middle turnbuckle. Balor ascends and delivers the Coup De Gracie. One. TWO. THREE! Balor faces Neville at Rival! We get replays of stuff they really highlight that high velocity dropkick. Back in the ring Itami looks completely incosoleable. Frustration oozes from him. Balor offers him a hand. Itami looks unwilling to shake, but takes his hand. Crowd roars their approval and chants “NXT”. Balor celebrates a bit, and heads up the ramp. On the table clapping. Comes off a little heely. He jumps down they meet at the top of the ramp. Intense handshake. Can’t WAIT for that match.

HYPE!

GREAT… GREAT… AMAZING hype video for Zayn/Owens. This is where the WWE influence really pays off. their hype videos and music pieces and that is ALWAYS top notch. So you put this cherry on top of this sunday and I can’t wait. Next wednesday I’m waking up and one of my first thoughts will be “OOOH GOODY, NXT RIVAL TONIGHT!” – Can’t wait. Wrestling Christmas.

FINAL THOUGHTS!

The bar is mighty high for Rival. These last 3 shows have been excellent. My only gripe is some guys are slipping through the cracks because their roster is too damn deep and insanely talented! Its a good problem to have. Ladies and Gentlemen we could very well be watching of the best wrestling shows of the year in 7 days.