Do you remember when NXT was a GAME SHOW? Hopeful heavyweight champions like Daniel Bryan and could-be Kings of the Ring such as Wade Barrett were forced to engage in degrading, ultimately meaningless tasks. We are just over two weeks removed from the 5-year anniversary of the Season One finale, wherein the aforementioned Superstars, Barrett and Bryan, earned the first and second place spots respectively. Quite a lot can change in a matter of five years, don't you agree? The majority of Season One contestants are still employed by the WWE; obviously Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett are key focal points on the main roster, but don't forget about "Mr. No Days Off" Darren Young, "The One Man Southern Rock Band" Heath Slater, "The Big Guy" Ryback, and "The Harvard Law Graduate" David Otunga. There was also Michael Tarver, as well as the man poised to be the face of Global Force Wrestling, Justin Gabriel AKA PJ Black. NXT has evolved from a goofy SyFy spoof on Sports Entertainment to a no nonsense professional wrestling program, and continues to mount considerable momentum with even more live events announced for locations across the country, and even the WORLD. Why are we talking about the first season of NXT, when this is the "MVP of NXT," AKA a column dedicated to the current product? Triple H gave an interview recently where he revealed his plans to make NXT a viable "third touring brand," perhaps on par with Thursday Night Smackdown, or even Monday Night Raw. My reason for rehashing the history of NXT is simple: look how far this promotion has grown in a matter of five years. Imagine where it will be at the end of the decade.
Tonight was NXT Takeover Unstoppable, presented on the WWE Network, live from Full Sail University. It's usually pretty easy to pick a single Superstar from the weekly Wednesday broadcast, to highlight as the "MVP of NXT," but this was a Special Event with far more bells and whistles than we're use to on a regular basis. First I'd like to deliver a few honorable mentions: Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze put on an excellent match with a ton of back and forth and a litany of dramatic moments that made for an incredible 20 minutes of professional wrestling. The spot from the top of the set by Balor onto Breeze was magical, although I could have done without the almost Jinx-like chants from the Full Sail crowd of, "Please don't die." Congratulations to Finn Balor on walking out of NXT Takeover as the new—well, once again—number one contender to the world title. World Title? Yeah—WORLD TITLE!
I think the match of the night was WITHOUT QUESTION the NXT Women's Championship battle between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. This match had absolutely everything you'd expect from any 5-star contest, regardless of the contestants' gender. From the unequivocal submission work—that we just didn't see anywhere else on this card—to the unbelievable aerial offense by both women, this was really phenomenal. There's talk of whether or not this might be the WWE's "Match of the Year," and some pundits, including yours truly, are already calling this the best women's match in WWE history.
Of course the combatants in the final contest were incredible as always; Sami Zayn worked wonderfully despite his obvious injury hindering his most basic of signature maneuvers. Kevin Owens looked enormously powerful from bell-to-bell, and truly seems like the type of individual who might be able to mow over the United States Champion, John Cena. But as enjoyable as their story was, the big news coming out of NXT was the arrival of a longtime WWE outsider, who finally made his presence known in a huge way. That's right! This week's "MVP of NXT" didn't even wrestle a match—he didn't need to! Because his name is Samoa Joe.
I just need to take a minute. I'm writing a WWE column—about Samoa Joe. And that's his name! Let's focus on that first and foremost; Joe has licensed his name, which is why he's able to go from promotion to promotion without any type of trouble. Not only did Rich Brennan exclaim: "It's Samoa Joe," but his t-shirts are ALREADY on sale!
Toward the end of the match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, head referee Shawn Bennett was forced to make another tough call in regards to Sami's ability to continue. Owens continued to go ballistic and attacked Sami on the outside of the ring, before bringing him back into the squared circle where he aimed to finish his former friend once and for all. General Manager William Regal became involved—and for a split second, I thought we might get a quick Regal/Owens program. Owens prepared to deliver another slew of sadistic chair shots to the one-time NXT champion, but was interrupted by a faintly familiar theme song that sent the Full Sail fans into a FRENZY! They chanted his name before he ever showed his face, and when Samoa Joe finally walked out onto the stage, the audience came unglued. People were crying as they went hoarse with excitement: "Holy Shit"; "Thank you Joe"; and most notably, "Joe is gonna kill you!"
The stare down between these two behemoth brawlers was a sight to see that nobody would have ever expected on the WWE Network. Owens left the ring and escaped to the back, only to return for a moment, before finally leaving for good. Joe cut a promo once the show went off the air, and let the live audience know that he's in NXT and he's coming for Kevin Owens' belt! Stephanie McMahon was in attendance, sitting near the ringside area, with the actor who portrays "The Mountain" on HBO's Game of Thrones. One can only imagine what was going through the crowned-Princess of WWE's mind when the audience engulfed her in adulation as two of the biggest names in independent wrestling took the stage. And what does Vince McMahon think of Samoa Joe, or even Kevin Owens for that matter?
So where does Samoa Joe go exactly? Reports indicate that Joe has signed a new type of deal that WWE has never offered in the past, which would allow Joe to continue making independent appearances while working with NXT. Should he ever make it to the main roster, I'm sure he'd be obligated to sign something more solid, but this could be the start of something wonderful for both Joe and the WWE. Wouldn't it be great if this was the harbinger of things to come? Without going too much into their sad situation, it would seem that TNA might finally be finished, meaning certain Wolves or Rockstars or Beautiful People, might be looking for a change of scenery. While Triple H and WWE officials have gone on record saying that they aren't interested in signing any TNA talent, that's not say they won't sign FORMER TNA talent, like Samoa Joe, especially if they're experimenting with these part-time deals. My co-hosts at the "B+ Player Podcast" both think Joe belongs on the main roster sooner than later, and while he's certainly seasoned enough to make the jump, I'd be happier seeing him mix it up down in developmental. Especially if the plan is to turn NXT into a (separate but) equal brand. If Joe was promoted to the main roster, what matches would you really like to see? Dario and Gary from the "B+ Players" suggested names like Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena. Let's start with Cena: Kevin Owens is wrestling Cena on a WWE Special Event in less than two weeks, proving you don't need to be on the main roster to touch gloves with the "Champ." Daniel Bryan? I hate to break this to you guys, but Daniel Bryan is hurt again, and there's no telling whether or not he'll ever return. So if your plan is to promote Joe to the main roster to wrestle Daniel Bryan, you should be aware you'll be waiting a while. Have fun with Joe's downtime wrestling R Truth, Stardust, and Sheamus. And Brock Lesnar? Where the hell is Brock Lesnar? He's not hurt, but we could conceivably see D-Bryan back before we see the "Beast." Hell, we could see CM Punk back before Brock Lesnar ever returns! Let's face it, Samoa Joe's best competition as part of the WWE will be in NXT.
Unless… You guys have a moment to Fantasy Book, right quick?
Roman Reigns finally wins the WWE World Heavyweight Title, which for the record, wouldn't anger me as much now as it would have at Wrestlemania. I thought Roman looked fantastic at Payback, and I've really enjoyed him in recent weeks, especially since the release of his "24" special on the �Network. Roman is a future world champion, he's this generation's Batista, just get used to it and you'll be fine. So Roman finally wins the WWE World Heavyweight Title and arrives on Raw the next night to cut another goofy "Beanstalk" promo, this time attributing his success to his great family lineage. He'll start rattling off everybody from the Rock to the Wild Samoans to Rosey to the late Umaga. That's when the music hits; Samoa Joe has one thing on his mind: being the most dominant Samoan wrestler in history. "I am the Samoan Submission Machine," Joe would tell Roman, with the same sort of arrogance that Owens came at Cena with. "I am professional wrestling, and I didn't need some famous bloodline to get to where I am. Don't get it twisted, Roman. You might be the world champion, but I am the number one Samoan Wrestler in the world. And don't forget it."
Just an idea—an idea I've been kicking around since Wrestlemania, when it seemed Roman was all but guaranteed to win the championship. I'm interested in knowing what the Cheap-Heat readers think. Where would you like to see Samoa Joe? Is the WWE Main Roster the best place for him, or does NXT fit him like a glove? Let me know in the comments or Tweet me @TapeTraderz. I'm always welcome to constructive criticism and would love to debate Joe's position on the roster.
Regardless of whether or not he wrestled a match, the impact—no pun intended—that Samoa Joe made on NXT Takeover Unstoppable was unlike any debut we've witnessed since Bill Goldberg in 2003. That's why I've got no problem naming him this week's "MVP of NXT."
