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.
