Very odd indeed, yet they released Gallagher and his allegations were less severe in comparison to Dream.
Very odd indeed, yet they released Gallagher and his allegations were less severe in comparison to Dream.
Last edited by Badger; August 19th, 2020 at 7:50 AM.
That can easily be rationalized by them as preferential treatment. You're held on to if they feel like you've got high-level value.Originally Posted by Badger
There are some difference between Jack's story and Dream's, just so it's on the table. Jack has apologized for what he did even though he claims he has no memory of it happening in his own home... Dream has outright denied it.
I'm interested to see how Holland/Gargano comes across on TV after the major scare with a bump Gargano took and they had to stop and restart the match. Also curious to see the other qualifying match, though I suspect Dream will win. McAfee appears to have at least two reinforcements coming with him in the form of ex-NFL players tonight with his confrontation with Cole.
I think the situation with Dream is ridiculous. They're so adamant about WWE, not the police, but WWE doing something about it. And by "they" I mean the people who originally accused him and now this person who came out and was like "Why aren't the WWE doing anything about Dream?" Well, because it's not the WWE's duty to find tween creepers on social media. Look at Matt Riddle...The guy cheated on his wife with a stage 5 clinger. And before anyone knew the details, quite a few neckbeards were asking for his head.
I'm sorry but if my son was approached online in this manner and his first thought isn't telling his parents and the police but the famous company this person works for.....I'd question my parenting skills because we don't teach them "if a stranger tries to touch you inappropriately and they're famous, don't tell the police go tweet it and tag their agency in it!" The fuck is wrong with people....
On tap for tonight:
2ns Chance NA Title Qualifier
Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland
2nd Chance NA Title Qualifier
Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream
Breezango & Swerve Scott vs. El Legado de Fantasma
Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah
Cole/McAfee stuff
ND, shut the fuck up.
The police were contacted and are investigating still.
Patrick Clark is a child groomer and should not be on NXT. I say that as someone who used to be a huge fan of his. This situation is in no way comparable to someone cheating on their wife.
Does Ernie share the same opinion as you?
That was a nasty drop on the head. I hope gargano is ok.
I haven't been able to stay awake for WWE lately, but that McAfee/Cole skit was the best shit I've seen in a long time. Both guys are selling this program tremendously.
Someone accused this guy of something, which means he is guilty. How dare they put him on TV. Balor better win or I'll cry.
Interesting comparison by Beth Phoenix to say Holland is a young Rick Steiner. Can't say I've heard that comp but it doesn't feel that far fetched. I cringed when I saw that Candice was coming out for this match in light of the bullet Gargano apparently dodged. Sheesh, that spot looked absolutely nasty. I can't imagine how scared everyone was ringside. Gargano absolutely dodged a bullet there. There must have been the greenest of green lights after the fact to suggest he was okay with how often they replayed the spot. Made sense Gargano won. Need the stabilizing influence in a chaotic setting. Holland losing quickly is a little jarring but he lost to a serious dude and due to cheating. If they're still invested in Holland, he'll be fine.
Fair enough to see Dakota stretched a bit in an obvious win. It was all a setup to see the tussle and create the needed doubt in regards to Takeover. Good way to spin Dakota's narrative by revealing she's a liar. Very good to see Raquel back in the mix. Not for nothing, the title match Saturday features two themes that straight up slap.
Good, almost frantic at times six-man match. It helped progress things as Scott and Escobar are on a collision course. Creative, though convoluted finish with Scott having Escobar down for the count but was ruled as not being the legal man in the match. Semi-related considering the match, It's unfortunate that the tag title picture got the short end of the stick during this Takeover cycle.
Quite telling that they had the face-to-face confrontation as the carryover segment. McAfee has been waiting all or most of his life to cut a promo in a WWE ring on WWE television. He had that teed up and he knocked it aht of the park. There's so much material there between these two guys over the years that the hype package before the match could be fire. Said it the second it was announced and I'm even more convinced: McAfee and Cole are killing it Saturday night.
Fun women's tag and it cranked up with that powerbomb spot. I was anticipating that Mercedes was just going up against the plexiglass but then there was no plexiglass there! Yikes. Part of me wonders if we're just letting this simmer between Mercedes and Rhea until it's time to call Rhea up. Aliyah has turned into a pretty silly but entertaining bumper in the ring.
WWE screws up in a LOT of ways but they are unparalleled with promo packages. Goodness. That might be NXT's Limp Bizkit "My Way" Promo Package with Austin/Rock WM X-7.
Finn "Shoot" Bálor kept shooting but it felt extra relevant with his promo on Dream. I don't know if its part of the aesthetic that they're leaning hard into now but Dream just doesn't really look fully coherent in the ring for good portions of matches. Grimes being a shitbag, cartoon-like character taunting with the belt was good to add something extra to the match. The finish went exactly like I thought it would once they showed that post-match beatdown from a few weeks ago between Bálor and Thatcher. Should be noted, that's the third time Bálor has been pinned since he came back to NXT and all three included interference. My guess is we're seeing Priest or Grimes take the title Saturday.
Last edited by BGMaverick; August 20th, 2020 at 12:12 AM.
lol wat
Damn, that drop on the head Gargano took was scary. Glad he seems to be ok. I like what I've seen of Holland so far.
Kai/Kamea was pretty decent, was surprised to see Kamea get so much offense. Nicely done with the return of Raquel.
Six-man tag was real good, fast paced action. Clever finish. Scott/Escobar are going to have an absolute banger when they tangle for the belt.
McAfee is good on the stick, gotta admit, though not keen on him using Grimes' catchphrase i there. Much as I don't care about the feud with Cole, I will admit I want to tune in to see if the guy can go in the ring as well as he can on the mic.
Women's tag was good. Love three of the four in there and Aliyah has improved immensely and I like her role in the group. Nicely done with the powerbomb spot. Ripley/Martinez is going to be fire when it goes down.
Good video for Lee/Kross.
It has to be said that Dream is much better as a heel. Suppose it helps that I don't feel comfortable cheering for him right now but he was already leaning into it this week and it was working. Pleased to see Grimey come out and steal the spotlight for a bit before everyone started getting in the mix. Not surprised about Thatcher costing Balor, knew that would be coming after the post-match attack, and quite enjoyed the whole "everyone taking out everyone/big move-fest" stuff, although Reed standing tall at the end has me doubting he'll be winning on Saturday if I believe the alleged "standing tall on the go-home show" thing that's not really reliable.
Takeover XXX card:
Lee versus Kross for the NXT Title
Io versus Dakota for the Women's Title
Gargano, Dream, Reed, Priest, and Grimes in a Ladder Match for the North American Title
Cole versus McAfee
Bálor versus Thatcher
Preshow:
No. 1 Contenders tag match:
Breezango versus Lorcan and Burch versus Medonza and Wilde
Predictions?
I'd say Mendoza/Wilde eventually getting the tag titles makes sense for Legado to become a power stable so I'll say they steal the win from Breezango.
Thatcher/Balor's a bit tough to call. Could be like Balor's match with Priest where Balor wins but it does more for the loser however, with Thatcher being a heel and likely staying as a such, not sure the same story would make sense. But I think Thatch could use the big win so I'll say he gets it done. If Lumis isn't going to be out long, I could see him returning to feud with Thatcher as they made it seem like it was Thatch who injured the ankle during the triple threat.
Cole beats McAfee. I've got very low expectations so this could really surprise me.
I'm going with Grimes sneaking out with the win in the Ladder match. I'll be rooting for him and Reed.
Io overcomes Kai/Gonzalez to retain.
Bit unsure on Kross/Lee as well. Seems to soon for Lee's reign to end but also can't see Kross losing clean, either. Can't see a non-finish for the top match but I also don't think this'll necessarily be the end of them feuding (unless Lee's going to RAW/SD but I feel he's still too integral to NXT). I guess I'll go with Lee passing out to the Kross Jacket then he can say he wasn't pinned and didn't tap.
It doesn't matter to me on the preshow match lol.
The toughest one to predict is Bálor/Thatcher. Bálor has been incredibly protected in NXT and is a stud when it comes to Takeover. I think they're going to try to do a rehash of Bálor/Priest in terms of result and emphasis after the fact for the loser. Speaking of...
I think Priest is going to win. I've been under the impression he's pretty much an act that's about as developed as its going to be, even with the wrinkle of a turn, so if he's not winning he's pretty much stuck in the mud on NXT. So I think this gives him more time to work as a champion before they make another decision with him. Grimes is the next in line but he's got more time ahead of him.
Cole wins but the rest of UE turns on him after the fact.
If Io is going up, she's losing. I don't think it's time for her just yet so she retains. I guess it could be a case where regardless, the loser is moving on.
I think Lee loses, they go all in with Kross, and Lee is on his way to Raw or Smackdown
I'm most interested to see if NXT gained viewers this week. Or if AEW fans just watch AEW and nothing else. I'm sure there will be an increase, but how much?
Week 01: 1,179,000 viewers
Week 02: 1,006,000 viewers
Week 03: 891,000 viewers
Week 04: 790,000 viewers
Week 05: 714,000 viewers
Week 06: 698,000 viewers
Week 07: 580,000 viewers
Week 08: 813,000 viewers
Week 09: 750,000 viewers
Week 10: 916,000 (first week to beat AEW)
Week 11: 810,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 12: 845,000 viewers
Week 13: 778,000 viewers (tie)
Week 14: 795,000 viewers (win and win all the demos)
Week 15: 831,000 viewers (unopposed and Christmas Day)
Week 16: 548,000 viewers (review and awards show)
Week 17: 721,000 viewers (not in the top 50 for cable programming for the 18-49 demographic)
Week 18: 700,000 viewers
Week 19: 769,000 viewers
Week 20: 712,000 viewers
Week 21: 770,000 viewers
Week 22: 757,000 viewers
Week 23: 794,000 viewers
Week 24: 717,000 viewers
Week 25: 718,000 viewers
Week 26: 697,000 viewers
Week 27: 542,000 viewers
Week 28: 669,000 viewers
Week 29: 590,000 viewers
Week 30: 693,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 31: 692,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 32: 665,000 viewers
Week 33: 637,000 viewers
Week 34: 663,000 viewers
Week 35: 604,000 viewers
Week 36: 592,000 viewers
Week 37: 731,000 viewers
Week 38: 715,000 viewers
Week 39: 673,000 viewers (four thousand behind AEW)
Week 40: 746,000 viewers (26,000 behind)
Week 41: 786,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 42: 792,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 43: 759,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 44: 631,000 viewers
Week 45: 615,000 viewers
Week 46: 707.000 viewers
Week 47: 753,000 viewers
Week 48: 619,000 viewers
Week 49: 853,000 viewers (No AEW show)
I wonder how AEW does with no NXT show. do they hit over 1 million? I think they do
I think the timing of this has worked out well for NXT. More eyes on the show for their upcoming event.
We'll likely find out in two weeks when NXT is pre-empted and airs on Tuesday.
If I'm honest, I agree with you on Priest winning. He definitely seems the most primed to do it and it seems like the next logical step for him.
Interesting thought on UE turning on Cole. Didn't occur to me. Why would they turn if he won? Turning if he loses makes more sense, no?
I guess I sometimes forget about the possibility of people getting called up affecting things and that it could happen at any time. Maybe Priest doesn't win because he's getting called up. I didn't even think about either woman in the Title match going up. Same with Lee, like I said, he feels like such a cornerstone of the brand right now, taking him out seems like it'd leave a pretty big void.
UE: A pretty easy story is they're tired of Cole's bullshit. A pretty good and recent example is the tag title match from a few weeks back being an absolute afterthought due to the fact that Cole got distracted by McAfee. There has to be a reason KOR is back all of the sudden. Turning if he loses makes sense, but don't you need McAfee around more if that's the case? I guess that's a logical assumption for if McAfee wins but there's no indication present that he's hanging around longer.
The next Takeover isn't until October, which coincides with the WWE draft. I guess that's another options for staggered departures from NXT. To be honest, Lee would be a big void but there's easily someone who has been missing who can come back and want revenge at the expense of the newly-crowned champion.
I'm thinking Cameron Grimes walks away with the belt. To me it's coming down to Grimes or Priest, the 2 guys I like the least in the entire company aside from Adam Cole. I even like Roderick Strong more than those 3 lol.
And what a weird babyface turn for Adam Cole. All based on being called out for being a vanilla midget. I guess Kevin Nash was too busy to just come out and stick all 4 UE members at the time with a Jacknife.
Keith Lee and Mr Tick Tock is a weird match up to already have. You have Lee go over, but is it too soon to beat Kross and what's next? Too soon to take the belt off Lee and you can't have some bullshit ending or it's going to turn people off, doing some weird double KO. Honestly, I see Kross beating him.
I'm sure there are some strict AEW/WWE fans out there that only watch that 1 brand but that's a tiny %. The increase in NXT's ratings IMHO is just a sign that the difference we see is simply crossover. Just like back in the day when we thought there were 12-13 million people watching Nitro and Raw when in reality it was people flipping channels and maybe it was more like 9million.
Not gonna lie, I flipped to TNT during a commercial and was like wtf is AEW cancelled already? Hooray! Imagine my disappointment to find out it's showing on Saturday.
LOL
I take it you're not in the camp that MJF=The Rock, Cody=Triple H, Moxley=Austin? That's what our Uncle Dave said, that those 3 are the equivalent of those wrestlers during the Attitude Era........I slit my own throat hearing that.
I think it's weird to be cheering for a company to go out of business to be honest
I don't really, I think WWE is better and wish a lot of the talent hadn't gone to AEW, but feel happiest when NXT and AEW both have good ratings weeks.
Don's plus playing opposites of other stuff he sees online. Basically how some wish I'll on WWE or Vince to hurry up and die yadda yadda, Wrestling fans are a special breed.
It's not weird. Especially if someone feels that company is doing a disservice to the industry. For example, I wasn't sad when XPW closed. I've been waiting for almost 20 years for CZW to close.
Yeah, it's nice for people to make money, but it's not like AEW hired a bunch of homeless people. 90% of the roster were or are signed to big companies and/or making a comfortable living touring the indies. I don't agree with Donald about AEW, but I can understand the mentality.
Has nothing to do with wrestling. Any hardcore fan of anything whether that's a sports team or a brand of soda will act irrational at times.
This idea that fans of pro wrestling are this and that, it's tiring. What is it? Are we hillbilly types? Are we uneducated? Are we super fickle and too smart for our own good? These fucks need to make up their mind.
is it because it's a disservice or because Donald just loves WWE and treats them like a sports team?
I mean it could be that, and if so, that's not exactly a bad thing either. If this is supposed to be a war, you sometimes have to pick sides as a fan. I mean, there's a reason when WCW died the WWE didn't see an increase in ratings. They didn't gain the WCW fan. Probably 2 reasons: #1-lack of WCW starpower and #2-probably wasn't a fan of WWE in the first place.
Could be. But it could be argued that a lot of the same fans were already watching both. and we're in a different time now. AEW isn't putting WWE out of business. it's not really a "war" in my opinion.
It has been argued, I literally just said it a few posts ago about crossover fans. But to think that every WCW fan was also a WWF fan and vice versa is a mega stretch. That's why I said when WCW died, the WWF didn't see an increase, because not everyone watches every wrestling promotion. Not everyone likes every wrestling promotion and not everyone gives a shit if they burn or not. See my comments about XPW and CZW.....
It is a war. When you're in a niche form of entertainment like wrestling and you have another promotion regardless of their size taking money from you....IDC how big you are, you're going to notice. You mean to tell me WWE locking up all those wrestlers wasn't a play to keep them from AEW? Of course it was. When you hear stories from Edge, Goldberg, Angle, etc. about how WWE were throwing an open checkbook at them basically....Or them re-signing talent to longer contracts (they went from 3 years to 5 years), they're doing it because they see the industry.
And this was before AEW. You don't think they signed Balor, Styles, Gallows, Anderson, and Nakamura because they wanted to hurt New Japan? Of course they did. That is what the fuck Vince McMahon has been doing for 40 years, or did we all forget the territories lol....
If WWE ever goes under, that would be it for me as a wrestling fan. It's all I've ever watched for the past 30 years. Never watched WCW, TNA, ECW, ROH, etc.
It's a war because WWE chose it to be a war. They would hold Great American Bash to create competition for AEW's event. They book their events to coincide with AEW's. TNA had like 2 million viewers at one point with big stars and WWE never thought of it as a war. They signed guys like Balor and Nakamura because they thought they could be stars for them. Once AEW went into business they signed guys for the hell of it. New Japan is never going out of business. They aren't competing with WWE man. They are not a threat. Maybe New Japan and All Japan are competing. Who knows.
CZW and XPW are companies that give other wrestlers a job and livelihood. I want every wrestling company to succeed because that's great for the industry. WWE being the only company out there isn't good for the industry. they can't give every wrestler a job.
I just find it silly to cheer for a wrestling promotion like it's a sports team as an adult. Read the twitter comments when Alvarez posts the NXT/AEW ratings. It's ridiculous.
Last edited by PurePlayer; August 21st, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
Loving the XXX set
Very good opener. Thatcher/Balor killed it.
Not having that metal ramp was a very very good call.
This Cole/Pat stuff is so... not NXT.
That was a great match. Pat needs to work on selling but other than that he did really good.
Cross wins nxt championship... looks like he jacked up his shoulder in the process
Spoilers were right and I'm disappointed.
Fucking main page author spoiled it before I got to watch it. I know some say “Oh your fault for going on the internet” but still fucking courtesy as was planning on watching show tomorrow.
Don’t mind *spoiler* tags so know to avoid it but don’t put in the fucking title!
Solid show overall but nothing really wowed me too much. Everything was basically good but not great. Ladder match was my favorite match of the night. McAfee impressed. I had the NXT Title match spoiled going into the show so that sucked (my own fault, though). Also that match was pretty underwhelming and never felt like it really kicked into a higher gear. I assume the returning Ciampa will be Kross' first feud while Lee moves on to RAW/SD. Can't say as I'm too hyped at that idea.
EDIT: Just read about Kross' potential injury that may have shortened the match. Makes sense why it might've not clicked up a notch and ended a bit anticlimactically. Damn shame.
Last edited by mth; August 22nd, 2020 at 11:00 PM.
No. 1 contender tag match was clearly all gas, no breaks. The tag title picture is super cold, pretty much due to the pandemic, so they're going to have to use the new cycle to hopefully get it going. It might be time to give Breezango a run and use it as a solid transitional time.
Takeovers deliver with banger openers and this wasn't any different. The triple threat qualifying match was a good appetizer of Thatcher/Bálor as you could see Bálor was up to the task of showing he could grapple with Thatcher. The spot where Bálor missed the coup de grâce and Thatcher saw an opportunity and Bálor knew he was in trouble. It could have been very cheesy but I think it did well to put over the fact that Thatcher is a dude who can be vicious. This definitely played similar to Bálor/Priest where Thatcher was able to show he's a dude that's going to be a problem for a long time, but you can't mess with Bálor at Takeover. Very good back-and-forth match, which could have been a different result at a different time.
Did The Thicc Boi get a new theme? Sounded pretty good. Nice touch to pay respect to Bam Bam Bigelow with the gear, too. Gargano had roughly two weeks to recover from his nasty bump and it is absolutely remarkable that he was able to, to complete in a damn ladder match. So many fun spots in the match. Kudos to them cooking up a fun ladder multi-man ladder match that wasn't cookie cutter. That's a testament to NXT's roster and ability to provide different styles. The whole thing about this match was that it was built for several weeks with the intention of reimagining the middle of the card for NXT. I would say mission accomplished as you've got a champ in Priest who will be a problem and a slew of other guys who are now recognized as threats due to this match and the time they were given on TV leadings up to the match.
Knew McAfee was going to kill it and surprise a lot of people. He absolutely delivered. Cole delivered with his ability to lead a match against a novice and McAfee showed he's built for the business (he really is). Did it make a former champion look a little less-than? Yes, but I think the match was formulated in a way that allowed McAfee to make Cole look that way, and it's not something that's going to tarnish Cole in the long run. Really surprised there wasn't an angle after the match but I imagine something of interest is going to bubble up on Wednesday. Props to McAfee doing it #ForTheBrand
I thought it was a good showing for the ladies in their title match. The best showing? Probably not but it was really good. I thought the match and the overall presentation might have gone a little heavy in trying to make Raquel a big deal rather than a complimentary piece to Dakota, but that does make me interested to see how they're looking to evolve that pairing. Rhea showing up after the fact to even the odds makes sense as she's a top contender, but is a little perplexing because I'm not sure if it was displayed that she was totally done with the RSB on Wednesday.
Not surprised to see Lee losing, though it is surprising that he now owns the second-shortest reign as NXT champion.
Wide-lens view - I was very curious to see Kross in a setting with a longer leash for a match and the results were what I anticipated: mixed. There's pros and cons to that. NXT's main event template has been extremely structured and catered to longer matches with high-level technical storytelling so there's a case to be made that it needs to be broken up. Kross can certainly do that. You can say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I can see that side, as well, but you've got to work with what's given to you. In addition, Kross isn't a finished product in terms of what's happening in the ring.
Focused view - It sucks to see Kross get hurt in this spotlight moment but it feels like they're going to be able to work around it if the separation isn't as severe as it could be. Seems like he got hurt on the clothesline from Lee. Hope he isn't hurt too bad. I have to imagine they're looking at moving Lee up.
The set looked simple yet awesome. Graves came across more entertaining on commentary as well, further illustrating the problem that is apparent between Raw/SD and NXT. Joseph isn't really ready yet in my eyes to be a lead commentator, and Ranallo was missed, for sure. God Bless Shotzi. Her energy and excitement in the crowd is greatly appreciated. Looks like I nailed the predictions here lol.
Last edited by BGMaverick; August 23rd, 2020 at 12:19 PM.
McAfee had some incredible spots, guy did well.
Was eagerly awaiting the @BGMaverick review. Yeah, I noticed Reed had a new theme and tron video.
You kidding? His selling was better than about 80% of the whole WWE roster.
Here's Pat on his show talking about the match.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCirc...t_takeover_30/
I love how he keeps kayfabe in this whole thing. I'm absolutely sold on this guy. What a legend.
Announced for tomorrow so far:
Karrion Kross & Scarlett will kick off the show
CW Title Match
Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah Swerve Scott
Tag Title Match
Imperium vs. Breezango
Io Shirai & Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Plus, Wade Barrett will be on commentary (!!!)
EDIT: AND I FORGOT THAT DADDY'S COMING HOME! Tomasso Ciampa returns, as well.
Last edited by mth; August 26th, 2020 at 2:34 PM.
Wade!
Not signed a deal, as yet, but I hope this goes well. Love me some Wade Barrett.
Edited in that Ciampa returns 'cuz I forgot that. Suspect he'll be going after Kross, yeah?
Maybe. He got squashed the last time so hopefully if they do run it back nobody remembers that the last time they fought he got his ass whipped. It's hard to believe he would fair better ala Cena v. Lesnar post-Summerslam because Cena's at least in the same galaxy, Ciampa on the other hand is super small and not very believable with his offense against bigger dudes (see DIY v. The Bar)
But what else would they have him do? He's above the NA title and everyone else but Kross and Cole are in budding feuds so it makes sense above anything else.
Wade Barrett was one of those dudes I was happy to see leave WWE. Maybe he'll be better on commentary.
He's one of those dudes that were injured so often I forgot he even worked for them. It's the easier counter argument when people try to act like the WWE failed Wade. Every chance he had was ruined because he was made of glass. Kind of like Mr Kennedy.
He's actually pretty solid on commentary but I've only heard him call NWA POWERRRRRRRRRRRR Just one episode but he's always had a great voice and could speak well.
I liked Wade Barrett when he was giving Bad News, but before that, I always felt he was overpushed and lacking in overall entertainment ability. But he got hurt too often, and apparently it was too expensive to keep shipping his podium all over the place - just like Fandango's giant lit up sign. So just when he was starting to show some confidence on the mic they took the podium away and he couldn't deliver the bad news to anyone. Then he was gone.
Something pertinent with UE and their next direction should be a thing, I'm guessing.
Even with it being a squash, there's a story that can be told with Ciampa to say he's working to right this wrong. That allows Ciampa to take up TV time, stack some wins, talk on the mic, and Kross can recover from the however severe his injury is.
I imagine Ciampa or Bálor are one of the first two to go after Kross but I think the odds are relatively decent it'll be Ciampa. I guess they could go with a major zag and go with Heel DIY.
Last edited by BGMaverick; August 26th, 2020 at 3:13 PM.
NXT is kind of all over the place right now. I definitely think Kross v. Ciampa is the next feud. I'm curious how serious the Kross injury is. I've heard he could be out 6-8 weeks. IF it doesn't require surgery.
If it's not Ciampa and it's Bálor, there's probably a similar path they can take with stretching things out. The more I kind of think about it, I wouldn't mind my suggestion that I edited in at the end. Serves a lot of purposes. You can probably have Ciampa go for the belt again and then turn and roll with The Wednesday Knight.
If the tag scene mattered, I would be cool with heel DIY. Maybe a Sabu/RVD or Dolph-Drew type relationship?
I think Gargano is a TERRIBLE heel though. His wife sucks too. It's so forced and cringe because they scream BABYFACE. They've been heel long enough to show they fucking suck at it and it's only worse without a crowd to really gauge how hated he is because when there was a crowd, it was hilarious. Some were starting to boo him as a babyface, then he fuckin turned and everyone was back to cheering him....Then the people had to go away lol.
And the last thing we need is DIY feuding with each other.
Heel Garganos are one of the best things going. You hipster doofus.
I never liked gargano so heel is fine by me
lol. How dare you use my own hipster insult!Heel Garganos are one of the best things going. You hipster doofus.
They're terrible actors and that's why it just doesn't work. They're not shitty people and if I had a choice, they'd be babyfaces. Especially Mrs Shit Heel.
I think for me, the heel turns didn't make any sense. What was his gripe? The same boring heel gripe of not being appreciated despite the fucking crowd behind him 80% of the time. That 20% that were booing him, wound up cheering him when he turned. IDK. Maybe I'll look back and see some of these feuds in a better light when compared to possible shittier feuds.
Well now there's a difference between not liking someone in general and then being a heel. Baron Corbin is a prime example of someone people dislike in general, regardless if he's a heel or babyface. But if you were hating Johnny as a babyface and you still hate him, that's not good for him.
Hyped for next week
Mojo Rawley return?
Who?
It goes without saying, but Barrett was fantastic on commentary. It seemed like he was able to jump right in and hit the ground running, speaking with authority on the brand.
What a shitty way to start a new era for NXT. They essentially lost two guys in one main event. Lee was moved to Raw and Kross is now out of the picture due to this separated shoulder. I will say, Kross looked very good despite having to work under the formulaic promo style that he had to operate under. It's really terrible luck for him that this was his moment and he had to let it go. At least he looked and sounded like a badass as he vacated the title. My guess for Kross: He's already done in NXT. This means he's on ice for a while and they'll just call him up when he's cleared.
STACKED set of competitors for the Fatal Four-Way match. I like the fact that they're all former NXT champions and you're just letting them loose for 60 minutes. That's different enough to see how it plays out. They easily could have gone with another tired tournament but this should be very interesting. It's also smart to go ahead and get with it and use it as the hook to make sure your audience follows them to a different night next week.
Really fun tag title match. It's a shame that the division has kind of been in shambles for weeks. They probably could have told an entertaining story between these two teams in the build for this match. It is CRAZY to think Breeze and Fandango haven't won a title in WWE until this match. Well-deserved moment for them and I think this will hopefully signal a new direction and motivation for the division. BIG night for LRLR as Breeze got some added gold, Swissman through out some respect for him, and Chugs donning the LRLR bracelet.
Thatcher doesn't make a lot of sense as a first contender for Priest, considering he lost at Takeover AND was KTFO in the triple-threat qualifying match for the NA title. That said, the match should be fairly good. It just seems like Thatcher is set up to take more Ls than he should be at this point.
If he wasn't doing anything with Kross, making Ciampa a heel was the move to make. He was an utterly fantastic heel before he had to get neck surgery. That's what ultimately forced him to turn. I like how it was emphatic and sadistic. Looking forward to seeing how devious he can get this time around.
Interesting to see Austin Theory back and back in NXT. I guess the allegations didn't stick in a serious way but enough to where he was sent back down for the time being. That guy has been tossed around so much in the last couple of months: getting a decent push in NXT, suddenly getting put on the Mania card with Andrade and Garza, then being a disciple for Rollins with Murphy, and now back in NXT.
Fairly substantial win for Shotzi. Mia also looked rather pissed off after the match. Could be a good mental note for whatever happens with her and a potential affiliation with a group down the road.
I think the CW title match took a bit longer than I anticipated to get going, possibly from the excitement of the announcement of the NXT title match next week. Be that as it may, it was quite good. They got going midway through and going home. The fact we saw one title change already kind of signaled that we weren't due for two but that's alright. Having a loaded mask was a pretty unique way to cheat your way to a win. Hopefully Scott isn't tossed away and has more for him after this push towards a title opportunity.
I feel like it was a treat to get a singles KOR match tonight. It felt kind of random at first glance, thinking Maverick was challenging anyone from UE but it made sense as they replayed the unexpected beatdown during Maverick's match two weeks ago. Kind of cool how Barrett put over UE over Nexus, too. Very interesting subtle teases that UE is ready to splinter even more or have a civil war of sorts. KOR got out of the way as Strong and Fish absorbed the dive from Maverick. He also looked perplexed while Strong and Fish continued the beatdown after the win and didn't put much of a line of support for them as Dain came in.
I think Rhea needed a few weeks but her new look is pretty sharp. She found a way to look more menacing. It was interesting seeing Raquel imposing her will quite a bit when she was in there with Rhea. There's definitely some potential there in seeing Raquel and Rhea battling it out. I know they're good friends so the chemistry should be quite strong when they actually square off in a proper way. There was a lot of storytelling that ultimately went down over the course of the match. Good on them to not ice the idea of Mercedes and Rhea have unfinished business. It is kind of interesting that Dakota was probably the least interesting person in the match. We could be seeing a slow shift where the upstart zooms past the veteran with Raquel and Dakota. Could be an interesting story to play out over time. I desperately want to see them with a women's tag title run though.
Very good episode last night.
Kross vacating the title started things right off with significance. I thought Dexter had shitty timing with his injury but you've really gotta feel for Kross here. The Iron Man fourway is a pretty exciting solution though I was a little disappointed it doesn't put any new faces into the mix. Should be a pretty interesting match next week and I'm not sure who I see winning (hopefully not Cole).
Tag Title match was solid enough and I geeked for Breezango getting the big winning and finally getting some gold. Only disappointing thing is Breeze having those damn cupping marks every week now but at least I haven't seen them on anyone else.
Heel turn for Ciampa is a good move and was well done. That DDT off the stretched looked like it wrecked Atlas' neck.
Damn, Mia and Shottzi BROUGHT IT. Intense, fast-paced, aggressive stuff. MOTN. Huge win for Shotzi which I am pleased to see.
CW Title match was good. I love watching Swerve, he's so quick and smooth and does stuff I've never seen before. Loaded mask was clever. Street Fight next week should be really fun.
Didn't really care about KOR vs. Maverick and I guess the only interesting part for me was that Dain swatted Drake post match but I suspect they're still going to pair up after a rocky start.
Rhea's new look is so dope. Tag match was fine for what it was. Big win for Raquel.
Barrett was very good in the booth and it sounds like he'll be back next week (?). Theory showing up was surprising but I can't say as I'm too excited.
Lots of heels in that fourway which is weird
My guess, in terms of likelihood of winning the main event next week (most likely to least likely):
Bálor, Ciampa, Gargano, Cole.
They're really going to be able to be creative with the match because these often get bogged down because it's just two people. With four, you're going to be able to get the action at a steady rate and there can be more decisions. On top of that, you've basically eliminated the cheap easy fall by eliminating DQs. Lots of interesting ripple effects at play, and these four are likely going to cook up a pretty creative elements.
Week 01: 1,179,000 viewers
Week 02: 1,006,000 viewers
Week 03: 891,000 viewers
Week 04: 790,000 viewers
Week 05: 714,000 viewers
Week 06: 698,000 viewers
Week 07: 580,000 viewers
Week 08: 813,000 viewers
Week 09: 750,000 viewers
Week 10: 916,000 (first week to beat AEW)
Week 11: 810,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 12: 845,000 viewers
Week 13: 778,000 viewers (tie)
Week 14: 795,000 viewers (win and win all the demos)
Week 15: 831,000 viewers (unopposed and Christmas Day)
Week 16: 548,000 viewers (review and awards show)
Week 17: 721,000 viewers (not in the top 50 for cable programming for the 18-49 demographic)
Week 18: 700,000 viewers
Week 19: 769,000 viewers
Week 20: 712,000 viewers
Week 21: 770,000 viewers
Week 22: 757,000 viewers
Week 23: 794,000 viewers
Week 24: 717,000 viewers
Week 25: 718,000 viewers
Week 26: 697,000 viewers
Week 27: 542,000 viewers
Week 28: 669,000 viewers
Week 29: 590,000 viewers
Week 30: 693,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 31: 692,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 32: 665,000 viewers
Week 33: 637,000 viewers
Week 34: 663,000 viewers
Week 35: 604,000 viewers
Week 36: 592,000 viewers
Week 37: 731,000 viewers
Week 38: 715,000 viewers
Week 39: 673,000 viewers (four thousand behind AEW)
Week 40: 746,000 viewers (26,000 behind)
Week 41: 786,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 42: 792,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 43: 759,000 viewers (higher than AEW)
Week 44: 631,000 viewers
Week 45: 615,000 viewers
Week 46: 707.000 viewers
Week 47: 753,000 viewers
Week 48: 619,000 viewers
Week 49: 853,000 viewers (No AEW show)
Week 50: 824,000 viewers (No AEW show)
Two Belts Breeze not forgetting the Left Right Left Right Championship!
All heels really. Ciampa was heel like after and Balor is between at the moment.
Ciampa would be the favorite but keeps getting hurt. It's a toss up at this point
But they did tease kross vs Cole a couple months ago
If we had the usual NXT crowd, they’d all be cheered anyway.
He's got three, but just doesn't recognize one of them lol
I think it's safe to say Balor's a face and has been for awhile now. He's been feuding exclusively with heels since the Walter feud kicked up.
He's just not squeaky clean like he was before he moved to NXT. He's also getting a lot more promo time in NXT.
He's an actual face with a *gasp* edge to him rather than the smiling dope he was before he came back.
So you weren't a fan of "Mr Inclusion" Finn Balor?
I'm always a Balor fan. That aspect was nice, Balor Club for Everyone, Pride flag, hell yeah I am down with all that but outside of that, he was just smiling "extraordinary" Apollo Crews-esque, generic babyface. No reason he couldn't have had that and this current edge at the same time.
Loved Barrett on commentary. Really got a kick out of the way he's still subtly a heel and he did a fantastic job at putting over the talent. Like a really fantastic job.
Would love to hear Barrett and Mauro together, with Beth too. What's the status on Mauro at the moment?
I do love me some NXT still.
He was quite good, for sure. I miss McGuinness though. It's still kind of troubling that he hasn't come back around because I think he lives in the states. Maybe that means he's strictly slated to be the NXT UK commentator...or he's done. Part of me liked the concept of Wednesday's broadcast team in the sense that this still has the stigma at times of being the developmental brand and the commentary table could fit under the same parameters.
The only thing coming out with Mauro is that there's a family emergency.
I thought I read awhile back that Nigel was released.
Last I heard was he was furloughed
Still the case as far as I know.
I didn't think he was fully let go like Lance Storm had been
I believe kd's statement is reportedly the factual situation.
I was just making a hunch that he hasn't been back on NXT while living stateside because they want to make him the UK broadcaster once they restarted. If the travel ban hasn't really been relaxed, then that might make it troublesome for his eventual job status.
Meltzer's Takeover Ratings:
Breezango versus Wilde/Mendoza versus Lorcan/Burch: 3.0
Bálor versus Thatcher: 4.0
Priest versus Reed versus Gargano versus Grimes versus Dream: 4.5
Cole versus McAfee: 3.75
Io versus Dakota: 3.75
Kross versus Lee: 2.0
Dang. Mauro and WWE parting ways.
Darn, he'll be missed. Again.
I wonder if AEW will bring him in to replace Excalibur.
Suspect Barrett is going to be replacing Mauro then as word is he's likely signing a full time deal for commentary. Mauro will be missed, his passion is undeniable and irreplaceable.
fuck, i hope not.
Excalibur was supposedly going to be back on the 26th episode and wasn't.
I'm guessing that means he won't be on this Dynamite either since I think they were doing two weeks at a time.
When you look into the drama surrounding him it's totally stupid and I'd love to have Excalibur back but Mauro would be better than listening to JR ramble and talk shit on their product.
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