I'm just going to say this. mth can get a pass but when VHS and Caito of all people on this board are trying to act morally righteous....well...I guess everyone can TRY to be a comedian these days lol. One's a try hard and the other is a Trumper. Get over yourselves.
Yes, I supported Trump. I still have the ability to see when comments or posts made are bullshit. Yours were.
I know you like to think your the big swinging dick of the forums, were ppl just took their tails and runs when you come to debate/argue with them…… but you’re not anything special around here. Just like pretty much all of us.
So maybe take your own advice, and get over yourself.
Yes, I supported Trump. I still have the ability to see when comments or posts made are bullshit. Yours were.
I know you like to think your the big swinging dick of the forums, were ppl just took their tails and runs when you come to debate/argue with them…… but you’re not anything special around here. Just like pretty much all of us.
So maybe take your own advice, and get over yourself.
So the question of my morality is basically whom I choose to support politically, that the basis of what you’re saying?
What I'm saying is what does any of this commentary from you and VHS have to do with NXT? As a mod, you should know where the appropriate threads are for derailment.
And yes, 1000000% your morality is in question if you're supporting Donald Trump of all people, especially when in THIS discussion. Grab 'em by the pussy, right?? But please, continue to talk about how absurd my comments about Triple H, Andrade, and Carmella have been lol.
Samoa Joe Promo
Joe was pretty fantastic with his promo. His delivery is just so pristine and he can be extremely intimidating. William Regal trying to rationalize the actions of last week via semantics didn't make anyone look that good but at least they tried to navigate the tricky situation. I had mixed feelings on addressing the larger elephant in the room. Joe had a subtle way connecting Karrion Kross' volatility by showing up on Raw but not commenting on what actually happened there made it hollow.
Bobby Fish & KUSHIDA vs. Roderick Strong & Tyler Rust
Unexpected start to see the faces jump the heels but that was a good touch to speak on the urgency they had to confront the thorns in their collective side. The match got solid amount of time and was really good as all four guys are solid but it was just lacking more story/substance. Strong is just so incredibly fluid in the ring. His ability to keep his wind and transition into anything rather easily is ridiculously impressive. Rust tapping out (with a great Bivens keeps things open for Strong to go after KUSHIDA if they want.
We'll see how Takeover holds up during Summerslam weekend, this time being the closing event of a big-four weekend.
Franky Monet vs. Jacy Jayne
More or less, this was another squash match for Franky and she continues to carry herself extremely well as she's getting acclimated to NXT. Robert Stone and Jessi Kamea came out to support Franky, which works for me. Would be pretty surprising if Mandy Rose's continued interest amounted to her teaming up with this group. Will be interesting to see how the eventual match between Franky and Mandy plays out.
Have to imagine the ratings are going to fall rather notably over the next two weeks due to moving because of the Olympics.
No real problems with the quick taped interview between Wade Barrett and Bronson Reed, setting up the match next week for Reed against Adam Cole.
Kyle O'Reilly vs. Austin Theory
KOR resumed acting like Cool Kyle during his back and forth with Theory, which came off as meh. Theory got himself a new theme. It wasn't that impressive but the series of events (the promo before, the new theme, commentary, and random dark matches) seem to suggest his time on NXT or with The Way could be winding down. Either scenario, based on his age, is quite intriguing. The upside is obviously sky high, and he continues to shine and hold his own against tip-top competition. In contrast, KOR might be in some serious trouble. The character hasn't found traction and he was 50/50 in the eyes of the audience when compared to probably the third-most over person in a comedy faction. The story seemed to be that KOR was pushed to his limit and had to dig deeper and darker to secure the win. That happened when Theory attempted to use the stairs. That would be a heck of a callback if that meant it triggered KOR when Cole hit a brainbuster on him. Circling back, the angst and dissension within The Way afterward doubled down on the idea that Theory might be breaking off.
Legado Del Fantasma's Mariachi Madness Musical
This appeared to be an attempt to mock Hit Row's cypher, but it didn't get started because Santos Escobar thought it would be embarrassing because Hit Row was embarrassing. Definitely appreciate the fact Swerve Scott called back to the history he had with Escobar. Seems like Hit Row can float between being faces, heels, and tweeners depending on who they are interacting with. Either way, this act isn't losing steam at all and these two acts mesh very well together.
Odyssey Jones vs. Andre Chase: First-round NXT Breakout Tournament Match Little bit of 'Bravado' from Chase...Fans were definitely all in on Jones from the second he emerged. Crazy to think he's had less than 10 matches and he's already got a presence. He's green as hell but he's got a frame and skill set that easily will be tantalizing for creative.
McKenzie Mitchell chatted with MSK and they said they're ready to take on all challengers. The setup for Imperium interrupting them and spoiling the reveal of what MSK stands for was corny, but I'm in on seeing them square off.
Pete Dunne cut a quick promo, thanking Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher for finally stepping up to Dunne. Should be a fun tag match next week, if it actually happens and just doesn't dissolve into a brawl.
LA Knight w/ Cameron Grimes vs. Drake Maverick
No harm in seeing Knight lose here as it was due to Knight being distracted with Grimes. They weren't going to keep the story moving well if it was based entirely on comedy so the change in direction was welcomed, seeing Knight break Grimes down a bit and getting him to eventually deck Maverick. Unless Grymes lays it on thick and starts liking that, it'll just set up well that the crowd will keep begging Grimes to see the light and break off from Knight. Could sync up well with Takeover.
Raquel Gonzalez (c) vs. Xia Li: NXT Women's Championship
While things have been rushed to get to this match, I do like how NXT features a different division each week for their main events. The height disparity was massive, to say the least. Pretty wild that this is the closest we usually will get to a homegrown vs homegrown match headlining NXT. The match was tricky to read for a lot of reasons and then it was awkward due to Raquel flattening Xia with that splash from the top. She's either got the wynd knocked out of her or something else was wrong. They regrouped and went right to a finish. Unfortunate dud, and hopefully Xia ys okay.
Really good bit at the end with Joe storming out. Definitely raised the stakes with Kross takyng Regal out. There's 'fortunate blood' in wrestling and they got fortunate weather as lighting was off in the distance as Kross got into his car and zoomed off lol. Still curious to see how they plan to weave Kross between both shows, and particularly looking very different between the shows. While there were holes here, this still has some potential.
Didn't write my review last night because this was a pretty underwhelming episode.
The stuff with Joe/Kross was decent but a bit by the numbers. When they showed Kross had laid out Regal it was on the tron and I couldn't even tell it was Regal until they showed Joe run out there. Seems quite likely Joe's going to take the title off Kross so he can be on RAW.
I like Kushida but I'm still trying to warm up to Fish and I've been pretty clear on my apathy toward Diamond Mine so the tag match didn't do much of anything for me. Surprised to see the faces win a bit since I figured they were trying to establish the stable.
I like Franky but another squash didn't do a lot for me and while Jessi and Stone were out there, there wasn't really much in the way of development.
Man, KOR should really turn heel and maybe he's going to? He came across like a real asshole during the prematch confrontation with Theory and while the "getting darker"/aggressive stuff was probably more just for the match with Cole, it did have tinges of heelishness here and there (refusing to release the hold for example). I think it'd really help if he turned 'cuz this babyface solo run isn't really working (crowd seemed to agree). Definitely seemed like Theory might've left The Way during their little backstage bit and with the dark matches and rumored call up. "If he wants to kiss Dexter, let him kiss Dexter," was hilarious but all I got of InDex this week and no Dexter appearance whatsoever...big boo to that.
Legado/Hit Row stuff was good. I can see why Cena's raps were always in slo-mo though 'cuz it seemed like the crowd wasn't really following when Top Dolla was dropping bars. Is there a giant Latino dude in developmental that Legado can enlist to even things up against Hit Row/Top Dolla?
Chase looks like an absolute goober. Jones seems like he has oodles of potential. Match was a bit sloppy at points but crowd seemed to dig Jones and he got the win which I am happy about.
So McKenzie could just tell everyone what MSK said at any time now, right? Like, we didnt' ehar their answer but she was there so...spill the beans, Mac. I do like that they finally addressed that.
The stuff with Knight/Grimes/Maverick was all well and good but I was thinking to myself, "Why does he have to punch him?" Yes, he's his butler but what's Knight going to do if he just didn't do it? Fire him? Take him to court? Just don't do it and punch Knight instead. They never established terms of a contract so there are no known consequences if Grimes doesn't do his duties. Regardless, the angle's still working, I'm just overthinking it perhaps.
Holy shit did the main event disappoint. No Boa, no Mai Ying, so nothing doing with either of them getting involved. Then the match just gets going and there's the injury/medical check and then boom, it's over. Curious if that was a legit injury (broken ribs?) 'cuz it kind of felt like maybe they just flipped the script on Xia after what happened with Martinez. Where's @VHS demanding Raquel be fired? Either way, this match was a dud and I was very hyped going into it.
Why have you summoned me? No just kidding, but what's up?
Xia's injury is unfortunate, but I'm going to hold on tight to this one because I think there's a difference between the two scenarios if you hear me out. In the case of Martinez being knocked out, Xia was a little careless in performing a simple kick. In the case of Xia getting hurt yesterday, we had Raquel coming down on her from the top rope. Xia knew it was coming and she didn't do enough to protect herself from Raquel who did nothing wrong. Not trying to be the arbiter of Xia hate, but I just think she's way too green to be out there. In the span of 2 weeks she hurts someone else and then she gets hurt, one instance she boffs someone out cold and the other she doesn't tight up to protect herself.
I know I'm coming down harsh on her, but I welcome the discussion about it.
I do hope she's ok though, that's the last thing anybody wants to see.
It looked like one of two things: A great sell or she got the wind knocked out of her. The splash is a 2-way street. You land a certain way and your opponent braces themselves for impact. It's the reason why Rikishi didn't kill Val Venis. I think both of them are still pretty green it just stands out because Li KO'd Mercedes. It happens. Seth Rollins smashed Cena's nose and about paralyzed Sting on ppv within 2 months of each other and he's by far one of the best wrestlers today, even back then.
I'm a big Xia Li fan, but this is why NXT is good and bad. Her lack of consistently being in the ring and not really working with the top tier in NXT makes her look even worse than I think she truly is. It's not like anyone is expect Raquel to carry her she's just as green. It's like watching Leviathan v. John Cena.