The NXT Thread

[mth]

Knight vs. Waller was alright but not overly memorable. Seems to me they aren't done and with Knight yelling about being the "last man standing" it seems like there's a potential stipulation blow off coming at S&D, I reckon.

Briggs/Jenson in ring and that bad manyl promo awhile back really had nothing going for them in my eyes but I'll be damned if this dating shit isn't endearing them to me more. It's been pretty entertaining. Not sure if Kayden's phased out of it so my previous suspicions are out the window now, though.

Was surprised Legend was in the ring for the bulk of the albeit brief Dusty Cup match, figured Miller would do the heavy lifting for their team. Pretty much an unsurprising squash win for Io and KLR.

Welp, so much for Chen getting much retribution. Wasn't too invested in his angle anyway, much more intrigued by the stuff with Perisa and InDex and whatnot.

Couple of big bungles between Trick and Grimes but outside of those I really enjoyed their bout. Seems like Grimes isn't totally out of the NA title picture yet. Wouldn't mind if they got a few contenders going and went the ladder match route at S&D.

Nikkita Lyons is EVERYTHING. EVERY. THING.

KCs vs. Ivy/Paxton played out exactly as I expected/predicted. Looking at my previous post I guess I didn't spell it out in full but was legit thinking beat-for-beat what went down tonight. Ivy vs. Nikkita when?

Ciampa vs. Ziggler was damn good stuff. Not mad about Ziggy getting the win and sticking around as I was wondering if this was going to just be like AJ where it's a couple weeks of build and one match and you're done. Nice to see it's going to be more than that.

[Tyrone]

Sikoa is a bad man. Really looking forward to he and Gunther going at it.

Awesome show last night. Most everything seemed to flow pretty good. Lyons looked great in debut, like 2.0 I'll have to wait to see more of her work. Pretty solid start.

A lot more going right for the brand than wrong currently. Feels like watching a TV series develop, product slowly coming together.

The Breakker-Ciampa tandem being a thing makes me happy. Hope there's no turn by Ciampa at some point, there really doesn't need to be.

[mth]

Sikoa is a bad man. Really looking forward to he and Gunther going at it.

Awesome show last night. Most everything seemed to flow pretty good. Lyons looked great in debut, like 2.0 I'll have to wait to see more of her work. Pretty solid start.

A lot more going right for the brand than wrong currently. Feels like watching a TV series develop, product slowly coming together.

The Breakker-Ciampa tandem being a thing makes me happy. Hope there's no turn by Ciampa at some point, there really doesn't need to be.

Was going to put something like that in my post. Things feel like they're clicking more often than they're not. I've mentioned how NXT feels like Attitude Era WWE in the edgy/TV-14 sense but i think it also does in the sense of just about everybody has something going on and a character which is what a lot of folks have said is lacking in the overall WWE product. Also, unlike the main roster, it's not rematch after rematch and the same people "feuding" by wrestling five times in various combinations before they have a blow off you don't really care about because they already wrestled a bunch.

[Tyrone]

Was going to put something like that in my post. Things feel like they're clicking more often than they're not. I've mentioned how NXT feels like Attitude Era WWE in the edgy/TV-14 sense but i think it also does in the sense of just about everybody has something going on and a character which is what a lot of folks have said is lacking in the overall WWE product. Also, unlike the main roster, it's not rematch after rematch and the same people "feuding" by wrestling five times in various combinations before they have a blow off you don't really care about because they already wrestled a bunch.

Popping in for NXT, if I only browsed spoilers, looked at Twitter or having not seen a show I'd really feel like I'm clueless what's going on as far as character development. That's why I was ready to give it a try from the start. Reading spoilers wouldn't really do the show justice. They've really singled out the standout performers of the new crop and haven't forgotten the vets who have been around. I'd say a few (Sikoa, Waller and Breakker) shouldn't need a lot of time in Orlando to be ready for a permanent stay on the main roster. As bored as I (and I think you, too) have been with Wagner I find the pairing with Stone to be the right move. The use of managers in NXT has been a high point for me the last few months. Bivens, Stone, Elektra Lopez. They all have a purpose for being there.

[BGMaverick]

Nice synergy with Ciampa wearing a singlet like Breakker. Tag match was fine but not sure how it really helps move things along with Ciampa pinning Ziggler. I mean, I understand we’re getting the triple threat but it doesn’t feel like we really need that.

Wild that Knight and Waller have been going at it off and on since October. The promo stuff was fine, but we’ve been off and on since October with this so it’s time to finish it up next week lol.

Prime Target got 2.0’ed with the Tag Title program and it wasn’t bad. Not as sharp as the original ideal of those hype videos but it was good. Watching Imperium from a few years ago and now, they’ve really stepped up with more confidence on the mic and refined their chops in the ring. The feeling leans that we could see a title change. The Creeds are rolling.

Lash doesn’t really look ready for TV. Apparently Amari got stretchered after the match. Might not have been a soft landing on that finish. Not good. I get the idea of building to Lash and Nikkita but I have a feeling that’s going to do more harm than good for the two ladies.

GUNTHER/Sikoa was pretty good. I was digging Sikoa firing up and trying to ride through the storm as he was taking attacks. I would’ve just had Sikoa pass out to the sleeper rather than just getting pinned. Sikoa is going to be a good one. GUNTHER is getting heated up and could easily be a big problem for Breakker in the summer.

Women’s Dusty matches were fine. The right teams won. I’d actually like to see Wendy and Dakota move on to the Finals but that may be a bit of wishful thinking.

I like what they did with advancing the female story within Diamond Mine and the setup for Tiffany and Sarray.

Not much to say about Harland channeling old-school Bayley by hugging those he defeats, and Wagner. Wagner apparently has eye candy longingly looking at him in the crowd. Okay?

Hayes/Dunne delivered the goods, as expected. I would watch more of those two going at it. With Hayes going through Scott, Gargano, Strong, Grimes, and Dunne, they’ve really done a lot to really establish him. I think he’s elevated himself along the way and is a star in the making. Now, I’m not sure where he goes next. There’s not a lot there in the mid card and he might have to elevate someone after Stand & Deliver.

[mth]

Opening tag match was pretty good. Ciampa in the singlet was fun. A triple threat is ok with me. Doesn't really feel like Ziggler's been on top enough going into it, though, so the threat of him winning doesn't really seem to be there.

LMS standing stip was obvious after last week, as I said then and I'm down. Promo segment was a bit long winded and just recapping the whole damn feud which could've just been done in a video package but whatever. Loved Knight doing the old Attitude Era standard "Sorry I can't hear you 'cuz you've got all these people calling you an asshole". I assume Waller wins next week and Knight goes up to the main roster.

Lash/Miller looked better than i was expecting given Lash's reputation but after reading what BG just posted and seeing that finish, yeeeaah, maybe just keep her as a personality/talker and not an in-ring performer? And I also echo that I don't think a program with Lyons is going to be a good move for either of them. Lyons' mic work is pretty rough and Lash's ring work is pretty rough and it just seems like a recipe for trouble.

Guther/Sakoa was good. Wish the idiot fans would drop the Walter chants. Reckon Gunther's gonna be in the NXT title scene soon.

Was pretty surprised Dakota/Wendy won their match and very pleased about it. Was equally surprised that Persia took the fall. I was not, however, surprised by Raquel/Cora's win though I was surprised by Valentina/Yulisa absolutely bringing it. They've only popped up as a team a couple times but they've done well to get my support.

Probably the best Harland match so far 'cuz he actually did some damn moves. Will be interesting to see it Draco joins up, would be fun if they got a bit of a cult going.

I was going to skip Chase/Wagner but then I didn't. It was fine enough I suppose.

Main event was really good, as expected. And hey, "Wouldn't mind if they got a few contenders going and went the ladder match route at S&D," I said last week and whaddaya know, here we are. I'd be ok with Hayes losing the title there and moving on to the NXT Title scene.

[mth]

Amari Miller got a concussion .

[VHS]

Caught the match and yeah, oof. Hate to see it, especially when it's caused by someone so inexperienced. Stuff like this is totally avoidable.

[BuffyRocks]

Have to pop in here with rational people.

Posters over at another site I frequent are claiming with no factual evidence that Amari's concussion came from her moonsault... that just seems extremely unlikely.

The mental gymnastics some people are doing to protect Lash is gold medal worthy. Someone literally said since NXT is back to being developmental, the women shouldn't strive to be like Bayley vs Sasha because "that's not attainable..." because it is... developmental... Like WTF.

Lash Legend has a great amount of potential for someone so young and so green, but the hyperbole surrounding her in-ring skills (people at this site thought her first match was the best rookie match anyone has ever had) is actually offensive lol.

OK, back to my cave until springtime.

[Nash Diesel]

Caught the match and yeah, oof. Hate to see it, especially when it's caused by someone so inexperienced. Stuff like this is totally avoidable.

Yes because concussions rarely happen in combat sports especially pro wrestling. Easily avoidable because you've spent so much time in the business taking bumps right?

They're also both inexperienced, what do you think NXT is? Even then, this is pro wrestling. Concussions happen all the time.

[Nash Diesel]

Have to pop in here with rational people.

Posters over at another site I frequent are claiming with no factual evidence that Amari's concussion came from her moonsault... that just seems extremely unlikely.

The mental gymnastics some people are doing to protect Lash is gold medal worthy. Someone literally said since NXT is back to being developmental, the women shouldn't strive to be like Bayley vs Sasha because "that's not attainable..." because it is... developmental... Like WTF.

Lash Legend has a great amount of potential for someone so young and so green, but the hyperbole surrounding her in-ring skills (people at this site thought her first match was the best rookie match anyone has ever had) is actually offensive lol.

OK, back to my cave until springtime.

No mental gymnastics from me (I know it wasn't directed toward me) but the reality is this is a physical sport and concussions happen all the time to every level of talent from Undertaker to Alexa Bliss to rookies.

[VHS]

Yes because concussions rarely happen in combat sports especially pro wrestling. Easily avoidable because you've spent so much time in the business taking bumps right?

They're also both inexperienced, what do you think NXT is? Even then, this is pro wrestling. Concussions happen all the time.

it just sucks to see it.

[Nash Diesel]

it just sucks to see it.

Of course it does but trying to imply like this was some avoidable issue is ignorant. It's like calling someone a bad driver for hitting black ice and getting into an accident.

[VHS]

It was avoidable.

[Bert]

Yeah, don't do moves you don't know how to do.

[Sasori]

GUNTHER/Sikoa was pretty good. I was digging Sikoa firing up and trying to ride through the storm as he was taking attacks. I would’ve just had Sikoa pass out to the sleeper rather than just getting pinned. Sikoa is going to be a good one. GUNTHER is getting heated up and could easily be a big problem for Breakker in the summer.

Yup. Gunther took the majority of the match and then just pinned him. Feels too early to beat Sikoa, but I want to see more of him.

[Nash Diesel]

It was avoidable.

Yes she shouldn't have shown up to wrestle. Might as well stop watching wrestling VHS.

Yeah, don't do moves you don't know how to do.

Is that what you told Brock Lesnar at Mania 19 and 30?

[Nash Diesel]

Yup. Gunther took the majority of the match and then just pinned him. Feels too early to beat Sikoa, but I want to see more of him.

Why?

[VHS]

Yes she shouldn't have shown up to wrestle. Might as well stop watching wrestling VHS.

Is that what you told Brock Lesnar at Mania 19 and 30?

I'm talking about this particular injury, not wrestling in general. Focus, bro, if you can. Zoom in.

[Nash Diesel]

I'm talking about this particular injury, not wrestling in general. Focus, bro, if you can. Zoom in.

I'm aware of what you're talking about. Focus on what I'm telling you. If you expect something like this to be avoidable, regardless if they're green or not, you might as well stop watching. This wasn't a matter of someone being green it's a matter of it being an accident. No different than many other concussions. Did Brock Lesnar intentionally hurt Undertaker at Mania 30? Dial it back. Be kind. Rewind.

[Donald]

What a good movie.

[Horatio]

Yes she shouldn't have shown up to wrestle. Might as well stop watching wrestling VHS.

I read that as "might as well stop watching wrestling ON vhs" and I was like, Oh no, he went there...

[VHS]

I'm aware of what you're talking about. Focus on what I'm telling you. If you expect something like this to be avoidable, regardless if they're green or not, you might as well stop watching. This wasn't a matter of someone being green it's a matter of it being an accident. No different than many other concussions. Did Brock Lesnar intentionally hurt Undertaker at Mania 30? Dial it back. Be kind. Rewind.

I am focused on what you're telling me, but you tend to stray to generalities when something specific is being discussed.

It was a matter of it being an accident because they were green which is why the whole thing could have been avoided.

[VHS]

I read that as "might as well stop watching wrestling ON vhs" and I was like, Oh no, he went there...

Please please please don't ever do that though.

[Horatio]

Yeah, green people used to get their legs broken until they were allowed to ripen. Now, they just hurt others. Makes no sense.

[Badger]

Wrong thread.

[Donald]

I'm a big fan of Cora Jade and Bron Breakker. I think they are the future of their divisions. I hope we see Bron on the main roster by the end of the year, and Cora could use a couple more years in NXT. Exciting stuff.

[mth]

Was very surprised Kai/Choo won their match. Was thinking for sure that Cora/Raquel were going to the finals if not winning the whole damn thing so that was quick a (great) shock.

Stratton/Henley wasn't much but it furthered Startton/Sarray and was a nice "upset" for Henley. It's nice their also establishing relationships between characters like Henley's friendship with Briggs/Jenson as it allows you to have more dynamics to wowkr with and reasons to care.

Lashing Out was brief but effective. Lyons didn't come off as wooden as I feared. Still concerned if'when they have a match, though.

LMS match had a few good big spots. Finishing elbow drop in particular was a worthy "holy shit" moment. Sanga is fucking useless, eh?

Have to admit I was really disappointed Io/KLR won their match. I mean, I had a feeling they would (anf they're probably winning the whole thing I'm pretty certain) but I really think the KCs deserved it. They absolutely out shined Io and KLR in this match. They are the best real team going, the crowd's into them, they've been busting their asses for a couple years now, they're due. Ah well.

Welp, the boos for MSK were back in full force tonight thanks to them basically walking into an unearned title shot over a team that rapidly becoming a fan favorite. Match itself was pretty decent but the anti-MSK situation kind of threw off the vibes but the crowd got their happy on when the Creeds showed up to wreck shit.

Main event delivered pretty damn well outside of that one bit where I think Bron was going for a spear and completely whiffed. Dolph winning absolutely knocked my socks off. I was sure this was just another trial by fire for Bron before he moved on to his big Mania defense and they swerved the hell out of me. 'Bout time a Roadblock actually impacted things. Nicely done.

[BuffyRocks]

Was very surprised Kai/Choo won their match. Was thinking for sure that Cora/Raquel were going to the finals if not winning the whole damn thing so that was quick a (great) shock.

Stratton/Henley wasn't much but it furthered Startton/Sarray and was a nice "upset" for Henley. It's nice their also establishing relationships between characters like Henley's friendship with Briggs/Jenson as it allows you to have more dynamics to wowkr with and reasons to care.

Lashing Out was brief but effective. Lyons didn't come off as wooden as I feared. Still concerned if'when they have a match, though.

LMS match had a few good big spots. Finishing elbow drop in particular was a worthy "holy shit" moment. Sanga is fucking useless, eh?

Have to admit I was really disappointed Io/KLR won their match. I mean, I had a feeling they would (anf they're probably winning the whole thing I'm pretty certain) but I really think the KCs deserved it. They absolutely out shined Io and KLR in this match. They are the best real team going, the crowd's into them, they've been busting their asses for a couple years now, they're due. Ah well.

Welp, the boos for MSK were back in full force tonight thanks to them basically walking into an unearned title shot over a team that rapidly becoming a fan favorite. Match itself was pretty decent but the anti-MSK situation kind of threw off the vibes but the crowd got their happy on when the Creeds showed up to wreck shit.

Main event delivered pretty damn well outside of that one bit where I think Bron was going for a spear and completely whiffed. Dolph winning absolutely knocked my socks off. I was sure this was just another trial by fire for Bron before he moved on to his big Mania defense and they swerved the hell out of me. 'Bout time a Roadblock actually impacted things. Nicely done.

Perfectly said, and you weren't the only one disappointed. The crowd was HOT for the KCs, especially Kacy, and the air was kind of sucked out of the room once Io and KLR won. At this point, if they aren't going to let the KCs have a real shot with the titles, maybe moving them to the main roster after WM would be a good move? Let them go after the tag titles on SD/Raw.

[Donald]

Doesn't look good when the world champion loses to a jobber.

[Tyson]

Unless Bron is moving to SmackDown this Friday or RAW next Monday, I really don’t understand him doing the job to a glorified tag specialist.

I haven’t watched any of his NXT stuff. Can he work? It’s not like he’ll have the power/size advantage, he’s actually pretty small comparatively speaking…

[Badger]

I think they have intentions of moving Bron and or Ciampa moving up while dropping Ziggler dropping down to help. Along with Dirty Dawgs losing tag matches in the build-up so tbh wasn’t entirely surprised by the result.

More annoyed the Creeds didn’t get their shot with the dreaded parking lot excuse but probably a build to a triple threat tag so again not entirely surprised there either. Creed straight up messing up Imperium would’ve also been great but again not surprised at the 33 1/3 booking.

As for the women’s Dusty finals, they kinda have a thing in these tournaments for pushing oddball teams that don’t get along but will win (eg Thatcher/Riddle). I do hope Choo/Dakota do this though as little/no interest in KLR/Shirai being successful. KLR/Shirai falling apart at the seems at the final could make for an interesting split-off plus Cora’s likely going to go after Mandy so while booking may seem odd at first I can see what they might be trying so gonna wait and see there.

On an unrelated note, has @BGMaverick taken a holiday reviewing this week? Seems strange not waking up to his thread reviews!

Guy does deserve a break though x

[BGMaverick]

Not surprised Raquel and Cora lost. Toxic Attraction is a problem for them and WWE loves oddball pairings so that worked in the favor of Wendy and Dakota. I think we’re still buying time until Raquel moves on.

I won’t take bets on this match between Fallon & Tiffany eventually turning into the first chapter of a great documentary chronicling their intertwined careers, but they had a decent match together. Fallon’s got something and Tiffany has gotten better since her first showing. Jenson’s comedic delivery and timing is good, but I don’t think that’s going to bode well for him as a wrestler.

Hayes doesn’t seem smart making a ladder match to defend his championship but he’s got swagger to believe that doesn’t matter.

No change to my thoughts between Lash and Nikkita.

Good table spot for Waller. He still needs a little more air for that between the legs motion to click with more flair. It looks much better in slow mo than real time, IMO. I don’t really need this to continue to Stand and Deliver but oh well. The thing that stands out though, the more Waller stands tall and climbs, that does actually make me think Gargano’s chances to return go up. Continued assumptions that Sanga is one of the worst big men in WWE history from a booking perspective.

You need a gun in the NXT parking lot and that might not even matter. The mystery attacker angle is tried and true, so we’ll see what comes of it. This just seemed like a weird means to get us to a triple threat at the PLE. They’re three diverse teams in terms of styles so it’ll be fun. The Creeds get that return pop and presumed shine up into babyface status is surprising but it’s clicking.

No real problem with Ziggler winning. You’ve got Breakker in the better spot of chasing and that’ll get to play out on Raw and NXT. Works for his exposure and development. Also, if Breakker retained, Ziggler’s involvement was essentially for nothing. Pay it off and create a spark that plans to Mania weekend aren’t always as clear as they appear.

On an unrelated note, has @BGMaverick taken a holiday reviewing this week? Seems strange not waking up to his thread reviews!

Guy does deserve a break though x

Been a busy week, but caught up today. Thanks.

[Badger]

That’s okay I did wonder. If I didn’t say BGMaverick three times while looking at the mirror before I posted that, I might’ve been worried then!

[Nash Diesel]

I somehow escaped the results for NXT and watched it last night. My jaw dropped when Dolph won. I'm not even negative to it, but I was not expecting it. This was one of those good shocking results. You don't know where it's going, it's on a guy who is great at everything....I imagine Dolph loses at Stand and Deliver, Bron gets a Mania-ish moment.

It sure does put a fist up Meltzer and others who thought NXT was just going to be a bunch of greenhorns.

[Tyrone]

I actually checked out before the main event assuming Breakker was just going to destroy them both. That's actually a great swerve to go with Ziggler. He and Roode felt like they got stale on the main roster and really served no purpose other than expecting them to lose.

[VHS]

I clock out for several days and Ziggler is NXT champ?? I kinda like that.

[mth]

Past couple days I was thinking about how when a lot of NXT folks get called up to RAW/SD, they act like NXT doesn't exist and they get a new name and/or gimmick, and that it'd be pretty funny if they did the same thing when RAW/SD guys like Styles and Ziggler come down. Re-imagining when we're like, "Oh cool, Styles is going to have a run in NXT!" but instead they're like, "This newcomer is Bustopher Jones, he's an avid fly fisherman looking for his biggest catch yet: NXT gold!" or that Dolph Ziggler's championship coronation next week also involves a rechristening where he finally embraces his true self, shaves his head, dyes his beard black, and becomes a vampire.

[VHS]

I'm digging this idea.

[Kdestiny]

Past couple days I was thinking about how when a lot of NXT folks get called up to RAW/SD, they act like NXT doesn't exist and they get a new name and/or gimmick, and that it'd be pretty funny if they did the same thing when RAW/SD guys like Styles and Ziggler come down. Re-imagining when we're like, "Oh cool, Styles is going to have a run in NXT!" but instead they're like, "This newcomer is Bustopher Jones, he's an avid fly fisherman looking for his biggest catch yet: NXT gold!" or that Dolph Ziggler's championship coronation next week also involves a rechristening where he finally embraces his true self, shaves his head, dyes his beard black, and becomes a vampire.

Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones. In fact, he's remarkably fat.

[Donald]

I heard Pete Dunne's name was changed because of Kevin Dunn.

[Nash Diesel]

Past couple days I was thinking about how when a lot of NXT folks get called up to RAW/SD, they act like NXT doesn't exist and they get a new name and/or gimmick, and that it'd be pretty funny if they did the same thing when RAW/SD guys like Styles and Ziggler come down. Re-imagining when we're like, "Oh cool, Styles is going to have a run in NXT!" but instead they're like, "This newcomer is Bustopher Jones, he's an avid fly fisherman looking for his biggest catch yet: NXT gold!" or that Dolph Ziggler's championship coronation next week also involves a rechristening where he finally embraces his true self, shaves his head, dyes his beard black, and becomes a vampire.

Well look at Mercedes Martinez. When she returned from her 2 day stint in Retribution she was back to Mercedes Martinez. Dolph should've returned as Nick Nemeth.

I heard Pete Dunne's name was changed because of Kevin Dunn.

lol

[BGMaverick]

For all of those cameras being on site at the CWC, we really shouldn’t have mystery angles anymore. I like that they spice up the presentation to present what’s going on when the main show isn’t happening, but that certainly was a plot hole that comes around when you do that. The other big takeaway is that despite him coming up short a lot, LA Knight is over like rover. I feel like his promo with GUNTHER was a bit pointed in terms of what GUNTHER needs to work on in the eyes of the people in the back.

Why were those championships just hanging around for Cora to pick up? Clearly they want Cora to be a prominent figure or even the champion by the time Stand and Deliver comes around. I’m not sure if she’s ready for that. Man, Gigi and Jayce looked really stupid throughout the night. Mandy saved the group by being smart haha.

Nice tributes to the Bad Guy by Hayes and Williams. Escobar and Grimes had a good one. Not surprised Escobar won but surprised we won’t see both of them in the ladder match. I guess they don’t want to spam the match with Black & Gold guys. Really fun surprise to see The Mysterios show up and meet up with LDF. Good tension built with Escobar and The Mysterios. I guess it’s up to us to decide why they were randomly at NXT, so I guess they just followed The Miz?

They teased A-Kid’s debut last week and then gave him a jobber entrance? That doesn’t correlate. He had a good match and delivered well against KUSHIDA, who had clearly fallen off and is into the wilderness with Jacket Time. I liked A-Kid in NXT UK but would’ve rather had Tyler Bate over here by now (especially with Dunne gone) but oh well. Curious to see how A-Kid fits in 2.0.

Good fire by Tiffany but she got a little off with her timing and was a bit sloppier because of that. Imagine it’ll be another S&D match.

Solid promo by Ciampa. Kind of surprised to see D’Angelo be the next opponent. That’s going to be an interesting match. The teasing of Ciampa being done with NXT after S&D is intriguing. Also, someone must’ve rewatched The Godfather this week.

Unique spin to have Indi and Persia come out together for their match against each other. The crowd really didn’t seem to be interested in the match until Lumis came out.

Pretty fun match between the younger Mysterio and Mendoza. Color me uninterested in the six-person tag they suggested, but sign me the hell up for Escobar and the patriarch. Not a surprise, but Dominic fits really well in NXT, any incarnation.

At least Imperium tried to explain why they put themselves in a tough spot with the triple threat match. 2.0 try harding to get MSK cheered with the nWo shirts. Lol.

Main event was fine. Ziggler just winning with a superkick is wild haha. Breakker/Ziggler should be good.

[Sasori]

The more I see of Stratton's corkscrew vader bomb, the more it makes me nervous. She came right down on Sarray's legs which didn't look good. I don't know if it's difficult to control once Tiffany goes into the spin so it's something to watch out for.

Rose vs Jade at Stand and Deliver seemed came out of nowhere. I would think they'd want a stronger opponent for Mandy's at what's essentially NXT's WrestleMania. A multi-person match would probably be better.

[Fanny Batter]

Those Cora Jade segments came up on my YouTube selections this morning. The worst wrestling of all time that. Between the camera angles, the concept, the acting the canned heat, and the pre-taped nature of it, who on earth has signed that off as good TV?

[Badger]

I don’t see what they see in Jade tbh. Avril Lavigne sk8er boi wannabe and really nothing special in the ring.

[Donald]

She's young, dumb, and ugly.

[mth]

While I'm not mad about Knight getting a title shot and main eventing the show, the way it came to be was a bit odd. Firstly, just coming off a big loss seemed like an odd time for it. Secondly, Ziggler was shutting him down the whole time in the mic exchange and seemed to end it with a "no" and then Miz, who has power for some reason?, just announces they're having a match like he wasn't even listening to what Ziggler was saying even though he's supposed to be his pal.

Grimes/Escobar was good as you'd expect. I have to admit I don't like cleaned up babyface Grimes nearly as much as shaggy antagonistic hat-wearing heel Grimes. Maybe this post-match promo could lead to it returning but I doubt it.

With A-kid having his big debut it was a little odd they cut his entrance but to be fair, they frequently cut entrances as per HBK's idea that people change the channel during them or whatever so it happens to everyone. Really nice exchanges between the guys. Neat finisher from A-kid, too, similar to an old move Jeff Hardy had in the video games but I've never seen in real life. And I ahve to say again it's a shame Kushida and Jiro are just joke jobbers as both guys are very talented and could be at the top of the tag scene or successful solo acts, i think.

I liked the twist of Stratton attacking Sarray before she transformed and then beat her down. Think it's odd seeing some folks saying this was burying Sarray or whatever when this is clearly just another page in an ongoing story to add heat to the feud. I thought the darker hair was a wig since she wrestles with the lighter/silver hair but then she took a pretty good beating with it here so maybe neither hair is a wig somehow?

Ciampa's "farewell" was heartfelt and well done. If I didn't know Waller was going to be in the NA Title Ladder match situation, I kind of expected he'd attack Ciampa instead of Tony in a mirroring of what he did to Gargano. Not sure why Tony never crossed my mind but not mad about it. The gimmick's a cartoon but the guy's good in the ring and has enough serious shit to go along with it that he's alright and I think the match should be pretty decent.

Indi/Persia was pretty amusing coming out together. Surprised the crowd didn't seem to care about the match itself. Setting up a mixed tag was expected. The smooch-off was pretty hilarious to me.

The Mysterios showing up was out of nowhere. Did they even promote it? Not mad about it, though, more main roster folks howing up hopefully gets more eyes on the product. Nice match with Raul. Fallon seemed late for her cue as Elektra stood on the ring for awhile after she interfered.

Mixed feelings about the Jada/TA stuff. Were we supposed to think Cora stole the belts from them somehow or that they just left them on a post? Eyebrow raiser right off the bat. Then the camerawork was the overproduced stuff that takes you out of it (multiple angles, camera in the cage, in the car, etc.). Then Cora, who's supposed to be the face, is kind of being an asshole (which i guess is supposed to be ok because TA are bigger assholes) which sometimes shifts the dynamic. I wouldn't say it was "the worst wrestling of all time" but it was more bad than good. Overall, I do like Cora, I think she's got that girl next door appeal, but ti does seem like they got really high on her really fast and I don't know if she should be where she is yet.

Welp, they really undid all their work to get MSK cheered over the course of two weeks and we're right back where we were with the crowd hating on them again (and somewhat deservedly so?). It's interesting how over and babyface the Creed Bros. have become as Diamond Mine are heels (except when they're not).

Knight/Ziggler was really good and one of Knight's better outings. Can't say as there was ever a moment were i thought he might win, though, so I would have liked maybe one real convincing nearfall. The superkick out of nowhere finish was nice though with where Knight fell I actually thought he was going to get a foot on the rope, too. End stuff with Breakker was fine but nothing special.

[VHS]

Watched the Jade stuff w/ Toxic Attraction and Jade's lack of personality just makes it so flat. Even with the over the top lighting and editing, she still isn't engaging at all.

[BGMaverick]

Recap will be up later this week for me.

[mth]

I know authority figures are overdone but it seems like there needs to be someone or they at least need to at like there's someone off-screen that's making things offical 'cuz right now, there's an "inmates running the asylum" thing going with roster members just making matches as though they have power and it's a little weird.

Solo vs. Strong was fine nothing above average. Was very pleased that Solo won. Was a bit worried Santos being out there was going to cost him.

Tony vs. Dexter was decent though there were a few bits where it seemed Tony was out of synch (the kip-up legdrop from Dex being a glaring one). Outcome was never in question, was just a matter of the specifics which I'm fine with. Dexter almost always loses but it's also almost never clean, there's always interference, distraction, weapon shot, etc., so it doesn't bother me. I've seen some folks crapping on the InDex/DuSia angle but I, for one, love it. It's stupid fun.

Fallon changing up her gear and hanging with Briggs/Jensen is helping her be less generic. Match with Elektra wasn't much but at least it wasn't ugly.

Breakker/Roode was good. Bron sold the shoulder really well. Nice fresh spot for the finish.

Dexter's totally over the top drawing gestures (that didn't match up with the finish product) combined with his thousand mile stare plus the fact that he used one pen to make a multi-colored drawing had me cracking right up.

I've already seen people grumpy that A-Kid lost but c'mon, not every new person has to go on a win streak and I'm 95% certain he's going to win the second chance match next week. It's fine. The match with Waller was alright but not as much of a showcase for him as the Kushida match last week.

I skipped Creeds/GYV because I am so sick of GYV. Mystery tag team backstage is...? Someone new? Main roster team coming down?

Gunther/Hudson was quite good with the obvious highlight being that shotgun chop. Motherfucker who writes the main page recap is still calling him Walter like a goon. Crowd's still chanting it, too. Grow up. LA Knight is gonna get his ass beat at S&D but it'll be really good. The "block head/dad bod" line was a good chuckle. Crowd still hates MSK, the damage has been redone.

Main event delivered, great work from everyone involved. i was 99% sure Io/KLR were winning with only the slight possibility they miscommunicate to make an issue between them. What was a surprise was the two of them challenging for Mandy's belt and not the tag straps. Kind of lessens the tag belts but whatever and like I said at the top, can you just do that? We need a new Regal to sort this shit out.

[BGMaverick]

Fine enough opener. Not surprised Sikoa won as they want to have fresh faces competing for the gold.

Barrett watching the tape and breaking down Dusia’s making out from last week was something else lol. Not much to write home about with D’Angelo/Lumis. The couples quarrel isn’t doing much for me. Stand and Deliver is going to be a really big test for D’Angelo.

Elektra just does nothing for me. Great look but a big zero as a worker right now. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Fallon each time she’s been on TV since showing up in NXT. She’ll need a new gimmick eventually but there’s potential there. The spring board elbow into the bulldog needs some work on looking more fluid but it was a nice little combination.

Good throwback to the Glorious entrance with Roode. More appreciative of how the heat was drawn against Breakker this time around. I don’t think he’s a guy who should be selling during rest holds or it’s that he doesn’t look that compelling in that scenario but if you have guys like Roode just pound or power Breakker and that wears him down, that’s more interesting to me. Softening him up through physicality rather than technique just looks more effective for both parties.

A-Kid fits a HELL of a lot more in the previous version of NXT compared to this one but he’s entertaining, regardless. Not a surprise that he lost here. Based on the circumstances, Waller’s got nothing if he’s not in this ladder match and he needs something. Still not sure where A-Kid fits here in 2.0 so they’ll probably find some woman to pair him up with lol.

Robert Stone represents two stiffs when it comes to talking, apparently.

GYV is a cautionary tale for A-Kid in 2.0, no doubt. They’re good but they just don’t fit. Shame. My guess for the mystery attackers would be Pretty Deadly. They’ve got a UK itch they seem to be scratching and they probably have more charisma for transition segments that click more than GYV did.

GUNTHER slapped the soul out of Hudson. Good. That crowd lost their mind for that haha. It’s weird, though. The name change isn’t the peculiar thing with The Ring General. Good for him for matching his brethren in leaning the F up but it’s kind of taken part of his aura away. He had that old school, final boss appearance looking huge and a total weapon in the ring. He looks more standard now and of course LA Knight called him out for it haha. Simple but effective story to tell between Knight and GUNTHER and I’m very curious to see the match.

Intriguing vignette for Grimes and can set him off on multiple paths.

Fun main event. Great spot with Wendy blocking the 619 with the pillow. Great makeshift team and they’ve still got legs as a tandem before they break up. Interesting swerve with Io and KLR saying they want a shot at Mandy’s gold as the prize for winning The Dusty. Doesn’t make a lick of sense but it’s something. This probably helps increases Cora’s odds to win, and that probably doesn’t bode well for the division in the short term.

[Badger]

I know authority figures are overdone but it seems like there needs to be someone or they at least need to at like there's someone off-screen that's making things offical 'cuz right now, there's an "inmates running the asylum" thing going with roster members just making matches as though they have power and it's a little weird.

Dexter Lumis “drawing” the matches.

[mth]

Dex for GM. Has a studio instead of an office. All matches are announced via drawing. Let's go.

[BGMaverick]

It feels like we're coming to pivotal transitional period for 2.0. I tend to think the cross pollination between Raw and NXT isn't necessarily being effective when it comes to drawing substantially more viewers to Tuesday but it's probably creating a need to transition people a little more rapidly. We always got the debate on whether people would be moving up after losing at Takeovers and such, and this feels like a period where it may come to fruition.

l could honestly see guys like Ziggler and Roode staying around NXT more and being the new vets that are helping the younger crop. Ciampa is teasing he is leaving. LA Knight seems like a dead giveaway as someone who should be going up. If the decisionmakers are listening, it should be obvious to them that Knight is a guy who is over and can get over if given the opportunity. GUNTHER seems like a guy who could be an extreme contrast of the aesthetic of 2.0 but leads it to try to put it in his image of what wrestling should be. I mentioned in the recap that his look now actually feels counterintuitive to helping his appearance on the main roster but makes him looks better in Vince's eyes so it's weird with him. GUNTHER ruling 2.0 might not work if Breakker stays but I honestly don't think he should stay at this point. He's green but I think you can develop him with a steady push on Raw. I know they're pushing for Omos to take on any challenger at Mania and maybe he should be someone at Mania to build his push, but Breakker should honestly be the guy who gets the rub from taking him out.

The landscape with the ladies is fairly straightforward too. Io and Raquel are absolutely stuck in limbo if they don't get called up, so I would move them up and hope for the best. If the main roster ever wants to develop their tag division, Kacy & Kayden make a good amount of sense.

MSK would be a really fresh coat of paint for either tag division on Monday or Friday. They'd also get away from the weird Orlando audience.

Raw's after Mania have lost luster and changes with some of these individuals may help.

[Badger]

Dex for GM. Has a studio instead of an office. All matches are announced via drawing. Let's go.

Co-sign on this idea.

That Gunther bit was excellent “How did you draw that so fast?”

[Nash Diesel]

I started watching Level Up and had no idea Nigel was doing commentary. I actually thought he had been released. The other guy with him is fucking terrible. If you thought that Raw announcer was bad from last year, try getting through a match on Level Up. I felt bad for Nigel.

[Badger]

I started watching Level Up and had no idea Nigel was doing commentary. I actually thought he had been released. The other guy with him is fucking terrible. If you thought that Raw announcer was bad from last year, try getting through a match on Level Up. I felt bad for Nigel.

He’s also on NXT UK but fair that that’s not the most watched show myself included. Haven’t seen it since Draganov/Wa…Gunther lol.

[Donald]

I put an episode of NXT UK on from time to time and I get bored so I make a sandwich.

[Nash Diesel]

He’s also on NXT UK but fair that that’s not the most watched show myself included. Haven’t seen it since Draganov/Wa…Gunther lol.

He who? Nigel or the other idiot.

NXT UK...man did they suffer from the pandemic or what? I'll be honest it seemed like a show that was obviously catered more to that UK underground scene. But everyone pretty much looked the same, wrestled the same, sounded the same. Why does everyone in the UK that wrestles have to look like Trent Seven?

[Badger]

He who? Nigel or the other idiot.

NXT UK...man did they suffer from the pandemic or what? I'll be honest it seemed like a show that was obviously catered more to that UK underground scene. But everyone pretty much looked the same, wrestled the same, sounded the same. Why does everyone in the UK that wrestles have to look like Trent Seven?

I meant Nigel.

I miss watching Tyler Bate.

[Nash Diesel]

I meant Nigel.

I miss watching Tyler Bate.

NXT UK definitely sells the idea even more that it was created to hurt the UK scene but there is also an argument to be made that when it really started to pop off, the pandemic hindered the progression. I feel like we were about to get some type of big NXT UK v. NXT 1.0 with Walter v. Balor leading the charge. That's just me.

But I'm so far behind on NXT UK that the last time I watched it the tag champs were 2 pretty boys that looked like the Chase U lackey lol.

[Peter Griffin]

I would be surprised is MSK wrestle in Dallas after what Kimberlee has had to say, In fact I would be surprised if Carter is employed for much longer.

[Donald]

What did she say, Peter? Also, who is Kimberlee and who is Carter?

[Nash Diesel]

I would be surprised is MSK wrestle in Dallas after what Kimberlee has had to say, In fact I would be surprised if Carter is employed for much longer.

You are the absolute worst poster on Earth for the sole reason that you drop these little posts like we all know what the fuck you're talking about lol.

And you don't even bother to add any context.
@Donald

Nash Carter from MSK was basically accused of emotional abuse toward Impact wrestler Princess Kimber Lee. She deleted a tweet and unfortunately she's being hit up from all angles about the situation.

Bottom line, WWE aren't pulling this dude because he was verbal dick. Seems like Peter just wants to keep the whole MSK are assholes fire going because of his crush on fangirls.

[Nash Diesel]

Basically she was dumped. She went on Twitter and used a bunch of loaded words to make her ex look like a big asshole-nothing new.

[Peter Griffin]

You are the absolute worst poster on Earth for the sole reason that you drop these little posts like we all know what the fuck you're talking about lol.

And you don't even bother to add any context.
@Donald

Nash Carter from MSK was basically accused of emotional abuse toward Impact wrestler Princess Kimber Lee. She deleted a tweet and unfortunately she's being hit up from all angles about the situation.

Bottom line, WWE aren't pulling this dude because he was verbal dick. Seems like Peter just wants to keep the whole MSK are assholes fire going because of his crush on fangirls.

Puy the crackpipe down. I was the one DEFENDING MSK over Izzys dad being a cunt (still is) so what the fuck you are talking about I don't know.

[Peter Griffin]

Basically she was dumped. She went on Twitter and used a bunch of loaded words to make her ex look like a big asshole-nothing new.

In the know aye?

[Nash Diesel]

Puy the crackpipe down. I was the one DEFENDING MSK over Izzys dad being a cunt (still is) so what the fuck you are talking about I don't know.

Ah my apologies. Quick to defend them then but now not so much.

In the know aye?

Very much, I'm a huge fan of Princess Kimber Lee. Saw her tweet before she took it down. I mean you're so the know that you think he'd be removed from the card....why do you think that foo?

[BGMaverick]

Pretty frenetic opener with the six-man tag. The camera cuts added to that feel but that wasn’t for the better. I thought they teased enough of Knight and GUNTHER for the weekend and made you want to see a bit more.

Was equally intrigued and concerned when they announced Ivy and Tiffany were squaring off. Intrigued to see how they’d worked together and worried if it would be a catastrophe. It was clunky in some spots but fairly serviceable. The finish made sense with Sarray distracted Tiffany. I like the video before with Tatum trying to earn her stripes but Ivy not having any of it. Simple but useful storytelling.

I actually enjoyed the vignette on Ziggler. Hearing him talk about the time in NXT, you can tell this helped reset things for him a bit and he can show what he’s really capable of when given the ball. I really wanna see him take a Steiner Screwdriver on Saturday lol. I actually wouldn’t mind one bit for them to swerve things and have Ziggler retain. There’s more mileage for him in NXT and Breakker can move on to the main roster. I doubt it happens, but I wouldn’t be opposed to that proposition.

Wilde hanging on the ring post the way he did into the elbow drop was certainly something I haven’t seen before. Very cool. Good catch by Briggs on the 450 splash attempt from Wilde. The rest of the tag match? Meh.

Mandy’s promo was fine enough, but I’m not sure about the rest of TA and their promo. There’s some upside to them but they still need a lot of seasoning. The idea of Raquel and Dakota reuniting really reeks of not having a lot of creative juice for either of them. Sure, it’s a nice reunion but there’s not a lot there once it runs its course.

Hayward/Wagner was truly a waste of time. Gacy/Anthony didn’t hit that low of a level but it certainly could’ve been avoided on this show and no one would’ve been that upset.

Go figure, you get the Steiners into the HOF and Breakker suddenly has family history with them haha. His vignette wasn’t as good as Zigglers but the point was made that Breakker is NXT through and through, and he wants nothing more than to be the guy to lead this brand.

They’re clearly invested in pushing Nikkita as a a star in the making. No disagreement here with that notion. Still terrified at the idea of a match between her and Lash.

Fun triple threat to close the show. Those guys wanted to go fast and keep the action going. Really fun sequence with the setup to the assisted head scissors onto Strong, then the pop up drop kick onto Strong. These three have really good chemistry together and have different styles that meshed to create a fun match. After the promo work the last week or so, it was automatic that Grimes would get added to the match. All three guys would’ve made sense but there’s motivation for Grimes. What comes of it remains to be seen, but the Ladder Match will be wild. Fun brawl to end the show.

[Badger]

Yeah I also think they may have reverted back to reuniting Dakota/Raquel too early. They still had mileage on their own and was sorta digging Dakota’s partnership with Choo.

Not sold on Wagner. Jacket Time should be amongst the tag title contenders.

Ladder match will be great. I hope Grimes will get his moment though I could also see someone like Walker screwing him at the last second which could also be a great title feud.

[mth]

Nice way to kick off the opening six-man. Match itself was fine. I think a heel turn for MSK is in order at this point.

Nile vs. Stratton was decent but it felt too even. Nile should have been dominating more but I get it, Sarray costing Tiffany the match wouldn't have meant as much if she was already doing poorly.

Nice promo from Ciampa, the chair with the dates and not chucking it like usual was a nice sentimental touch.

B&J vs. Legado was good. Only thing I'm really going to remember is Wilde doing the elbow drop off the post. I have been warming up to B&J with their comedic bits and character development even if they still don't do much for me in ring.

I was digging the Kai/Choo pairing and am bummed if that's the end of it. The Kai/Gonzalez reunion was obvious once i put the pieces together, soon as Kai was getting stomped I said it and it happened. It's fine, I guess. Honestly more interested what happens with Wendy.

Meh to Wagner/Hayward. Jiro getting involved would have me more excited if I knew he wasn't just going to get waffled, too.

Odd how they were building up Xyon Quinn as having Draco's back and then he's not even there tonight and also Quincy Elliot is there instead out of the blue. Match was nothing special. And odd that nothing happened post match as I assumed there'd be some development, Harland attacking Anthony and Quinn or Elliot getting involved but nope. This angle kind of sucks as it's plodding and not developing in any real way.

Once again, Nikkita Lyons is everything. This match was better than her debut. She seemed more focused and it was less even, made her look like more of a force. It's a damn shame Lash's ring skills aren't on par with her mic skills. Still pre-cringing for their eventual match. Hoping it's kept real short, maybe Nikkita just hits a KO blow straight out the gate or something.

Disappointed InDex vs. DuSia is not a mixed tag match but just a...show up and look hot thing? Oh well, I'm sure it'll be stupid and entertaining. Maybe a match will still happen later on.

The videos for Bron/Dolph were pretty good but I was surprised they weren't actually on the show in person. Also, soon as the Steiners were announced for HOF, I had a feeling they'd finally explicitly mention Breakker's relationship. Will be nice they don't have to tiptoe around it anymore.

Sorry but I can't get into people doing stuff for dead people. Just feels like the opposite of cheap heat, cheap...root for me. I like Grimes but not as much as a face and leaning into this "doing it for my dead dad" thing is only making it worse for me. I'll be stunned if he doesn't win at S&D (I'll be rooting for Solo). This match was very good, though. Show closing clusterfuck was fine if a little silly with everyone coming out and taking their turns on the mic and all.

[Bert]

Does The Cock have a start from the beginning button yet? I was interested in watching NXT but I need to run some errands so I might miss some of it.

[mth]

Not going to get to NXT S&D until Monday night since the wife and I both work today/tomorrow and the evenings will be Mania. hoping I can avoid spoilers but it'll be pretty hard. Anyway, quick predictions:
Grimes
Rose
Dakota/Raquel
Gunther
Imperium
D'Angelo
Ziggler

[BGMaverick]

I imagine the ladder match will be bonkers.

Imperium probably retains, thanks to the reveal of the mystery attackers.

Have very high hopes for Ziggler and Breakker. This is a big spotlight moment for both so I anticipate they’ll rise to the occasion. I’m sure Ziggler has a lot of ideas cooked up from a storytelling perspective.

[mth]

Forgot about the attackers angle so I changed that pick. Also Zigs said he was in NXT for the long haul so I changed that pick as well.

[Psycho666Soldier]

What time is Stand & Deliver on tonight? I kinda want to tune in to Ziggler/Breakker

[VHS]

Starts in 25 mins.

[Badger]

What time is Stand & Deliver on tonight? I kinda want to tune in to Ziggler/Breakker

Right now is the pre-show. Main show starts just under 30 mins.

[Badger]

Wendy with the pillow!

Congrats to Dakota/Raquel on winning the titles. With Wendy still involved, feel better about the reunion now.

[VHS]

PLAY BALL!!! Rajah Discord is open!

https://discord.gg/ryQTGEqK

[Badger]

Ladder match was great but wished they hadn’t made it so obvious in the build-up with the dead father angle. By all means have Grimes get self-doubt but they poured it on too thick.

[Badger]

Hope you can survive the main roster call-up curse Tomato Chomper

[Badger]

Should’ve been the Creeds. Meh.

[Badger]

Go Rose!

Much more happy with that result. If Jade won, would’ve rioted a bit lol. No offense but not a fan of her character at all and not close to ready.

[VHS]

zIGG RETAINS!

[BGMaverick]

Surprised they gave the women’s tag match the pre-show treatment and surprised we got a title change with it too. It all feels rushed for Dakota and Raquel in terms of what’s happened for them in terms of reuniting and being champions, especially with Wendy in the mix for Dakota. Raquel and Dakota really have overstayed their welcome in NXT (not due to lack of talent, but lack of creative motivation) so this result just feels weird.

They really went all out for the Ladder Match. For starters, that was the right call to have that as the true opener as that was going to set the pace for the show. So much gaga going on but they had a lot to work with in terms of so many seconds ringside and the No DQ nature of the match. There were so many crazy bumps in this and it’s not shocking Waller took the nastiest one. Grimes had to win this, based on the story he was pushing. We’ll see where he goes, but good to see him get actual/traditional gold in NXT.

Really on the nose with AJ Gallante accompanying D’Angelo lol. Nice touch to have the trainees watching that vignette of Ciampa before he came out, really hammering home this is an end of an era for Ciampa. Nice of Ciampa to pay homage to Triple H and HBK before the match too. Considering D’Angelo has had no more than 10 matches, he was carried to a good match. D’Angelo now gets to embrace being The Don of NXT. Great surprise to have Triple H come out as Ciampa was about to exit and make sure Ciampa got his flowers as he exited. Ciampa likely moves on to Raw. Hopefully he fares well there.

Shame that Imperium lost Symphony No. 9. It fits their style but it adds a more menacing or sinister touch to them, rather than class and purity approach. Took a while for the crowd to get invested in this but these guys eventually got the crowd. It was a demolition derby in a tag variety. I’m somewhat surprised that MSK won. They seem poised for a call up but I guess now isn’t the time. There seemed to be some stragglers from the CWC that booed MSK but the general crowd seemed to be impressed with them. They got their gold back and pinned the champs to do it. I guess the champs and former champs run it back, and the Creeds work with the attackers.

Entrance looked a little out of sync for Mandy but that was a pretty cool concept for her entrance. Looks like they decided to give a makeover for the championship by giving it the white strap. The match had a lot of clunkiness to it early in terms of execution of moves. Cora seemed out of her element for a good chunk of the match but she did have one of the smoothest Destroyers I’ve seen. The camera angle for that setup really helped too. Nice finish where Mandy worked the multi-woman match to her advantage and actually was opportunistic to steal the win. Clunkiness aside, the sequencing and timing for the match worked well.

Hudson somehow worked into a worse gimmick than a poker player. He just doesn’t have the comedic charisma to work in this angle with InDex.

Knight has it. The charisma he has is just off the charts. That said, his level of being over made me think they booked too big of a venue for the event. The crowd was mostly there but it just didn’t fully click. GUNTHER had the chops and they looked brutal but didn’t sound as vicious as they could be. Knight showed a lot in terms of his strength. That was very impressive. This was a good one (Knight is stringing together some solid matches) but it missed an extra gear. GUNTHER will climb and hopefully Knight gets bumped up to Mondays or Fridays.

They went fast to ejecting Roode and we didn’t really get clarity on what Ziggler did to the turnbuckle during that time and that was pivotal to the finish. This was a big test for both guys and I thought they both did well. The audience really wasn’t there for the slow pace of the match early but both guys got them midway through. Breakker busted out new stuff and Ziggler delivered nice stuff along the way. I like the fact they swerved again by having Ziggler retain. Ziggler getting the superkick to be a finish is something lol. It’s time. Bring Breakker up.

Nothing outright bad during the show but probably missing that Takeover level. That said, a very entertaining watch.

[VHS]

Yeah, just wasn't near being as impactful as Takeover. Enjoyed it, but it didn't really get me amped to tune into NXT again. ROH blew this out of the water.

[Badger]

The booking and matches were very much a mixed bag. I get they’re still somewhat finding their feet with the 2.0 guys but still nothing OMG like the old Takeovers.

Ziggler and Rose retaining plus Gunther winning were the right calls. At least they’re keeping Wendy involved in Dakota/Raquel and not an afterthought. MSK winning would’ve been better if they went heel and had someone in league all along to screw the Creeds. They should lean into the heal act.Grimes winning would have been so much better if they had taken the dead Daddy stuff out the angle. D’Angelo is okay but I’m still not completely sold on him tbh plus I can’t help but think how much more awesome that would’ve been if Gargano had given him his farewell match.

Solid watch but still much work to do.

[Badger]

Update on the Carter allegations:

https://www.webisjericho.com/kimber-...977RS704sIiYSg

Not taking sides here as the full story is still unclear but if this turns out to be true or not, she has regretted putting it out there and wish they’d stop pushing this shit on Twitter. Keep this shit out the public eye fgs.

[Peter Griffin]

Well, She is clearly unwell going by her twitter yesterday.

Saying people don't know the whole story, But she wasn't lying and other rambles including with other wrestlers, And then most concerning was 'I don't care about anything anymore, Not even myself'

Whatever the facts are, She clearly needs help

[Peter Griffin]

I will say Badger, Everytime something domestic like this happens this is your default.

'Not taking sides'

[Nash Diesel]

Blew me away that Dolph won. Bron has a huge career ahead of him and it actually makes me wonder what's next for both of them.

Triple H coming out for Ciampa was like looking at big brother and little brother.

Ladder match was alright you could tell they have some green guys. Waller's an idiot. Grimes winning was cool, crowd pops HARD for this guy and it was important for him to break away from the corny Duck Dynasty stuff and actually give us something REAL for once in his NXT run.

The booking and matches were very much a mixed bag. I get they’re still somewhat finding their feet with the 2.0 guys but still nothing OMG like the old Takeovers.

Ziggler and Rose retaining plus Gunther winning were the right calls. At least they’re keeping Wendy involved in Dakota/Raquel and not an afterthought. MSK winning would’ve been better if they went heel and had someone in league all along to screw the Creeds. They should lean into the heal act.Grimes winning would have been so much better if they had taken the dead Daddy stuff out the angle. D’Angelo is okay but I’m still not completely sold on him tbh plus I can’t help but think how much more awesome that would’ve been if Gargano had given him his farewell match.

Solid watch but still much work to do.

I honestly don't see what you and a couple others issue is with this. Does it hit too close to home or do you have something against this approach? Especially the wording of it. "Dead Daddy stuff" I think if your dad died and this was something you two shared more than anything that it would mean something. Maybe you and mth just like Grimes when he's a dumb redneck 1970's stereotype?

Just odd to see a couple people around here shitting so hard on it yet think Dexter Lumis or other stupid shit is worth something lol.

[Badger]

Blew me away that Dolph won. Bron has a huge career ahead of him and it actually makes me wonder what's next for both of them.

Triple H coming out for Ciampa was like looking at big brother and little brother.

Ladder match was alright you could tell they have some green guys. Waller's an idiot. Grimes winning was cool, crowd pops HARD for this guy and it was important for him to break away from the corny Duck Dynasty stuff and actually give us something REAL for once in his NXT run.



I honestly don't see what you and a couple others issue is with this. Does it hit too close to home or do you have something against this approach? Especially the wording of it. "Dead Daddy stuff" I think if your dad died and this was something you two shared more than anything that it would mean something. Maybe you and mth just like Grimes when he's a dumb redneck 1970's stereotype?

Just odd to see a couple people around here shitting so hard on it yet think Dexter Lumis or other stupid shit is worth something lol.

Just wording, reading too much into that as you tend to it.

Point is, with this angle, they leaned into it too hard and made it too obvious he was going to win. They just made it too obvious and somewhat spoiled the match/outcome.

[Badger]

I will say Badger, Everytime something domestic like this happens this is your default.

'Not taking sides'

Eh what’s that supposed to mean?

Just reporting what happened and saying we can’t make a rash judgment. Why the addendum here?

[Mazer]

What we need more of is people assuming they know everything based off Twitter.

[Peter Griffin]

Eh what’s that supposed to mean?

Just reporting what happened and saying we can’t make a rash judgment. Why the addendum here?

You back off.

Just saying man you always seem to doubt women in these situations

[Peter Griffin]

What we need more of is people assuming they know everything based off Twitter.

I didn't say I know everything.

[Peter Griffin]

Eh what’s that supposed to mean?

Just reporting what happened and saying we can’t make a rash judgment. Why the addendum here?

Also you aren't reporting what happened, Because the article you sourced didn't mention the things I said following your post.

[Badger]

Also you aren't reporting what happened, Because the article you sourced didn't mention the things I said following your post.

It was merely an update over WWE being unconcerned and she should not have cause to post shit on Twitter which I don’t think couples should do. Can’t judge the problems but neither partner should make that shit public I said a point that maybe we shouldn’t take sides and look into it but at the same time couples still shouldn’t do that. Not a read or taking sides into what happened.

Gunther: “Put the mouse back in the house.” Though that was to a guy unwillingly showing himself, still applies here. Keep the domestics to yourselves guys and girls.