I could see Hayes & Trick together as a tag team on the main roster. It works in NXT the way they have things, I just don't think Melo would be on his own on main roster and Trick as his sidekick would be like any heel character who had a stooge put in the opponent's way to overcome them.Originally Posted by Nash Diesel
Maybe MVP recruits them to be part of the Hurt Business repackaged.
Nice to see Frazer get a character. Last Week Tonight vibes is an interesting direction but at least it's something and he did really well with it.
Will be interesting to see who's heading up in the draft. Knowing it's coming immediately after adds a fair bit of drama to Spring Breakin' that it wouldn't have otherwise.
With the amount of people Triple H brought back over the last 8 months and not very many NXT wrestlers seemingly ready for the main roster jump that haven't already, I would be shocked if we see more than 4 wrestlers from NXT as part of the draft. All that I hope is that if they do call up some people there were plans in place prior and this isn't just "Let's throw them in the deep end!" Remember when Indi Hartwell was in the Rumble and there was practically zero response? Even Gargano had been on the main roster a few months before getting hurt, crickets. Those are 2 NXT talents that had massive camera time and stories, barely anyone gave 2 shits.
If Mandy Rose was still there, Toxic Attraction would be one of my first 4-5 picks. The faction is dead, the other 2 are still pretty green and could do some good in NXT still. I like the idea of Hayes/Trick being a tag-team or at least still being together. We could possibly see someone return to the Raw/SD brands like Apollo Crews but I'll be honest, that dude needs to be part of the AEW draft he's just working out at all.
Just gonna chime in on the women here:
I definitely think it is time to bring Kayden and Katana up to the main roster. Those ladies have been in NXT since 2018 or 2019, are clearly a tag team for the long haul, and are the longest reigning women's tag champs of all three brands. There's nothing left for them to do in NXT. I think with even the littlest of storyline, those two could get over on the main roster, as they are super over with the NXT crowd.
That's my hope anyway, that KC2 are drafted to the main roster.
Love Katana, never been sold on Kayden. But they're a legit team, they've done it all as a team and I don't really see them splitting up in NXT or they would've by now. I would save that for the main roster.
Tough night at the office for Waller and Indi. Kind of hard to tell if Waller really got dinged up or not but he never messes up that roll into the ring for the Stunner but he did there for the prelude to the finish and he got out of the ring quick after the pin. Hopefully he's okay. Indi's ankle absorbed way too much of the dive from Tiffany to the outside. That looked troubling on the replay. Clearly they weren't fond of an audible due to her retaining. She really gutted it out once she came back into the match.
REALLY fun match between Waller and Hayes. Those two mesh together really well. I think Waller has come along really nicely over the last year in terms of his work in the ring. I still think his gear is unappealing but everything else about him is ready to go. Going right back to Hayes/Breakker is kind of interesting but there's nothing really grabbing the attention for either of them if this wasn't the option.
Talent I would have go up via the draft:
Grayson Waller
Pretty Dead(ly)
Katana and Kayden
I'd have Tyler Bate go too but that doesn't feel as likely. Not fully shutting the door there though.
OBA FEMI!. Loved his debut. Need to see him against Dabba Kato down the line. BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPIN MEAT.
Yeah, I noticed Waller's possible injury, as well. Match was a real banger and they both really seemed to step up and go all out. Honestly Waller's best match? Indi's injury was one of those things where it plays into the story of the match so perfectly that you question the legitimacy/kayfabe. I was sure an audible was getting called that when she gutted it out and came back in, I was pretty shocked. Also, Tiffany is the fucking best, I love her, what a queen.
Pretty Deadly were murdered. They've gotta be getting that call up...
Waller, Indi, and Ruca injuries confirmed, it seems.
I thought her injury was a work when she came out just at the right time. I was watching this last night with my son and you can see the match go from 9 to 2 really quick. These are babies in the industry, in a time where-and this isn't just NXT but EVERYWHERE now-everything is a fucking script. Nobody knows how to call it in the ring at that level so we had 8 minutes of chin locks and headlocks. From 2 wrestlers who are very exciting to watch even as green as they are. With all that said, hopefully Indi is fine. Anyone with eyes can say someone is reportedly injured, and we have zero idea what that it is. She obviously bent that leg/ankle awkwardly but it could be a minor sprain. Stay off it for a bit, it's not like they do house shows and she's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Nothing noted on the severity of the first two, but Sol tore her ACL reportedly.
Torn ACL....That's fucked.
If Indi was injured badly, surely they wouldn't have let her win the match?
Hopefully Scrypts unmasking is leading to some serious tweaks if not a complete overhaul 'cuz the gimmick's been dead in the water from the start but the dude has talent.
Really liked what I saw from Dani Palmer. Attention grabber right out the gate.
Will be curious to see what's happening with the NXT women's tag titles as they never clarified a damn thing about either team taking them to the main roster.
InDex reunion and being a thing on RAW with The Way. Hell fucking yeah.
The thing with Von Wagner's baby picture...wha?
I was hoping Gigi's brother was gonna turn on her and start making out with Jacey post-match.
I like the point they brought up with Wes Lee in terms of what's more prominent with his reign. On the main roster, it's about the length of the reign, but it's about the amount of defenses Lee is having with the NA Championship. Really helps prove the point he's a fighting champion. The framing was probably extra coincidental but Lee holding up the title as it shined onto Bate helped sell the obvious angle they'll want to go now with Bate/Lee.
Breakker as a heel is a breath of fresh air but I ain't buying what he's selling when he talks. That's been his issue since showing up on NXT and that's gotta rectify for when he eventually goes up.
Scrypts/Reggie just doesn't do it for me.
Lee/McDonagh was a banger. A little surprised they had Lee take the fall on McDonagh but they properly allocated the heat to go on Dar instead of McDonagh.
Dani definitely was impressive. They're clearly working to get gymnasts in the PC but they've got to find ways to get these talents to differentiate themselves. I feel like Dani did better than Tiffany and Sol did in their debuts, though you could clearly see the upside with the two of them and they've built off that. Dani has those gymnastic chops but she's got the leg up on them in terms of the mat wrestling. One thing I don't like about this was that it kind of establishes Tatum as a gatekeeper and that they might have just abandoned ship on her in the interim. Seems quite unfortunate for her.
So many tournaments in WWE right now lol.
So, how/why exactly to Perez lose the women's title, and how did Indi Hartwell end up with it?
Roxi passed out after she beat Meiko Satomura and was hospitalized. They had a ladder match for the title at the PLE but she was back and in it but Indi won the title there.
Stratton vs. Gigi was decent. Surprised Stratton won totally clean. She's my pick to win the whole dan thing, hopefully.
Gallus/Dyad was alright. Thought Dyad might actually win after the release stuff, maybe to appease them.
The stuff with Duke and Chase U is really good. Javi still loses my interest in the ring.
Thorpe/Kemp was super boring. Headlocks galore and then some punches and my man wins with a weak-ass elbow drop. I want to like Thorpe but so far, in ring, he hasn't really done much for me.
Don't care much for Dragonov or Dijak so i wasn't paying a lot of attention to their match but it went about as expected with big shots and whatnot. The bit with the stairs post-match was dumb as hell. Silly when they try to sell that big-ass empty space in the steps as though it's something solid.
Bate/Dempsey has some nice wrestling in it. Looks like they're setting up another multi-man for the NA Title at BG.
Hank & Tank Connection, baby. Only thing I remember from the match is Tank losing his tooth.
Lyra/Kiana was a banger and MOTN. Great stuff.
Trick showed up and showed out in the main. Dude's got star written all over him and has improved loads. Nice to see Breakker hit the mid-air spear on Hayes, had expected that spot in their last match. Heel Breakker switching to the all black singlet is so on-the-nose.
Tank stuffing his tooth back in his tights is the coolest thing ever
Also - Gigi posted on her IG that "she misses being PK."
Anyone else a mark for Stacks? The more I see of this crazy guy the more I'm in love with what he's doing. My oldest daughter came in while the bar segment was going on she thought it was Patrick Mahomes from the Chiefs lol.
She misses being broke and using her dirty tampon as a spot? Some people are just odd. I'm a fan of all 3 members of Toxic, wish they were still a thing because they'd all be up on the main roster right now. They shouldn't have broken up the tag-team before getting a real main roster run.Tank stuffing his tooth back in his tights is the coolest thing ever
Also - Gigi posted on her IG that "she misses being PK."
Duke Hudson isn't going to be a big star but he can be a really useful character on the main roster in time. I think he can show pretty good fire and he's clearly got the size that would be appealing. As it has been for quite some time, it's going to come down to whatever gimmick can click. This one has kept his head well above water but it's not going to be what will define him.
Seemed pretty obvious they weren't going to give a clean finish to Dragunov/Dijak but it's not like they just gave you an appetizer. They gave you that and part of the main course lol. Those two are very comfortable beating the crap out of each other. Promising for what the actual match will be (which I'm assuming will be No-DQ) at the PLE.
I feel like Bate adds some small wrinkles over his time. They're not always really impactful but I appreciate the attempt to be different. I think he's got better chemistry with Lee than he did with Chase U so it's working for what they're eventually getting to.
For the depth and time they have, it seems like NXT is investing HEAVILY in interview/talking segments. Frazer's had a slightly different tone that the first one he did, but I still like where it's going.
Breakker has a fantastic spear, but it certainly helps when someone like Hayes sells it like he did.
My guess for the mystery attacker: Tegan Nox.
What little time they turned Jensen to pair with Kiana, I felt he had potential because of his age and time to develop the heel character... rather than just dumping the whole thing in a month or less, and he's right back to where he was. A pussy-whipped, blinded-by-love Jensen was far more interesting than... the duo plus Fallon.
Kiana just doesn't seem too interesting, feels like she would be more useful as a manager to a tag team.
Fairly unremarkable show this week. Dabbo-Kato sighting, though, and a match with Axiom perhaps has me excited.
Kind of a so-so episode this week.
Cora Jade/Valkyria was way too fast. Roll on Tiffany winning at Battleground, Valkyrie’s character doesn’t grab me.
Axiom jobbing to Commander Azeez then him and Reggie becoming mates….meh.
I guess Dar/Frazer was alright.
Once Joe Gacy’s put the picture, I wouldn’t mind seeing Bate/Lee go one on one.
Another corny D’Angelo in trouble segment.
The best bit of the show by miles was Dijak/Draganov beating the shit out of each other throughout the show.
Last edited by Badger; May 24th, 2023 at 10:03 AM.
Nom Dar is by far the worst wrestler in NXT. He needs subtitles bad and his look/skills are boring.
Did you need subtitles for Drew/Nikki Cross/Isla Dawn, Gallus and Alba Fyre too lol.
Last edited by Badger; May 24th, 2023 at 10:16 AM.
No. This motherfucker sounds like he's trying to be the assistant coach from Waterboy. Open your fuckin jaw when you talk this isn't Migos NXT.
Noam Dar is still in WWE? HWAAT?
I called him Sar, and he responded, "No, am Dar!"
Loved Lyra and Tiff winning as I was expecting the opposite results. Cora/Lyra was not good, though, but Roxi/Tiff was a banger and a feud worth revisiting.
Axiom/Dabba was good and a nice win for the big man. Hope they do something with him to keep momentum going. Soon as they showed the SCRYPTS clip you knew he was showing up. New gear is bland but anything is better than his previous look.
I really don't care for Dar. Frazer is cool, though, so happy to see him win.
Don't really care about Dijak/Ilja but I did enjoy the flying forearm thing off the steps.
I need more Oba Femi, please.
-Eddy Thorpe needs to be in a tag team w/ someone. He's mechanically sound and doing alright, but he's missing a hook.
-Hank and Tank was wank.
-Blows my mind how Von Wagner is still around. Crusafino's got an interesting look, and that hiptoss into a neckbreaker was cool.
-Stratton's grown so much as a performer, she's going to have a wonderful career.
-I really like Dijak, but I really hate his... look. I'm getting a kick out of his attack from behind feud w/ Dragunov though.
For once I actually give a bit if a shit about Von. The weird baby pic has me intrigued.
Thorpe has a good look, good entrance, and seems totally solid in-ring but i can't remember a single move he's done.
Last edited by mth; May 25th, 2023 at 4:07 PM.
He's probably Dijak so there's only one Dominik on the main roster but if Dijak ever gets out of NXT he should come back and join Hit Row as Dom Dolla.
Lol it’s not even the worst Scottish accent out of our many. Be glad that you haven’t lived or been in the likes of the deep heart of Glasgow, Dundee or Highlands. He’s from Ayr that’s nothing.
The trick really is to get past the inflections like “aaaaaaeeehhhh” or “iiiieeeee” (in the case of Aberdonian at the end of every word) and you’ll be fine. Or peeeeh instead of pie in the case of Dundee.
Most times when we travel abroad, foreigners love our Scottish accents. As many dialects as we have, generally found to be sexy.
Honestly I don't really follow the guy so I had no clue he was Scottish. You rattled off a bunch of people that speak pretty clearly despite being Scottish lol. Just like here in America, we have people who have terrible accents or like I said barely open their mouth and mumble.
The Scots on this board have always been ultra sensitive to the point where you say someone sounds like shit and you get a novel.
Von Wagner is going to be one of those guys that will be forced on us and 5 years from now we'll finally cave in. It's already happening to mth he was the biggest anti-Wagner poster .
I would rather see Izzy the Bayley Fan go over Roman than see Von Wagner in this business.
I was in the "give Wagner a chance" camp for a bit. Looking back, that pairing with O'Reilly either did him no favors, or he was just destined to be this create-a-wrestler looking dude with a paper personality. I jumped in on NXT this week when he was already in his match with some guy. What was that shit with Stone showing him the picture? Was that ever revealed or explained?
Not yet. That's the hook. Not sure how the reveal will pay off or if there will be any reason to continue to care after it is. OK, he had some issue as a baby but now what?
I wasn’t sensitive whatsoever. Quite the opposite I was amused lol. More in a “You think Dar’s bad…there’s far worse here!”
Also thought “Scottish Supernova” nickname might’ve been a giveaway.
Last edited by Badger; May 26th, 2023 at 3:05 AM.
*Scottish Supernova 11
Anyone know what the deal is with the 11? Haven't noticed them bother to explain it on commentary yet...
If you think Drew McIntyre and Nom Dar sound the same, or Drew sounds worse, that just might be the fact that you're from there and maybe Drew's accent has more of an English tone to it. You basically rattled off everyone from Scotland in WWE so how was I supposed to take that response? lol.I wasn’t sensitive whatsoever. Quite the opposite I was amused lol. More in a “You think Dar’s bad…there’s far worse here!”
Also thought “Scottish Supernova” nickname might’ve been a giveaway.
Nom Dar is one of those talents that are out of sight out of mind. I came on the board and saw I had a notification you responded to a post in this thread and I couldn't even remember what it was about. Some of it is coming back to me, like his Alicia Fox feud but I think his nationality was such a non-factor I just tuned it out.
That's his hook?? Yo, what's on the picture, bro?! Ok, I'm on board now.Not yet. That's the hook. Not sure how the reveal will pay off or if there will be any reason to continue to care after it is. OK, he had some issue as a baby but now what?
I could be wrong about Dar though, he could be main-eventing Wrestlemania in a year or two. You never know.
Of course I know they’re different. I was being facetious and just joking with you a bit about not being understanding out lovely accents.
Haven’t noticed it either so don’t know. Maybe it’s a significant date to him or something.
I know it wasn't always part of the nickname, so I thought maybe something happened in NXT UK that added it...
I lost count how many weeks it's been going on but the longer it drags out the less interested I am. One, it's Wagner, two, I feel like the guy's face is the same reaction every tme.Not yet. That's the hook. Not sure how the reveal will pay off or if there will be any reason to continue to care after it is. OK, he had some issue as a baby but now what?
Fair points. I'm not optimistic the revelation will be worth the wait or ultimately be that beneficial for him.
Can't same I'm particularly amped about Battlegroud. I mainly just care about the Women's Title match and the rest I could skip and not be too fussed. Honestly, if it starts the show, I might actually do that.
Gallus are mad boring and the Creeds have become dorks.
Don't connect with Dijak or Ilja, really, but their match should at least be enjoyable for the action/violence.
Heritage Cup rules seem needlessly complicated and like they'd detract from the match quality. Also Dar sucks but Dragon Lee is cool.
NA Title will probably be a banger. Kind of hope Gacy takes it.
Hayes/Breakker II will hopefully be better than their average first go. The heel turn hasn't really added that much fresh paint to make me care more, though.
Quick picks:
Tiffy Time
Melo retains
Creeds are new champs
Dar retains
Ilja
Lee retains (pins Bate so they have a one-on-one rematch later)
Last edited by mth; May 28th, 2023 at 11:10 AM.
Whoever has gotten in the ear of producers for WWE triple threats needs to stay in power because the triple threats have gotten much better lately. Doing much better keeping all three competitors engaged and finding more combination attacks. I thought it was a fun match and we got the finish I expected. I do like that Gacy ate the pin and he can move into the background. I'd move on to Bate/Lee for the gold and have Bate take the title.
I didn't watch a lot of Heritage Cup matches but I actually like the feel of them. There's creative storytelling you can have in there and the pace comes off well. Smarmy Dar is a good dynamic that fills a void with Waller out of the mix. Lee isn't getting a good rate of return on those hurricanranas on the apron. He's had two brutal landings with them and luckily appears to be unscathed after them.
Dijak and Dragunov delivered the goods. I liked the bit at the beginning where Dijak told his wife to go away and take their daughter with her to avoid them seeing the punishment he was about to deliver. The brutality hit the mark and the crowd ate up every bit of it. Something about this match worked where the ref counts didn't take away from the match. I think the length of the match probably helped in the end. Honestly, give me more of these two together.
Tag match was pretty good. Anyone with eyes has to see that Julius Creed is a star in the mixing. Doing eight belly-to-back suplexes into eight kip-ups was quite the visual. Heck, Brutus even got decent-enough Brutus Bomb in. Gallus as the champs don't do much for me, but the match did the job.
Tiffany really is coming into her own as a worker. The only blemish on her work recently is that bit at the end of the match where Indi got injured and she had to work on the fly. She's not ready for that, but she's developing nicely. That said, it was a bit weird for her to come off really stoic or somewhat disinterested when she won lol.
Main event was fun. The mid-air Spear looked brutal and really could've been disastrous if it went awry. This really shuts the door on Breakker for the time being, or it really should be shut for him. Will be interesting to see where Hayes goes from here.
Glad we'll get a payoff to who the mystery attacker is on Tuesday. My first hunch was Tegan but it very well could be Blair.
Last edited by BGMaverick; May 28th, 2023 at 11:37 PM.
I see a Gallus and Brawling Brutes feud coming in the future, if Gallus get up to main roster. They don't come off as anything special, but the Creeds are a treat to watch. Not surprised the champs retained but they aren't a terribly exciting trio either.
I didn't know what I was getting in for with the Heritage Cup match so a first time seeing this was done pretty well. I don't know anything of Dragon Lee pre-NXT but he hasn't struck me as someone who stands out (yet).
Women's match had the right winner, but either would have worked. Thought the injury angle with Valkyria was going to lead to her winning.
Don't know what's next for Bron, Dijak or the Creeds but I suppose Tuesday will reveal something. The title rematch was probably the least of interest to me, thought maybe they'd have the hometown guy drop the title to chase it throughout the summer but nah.
Only watched the NA Title and Women's Title matches. Both were good. Gacy is underrated. Lyra's injury angle had me doubting what i thought was a certain win for Tiffany. They honestly exceeded my expectations in that one.
Hell fucking yes Mustafa Ali in NXT. Let's go. Especially if he's going to be mixing it up in the NA Title scene (or, lawd willing, the NXT Title scene). Much less excited for Baron Corbin back in NXT but can't really complain, either, as the man's solid and been doing fuck all on the main roster for awhile. I was expecting someone to attack Melo post match but I would've never guessed it'd be him.
Tiffy's celebration was a hoot and I'll be curious to see how the battle royal shakes out.
Glad Gigi and Jacy are done, that went on longer than it needed and was never particularly compelling.
The Toxic breakup felt so forced and unnecessary. They could've both been called up to the main roster and added serious legit depth to the tag title scene.
Agree. They work better as a team. I thought the JJ having her HBK moment with the turn was intended to present her as a more credible title contender but neither appears ready for that. Not counting the title win, but Stratton appears well ahead of both of them in-ring, not to say she's putting on 5 star matches, but the flaws that JJ and Gigi have can be hidden in a tag team.
I was hoping for, at the PLE, a Mandy Rose return, attacking Stratton. That would've been awesome.
Corbin needs to change his theme music as it doesn't fit his current look/persona whatsoever. Don't mind him being down, match with Trick was pretty solid.
Schism/Diamond Mine was pretty good. Creeds Bros. overdoing some of their "special" spots makes them seem a bit less special every time. The passing back-and-forth suplex is already boring me but I'll admit Julius getting up from a seated position with a suplex still blows my mind. Nice to see Ivy get to look a bit more of a beast. Ava did next to nothing and they went to ad right when the ladies got in which was odd/disappointing.
Nice win for Mustafa. He's playing face but isn't he heel on RAW? I think he's going to go full heel here soon.
Thorpe/Kemp is such a forgettable feud with forgettable in-ring action.
Dabba/Kato/Scrypts was fun. Guess the gimmick's not totally dead. I'm digging what they're doing with Scrypts/Axiom and happy to see my man Dabba-Kato getting more screen time. NOW WHERE IS OBA FEMI?!
With what's going on with Corbin and Ali, I figured @Donald's girl Dana was taking the battle royal. I even forgot about Thea not being eliminated so I was even more sure of it before she popped back up. Popped hard for Thea winning, she's adorable and I'm eager to see what she can do with this spotlight.
Did NOT see Breakker/Rollins coming. That's pretty damn rad.
Nice to see Thea get some shine. Love her enthusiasm.
Count me in for Rollins/Breakker.
Dana Brooke....How on Earth can you salvage her? Over the years NXT has had to remind us sometimes that this a 3rd brand, but also still developmental. This is why it was such a big deal when Finn Balor went back. We were used to guys like Jinder Mahal, Titus, Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Cesaro, guys who weren't really being used for shit on the main roster, usually doing jobs on Main Event to Kofi and the Shield lol. They go to NXT but they never really do anything of importance.
Even when Dolph won the title, it was still Dolph it wasn't like Randy Orton showed up and took the strap. It was very Jericho winning the ROH world title like yeah it's a bigger name but it's still the guy who jobbed to Fandango clean at Mania....With Dana it's like, do you honestly see her winning the NXT women's title? Hell no.
I read they are going to build NXT up to be a third brand. I hope they launch it in 2024 when Regal is able to appear on TV again.
Can't say I was that impressed with Williams' match against Corbin. I do like the idea of finding some use for actually manufacturing free agents out of the draft. Ali and Corbin are good people to have mix it up with the people you want to get a temperature check on in terms of seeing if they're on the right trajectory in their development. I tend to think if you can work with either of those two guys, you're notably behind the curve.
I don't think Baron Corbin is someone WWE is using to make sure a wrestler is progressing. Then again as much tv time as that fuckin guy gets it wouldn't shock me. He's never had a good match, nobody that I've seen ever gives him any props beyond the random "That was a funny segment".
Saw a restaurant called Ikemen yesterday and it made me think of Jiro. Miss that dude.
- Lee/Bate delivered and the hint very early of Ali being a murky ref added fresh elements to it. Still have plenty of questions after the result and the eventual match between Lee and Ali will bet good.
- Dana Brooke is dying on the vine in NXT, it appears.
- It all matters what they do with it, but they're working to make you care about Wagner. It's a touching story, no doubt, but it can be wasted rather easily so I'm hoping they keep putting time and energy into it.
- I liked the promo segment between Hayes and Corbin quite a bit, actually. It played on old tropes but I think Hayes and Corbin added new wrinkles along the way. I've always thought Corbin was overused on the main roster but he's always usable when he's put into work, and he's helping here with Hayes.
- I don't think Breakker is really ready as a talker on the main roster but the proof is in the pudding regarding his work elsewhere. The guy was in there with one of the best in the world, held his own, and did help advance the match with his own talents. The added wrinkles of Hayes, Bálor being woven in after the match was nice, too.
Yeah, poor Dana was a sinking ship out there. Don't think the injury angle did her any favors, either, as it felt a bit too blatant at trying to garner support.
Lee/Bate/Ali angle is great and I hope it's leading to Ali finally getting him some gold.
OK, they did the Wagner reveal but like I said before, now what? I guess heels keep being dicks about it?
Corbin's best promo? Probably.
Main event delivered.
I haven't seen all that many full episodes of NXT, as in the past it has felt like most of the roster cannot cut a promo to save their life, or their ring work shows they still have a lot to learn. But I have caught a few of Bron's matches and I like him, so when I heard Seth was coming I went out of my way to DVR it. I was more than pleasantly surprised by the whole show overall.
Dana Brooke is someone who needs a complete overhaul and if that doesn't work you have to let her go. It's mindblowing when you think about the people who have been released over the years and she has escaped the chopping block. I don't want to see anyone lose their job but if you're not even getting on base why are you playing for this team? IDGAF if she makes 2 million or $20,000 a year. We're not talking about a Dolph Ziggler here who is more often than not used to make others look good because he's held titles, he's had storylines and angles consistently over the years. Dana?
I read yesterday someone say that she is one of the talents Triple H talked about where the booking has done so much damage it might be impossible to salvage certain talent. The WWE have never really tried with Dana. How do you win over a crowd by being on the main shows 2-3 times a year and when you are you're completely demolished? She would do good with getting a totally different look, character, moveset, and then we can try again. She's only 34 but whatever this bland character's gotta go. What IS her character? Again, the WWE have done her zero favors throughout the years. At least we can maybe guess why Tamina is still there.
Yeah she does definitely need a makeover and I don’t think it’s anything she’s really done wrong. Up until her NXT return (which this week didn’t do her any favours) it’s like the reason they escaped the chopping block was because half the time they forgot she existed. They only remembered recently she existed was putting her in shit comedy angles with the worn down 24/7 title which they really should’ve gone full circle and let R-Truth be the final champion and have the title be on his mantlepiece.
Dana’s good-looking, good build and competent so see why @Donald likes her. If they really invested in her and gave the fans a reason to care, they could get something out of her if they could be arsed.
I've read some comments online where people say by now she should be over, it's on her to win over the crowd....but when you're barely featured and when you are it's to be a jabroni.....And another problem is that she's in NXT now and it's not to boost ratings. She's an experienced body but not in the same vein as a Natalya. We see Natalya work with a newbie and we know it's like 123 Kid back in the day-they're seeing if you can go and you're going up against a technically sound badass.
she is well below average in the ring and on the mic, even after years of being in the company. i do not think that any makeover or reboot of her will do anything to elevate her. i don't see what anyone sees in her, talent wise. maybe she is good with corporate stuff like going to hospitals and reading a children's book. the most wwe ever cared about her is when batista used twitter to get into her pants
Dana in NXT can hide the lack of reactions she might get from 15,000 in attendance on the main show to whatever hundreds get in to an NXT show. Where she comes up short on ring work (compared to Natalya) the announcers are there to hype her as someone from the main roster coming to there.
There's a part of me that's always wondered if these kids are like..."Dana Brooke and Titus again?" See as a kid I would probably be excited for any WWF wrestler but IDK how I would feel if it was Sam Houston and B Brian Blair.
With Dana she's never really been impressive. I've never watched a match or just watched her in general and thought of all the missed opportunities and wasted talent. It really is mindblowing even as a fan to try and guess why Vince and co. have kept her around. They have plenty of talent they don't use that much better that could do the whole read a book or talk about bullying. But you'd think that would have more of an impact with wrestlers that are being used or maybe even legends from the past.
Dude you should watch NXT this week. The last place you want someone like Dana Brooke is in a venue of about 4-500 people shitting on you because you can't pipe in fake crowd noise over that. It's like watching someone that sucks from WWF that was sent to ECW back in the day. Who knows, maybe working in front of a more vocal, more intelligent audience, if she does start getting actual storylines and longer matches--if she can win them over and we go damn 2-3 months ago they were burying her but now they love her.
One thing we can count as wrestling fans, if you put in the work AND the company gives you a realistic shot and not just some random jobs on Main Event--you can turn a corner. But again--with Dana, it feels like she's been there for too long to pull that off. This isn't a Kofi Kingston situation, he was at least pushed and won titles and had feuds.
Did you watch NXT this week?
They booked the match to give Dana support and she got nothing close to support.
I don't remember anything about that last line but otherwise: facts. Nice person, works hard, but doesn't have "it" and after 10 years, "it" isn't going to show up no matter what bones they might throw her. NXT crowd tends to give respect where it's due and even they were backing the heel they usually boo the shit out of.
There was this back and forth on Twitter with Batista and Dana Brooke that went absolutely nowhere and rightfully so. It was just very random. Batista is known for giving props to the cake.
I know he had a thing with Melina but don’t know if he ever reached the CM Punk levels.
Maybe I’m in the minority with Don but don’t think Dana was that bad. Just got lost in the shuffle and was never going to break the glass ceiling of who they wanted to put on the pedestal. There’s very few women that have broken through that, usually the same ones on top IMO.
Rhea after the Four Horsewomen an obvious exception. Ronda obv name value. Shayna up and down but being with Ronda keeping her up just now.
Asuka, Liv, and Bianca. Iyo is working her way there, steadily. They're going to try to Raquel but I don't know how that's going to take.
Dana was never "that bad" but she didn't really show anything to suggest she was that good, either. Gimmicks, lack of them, or lack of time certainly hurts but you've got to find a way to make the most of your time on TV and I never really thought she did that when the bell rang.
I'm pretty sure Batista hooked up with 5-6 women I know for a fact Melina, Kelly Kelly, Maria, Christy Hemme, and I want to say Joy Giovanni all went out on dates with Drax. How big is Batista's dick? Ask Conrad Thompson or Sean Oliver.
Women's wrestling is evolving to quickly and more and more women are starting careers in this business like never before. Companies in the US are opening their roster up to international talent where 5-10 years ago you'd be lucky to find an Asuka or Io Shirai working in the States on the level that they are. Even TNA you never really saw anyone come over from Japan and actually sign with the company for 3-5 years.
So Dana gets lost in the shuffle but at the very least we could've seen some programs with her. It's very much like Alicia Fox's run in the WWE. She went 10 years before she finally had a shirt. 1 title reign that nobody remembers. And for what purpose? Did anyone ever go "Foxy might not be doing anything but at least she can work" Dana is imo beyond repair but I'm willing to see something new. Like I said, simply putting her on NXT to lose doesn't really help anyone out.
Main Event is probably the only place someone could truly judge what she brings to the table. The little we see of her elsewhere it's kind of like watching Santino.
Have to admit I kind of marked out for Corbin's return to the Lone Wolf gimmick. Hope he stays with it now. Match was good outside of a couple flubs.
Frazer/Lee was a banger.
Stratton/Hail was better than I expected even with the obvious outcome.
Some good/interesting storyline progression in everything else on the show, too. Damn good episode.
Last edited by mth; June 28th, 2023 at 1:00 AM.
I like Corbin & Ali in NXT with the current roster they have. I hope the two are there longer term and not just some feud then bounced back to the main roster.
Reading spoilers for next week
Ali/Bate was a banger. Can't wait for Ali/Lee and hoping my beautiful boy wins the NA Title.
Underground match was better than I expected. Thought Gable might turn and help his brother but nope.
Was very surprised to see Dyad win and honestly popped for it. I guess the Creeds are off to the Mai roster and Schism has a new member.
We've got another athletic-as-hell woman is Kilani and I'm here for it. That 619-esque arm drag was dope.
Curious to see what NO Bullshit Corbin is like. I was hoping he'd be Lone Wolfing again but he's ditching that, too. I'm digging what he's been doing lately overall and it's working for me, at least.
Excited for the new tag team debuting next week but where is Oba Femi?!
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to @mth again.
- I could watch Bate vs. Ali wrestle every day and they'd bust out new stuff every day. They're just so good together.
- Hilarious to see Gable Steveson thinking showing off his gold medal as a motivation was something that would be rejuvenating for Thorpe. Booker questioning it too was excellent. Kemp gets it in terms of performing, his brother doesn't seem to get it.
- Considering the scuttle of the Dyad requesting their release, seemed like you'd expect them to be on the way out with the Loser Leaves NXT Match. Fun and inspired zag to see the Creeds actually be the ones out. They kind of had the Breakker trajectory where you kind of anticipate that most of what they could accomplish in NXT had been exhausted. They bring a different kind of chaos to the tag division on the main roster. A welcomed kind of chaos, definitely. They obviously need some consistent booking to get the chance to get over but they've got the talent there to make it work. I do like the idea of Ivy hanging back. She's suffered creatively over the last several months. With Diamond Mind really no longer being a thing, she can kind of going back to doing her own thing and hopefully meshes the character work with the in-ring work she was showing earlier in her run in NXT.
- Can't say I anticipated Bálor cutting a promo referencing rubs and happy endings, but here we are lol. Feels belabored to circle back to Bálor/Hayes when its now over two weeks old and we already got the match. That's the negative, but I do like the continued emphasis to balance things out where NXT gets a boost from the main roster talent coming around. Judgment Day strife will likely continue as Bálor/Hayes cross paths again.
- I've been less than enthused with Breakker's promos in general but I'll say he did better with his efforts to close this show. Didn't wow me but he delivered his material well enough. Breakker basically talked like a man who feels like he's got nothing else left to prove in NXT and Dragunov stands in his way of proving the point. Breakker could do the favors if he's on his way out or he proves his point, thus undercutting the idea of Dragunov really becoming a challenger for Hayes' championship.
Last edited by BGMaverick; July 6th, 2023 at 12:43 AM.
I'm almost 100% positive that was Gacy. At first I wasn't sure but they show him one last time and the mask is kind of exposing the lower half of his face and it's him. Felt like that old trick of yeah you banned me but I'm going to come back out while you're not looking. Kind of like Solo at Mania.
I was genuinely shocked Creeds lost. My son and I were watching and I'm like despite loving the Creeds, they are still pretty reckless in the ring and I don't know how that will translate on the main roster. I'm wondering how serious those reports of them leaving were. Look at Mustafa Alia, and he was even vocal on Twitter about it thinking that would someone help him get released, that was 3 years ago. I thought Dyad would lose, and then show up on the main roster as the GYV. I also thought maybe they'd lose and then we'd hear about the start of NXT Europe being official and that's where they return as GYV.
Same here, I expected that it was Gacy. Would've been a nice surprise if there's a new member of the group but don't see it.
Aside from Diamond Mine being outnumbered, I read spoilers so I knew what to expect. Hopefully some main roster people can work with both of them to prepare them. They are exciting to watch but I think need to tone down some of the stuff.
Really hoping Ivy starts getting some more spotlight as a solo act now.
Nice to see Dragonov finally took my advice and grew some facial hair. Also, dude is good but sometimes his floppy seling is a bit over the top.
Bit disappointed Nima/Price only debuted in a couple blink-and-you-miss-it appearances and not a match.
Dragunov/Bron was good but thought the finish was a bit sloppy. They essentially cracked heads and then Dragunov got the pin. The match with Melo should be good but Melo’s the wrong opponent for him. If it were like Bron, Dijak or WALTER/GUNTHER for the NXT title then can get behind the match but though they’re trying to creat heat, not sure how this one will go down.
It’s a shame it’s way too early into Tiffany’s reign for Thea to win their eventual rematch but she will get their. Love her energy. Honestly surprised Duke Hudson hasn’t turned on Chase U by now, got a feeling it’s still coming down the road.
Dom/Wes Lee segment and match next week should be fun. “I accept!” “What?”
Stacks/D’Angelo angle just beeeends reality to fuck. Pre-paid phone calls, win this match then get out of jail Monopoly stuff lol. One of those so bad it’s good deals.
Also thought Nima/Price would’ve done more too.
Dirty Dom and Mami with gold, Priest is MITB. Balor up next as champ at SS?
The main event between Mysterio and Lee didn't work for a variety of reasons, mainly neither of them really having any type of chemistry together and Mysterio looking somewhat sloppy in some spots. Seems a little weird to veer in this direction after Lee has had such a notable reign and was set to defend the championship against Ali, with a story being established there. Rhea is really a mover and shaker when it comes to championships changing hands. Two nights, two different championships changing hands and she's played pivotal roles in both situations happening.
They have to do something. It would create a really unique element within the faction. You'll see factions draped in gold but the unique factor is the briefcase. To see Bálor win and then have the weird tension with Priest could possibly be more entertaining versus whatever they can craft up in terms of challengers for Rollins. The options for Rollins would be a presumably turning McIntyre or the winner of Rhodes/Lesnar. Having the infighting or looking at those options for Rollins likely take some work to gin up interest but the first option would certainly be fresh.
Yeah I was a bit surprised they pulled the trigger on Dom winning. I thought Melo/Trick or somebody would’ve come out to even the odds or something. I guess they’re going for a UE kinda thing where everyone gets gold (well except technically Priest who has the case).
We’ll have to wait and see if they actually give Dom an extended reign and what they’ll do with Lee/Ali. I think Balor winning at SSlam is the right call and the better story though.
Had it spoiled but did not expect Dom to win the title. Very interesting. Throws a wrench into Lee/Ali so maybe a triple threat at GAB? Match itself was not that great.
Disappointed we got to see very little of Price/Bronco I ring. Also weird to have Scrypts turn already, seems like that team could've had a run with some fun matches but all they really did was bury Dabba-Kato and now we're back to square one already.
Have to admit the Corbin stuff is really doing it for me. Mad intrigued.
Meta-Four/Dar are also winning me over.
Felt like this episode flew by so a good sign they kept me invested.
So Dom’s in a triple threat now with Lee and Ali. Let’s see what they can do and yeah I agree with using Dom across all three brands given how hot he is. Ripley’s match was good as well. Bron/Von…not sure but at least they have redeemed Avon sonewhat.
Steveson needs a mouthpiece ASAP. Unless this a planned bit, his verbal skills are going to have him sink awfully quick.
Some subtle mods to Dragunov's approach and I like it.
What a weird opinion of Gable.
Seeing comments that Creed Bros have been under masks with the Gacy Family. What's to gain to reveal it's them? Heels got the tag belts (for now), kind of wasting a revenge angle if simply revealing "Hey we're still here".
It's for sure them. They were fucked over and shouldn't have lost that match the way they did. It makes sense for them to get revenge and kind of beat Schism at their own game. Creeds imo aren't ready for the bigger brands. Extremely athletic, the potential is 1000% there. They just need some more polish, ease back on the gas pedal because that shit looks super reckless at times especially that doomsday cannonball finisher they use. They could definitely be the team to beat those dorks Gallus.
I disagree, Nash.
Gable Stevenson has been a developmental project for quite a while, and he's made appearances on the main roster (where he's waived to the crowd), so a lot of us are wondering why he hasn't had a match yet. They made a big deal of him getting signed, he appeared at SummerSlam 2021, he was drafted to RAW, and he appeared at Wrestlemania a year ago giving a suplex to Chad Gable. But then again nothing until a December Smackdown appearance at Kurt Angle's birthday celebration.
It certainly made fans wonder where he's been. We found out why he hasn't been used when he opened his mouth this week - and we learned he's worse than Dexter Lumis on the mic.
About them being the ones to defeat Gallus, I feel like if NXT swapped Gallus with Schism and ran the same storylines it would've worked well. Skipped the "loser leaves NXT" shit and just had Schism be the ones to fuck over Tony, get their revenge, Creeds get their title win at GAB over Gallus. And I agree with you about Creeds. Not ready yet. Close but if they debuted like night after Rumble should be enough time to prepare them.
Which presents another problem, what mouthpiece in NXT can they give to him now? “Mr Stone” is busy with Von, MVP would’ve been a good shout but he’s disappeared. They could‘ve stuck him in the Chase U mass and have Andre do the talking but now they’ve gone the opposite direction potentially hooking him up with Gulak and Dempsey. There’s not a ton of manager/mouthpiece options available for a face.
I think it they were happy with him in the ring but not so much on the mic, they could’ve put Gable with Gable in the Alpha Academy lol.
Last I checked this was developmental and I can rattle of a laundry list of talent who in their first couple years were dogshit on the mic. Not everyone comes out the gate like Roddy Piper.
You should read up on where he's been. Seriously. He hasn't been sitting on Rajah with the insider knowledge and oblivious approach to what developmental actually is. It took Sami Zayn 15 years to cut a good promo but Gable is expected to be The Rock.
To be fair, Gable's been beating ass in real wrestling competitions and is about to do it again in September so he'll probably not be around that much after the Corbin match. Any time the WWE has high hopes for someone the internet starts playing wrestler/booker/promoter and it's like ffs, the guy has been on a couple episodes and people think because he's working with Corbin he's about to dethrone Roman I guess....idk. Glass half empty fans.
Reply With Quote
