Full Sail TV Tapings 8-13-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Thursday night fans piled into the NXT arena at Full Sail University for another round of television tapings. With only a little over a week before NXT Takeover, the booking was a little strange to say the least, with some unique matches and possible swerves. It will be interesting to see how the tapings stack up to the actual episodes after the magic of editing. The following report contains detailed spoilers for the next three episodes.

In our opening dark match Riddick Moss takes on the drifter Elias Sampson in a short but well wrestled contest. Moss takes control early on with an obvious strength and size advantage flattening Sampson with a powerslam. Sampson fights back pummeling Moss in the corner. Later he sends Moss to the mat with a double mule kick out of the corner before attempting to ground Moss with a side headlock. The two trade shots back and forth until eventually Sampson comes off the turnbuckles with a crossbody. Moss reverses the momentum and tosses Sampson over his head with a fallaway slam. Moss finishes off Sampson with a crucifix powerbomb for the victory. I’ve been a fan of Elias Sampson from the beginning, but Riddick Moss is starting to come into his own and is looking better with every outing.

Episode 1

General Manager William Regal makes his way to the ring to officiate the contract signing for the women’s title match at NXT Takeover. Bayley is out first, followed by the champ Sasha Banks. Before signing Bayley takes the mic and gives thanks to all of us for getting her to this point. She tells us that this is the biggest match of her life. She explains that she has been in this position before but let the title slip through her fingers. She insists that this time will be different, she can feel it, and Sasha can feel it too. Bayley signs the contract and Sasha takes a mic now. Sasha says she is the baddest diva in NXT and the greatest champ on either roster. Sasha signs the contract and begins to leave the ring. Bayley says she knows how these contract signings end and she doesn’t get to just walk off. Bayley tells her she is ready for a fight now. Banks tells Bayley that Becky and Charlotte were threats but she is not. Banks continues by telling her that is why they are on Raw right now and she is not. She finishes by calling her a loser and telling her she is not worth the fight. Sasha leaves but Bayley attacks her on the ramp and the two fight until they are broken up by several referees.

Next up Prince Pretty Tyler Breeze comes out with a Jushin Thunder Liger mask to make quick work of enhancement talent Rob Ryzin. The bell rings and Ryzin comes out of the gate ready to fight but Breeze knocks him out with a superkick for the win. Afterwards Breeze puts the Liger mask on Ryzin to give us a Takeover preview. Breeze picks his opponent up off the mat only to drop him again with a Beauty Shot.

The action continues with a big eight man tag match with The Hype Bros and Enzo & Cass taking on Aaron Solow, Jesse Sorenson and two other unnamed talents. This was a mostly one sided match with the enhancement talent getting minimal offense against Amore. Cass looks to finish a relatively easy night with a swinging side slam to Solow but Sorenson breaks the pin. Sorenson then gets leveled by Cass followed by a broski boot from Ryder for his troubles. Cass executes another swinging side slam to Solow and launches Enzo off the turnbuckle with an assisted splash for the win.

The night continues with more tag action as the team of Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins take on the champs Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy accompanied by Alexa Bliss. Dawkins and Fulton start off strong in the early goings using their size to their advantage along with tandem wrestling. Finally Blake turns things around with a big clothesline and control Dawkins until he makes a hot tag to Fulton who comes in and cleans house with a series of strikes and a nice gutwrench suplex to Murphy. It wouldn’t be enough as Murphy quickly regain control and the champs finish Fulton with their running suplex/frogsplash combo for the win. Afterwards The Vaudevillians come out to cut a promo but Alexa marches up and slaps each of them. English and Gotch regain their composure and begin again, but Bliss assaults them once more before the champ’s music hit.

Next up is Steve Cutler taking on Samoa Joe. Cutler bravely takes it right to Joe with a series of strikes into the corner. Cutler backs up and charges but Joe catches him with a thunderous side slam. Joe picks him up and locks on a Coquina Clutch for a quick submission victory. Joe leaves the ring but Corbin runs out and drops him with a big boot. The two brawl into the ring and Joe begins to mount a comeback but Corbin snatches him up with an End Of Days.

Kevin Owens comes to the ring and sets up a ladder. He begins to talk about his match with Balor at NXT Takeover. At the first mention of Brooklyn he is met with loud boos and a “Brooklyn Sucks” chant. He tells us that we are a bunch of hypocrites and are basically the John Cena of wrestling fans because nothing genuine ever comes out of our mouths. He points out that we say we love NXT and want it to grow yet cry that they are doing a sold out show in Brooklyn. He says we’re all trash and that beating Balor and taking his title will make him feel better. He says Japan was a fluke and that at Takeover it is going to be “Climb Owens Climb”. The lights go dark and Finn’s music begins but when the lights come back on Finn is already in the ring perched on the turnbuckle. The two begin to brawl and Finn drops Owens with a pele kick. He takes the ladder and launches it but Owens dodges and clears the ring. Finn tells him that he is going to do more than win, he is also going to kick Owens ass and shut his mouth. This was a great segment. Owens scathing promo had so much truth to it, and how he utilized it is another example of why he is simply the best heel in the business.

Episode 2

The episode begins with Gionna Daddio taking on Sasha Banks, who came to the ring wearing her women’s title, again it will be interesting to see how these episodes are edited for television. The match starts with much fast paced back and forth action. Gionna starts off strong with several grapples, pin attempts and acrobatic maneuvers but ultimately Banks halts her offense with double knees in the corner. Banks then slows the pace choking Gionna in the corner before settling into a chinlock. Gionna mounts a comeback culminating in a crossbody but moments later Banks hits her with a backstabber transitioned into the Bank Statement for the submission victory. There were a few rough spots but ultimately Gionna shows a lot of promise and is a wrestler to get excited for.

The Ascension are out next to a huge hometown pop to take on the weird pairing of Baron Corbin and Rhyno. Viktor and Konnor start off strong manhandling Corbin with a series of strikes and uppercuts. Viktor and Corbin end up brawling on the outside, my visibility was limited (they were on the other side of the ring) but Viktor went down and did not immediately get up. The bell rang abruptly and the match was called a DQ. However, Viktor made it back up and everyone seemed poised to restart the match. Regal came out and said the match would not end like that and to restart it. Rhyno and Corbin dominate Viktor until he nails a hellacious clothesline on Rhyno in a last gasp effort. Viktor makes the hot tag to Konnor who comes in with a flurry of punches to Rhyno. He accentuates it with a big flapjack and The Ascension surround Rhyno for The Fall Of Man. Corbin makes the save pulling Viktor out of the ring, and moments later Rhyno gores Konnor for the win. Flawed match or not, it was nice to see The Ascension welcomed back to Full Sail in such a loud raucous way.

We continue with Alexa Bliss taking on Bluepants in a very one sided match. In the opening moments Bliss attacks and beats down Bluepants, She continues with intermittent kicks and strikes in between armlocks. Bluepants fights back with two high kicks and a suplex, but Bliss answers with a Glitz Flip followed by a Sparkle Splash for the pin.

Next, Apollo Crews takes on Martin Stone. In the early goings Apollo shows off his amazing agility and fluidity finishing off the opening moments with a beautiful dropkick. Stone mounts a slight offense, wisely trying to ground Crews. However Apollo comes back with a mean kick followed by a series of axehandles and a big splash. He hoists up Stone with a big military press and drops him. He then follows with a perfect standing moonsault for the win. It was a short but fun match and a good introduction to Apollo Crews.

Next up is women’s action with Billie Kay taking on Eva Marie. After a few successful grapples in the early goings Eva stops to gloat but Billie shuts her up with a big boot. However moments later Eva is back in control with several shoulders to Billie in the corner. She follows with a suplex and a senton before settling into a grounded abdominal stretch. Billie makes it up and mounts a comeback with two clotheslines and a suplex of her own. Billie goes for a pin and the referee counts one, two, and he hesitates on what should have been a three count. Apparently, Eva Marie forgot to kick out, it was terribly noticeable. It certainly didn’t help to sway the already negative crowd who pounced upon the botch with “Bullshit” chants. The match continues and the two fight into the corner where Eva manages to hit Billie with the Sliced Red #2 for the victory.

Tag action is next with Solomon Crowe and Neville taking on Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Neville is met with a hero’s welcome from the crowd at Full Sail University.  Crowe and Gable start with both men showing off some incredible ringwork. Crowe takes charge and eventually flapjacks Gable before settling into a front chancery. Moments later Neville takes over on Jordan with a flurry of kicks and signature offense for his team. Later Jordan and Gable would turn things back around isolating Crowe from his partner. Crowe eventually makes a hot tag to Neville who comes in with a speedy series of strike and kicks laying out Jordan. Neville climbs the turnbuckles for The Red Arrow, but Gable wisely pulls Jordan to the outside. Undeterred, Neville executes a moonsault off the turnbuckle onto Jordan on the outside. Crowe follows with a suicide dive through the ropes and into Gable. Back in the ring Jordan and Gable somehow manage to take advantage ejecting Neville from the ring and hitting Crowe with Grand Amplitude for the victory.

Episode 3

The episode opens up with Peyton Royce (KC Kassidy) taking on Carmella. The match opens up with much grappling and reversals, and both women looking strong. Finally, Carmella takes charge with a nice headscissors and a sitout rear slam. Peyton fights back with two high spinning heel kicks and a crossbody. Ultimately though Carmella would nail Royce with an STO and transition into her modified figure four head scissors for the submission victory.

Tag team action is next with the bizarre pairing of Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey. Their opponents were the surprising duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, who were both welcomed with much fanfare. Very early on Ciampa slaps the taste right out of the mouth of Breeze. Gargano comes in and continues the momentum with a mean neckbreaker to Breeze. Eventually Prince Pretty makes a tag to Bull. Gargano continues his onslaught but bounces right off of the much larger Dempsey. After several unsuccessful takedowns Gargano drops Bull with a kick to the head and tags in Ciampa. Tommaso first tries to ground Dempsey before eventually jumping onto Bull’s back and locking on a sleeper hold. Dempsey falls back squashing Ciampa before tagging in Breeze. Breeze quickly begins to get owned again and once again tags in Dempsey. Moments later Dempsey accidently knocks Breeze off the ring apron. All alone in the ring Gargano rolls up Bull with a sunset flip and Ciampa follows through rolling Bull up for the pin. Afterwards Bull and Breeze argue in the ring, then Breeze attacks Bull. He finally drops Bull with a kick to the head. This was a really fun match possibly setting up a program for Bull and Breeze. Though a more pressing question right now would be the NXT status of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

Women’s action is next with Billie Kay taking on Dana Brooke. The match begins with much fast paced back and forth action. Billie mounts some nice offense with a perfect headscissors but a frustrated Brooke beats down Billie afterward. She continues choking Billie in the corner before settling into a scissor lock. Later Billis fights back with a clothesline and a hurricanrana followed by a big boot. Brooke attempts a kick, but Billie catches her. Dana answers with an ensiguri and finishes with a Samoan Driver for the win. I enjoyed this match, Dana Brooke really is makings strides every week.

It’s main event time and Kevin Owens is out first with the NXT belt (let the speculation begin), his opponent is Adrian Neville. The bell rings and Owens immediately rolls out of the ring dictating the pace as usual. Neville gives chase and they end up back in the ring with Owens in control. Neville comes back with a flurry of signature kicks and a headscissors. The battle continues to the outside where Owens attacks Neville with a vicious clothesline before striking a Finn Balor pose. They end up back in the ring and Owens flattens Neville with a senton before settling into a chinlock. Moments later after a mean cannonball Owens hoists Neville up onto his shoulders for an Attitude Adjustment, but Neville reverses it into an outrageous DDT. The battle rages on until Neville avoids a powerbomb and drops Owens with a big German suplex. Moments later Owens eats a superkick and Neville climbs the turnbuckles for a Red Arrow. Owens rolls out of the ring, grabs his belt and begins to leave. Neville doesn’t relent and the two end up back in the ring where Owens levels Neville with the belt causing a DQ. Owens begins to beat down Neville after the match but Finn Balor makes the save. Tyler Breeze then runs out to help Owens beat down Balor. Neville makes it back into the ring evening the odds and chasing off Owens, leaving Breeze to defend himself. Balor hits Breeze with a slingblade followed by a dropkick into the corner. Neville climbs the turnbuckles and finishes Breeze with the Red Arrow.

Overall, it was a fun night with some nice surprises and some feel good homecomings. Otherwise though, the booking was sort of bizarre. With that said I will still be eagerly tuning into the tv show before and after Takeover to see exactly how tonight translates into television magic.

Read More

The Changing Landscape Of NXT

It is only March and it has already been a remarkable year for NXT. The developmental division has truly come into its own as a brand and is packing houses and selling out shows at an unprecedented rate. Testing the waters out of state the brand is coming fresh off a series of successful show dates in Ohio, and much to the chagrin of faithful Florida fans touring can’t be very far behind. With popularity reaching new heights one has to wonder what the rest of 2015 will bring.

Things have changed within the ranks and in the ring as well; 2015 has been a virtual reset. In January Blake and Murphy burst onto the scene winning tag team gold, while Februarys Takeover crowned not one, but two new champions as Sasha Banks took home the Womens belt and Kevin Owens became new NXT champion in a most controversial manner. The landscape has changed and the hierarchy has been seriously rearranged.

I’ve never been shy about singing the praises of NXTs tag team division, it is simply everything that one wishes the main roster could be. Now it seems that the exciting tag matches we are privy to at house shows every week have the potential to make it to our television sets as well. After a year dominated by two tag teams, Blake and Murphy are a breath of fresh air and may just be bringing all sorts of change with them. The Vaudevillians, as well as Cass and Enzo are both incredibly over with the crowd and have made their quest for the tag titles known, but there are other teams to look out for as well. Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton have become a very formidable team in a relatively short time. Both are sizable men with amateur backgrounds, and while one wonders about the fate of the Shoot Nation stable we at least got one good tag team out of the deal. Meanwhile, it finally seems we are on the verge of seeing The Mechanics Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder on our television sets. While other teams may have been getting more time, house show regulars Dawson and Wilder have been putting on some of the best tag matches in the company. The two have great in ring chemistry with current champs Blake and Murphy, and a program between the two teams would be incredible.

The much heralded womens division has been shaken up recently with the crowning of a new champion in Sasha Banks. Though it seems the shake-up may not be quite done. Banks and former champ Charlotte have produced so many classic matches together and truly helped define the division that we watch with such pride. However it seems both women already have one foot out of the door, as they seemingly spend more time touring with the WWE roster than the NXT roster. So what will become of the division when its two top athletes are gone? Anyone who watched Takeover: Rival already knows the answer, it will be fine. In that fatal four way match both Bayley and Becky Lynch proved they are more than capable of carrying the division further. The adoring fan base of the ultimate underdog Bayley would agree that she is ready to take it to the next level. Meanwhile Becky Lynch who may just be the best pure wrestler of the division, truly came into her own at the recent Takeover. These two ladies have clashed several times now, but I really don’t think we have seen all they have to offer yet. As torchbearers of the division these ladies will put on several classics of their own. A newly reinvigorated Alexa Bliss and the rapidly improving Carmella are both stepping out of the shadows, while the debut of the Dana Brooke is not far off.

It really doesn’t seem like that long ago that the idea of Kevin Owens in a WWE ring seemed unlikely, not only is he here but he is the NXT champion. A mere two months after his debut he mercilessly beat down Sami Zayn to take home the strap. In the weeks following those that didn’t already know are finding why Owens is possibly the best heel in the business. The abrupt title change is reverberating throughout NXT and one has to wonder what comes next. Luckily for the fans there is more to come in the Zayn/Owens saga as Sami Zayn is still due a rematch. Meanwhile Finn Balor, who is quickly becoming the most popular wrestler in NXT is destined for the gold sooner than later.

But one has to wonder what is ahead for the current state of NXTs increasingly crowded main event scene. The main roster debut of Adrian Neville is surely imminent and Sami Zayn likely isn’t very far behind. Considering the meteoric rise of both Owens and Balor it is hard to imagine them staying in NXT as long as Zayn or Neville have. So what will the landscape look like after these men have moved on? Who exactly will be the next members of the “NXT 5”? It seems Hideo Itami will probably be with NXT longer than the rest, but he is undoubtedly a tremendous talent with much to prove and it most obviously a main eventer. The push of Tyler Breeze seems to ebb and flow but he will surely be one of the top guys moving forward. Baron Corbin is wrestling longer, higher profile matches and seems destined to take a top spot soon. Solomon Crowe has barely even debuted, but he obviously has the fervor and explosiveness to take him to the top of the heap very quickly. No one can draw genuine heat like the underrated CJ Parker, is his time finally here? Add to the list all of the extremely hungry talent already tearing it up at house shows, not to mention several new names that could potentially make things even more interesting. As fans all we can do is speculate an extremely unpredictable playing field, but I look forward to watching it unfold.

Read More

NXT Cocoa, 2-21-15

Saturday night it was standing room only at the National Guard Armory in Cocoa, Fl. The raucous crowd filled the room with a vibrant energy as they waited to see their favorite NXT stars do battle in the squared circle.

In the opening match Chad Gable takes on newcomer Michael Carter (formerly Mike Rawlis). The Olympian Gable starts things off with some excellent grappling and takedowns. Gable controlled the early goings and did it with ease, despite the size difference between the two. However, a fist is a good equalizer and Carter put an end to the grappling with a punch and took control of the match. Carter relied mostly on strikes and power moves, employing his strength advantage. His offense would come to an abrupt halt though due to a surprise roll-up giving Gable the pinfall victory. I’ve only seen Carter wrestle a handful of times now but he seems more confident with each outing. Chad Gable is a lot of fun to watch and I have no doubt with proper booking he can go very far.

Next up, The Mechanics take on Big Cass and Enzo Amore. The match starts off with plenty of trash talking and shenanigans, at the end of which Amore and Dawson start boxing it out. With that Amore gets the advantage as he and Cass work over Dawson. Eventually, thanks to a distraction from Wilder, The Mechanics managed to take control and work over Amore. When Dawson and Wilder are in control is when they are the most fun to watch, they’re not the flashiest tag team but they are as fluid as any other, working perfectly in tandem. Conversely, Enzo Amore is at his best when playing the underdog which he did until he created the opening to tag in his partner. Big Cass burst into the ring and cleared house, ejecting Dawson and dropping Wilder with a swinging side slam. He followed tossing Amore off the top turnbuckle for a splash onto Wilder for the pin.

The Vaudevillians are out next, seemingly rejuvenated with their old music and playing up to the crowd. They insist the Blake and Murphy are not gentleman, but rather thieves and philanderers. Firstly, for trying to steal Carmella from Cass and Enzo. Secondly, for stealing the tag team title opportunity from them. They promised to rectify that later in the evening. It’s great to see The Vaudevillians in a face role again.

Next is Jason Jordan takes on Solomon Crowe. Jordan takes the immediate power advantage over Crowe, who comes back with a quick flurry before Jordan shuts him down again. Wisely Jordan attempts to slow down the pace of the match with a series of rest holds followed by tossing Crowe around in a series of slams. Later, Crowe found an opening and fought back with a series of stiff punches and kicks. He then topped it off with a stretch muffler to which Jordan tapped out almost immediately. Crowe is explosive and exciting to watch, now that they have finally unleashed him it is only a matter of time before he becomes a part of an increasingly crowded main event scene.

Our next match is Tyler Breeze taking on Baron Corbin. Prince Pretty cautiously approaches Corbin and the two lock up for a moment and break cleanly. Breeze then rolls out of the ring starting his own “I’m the best!” chants while taking a victory lap around the ring. The referee gets Breeze back in and they lock up yet again for another clean break, at which point Breeze repeats his hijinks outside of the ring. Upon a third time, Corbin chased him back into the ring and the fight was on. Corbin nailed Breeze with a quick succession of moves that sent Breeze flying to the edge of the ring. Corbin baseball slides out of the ring, but rather than punch his opponent (like he normally would right then), he took the time to take a selfie with Tylers phone before slugging him. The two ended up brawling outside and Breeze ended up launching Corbin into the ringpost, seemingly turning things around for Breeze. Despite a brief bit of offense, the gorgeous one couldn’t seem to garner any real offense against Corbin. Baron made a comeback and looked to be finishing it with an End Of Days, but Breeze again rolled out of the ring and opted to be counted out giving Corbin the victory.

We follow with womens wrestling action as Bayley takes on Becky Lynch in another excellent contest between the two. These two have developed quite a chemistry and it shows by the amount of back and forth action when these two wrestle. The early advantage went to Bayley, but Becky quickly turned things around. First with a Bexplex and then a trifecta of leg drops, after which she began working the arm of her nemesis. Bayley makes a spirited comeback hitting a lot of her signature offense. Becky fights back but is caught by a Belly-to-Bayley from out of nowhere giving her one more victory over Lynch.

Next, Hideo Itami takes on Finn Balor. Like their match the previous night, this was a back and forth contest that had the entire crowd on the edge of their seat. Both men are similar in a lot of ways but it was Balor who looked to be trying to ground Hideo. Fired up, Itami keeps coming back though eventually landing a number of strikes and stiff kicks to Balor. They run the ropes and Balor counters Itami with a slingblade, followed by a running front dropkick. He then finished off with the Coup De Grace, his double foot stomp off the top rope giving him the pinfall victory. Afterwards, the match ended like it began; with a handshake. Hideo is over with the crowd, but Finn Balor is on fire.

The tag team titles are defended next as Blake and Murphy take on The Vaudevillains. This match was much like their previous encounter the night before with Gotch and English taking early advantage with a lot of their signature spots. They dominated the champs in the early goings until a blind tag gave the champs the advantage. At that point they targeted the leg of English and worked him over well before he managed to make the hot tag to Gotch who attempted to clear the ring, but Blake and Murphy managed to thwart his onslaught, landing a brainbuster followed by a frogsplash from Blake for the win.

Our main event was Kevin Owens vs Adrian Neville. I’ve seen these two wrestle several times now and could watch it several more. With the speed advantage Neville took control early on with a flurry of moves before Owens caught him and slowed down the pace. He punished Neville and seemed to relish it, gloating and mocking the crowd. Neville fights back, Owens catches his kick but Neville counters with an enziguri followed by a standing moonsault. After a pin attempt the two make it to their feet and Neville hits Owens with a superkick right on the button, followed by another kick out. Again on their feet Owens nails Neville with a pumphandle neckbreaker then ascends the ropes for a senton, but Neville counters with his knees. Soon after Neville goes up top for a 450 but Owens dodges. Both men are on their feet and Neville runs right into a pop-up powerbomb giving Owens the pin and one more victory.

Read More

NXT Starke 2-20-15

Still reeling from the last Takeover event just over a week earlier, the stars of NXT made their way to the National Guard Armory in Starke, Fl for another night of exciting wrestling action. It was a packed house and the elite athletes of NXT would make sure no one went home disappointed.

The night starts off with tag team action as “Shoot Nation” Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins take on Big Cass and Enzo accompanied to the ring by Carmella. Enzo starts things for his team and is easily out-grappled by Angelo. Cass comes in to even the odds for his team, but it wouldn’t be long before Shoot Nation takes things over spending much time punishing Amore, with Dawkins at one point delivering a hellacious spear to Amore that nearly broke him in half. Still yet, the ultimate underdog managed to eventually make the hot tag to Cass who quickly shifted the momentum delivering a ring shaking swinging side slam to Angelo and assisting Amore with a splash off the top rope for the pin. Dawkins and Fulton have become a really good team and work well in tandem, but obviously Cass and Enzo are extremely over and it’s that wave of crowd adulation that will carry them further for now.

Next up, Jason Jordan challenges the lone wolf of NXT Baron Corbin. Early on Baron starts especially strong and fired up but Jordan is determined not to be a statistic in another squash match. He manages to turn the tide. Jordan is perhaps deceptively strong and easily matches strength with Corbin, even throwing him around at times. Corbin begins to get fired up and mount a comeback and at that point it is only a matter of a few moves before he lays out Jordan with the End Of Days. Baron Corbin is much more fun to watch outside of tv tapings, while creative seems to endlessly change the direction of Jason Jordan.

The Vaudevillians make their way to the ring next with their old happy “good guys” theme, while obviously playing to the crowd. The two cut a promo on Blake and Murphy and declared that they would win the tag team titles later tonight. Whether good guys or bad guys, it seems the majority of the NXT universe cheered for Gotch and English regardless, still yet they seemed to be losing a lot of momentum as heels. They seem rejuvenated now, as does the interest from the crowd.

Next up was a highlight match of the night as two wrestlers I have high hopes for in 2015 faced off. Solomon Crowe took on Chad Gable. Early on the Olympian Chad Gable attempted to take the advantage with some nice take downs but Crowe wouldn’t make it easy and brought the fight right back to him with smashmouth offense. Crowe attempted to end it early with a Boing Splash (a rope assisted “snapback” splash), but Gable kicked out and eventually took the advantage working over the arm of Crowe. It wouldn’t be enough to keep Crowe down as he fought back with a series of strikes and kicks, ultimately contorting Gable into a stretch muffler for a submission victory. Both these guys are so much fun to watch for totally different reasons, Crowe for his stiff, explosive style, and Gable for his exceptional grappling skills. I still expect big things from these two. 

The night continues with Tyler Breeze taking on Sami Zayn. Prince Pretty was in no hurry to get this match started and kept rolling out of the ring to escape Zayn. Eventually, when Breeze rolled out one side, Zayn exited the other and hopped the barricade to hide from Breeze behind a fan. As Tyler made his way around the ring looking for his opponent Zayn struck and the fight was on. What transpired was a nicely paced back and forth contest as these two have developed a good chemistry together over the last year. Things went south for Breeze when he exposed a turnbuckle but referee Drake Wuertz busted him. Breeze evaded the ref and ran up to sneak attack Zayn only to run right into an exploder suplex. With Breeze staggered in the corner, Zayn followed with his Helluva kick for the pin.

Speaking of opponents who know each other well, Bayley took on Becky Lynch in another nicely paced back and forth match. Eventually Lynch took the lead landing a Bexplex and some signature leg drops. She focused her attack on the arm of Bayley, working in some nice armlocks. The more Lynch is allowed to shine in NXT the more impressive her offense gets, as evidenced by some of the impressive submissions she has been utilizing lately. However with the crowd in her corner, the underdog Bayley managed to mount a comeback and landing a Belly-To-Bayley from out of nowhere for the pin.

Finn Balor and Hideo Itami respectfully started off their match with a handshake, but after that it was all business. Both these men are not only exceptional, but are so evenly matched and proved so with each man looking strong and each man getting in signature offense. Early advantage went to Hideo, and surprisingly it was Balor looking to slow the pace and ground the fired up Itami. After several kicks, strikes, and reversals it was Balor who dropkicked Itami into the corner and then followed with his double stomp from the top turnbuckle for the pin. Both men are impressive, but Balor is clearly connecting with fans in a big way both at Full Sail and at house shows.

Next, the tag titles are on the line as The Vaudevillians challenge Blake and Murphy. Back to their good guy personas The Vaudevillians dominated the early goings while engaging the crowd with some of their popular antics, such as the leg squat or push up spots. With the crowd behind them the two made frequent tags and kept the champs struggling to keep up. Finally, Murphy makes a blind tag to Blake giving them a big enough opening to swing the momentum back in their favor. The two keep English isolated, punishing him and working the leg. Eventually, English makes the hot tag to Gotch and things begin to look up for the gentleman grapplers. Gotch enters the ring like a man possessed knocking down anyone in his path and hoists Murphy onto his shoulders for a rolling senton. English looks to follow with a senton bomb off the top turnbuckle but Murphy rolls out of the way. Murphy counters with a running brainbuster and Blake seals the deal with a frogsplash for the pin.

Our main event of the evening was a match that could easily headline about anywhere in the world as Adrian Neville took on NXT champ Kevin Owens. In the early goings Owens attempted to dictate the pace of the match by frequent ring exits, but when Neville finally gained control it was a flurry of kicks like only Neville could deliver. Owens countered slowing the pace and seemingly relishing in punishing Neville. The two battled on with victory seemingly in hand for both men on several occasions. In the final moments Owens landed a senton bomb off the top turnbuckle yet Neville fought on. Moments later Neville fended off a superplex attempt and looked to follow with a 450 splash to a grounded Owens who rolled out of the way. The two make it to their feet and Neville lands a beautiful superkick which fails to drop the big man. Neville springs off the ropes and right into Owens pop-up powerbomb for the pin. It was a great match from two great athletes. Neville consistently proves why he has been the man in NXT for so long and is going to be sorely missed when he heads up to the main roster. Kevin Owens is possibly the best heel in the business right now, and is will likely prove the naysayers wrong by becoming the man not just in NXT, but on the main roster one day as well.

Read More

NXT Ft Pierce 2-13-15

Mere days removed from NXT Takeover: Rival fans packed into the Havert L Fenn Center in Ft Pierce, Fl to see what exactly was next for the stars of NXT. It was a night of new chapters and new rivalries and fans would not leave disappointed.

Our opening contest saw the Olympian Chad Gable taking on newcomer Mike Rawlis. Gable made his way to the ring with his old music as opposed to the Shoot Nation theme, and also appeared to be face to a heel Rawlis. The smaller Gable took the fight right to his opponent out-grappling him and eventually wrenching the arm with a series of armbars. The size and strength advantage of Rawlis eventually came into play with a series of strikes and power moves. However Chad Gable found victory out of nowhere with a sunset flip off the top turnbuckle for the pin. Gable exudes so much potential, while the rookie Mike Rawlis came out looking strong even in defeat.

Next up was tag team action as The Mechanics took on The Vaudevillians in one of the better matches of the evening. The match went back and forth in the early goings before Dawson and Wilder took control over The Vaudevillians with frequent tags and great tandem moves. Eventually a beaten down Aiden English would make the hot tag to Gotch who came in and began to clean house. The Vaudevillians looked to have victory in hand but the wily Mechanics narrowly avoided some signature moves and managed to eject Gotch from the ring. A few moments later Dawson flapjacked English onto Wilders knees allowing a pin and an impressive victory for NXTs resident roughnecks. Both teams looked great in this match and apparently have a good chemistry between each other. The Vaudevillians impressed, but at this point it is The Mechanics who are so underrated that it is practically criminal. I really have to question why Dawson and Wilder are not on TV yet.

Next up NXTs newest announcer Greg Hamilton introduces the new womens champion Sasha Banks who makes her way the ring to much fanfare. He asks her what it means to her that she is the champ. She replies that she has been chasing this dream since she was ten, and dreams really do come true. But it more fitting Boss fashion she continued by saying it was no thanks to any of us and that the title proves she is indeed the best and the baddest diva in all of NXT.

Next, everyones favorite hippy makes his way to the ring with a live mic and he is not in a pleasant mood. Parker was unhappy that he was once again left off another live special and proceeded to tell everyone all about it. Fortunately for us flickering lights and a glitchy mic was followed by the entrance music of Solomon Crowe. The two wasted no time and jumped right into the action, locking up and jockeying for control. Crowe took control of the match and looked to end it very quickly with a Boing splash which Parker kicked out of. A very physical match followed with plenty of smashmouth offense from both men. Parker controlled the pace for a while but a high risk moonsault found no one home and that was enough for Crowe to mount a comeback, eventually tying Parker up with a Stretch Muffler for a tap out victory. After a long year that involved an injury setback and a sketchy win-loss record, it’s nice to see the explosive Solomon Crowe stringing together victories of late.

Next up Elias Sampson had the unfortunate task of taking on Baron Corbin. Early on Sampson managed to stay alive simply by trying to avoid the big man and even managed to topple him at one point with a knee strike to the face. It wouldn’t be enough though, and Corbin made a quick comeback culminating in an End Of Days. Baron Corbin adds a little more variation to his move-set with every match and has proved at house shows in the past that he is more than capable of wrestling longer matches. I’m hoping he can find himself in a meaningful feud soon before the powers that be fall back on squash match after squash match.

We follow that with womens action as Becky Lynch takes on Bayley in another highlight match of the evening. Much of the match was a back and forth contest that saw good offense from both ladies. Lynch took control and hit a beautiful Bex-plex followed by a few of the best leg drops in NXT. In the end Bayley mounted a comeback and hit a Belly-to Bayley from out of nowhere for the win. This was a great match that left both ladies looking strong. I could realistically see either one of these women challenging for the title next, and even walking out with the title.

The resident wrecking ball of NXT Bull Dempsey hits the ring next to take on Prince Pretty himself, Tyler Breeze. In the early goings Breeze makes it a point to evade his larger opponent. After much avoidance both men ended up back in the ring and Bull easily won their first lock up and actually mocked Breeze, laying himself across the top turnbuckle in signature Breeze pose. Dempsey then controlled much of the match up with occasional offense from Breeze. Finally Dempsey ran down Tyler and climbed the rope to execute his flying headbutt. Breeze rolled out of the way and then hit a stumbling Bull Dempsey with Beauty Shot for the win. A fun match that at first seemed random, but hints at a feud that could really make sense… with even glimmers of potential for a Dempsey face run.

Next up, Big Cass and Enzo Amore take on the tag champions Blake and Murphy. Amore is at his best when playing the underdog, and that is where he quickly found himself for most of the match. Eventually he made the hot tag to Big Cass who entered the ring on fire taking out anyone in his path. Cass looked poised for victory, but Enzo who could barely even stand tagged himself in (presumably to impress Carmella at ringside), but this proved fatal as Blake and Murphy easily took out the already exhausted Amore, with a brainbuster from Murphy followed by a frogsplash from Blake for the win. Afterwards Cass, Enzo, and Carmella all argued in the ring before hugging it out. It was a good match, but seemed more about setting up a possible dissension between Cass and Enzo.

Our main event of the evening was a match that could easily headline many cards all over the world as Adrian Neville took on NXT Champion Kevin Owens. The champ tried to dictate the pace of the match early on, but Neville challenged him his trademark quick flurries of offense. What followed was a pay per view quality match with both men trading offense left and right. However whenever Neville would mount decent offense Owens would shut him down and hit him with a lot of his trademark moves including a cannonball senton. Neville managed a last gasp of offense with a beautiful enziguri followed by a standing moonsault. It wouldn’t be enough to keep the big man down as Owens rolled out of the way of a final attempted 450 splash off the top rope. Neville stumbled to his feet and walked into a pop-up powerbomb from Owens for the win.

It was a great night of matches that answered some questions and proposed many new one. One thing is for sure, the aftermath of NXT Takeover: Rival is not to be missed.

Read More

NXT Full Sail TV Tapings 2-12-15

Exuberant fans piled into the NXT arena at Full Sail University for another exciting round of TV tapings that would feature exciting developments, long awaited debuts, and a few surprises along the way. The following recap includes SPOILERS for the next four episodes.

The dark match saw former football player Mike Rawlis taking on the Olympian Chad Gable who entered the ring very over with the crowd. Gable proved exactly why he is so over from the opening bell out-grappling his much larger opponent. Rawlis would attempt to use that size advantage and take control out powering Gable. However Gable was able to roll up Rawlis from out of nowhere for the pin.

First Episode

We start with a video package from William Regal addressing Kevin Owens and the title situation. He tells us that tonight Adrian Neville will get a chance at retribution in a non-title match against Kevin Owens.

photo courtesy of @wgwphotos

Following that new champion Kevin Owens makes his way to the ring to the sounds of a very split crowd and lets us know that he never lied about his intentions and that they were clear from the very beginning. He also makes it known that Sami Zayn is the past, and the future is Finn Balor. He tells Balor to pick a date and he will be there to defend his NXT title.

Next up Elias Sampson hits the ring. Sampson has a ton of potential but he wouldn’t get to show any of it tonight because his opponent turned out to be ECW legend Rhyno, much to the delight of a shocked crowd. Rhyno made very quick work of Sampson and broke him half with a ferocious Gore.

Backstage, Balor is interviewed about his number one contender-ship but is distracted by Rhyno who walks right through, pausing just long enough to smile and walk off.

Next up is The Vaudevillians vs Cass and Enzo accompanied to the ring by Carmella. Gotch and English controlled much of the match punishing the underdog Enzo before he made a hot tag to Big Cass who cleared the ring and put down English with a big boot, then tossing Enzo off the turnbuckle for a splash onto English for the win. Afterwards Blake and Murphy address them via video letting us know that they proved at Takeover:Rival that they were no flukes, and then began to flirt with Carmella, who looked sickened in the ring.

Backstage, Neville addresses Owens, saying he hasn’t forgotten what happened to him the last time the two faced. He continues stating that Owens won’t soon forget what he does to him tonight.

An irate CJ Parker marches to the ring and lets us know he is sick and tired of the treatment he receives around here, particularly being left off of another live special. He announces that he is taking over and that this show is done. He begins cutting off the ring with caution tape before mysterious music hits along with video glitches. Solomon Crowe emerged from the crowd and hit the ring quickly laying out the hippy and finishing him with his Boing Splash. He grabs a mic and announces “…. Now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast.”

New Womens champ Sasha Banks is out next to face “Ol’ Bluepants” Leva Bates. It was a fast paced match that started off with plenty of back and forth action before Banks took over and proved why she is boss, finishing off Bates with her backstabber transitioned into a Boss lock, leaving Bluepants no choice but to tap. Afterwards, Banks took the mic to let us know that her title means that she is the baddest women in NXT.

Adrian Neville vs Kevin Owens in a non-title match is next and begins with an early burst of offense from Neville. Before long the champ took control and began to punish Neville with his brutal and ugly offense. Neville mounted a comeback that amounted to some incredible spots including a moonsault off the turnbuckle onto Owens standing outside of the ring, and a 450 off the ring apron onto a ground Owens. Victory seemed to be close for Neville who attempted a 450 splash only for Owens to roll out of the way. The two men make it to their feet and Neville walks right into Owens powerbomb, giving Kevin Owens the pin-fall victory in an incredible hard fought match.

Episode 2

The next episode begins with the wrecking ball of NXT Bull Dempsey taking on Hideo Itami. Dempsey dominated the early goings punishing his smaller opponent, but it wouldn’t be long before Itami managed to mount a flurry of offense and finish off Bull with a single leg running dropkick for the win. After the match atop the ramp Itami was ambushed by Tyler Breeze with a surprise superkick.

A smug Breeze attempted to find the perfect angle for a selfie with the downed Itami, who began to stir and made his way to his feet and chased off Breeze who ran for his life.

Next up The Lucha Dragons took on the team of Jason Jordan and Ty Dillinger. Jordan began the match dominating Sin Cara with a distinct strength advantage. Later in the Jordan kept itching to be tagged back in, but Dillinger refused saying “I got this”. When the Lucha Dragons began to mount a comeback and Dillinger was ready to tag, Jordan walked off leaving Ty to fend for himself. Dillinger then found himself on the receiving end of a Salida Del Sol from Kalisto followed by a senton from Sin Cara giving the Lucha Dragons the victory.
Afterwards Dillinger grabs a mic and says he is not leaving the ring until he receives an explanation. Baron Corbins music hits and he comes out to make very quick work of Ty Dillinger with an emphatic End Of Days.

Next up is a no nonsense back and forth battle between Becky Lynch and Bayley. Given the proper TV time Lynch shows the audience even more every match what she can do, as evidenced by her growing fanbase in the split crowd. The feisty Irish wrestler showed us further versatility making Bayley tap out with an impressive armbar submission. I could easily see these two battling for gold.

Kevin Owens comes out and joins the announce team, then a returning Brian Kendrick took on Finn Balor in an excellent match that showcased both men extremely well. Kendrick looked good back in a WWE ring but not good enough to combat the roll of Finn Balor who finished Kendrick off with his trademark double foot stomp off the top rope for the victory.

Owens (who apparently had left sometime during the match) made his way back out first staring down Balor. Then he made his way back to the announcers, attacking Alex Riley and tossing him over the announce table.

Episode 3

Party Guru Adam Rose returned to the NXT arena complete with a bevy of new rosebuds to take on Tyler Breeze. It was a short match that was surprisingly one sided that saw Rose display much of his trademark shenanigans before he was met with a Beauty Shot out of nowhere giving Breeze the victory. The highlight of the match was watching Tyler Breeze interact with the rosebuds entering and exiting the ring.

That was followed with another short match as Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton took on tag champs Blake and Murphy. Dawkins and Fulton of Shoot Nation have gelled well as a team and have been putting on some good matches at house shows, but this one would be a shorter match to showcase the new champs. Murphy landed a brainbuster on Dawkins followed by Blakes frogsplash for the win.

The trend continues with another short match as Baron Corbin squashed Tony Briggs without so much as breaking a sweat. Afterwards Kevin Owens makes his way over to the announce table to antagonize Alex Riley who is trying his best to ignore Owens and do his job. Owens the grabs Rileys water bottle, takes a big swig and dumps the rest on Rileys head. An irate Alex Riley jumps to his feet but Jason Alberts holds him back. Kevin Owens saunters off, meanwhile and incensed Alex Riley storms away.

Next Bull Dempsey takes on Solomon Crowe. Dempsey dominated much of the match while Crowe managed to get in short bursts of offense, at one point even body slamming the big man. In the final moments Bull sought to end it with a flying headbutt which Crowe avoided, laid out Dempsey and finished him with a boing splash. A nice official debut for Crowe, and more bad luck for Dempsey who can’t seem to catch a break these days.

Next, yet another awesome match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks for the title. These two have developed such a chemistry with each other and can produce top quality matches practically every time they meet. The action was fast and furious and back and forth, but as the match wore on it seemed to be swaying more and more in the favor of Charlotte. In the end she attempted a Natural Selection off the top turnbuckle but Banks held tight to the ropes sending Charlotte crashing to the mat. Banks then rolled her up for the pin with her feet on the ropes for added leverage.

Episode 4

This episode begins with tag team action as Big Cass and Enzo continue their quest for tag team gold by running through The Lucha Dragons. The Lucha Dragons controlled much of the match while Enzo played the part of the underdog. They probably would have won, had it not been for the rule bending from Big Cass who ran in to thwart the Luchas offense and carry Enzo back to their corner for a tag. Cass came from the tag fresh and on fire laying out Kalisto with a big sidewalk slam followed by an assisted splash from Enzo for the pin.

Next, Carmella takes on Alexa Bliss in a short but fun match. Both of these women have come so far in the last year and seemed to work well together. Carmella was in control for much of the match but ultimately her winning streak would be ended bu a Sparkle Splash off the top rope giving Alexa Bliss the victory.

Next is CJ Parker who had the unfortunate task of taking on a fired up, recently rejuvenated Alex Riley. I always felt that WWE missed an opportunity with Riley, but hopefully this is the beginning of the rectification of that. Poor CJ Parker ( who has become the whipping boy of the up and comers) managed to get in his fair share of offense, but in the end a trio of clotheslines followed by a neckbreaker off the top rope would give Alex Riley the win. Kevin Owens comes to the end of the ramp to tell Riley that he is possibly the most stupid man in NXT to come back into the ring, and that he would end him, and then end Finn Balor.

The feud between Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze continued with another great match between the two. Possibly even better than their encounter at Takeover:Rival the two men took it to each other and are actually fairly evenly matched. In the final moments of another hard fought match Hideo went for a dropkick to Breeze in the corner, only for Tyler to dodge it. Hideo made it to his feet and walked into the Beauty Shot giving Breeze an upset victory, however I doubt the battle is over between these two.

Read More