NXT Cocoa 8-28-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason 

Hot off the heels of their biggest live special yet, the stars of NXT made their return to The National Guard Armory in Cocoa, Florida for another night of wrestling action. In an evening of high impact action titles were defended, the tag tournament progressed, and fans went home very happy. 

First out is the drifter Elias Sampson who upon entering the ring regales us with song about Cocoa and “he’d say it was nice to be here/but that would be a lie”. His opponent Apollo Crews is out next. The two competitors lock up and then break, Sampson drops down in the corner and strums his guitar. They lock up again and repeat the same routine. A few moments later a distracted Sampson drops his guitar and Crews drops him with a massive dropkick. Crews looks impressive as always until Sampson finally gains control and pummels Crews in the corner before slowing the pace and settling into a chinlock. Apollo makes a quick comeback but Elias shuts him down and wisely grounds him with another chinlock. Moments later Crews dodges an elbow from Sampson and comes back with a splash and a series of strikes. He hoists up Sampson and drops him with a military press followed by a standing moonsault for the win. This was a great way to start a show. It’s apparent that Apollo Crews is going to be a very big deal in NXT sooner than later. Elias Sampson is not without an “it” factory, and is undoubtedly one to look out for. 

Next, Riddick Moss takes on Steve Cutler. Immediately Moss grabs up Cutler into a side headlock before he breaks it and the two trade off in a series of grapples. Cutler hits a dropkick, followed by a bodyslam and a leg drop before settling into a headlock of his own. Moss drops Cutler onto the ropes and goes on the attack. The much larger Moss nails Cutler with a series of uppercuts and clubbing blows before settling into a chinlock. Eventually Cutler fires back finally planting Moss with a facebuster. He follows with a Michinoku Driver variation for the pin. This was a good match from two up and comers. Both men have progressed a lot over the last year. Riddick Moss is much better as a heel, but Cutler’s choice of wearing shorts to the ring are not going to help the Cena comparisons.

Women’s tag action is next with Peyton Royce and Billie Kay taking on the team of Dana Brooke and Emma. Peyton starts for her team immediately taking over and working the arm of Dana. Finally Brooke breaks free and tags to Emma who comes in a misses an elbow allowing the Australian divas to regain control. Royce and Billie Kay work great as a team staying one step ahead with frequent tags and some tandem moves. Royce catches Emma with a headscissors and several high heel kicks. Emma eventually fights back gaining control for her team. Brooke and Emma counter with some great tandem maneuvers of their own before Dana settles into a grounded abdominal stretch on Royce. Emma comes back in and continues the attack until Royce catches her with a facebuster before making the hot tag. Billie comes in with a clothesline and a headscissors of her own to Dana Brooke. Emma thwarts her momentum with a distraction and Brooke follows through with a roll-up to Kay using her feet on the ropes for the win. With 3 out of 4 of the horsewomen on the main roster now, the NXT women’s division is at a virtual reset. However, it’s safe to say the division will be okay. Dana Brooke improves exponentially every week, while the Australian duo of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay may just be two of the best in the division right now.

The action continues with the Perfect 10 Ty Dillinger taking on the rookie Noah Kekoa, who comes to the ring wearing leis and carrying a ukulele. The bell rings and Dillinger attempts a lockup before Noah sits atop and strums his ukulele. The two make a few more passes before Dillinger grabs the ukulele and mocks Kekoa. The angry Hawaiian charges but Dillinger easily outgrapples him before settling into an armlock. The action continues back and forth until Kekoa takes over pummeling Dillinger in the corner before planting him with a side slam. He locks Ty into a half nelson sleeper. Dillinger eventually breaks free and fires back with several chops. He takes the big man down with a Russian leg sweep and finishes him with a facebreaker knee smash for the victory. Ty Dillinger looked good here as always and did a class act of making Kekoa look great too.

The next match is being televised for the WWE Network and is to be an opening match in the Dusty Rhodes Memorial Tag Team Tournament. Cass and Enzo come out to a huge ovation along with the “hottest chick in the ring” Carmella, their opponents for this match are Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. In the opening moments Angelo Dawkins is almost toying with the much smaller Amore until he tags in to Big Cass who manhandles Dawkins. He tags in Enzo who comes in with a crossbody. Thanks to a distraction from Fulton, Dawkins takes advantage, pummeling Zo and putting his team in control. The two take their time decimating Amore until Fulton misses with a big elbow giving Amore the separation to make the hot tag to Cass who comes in with a splash for Dawkins and a big boot for Fulton. He finishes off Dawkins with a huge swinging side slam and they finish with “Air Zo’, with Cass launching Amore off the turnbuckle with an assisted splash onto Dawkins for the victory. Formulaic or not, Cass and Zo matches are fun with their energy and charisma more than making up for the predictable matches. Dawkins and Fulton make a formidable team and could do well if only the powers that be would commit to them.

Bayley is out next to much deserved fanfare to give a promo. She talks about Brooklyn being the biggest night of her life. She says it was made possible by all of us who have built NXT, that we make dreams come true. She concedes that the hard work starts now and that she is going to be the best champion. She backs it up by offering an opening challenge to any women in the back. The intimidating Nia Jax answers the challenge and we have a women’s title match. The two women lock up but Jax easily swats Bayley off and to the mat. Bayley tries several times to take Nia down with no success. She finally jumps onto the Samoan’s back and locks on a sleeper hold until Nia backs up and squashes her in the corner. Bayley makes it up and runs the ropes but Jax runs her down. A determined Bayley attempts a sunset flip unsuccessfully, Nia pulls up Bayley and thrashes her around in a massive bearhug. Eventually Bayley breaks free and fights back landing several of her signature elbows in the corner. She delivers a dropkick to the knee of Jax before planting her with a one handed bulldog. She attempts to execute a Belly To Bayley, but can’t budge Jax. Moments later Nia charges the corner but Bayley dodges and rolls up Jax for a surprise pin. Just as the title signifies Bayley is the best in the division right now and showed versatility wrestling such a ominous opponent. As everyone now knows that Nia Jax is coming to television soon and believe me that is reason to be excited. Nia shows much promise and is just the monster heel the division needs.

The action continues with tag team action as the newly crowned tag team champions The Vaudevillians take on Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Simon Gotch and Chad Gable start off for their teams going toe to toe with some serious grappling. Gable tags in Jordan who comes in initially manhandling English. The artiste comes back with his trademark arm drags before settling into an armlock. The champs keep one step ahead seemingly riding the momentum of their recent win. Later, Jordan manages to leg drag Gotch into the ropes making an immediate target. Gable and Jordan begin employing frequent tags while continuously working the leg of Gotch. Finally, Gotch makes the hot tag. English comes in with a hellacious uppercut to Gable, then follows with a Directors Cut and goes for a pin. Jordan breaks the pin before getting ejected by Gotch. English climbs the turnbuckle for a senton, Gable dodges but English manages to roll through. Gable lands an impressive bridging German suplex that English manages to kick out of. English makes the tag to Gotch and they finish Gable with their Whirling Dervish, an uppercut followed by a running swinging neckbreaker. This was another fun match in the underrated NXT tag team division. The Vaudevillians are deserving champs, with Gotch especially showing more versatility of late. Meanwhile Jordan and Gable have quickly and easily become one of my favorite tag teams on either roster.

Our main event of the evening is Solomon Crowe taking on the champion Finn Balor. Before the bell even rings a particularly aggressive Solomon Crowe attack Balor from behind, making it a point to target the taped up ribs. Finn fights back with a series of strikes and chops but Crowe goes right back to the injured ribs of the champ. Solomon Crowe dominates Finn before contorting the champ into a Gory Special. Moments later, Balor rolls through a sunset flip and dropkicks Crowe to finally mount a comeback. He whips Crowe from corner to corner and finally drops Crowe with a hellacious clothesline and a standing double foot stomp. Back to their feet Finn hits Crowe with a slingblade. Finn attempts to follow with a dropkick to the corner but Crowe dodges and locks Balor into a crab. Later the two worn out fighters trade blows until Crowe nails the champ with a bicycle kick, but Balor answers with a Pele. Balor climbs the turnbuckles for a Coups De Grace, but Crowe jumps up and charges him, fighting onto the turnbuckles. Crowe superplexes Balor off the top ropes. Crowe attempts to climb the ropes but Balor drops him with a kick and follow with a big dropkick into the corner and follows with the Coups De Grace for the victory. This was an excellent main event. Balor is a wrestler that deserves all the hype he comes in with, while Crowe (who is a much better heel) is going to be a main event player despite what the naysayers say.

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NXT Orlando 8-7-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

Friday night the superstars of NXT delivered another evening of solid wrestling action. The Orlando Armory was once again packed with a standing room crowd that included the remaining competitors of WWE’s Tough Enough. It was a solid card with a few unusual match-ups, and show-stealing tag matches.

The night starts off with the super-over tag team of Cass and Enzo who come to the ring with much fanfare. Their opponents are Marcus Louis and Alexander Wolfe (formerly Axel Tischer), they are accompanied to the ring by Sylvester Lefort, who is once again in a managerial role. The fan favorites start off strong with Enzo using his size and speed advantage over the much larger Wolfe. On a roll Enzo climbs the ropes, but with the referee distracted Lefort knocks him off the ropes. Marcus does what he does best, stalking his prey slowly before beating him down and grounding Amore. Later Enzo finds an opening and makes a hot tag, but a once again distracted referee misses the tag and sends Cass back to the apron. However, moments later Enzo would once again make a hot tag to Cass who would come in with a mean clothesline and several strikes, whipping both men into the same corner and following with a splash. Lefort climbs onto the ring apron and Cass yanks him into the ring, whipping him into the corner and splashing all three men. He nails Marcus with a big boot and follows with a swinging side slam to Wolfe. Enzo climbs the turnbuckle and they follow with Air Zo for the win. A simple, but fun match and a great way to start the evening. I’m also glad to see Sylvester Lefort back in NXT.

The drifter Elias Sampson comes out next and serenades us with song berating the Orlando crowd with lyrics such as “I’d say it’s nice to be here/ But that would be a lie”. His opponent Bull Dempsey is out next to a huge Bull-Fit chant. Sampson belittles the fitness of Dempsey, dropping to the mat to give us several push-ups. Dempsey answers by dropping for some push-ups of his own, and after digging down deep manages to give us three of them. An irate Sampson attacks and settles into a headlock. He runs the ropes and bounces off an unmovable, tired Dempsey. Moments later outside the ring Dempsey gives chase to Elias but gets winded rather easily. They make their way back into the ring and he pummels the exhausted Bull before settling into a chinlock. He follows with several strikes, but by this point Bull begins to “hulk up” and fire back with a flurry of jabs of his own. He runs the ropes and runs down Sampson, then climbs the turnbuckles for the Whoopie Cushion giving him an easy pin-fall victory. Afterwards Tyler Breeze comes out with his stoic new bodyguard Radomir Petkovic. The stonefaced Petkovic comes in and stands face to face with Dempsey before extending his hand. Dempsey accepts his handshake and is given a thunderous modified tombstone for his troubles. Bull Dempsey is more over than he has ever been with this Bull-fit gimmick. The highly athletic Elias Sampson is perhaps one of my favorite up and comers and I am even a fan of the guitar carrying drifter gimmick. However, the singing songs for cheap heat really takes away from the cool mystique of the whole character. At any rate it was a silly yet fun match, as most all Dempsey matches have been lately.

Next up is women’s tag action with the team of Dana Brooke and Eva Marie taking on Carmella and Billie Kay (formerly Jessie McKay). In the early goings Kay stays one step ahead of Brooke following some back and forth grappling and culminating with a nice headscissors before tagging in Carmella. The princess of Staten Island keeps the momentum going for her team leading into a headscissors of her own on Eva Marie. Later Dana causes a distraction which is enough for Eva to take advantage and pummel Kay in the corner. Eva slows down the pace as she works over Kay. She tags in Brooke who begins to work over. Somewhere in the fray Kay apparently got her nose busted and the match was called as a no-contest. It didn’t appear to be broken, and later on Twitter she boiled it down to a bloodied nose. Unfortunate that the match ended so abruptly as all four ladies are doing so well. Billie Kay definitely has all the tools to step up and be the next star for the recently gutted women’s division. Dana Brooke is improving at such an exponential rate and looking better and better every week.

Next up, Levis Valenzuela Jr is out for an interview with Dasha Fuentes. He puts over NXT as the hottest brand around, along with all of the talent in the back. It was a very wordy promo that really didn’t say that much. However, Valenzuela could sell anything with his charisma and contagious exuberance. Finally, it is fiesta time. His music hits and he leads the crowd in dance along with Dasha.

The action continues with the perfect ten Ty Dillinger taking on Riddick Moss (formerly Mike Rallis). The early goings start with Moss mocking Dillinger. Moments later Ty comes up on the winning end of a series of grapples, then cartwheels to his corner to hold up his 10 sign. Finally Moss takes a cheap shot and beats down Dillinger. He delivers a massive yet awkward backdrop before settling into a chinlock. Riddick Moss controls the majority of the match with Ty making sporadic comebacks. Moss tosses Ty across the ring with a massive fallaway slam, but moments later Dillinger delivered a superkick that would make the whole crowd crings. Dillinger quickly follows with a facebuster to the knee for the victory. Maybe not a perfect 10, but you can be guaranteed Ty Dillinger is going to give you a hell of a performance every time he gets in the ring.

Mixed tag action is next with the unusual pairing of The Vaudevillians and Bayley take on Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss. The girls start but Bliss quickly tags out to Murphy who quickly finds himself in a headlock from Aiden English. The Vaudevillians manage to stay one step ahead of the champs and eventually tag Bayley back in. Bliss sweeps Bayley’s legs out from under her and delivers a barrage of strikes. Bayley fires back and eventually spins atop Bliss with her signature Slip-N-Slide. With Bliss still prone on the mat Bayley attempts a patented Vaudevillians hammerlock and squats. Blake and Murphy run in but get dropped and locked up by Gotch and English. In a “This is awesome” moment Bayley, Gotch, and English gave us 10 manly (and womanly) squats at the expense of their grounded opponents. As if things could not get more epic Bayley finds herself alone in the ring with Blake and not intimidated she kicks him in the gut and delivers a stone cold stunner to the delight of the erupting crowd. English drops down talking trash in Blake’s face ala Steve Austin. Moments later Murphy takes over beating down English. Eventually, English makes the hot tag to Gotch who comes in and clears house with innovative strike and kicks. The Vaudevillians hit their uppercut/neckbreaker finisher but Bliss breaks the pin before walking over and smacking Bayley. The gentlemanly English grabs Bliss, kissing her on the hand before tagging Bayley who comes in to deliver a Belly-To-Bayley for the pin. This was a really fun match with possibly a lot of foreshadowing pertaining to not only the tag titles, but a future women’s title feud.

Next, Apollo Crews takes on Tucker Knight. In the opening Knight easily outpowers Crews, tossing him around before settling into a headlock. Crews comes back with a beautiful dropkick and an impressive suplex. The much larger Knight fires back with big clubbing blows. He pummels Crews in the corner, eventually locking him into a full nelson. The match continues pretty one-sided until Knight climbs the turnbuckles and Crews picks him off of them lifting the big man into a military press before dropping him and following with an astounding standing moonsault. Not his best match, but as always, Apollo delivers. I just can’t wait to see him move up and into the main event picture.

The night continues with show-stealing tag action as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder take on the team of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. In the early moments Dawson and Gable go back and forth with excellent grappling but Gable finds himself on top locking in an armbar. Dawson takes cheap liberty raking the eyes of Gable, but to little avail. Gable is on fire delivering several armdrags and back into an armbar. Jordan keeps the momentum going with a few fireman carry slams and impressive suplexes before tagging Gable back in who immediately is back on the arm of Wilder. Gable is on fire tonight with fast paced grappling, but eventually Dash drops him onto the ropes and takes control. Dawson and Wilder slow the pace and take control with impressive tandem wrestling and frequent tags. Gable makes a slight comeback with an armbar over the ropes, but Dawson wrests control back with a slingshot suplex before continuing to decimate Gable. Dawson charges the corner but Gable dodges and makes the hot tag. Jordan comes in with a series of dropkicks and impressive overhead suplexes for both Dawson and Wilder. Moments later with all men in the fray Jordan gets ejected from the ring leaving Gable by himself. Dawson and Wilder take advantage hitting Gable with the Shatter Machine for the victory. Fans who lament the state of tag team wrestling need to see these two teams compete, easily my favorite teams in all of NXT.

Our main event is Solomon Crowe taking on Prince Pretty Tyler Breeze, who is once again accompanied by Radomir Petkovic. After an initial back and forth Crowe goes for an early Stretch Muffler, but Petkovic pulls Breeze to the ropes. Referee Drake Wuertz is having none of it and quickly ejects Petkovic to the back. With the playing field level, Crowe attacks Breeze with a kick and then a clothesline out of the ring before lounging atop the turnbuckle to mock Breeze. Getting back to business Crowe shoots out of the ring like a bullet with a suicide dive into Breeze. The two brawl on the outside with Crowe on the attack until Breeze launches him into the ring steps. Breeze wisely slows the pace while targeting the leg of Crowe. He wraps Crowe’s leg around the ringpost and contorts him into a half crab. Crowe makes the ropes and is eventually back to his feet. Back and forth action ensues until Crowe takes charge attacking the leg of Breeze. He attempts a Stretch Muffler but Breeze makes it to the ropes. Moments later Breeze launches himself over the ropes but Crowe catches him for a front facelock cutter. The two battered men continues to fight to the point they can barely stand. Breeze lands a superkick out of nowhere and locks Crowe into a cloverleaf. Later, Crowe mounts a final comeback hitting Breeze with his patented high knee and following with a dropkick to the knee. He locks Breeze into a Stretch Muffler but Petkovic runs back out and jumps onto the apron. Crowe confronts him but turns back around to walk into a Beauty Shot giving Tyler Breeze a cheap victory. This was a great match with both men proving that they are main event players.

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NXT Cocoa 7-17-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos By Maryann Mason

Friday night NXT brought another night of top notch wrestling action to Cocoa, Fl and a sold out crowd. It was an intense night of action that saw plenty of bumps, a few surprises, and a main event featuring the newly crowned NXT champion, Finn Balor.

There are not many hotter ways to start a show than with the always over Cass and Enzo. The two came out to a huge pop bringing the Cocoa crowd to their feet. Their opponents for the evening are the roughnecks Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. Enzo starts out strong for his team using his speed to his advantage staying one step ahead of his opponents. Zo hits Dash with a nice crossbody and the action continues to the outside where Zo does a new swinging kick maneuver around the turnbuckle. Soon though Wilder gets the upper hand via a little distraction from Dawson. The two pick apart Enzo with the trademark combination of brawling and wrestling acumen that one expects from Dawson and Wilder. Enzo mounts a comeback and attempts to make the hot tag but Dash pulls Cass off of the ring apron. The two turn Enzo inside out with a guillotine, but regardless moments later Amore made the hot tag to Cass. The big guy comes in clearing house ejecting Dawson from the ring and laying out Wilder with a swinging side slam. He follows with “Air Zo”, launching Enzo off the turnbuckle onto Wilder for the pin. This was a fun match and a great way to start the night.

Next up is Angelo Dawkins taking on Uhaa Nation. The two start slowly feeling each other out until Uhaa mounts some momentum early on. As always Uhaa Nation did a great job of making it look too easy until Dawkins laid him out with a cheap shot. At this point Dawkins wisely did his best to keep Uhaa grounded in a front chancery.  Inevitably Uhaa mounted a comeback with a crossbody, a clothesline, dropkick and a splash in the corner. With Dawkins rocked, Nation finished him off with a military press followed by an incredible standing moonsault. Afterwards Ty Dillinger comes out and gives the match a 0. Uhaa Nation looked incredible as always, while the Dawkins controlled parts of the match slowed the momentum quite a bit. Hopefully he will go back to teaming with Sawyer Fulton as the two had developed a tag team synergy together that will likely carry them much further than singles matches at this stage.

The Vaudevillians are out next to deliver a promo. They tell us that they have traveled all over the territory and have faced everyone. English continues by stating that they stand at the precipice of the tag team division as number one contenders, and that the will defeat Blake and Murphy. At this point the two are interrupted by the music of the champions Blake and Murphy who make their way to the ring. English asks Gotch what he thinks of dubstep and Gotch replies, “No Sir, I don’t care for it.” Unfazed Murphy tells us that it is great to be in Daytona before Blake corrects him. Blake tells The Vaudevillians they should bow out and give up their contender spot before they destroy them. Blake and Murphy take cheap shots but English and Gotch quickly turn it around chasing the champs off before a final pose in the ring. This was a good segment that showcased all four men in a good light and gave us the rare opportunity to see Blake and Murphy tested on the mic, which they did well.

Tag team action is next with “The Hype Bros” Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley taking on the newly formed team of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. In the opening moments Jordan takes the distinct strength advantage tossing around Ryder with ease. Gable tags in and Ryder flapjacks him and makes a tag to the very animated Mojo Rawley who comes in with his usual banter letting us know that Gable “Ain’t hyped!” followed by dancing and “hammertime”.  Later into the match Jordan and Gable manage to wrest control over Ryder focusing on attacking the leg. Ultimately Ryder would make a hot tag to Mojo who comes in and lays out Gable with a shoulder tackle and a big splash while Ryder nails Jordan with a Broski Boot. Rawley hoists up Gable and Ryder hits a Rough Ryder off the top rope for the win. This was actually a very entertaining match. Gable is quickly becoming one of my favorite athletes in all of NXT, while Jason Jordan is looking better than ever. I’ll also admit The Hype Bros seem to be gelling as a tag team as well, I still can’t stand the Rawley gimmick but he and Ryder work well together.

Next, Mike Rawlis attempts to take down the lone wolf Baron Corbin in a match that wasn’t quite a squash but was pretty one sided. Baron Corbin seemed to be toying with Rawlis as he took his time picking him apart. Rawlis made a few short lived comebacks that Corbin quickly shut down. In a final rally Rawlis caught Corbin with a powerslam. He followed with a flurry of punches accentuated by an impressive fallaway slam. Unfortunately for Mike Rawlis this seemed to anger Corbin more than anything. Corbin nailed him with a big boot and planted him to the mat with an End Of Days for the win.

Women’s action follows with fan favorite Bayley taking on Eva Marie, who came out to major heat. The match starts off with much grappling and several pin attempts. Eva gains momentum culminating in a nice headscissors but Bayley battles back with a one handed bulldog and her patented slip and slide on top of Eva. Later the tide turns and Eva Marie slows the pace contorting Bayley into a grounded abdominal stretch followed by a suplex and a running senton. The momentum swings back to Bayley who ultimately finishes Eva with her splash and elbow in the corner followed by a Hugplex for the win. Of course, what everyone is dying to know is how Eva Marie did. This is not the same Eva Marie you last saw in a WWE ring, while she may still be rough around the edges, her hard work and training is shining through. She shows much potential and with Bayley as ring general the two put on one of the more fun matches of the night.

Next up the perfect ten Ty Dillinger goes up against Bull Dempsey. In the opening moments Dillinger has fun easily evading Dempsey, following by flexing his glutes at the big guy. Dempsey answers with a cartwheel of his own followed by gyrating his hips at Dillinger. The two eventually get down to business and Ty takes over laying out Dempsey with a DDT and follows with a series of strikes and kicks, the often playful Dillinger is relentless when on the attack. Dempsey begins to mount a comeback but Dillinger shuts him down with a superkick. Moments later Dempsey runs over Dillinger and follows with a series of punches and a bionic elbow. With Dillinger down Dempsey climbs the turnbuckles and comes down with a seated senton for the pin. This was a good lighthearted match that could have went either way. The momentum of Dillinger increases with every show while Dempsey to gain more traction as a face than he ever did as the wrecking ball.

Solomon Crowe comes out for a short interview with Greg Hamilton. Hamilton ask what to expect from Crowe in the coming year. A fan chants “Crowe for champ”. Crowe echoes his sentiment.

I’m a big fan of Crowe but this segment sort of meandered without saying too much.

We continue with women’s tag action as Carmella and Lina take on Dana Brooke and Cassie.  Lina quite easily takes over against Cassie and dominates the early goings with Carmella. Eventually Dana causes a distraction shifting the complexion of the match. Dana and Cassie employ frequent tags until Dana eventually grounds Carmella with a body scissors. Ultimately, Carmella makes the hot tag to Lina who runs over Dana. Moments later Dana jumps onto Linas back and locks on a short lived sleeper hold. Brooke tags in Cassie but Lina puts her through the mat with a side slam and follows with an elbow for the pin. This was an entertaining match with all four women doing a great job. Dana Brooke gets better with every outing, while out of the recent class Cassie (KC Cassidy) is the standout.

Our main event of the evening is Tyler Breeze taking on NXT champion Finn Balor. The match begins with some nice back and forth grappling until Breeze take a cheap shot. It didn’t help, as Finn easily regained the upper hand. A frustrated Breeze decides to quit and head to the back but Finn gives chase and brings him back. Breeze pokes Finn in the eye and goes on the attack, targeting the leg that Balor was favoring. Breeze locks on an agonizing Figure-4 but Balor eventually reverses it. Moments later Breeze goes for a second Figure-4 but Balor kicks Breeze out of the ring. The action continues as Finn rolls through Breeze’s sunset flip and answers with a dropkick. Now in control Finn locks on a short lived Figure-4 of his own. The two battle back to their feet and Balor hits a slingblade. Balor attempts to follow with a dropkick but runs into a superkick from Breeze instead. Breeze continues with an aggressive attack on the leg of Balor. The action continues and Balor once again hits a slingblade and follows with a dropkick into the corner. Finn Balor climbs the turnbuckles and hits the Coup De Grace for a hard fought victory. This was an exciting main event, as one would expect from the NXT champion and the underrated Tyler Breeze.

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NXT Orlando 7-10-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

It was a sweltering night in Orlando, but fans fought the heat to pile into the National Guard Armory for a night of NXT wrestling action. Even the contestants of Tough Enough were in attendance for a night of action that featured top notch wrestling, WWE legends, and the homecoming of a new champion.

The familiar music of DX hits and out comes Billy Gunn to a huge pop. He speaks for a moment before introducing Lita, who is met with a very enthusiastic crowd. The two introduce the hopefuls of Tough Enough who make their way around the ring greeting the fans. Afterwards the contestants would watch the show from ringside. Even if just plugging a television show, Billy Gunn and Lita are a great way to start the evening.

Our first match of the evening is Uhaa Nation taking on Axel Tischer. The two start off with some impressive grappling before the incredibly agile Uhaa takes control and takes his bigger opponent down with a beautiful dropkick. Moments later Tischer would level Uhaa with a big boot and commence a beatdown. Axel wisely slows the pace, grounding Uhaa and working the arm. Later though Uhaa Nation would mount a comeback culminating in a huge military press followed by a standing moonsault for the victory. This is yet another good match that emphatically states that Uhaa Nation is going to be a very big deal in NXT. Ty Dillinger must agree, because afterwards he scored the match a 9.

Next up, Cassie McIntosh takes on Dana Brooke. Early in the match Cassie takes control with an onslaught of offense culminating in a nice headscissors. Eventually, Brooke takes control mostly brawling and using her power to her advantage. Dana traps Cassie in a grounded abdominal stretch until she manages to break free. Cassie comes back with a series of high kicks and a crossbody off the turnbuckles. She attempts to climb the ropes again but Brooke hoists Cassie onto her shoulders and slams her to the mat with a Samoan Driver to gain the pin. There were some rough spots for Dana but overall she is showing a lot of improvement. Cassie McIntosh continues to impress and is proving to be a valuable addition to the NXT roster.

Next, the ring is set up with leopard skin furniture and Cass and Enzo come out to a huge pop. They announce the inaugural addition of their new show, Sawft Talk. They introduce their first guest, Preston Cunningham Jr the 1^st aka Josh Woods. Enzo comments that with his tattoos and attire Preston looks like the love child of Baron Corbin and Tiger Woods. Later in the segment Preston explains that his father earned their money the old fashioned way, by inheritance. He also tells us that his father bought him the best MMA training money could buy. Enzo and Cass don’t seem impressed and things start to unravel. Cunningham snatches the microphone from Enzo and says his “daddy” paid good money for him to be here and he would not be disrespected. Amore ended up smacking the spoiled rich kid several times with a leopard skin pillow before Cass dropped him with a big boot. This was a goofy segment, but it did explain a little more about Preston Cunningham.

The action continues with Bull Dempsey taking on the tortured Marcus Louis. In the opening moments Bull is obviously apprehensive to lock up with the maniacal Frenchman. Bull backs up out of the ring and Marcus gives chase. The two run around the ring until a visibly winded Dempsey rolls back into the ring and asks for a time-out to catch his breath. Marcus will not relent and the two end up running the ropes for an absurd amount of time. Dempsey takes down Marcus with a shoulder tackle, but exhausted collapses onto him. The two eventually make it back up and Louis attacks violently first with a series of knees and continues to decimate his opponent. Bull comes back with a flurry of punches and lays out Marcus. Dempsey climbs the ropes and crashes onto Louis with a seated senton for the victory. Ty Dillinger gave the match of 3 but Marcus began to flip out, so he gave it a 5 instead. This was a fun match, Bull is starting to connect with crowds more than ever while Marcus Louis is still very underrated in my estimation.

Tag team action is next as “The Hype Bros” Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley take on Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. The Hype Bros start off strong keeping one step ahead of their opponents. Mojo goes into his shtick informing the crowd that Dawson isn’t hyped and can’t get chicks. Dawson and Wilder manage to take control of the match and isolate Ryder. Employing frequent tags and great tandem wrestling Dawson and Wilder take apart Ryder culminating in a nice guillotine. Eventually though Ryder would find an opening and make the hot tag to Mojo who would take out Dawson and Wilder with a series of splashes and shoulder tackles. Rawley picks up Wilder and Ryder comes off the ropes with a Rough Ryder for the win. Tag teaming is doing Mojo well and he is showing some improvement in the ring, though I still don’t get the character at all. House show faithful will attest to the fact that Dawson and Wilder steal house shows on a regular basis, I just wish they were challenging for gold, rather than losing the majority of their matches.

The night continues with Ty Dillinger taking on Tyler Breeze. The two are so evenly matched and it shows for much of the back and forth contest. Eventually Dillinger takes over working the arm of Breeze before mocking him atop the turnbuckles. Breeze makes a very aggressive comeback and drops Ty with a superkick. Ty fights back, showing a very aggressive mean streak of his own. With Breeze grounded, Ty hikes down his kneepad to go for his knee smash. With the refs attention elsewhere Breeze takes advantage poking Dillinger in the eye and following with a Beauty Shot for the victory.

Triple threat tag action is up next with The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy vs Jordan and Gable. Much of the early goings of the match saw the champs Blake and Murphy getting owned by both team. The match was fast paced with lots of blind tags and too much back and forth to call. Eventually it is English that finds himself isolated and being picked apart by both teams until he makes the hot tag to a very fired up Simon Gotch. In the fray all competitors end up in the ring as Gotch nails them all with forearms in each corner. Ultimately, everybody starts nailing everybody left and right until a confident Blake lays out Gable with a cutter. Unfortunately for him he was left in the ring with both Vaudevillians. Gotch nails him with an uppercut to the back of the head and English follows with a swinging neckbreaker for the victory. This was a great match and likely the best of the night. All six men looked great in this contest, but Chad Gable is definitely the standout for me. Pound for pound he is easily one of the best wrestlers in NXT, with a chance and proper booking he’ll end up at the top.

Sasha Banks is out next for a promo. She lets us know that her title signifies that she is better than all of us and better than all of the women in the back. She reminds us that she has beaten Charlotte, Bayley, and Becky. But then she is interrupted by Carmella who tells her that she didn’t hear her name on that list. Carmella issues a challenge but Sasha declines and begins to leave. Carmella calls her Sawft and tells her “Bye Felicia”. An irate Sasha Banks charges back to the ring and a match is on. Both women are fired up and the match goes back and forth until Sasha nails Carmella with double knees in the corner. Banks slows the pace contorting Carmella into an abdominal stretch. Carmella gets free and comes back with a beautiful head scissors followed by three Lou Thez Presses. Moments later she attempts to set up her headscissor submission but Banks wisely evades. Carmella gives chase but Banks pulls her into the ropes and follows with a backstabber and a Bank Statement for a submission victory. Carmella has so much potential, it’s nice to see her going toe-to-toe with the champ rather than accompanying her “boys” to the ring.

In our main event Baron Corbin challenges new NXT champion Finn Balor in a title match. Before introductions are even done Corbin jumps Finn, drops him with a big boot and continues to beat him down. Balor mounts a brief comeback but Baron drops him with a jaw shattering punch. Corbin slows down the pace picking apart the champ methodically. Finn comes back with a few chops and a pele kick. Balor takes down Corbin with a slingblade. Finn attempts to dropkick Corbin into the corner but gets caught and laid out with a huge swinging side slam. Frustrated Corbin grabs a chair but the referee wrests it from his hands. Corbin lays out Balor with another big boot. Baron climbs the turnbuckle but Finn drops him with a kick to the head. Finn follows dropkicking Corbin into the turnbuckles and follows with a Coup De Grace for the win.

From top to bottom it was a fun night and no doubt the standing room only crowd went home happy. Hopefully the cast of Tough Enough were paying close attention, they have big boots to fill.

                                                 Pictured above @Cody_Starbuck with ZZ
                                                 from Tough Enough

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NXT Lakeland 6-20-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

On June 20^th 2014 Masons Ringside View posted its inaugural blog post about NXT Lakeland. One year later down to the day, NXT returned to Lakeland as our humble blog celebrated its first birthday. Fans and bloggers alike were treated to an incredible night of action as only NXT can offer.

The evening starts with Solomon Crowe taking on NXT newcomer Uhaa Nation. The two familiar competitors size each other up and come to a stalemate after locking up. The two run the ropes and after several leap frogs Uhaa delivers a dropkick to Crowe and follows with a very prolonged vertical suplex. Crowe eventually fires back with the smashmouth offense fans have come to expect from him. He land a series of punches and kicks and delivers a Boing Splash. Crowe continues his onslaught with a series of knees and strikes until Uhaa mounts a quick comeback. He hits Crowe with a clotheline and a splash before delivering another clothesline that turned Crowe inside out. Uhaa lifts Crowe over his head with a military press and drops him, then follows with 2 astounding standing moonsaults for the victory. Ty Dillinger comes out and gives the match a 3. I would have given much higher to a contest I consider match of the night. The explosive Crowe has long been one of my NXT favorites. With only 3 NXT matches under his belt Uhaa Nation as already proven he is going to be a major player in NXT. I have no doubt that we will see these two competing in a main event setting sooner than later.

Next is six-woman tag team action as the team of Carmella, Devin Taylor and Cassie take on Lina, Jasmine, and Alexa Bliss. The intimidating Lina starts out against Devin Taylor who quickly tags out to Cassie after failing to budge her opponent. With no better luck Cassie quickly tags in Carmella who undeterred brings the fight right to Lina. With relative ease Lina tosses Carmella around before tagging out. Later enemies Carmella and Bliss comes to blows in the ring and Carmella gathers a measure of retribution. Later Lina turns things back around for her team squeezing the life out of Taylor with a massive bearhug. Ultimately Devin makes a hot tag to Carmella as Lina tags in Jasmine. She runs down Jasmine with a Thez press and a series of punches before delivering a shoulder in the corner. In the fray Jasmine makes a blind tag to Bliss who comes in and rolls up Carmella for the pin. This was a very entertaining match with a lot of back and forth wrestling. Cassie continues to make new fans while the debuting Jasmine made a great first impression. It’s Lina who really stands out though, she has a presence, a look, and power advantage that is going to take her far.

Next up Dasha welcomes out Levis Valenzuela Jr who comes out with a Dominican Flag. She asks him about what brings him to NXT. He talks about his love and respect for the business, then continues to state that NXT is the hottest brand in the world. He says that NXT is the future but we must celebrate the now. He states we must sing and dance, we must fiesta. His music plays as he dances with Dasha and the crowd grooves along. It was a promo that really didn’t say too much, but it did a good job of showcasing his charisma, of which he has plenty.

The tortured soul Marcus Louis is out now to face the wrecking ball Bull Dempsey. In the early going Bull lands a little offense but it doesn’t do much to faze Louis. The two begin running the ropes until Dempsey gets winded and has to stop, at which point even Marcus looks at him confused. The two begin running the ropes a ridiculous number of times until an absolutely exhausted Bull Dempsey collapses and Louis trips over him and pummels out of the ring. Louis makes his way back to the ring and takes advantage of a worn down Dempsey. Marcus thrashes Dempsey with a series of blows. Eventually Dempsey fires back with some punches of his own before he runs Louis down and follows with a seated senton/ whoopee cushion off the top rope for the win. Ty Dillinger comes out and gives the match a 2. This was a fun match that had just enough of a comedic element without going too far.

We continue with three way tag action as Cass & Enzo take on Jordan & Gable and Blake & Murphy. Jason Jordan starts off strong against Murphy before tagging in Gable. Murphy tags in Blake but Gable quickly goes to work on his arm culminating in an armbar over the top rope. Later Enzo makes his way into the match showing off some improved ringwork, while his Bionic elbow did not go unnoticed. The match goes on with several bling tags in and out from several competitors, mostly everyone working over Zo until he makes the hot tag to Cass. He lays waste ejecting everyone but Murphy, laying him out with a big boot. He attempts to set up Air Zo but Blake pulls Amore off the apron. In the chaotic final moments everyone is in and Blake stunners Gable. Jordan tosses Blake with a massive overhead suplex. Murphy comes off the ropes delivering double knees to Jordan, but then walks into a swinging side slam from Cass. He then follows with Air Zo, launching Enzo onto Murphy for the pin. Kudos to all three teams for putting on a hell of a match, although I’m simply happy with Gable getting much deserved ring time.

Next up, Jessie takes on women’s champion Sasha Banks. After some trash talking the two lock up and Jessie takes the early advantage grounding Banks with a side headlock. Eventually Banks takes over though, landing her double knees in the corner and tying up her opponent into a straightjacket. Later Jessie breaks free and mounts a comeback with a couple of clotheslines and a big boot. The action picks up as the two battle back and forth until Banks pulls a Bank Statement from out of nowhere for a submission victory. Banks looked great as she always does, while Jessie looked strong and confident against the champ. Jessie will be competing for gold in NXT sooner than later.

Ty Dillinger is out next and tells us that so far NXT Lakeland has been a 3.3, but not to worry because we are about to see a perfect 10 performance. Unfortunately for him, his opponent is the mountainous Braun Stowman. Undeterred, Dillinger walks up to him and hoists his huge 10 sign over his head. Stowman grabs it and tosses it out of the ring, but Dillinger pulls another sign out of his trunks. Stowman does the same, but the ever prepared Ty pulls a card sized 10 sign out of his boot. Stowman attempts to grab it but Ty smacks his hand and tells him “No!” The action begins and the speedy Dillinger chops Braun in the chest to no effect. He follows with a crossbody but simply bounces off of the 6’8 375lb Stowman. The massive Stowman manhandles Dillinger with huge clubbing blows. Later Dillinger mounts a comeback with 2 superkicks followed by a third kick that brings the man to his knees, he follows with a DDT. However moments later the angry big man was back to his feet planting Ty with an inverted sitout side powerslam. Whether playing the heel or the face, Dillinger is gaining more and more support from fans due to performances like this.

Bayley is out next for a promo and is wearing a cast on her hand. She explains that Emma broke her hand. She takes the mic and talks to fans ringside asking them about bones that they have broken. She says that like them she will get better and be back in the ring soon. She also points out that she still has one good hand for high fives.

More tag action follows as Dawson and Wilder take on the “Hype Bros” Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley. The match starts with some of the usual Rawley banter followed by some power moves and dancing. The Hype Bros stayed one step ahead much of the match and looked to be having a lot of fun doing it, even showing off some tandem offense. Eventually, the wily Dawson and Wilder take over, isolating and picking apart Ryder. The two employ frequent tags and some tag team maneuvering of their own, showing why pound for pound they may just be the best tag team in NXT. Eventually though, Ryder makes the hot tag to Rawley who comes in with a series of splashes. With an opponent down in each corner, Rawley and Ryder utilize a double Broski Boot. Rawley hoists Wilder over his shoulders and Ryder comes off the ropes with a Rough Ryder for the victory. I’m enjoying seeing more of Zack Ryder in NXT, and as much as I’d like to see him in singles action I have to admit tag teaming is more beneficial for Rawley at the moment.

Our main event of the evening is Tyler Breeze taking on Baron Corbin. From the start Breeze wisely evades Corbin by stepping out of the ring. It would be to no avail as Corbin eventually gets his hands on him and beats him down. The two brawl to the outside of the ring and back in before Tyler manages to lock in a sleeper hold. Corbin breaks free and they brawl some more once again to the outside where Breeze drops Corbin with a superkick. They both make it back inside and continue their fight. With Breeze prone on the bottom rope Corbin attempts his patented baseball slide to the outside to smack Breeze, but Tyler lifts up the ring skirt effectively trapping Corbin. He follows with a dropkick knocking Corbin to the ground. Back inside Breeze plants Corbin with a Killswitch, but cannot keep the lone wolf down. Moments later Corbin takes down Tyler with a huge swinging side slam. Finally, a frustrated Corbin grabs a chair from the outside. Before he could use it referee Drake Wuertz took the chair from him. Seconds later, Breeze nailed Baron with a superkick and followed with a Beauty Shot for the victory.

All in all it was another great night of wrestling in Lakeland, the kind of wrestling that motivated me to start this blog in the first place. So happy birthday to Masons Ringside View and huge thanks to all of you for reading!

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