NXT Lakeland 7-31-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

Friday night wrestling returned to Lakeland for another unparalleled night of action as only NXT can dish out. A standing room only crowd piled into the National Guard Armory to see their favorite wrestlers battle it out for supremacy in the squared circle, and they would not leave disappointed.

The night kicks off with women’s tag action as the team of Bayley and Gionna Daddio take on Emma and Dana Brooke. Emma starts off aggressively for her team but Bayley stays one step ahead thwarting all of her offense. Bayley tags in the rookie Gionna who continues the momentum with much athleticism and some nice grappling and pin attempts. Eventually Dana and Emma turn things around and isolate Gionna in the ring. Later she makes the hot tag to Bayley who comes in with a vengeance hitting a flurry of signature moves on Brooke. She tosses Emma out of the ring and nails Dana Brooke with a Belly-To-Bayley for the victory. This was a fun match that newcomer Gionna Daddio came out of looking impressive. Meanwhile Dana Brooke’s hard work is noticeable in her rapidly improving ring work.

Next up Mojo Rawley takes on the German Axel Tischer. The much hyped Rawley starts off strong and follows with his usual banter of letting us know that Tischer “ain’t hyped and can’t get chicks”. He accentuates that with Hammertime onto a prone Tischer. Later Tischer finds an opening and begins a vicious beatdown before grounding the usually animated Mojo. Eventually Rawley fights back and takes down Axel with a shoulder tackle, following with a big splash in the corner. Mojo finishes off Tischer with a fireman’s carry drop for the win. I’m glad to see Mojo Rawley using a new finisher, much improved over the last few he’s had.

Sawyer Fulton is out next for a promo. He says that he has been in NXT for three years now and has seen too many real talents get pushed aside for indie darlings. He tells us he is a two time all American and he is going to make some changes around here. He is interrupted by Sylvester Lefort who agrees with him, and offers Fulton his services as manager. An angry Fulton asks “You think I need your help? You’re right” before shaking the Frenchman’s hand. Sawyer Fulton is a sizable guy with a lot of skill who has had a tough time finding the right gimmick. Hopefully this new direction will be successful for Fulton. It certainly can’t hurt being paired with Lefort, who is a heat magnet.

The action continues with Mike Rawlis taking on Bull Dempsey. The cocky Rawlis mocks the fitness of Bull before dropping for a few push-ups. He challenges Dempsey to do the same. Bull drops and with much effort manages to give us three push-ups. Moments later the action begins and an agitated Dempsey chases Rawlis around the ring until he gets winded. Back in the ring they run the ropes an absurd number of times until Bull gets winded again. Eventually an angry Rawlis gets the upper hand and attacks Bull with a series of kicks and strikes. He accentuates that with an impressive fallaway slam before grounding the big guy. Bull gets fired up and fights back with a series of jabs. He runs Rawlis down like a truck and climbs the ropes, jumping off with a Whoopie Cushion for the pin. This was a silly, but fun match. Safe to say by the crowd chants this Bull-Fit angle is getting over already.

Next, Steve Cutler takes on Uhaa Nation. The two lock up for much back and forth effort in the early goings. It becomes a total mat game with each man vying for control. The two make it up and the speed of Uhaa quickly comes into play until Cutler takes a cheap shot, following with a series of kicks in the corner. Cutler follows with  a series of suplexes before settling into a front chancery. Uhaa makes it to his feet and mounts a comeback but Cutler shuts him down with a hellacious clothesline. Uhaa quickly rebounds with a heel kick, several clubbing blows and a big splash. Finally Uhaa drops Cutler with a huge military press and follows by his amazing standing moonsault.

Next up is four way tag action featuring Dawson & Wilder vs Jordan & Gable vs The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy. A contest with this many personalities and combustible elements make for match of the night, but is nearly impossible to call. As it goes in these types of matches there were lots of momentum shifts and many blind tags. In the final moments as the ref lost control the bodies were flying with wrestler after wrestler taking out each other with signatures and finishers. Finally it came down to a fired up Gotch and English who finished off Buddy Murphy with the uppercut/neckbreaker combo. All four teams looked great in this match, but Dawson and Gable would be definitely be the stars of this one, I’d love to see those two compete one on one in the future.

The action continues with “Perfect 10” Ty Dillinger taking on Tyler Breeze. With the crowd clearly behind him Dillinger takes control early on until Breeze takes advantage of a distracted referee and gouges the eye of Dillinger. Breeze follows with an ensiguri and pummels Dillinger in the corner. He drops Dillinger with a backstabber and grounds him with a front chancery. Dillinger mounts a comeback but is shut down when he runs into a jaw breaking superkick. Still, Dillinger comes back again laying out Breeze with an impressive fireman’s carry powerbomb. The two exchange several pin attempts before Breeze takes out Dillinger with a Beauty Shot for the win. This was a great match with easily two of the best in NXT.

Next up is more women’s tag action as the formidable team of Lina and Jessie take on Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Riding a wave of much recent momentum Lynch and Charlotte start off strong against Jessie who wisely tags Lina. Despite that, Charlotte fails to take down the immovable Lina. Charlotte tags in Lynch and the two take down Lina with a double dropkick. Becky follows with a trifecta of her trademark leg drops. Later in the match Lina would shift the momentum after dropping Charlotte with a thunderous slam. The bad girls take over with frequent tags wearing down Charlotte. Jessie wears down Charlotte in an octopus hold. Moments later Lina locks in a bearhug thrashing Charlotte around like a rag doll. Finally Charlotte makes a hot tag to Lynch who comes in with a vengeance clearing the ring with her intense ring work. She throws her armbar onto Jessie, while Charlotte locks on the Figure-8 onto Lina giving them a tap out victory. I’m thankful I got to see Charlotte and Becky Lynch one more time, these two haven’t redefined women’s wrestling; they have knocked down the walls. Becky Lynch isn’t my favorite female wrestler, she is one of my favorite wrestlers, period.

Our main event is next with Solomon Crowe taking on NXT champion Finn Balor. The two begin trading armlocks until Crowe gets the upper hand. Crowe pummels Balor before the two fight to the outside and back into the ring. Crowe quickly finds his target, working the leg before settling into a half crab. Later Balor comes back rolling through a sunset flip and nailing Crowe with a dropkick. Not to be outdone, a fired up Balor targets the leg of Crowe. The two trade offense until Finn drops Crowe with a pele kick. Balor goes for a dropkick to the corner, but Crowe swats him off and locks on another crab. Balor fights back and levels Crowe with a slingblade. He follows with a dropkick to the corner. Balor climbs the turnbuckles and finishes Crowe with the Coup De Grace for the victory. This was a great match, and one I have been wanting to see for a long time. Balor looked as impressive as always, but Solomon Crowe proved he is more than capable of being a main event player in NXT.

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NXT Citrus Springs 9-6-14

The Superstars of NXT made one last stop on the way to NXT Takeover to bring their unique brand of hard-hitting action to Citrus Springs, Fl for the first time. The lively crowd filled the Citrus Springs Community Center for a night of excitement that would feature continued rivalries, an international superstar, and divas stealing the show.

Troy McClain made his way to the ring in his usual ring gear but without his headset microphone to take on the 2012 Olympian Chad Gable. This was my first time witnessing the young Olympian perform and I could tell from the opening moments of the contest that I would be a fan of Gable.

It was an entertaining opening bout that did a good job at presenting the newcomer Chad Gable who managed to snag the win with a bridging fallaway slam. With all the highly anticipated acquisitions recently signed to the WWE it would be easy for one to get lost amid the buzz, however I don't think that will be a problem for Gable who will soon be making waves of his own in NXT.

The evening continued with womens tag action as the team of Carmella and Sasha Banks took on the team of Kendall Skye and Alexa Bliss in a match that was a highlight of the night. Great job by all four women, Carmella has gotten good fast and deserves an in-ring television debut sooner than later. Alexa Bliss has come a long way as well. I see much potential in the highly athletic Kendall Skye and much enjoy her offense of kicks. For me though the star of the match was clearly Sasha Banks who continued to prove that she is indeed the boss. In the closing moments of the match Banks hit her patented back stabber transitioned into a crossface aka Boss Lock leaving Skye no choice but to tap out giving the victory to Banks and Carmella.

Next up, NXT commentator Rich Brennan made his way to the ring to introduce international superstar Kenta, one of the most eagerly anticipated athletes we've seen in a long time. Kenta gave a short promo promoting Takeover and even made his own network 9.99 reference. When Brennan asked for his prediction for the upcoming fatal four way match a mere five days away, the originator of the GTS made one thing clear; regardless of who walks out of Takeover as champion he will be meeting them in the future.

Our next match featured the last of a dying breed Bull Dempsey taking on Angelo Dawkins. Once again, I am not a fan of Dawkins gimmick at all, though that is no reflection on his athletic ability of which he has plenty. His potential shines though when he is not booked in squash matches and he put in a decent effort tonight against the human wrecking ball. Bull Dempsey looked especially aggressive and mean tonight as if he was out to prove all his naysayers wrong. Dempsey won the match with a perfectly executed flying headbutt off the top rope.

Sylvester Lefort made his way to the ring accompanied by Marcus Louis to take on the charismatic trash talker Enzo Amore followed by Big Colin Cassady with a bucket of permanent hair remover cream. Hilarity ensued as the Frenchman were running scared from Enzo and Cass with their trusty bucket of cream before referee Drake Wuertz had enough and ejected Louis, Cass, and the bucket from ringside. Without distraction the match continued with Sly in control for much of the match dishing out punishment to the underdog Amore. In the end when all hope seemed lost Amore managed to roll up the overconfident Frenchman from out of nowhere for the pinfall victory. A very angry Marcus Louis ran to the ring to commence a post match beatdown on Enzo before Big Cass with bucket in tow to clear the ring of the two villians. Props to all men, including Wuertz for really selling this one.

After a short intermission the action continued with six man tag action. The team of Ty Dillinger, Jason Jordan, and Sawyer Fulton faced off against Wesley Blake, Buddy Murphy, and Kalisto in a hard fought contest. The match began with plenty of back and forth wrestling until the heel team of Dillinger/Jordan/Fulton found themselves in control keeping Blake in for much of the match. In the end however as these matches often do it evolved into chaos with bodies everywhere and Kalisto getting the win over Dillinger. This was a highly energetic contest with often underrated athletes.

The intense Baron Corbin took on CJ Parker in one of my favorite bouts of the evening. Parker put in a good showing trying to take down the big man, and at some points the match could of went either way, as it has in the last few weeks. Ultimately, the hippie was no match for the especially intimidating Corbin. I've seen these two wrestle several times now and this was definitely their best outing.

Next, The Vaudevillians took on The Mechanics. I'm a big fan of both teams and found myself rooting for both of them at several points. It is the team of Gotch and English who are clearly over with the crowd, and it is puzzling to me that they are not booked for Takeover. Dawson and Wilder are a great, mean team and would love to see them feud with the aforementioned Blake and Murphy one day.

However, The Mechanics would be no match tonight for crowd favorites The Vaudevillians.

In our main event womens champion Charlotte wrestled Bayley in a non-title match. I've witnessed these two ladies compete several times now, and while they have never disappointed this was easily their best match to date. The match went back and forth until Charlotte found herself in control. For much of the match it looked as if she had the match won until lovable underdog Bayley mounted a comeback and beat the champ cleanly in the middle of the ring. Can she pull this off again in just five days at NXT Takeover?

All in all, it was another fun night of NXT action that sent the crowd home happy. With many of the usual headliners away with the WWE this weekend, it gave other superstars a chance to shine a bit.... and indeed, they did shine.

Next stop: NXT Takeover

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NXT Palatka 8-30-14

Tonight the NXT superstars made another stop on the road to Takeover as they brought another night of hard hitting action to the National Guard Armory in Palatka, Fl. Many of the matches were repeats from the night before (see the Tampa 8-29-14 post) with some deviation. Here's a quick rundown of tonights matches.

The Vaudevillians once again defeated The Mechanics. The team of Gotch and English has gelled so well together and are so over with the crowd it is obvious to state that they will soon find themselves at the top of the tag team division. I only hope the rough and ready to fight team of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder don't get lost in the shuffle, they stand in contrast to some of the more over the top gimmicks we see in wrestling today. We need more no-nonsense wrestlers.

The upset of the night came when CJ Parker put a stop to Baron Corbins path of destruction. After trying to take the big man down with several sleeper holds he managed to snag the victory over Corbin with a palm strike to the face followed by a DDT. I understand that Parker is no jobber, but this victory really seemed to halt the momentum that they have been building with Baron Corbin.

In divas tag team action Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss took on Carmella and Kendall Skye in a very entertaining contest. The energetic Becky Lynch was impressive as always. Carmella has gotten really good in a short time, not just her ring skills either but working the crowd as well. The winners of the match, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss.

Next, The Boss Sasha Banks made her way to the ring to give a promo regarding the upcoming NXT Takeover and the fact that she doesn't have a match. She put both Bayley and Charlotte on notice though saying she would be there to make an impact. I'd watch my back if I were the champ.

Enzo Amore took on Sylvester Lefort and found himself to be the recipient of a lot of punishment from the cunning Frenchman. Though in the end the underdog Amore got a surprise pin on the over confident Lefort much to the ire of Marcus Louis who ran out for a post match beatdown before Colin Cassady made the save. Enzo did a great job of selling the offense of Slyvester Lefort, a man who is quickly becoming a favorite heel.

Next, Kalisto teamed with Solomon Crowe to battle the absolutely destructive Ascension. Unfortunately a match that all the potential of being a show stealer was cut short due to injury. Following Solomon Crowe executing a flying head scissors to Viktor both men hit the mat but Crowe didn't make it back up. He seemed to be in a great deal of pain and clutching his leg. The referee called the match and it was awarded to The Ascension. Following the bell medics and staff made there way to the ring to help the immobilized Crowe to his feet and into the back. I do not yet know the extent of the injury, I simply know it came at a bad time, when it seems as if we are finally close to a Solomon Crowe debut.

NXT Womens champ Charlotte took on fan favorite Bayley in another solid bout from the two ladies. The genetically superior champ seemed to have the match won until Sasha Banks came out and caused a distraction that would allow Bayley to land her belly-to-Bayley suplex on Charlotte for the three count.

The last of a dying breed Bull Dempsey was out next to take on the hyped Mojo Rawley. Although a lot of crowds seem to be growing weary of the Rawley gimmick, Palatka was clearly a pro-Mojo crowd. The wrecking ball Dempsey found himself in control much of the match with an arsenal of smashmouth moves but he allowed Mojo an opening which ultimately cost him the match.

The main event of the evening was a fatal four way featuring Sami Zayn vs Tyler Breeze vs Justin Gabriel vs Adrian Neville in an absolutely awesome match that foreshadowed what we have to look forward to in less than two weeks at Takeover. The bodies were flying and the crazy spots were numerous. In the final moments Zayn landed a helluva kick to Neville in the corner and went for the pin only to have Tyler Breeze yank him out of the ring and steal the victory. Great wrestling, great selling, great crowd interaction, this match was all positives. Replace Gabriel with Tyson Kidd and there is your Takeover main event, easily the best main event of all the live specials is coming your way really soon.

In the last month or so I've seen several memorable main events featuring Neville, Zayn, Breeze, and Kidd in all permutations from one on one to fatal four way. At some point all four men have been victorious. Who will walk away winner and champion on September 11^th at Takeover? I offer no predictions other that the fans will be walking away very, very happy.

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NXT Tampa 8-29-14

Tonight the weather in Tampa Bay was wet and humid, but inside the UADC Gymnasium the action could not have been any hotter as the athletes of NXT brought the fight back to the city where it all started. Rivalries continued and perhaps the future was foreshadowed on the road to NXT Takeover.

In the opening bout of the evening The Mechanics took on fan favorites The Vaudevillians. The two teams fought hard in a match that was a highlight of the night. The antics and showboating of Gotch and English stand in sharp contrast to the tough no nonsense team of Dawson and Wilder. The Vaudevillians are looking better every match, between the unique gimmick of Gotch and the charisma of English it's no wonder they are so over with the fans right now. However, don't overlook The Mechanics who have all the tools to make it to the top of the division and are quickly becoming a favorite of this blogger. Tonight the Vaudevillians would find themselves victorious as English pinned Wilder following an impressive senton from the second turnbuckle.

Baron Corbin made his way to the ring with an eerie intensity to take on everyones favorite hippy CJ Parker. Surprisingly Parker got in quite a bit of offense and presented Corbin with his biggest challenge since he's taken this new direction. However, it wasn't enough to faze the 6' 8” beast who easily made quick work of CJ Parker. It was a short match that was still a step up from the last few squash matches, but still did a great job of making Corbin look like a very dangerous man and a future major player.

The action continued with divas tag team action as the team of Sasha Banks and Carmella faced the surprising pairing of Becky Lynch and Kendall Skye. I've went on record before stating that I expect great things from the natural heel Carmella and the highly athletic Skye, but tonight the stars of the match were most definitely Lynch and Banks. The two continue to prove that they are indeed the future of the divas division. Despite the fact that it was a very pro-Becky crowd, the bad girls managed to snag a victory when Kendall Skye tapped to Banks Boss Lock.

Next, Solomon Crowe made his way to the ring to deliver an excellent promo. He made sure to remind us that before he made his way to this company he was a big deal, but it doesn't matter now because he is in NXT which is the best thing going on in wrestling today. He tells us he is willing to start at the bottom but he will kick in opportunities door when the time is right. Crowe appeared very comfortable behind the microphone, and the promo was an improvement upon an already good promo. Hopefully a big Crowe push is not far away.

Sylvester Lefort accompanied to the ring by Marcus Louis took on the highly charismatic Enzo Amore accompanied by Big Cass. The match began with plenty of trash talking and hijinks before referee Drake Wuertz had enough and ejected both Louis and Cass from ringside. Lefort kept control most of the match while Amore mounted offense in small bursts. In the end, the perhaps over confident Frenchmen was duped by a surprise pin leaving Amore victorious. Louis ran to the ring to commence a post match beat down before Big Colin Cassady made the save, along with the trusty bucket of hair remover. If Amore can pull this off again a mere weeks away at Takeover Lefort will lose a lot more than a match, but his head full of locks as well in a hair vs hair match.

More tag team action followed as the two man juggernaut known as The Ascension took on the team of Kalisto and Justin Gabriel. NXT has done a great job of building up The Ascension, they seem so indestructible that you never believe anyone will beat them, even a team made up of frenetic Kalisto and former Nexus member Justin Gabriel. It was a surprisingly slower paced match that saw Konnor and Viktor in control much of the match keeping the two high-fliers grounded. At one point Gabriel gave Konnor a legit busted nose which seemed to slow the match a little bit. In the closing moments of the match Kalisto found himself victim to The Fall Of Man leaving NXT tag team champs The Ascension victorious yet again.

Underdog Bayley once again went to battle with NXT womens champion Charlotte. I've seen these two compete several times now and it has become apparent that fans will be in for a treat when these two wrestle with the title on the line at Takeover. Bayley brought the fight to Charlotte but came up short in the end. Will history repeat its self at Takeover? At this point I could see it going either way.

The always hyped Mojo Rawley attempted to gain a little retribution from NXTs resident wrecking ball Bull Dempsey. It was a short match that featured a lot of back and forth action from the two big guys. The highlight of the match came when Bull performed a surprising flying head butt from the top rope giving him the pinfall victory over Mojo. I enjoyed the new offense from Dempsey.

Our main event and Takeover preview was a non-title fatal four way featuring Tyson Kidd vs Tyler Breeze vs Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville. The match started building slowly until you couldn't blink for fear of missing the action. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, and many times standing to see the bodies flying in and outside the ring. I was never too big of a Kidd fan before tonight despite his obvious athleticism, but I find myself a fan now. Kidd trying to start his own "Tyson" chant was priceless. He seems to be finding his footing in the heel role while the other three men stole the show as always. The action was fast and the jaw dropping moments were numerous. In the final chaotic moments of the night Zayn hit a helluva kick to Neville in the corner and went for the pin. Kidd pulled Zayn out of the ring by the feet and stole the pinfall victory. His celebration would be short lived though when Zayn gave him a helluva kick and ejected him from the ring. I say with confidence if these men can repeat this performance at Takeover mere weeks away we will have a match of the year contender on our hands.

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NXT Orlando 8-7-14

The Orlando Armory was standing room only as fans anxiously anticipated another night of hard hitting wrestling action and the athletes of NXT did not fail to deliver.

The night began with Bull Dempsey taking on Angelo Dawkins. This being another in a series of matches between the two men it is apparent they are getting quite familiar with each others ring work.

Bull seems to be getting rougher and I enjoyed seeing some old fashioned heel moves like raking the face against the boot laces. The more I see Dawkins perform the more obvious his athleticism becomes, a gimmick change could really do him wonders. The winner was Dempsey via pinfall.

Next up, Big Cass and Enzo Amore competed against “The Mechanics” Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. The match started off with some nice trash talking between Dawson and Amore before the action began. Amore and Cassady exude charisma and take control of a room as soon as they step through the curtains and continues into the ring. Dawson and Wilder have gelled well in a short time, they're not the flashiest team around but guaranteed they are going to be major players in the tag team division before it is all said and done. Referee Drake Wuertz awarded the match to Cass and Enzo via DQ when Wilder failed to get out of the ring. Just a little too short, but it was a fun match nonetheless.

Sasha Banks made her way to the ring for brief promo. She mentioned the upcoming NXT Takeover and voiced her unhappiness that she wasn't booked, but vowed she would make an impact. I hope so, you can't have another special event without the boss of NXT.

Tag team action continued as the team of Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake took on “The Legionnaires” Sylvester Lefort and Marcus Louis. I think Murphy and Blake have tons of potential (and the coolest entrance music, since the powers that be couldn't leave Crowes music alone). The Legionnaires are just great heels. In the age of “cool heels” they are classic heels who couldn't win a match without cheating if their careers depended on it. Alright, they're still pretty cool though, and they walked away with another questionable victory.

Next up, our ring announcer Jojo made her way back into the ring and took a moment to wish a happy birthday to me, your humble blogger. It was a special moment made more surreal by the select members of the crowd chanting my name. While I'm sure I was red as a beet, the wrestling nerd in me marked out quite a bit.

The action continued with CJ Parker taking on Prince Pretty himself, Tyler Breeze in an exciting match. Parker is underrated and a great antagonist, he gave a pretty good pre-match promo putting hecklers in their place with ease. Breeze of course continued to prove that he is main event caliber, winning the match via pinfall following a devastating superkick.

After a short intermission we resume the show with Divas action as everyones favorite Bayley takes on the Womens Champion Charlotte. These two who were already so good seem to be getting better at every event. They're getting their chops down for sure and I can't wait for the world to see what we are privy to see come September 11^th at Takeover. The winner via pinfall was Charlotte.

Next up Baron Corbin completely squashed Steve Cutler. Corbin is completely no nonsense making his way to the ring with no entrance music. Totally focused, totally intense like an animal stalking his prey.

I've always thought Corbin had it, but this new direction is even better (and more intimidating).

We follow with more tag team action as the two most over tag teams in NXT lock up again, The Ascension and The Vaudevillians. I am a big fan of both teams, but for me, as with most people it is a foregone conclusion that The Ascension is always going to decimate their opposition. That is why I, and most fans in attendance were in absolute shock to see The Vaudevillians victorious. A great job from all four men, an epic contest with an unimaginable ending.

Our main event of the evening featured Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville. I could watch these two battle at every event and never tire of their superb ring work and excellent chemistry. In NXT these guys are main eventers, but put them on the main roster and you'll call them show stealers, guaranteed. The action was high impact and the high spots were numerous, but in the end after much back and forth action Adrian Neville won via a perfect 450 splash. Adrian Neville walks out with his head held high and the NXT strap over his shoulder, but will he be so fortunate in just three weeks?

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