Not done a review of a WWE show in aaaaages, so I thought, rather than having to suffer re-watching RAW or Smackdown, I'd go down the more pleasant path. The path filled with future stars. NXT. Here, we're now less than a week away from NXT Takeover 2, and the number 1 contenders for The Ascension's tag belts would be decided this week, as well as some more no doubt braw build-up stuff for the big event, so I chose a good one to review eh? So we kick off with some Divas action...
Alexa Bliss vs Charlotte
Decent match for the opener here. Alexa Bliss is still a bit rough around the edges with her in-ring work, but is definitely open to hunners of improvement when she puts it all together. She gave a good showing here against the NXT Women's Champion, who is preparing to defend her title against Bayley this coming Thursday. We start off with a tight headlock by Charlotte. She takes Bliss down, who reverses into a headscissors, only for Charlotte to kip up out of the hold. Alexa locks in a headlock of her own, and goes up top. Charlotte tries to throw her off but it is reversed into a rather sketchy ardmdrag into a bridged pin for the two count. Alexa picks up some momentum with a nice headscissors takedown, but it doesn't last long when Charlotte hits a beautiful tilt-o-whirl gutbuster, and begins to choke her on the second rope. A short rally from Alexa sees her reverse a powerbomb attempt into a sunset flip pin for another near-fall, but Charlotte puts her away shortly after with her cutter. Hard fought win for the champ... but here comes her challenger for next week!
Bayley makes her way to the ring, and tells Charlotte that she needs to start taking her seriously, because she's going to Takeover, and taking her title from her. Nice to see this new-found confidence in Bayley, and her mic work over the past few weeks has been actually quite good. She tells Charlotte she deserves to be in the position she is in, and offers her another handshake. Charlotte, of course, refuses and pushes her in the face. Bayley gets some payback by hitting her with the Belly-to-Bailey, and holds the title above her head!
Next up there is a couple of interviews. Firstly, with Tyler Breeze, who claims that being the "most gorgeous person in any room he's ever walked into" and the fact that he gets the job done every time he steps in the ring, are two good enough reasons for him being confident that he's walking out of Takeover as NXT Champion. Next up, a backstage interview with Sin Cara and Kalisto. Sin Cara talks in Spanish for the entire interview, with Kalisto translating. They have the desire and the heart to knock off the Vaudevillains tonight and go on to win the tag team titles from The Ascension at Takeover.
Tye Dillinger vs Tyler Breeze
When I saw this match on paper, I thought "squash job". I reckoned Tyler Breeze would be going over strong heading into Takeover, but maybe that's just favouritism because he's my pick to take the belt in the big fatal 4-way match. However, we got a rather competitive match here, as Dillinger started off on the front foot, with a big shoulder block followed by an inverted atomic drop and a chop. He follows that up with a mean stomp to Tyler's face. Breeze takes control with a kick to the face, then he allows us to see that mean streak he has by stomping Dillinger in the corner. A front face headlock by Breeze as he looks to ground his larger opponent. Dillinger eventually powers out, but his attempt to rally is thwarted by Breeze's Beauty Shot to hand Prince Pretty the win. Breeze is an interesting character, he seems to be going from strength to strength, and where a great case can be made for Sami Zayn, I think him winning the belt next week would be a great move.
Another couple of segments, starting off with an interview with Tyson Kidd. I wasn't really into this interview. He said something about being from trained in the famous Hart Dungeon. Don't think he's ever mentioned that before. Typically arrogant from him. Legit love the guy's ring work btw, he's just dire on the mic. Then we switch to a guy who's very much the opposite of Kidd's mic skills. Enzo Amore, and his big pal, Colin Cassidy. I saw this video earlier in the week and it had me in stitches, watching it again was no different. They're at a hair salon to get a bucket of hair removal cream for Enzo's hair vs hair match with Sylvester LeFort. Long story short, he ends up spilling a bucket of the cream all over a wee fluffy dug, and it's a rerr laugh.
Adam Rose vs Tyson Kidd
I want whatever acid Adam Rose is on, he just looks frazzled aw the time. During his entrance, Renee tells Byron that he dances "worse than Carlton Banks", and I'm sorry Renee, but fuck off wi that patter. Don't diss Carlton. Ever. It's amazing how over Rose still is on NXT considering how his main roster stint has been, for lack of a better word, pish. He should stay in NXT a while longer and stop his daft rabbit fae battering Heath Slater. To the match... Rose starts off with a headlock takedown, which Kidd counters. Into the corner they go, and Rose stomps away before hitting an elbow drop for two. Tyson takes a breather onto the apron, luring Rose towards him, then hitting that nice bicycle kick he does, before getting back in and booting Rose in the face. A nice neckbreaker for 2, followed by some stiff kicks to the spine. Rose gets a head of steam, hitting a cracking spinebuster, but Tyson takes him out with a dropkick to the knee shortly after, and locks in the sharpshooter. After a struggle, Rose has to tap and that's all she wrote.
An interview with Sami Zayn up next. He states that even though you don't have to pin the champ to win in a fatal 4-way, he wants to pin his friend Adrian Neville, because he's the champ, and he's the best man in the ring. Then the Vaudevillains are interviewed backstage. Aiden English and Simon Gotch believe that they are a cut above any tag team in NXT, or indeed, the WWE. They plan on proving that tonight by beating Sin Cara and Kalisto, becoming the number 1 contenders for the tag team titles.
Sami Zayn vs Marcus Louis w/ Sylvester LeFort
So big Marcus Louis looks like the janitor out of Scrubs eh? Just noticed a similarity there. Maybe it is him, trying his luck in the rasslin' business. Maybe it isn't. It probably isn't. We start this one off with Louis and Zayn trading armbars, before Louis gets Zayn in the corner and delivers some stiff kicks to the gut. Louis hits a backbreaker for two, before locking in a chin lock. It seems to be locked in forever, but Zayn fights out, hitting some nice lariats and a dropkick, before planting Louis face first and locking in the koji clutch. Louis taps within seconds.
Afterwards, Enzo and Cas come down for some payback against the Legionnaires. They get a hold of LeFort and threaten to cover him in the hair removal cream mentioned earlier, but he frees himself and runs backstage. Then an interview with Adrian Neville. He tells us that he's beaten all three of his challengers come next week in single matches, now all he has to do is beat them all at the same time... he looks forward to the challenge!
Adrian Neville vs CJ Parker
Why is CJ Parker still a living, breathing, thing? On the other hand, why is Adrian Neville able to the stuff he does? Is he even human? Hunners of questions to be answered here. My guesses are that Parker has a contract signed with the devil himself where he promises to be as annoying and shite as humanly possible in exchange for his tattered, shitey soul. Neville on the other hand obviously weighs about a stone. Or at least that's what it looks like anyway. Is he human? Debatable, who can tell wi the seemingly untouchable athleticism and flippy shit. Maybe he's actually Spiderman. Meaning technically he's still human, just a slightly mutated one. He starts us off with some breathtaking handsprings, followed by a flying forearm smash. A modified headlock takedown next, which Parker breaks free of, and then catches Neville with a heel kick for 2. A spinning sidewalk slam brings about another near fall for Parker, before he misses with a diving splash. Neville hits a nice combination of kicks, followed by a brace of uppercuts in the corner. A big dropkick from the second rope next, and then he hits that awe-inspiring, gravity-defying, how in the name a Christ does he do that? The Red Arrow. It's all over. All 4 men in the NXT Championship fatal 4-way match have a win one week before, this could go any way.
Sin Cara & Kalisto vs The Vaudevillains (NXT Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Match)
The Sin Cara character has been somewhat rejuvenated since Hunico took the reigns, and he was partnered with Kalisto in NXT. Both are great in the ring, Kalisto in particular, who isn't far behind Adrian Neville in the "pulling off some mad shit" league. They face Aiden Englsih and Simon Gotch, who I just can't get my head around. Don't like the gimmick at all, albeit they are decent wrestlers. We kick off with a sporting handshake between English and Kalisto, and they lock up. Kalisto flips his way into control, twisting the arm of English before rolling him up for a one count. Some headlocks from English are halted by the quickness of Kalisto, who creates some separation and hits a springboard armdrag. He tags in Sin Cara, and then jumps at him, Sin Cara catches him in a powerbomb position and flips him onto English. Gotch gets tagged in and Sin Cara goes on the attack, hitting a nice dropkick, before hitting a monkey flip, which Gotch kinda sandbags. He travels about a yard, no joke. Sin Cara goes up top, but Gotch rallies and kicks him down to the floor. Back in the ring, Aiden English gets back in and hits a nice neckbreaker for the 2. Front face headlock, before he hangs Cara up on the ropes. He misses with the shoulder barge, finding the ring post instead, and Sin Cara takes him down with a crossbody. Kalisto and Gotch get back in and then the big finish. Kalisto hits some dropkicks and hurricanranas, but English breaks up his pin attempt. Sin Cara sends English to the outside and hits a crossbody over the top rope onto him. In the ring, Kalisto is caught in mid-air by Gotch going for a springboard splash, he fights out of it, and hits the Sunrise. Cara is back on the apron by then, and Kalisto tags him in. Kalisto clocks English getting to his feet outside and hits a cracking suicide dive to let Sin Cara hit the senton and hand them the victory. After the match, The Ascension make their way onto the stage, and we have as a good old fashioned champions/challengers staredown!
Another hugely entertaining show from NXT. They seem to just have everything clicking for them. Almost feels as though Hunter is putting 10x more effort into NXT than what Vince and such are doing for the main show. Not that it's a bad thing, because everyone in NXT are proving their worth (apart from CJ Parker) and the matches they put on each week are exceptional. Personally thought match of the night here was the main event. Hugely entertaining match throughout with both teams looking strong, and an absolute belter of a finish. Hope we see Sin Cara and Kalisto take the belts next week, about time The Ascension were dethroned! Hope yous enjoyed this, and I'll probably do a preview of Takeover closer to the time. Until then, ciao!