Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT event.
Kickoff:
I'm so excited to see Samoa Joe in NXT. Can Austin Aries be next?
The idea of Bayley being left out of being called up to the main roster is the perfect setup for her to turn into a bitter heel, especially after some other NXT Divas have gotten more airtime. Hopefully she does big things as champion and shows she's deserving of getting a big debut of her own in 2016.
I vaguely remember Stephanie McMahon as Women's Champion in the late Attitude Era. I wonder when HHH and Stephanie's children will be all over WWE TV.
WHOA. Lita countering Alexa Bliss would be really cool. I don't expect Lita to actually face Alexa on TV, but it could still be fun to see involved.
THE BALOR CLUB IS HERE!!
Funny stuff with Breeze. I can't wait to see his match.
Balor vs. Owens is going to be so fucking hype.
Takeover:
HHH is reminding me of ECW Paul Heyman. This is amazing.
13,000 people for the "developmental" brand is really insane. I don't think TNA's ever drawn that number of people.
I loved Breeze's entrance.
- Breeze vs. Liger:
Jushin Liger is in a WWE ring!!! This is CRAZY!!!! I hope we see more of this kind of thing in NXT.
Liger's an innovator. This is a real treat.
Liger's hilarious here. I'm loving this so far.
Are we really hearing a "Full Sail sucks" chant? Don't be idiots, especially by doing worse chants than they do.
I hate when wrestlers do innovative moves that don't look like something someone would do in a real contest to beat a real opponent.
Well... Liger got a clean win in a WWE ring. I don't think it really did much for Breeze, but it was cool to see for historical purposes.
So, where does Breeze go after being unable to beat someone that much older than he is (though admittedly still really talented)?
It is cool to see The Kliq at ringside here.
DUDE. I wasn't ready for Bayley wearing Dusty polka dots and talking to Charlotte and Becky. This is an awesome night!
New Diva alert! She's got some real size on her. Bayley vs. a monster Diva should be fun.
THOSE COSTUMES THO!!!!!! This is why I love NXT.
Alexa continues to be the MVP of her team. She's going places.
Please make Blue Pants a regular part of NXT!!!!
I'm excited, too, but it's way too early to chant "This is Awesome."
- Blake/Murphy vs. Vaudevillains:
Gotch is impressive here.
English is fired up. I like it.
Blake and Murphy seem to be getting more crisp. I like that, too.
That neckbreaker was amazing!
Simon Gotch is a keeper. His offense is impressive.
That was a nice change of pace from the usual Tower of Doom spot. I'm glad the camera didn't telegraph it.
I thought that senton could have been it.
I so thought Murphy was going to surprise him there.
Nice ending and tension throughout the match. All the screwjobs leading up to that ending made it all the more satisfying. Enjoyable stuff all around.
Rick Rubin has a pretty big history with wrestling. Cool to see him again.
I'm excited to see Crews.
- Crews vs. Dillinger:
WHOA. Crews can MOVE. I like him already.
Dillinger's good as the journeyman who works with the guys they want to get over. That's a critical role.
HOLY SHIT WHAT AN ENZIGUIRI.
Athleticism. Power. Speed. What else could you want!? This guy's got all he needs to be a star.
I'm interested to see what this Dusty Classic is. Is that too soon for another Takeover special, though?
Can Samoa Joe destroy those Tough Enough goofs next?
I'm OK if Joe beats Corbin if that's what needs to happen for Corbin to eventually be ready for the main roster.
- Joe vs. Corbin:
I think wrestling can benefit from more countered suicide dives. Moves like that are used way too much.
I like Joe the submission specialist. It's good to see more than his impressive agility.
This has got to be the longest we've seen Corbin wrestle, right?
Nice to see Corbin can do something like a heel hook. He was getting pretty bland.
I was expecting the air to be sucked out of the building after Corbin hit whatever that was, because that could have been it.
Hell, Corbin ain't half bad.
I love a good brawl here and there. Just a pure slugfest.
Really good spot leading to the Clutch.
That was pretty cool, although Corbin coming to after the match kind of lessened the impact of him passing out from the pain.
I'm a fan of seeing special luminaries in the crowd.
I'm not a fan of Stephanie McMahon. We get more than enough of her on the main roster.
I'm so hyped for Bayley.
Nice entrance for the champ. She's awesome, too.
- Bayley vs. Banks:
Bayley is fired up! I love it.
I think Bayley might be trying to bite off a little more than she can chew. She's talented, but she's still got some growing to do.
I love seeing Sasha mock Bayley. She makes an amazing heel.
Nice counter by Bayley in the corner.
I think wrestling needs more trash talk in the ring (and, yes, less big spots every thirty seconds).
Sasha taking off the hand brace is pretty brutal. Damn.
Sasha's plancha was impressive, and for once it made sense for someone to do it beyond "it's a cool move."
I would have loved if Sasha tried to screw Bayley by refusing to get into the ring. That would have been a great heel move.
Bayley's definitely good. She should definitely be main roster bound next year. Give it enough time to make the right impact, and for NXT to stock back up on talented females.
Nice of Sasha to block the suplex instead of kick out of several.
Bayley fighting back so hard is awesome. Pretty solid match.
I think getting a "This is Awesome" chant from more than 15,000 people means a lot more than from when it's under 2,000.
That bump from the countered Bayleycanrana looked BBAAAAAADDD.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great match.
Pretty touching moment post-match. I hope there's more where these four came from.
Obviously it can be argued this "curtain call" exposed the business, but I doubt it really had a detrimental affect on things in 2015.
Seth Rollins is awesome. I hope he walks out with both titles.
Has NXT officially topped TNA by doing a large UK tour of their own?
That was an interesting twist to Balor's entrance. And a creepy one.
I'm a little surprised Owens doesn't just deck him during this super-long entrance. Him chilling at ringside is probably funnier, though.
- Balor vs. Owens:
I do wonder where Owens goes after feuding with Cena for three PPVs.
I'm glad they aren't going straight to the crazy ladder spots. That's how ladder matches used to be before they were made into spotfest garbage.
Owens mocking Zayn was hysterical. He's way too good at this.
Good fake-out with the ladder, too. I love the refusal to do damaging spots. It should be about winning the damn match, not seeing how many "holy shit" chants you can get.
Less-disciplined performers would have responded to the fans by making this an impromptu tables match.
OH MY GOD WHAT A POWERBOMB
Oh Balor, you're fucked now. No one gets up from that.
BAH GAWD WHAT A SUPERKICK. That meant more than ten from the Young Bucks.
Pretty cool Coup de Grace, but could he have jumped to get the title instead?
Nice, solid match overall. Both men are really good at what they do.
More wrestling coming up.
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