Superstars Reax - 5/8/16, NXT and WWE live event notes, Global Wars dark matches, Interview with HHH, and Questions on the WWE releases, the next brand extension, Balor on the main roster, and Jeritroll

Superstars:
- Young vs. Sandow:
I wasn't ready for these feels.

This has some solid wrestling early. Both men can always be counted on for that. You know, in case TNA wants to pick someone from this match up now that he's been released.

Sandow's just talented all around. Yeah, I'm a little upset he's gone.

Nice to see both men really show us what they can do. I miss NXT:Redemption era Darren Young.

- Crews vs. Slater:
I'm really glad they didn't release any of the Outcasts. Especially the One Man BAAAAAAAAND. Speaking of which, I kind of want to see a teaming of Slater and the Drifter from NXT playing off the band theme.

Slater's a good all-around performer. He has the "it" factor that makes a match more than just moves.

This is pretty good for giving Crews a longer match.

Apollo could easily be a future important player in WWE. He's already the smiling five mvoes of doom babyface. That doesn't mean he's not talented and athletic, though.

Some notes from NXT in Oklahoma:
- Murphy lost a tooth in a match with No Way Jose. Maybe he'll gain a lot of weight and turn that into a Mick Foley gimmick?

- Alexa Bliss was busted open in her match with Asuka. The women's champ doesn't play around!

A note from WWE in South Dakota:
- Colin Cassady defeated Diego of Los Matadores. The previous night he beat both of them. I wonder how you spell SAWFT in Spanish...

Some notes from WWE in New Mexico:
- Sin Cara beat Fernando. So, that's where el otro matadore was.

- Becky Lynch teamed with Sasha Banks to beat Emma and Lana.

- Goldust beat Viktor with R-Truth as the referee.

- The Hype Bros beat Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas. I wouldn't be surprised if Mojo's called up to the main roster by the end of the year. He definitely connects with the crowd.

Dark matches from Global Wars:
- Kelly Klein with BJ Whitmer beat Mary Dobson.

- Juice Robinson and Kamaitachi beat Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser, as well as ANX in a three-way tag match.

Triple H talked to promote the upcoming NXT tour of the UK. June's going to be important for NXT with that tour and another Takeover special.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There's really nothing to add here, other than obviously WWE "didn't see" Sandow and some of the others in bigger roles. They're the one "doing the casting," and they didn't want to use those stars as important players. Obviously not everyone can be featured/pushed, but it was clear some of those names really had talent and fan support. Hopefully they have brighter futures in what they do next. One specific note, though: Barrett wants to take a break from wrestling. That could have easily still been true had they given him a big push.

2. For some of those names, it was time for Spring Cleaning since they were getting paid to not do much of note, and there were no plans to use them further. This wasn't a big cost-cutting measure as much as shuffling the roster as they presumably prepare for more NXT callups and signings.

3. So, it doesn't look like there will be a brand extension. At least, not right now. We'll see what happens going forward with Shane and Stephanie trying to co-exist. The idea's worth a shot, since they have a lot of talented people and only so many spots since a lot of people are on TV on Raw and Smackdown pretty regularly. A brand split would allow more character development for some of the unsung heroes of the roster. Plus, it would keep some stars from crossing paths too many times. When Cena and Batista first feuded, it was a really big deal because they had been kept apart for years as each side got pushed and titles.

4. He could also side with Anderson and Gallows to turn on AJ. They definitely need to treat him as special considering how long he was champion in NXT. They've been building him up on that stage for quite some time. In contrast to Crews and Corbin, they need to have a plan for him joining the roster beyond "hey, here's a new guy!"

5. I actually like Jericho keeping us on our toes in a society when some (notably that "IWC" Dave pretends not to know about) have to know everything about everyone. HE'S HAVIN FUN MAGGLE HAHA I LOVE IT. Anyway, I definitely think Ambrose should be in the WWE Title picture before too much longer, especially once Seth Rollins returns. A Shield triple threat headlining PPVs would be great.

More wrestling tomorrow.