NXT 2017 Thread *SPOILERS*

rovert

You lads talked about the main stuff about the show. WWE's presention really drags down most things. Balor's cardio is still something that still sticks out at me. I assume it is because he is carrying so muscle on his frame. Still a ride tho:



I know some may view me as anti-Charlotte but simply check out the lack of a pop she got just after the crowd were going wild for Sasha and Becky arguing. She has no presence at all.

On NXT Rival
I’ve really been driving myself crazy figuring out the results of the top two matches at NXT Rival, who exactly is getting called up after Wrestlemania and what they will do on TV the six weeks leading up to it. That’s all pretty cool IMO. I’ve a strong sense though Zayn and Owens ends in DQ or No Contest. I wonder if Balor’s ankle will be ok and whether it will hinder the match.

I think and hope Becky wins the Four Way. I did privately heard that was the direction at one stage so I am clinging on to that. Simply I believe they wouldn’t have included her in the match with they didn’t want her involved in the decision. Charlotte is most likely being called up and at the very least Charlotte and Sasha work the WWE live event loop most weekends. It would make more sense to have the women’s title on Becky as at least she can bring it to NXT Live Events. Something like Blake and Murphy winning the titles from a on the road Sin Cara. Given the talent shortfall NXT has a lot of green female wrestlers hopefully debuting soonish I think starting on establishing Becky as the (insert drum roll) Lynchpin of the division is a good idea. Character wise I think the title would elevate Becky and give her much needed character depth.

On the match itself the reviews of the practice matches on the Live Events are positive. It is a very fast paced match, following two people in the ring/two people outside formula playing off all the individual dramas with everyone giving their finishers and stealing covers at the end. Personally have my reservations as women’s multiple person matches tend to be pretty choreographed looking just something that doesn’t work. SHIMMER seems to stick to the ROH Four Corner Survival format rather than all four in the ring at once.

Random thoughts
This being NXT I think there’s a reason for the No DQ stip in the Corbin/Dempsey match namely Solomon Crowe interfering.

I wonder what the quality disparity will be between Rival and Fast Line will be this time. #BrandWar

I wonder what Baron Corbin would have been like if they kept him paired with Shaul Guerrero or pair him with Zahra Schreiber. As Baron really reminds me of ECW era Mike Knox just a load of nothing who could be a good backdrop for a girl they want to feature.

I think out of being cute Becky will turn Emma via the evil mirror continuing on the tradition.

I wonder what the Raw showcase will be especially with what we got last time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khyYC4b4kQA

Sasha vs Charlotte would be the most sensible if you don’t want to expose Balor or Owens on Raw yet. It is a presentable singles match too. But who knows given what happened last time. Will Hunter even bother fighting on that hill again? I guess he could wheel out Zayn vs Neville. Always a winner.

Machismo Fan

I would've preferred them to keep Owens vs. Zayn non-title. That way Owens beats Zayn, Zayn beats the winner of Bálor vs. Neville and then they move into Owens vs. Zayn for the title. Now Wednesday's match is a much trickier proposition booking wise.

Pentecost

I meant to mention the "technical difficulties" where "Solomon" flashed up on the screen for a second. Must be debuting shortly. I know nothing about him only that he seems to have been in NXT for ages going on the reports on here.

rovert

Machismo Fan wrote: »

I would've preferred them to keep Owens vs. Zayn non-title. That way Owens beats Zayn, Zayn beats the winner of Bálor vs. Neville and then they move into Owens vs. Zayn for the title. Now Wednesday's match is a much trickier proposition booking wise.

Apparently they are moving all the Zayn stuff forward with a view of calling him up according to Bryan Alvarez. It was seemingly a day of the TV taping rewrite.

My impression during the tapings is that likewise they are burning through all the Balor dream matches as Balor is likely a post-Wrestlemania call up too.

Pentecost wrote: »

I meant to mention the "technical difficulties" where "Solomon" flashed up on the screen for a second. Must be debuting shortly. I know nothing about him only that he seems to have been in NXT for ages going on the reports on here.

For what it is worth before the vignettes aired I was told he was debuting for reals at this Takeover.

More or less covered Crowe here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=94055173&postcount=114

To say what I said another and shorter way Crowe somewhat has Becky Lynch-itis in terms of being too OTT. He used to come across as someone doing an impression of Dean Ambrose rather being natural or authentic. The big rap against him in NXT is his height.

The White Feather

rovert wrote: »

Apparently they are moving all the Zayn stuff forward with a view of calling him up according to Bryan Alvarez. It was seemingly a day of the TV taping rewrite.

My impression during the tapings is that likewise they are burning through all the Balor dream matches as Balor is likely a post-Wrestlemania call up too.

Any ideas how they will or should do it? Bring them in as a group like the Shield,one at a time? A tag team? Zayn to be Sheamus's ginger cousin from Ireland and Balor is an old school friend? :eek: :P

Hopefully not the last one !!

rovert

No idea. I will always joke that need to bring back Heel Michael Cole to get that NERD Sami Zayn over.

CastorTroy

Was wondering how they'll do NXT for Mania. Another live show around the time? The Zayn/Owens vs Balor/Neville match as the pre show match? Doubt they would get on the PPV itself.

Was also thinking are they pushing Balor too fast? Compared to the others there, he's rocketing through developmental, it seems.

DM_7

CastorTroy wrote: »

Was also thinking are they pushing Balor too fast? Compared to the others there, he's rocketing through developmental, it seems.

Compared to Zayn and Neville?

I like NXT but a lot of the guys they have are over more because they are not on RAW and are seen as the alternative than actually that good.

Obviously Zayn and Neville are actually good though.

Age, potential to improve when not o the road travelling and experience comes must play a part in it. Finn is five years older than Neville and that makes a difference. Same age as Daniel Bryan, 4/5 years older than Rollins, Ambrose, Reigns.

Devitt/Balor has the look, a presence, is not going to improve in the ring so waiting won't do him any good. Would be better off on the road, house shows, live tv etc and see how good he can be as he won't learn/prove himself on those things in Florida.

rovert

CastorTroy wrote: »

Was wondering how they'll do NXT for Mania. Another live show around the time? The Zayn/Owens vs Balor/Neville match as the pre show match? Doubt they would get on the PPV itself.

Was also thinking are they pushing Balor too fast? Compared to the others there, he's rocketing through developmental, it seems.

They won't be doing an NXT Special Wrestlemania week. They are taping a bunch of NXT TV the next week to take them past Wrestlemania. NXT Specials are still quarterly. The next one will be May/June time. They decided to do the current one early so WWE production can concentrate on Wrestlemania.

They are pushing Balor fast but that was the deal with him. Triple H famously promised that he won't be stuck in developmental. If it is just Balor and Zayn that gets called up it sucks for Neville who has been in developmental for two years but Neville is two years younger than Zayn and five years younger than Balor. Balor is 34 in July. Traditionally if are going to be a main eventer it takes WWE about three years to build you up and solidify you as that. There's no time to mess about with Devitt.

Ageyev

Not really much point in Balor staying in Full Sail for another six months to work on entrances and camera positions or whatever. No idea what they will do with him on Raw but they've protected Wyatt and Rusev fairly well thus far, not that I think he'll get that push as he is very different.

Rjd2

As long as they don't take away Sami's music I don't mind. Some nerd behind the scenes will probably suggest some generic nu metal ****e though, :(

Don't think Neville has the look to get over as a mega face, maybe as a Kofi micard role at best, Zayn should do very well as he is very likeable, not sure about Balor tbh.

Furious-Red

Nearly caught up with NXT over the last few weeks. Am i the only one who doesnt get Bull Dempsey? Corbin is kinda warming to me but still has a good bit to go

DM_7

Bull Dempsey character is horrible and have thought so since his NXT debut.

He might have something but not in this persona.

bobby_says_hi

Is Emma turning heel? They did show her looking very annoyed and sulky after her loss. And the interview she did with Devin Taylor last week sounded a bit bitchy. It seems like she's in line for a Tyson Kidd type storyline where she's brought back to NXT and turns heel. She didn't play a good heel when she first showed up, but perhaps this time will be different

I'm hoping that after the live special, they can invest some time into splitting Carmella away from Enzo and Cass. It's probably a little confusing for the fans that the guys are definite faces but Carmella is clearly a heel. If they do it right then Carmella could get a nice amount of heat for betraying them

Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey really don't do much for me. I think that in a few months, one or both of them will be irrelevant

Balor and Itami was so intense and pretty much anything one could want from them. At the same time, I liked that they didn't give too much away

I agree with the idea of Becky winning the title. If they wanted Sasha or Bayley as champion, why include Becky at all? Plus WWE do love to pull the momentum shift on us, and Becky lost this week. If Sasha wins then she can't feud with Bayley - as they've faced each other too many times already. However Becky winning can have her feud with Bayley and then gradually turn Sasha face to feud with her. And hopefully if Emma sticks around and turns heel, that'll freshen the division up a little. And give Alexa Bliss someone new to face in her token squash match every taping

rovert

Furious-Red wrote: »

Nearly caught up with NXT over the last few weeks. Am i the only one who doesnt get Bull Dempsey? Corbin is kinda warming to me but still has a good bit to go

The amount of grief Bull gets online has gotten so bad that opinions on him are coming out the other side. Until Kevin Owens came along at least Dempsey was different he wasn't an indy darling workrate guy or a cutesy comedy character. But not really a fan.

Corbin is a Wyatt or Orton type golden child. He will be pushed forever. It was a year ago where Triple H brought up his name on the NXT Arrival conference call as someone to watch along with Charlotte, Neville and Zayn. Was really odd at the time (& it still is). I see nothing in him. But they've assigned Undertaker as his mentor so WWE expect massive things.

Concannon7

I didn't like him at first but he is starting to grow on me a little bit. I enjoyed his match with Neville even if I felt it made Neville look a bit weak. I suspect Corbin to end the feud with Bull at the NXT special. I still haven't seen enough of Corbin in the ring yet to say whether he can go or not.

The jury is still out on Corbin.

DM_7

Corbins look needs a little more work.

needs to leave on the vest to hide his belly, the pics where people compared his belly to a face were cruel but its the type of thing that will follow him around.

The chin strap makes him look miserable.

His look now is a big improvement on what he used to look like in the old fcw profile pics.

I like him outside of the aesthetics, he is impressively strong in the way cesaro is rather than a giant bodybuilder like Ryback. I like that he is differant to the more technical guys and that is needed.

Pentecost

This thing they're doing with bringing main roster talent back down to NXT and acknowledging that their careers have stalled is quite non kayfabe isn't it? But I suppose NXT does blur the lines quite a bit.

CastorTroy

On house shows, is Carmella wrestling as face or heel? I'd say we'll get to see a full heel turn if Cass and Enzo go for the tag titles. Seems strange they're not feuding with anyone and just accompany Carmella.

rovert

PWInsider says Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze has been officially added to this Wednesday's WWE NXT Takeover: Rival special on the WWE Network.

Might be one match too many but it should be a good one.

mrkiscool2

rovert wrote: »

PWInsider says Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze has been officially added to this Wednesday's WWE NXT Takeover: Rival special on the WWE Network.

Might be one match too many but it should be a good one.

Called it! I can imagine him hitting the GTS at the special, they have been teasing it since the last special. Letting him hit it on someone like Breeze is a good idea Big enough for it to matter

The Ayatolla

He teased it as well against Balór. Finn also teased the reverse lifting DDT which I can't recall him doing in NXT before.

BohsJohnny

The Ayatolla wrote: »

He teased it as well against Balór. Finn he also teased the reverse lifting DDT which I can't recall him doing in NXT before.

Nope he hit it on the last special

Hashtag_HEEL

mrkiscool2 wrote: »

Called it! I can imagine him hitting the GTS at the special, they have been teasing it since the last special. Letting him hit it on someone like Breeze is a good idea Big enough for it to matter

Have breeze sell it like death and return with the "undashing" style gimmick!

bobby_says_hi

CastorTroy wrote: »

On house shows, is Carmella wrestling as face or heel? I'd say we'll get to see a full heel turn if Cass and Enzo go for the tag titles. Seems strange they're not feuding with anyone and just accompany Carmella.

She's been working as a heel in her matches. Or she was a couple of months ago when I last checked

SureYWouldntYa

I wonder if there's any chance of seeing a mask on Sami Zayn for his match at Takeover ? They let Devitt do his face paint for the big matches, would be insane to see Zayn do the same

rovert

NXT’s Sasha Banks talks about how she loved wrestling from an early age, already being in the business for five years despite being so young, her tryout to get into WWE developmental, training in Tampa to now being at the Performance Center, how big of a brand NXT has become, the next live TakeOver special on Wednesday, the previous one where she had a great match with Charlotte, NXT going on the road, her fashion sense, what she has learned from her cousin Snoop Dogg and more.

http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/02/09/sasha-banks-nxt-takeover-falling-love-wrestling-boss/

Slay

rovert

brianregan09

Can't wait to see the 1st Finn Balor action figure all done up in the face paint will be a day one buy for me (im a big figure collector)

rovert

Group pic from the Polar Plunge:




CJ Parker killing his gimmick by going to Seaworld post-Blackfish.

rovert

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/564867110334373888


The best god damn career rivalry:

rovert

I've been assured that these are real NXT shirts especially the near racial slur Bayley one. On sale from Wednesday:

Hashtag_HEEL

Like the Zayn shirt, might pick it up

rovert

Triple H has an NXT media conference today. Closely vetted events with trusted media outlets with instructions only to talk about NXT but still it is a little bit of tap dancing in minefield with Rollins, Chyna, CM Punk etc.

rovert

PWInsider on NXT Conference call:

The call started a little late because some people apparently don’t know how to follow directions and log into the call 15 minutes early. Come one people, do better. It’s your job. WWE extends you a courtesy, don’t show up late.

I am not asking any questions today so I will be recapping.

WWE’s PR Czar Adam Hopkins welcomed us to the call, mentioned tomorrow’s NXT Takeover Rival special on the WWE Network and turned the call over to HHH.

HHH opened by thanking us for coming to the call. He once again extending us an offer to tour the facility. I will do it when I get back east.

He addressed Seth Rollins’ nude picture scandal. He said Colby has issued an apology to his family and friends. He said that it’s a personal issue and he would like to keep the call about tomorrow’s special. He said that it’s hard to believe it has only been a year since the specials have started. He then previewed tomorrow’s call (we will have the audio up on the site soon). He made a point to mention the women’s Fatal Four Way match and said that they are changing perceptions of female wrestling. I hope that carries over to the main roster.

He did a nice preview of the card, which should be great.

He also talked about growing the brand and the shots coming up in Ohio next month. He said that they sold a ton of tickets in the the first two hours for the first event just by mentioning it on Social Media, so they added the second show. He said that they will be doing tryouts that weekend around the Arnold Classic. He wants NXT to be a touring brand, albeit in smaller venues, by this time next year. He wants the guys to work every weekend so that they can learn and grow.

Mike Johnson, as usual, got on first. Mike asked about the plans to take the brand on the road in the next year and how it changes the career path for talents in NXT.

H said it doesn’t. The goal is still to get to the main roster. The important aspect will be to give them to work in front of different crowds and go. He said that are people that want to do “sold shows” plus they can tour on their own. He said he wants the talent to learn how to work on the fly, in front of different crowds. H said he hopes that he can get guys to the main roster, even if it means Vince pulling talents from him in the middle of programs and making him figure out how to fix the situation in the booking.

Mike talked about how H wants to grow the brand and how in the past he compared it to ECW and WCW, noting that they didn’t have to worry about a parent company bringing up talent in the middle of programs.

H said that guys did have contracts running out back then and the bookers had to deal with that. H also said he wants to make NXT so viable that it won’t be a demotion for guys on the main roster to come down to NXT and add an exciting element to the product. He also wants to have the situation where we are wondering what will happen when the NXT guys make it up to the big roster.

Mike referenced the Kevin Owens-Sami Zayn match, and all of their history. Mike asked how close we are to having an NXT Match on Mania.

H said it’s an interesting question. He said he would like to see it, but he also doesn’t want to lose perspective of what the brand is. He thinks they can get there he just doesn’t know how close they are to doing it. He said that the calls are like a reset to him. He spends the time before the call thinking about where they have been in the past few months.

Jason Powell asked about the noticeable difference with how the women are booked in NXT vs. WWE. Will it change on the main roster or is it just H’s vision vs. Vince?

H said it’s a mix of both. He said that they have a little different audience at NXT vs. the main roster. There are more casual fans of WWE and it takes a while to change perceptions, but he thinks they are doing that. It will take time to do it, but he thinks they will get there. He thinks that the world is looking at women differently, mentioning Ronda Rousey, and he thinks that will carry over to WWE. He is proud of women like Charlotte and Sasha.

He was asked to talk about Hideo Itami transitioning, since he hasn’t been the way he was as KENTA.

H said that there is a lot to consider. He has left Japan and its culture and it takes time to acclimate. He said that there is also a factor where the Japanese look at WWE as a huge upgrade and it’s a bit awe inspiring. H tells him all the time to let it go, cut loose. He referenced Steve Austin saying that you can’t think too much, you have to feel it. H has seen changes in him since he has gotten to NXT and he thinks he will get there.

H was asked if he has any concerns about Kevin Owens holding back and thinking too much.

H referenced a conversation the two had before the last show where he told him to stop thinking it, you can do it, just do it. He could have one of those moments, but he doesn’t think so. He sees Owen changing and growing, and he thinks Sami and him will tear it up tomorrow.

Scott Fishman asked how the roster feels about the opportunities that are being presented.

H said he feels that they are excited. NXT is a great place to be right now. It’s exciting. He talked about how excited talents are when they get their own shirt. He said that part of what they do is to get the talent to realize they are special and that they come to expect it, not be surprised by it. He said if he was on the main roster and NXT talents were selling merch (as in more than them) it would light a fire under him. It’s a good thing to do that. Competition is a good thing.

He was asked about the Zayn-Owens rivalry and how it was largely built outside of WWE.

H said that he likes that in NXT he doesn’t have to act like the past didn’t happen. He doesn’t have to dwell on it, but he can sure reference it. These two have a 14 year history so it makes sense to make it part of the story. It is a way better story than anything he could come up with. He loves the reality of it. He hoped that down the line this story could make it up to the main roster.

Dave Meltzer said he had a bunch of question and he knows he has to go down to two. He was asked about pushing women, mentioning Ronda Rousey. Meltzer said that they made her a big deal from the start and it was hard to recap as he kind of talked over H until H countered that she didn’t come out of nowhere. She made her name in Strikeforce and UFC took noticed and pushed her. She wasn’t working at a fast food place or something. H said that Charlotte has been at the top of the card in NXT and she is one of the main events. He will give the people want.

He was asked about recruiting athletes from other sports, are there new guys that he thinks they have something here. Meltzer mentioned Chad Gable. H laughed and said he is always evaluating the roster because it could get stripped by Vince at any time. He said he has an elite group, a next level group, then the talent in waiting group and finally the beginners. There is competition on every level. He said that they have somewhere between 65 and 70 people right now. He likes to be 65 to 100. 70 to 80 is very comfortable for him.

Robert (I missed the last name) thanked them for opening the doors to reporters. He was asked why Bayley wasn’t involved in the Like A Girl video. Steph showed the mainstream video to him on Friday and said he wanted to do an NXT one really quickly for Super Bowl weekend. The team was working a live event and it came down to who could get to the Center after the show to be part of it. Basically, it was last minute and there wasn’t a lot of guidance or planning done because of that. They did it fast to get it into the Super Bowl weekend buzz.

He was asked about the status of Alex Riley and whether he will be on commentary. He said that at his request, they are transitioning and Alex will get some opportunities. It sounds like he is coming back to wrestling.

Wonderful Willie Apter sent congrats on H getting into Arnold’s Hall Of Fame. H said it was an honor.

Bill asked what it’s like when he sits down with Vince and watches NXT. He said Vince never sits down and they never watch it together. Vince usually has it on in the background since he is working so much. He said that he thinks Vince is proud of it. He said that he has spent a lot of time with him over the last 20 years and they have talked a lot about this subject, developing the future. They have talked about what they needed to do to grow the future. He said running developmental is what he wanted to do and he is happy Vince let him with very little oversight. It showed Vince trusted him. Vince is incredibly proud of the Center and the athletes.

Bill asked how indy guys can get noticed. H said we have a recruiting department and if they are working indies, they probably already know about them. He talked about William Regal being his trusted eye for talent. H said if you are out there doing it, continue learning your craft. Being a mechanic is important, but learn more about being a personality.

Bill said that he has been using HHH’s DVD and he might have to take a look at him. H said the one word he thinks of when he sees Bill is jacked, Superstar Billy Graham-esque.

He closed out by thanking us and invited us to come down to Full Sail and reach out to him.

It was another great call. Tune into tomorrow’s special on The WWE Network.

Haven't listened to the audio myself but he praised Balor massively too.

Ageyev

rovert wrote: »

PWInsider on NXT Conference call:



Haven't listened to the audio myself but he praised Balor massively too.

Link to the audio: http://traffic.libsyn.com/shakethemropes/NXTCall.mp3

rovert

Morto at Zahra:

https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/565617202767089668

Palo Alto

Thought the Balor Neville match was really disappointing, they just didn't seem to click on the night, especially baffled by all the rest holds for first 10 mins.

Itami v Breeze was superb though! Great to see Breeze get in some amazing submissions.

The Ayatolla

Brilliant show again.

I fear for Fast Lane.

Owens - Zayn was ridiculous carry on. So good.

Ageyev

Interview piece in ref Drake Younger http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/scars-stripes-drake-wuertz-nxt-hardcore-referee-27047554

There's even some CZW video footage of a light tube match.

Looper007

Palo Alto wrote: »

Thought the Balor Neville match was really disappointing, they just didn't seem to click on the night, especially baffled by all the rest holds for first 10 mins.

Itami v Breeze was superb though! Great to see Breeze get in some amazing submissions.

Sorry have to say you are wrong and I was shocked when I read this. It was MOTN.

rovert

Sasha values titles more than John Cena that's sure:

The White Feather

Spoiler for next weeks NXT

rovert

Balor next's NXT opponent will spoiler it but you WILL NEVER GUESS IT IN A MILLION YEARS

RHYNO

Hashtag_HEEL

rovert wrote: »

Balor next's NXT opponent will spoiler it but you WILL NEVER GUESS IT IN A MILLION YEARS

RHYNO

Saw that on your Twitter and couldn't believe it. Haven't a clue why it's happening or where it will go, but I can't wait to watch it.

The Ayatolla

A host of spoilers tomorrow morning so ya? the usual 4-show taping tonight?

The Ayatolla

Ongoing spoilers here:
http://www.shakethemropes.com/2015/02/12/spoilers-wwe-nxt-tv-taping-results-february-12/

rovert

Too proud of this:

Rhyno's NXT name is Randy The Ram.

The Ayatolla wrote: »

A host of spoilers tomorrow morning so ya? the usual 4-show taping tonight?

Yep. Not so sure a about 4 show taping. There's another taping next Wednesday too. They want everything in the can so they can focus on Wrestlemania.

The Ayatolla

Blue Pants is back!

rovert

The Ayatolla wrote: »

Blue Pants is back!