NXT Thread II

skbucks1985 · Post #561 » by **skbucks1985** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:13 am

Another fantastic Takeover special

I don't know if it could've lived up to my expectations, but I was a tad underwhelmed by the Emma-Asuka match. Asuka's offense is very intense and hard-hitting and I thought Emma's heat didn't counteract or match Asuka's offense.

The tag title match was the best match of either team's careers. That video package made me think Enzo and Cass were either winning the titles or this would be essentially there swan song and I think its the latter. I'm not sure when I expect to see them on the main roster but I think it'll be soon.

Corbin-Crews was solid. That Joe program was when Corbin I think really turned a corner and he's been steadily improving since. I wouldn't be surprised if Baron Corbin is on the main roster soon. My guess is he'll be Balor's next program and if he loses that, I'm guessing he's main roster-bound shortly thereafter. There might be other guys ahead of him but other than Joe, those guys are all babyfaces and the main roster needs credible heels badly.

Bayley-Nia Jax was fantastic. I was worried that after those 3 left the women's roster was going to have a precipitous drop in quality and Bayley has been a fantastic workhorse to prevent that. Bayley-Nia Jax probably isn't the kind of match you re-watch multiple times like the Bayley-Sasha matches, but it told such a fantastic story and I can't say I enjoyed watching those 2 matches a whole lot more than I enjoyed watching this one.

I'll echo studs and say this is the best Balor match I've seen. He had some really good matches in NJPW and in various indies but those matches either didn't have a story going into them or one that I wasn't familiar with. I wouldn't say this is the best Joe match I've seen. It is however probably the best match I've seen his cage match with Kurt Angle which was I think 2007. I know Joe has said, in that table for 3, he's probably just an NXT guy but man I hope he makes it to the main roster. And there's such a ready-made story line for him. Reigns beats HHH and HHH brings in Joe as his hired gun to take Reigns out.

improper · Post #562 » by **improper** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:16 am

I think the only thing I didn't like about the Bayley match was how she kicked out of so many of Nia Jax's finishers like she was John Cena. I think all that served to do was devalue Nia's finishing move.

skbucks1985 · Post #563 » by **skbucks1985** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:30 am

It wasn't the primary story of the match, but I think one of the secondary stories was Nia Jax' inexperience. She had a number of pin attempts where she didn't hook the leg entirely or didn't hook the leg at all. So I think you can definitely tell a story with her that she has all the talent in the world but until she gets the experience to match that talent, she's not going to be a champion. And that's a story with legs.

Post #564 » by **studcrackers** » Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:55 pm

got dicked out of nxt takeover dallas tickets today on ticketmaster because something on ticketmasters site f*cked up when i thought i f*ckin ordered the god damn tickets. f*ck ticketmaster

skbucks1985 · Post #565 » by **skbucks1985** » Sun Dec 20, 2015 4:24 pm

Interesting to see what the programs will be moving forward. I don't think there will be another Takeover special between now and WM weekend, so my guess is they do some TV programs over the next several weeks. I'm guessing we get Bayley-Emma at some point, Emma's been talking about how she started the divas revolution and so I'm guessing we eventually get that program. They teased Asuka-Nia Jax so I'm guessing we'll see that. I'm not sure where they go with the tag division, I think they're going to hold off until the next Takeover for Jordan and Gable vs Dash and Dawson. Maybe they do the Hype Bros vs Dash and Dawson and Jordan and Gable against High Voltage 2.0. In the immediate term, I think we'll get a program between Corbin and Balor. But beyond that there's a lot of different directions they can go with the top of the card. You've got Zayn, Joe, Crews, Itami should be back soon, how involved will James Storm be, was there any truth to all that Austin Aries speculation from a couple months ago

Dominator83 · Post #566 » by **Dominator83** » Mon Dec 21, 2015 6:52 am

tugs wrote:Solomon Crowe asked for his release.

which really sucks because they shouldve done alot more with that guy. Good wrestler great promos

Post #567 » by **studcrackers** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 7:43 pm

I've come to really liking Carmella on the breaking ground show

Dunthreevy · Post #568 » by **Dunthreevy** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 5:28 pm

studcrackers wrote:I've come to really liking Carmella on the breaking ground show

Completely agree. She's been the star of that show IMO.

Post #569 » by **Stanford** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 5:54 pm

Carmella is great example of Regal's "they're going to decide if they like you after 15 seconds" philosophy being completely wrong. The NXT audience thought she was being teamed with Enzo and Cass to help get her over quickly, and they resented it. Now she's a beloved part of the unit.

jakecronus8 · Post #570 » by **jakecronus8** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 5:59 pm

Finally got a chance to see NXT live in person at Turner Hall in Milwaukee two nights ago. Even though it was just a house show, it was unreal compared to a WWE show.

I can't see myself spending money to go to a WWE event after this. I know I'll just be paying to be let down. Going to the Chicago show tonight.

Moment of the night had to be after Sami and Ciampa tore the house down with the match of the night. Sami cuts a promo about how great NXT is, and how years ago when he was in the indies, "someone" told him that Turner Hall was their favorite venue to work in. None other than KO's music hit and the crowd went absolutely apesh*t for KO's return to NXT, to reveal it was he who proclaimed Turner Hall his favorite venue. Such a cool unexpected moment. Only pop louder that I've ever experienced in person was Jericho's WWF debut.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgg98XIpP58[/youtube]

FF to 2:55 mark for Pop City.

jakecronus8 · Post #571 » by **jakecronus8** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:31 am

After being blown away by the Milwaukee NXT show, my excitement level was even higher for Chicago. When tickets went on sale I was more adamant about getting tix for the Chicago show despite living in Milwaukee. They have a reputation as one of the best crowds for a wrestling show, and other shows I've gone to in the Windy City have lived up to the hype (Y2J's debut was something I'll never forget).

I couldn't have been more disappointed. First of all, the show barely happened. WWE went for the money grab and because the show sold out so quickly, they decided to have a matinee show before hand in venue. There were so many issues that I just read they almost cancelled. The venue itself was just abysmal. The Portage Theater is an old old, dilapidated traditional theater that simply made no sense for a wrestling show.

The floor does not have stadium style seating so it was made on an angle going downward. They had no way to level out the ring so the ring itself was at a downward angle which looked very amateur and I had to wonder if it was less safe. The heat in the building also was not working, which in mid teen temperatures is very condusive for cramping and other injuries.

Walking in, they had a guy literally screaming to rip your ticket in half and hand it to him. They did not scan any barcodes and the guy was so determined to get people in quickly that he didn't even look at the tickets. In hindsight, I could've taken a piece of junk mail, ripped it in half and saved the 90 bucks to go the show.

There was such a rush at the door that people were pretty much walking by the two people assigned to wand the entire crowd. Unfortunately I was in a rush and was unable to eat prior to getting down there so I had to buy some food. The line moved pretty quickly given the size but again there was some annoying loud mouth screaming at all the customers to hurry up and was just rude in general. Prices weren't ubsurd if the food was edible which was definitely questionable. My buddy got a nasty hot dog and I got a $5 slice of pizza that was slightly below room temperature and was as rubbery as it gets. I don't drink so opted for the $4 bottle of water instead of the $3 shot glass of ice with a splash of soda inside.

Trying to get to your seat was a nightmare. We wasted a bit of time before hand so it wasn't as bad. Walking up to the venue, the line was around the block at 6:10 while people were still waiting for the doors to open (supposed to open at 6). By around 6:30 we walked to the end of the line outside which was just starting to move. There were 2 ushers that I counted for the entire venue and they were an old man and what looked to be a 15 year old kid, both of whom were not wearing anything to indicate they were employees of the venue. As I was looking at the section and seat numbers which were mostly scratched off the chairs, said random old dude asked if I needed help. Thankfully he got us to our seats pretty quick.

I'm pretty sure they either overbooked the seating or were just completely ineffective in policing the seating, as for pretty much the entirety of the night there were people standing in the aisles looking confused and arguing with other people that they were in their seats. There was no wheel chair accessible seats so they put them in the back in the aisles. They also had to just grab some random folding chairs and put them in the aisles for the people who couldn't get to the seats they paid for. Pretty sure this is illegal and a fire hazard but was to be expected by this point.

Because they did a matinee, the rotation of the cards got screwed up, and we got to see the exact same card from Milwaukee, featuring all the same booking and endings. Naturally, took some of the excitement out of the show.

Now, the biggest disappointment was the crowd. In comparison to the Milwaukee show, this was like a Smackdown crowd. Very quiet and very bland. I got those tickets expecting an ECW crowd and it didn't even come close. I'm sure it was a combination of the crappyness of the venue and some of the steam being taken out from the matinee, but lame nonetheless.

Overall, The Portage Theater was just a bizarre choice. Given the amount of better venues in Chicago, it makes even less sense. I read on Reddit that WWE was furious with the venue owners and the only reason the show went on was because the talent insisted. Needless to say I'll never go back.

We had fun tongue in cheek marking out for The Drifter and the Eva Revolution though. In hindsight it probably would have been impossible to match Milwaukee, given the hot crowd and the fact that we got the surprise KO return. At least I know for next time to stay in my own back yard. Very odd however, seeing a lot of the Chicago fans patting themselves on the back. They didn't deliver.

Dominator83 · Post #572 » by **Dominator83** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 9:45 am

jakecronus8 wrote:After being blown away by the Milwaukee NXT show, my excitement level was even higher for Chicago. When tickets went on sale I was more adamant about getting tix for the Chicago show despite living in Milwaukee. They have a reputation as one of the best crowds for a wrestling show, and other shows I've gone to in the Windy City have lived up to the hype (Y2J's debut was something I'll never forget).

I couldn't have been more disappointed. First of all, the show barely happened. WWE went for the money grab and because the show sold out so quickly, they decided to have a matinee show before hand in venue. There were so many issues that I just read they almost cancelled. The venue itself was just abysmal. The Portage Theater is an old old, dilapidated traditional theater that simply made no sense for a wrestling show.

The floor does not have stadium style seating so it was made on an angle going downward. They had no way to level out the ring so the ring itself was at a downward angle which looked very amateur and I had to wonder if it was less safe. The heat in the building also was not working, which in mid teen temperatures is very condusive for cramping and other injuries.

Walking in, they had a guy literally screaming to rip your ticket in half and hand it to him. They did not scan any barcodes and the guy was so determined to get people in quickly that he didn't even look at the tickets. In hindsight, I could've taken a piece of junk mail, ripped it in half and saved the 90 bucks to go the show.

There was such a rush at the door that people were pretty much walking by the two people assigned to wand the entire crowd. Unfortunately I was in a rush and was unable to eat prior to getting down there so I had to buy some food. The line moved pretty quickly given the size but again there was some annoying loud mouth screaming at all the customers to hurry up and was just rude in general. Prices weren't ubsurd if the food was edible which was definitely questionable. My buddy got a nasty hot dog and I got a $5 slice of pizza that was slightly below room temperature and was as rubbery as it gets. I don't drink so opted for the $4 bottle of water instead of the $3 shot glass of ice with a splash of soda inside.

Trying to get to your seat was a nightmare. We wasted a bit of time before hand so it wasn't as bad. Walking up to the venue, the line was around the block at 6:10 while people were still waiting for the doors to open (supposed to open at 6). By around 6:30 we walked to the end of the line outside which was just starting to move. There were 2 ushers that I counted for the entire venue and they were an old man and what looked to be a 15 year old kid, both of whom were not wearing anything to indicate they were employees of the venue. As I was looking at the section and seat numbers which were mostly scratched off the chairs, said random old dude asked if I needed help. Thankfully he got us to our seats pretty quick.

I'm pretty sure they either overbooked the seating or were just completely ineffective in policing the seating, as for pretty much the entirety of the night there were people standing in the aisles looking confused and arguing with other people that they were in their seats. There was no wheel chair accessible seats so they put them in the back in the aisles. They also had to just grab some random folding chairs and put them in the aisles for the people who couldn't get to the seats they paid for. Pretty sure this is illegal and a fire hazard but was to be expected by this point.

Because they did a matinee, the rotation of the cards got screwed up, and we got to see the exact same card from Milwaukee, featuring all the same booking and endings. Naturally, took some of the excitement out of the show.

Now, the biggest disappointment was the crowd. In comparison to the Milwaukee show, this was like a Smackdown crowd. Very quiet and very bland. I got those tickets expecting an ECW crowd and it didn't even come close. I'm sure it was a combination of the crappyness of the venue and some of the steam being taken out from the matinee, but lame nonetheless.

Overall, The Portage Theater was just a bizarre choice. Given the amount of better venues in Chicago, it makes even less sense. I read on Reddit that WWE was furious with the venue owners and the only reason the show went on was because the talent insisted. Needless to say I'll never go back.

We had fun tongue in cheek marking out for The Drifter and the Eva Revolution though. In hindsight it probably would have been impossible to match Milwaukee, given the hot crowd and the fact that we got the surprise KO return. At least I know for next time to stay in my own back yard. Very odd however, seeing a lot of the Chicago fans patting themselves on the back. They didn't deliver.

I went to the matinee show and didnt seem quite as bad as your describing the evening one. Yea it was crazy that they mustve started letting people in late because I arrived at 1245 for the 1:00 show and the line was an easy 3 blocks long. Luckily it did move quickly atleast. Also atleast at my show they did in fact scan barcodes on the tickets. Dont know why they didnt at the 7:30 one.

I totally agree that building and seating sucked balls. Most definitely not a place for wrestling. What I dont understand is that tix sold out in 10 minutes. You would think that they couldve just went to Allstate arena and if worst came to worst, just dont use the balcony. Agree couldnt find seats, no heat, etc. The crowd though seemed to be much more into it than what your describing the 730 crowd. We had plenty of loud cheering, booing, marking out, plenty of chants, etc

It was a solid show and I liked it, but man that venue is bad and I can see why Hunter wanted to cancel

WRau1 · Post #573 » by **WRau1** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 12:26 pm

I don't feel as bad now for not getting to go to the Chicago shows. I did get some amazing seats for Smackdown on March 10th, looking forward to that.

Dunthreevy · Post #574 » by **Dunthreevy** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 7:27 pm

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Machinegunka/status/689882548281942016[/tweet]

Dunthreevy · Post #575 » by **Dunthreevy** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:44 pm

I'm planning on going to the NXT live show here in Indy on February 6th. Tickets sold out immediately on Live Nation so I'm waiting for the prices to come down on Stubhub. The initial ask price on SH for standing room only-GA seats was like $67 and they're already down to $35. I'm holding out another week or so hoping that I can get actual seats for under $50/ticket for my wife and I. The venue is the Egyptian Room at the Old National Centre in downtown Indy. Never seen a wrestling show there but we saw John Mulaney do his standup set there last year and the Egyptian room is a pretty good size. According to google, the seating capacity for the Egyptian Room is 2,500, so the way they have the seating chart set up, I would guess it's actually closer to 1,000-1,500 for this show.

skbucks1985 · Post #576 » by **skbucks1985** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:57 pm

I don't think this would be considered a spoiler since its primarily speculation. But, tonight's show at UCF HHH is promisinga big surprise and most will probably see that as Gallows and Anderson and that's certainly possible since they're both doing an ROH show tomorrow in neighboring Georgia, but I think it could be Austin Aries

iMoreland · Post #577 » by **iMoreland** » Sat Jan 23, 2016 3:15 am

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/690726429034713088[/tweet]

jakecronus8 · Post #578 » by **jakecronus8** » Sat Jan 23, 2016 4:42 am

So pumped for Aries!

Crowd sucked for that debut though. Shoulda had him debut in Milwaukee. Would've gotten nearly as big a pop as KO I suspect.

Post #579 » by **Ruzious** » Tue Jan 26, 2016 8:45 pm

jakecronus8 wrote:So pumped for Aries!

Crowd sucked for that debut though. Shoulda had him debut in Milwaukee. Would've gotten nearly as big a pop as KO I suspect.

I just wish he wasn't in his late 30's... and wish he was a little taller. Still, he seems to have aged tremendously well. If there's anyone that reminds me of CM Punk, it's Aries. Hopefully the WWE has a plan that will let him shine.

iMoreland · Post #580 » by **iMoreland** » Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:27 am

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WWE/status/692517543769169921[/tweet]