GavinSAFC

PWInsider are saying Neville is being called up soon with a new gimmick. I'm guessing it'll be around the Rumble.

I see Brian Kendrick was at last night's NXT show... Apparently he's going for a trainers position.

I actually really liked the 'marking out' chant, it was nowhere near as cringeworthy as the chants the UK crowd gives raw

 

The crowd last night were a proper crowd-they cheered what they were supposed to cheer (ie their heroes and when something awesome happend)

The NXT crowds try to get themselves over, which always narks me. 

I enjoyed it so much that I've woke up and I'm watching it again. My personal highlight was Balor's entrance. 

The NXT crowd are fucking cringeworthy sometimes mind. Singing 'marking out', ffs. Fuck off eh.

FUCKING WOW.

That is all I can say. Best show WWE have produced in many many years.

Another thing I've just remembered is that Junior division they had on Smackdown in the mid 00's.

Well, it gave us Dawn Marie and Torrie Wilson snogging in that hotel room, which was the exact moment the WWE peaked.

Actually, they just aired one of those Sean O'Haire promos where he played like a devil's advocate. Forgot how class they were!

I'm just watching the 2003 Royal Rumble and have been reminded of some horrific storylines, such as Nathan Jones 'g'dday' vignettes and Dawn Marie marrying and humping Torrie Wilson's dad, who storyline died culminating in them having a stepdaughter v stepmother match where Dawn Marie came to the ring wearing a black veil.

Who on earth thought this was a good idea?!

Cena's promo before the Rowan/Harper match was brilliant. The bloke doesn't get enough credit for some of his mic work.

How am I supposed to get excited for the Ryback and Kane match when they book them in a mid card tag team match on RAW, having them be the first two to face off? Sometimes the booking logic in the WWE is baffling. I'm no expert but you'd think keeping PPV opponents apart until the actual event rather than give anything away on TV makes more sense than putting them in pointless tag bouts that do nothing to further the story.

I think at the moment it's Sami Zayn but will eventually turn out to be Darren Young.

I've read rumours that it could be Zayn, but I'm sure I saw the Bunny's wrists the other week and he had black skin. I'd love to knar what the pay off of the whole gimmick is supposed to be anyways. Shelton Benjamin's tweet from the other day got it spot on. 

Is the Bunny Darren Young? I really want to know. 

 

Just seen the WWE results from the show in Charlotte yesterday. R-Truth beat Cesaro. Fucking hell. I know it's common practice to have a hometown wrestler go over in their town but against Cesaro? What a waste.

On a separate note to the valid points made by the other posters in response to this, this was a house show, right? So who the hell cares?? It doesn't matter one iota. And in a match that doesn't matter, you put the hometown babyface over.

Let him beat Justin Gabriel or something then!

Doesn't Cesaro lose to everyone now?

I like how WWE have chosen to forget that he ever won that Wrestlemania Battle Royal thing. 

Just seen the WWE results from the show in Charlotte yesterday. R-Truth beat Cesaro. Fucking hell. I know it's common practice to have a hometown wrestler go over in their town but against Cesaro? What a waste.

 

I agree. It's where Neville ultimately fails, though. Every time he's on the mic I cringe. They're trying to lose his geordie accent (case in point - his interview with Michael Cole this week where he calls his mam 'mom') but as a result there is absolutely zero personality coming across. Would he not be better served having a manager who can talk for him, or have him billed as some kind of silent assassin? 

 

NXT is the development show so it at least makes sense for them to try and have him develop a personality there before he gets to the main roster. At least if he gets to the end of his NXT run and he's none the better at cutting promos, they've tried and they can think about giving him a manager then. Rather that than give him one now and not allow him a chance to practice talky.

 

I should have been clearer mate, I meant if he gets on the main roster.

Feels like maybe they're a few years late with Itami. If he makes it to the roster, I can't see him doing any better than "Kaval" - a few curiosity matches with the likes of Big Show to quiet crowds and the rare decent match against the people you'd expect like Bryan. Just can't see him being a significant member of the roster.

Do you see him making it that far? He's got to get over in NXT first, and thus far he's struggled, even with all the fanfare that came when he made his debut. I suppose that could all change if their match with the Ascension steals the show.

I know I'm supposed to like them because they have a long history on the indies and had 5 star matches in Japan or whatever, but as I watch Itami and Balor each week, I can't help thinking they're both pretty average. Itami is the worse of the pair, but Balor isn't too impressive either- pretty cool entrance, but that's where it ends.

 

Watching this week's show, I was more impressed by the team of Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. Hope they get a good run at some point.

 

The Vaudevillians silent movies are tremendous.

 

Why does everyone say Sasha is "rat shit"? Quite rude and definitely not PG.

 

Rich Brennan looks like a Michael Cole cosplay, and is starting to sound like him.

 

I like the Kevin Owens promo linking him to top WWE stars like Rollins and Bryan, but with how underwhelming Itami and Balor have been, I'm hesitant to get my hopes too high.

 

Good face to face with Neville and Zayn. Zayn is becoming money in his character and promos, so believable. The end result is highly predictable, but predictable doesn't always mean bad.

I agree. It's where Neville ultimately fails, though. Every time he's on the mic I cringe. They're trying to lose his geordie accent (case in point - his interview with Michael Cole this week where he calls his mam 'mom') but as a result there is absolutely zero personality coming across. Would he not be better served having a manager who can talk for him, or have him billed as some kind of silent assassin? 

I really can't wait to see what they do with Owens. If they book him properly he'll do very well in WWE. I've got a feeling he'll have some part in the NXT title match which introduces him strongly, but we'll see.

Are they not saying Ratchet? That said, there were a few sweary moments on this week's show.

I'm kinda with you on the Itami/Balor front, too. I'm not a massive indie wrestling observer so I'm not exactly privvy to their previous work. I can see Balor doing well eventually, but not sure I can say the same for Itami. 

Just watching this week's Impact. What on earth was Angle thinking of doing that moonsault off the top of the cage against Roode?! 

NXT is the best wrestling show on TV at the minute. I can't get enough of it.

It's booked so well. It doesn't stink of Vince McMahon at all, which gives me hope for the future. No campy gimmicks, no long talking segments, talents booked to their strengths (love what they're teasing with Corbin and Dempsey) and the guys at the top of the card put on great matches.

Keep it up!

What do people predict will happen at R Evolution, then?

I can see a title change. Zayn to go over Neville in what will be a superb match. I'm guessing Corbin and Dempsey are going to face off, but I can't see past Coribn - they're clearly pushing him as some kind of monster. You never know, maybe they'll keep this feud going beyond the live show.

I think Charlotte might drop the title in order to facilitate a move onto the main roster, too. She's probably the one talent in NXT that is very much ready to step up. I can see her having some decent matches with Paige and AJ.

I like the idea of the Vaudevillains winning the tag belts. Aidan English looks creepily like Cesaro with more hair though, which freaks me out every time I see them.

Balor and Itami to go over the Ascension, aswell, then have the former tag champs go after the main roster belts after a month or so of promos. I'm glad they've put Devitt with Kenta, I think Kenta was struggling with getting going when he debuted and has definitely benefited from being in a tag team, so to speak. I wish they'd let him use the GTS, that head kick finisher he's been using is naff.

Hey, Tyson fucking Kidd is pretty awesome nowadays, if you watch NXT you'll see that the guy is gold.

 

Interesting that they're going with a non-title tag team feud. When was the last time that happened? There was Rhodes Bros vs Shield, but the feud was more with the Authority than the Shield.

 

My only gripe with The New Day is that I remember their original formation, so this presentation doesn't gel with that. They were angry about their situation and wanted change, and here they are super happy and smiley. Mainly I wanted to see an edge from Kofi, but he's just doing basically the same character since his debut, only with baby blue clothes.

I'd have preferred if they had went with the original heelish idea, that they were disgruntled superstars on a mission to get themselves on top, because nobody else wanted to help them. This would have given their characters an edge, would have suited Xavier as he's a good talker and could have made Big E a proper monster. I'm not a fan of them as Babyfaces, though I guess that one reason they're been packaged as faces is because there are quite a few heel tag teams at the minute.

PWInsider are reporting Yoshi Tatsu has broken his neck taking a dodgy finish from AJ Styles.

 

Bray Wyatt is on Austin's show this week (part two is next Tuesday).

 

Great show, and nice to hear him speak out of character. He is one driven man. Austin tried to get the sly dig in about his fitness (he's mentioned before that Bray needs to lose weight) but other than that it was great to hear the story of his character and how he fell in love with the sport.

 

Why can't we just have some fat wrestlers on the roster any more?

 

I've got no problem with it if their matches are good. 

Austin responded to Bray's comment that his dream is to wrestle Taker at Wrestlemania by saying he better make sure he's fit because Taker demands more of his opponents than anyone else. It's a fair comment. I've heard Austin say in the past though that Wyatt needs to lose some of his bulk and do more cardio. I think the fact he's chubby adds to his look though. He's got to look different.

There's a difference between dickhead crowds trying to get themselves over and just generally dead crowds.

One good example of this at the minute are the NXT crowds. I've started watching with the volume turned down. The crowds do my tits in trying to get themselves over.

I thought I'd watch all the PPVs from the start of 2001 onwards a few months ago. I'm up to Backlash 2002. It's a decent PPV but I'd recommend you watch as it's one of the last major shows before they entered the 'ruthless aggression' era, and it shows. There's the debut of Lesnar aswell.

Made it to about 15 minutes in and couldn't watch any more. Are the crowds always so dead on Raw these days? 

Unless they're in Chicago, or England, or it's the night after Wrestlemania, then yes.