Paid Members tiger_rick Posted October 12, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 12, 2019 NXT has been dull as fuck week to week for years. They got away with it because it was only an hour, people like good flippy matches and the Takeovers always deliver at the end of it. Over the last couple of years, it's got worse with every departure and now you've got Adam Cole and his band of shitarses on top opposite Johnny Gargano, who they've killed off in Vince-like fashion. And it's now got to fill two hours. Glad Ciampa is back but him, Riddle and Dream need to work miracles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King of Old School Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 (edited) Does anyone think they will still do the "Dusty Rhodes tag team classic" next year or will it be quietly forgotten about with the brothers being on the other channel now? Edited October 12, 2019 by The King of Old School Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted October 12, 2019 Awards Moderator Share Posted October 12, 2019 I really liked the first half of the show this week - short, sharp matches that focused on the people they wanted to showcase, intercut with brief packages and videos to build up others. And in the second half, the main event was the best Kushida’s looked by a long way. Probably preferred NXT to AEW this week. Sad that Velveteen Dream was the cringiest part of the show for the second week running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 10 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said: Sad that Velveteen Dream was the cringiest part of the show for the second week running. Yeah I'm not sure what they're thinking with him lately but they're definitely heading in the wrong direction. They'd managed to keep him edgy and fresh before but they're struggling at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted October 14, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 14, 2019 (edited) On 10/12/2019 at 1:55 PM, tiger_rick said: NXT has been dull as fuck week to week for years. They got away with it because it was only an hour, people like good flippy matches and the Takeovers always deliver at the end of it. Over the last couple of years, it's got worse with every departure and now you've got Adam Cole and his band of shitarses on top opposite Johnny Gargano, who they've killed off in Vince-like fashion. And it's now got to fill two hours. Glad Ciampa is back but him, Riddle and Dream need to work miracles. 100%. It's been noticeably going downhill since they fucked the Gargano/Ciampa feud by trying to get too clever about it, fucked up the most organic whitemeat babyface they've had since Daniel Bryan, and then pivoted all their attention to the Gargano/Cole show, which brought out the worst in both men and in the NXT "style" as a whole. For the past few weeks, if not months, if it feels like they're trying to coast on a reputation of putting on "great wrestling", with very little thought given to the long-term storytelling that people actually first loved them for. It's gone from being can't miss TV for me to something I routinely miss without really caring. Edited October 14, 2019 by BomberPat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted October 14, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 14, 2019 I watched WALTER/KUSHIDA against my better judgement last night and I can't believe how far the mighty have fallen. I should not be watching a throwaway TV WALTER match with the takeaway of "Oh, he barely got out of that one intact!". It's always amazing how WWE can fuck up the big, bad, unstoppable heel on a near consistent basis. KUSHIDA has gotten more bland with his move to NXT, and Mauro's woeful commentary didn't help matters. The crowd, the aesthetics, just everything about it was extremely off-putting. It's baffling to me. WALTER is a force to be reckoned with elsewhere and his singles matches are simple, yet engrossing, David vs Goliath affairs. Yet WWE get a hold of him and he's going half and half with Pete Dunne and having KUSHIDA 'take him to the limit'. I'm not surprised anymore with WWE's handling of guys who made their name elsewhere, but it's still frustrating to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I know very little of WALTER outside of his name pre-NXT UK and I've personally enjoyed his work both there and in NXT recently. I don't think any of what he's been put through has made him seem any less dangerous or anything. He's still a huge threat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted October 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) I’m through the looking-glass. Once I noticed the commentary it’s now impossible to tune it out. ”Io Shirai is a modern mercenary and she’s hell bent on achieving her ego-centric destiny.” Edited October 18, 2019 by Supremo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WeeAl Posted October 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 18, 2019 It kind of speaks volumes how little interest there is on this thread this week. I just fast forwarded the whole way through the show. There was nothing that I felt I needed to see apart from the Dream being taken out. I watched 30-60 seconds of the end of each match, and I've really missed nothing. Plus, I've saved my ear drums from the commentary. One thing that is amazing though is the physique on Ciampa, after major neck surgery, and coming back five months earlier than anticipated. He's a marvel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 I thought it was another solid show. Had to wait til last night as Three fucked me over with their stupid signal issues for most of yesterday. There's nothing particularly spectacular going on with NXT at the moment but I don't really have any issues with it being consistently good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 It feels like what it is - a really solid 1 hr show unnecessarily stretched out.  Some good action this week, some solid storylines.  That's the best Damien Priest has looked by a country mile, Dunne is a miracle worker. 4 hours ago, Supremo said: I’m through the looking-glass. Once I noticed the commentary it’s now impossible to tune it out. ”Io Shirai is a modern mercenary and she’s hell bent on achieving her ego-centric destiny.” I'm there too now - something about a Priest bringing an incandescent light or some shit.  The writing for the team is terrible - it's not really their fault, they're being asked to deliver these ridiculously hokey lines in the middle of calling a match. Another snafu that ground my gears - the backstage segment with UE was clearly pretaped because the editor who cued it up paused it a few frames early so when they ran the tape you had a quarter of a second of them all stood there motionless before suddenly bursting into life when the director shouted "action".  Super super awkward. I tell you what though - I'm tuning in next week to watch Roddy get the shit kicked out of him by Lee and Dijakovic.  Should be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted October 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 18, 2019 The biggest hook going forward is seeing more of Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley. Both were super impressive on this show. In the ring, Shirai might be one of the most talented wrestlers in the company, whereas the look, poise, demeanour and charisma of Ripley - especially at such a young age - is something to behold. Imagine being someone like Aliyah, with such little aptitude for this, having to rub shoulders with people so naturally gifted. I’d have quit a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted October 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 18, 2019 I read a recap of this show on Twitter, and thought "Ah, that sounds like a fun 50 minutes" then I reallised that we're now in the 'Two Hour era' and promptly corrected myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted October 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 18, 2019 I liked this from Jason Powell in his "hits and misses" column: NXT Misses None: Wednesday nights are a blast. It’s invigorating to see competing shows filled with excellent young talent being booked well. I also appreciate the way both sides are showing creative restraint. NXT had a loaded lineup for the first head to head battle, but they’ve pulled back since then and aren’t showing any signs of panicking despite losing the early ratings battles. I wish the Monday and Friday night shows were even half as much fun as as the first three weeks of NXT vs. AEW. And I actually feel sorry for fans who pick sides. Any fan who skips either show out of some odd sense of loyalty to either brand is just depriving themselves of two great hours of weekly television. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Yeah, I have to agree with that. Now I've kinda switched off on the comparisons and taking them both for what they are, they're both delivering in different ways on a weekly basis for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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