The NXT Discussion Thread

[DavidB6937]

58 minutes ago, mim731 said:

I know his was just a vehicle for a terrible joke, but "only way it's being saved" seems like a bit of an overreaction. She's not even had a match yet. 

But it's WWE and WWE BAD! Of course it's all shit and going to be shit. That's where we're at at the moment with WWE. It's all falling apart.

[tiger_rick]

3 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

But it's WWE and WWE BAD! Of course it's all shit and going to be shit. That's where we're at at the moment with WWE. It's all falling apart.

You still trying to get that cheeseboard? ?

23 hours ago, mim731 said:

I think I must have watched a different segment to you guys, I thought it was fine. They're still establishing a character, and while there's definite nods to the Toni Storm character, to me it definitely feels more of a Sabrina Carpenter vibe their pushing for.  Not saying they're doing it well, mind, but that's the intent I think, and I thought she did OK there. 

It's Mickey Mouse. It's the equivalent of Solo Sikoa turning up in AEW in 2 years, god forbid, calling himself "The chief of the table" and demanding the crowd recognise him. TNA would do it. But if AEW did, they'd get murdered and deservedly so. 

Mariah May already had a gimmick. There's plenty of scope to run with that without ripping off Toni Storm's material, which she delivers 100 times better. Give the lass a chance.

[mim731]

15 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

It's Mickey Mouse. It's the equivalent of Solo Sikoa turning up in AEW in 2 years, god forbid, calling himself "The chief of the table" and demanding the crowd recognise him. TNA would do it. But if AEW did, they'd get murdered and deservedly so. 

Mariah May already had a gimmick. There's plenty of scope to run with that without ripping off Toni Storm's material, which she delivers 100 times better. Give the lass a chance.

Is that what they're doing though? I don't think it's anywhere near as overt as that and it feels like a reach. 

I'm not saying I think this is a good gimmick necessarily, but it definitely feels like it has a more Sabrina Carpenter/Bewitched 60s thing going on to me, and the line was a nod to her previous character, even if it was poorly received. I'm fairly sure Toni Storm, good as she is, didn't invent the idea of using playful sexuality in a wrestling promo though. 

[tiger_rick]

4 minutes ago, mim731 said:

Is that what they're doing though? I don't think it's anywhere near as overt as that and it feels like a reach. 

I'm not saying I think this is a good gimmick necessarily, but it definitely feels like it has a more Sabrina Carpenter/Bewitched 60s thing going on to me, and the line was a nod to her previous character, even if it was poorly received. I'm fairly sure Toni Storm, good as she is, didn't invent the idea of using playful sexuality in a wrestling promo though. 

Roman Reigns didn't invent being a Samoan either but if his former protégé went elsewhere and ripped off the gimmick, it would be just as poor.

They should be above this stuff, IMO. They've got every advantage. Just more evidence that they're nowhere near as clever as they think they are. 

[mim731]

6 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Roman Reigns didn't invent being a Samoan either but if his former protégé went elsewhere and ripped off the gimmick, it would be just as poor.

That's not quite the same thing though, is it? I suspect we may have to agree to disagree on that one.

For me, I don't think there's enough there to say that one line constitutes "ripping off the gimmick" and they're doing just enough in the presentation with her, shit as it might be, to differentiate. I'm not saying that's not exactly what they'll do in the coming weeks, they may well and no-one would be shocked, but it feels like a stretch at this stage. 

9 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Just more evidence that they're nowhere near as clever as they think they are. 

Exactly, if they were ripping off the gimmick I'm not sure they're smart enough to do it in a way that's not overt. God knows they're shameless and arrogant enough as a company to just plunder wholesale. 

[Chico Torres]

Her gimmick looks to be shit early 2000s diva.

No one needs to be defensive about WWE, lest we forget that we discovered that they also have a wrestler on their books named Jasper.

Also the whole MAGA company thing too which is almost as big a sin as shit divas and Jaspers.

[Arch Stanton]

We've all spent years bemoaning the shite names that they lumber these NXT guys and girls with, but do yourselves a favour and look up some of the shoot names of these kids. It'll change your perception! 

[JLM]

Haha yeah there are plenty of them whose NXT name is less NXT than their real name. America is funny. I love that Sol Ruca is called Calyx in real life. Assigned NXT at birth. 

[Dr. Alan Grant]

20 minutes ago, JLM said:

Haha yeah there are plenty of them whose NXT name is less NXT than their real name. America is funny. I love that Sol Ruca is called Calyx in real life. Assigned NXT at birth. 

Assuming that eventually she heads to the main roster, Sol Ruca is someone who will definitely need a name change. It sounds too much like something you’d need an ointment from Boots to get rid of.

[Hannibal Scorch]

8 hours ago, mim731 said:

I know his was just a vehicle for a terrible joke, but "only way it's being saved" seems like a bit of an overreaction. She's not even had a match yet. 

It was, I don’t think she’s washed after one segment, though I do think we watched a different segment. The stilted delivery, the lines that got no reaction. It shows the move to NXT was a smart one, because it’s something she can work on. And of course, ended up as all these contract signings I. Being confronted and either being beat down or put through a table. 

I didn’t get any Sabrina Carpenter vibes and definitely not Samantha from Bewitched. If anything think it had whiff of the early 00’s HLA era of WWE. 

[mim731]

6 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

If anything think it had whiff of the early 00’s HLA era of WWE. 

Yeah, we definitely watched different segments. After a rewatch following Rick's points, I can see why it might not be seen as a good segment for sure, but HLA? That's a bit strong, unless it stands for Hannibal Loves AEW (also a vehicle for a shit joke, but for reaI I didn't see the HLA comparison at all, that feels way off base). 

  

6 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

I didn’t get any Sabrina Carpenter vibes 

Didn't she literally make a Sabrina Carpenter reference before she slapped Jacy Jane?

Edited June 19, 2025 by mim731
Spelling (not witchcraft)

[Hannibal Scorch]

23 minutes ago, mim731 said:

Yeah, we definitely watched different segments. After a rewatch following Rick's points, I can see why it might not be seen as a good segment for sure, but HLA? That's a bit strong, unless it stands for Hannibal Loves AEW (also a vehicle for a shit joke, but for reaI I didn't see the HLA comparison at all, that feels way off base). 

  

Didn't she literally make a Sabrina Carpenter reference before she slapped Jacy Jane?

Is flavour of the month a Sabrina Carpenter thing? I thought it was just whatever limited edition McFlurry was on pthe menu. 
 

You didn’t think the nudge nudge wink wink of gushing and getting into bed was the kind of stuff I expected to hear before two women with very little on hit each other with pillows.

[Merzbow]

I can't judge after just one segment but it'll be interesting how they deal with sexuality compared to AEW where it feels organic, by women for women and with not a single a sniff of Russo-ness.

[mim731]

26 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Is flavour of the month a Sabrina Carpenter thing? I thought it was just whatever limited edition McFlurry was on pthe menu. 

Yeah, you've lost me there. She said "Have you ever tried this one?" which is a lyric from a Sabrina Carpenter song, which in context suggests the whole thing was pretty deliberate following on from the vignette last week. Did they do it well? Probably not, but I'd say it certainly suggests that's what they were going for. 

26 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

You didn’t think the nudge nudge wink wink of gushing and getting into bed was the kind of stuff I expected to hear before two women with very little on hit each other with pillows.

If you think there was anything "nudge nudge wink wink" about the HLA stuff, you've definitely got a kinder memory than the reality and you're certainly crediting that time period with more nuance than it deserves.

 

 

Edited June 19, 2025 by mim731

[Chili]

Because I firmly believe that Sabrina Carpenter being all into sex is a gimmick because only Richard Richard from Bottom goes on about it that much, I'd rather Mariah May just crib lines Bottom instead. Go on Blake, say "a wazzo pair of jugs"