The NXT Discussion Thread

[Infinity Land]

Clipped up highlights of the Sol Ruca v. Dani Palmer from NXT Lvl Up is doing the rounds. A minute and a half of raw all action from two new wrestlers in training a matter of months.

There's a lot going on for what was just 3 minutes total.

 

[I Bent My Wookie]

Read a report about that flipping cutter but it's even better than I anticipated. Huge buzz around her at the moment for how easily she's taken to training and innovation already.

[BomberPat]

The flipping cutter is cool, but not seeing the fuss about that video at all. Athletically impressive, sure, but that's what you'd expect. It's some of the most obviously learned-by-rote wrestling I've ever seen, not a moment of it feels organic.

[Supremo]

Hated the Malenko/Guerrero back and forth pin reversals, where they’d stop and wait for the ref to count despite the shoulders being so obviously not down. Doesn’t bode well for that system at all that both wrestlers continued their routine and the ref still counted. I thought refs in particular were trained to treat everything like a shoot, to stop dumb moments like that?

[Nick James]

Julius Creed has to be their top prospect at this point, surely? The man is money especially with his brother as his hype man / backup. Athleticism out of the arse and a great look.

I've really warmed to Brooks and Jensen in recent weeks, I don't think they will go mega far, but could be a good utility team on the main roster. Fallon Henley is just lovely too.

Lyra Valkyria has a presence about her, can't see her being in NXT long. Similar with Lash Legend, but more not in WWE long, she's not very good at all.

Toxic Attraction may as well move up to Smackdown at this point, they don't feel like they fit in NXT anymore without Rose.

I love Grayson Waller, just the ultimate prick. You just want to see him get his arse kicked. What a dick, running off to Australia after laying Bron out last week and sending in a tourism video promo. Fantastic.

The less said about Schism the better. 

When Tony D'Angelo was first introduced, I just thought he would be a one note character that would be done in a few months, how wrong I was, I really enjoy his in ring work and the pairing with Stacks has chemistry. Shame the other one had to do something daft and end up pissing about wasting a spot on Dynamite. 

All in all, I've watched NXT the last few weeks and enjoyed what I've seen. Granted it's not something you're clamouring to see the next episode of, but it's an enjoyable show that just ticks along. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Nick James

[DavidB6937]

I think the key thing I'm enjoying at the moment with NXT is that they're trying. They're experimenting and doing a lot of different characters and seeing what works and what doesn't. And that's really what NXT should be about.

[poetofthedeed]

My main worry about NXT at the moment is there are half a dozen guys who need to sink or swim on the main roster who may now miss their window because Papa H brought back all the guys who tanked the brand first go round.

"We've got Carmelo Hayes and trick williams tearing it up in NXT and he could be the naturally cool black guy we've been looking for"

 

"Get me hit rows number"

[Chili]

That flipping corner cutter is really good. Like a mad idea you'd try for a create-a-move. 

The rest of it was shite. Sol Ruca I'm sure will get better but she moves like Michelle McCool. 

[Devon Malcolm]

I mean, they've only been wrestling for a few months. Soz it wasn't Harley Race vs Jack Brisco.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Can I just shock you? I watched a full NXT for the first time in years last night. Not only did I watch it all the way through, but I even enjoyed it. 

Crews/Hayes was a microcosm of everything that a modern NXT should be about. An established act (in relative terms) like Apollo against a future star like Carmelo, putting together a scintillating showing which can garner numerous benefits - Crews suffers nothing from taking the fall via nefarious means and was still able to showcase the full range of his sheer athletic ability, while Hayes hung with him all the way and continues to impress and gather momentum with an upward trajectory. Everyone's a winner. It looks like we'll revisit it with a tag match next week as well given the shenanigans at the end of the Trick Williams/Axiom match too. More? Oh go on then. For a similar comparison albeit with the babyface going over, Kingston/Gacy was also very good. That's the best I've seen Gacy perform to date. 

This marked the first time I've seen Grayson Waller's talk show setup - nicely done. The box view of just Grayson's mug in the corner and the scrolling text are nice touches. Bron Breakker is a bit of an enigma - he's got a commanding, booming voice for promos and at times he can be very convincing. That was a superb dive to the outside as well to wrap it up. But then he throws out nonsensical lines like '...yeah, well I don't care what you say, I love my father, so...' it just doesn't really fit with the rest of the aesthetic. Perhaps the most worrying thing though is that he just doesn't seem to be clicking with the audience. For evidence of this, watch the YouTube clip of the segment and note the last couple of shots - the crowd are already walking out of the stands behind him. That would send out a few red flags for me. Stick the belt on young Grayson and let's see if he can take the ball and run with it. As for Bron, he's going to make a fantastic heel when the time eventually comes. 

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn absolutely leathered each other, making for a far more interesting watch than I was expecting. The only downside was what appeared to be a botched swanton to the outside while Dawn was prone on the table, but they very quickly reset and did the Gory Bomb spot instead, which I thought showed good ingenuity and looked far more natural than just trying to repeat the same spot and risk blowing it again.  

How long has Tony D'Angelo been a babyface? Not where I saw that going from a character development perspective. He should have a stranglehold over the locker room by now with jobbers being forced against their will to pay for protection money and fearing for their careers if they get on the wrong side of him. Going down the babyface route just risks him further becoming more of a caricature. Also, Dijak is clearly an athletic, talented fellow but unless he's bouncing around with a fellow behemoth like Keith Lee, there's no hook to keep people interested in him. Hopefully he can find some sort of hook to turn things around, because he's clearly got something there. 

Also can anyone point me in the direction of the administration department for Chase University so I can scan for courses and look to enrol? Big fan of that gimmick and the potential it has, to the point where I think they should be doing more with it. Flog fake online digital courses, create a sorority with secret handshakes, sell more merch. When you promote them to the main roster, keep an NXT contingent as some some of undergraduate programme. Also, love me some Gulak getting all technical. 

Good effort to kick off 2023.  

[Nick James]

50 minutes ago, Fatty Facesitter said:

Can I just shock you? I watched a full NXT for the first time in years last night. Not only did I watch it all the way through, but I even enjoyed it. 

Good effort to kick off 2023.  

This pretty much sums up my entire thoughts on the show when I watched it this morning. Bron sailing over the top rope was glorious, after, as Waller pointed out 'taking off his vest like trousers'. This feud has been really good so far and I can't wait to see how it ends. I'd have Waller take the title, personally. 

NXT is fun, if you switch off your brain and acknowledge that some of the wrestlers are green as grass. The women are showcased brilliantly and the stories are cheesy in a fun way.

Dijak looks like when you create a character in story-mode and he appears in a cutscene. 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Nick James

[I Bent My Wookie]

I don't think D'Angelo is a face, more he's an arrogant, cocky heel who's got an issue in front of him who's also messing with his "family". For me Stacks could come out of this with some good baby-face momentum if he in storyline starts to realise he can also compete alongside these guys.

Kingston and Gacy was what it needed to be. A chance for Gacy to show what be can do with more established wrestlers, look strong but still play up the credentials that Kingston has. Plus a champion not losing a non title match? REFRESHING.

The women's segment was a bit of a jumble, people I didn't expect to be getting boos getting them, some stumbling over lines, but it pointed out something I discussed with a friend this morning, that I don't think there's ever been a time in WWE where I can name more established on a show women's wrestlers with full gimmicks, storylines that intertwine, or that we used to speculate how they could fill a 30 person women's rumble but next week we have 20 and it shouldn't be an absolute disaster.

Chase U has been an absolute find. Especially in how well the support acts are playing their roles. Andre and Drew chasing tag gold as a unit of Chase U wouldn't be a bad shout to go against a lot of the younger up and coming teams once New Day return to the roster.

Its an exciting start and with the Rumble round the corner ita hard to predict who's leaving with the title if they think now is the time to put Bronn with people he can learn from rather than learn with.

 

[TildeGuy~!]

I remember him looking fairly impressive as a New Japan Young Lion but then he didn’t improve much after moving over to America to work.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Nicko’s NXT notes!

- That Bron/Waller business. Why, on your development show, would you have the ropes collapse deliberately for an angle in that fashion? The desired effect was to create drama, but it just made the setting look a bit shit. It seemed like more of an accident rather than a clear angle, so big fail there. Surely there were more creative finishes to pull off to set up the Vengeance Day rematch? Completely naff. A shame as I was quite up for this one. Speaking of tacky - let’s get some better gear on our man Grayson. He’s got good charisma and I like his in-ring work, but his gear looks very ‘training school’ and doesn’t reflect the great character work they’ve done with him, like when he’s swanning about in Sydney looking really flash. 

- Similar to the Grayson point, really befuddling juxtaposition in the segment with Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. Two of the flashest lads on the show, and you shoot a promo with them in a cheap as fuck roadside diner, whilst showing them thinking about being in an expensive looking club with fit birds and bottles of champers. Why not shoot the whole thing in that location in the first place? Unless I’m missing something, i.e the diner has been a regular setting for them, it seems bizarre to me that you would present the pair of them as anything other than as flash as possible. 

- Jinder! I like his shaved bonce. I also appreciate his beastly, greasy, unshaved friend with his hairy shoulders. We need more bodyhair on wrestlers in this overly groomed and cosmetically driven modern world. I quite liked the beatdown and the resulting match - Jinder looks in fine fettle in all fairness. 

- Women’s battle royal had some decent moments. The Wendy Choo spot with the cushion on the floor was good. Toxic Attraction giving it the Luger/Bret treatment does make things interesting for a triple threat for the belt. A chance to avenge Mandy!

- Pretty Deadly are the absolute worst sort of heels…and in the absolute best possible way. The attire. The arrogance. The cowardice. The Britishness. I think they’re an absolutely brilliant act. Promote them at once. 

- Tony D sacrificing himself for Stacks was a great moment. I was a bit critical of the character development last week, not so this time. 

- Regal’s lad against Hank Walker. Really, really enjoyed this World of Sport esque throwback. The psychology around Dempsey trying to lock his grip and the tension leading up to it were beautifully done and not something you see often enough. Splendid. 

- As a wider observation, the quality of the in-ring product has greatly improved from the early days of the NXT relaunch. Obviously lots of time has passed since then and it’s probably to be expected with more matches under the new crop’s belts, but it’s much more pleasing  on the eye. 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Fatty Facesitter

[Statto]

6 hours ago, Fatty Facesitter said:

- Similar to the Grayson point, really befuddling juxtaposition in the segment with Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. Two of the flashest lads on the show, and you shoot a promo with them in a cheap as fuck roadside diner, whilst showing them thinking about being in an expensive looking club with fit birds and bottles of champers. Why not shoot the whole thing in that location in the first place? Unless I’m missing something, i.e the diner has been a regular setting for them, it seems bizarre to me that you would present the pair of them as anything other than as flash as possible. 

I've not seen the show this week and likely won't get time, but from your description I'm guessing it was a deliberate pisstake of the series of Apollo Crews vignettes from when he came back to NXT: