By Tony Earnshaw
Neville pinned Stardust
Damien Sandow & Fandango beat Heath Slater & Adam Rose.
Alberto Del Rio beat Jack Swagger & King Barrett in a Triple Threat to retain the US Title.
Braun Strowman & Erick Rowan & Luke Harper beat Usos & Ryback.
Bayley & Becky Lynch beat Sasha Banks & Naomi.
Lucha Dragons beat Los Matadores & The Ascension in a tag elimination match.
Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt in a no holds barred match.
Submitted by Ross Blair
– From the Maxwell Snyder Armory
– Tough Enough’s Sara Lee made an appearance. She came out with Solomon Crowe & Hugo Knox to mingle with fans for the pre-show autograph session.
– Hugo Knox (dancing wildly — I guess like a Euro party raver) pinned Angelo Dawkins after a flying crossbody and sunset flip.
– Gionna Daddio & Adrienne Reese defeated Emma & Aliyah when Daddio pinned Aliyah after a good looking top rope moonsault.
– Next up was the double interview debut of top shelf indy wrestlers turned NXT newbies Rich Swann & Biff Busick. Ring announcer Dasha Fuentes welcomed “NXT’s latest signee” Swann, who quickly introduced his “good friend who I’ve travelled around the world with: Christopher Gerard,” not mentioning his apparently dropped ring name of Biff Busick. Gerard announced his quest for NXT championship. Swann interjected that he wants the NXT title, and “we may be friends outside the ring, but inside the ring we are competition,” followed by a nose-to-nose stare down.
– “The Drifter” Elias Sampson pinned Levis Valenzuela. Sampson established himself as the heel before the bell rang by serenading the crowd, guitar in hand, with a tune he titled “Jacksonville Is A Joke”.
– Solomon Crowe pinned Josh Woods after a spinning heel kick and brainbuster.
– The Vaudevillains got the win over Tino Sabbatelli & Steve Cutler when Aiden English pinned Sabbatelli after the whirling dervish.
– Enzo Amore pinned Tucker Knight.
– Billie Kay, managed by Sylvester Lefort this night, got an upset victory over Nia Jax. Kay, who spent the majority of the match on defense, rolled up Jax from behind with a schoolboy. Jax left both Kay & Lefort laying after a pair of Samoan drops.
– Chad Gable & Jason Jordan def. NXT Tag Team Champions Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson by DQ. Wilder pulled the ref out of the ring to break up a Gable pinfall before the count of three. A tremendous match as all four men brought their working shoes. The crowd chanted “save the Gable” as a parody of Xavier Woods’ “save the table” whenever Gable was in trouble. Enzo came out to help clear the ring and to end the show with three most over babyfaces of the night raising each others’ hands in victory.
Chad Mendes was a guest on Submission Radio and had a lot to say about two of his biggest featherweight rivals. Regarding Frankie Edgar and their upcoming fight on December 11th at the TUF 22 Finale in Las Vegas, he doesn’t feel like the wrestling skill of both competitors will cancel each other out:
“He’s a great MMA wrestler, he’s good at timing, but I feel like – obviously he just fought Urijah Faber. I train with Urijah every single day. And so I have insight. Like, I know what he’s going to be feeling like in certain positions. I’ve been training a lot with Urijah on Frankie, feeling this out……. I feel very confident. I feel like my wrestling, obviously I’m gonna be looking to mix it up everywhere with this fight”
He went on to say that he feels that his power will be the big difference in the fight with Edgar
“He has a lot more output, he uses more volume punches, but you know, there’s a lot of mistakes that I see, that he makes when he’s in there, throwing punches. So I think someone like me, who’s fast, explosive, powerful, can be a big danger for someone like him, that’s coming in a lot and loves to be in the pocket, [where] you get hit with big punches”
When pressed about questions regarding his conditioning, Mendes lashed out at fans of Conor McGregor and brought up his own past as evidence that conditioning will not be an issue
“The only people that are questioning my conditioning are Conor McGregor nut-hangers, and that’s just because he said that…. look at my fight with Aldo. I fought Aldo, who’s one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. I went five rounds with him and pushed the pace the entire time. When I’m prepared, my cardio is never an issue. It never has been. There’s been one other fight with [Nik] Lentz, where I was sick and fought through it, and still beat that guy, who in my opinion would destroy Conor…… I took that fight on short-notice, and that’s why it was an issue in that fight.”
And in regards to a rematch with Conor McGregor, Mendes has no doubt how that fight would go
“I train a proper fight, I kill Conor. And I don’t think my conditioning is gonna be a problem in this fight. You guys got to see what happened in the first two rounds. I mean, I took him down and was able to land shots at will. I mean, big elbows, big punches. The guy doesn’t have much off his back. And me in shape, I’m able to bounce around on the feet, stay light on my feet, take him down whenever I want. I feel like I could beat that guy just with the cardio alone with my wrestling.”
On back to back night in Las Vegas in December, Mendes will fight Edgar for the #1 contender’s spot and Jose Aldo and McGregor will battle for the Featherweight title. The two winners are expected to fight in 2016 in what will be one of the year’s most anticipated fights.
Jim Ross has announced doing three separate shows over WrestleMania weekend.
Ross will be doing his one man show at the House of Blues, which is near the American Airlines Center, both before and after the WWE events in the building.
Shows are set for 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 2nd. That would be both before the Hall of Fame show and after. The Hall of Fame show will likely be scheduled from 7-10 p.m., although it seems to always go long.
Ross will also be doing a show after Raw on Monday, April 4th, at 11 p.m., which would be about 50 minutes after Raw ends live.
Tickets for the events will go on sale Friday, which include Meet and Greet tickets for all three shows.
Combat legend Judo Gene LeBell made his second appearance on Submission Radio this week.
Gene discussed his views on Ronda’s fighting future citing he’d like to see her retire while she’s on top and avoid the path many of his combat friends took by sticking around too long “I personally would like to see her retire while she’s on top. And if you think of Joe Louis, he fought too long. Muhammad Ali fought too long. You know, everybody eventually will get beat. There’s a tougher guy that comes along, and you’re not that tough anymore.”
Focusing on her next fight at UFC 193 Gene dissects Rousey’s fight with Holm “Well, the only way she could beat Ronda is boxing. She isn’t gonna beat her on the mat, she isn’t gonna beat her at Judo, she isn’t gonna beat her at wrestling. I’ve watched a lot of film on Holly, and she’s good. She’s very, very good. She usually hits and hits hard, and then when she backs up, she moves to her left. Very predictable. I’m a big one of watching old films if you’re gonna fight. Football players watch and see people’s habits, and they usually don’t change.”
Another fight Gene would like to see Rousey have is with Cris Cyborg however LeBell doesn’t hide the fact that he’s prejudice when talking about how the fight would play out “Well you know, I’m prejudiced. Gene LeBell should keep him mouth shut. But at this time, it’s like when Joe Louis was in his prime, Muhammad Ali was in his prime, Henry Armstrong in his prime. Everybody else is fighting to be second favourite. Well that’s the way I feel with Ronda right now. She’s on top of the world. It’d be a great fight, because this gal, she can fight, she can box, and if she cuts Ronda, the finish could be something else.” Much like Ronda’s camp Gene doesn’t believe the fight should take place at anything but 135 “Why should she go up? She’s the champion at 135. Let them come to her, to Rowdy Ronda. Let them come to her and then fight. I don’t know if it will ever take place. I’d like to see it as a fan, take place, because I like to see the best go against the best.”
Read the transcript below where Gene discusses Mayweather vs. Rousey, how Floyd stacks up to the all time boxing greats and his memories of Roddy Pipper.
Full interview: http://bit.ly/1WdygSN (Starts at 53:30)
Transcript
On if Gene believes Holm’s 19 boxing world championships will matter in her fight with Rousey at UFC 193
“Well, the only way she could beat Ronda is boxing. She isn’t gonna beat her on the mat, she isn’t gonna beat her at Judo, she isn’t gonna beat her at wrestling. I’ve watched a lot of film on Holly, and she’s good. She’s very, very good. She usually hits and hits hard, and then when she backs up, she moves to her left. Very predictable. I’m a big one of watching old films if you’re gonna fight. Football players watch and see people’s habits, and they usually don’t change.”
On if Gene believes Mayweather would ever have an exhibition match with Rousey
“First of all, a man against a women….it isn’t gonna go, because a man is physically a lot stronger than any women in comparison. And to me, it’s just something to talk about. A lot of the women swimmers now are swimming a lot faster, hundreds of yards then they did in the Olympics 40-50 years ago, ‘cause they’re learning better methods and they’re faster. But so are the men. You know, they had a tennis match between a women and a man. Well, the man was over the hill and was a bum – [Billie Jean] King was the women, and she beat him. To me it’s like a sideshow. It is something to talk about. Who’s the king of the mountain?”
“I don’t think in a physical place…they [women] gotta be a big underdog. You get the best women basketball players in the world and if they win against a mediocre basketball team of men, the men have gotta win practically every time. So it’s a handicap.”
“I don’t think it would ever happen. I think it would be bad. I’d personally like to see Ronda fight Cyborg. But she’s gotta get over Holly Holm first, and if Holly Holm hits her, she could hurt her, cut her. Ronda is very good with the gloves. Maybe she’s not in Holly’s class for sure, but her other accolades gotta make her a winner, and she’s devoted. I mean, you go into the gym [with Ronda] and people want to talk to her, rub elbows. She doesn’t even look at them. Why? Cause she’s working out. She is the most focused athlete I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of them and in a lot of different sports. And they joke and they get on their cell phones and texts and everything. When she’s working out, boxing – and she’s good at boxing, Judo, grappling, whatever – she doesn’t see you. You could be the famous movie star, she wouldn’t even look at you.”
With Gene being around Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson, where does Floyd Mayweather rank as the greatest of all time?
“Well Floyd to me is as good a Welterweight or a fighter as has ever lived. He’s not as entertaining as Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, but they’ve both lost. Mayweather has never lost. And he fought the ‘bum of the month’ and good people. He fought everybody. And he made a lot of money. His personality, a lot of people don’t like him for particular reasons which I’m not getting into. I admire his ability in the ring, and when he trains, he trains hard. Now he’s retired and gonna spend his millions of dollars, and more power to him.”
“He’s one of the best that’s ever lived in his weight area.”
On if Gene believes that Cyborg is clean and off steroids these days
“I don’t know if she’s clean or not. I’m assuming she is. I hope she is. A lot of people knock Cyborg, but man, she’s probably in my opinion the second best women martial artist that ever lived. Did I say second best? Yeah. But it would be a good contest between Miesha and Cyborg. Everybody can get beaten. Ronda has all her fights [won in the] first round, but Miesha went three rounds with her. But always you had a feeling, well anytime she’s gonna finish it. Cyborg is an animal, well-conditioned athlete, and I thought it would be a good contest if the winner goes against Ronda.”
How would Cybrog vs. Rousey play out if it ever does happen?
“Well you know, I’m prejudiced. Gene LeBell should keep him mouth shut. But at this time, it’s like when Joe Louis was in his prime, Muhammad Ali was in his prime, Henry Armstrong in his prime. Everybody else is fighting to be second favourite. Well that’s the way I feel with Ronda right now. She’s on top of the world. It’d be a great fight, because this gal, she can fight, she can box, and if she cuts Ronda, the finish could be something else.”
On if Ronda should fight Cyborg at a higher weight
“Why should she go up? She’s the champion at 135. Let them come to her, to Rowdy Ronda. Let them come to her and then fight. I don’t know if it will ever take place. I’d like to see it as a fan, take place, because I like to see the best go against the best.”
Gene talks about his special relationship with Roddy Piper and remembers a chat he had with Pipper two days before he passed away
“Well Roddy Pipper, he’s good. I mean, when I say good, I don’t take that lightly. He would have made a fortune off MMA, but he was making a fortune doing Piper’s Pit. And every time he got in a bad mood he’d call me up ‘come on, we’re going down to the gym and wrestle’. And he spent a lot of time on an airplane, going from town to town. He had a little radio program here I was on, and two days before he passed, I was with him and he said he wants to come down on Monday to the dojo and workout. And I said ‘no problem’. I says ‘how do you feel’? He says “I’m tired. Gene, I’m really tired”. And you burn the candle at both ends, it’s gonna come up and get you in the middle.”
“So anyway, he at 61, he passed. And I used to – I have a terrible memory. But I used to tell him, every year his birthday was April 17th and 1954. And I said ‘oh, it’s you’re birthday’, you know and he always asks ‘how do you remember?’. Well I do things through association. I won Judo nationals through that date for the US on April 17th 1954. So you know, now I am 104 and going up, but he was a good guy.”
If Gene believes Ronda would make a good Pro Wrestler in the WWE after her MMA career
“She could become one and she would be very good, but why? Because she wouldn’t go on the road, and drive from one town to the next to make things. She might do a spot-show once in a while, but it’s better to do movies. ‘Cause in movies, if they play it again, even if you have a small part – like you talk about Rocky. I get residuals. I must have gotten thousands of dollars in residuals from that, and in dollars, American dollars. And once you do wrestling, that’s it. Plus I got life time insurance, which is very important and for me and my family, and that’s a good thing. I love pro wrestling. I wrestled pro on-and-off for 20 years. I love it. It was the way of life. But I think she’s better off doing movies, and I personally would like to see her retire while she’s on top. And if you think of Joe Louis, he fought too long. Muhammad Ali fought too long. You know, everybody eventually will get beat. There’s a tougher guy that comes along, and you’re not that tough anymore. You think you are in your head: ‘I think I can beat the world’. And then I go out and I stumble on the mat and look for my glasses to see where my opponent is. In other words – of course I’m teasing – but there’s a time to retire. And she said ‘when I’ll retire, you’ll never hear from me again’. She’s gonna become a beach bum and just surf.”
On if Gene discussed that she needs to retire and not hang around too long
“Oh I told her that. I don’t want her hurt by fighting too long. And you can be the best in the world and catch a punch or a kick and it can hurt you. I’ve got injuries that, you know, they were over within a couple of days when you’re young. 20 years later, you come back and you’re limping around, ‘oh I remember when I hurt my knee’ and it comes back on you. The only initial investment you have, Denis and Kacper, is your body. You know, that’s in MMA, Football, Soccer, Basketball. Your body is your initial investment. I recommend all MMA fighters get a second job. In other words, I’ve had people that are real good, and then they can’t make it anymore and they made lots of money, and then they’re out of a job. Have another vocation, another avocation, another job. Something that you can go back on.”
The following is from: Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling: www.tmptofwrestling.com
In the PG Era of WWE there are very few undeniable characters that resonate with today’s fan base and on today’s Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling John and Chad are joined by perhaps the most identifiable, Anthony Carelli also known as Santino Marella. Getting a deep look into the inside of Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga, Ontario Canada we learn how much more there is to “Santino” then just a “Cobra” and a funny walk. With an accomplished MMA background and desire to train a new generation of conditioned athletes, Carelli’s time is spent operating the fully functioning facility made for both young and old to experience training on a different level. But we also get into the story and origin of Santino Marella and follow the journey from relative unknown to WWE funny man and dive deep into the insight of the man behind the “Milan Miracle”.
Was playing Santina at WrestleMania 27 and competing in a “Divas” match detrimental to his character:
I’m always up for a challenge and when you get a role like that some people would be concerned like “oh GOD” this is the end of his career because once you dress like a woman that’s it. I thought I was going to do a good job and knock this out of the park, do a good job and kind of reverse the joke. Well like if the joke was supposed to be on me well I did a good job it’s like I got praised for it. I know the girls were pissed. But I was given the job by the boss and you just do the best you can.
Having heat with the Divas locker room for “taking a spot”:
I guess the girls always have something to prove in regards to their place in the industry because they want to be viewed more and these days they are very technical and very smart, they are awesome performers but they have that unspoken association to back in the day when it was just like a hot chick so they are constantly working hard to gain respect in the industry. At that time I wasn’t making a joke out of women’s wrestling but I was in women’s wrestling and making a joke. But it wasn’t about women’s wrestling it was more about Santino. I hope the girls were able to distinguish between the two because they are an integral part of our show and they do the exact same stuff as us and they travel, they work out and take bumps they do the exact same stuff we do.
Being paired with Emma briefly:
At that point I was pretty established and she was a pretty up and coming young girl and was really sweet and very funny. It was kind of for her to get her going but she was just taking the ball and running with it.
Creating the Cobra finisher:
There was a guy who showed me this cobra move a long time ago at a bar in Japan and I just did it one time and tried it in a match and I asked John Cena to watch and tell me what he thought of it and when I came back because the crowd laughed immediately when I did it we kept it and it just took on a life of its own. It’s an entertaining move. It’s a little bit silly but the people loved it so you gotta give them what they love.
Is John Cena the leader of the locker room or the “captain of the ship”;
Well, he definitely was the locker room leader. But what happens is when guys like get their own bus they are not in the locker room anymore. He has his own bus, Randy has a bus, Big Show has got their buses and you literally don’t see them in the locker room because they have a different bus. But on European tours he’s still in the locker room, but that being said he was definitely the locker room leader or at least I saw him like that and the reason I saw him there was because of his work ethic and he is just a good guy, really good principles and morals and values. Just a standup guy and he works so damn hard. You could not be but awe inspired that this guy can just go and go and go and not complain or whine and he leads by example and that is what a real locker room leader is supposed to be.
Do Superstars that have the private buses feel above being in the locker room:
No, if anyone could afford it they would have one too. It’s an investment in your career. You are pro-longing your career because they have high quality mattresses and they sleep on the same one every night. They’ve got their fridge and their kitchen so they can make their smoothies and they can take care of their nutrition better than us because we actually have to search around for an IHOP and get some egg whites. If John Cena or Randy Orton are putting asses in seats in which I am benefiting from because I am on the same show well then I want my stars and my headliners and main events to be healthy because the more they put asses in seats, the more I get paid. That’s the opinion of the wrestlers in the locker room if you take care of the guy in the main event then he has some leeway because he’s feeding your family.
Were Santino and Vladimir Kozlov underused by WWE in singles and as a tag team:
Was I underused no. I was on TV for many, many years and yes I wasn’t the tough guy but I’m also 5’10” and I know you can have bad asses at that size that could kick everyone’s ass like Benoit and Malenko and Eddie they were tough guys and had the ability and Kurt Angle for sure. Kozlov was almost such a monster that it was actually not going to be believable because I can’t do anything to him, he’s a monster. He’s a 300lb, ripped, SAMBO machine and if at one point in a match I am going to be on him and I have the advantage then it looks fake because I can’t hurt this guy. Guys like Shelton Benjamin, with what he did when you had any offense in a match it looked like just your turn because it was so obvious that he could easily dominate you physically because of his physical abilities. But I think pro wrestling is evolving to a point where we can utilize these guys now that have this shoot background because guys are doing triangle chokes and arm locks and Kimora’s. They are able to work a little more realistically. With Kozlov every time there is a big monster like Rusev or Kozlov once they lose it’s just like a glow stick that doesn’t glow anymore it’s just a stick. It’s tough to keep these monster guys fresh once they have lost because they lose their whole mystique.
Full Episode Download Link
Santino Marella On The Honk-A-Meter and The WWE Intercontinental Title
Thumbs up! Every match delivered. Impressive main event, but everyone else on the card felt elevated tonight even if they lost.
Best match: Bayley v. Sasha. I was invested in this match. Bayley is an incredible face in peril. Sasha is such a good heel. With that dynamic, there’s no need for creative high spots. Just a great match.
Worst match: Balor/Joe v. Corbin/Rhyno. This was a good match. I enjoyed it. It would typically be the match of the night on any other NXT show. But I think every other match on the card built up the wrestlers and gave us some direction. These guys were great, but I wasn’t thinking “I want to see where they go with these guys after this match.” It was a match that gave the trophy to their #1 & #2 guys.
Other notes:
-I’m paying more attention to NXT homegrown vs. imported wrestlers. Balor, Joe, Crews, and Asuka were all imports winning over homegrown talent. I’m not saying that those were the wrong outcomes. It certainly isn’t reassuring to see Breeze lose this much.
-Kana/Asuka is exceptional. Watching her move in the ring and link moves together was incredible.
-Dawson and Wilder are such a great team. Found myself believing that their teamwork was good enough to overcome the fact that Balor and Joe are individually better. That’s what a tag team should do.
-Great seeing Sara Del Rey out there tonight.
Nick Garcia
Columbus, Ohio
NXT TAKEOVER FEEDBACK
Thumbs up
Best: Bayley vs Sasha Banks
No worst match
Top to bottom, this may have been the best Takeover card from Full Sail.
The Mechanics were impressive in the opener holding their own vs Balor and Joe.
The other semifinal was a very pleasant surprise. Jordan and especially Gable have taken off, while Corbin appears to be gaining confidence and his weaknesses are hidden in tag matches. Tons of heat for this one in the building.
Asuka vs Dana Brooke was a great debut. Asuka’s speed in which she executed her moves was very impressive. Dana wasn’t out of place here either.
Tyler Breeze vs Apollo Crews was solid. Would’ve been a great house show main event level type match. It was nice to see them switch up the finisher for Crews. Now he needs a little character development.
The Dusty Classic final was another solid match with a straightforward story. Surprised there was no tension between Balor and Joe, so maybe it will be a face vs face program if they square off for the title.
The main event lived up to the enormous hype. The fans were with it every step of the way and the 30:00 went by very quickly; the match was paced perfectly. No one sat back down after Sasha messed with Izzy around halfway. It was talked about after the last taping that someone getting heat by messing with Izzy would be great, but no one thought they’d actually do it in this day and age of “putting smiles on people’s faces.” The Brooklyn match was probably better as a match but this presentation was tough to beat, topped by the post-match celebration. The company has made a major star, so let’s hope they don’t mess it up on the main roster where it counts.
This is the easy winner for promotion of the year with a month and a half to go in the voting period.
– Chris H.
Lakeland, FL
Hey Dave,
Best Match: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
Worst Match: Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Baron Corbin & Rhyno
This is my first time sending my thoughts in after a wrestling event. Thumbs all the way up. I thought the main event with the post celebration ceremony made it come across as a ***** match. There was no point where the match felt like it was dragging and it topped the previous match in terms of psychology and work. The post celebration even topped Bayley winning the NXT’s women championship last NXT show. I don’t even know how that is possible. I honestly believe people will remember this match as the greatest woman’s wrestling match in WWE.
Simon Wang
Pittsburgh, PA
Overall : Great show
Thumbs waaaay up
Best Match : Bayley vs. Sasha IronMan Match (4.75 stars)
Worst Match : Apollo Crews vs Tyler Breeze ( I hate to put this match in the worst match category because it was a good match but the matches on this show were on another level)
DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS: NXT CHAMPION FINN BALOR & SAMOA JOE VS. DASH WILDER & SCOTT DAWSON
Good match. I thought The Mechanics come off as a really good heel team. Finn looks good in the leather jacket. I like that they don’t overuse the body paint, that makes it special.Joe’s offense looked super smooth and In my opinion both Joe and Balor need a heel turn to showcase more personality because Joe comes out to a colder response than what one would expect but Joe carries himself like a superstar in the ring.
DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS: JASON JORDAN & CHAD GABLE VS. BARON CORBIN & RHYNO
Super heated match. Gable and Jordan came off as superstars. This match made all the competitors esp. Gable,Corbin and Jordan look really great. Sweet finishing sequence. Really good match.
ASUKA VS. DANA BROOKE
Asuka has made the transition to WWE style faster than Hideo and her offense looked really great and her smooth transitions plus that Leg trap German Suplex was awesome. Props to Dana Brooke for hanging with her. +1 star for that Flying Armbar and facials throughout the match. Excellent debut.
APOLLO CREWS VS. TYLER BREEZE
When this match is the worst match of the show, that tells you the quality of this Takeover event. Tyler breeze is a natural heel and Apollo Crews’ selling was on point. Nice new finisher.Really needed it. Another Good match.
DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT FINALS: SAMOA JOE & FINN BALOR VS. BARON CORBIN & RHYNO
Superheated match. Good finish. Cody Rhodes promo was very good. Nothing bad to say about the match. Finn needs that heel turn though. Although, it’s pretty clear that Joe is still not seen as their guy. Corbin is improving and looked good tonight.
30-MINUTE IRONMAN MATCH: NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPION BAYLEY VS. SASHA BANKS
Excellent match. Sasha Banks is on another level when it comes to heel psychology.The match was worked great and the story told was consistent and the finish made perfect sense with Sasha being the great opponent that brings the best out of Bayley. The first fall was done so great. Making Izzy cry and stealing her hair pin was just perfect as Sasha drew the ire of the crowd and that made the Bayley comeback even more special. Amazing sequence at the end. Perfect story. The locker room and Sara Amato and Stephanie and Triple H and Regal coming out made the moment even more special. This really seemed like a G1 Final. Great way to end the feud.
Lindsay Natale
Thumbs Up
Thought it was a good consistent show in-terms of match quality, however I felt there was no great matches. One noticeable thing to me was that in the majority of the matches the pace seemed quicker than we’re accustomed to with NXT. However unlike the main roster this wasn’t achieved with rope-running or simply more moves, but rather a greater number of strikes in a shorter space of time and things of that nature, I enjoyed it. I was greatly impressed by Dash & Dawson, I thought their aggression and fundamentals were very good, felt Jason Jordan looked the best he has to date, I was blown away by Asuka, this woman knows what she’s doing! I thought the smoothness and solidity of her work was absolutely tremendous, plus she was charismatic and showed no signs of having problems adjusting unlike Itami, although it’s still early days. I was left itching to see a match between herself and Sasha, Becky or Natalya that we never see, although I’m sure her eventual match or matches with Bayley will be very good.
Thought Breeze & Crews had a damn good match and that this was a big step forward for Crews, as I’ve felt he’s been coming across as a bit of generic smiley babyface along with not showing his capabilities in the ring. I was growing concerned as to how over he may get in NXT, however this greatly relived me of those fears, and in retrospect they were keeping stuff in reserve for his competitive matches. I thought the ladies had a good match but were a victim of their own standards. Didn’t feel it was anywhere near as smooth or creative as their last encounter, neither did it have as good a layout. In addition I thought it took them awhile to find their rhythm and the match suffered with the crowd having greatly exhausted themselves. But hey, for multiple reasons the Brooklyn match was going to be impossible to equal.
Balor & Joe vs. Dash & Dawson ***1/2
Gable & Jordan vs. Corbin & Rhyno ***1/4
Asuka vs. Dana ***1/2
Breeze vs. Crews ***1/2
Worst Match: Balor & Joe vs. Corbin & Rhyno ***1/4
Best Match: Sasha vs. Bayley ***1/2
Thanks Dave
Tom Griffiths
Thumbs WAY UP. A great wrestling show!
I don’t watch NXT every week, so I’m sure there are subtleties that I missed, but it was still an engaging show.
BEST MATCH: Has to be Banks v. Bayley, even though this wasn’t a perfect match. I do get frustrated that main roster stars come to NXT to do jobs for the NXT stars, which is a bit too predictable. I preferred the Brooklyn match, if the truth be told. Things that could be followed up on in this match (could Sasha win the title with a count-out fall as the difference? did she really tap out?) really can’t be followed up on, because Sasha isn’t on NXT anymore. For my money, Sasha is the best wrestling personality in the whole WWE right now, aside from Lesnar, Cena, and the Undertaker. Which is pretty, pretty, pretty good. Bayley also distinguished herself with a great performance. Hopefully, these 2 will never get the giant fake breasts that seems to be required on the main roster.
WORST MATCH: It is a good sign that I don’t automatically say the Baron Corbin match. If I MUST pick something, I would say that based on Gable & Jordan not winning, like I thought they should (over Rhyno, obviously) made it the worst match of the night, which is not an insult on this very awesome solid show. I thought that match was also very good. (Rhyno has got to lose some weight!)
I liked the idea of Balor’s leg being an angle, even though it didn’t turn out to play a major role. When I saw this happen, I had an inkling that Samoa Joe could turn on him, for costing them the match with his showboating, and then be in line for an NXT title shot. But when I heard the tenor of Cody’s remarks, it was clear that was not happening. The leg angle did create some drama & uncertainty — a simple storyline that is easy to follow. WWE needs more of exactly that.
Asuka also had a great match, and so did Dana Brooke. The post-match face off with Emma was also something that I thought was going to lead somewhere… but it didn’t yet. The Divas Revolution can’t hold a candle to NXT Women’s Division, and WWE better do something about it.
I was also struck by how much Baron Corbin has improved. The End of Days is an impressive finishing move, in a world where 3 Attitude Adjustments might not be enough to get a pinfall. I used to be down on him, but I have turned the corner.
Crews, Tyler Breeze, Jordan & Gable, and even Dawson & Wilder (or whatever) all had good nights. An excellent show.
Richard Orloski
Dragon Gate will presenting an iPPV from its monthly Korakuen Hall show early Thursday morning.
The show will air at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time Thursday morning, and 2:30 a.m. Pacific, with video-on-demand an option. It is available at http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv235460088 at a cost of 1,500 yen, or $12.50 U.S.
The promotion is probably the second most popular in Japan and has the fastest action of any group.
The main event will be an Open the Triangle Gate title match with Cima & Gamma & Don Fujii vs. Shingo Takagi & Cyber Kong & Kotoka.
The rest of the card has:
Super Shisa & Shachihoko Boy vs. Lindaman & Yosuke Santa Maria
Masato Yoshino & Akira Tozawa & T-Hawk vs. Dragon Kid & Kzy & Flamita
Jimmy Kanda & Genki Horiguchi vs. Eita & Draztick Boy
Jimmy Susumu & Kaito Ishida vs. Ryo Saito & Takehiro Yamamura
BxB Hulk & Masaaki Mochizuki & Big R Shimizu vs. Yamato & Naruki Doi & Mondai Ryu
Jimmy K-Ness vs. Naoki Tanizaki
There will be an international merchandise store for Dragon Gate merchandise that will be launched later this month. We will have more details on that in upcoming weeks.
The following is from Submission Radio
On getting caught in the reverse triangle and losing to Liam McGeary
“I made a mistake. I will never make that mistake again. I haven’t been submitted since 1998 and I won’t ever let that happen again. I was so mad at myself. We worked so hard in training. I mean, I put so much in into that fight, I mean so much. Twelve weeks I put into it. So much triangle defences, reverse triangle defences, arm lock defences, like everything. And Liam was just a little longer, a little faster, a little step ahead of me, and in the last two seconds of the fight I made mistake (laughs). And I’m like, ‘damn. Damn to me’. But you know what? If I’m gonna lose to anybody, like I said, I’ll lose to the champ.”
If retirement crossed Tito’s mind during the post-fight speech at Bellator Dynamite
“Never. No. I have one more fight. I make really, really, really, really good money and I love it. This is fun, I like to fight, and I don’t know, I fulfil everything that is given to me. I had a contract with four fights on it, I’m gonna have one more fight to finish up four fights and I’ll fulfil it. There was no idea of retiring at all. It would be nice. Maybe it is time, but I think one more good fight. My body’s right, my mind’s right, everything’s just firing on all cylinders and I like the way life is right now, and it’s fun again to do it. Like I said, I lost to the champion. It wasn’t like I lost to a nobody. I look back on it, and should I have picked an easier fight? Should I have fought a Kimbo, or a Ken Shamrock, or a Frank Shamrock? No. I fought the best man and he was better than me that night. But it wasn’t like I got dominated. Wasn’t like he was gonna knock me unconscious. No, I fought him and I made a mistake.”
On if this loss to Liam was one of Tito’s toughest losses in years
“It was one of the toughest losses in years, ’cause I put so much into it and everything at home was so perfect, and I felt like I was gonna win. It was hard, it was really hard. It took a couple of weeks, you know, it took all the way until now. I took a couple of weeks to kind of lick my wounds and understand that things happen for a reason. I think I feel better after a loss than I would if I won. It’d be nice to win, but still I gotta be challenged in my life like this to understand that just ’cause everything is perfect, don’t mean that life is going to end up perfect. But I can make it as perfect as possible for my kids and my family, and that’s number one. And so long as I’m happy doing it, that makes most sense. But I took it hard, I took it really hard. But I just…I already got back into the gym, I started doing weights and speed bag work. So I wanna keep my shape, I want to compete again, and I don’t know – does that spring Shamrock fight happen. I mean, do one of those other super-fights happen where someone wants to watch it? ‘Cause I mean, I’m not going to get my title shot anymore. I have one more fight on my contract, so let’s make a spectacle of it and let’s get somebody that I can kill almost.”
On what his Motivation would be for his next fight, considering he won’t be getting another title shot
“I guess draw the fight out and make it 15 minutes of just pure punishment and entertain the fans that go watch it. Let them all go out and see a beating unfold in front of them.”
On who Tito will pick for his last fight
“I don’t know, I guess I have to sit down with Scott Coker and, I mean, possibly just make the fans pick the fighter. Let the fans choose. Somebody that they want to see a spectacle, somebody that will just ‘wow’ the fans. I think that’s what it comes down to. I don’t know, maybe they can do a vote and let the fans pick who I fight next.”
On if Tito will fight Fedor in Japan on NYE
“Not on New Year’s Eve, no. I would love to. I just gotta go in and get some little, light surgical work done, I guess you could say. I gotta go get a bone shaved down. So I’ll be healed by next year. But I’m going to enjoy Christmas, I’m going to enjoy Thanksgiving, I’m going to enjoy New Year’s, I’m going to enjoy my birthday for the first time in a long, long, long time. I miss missing those times, and right now my kids are six years old and I want to enjoy the holidays with my children. I think that’s the number one thing for me right now, is to be a Dad and to be happy. New Years Eve, I’ll be having a cold beer in my hand, saying “happy new year’s” to my family, instead of going out and trying to kill somebody. It sound a lot funner to me (laugh). I’ve been putting a lot of work in over a last few years, so I think it’s time to take a little break.”
On how Tito sees the fight between him and Fedor going and what advantages he holds over him
“Wrestling of course. On our feet, he’s a little older. He’s not the young guy who throws super fast now. I think in the wrestling area. Him going for submissions, and they’re not crisp for submissions. So just try and punish him. But of course if we fought each other, it’d be at light heavyweight. I mean I’ve always fought at Light Heavyweight. There’s no reason to go . I think my weight class, when I’m in the best shape possible is 205, and that’s what I’ll to fight at. But you know, I think my wrestling will keep it at par. I know the fight on New Year’s, I’ve heard of a few opponents, so it will be a question of if he can handle the competitors he competes against.”
Tito on if Fedor is one of the best of all time
“Well, one of the best of all time? Of course. You know, there’s ‘one of’. I mean ‘one of’ is how many? Ten? I mean, you put the number on that and that’s the number. But the best of all time? No way. Pound for pound, the best of all time? No. He fought a lot of guys that were great at their time and his time, but you gotta go for all time, for everybody he’s competed against. You know, in Japan they did give him a lot of ‘gimme fights’. Of course it’s Japan and they want to do spectacle fights, where it’s a completely one sided match. But he did beat a lot of good guys. You can’t take that away from him. And he’s one of probably the biggest names in MMA. Fedor has dominated so much and so many other competitors, but the greatest of all time? No. One of? Yes. He’s one of the greatest of all time. Yes. You gotta give him that. He’s a great, great fighter.”
On who is the greatest pound for pound fighter
“Well if Jon Jones can get his shit together, I think it’d be Jon Jones for sure. As a fighter, that guy is amazing. I mean he has to be an adult and stop being a kid”
On the disappointing TV ratings that Bellator 142: Dynamite drew
“I think you can’t go head up (against) Stanford and USC. I think that was a bad one, there was a big upset here in the states for football. I mean there was over eight million viewers on that television. So eight million people watching that sport, you know, a lot of people watch football. I mean, that’s plain and simple. A lot of people watch football. And I think Bellator or Spike and whoever was doing the PR for it could’ve promoted it a little bit better. I did all my own PR. I did pretty much more than fifty percent of it. And for a fighter to do fifty percent of the PR for an event, somebody needs to step their game up. But hey, Bellator’s still learning, they’re getting better. But to compete against the football, that just makes a big difference.”
Tito shares his thoughts on the NSAC’s suspension of Nick Diaz
“You know, as (far as) Nick Diaz having his third offence – I guess when you say ‘three times, shame on you’, and this is a complete shame on him on this one for his third time. But for five years? I think that’s getting a little drastic. I mean, the guy has a license to smoke marijuana.”
“In my eyes, I don’t see it as a stimulant to make you a better fighter. I’m not saying this is ok to do, or anything like that, but five years is a little drastic. And I see Jon Jones just get a slap on the wrist from getting a felony and wrecking into a car, or wrecking into a girl who was pregnant and (has) 72 public appearances at a ‘Boys and Girls’ club and 18 months probation. I just scratch my head about that, going ‘this is crazy’. And there’s so many other instances that happen. I mean, as far as Anderson Silva. He only gets popped for a year for doing steroids, which is an enhancement drug for mixed martials. It just doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it. I’m glad it’s never been a problem that I’ve had. So I just gotta sit back and let the athletic commission do their job. I don’t agree with it, but I sure don’t agree with any athlete using any type of drugs, whether it does help you or doesn’t, during training, during fights.”
On if Cybrog can get down to 135 lbs to fight Ronda Rousey
“Well if Ronda ever wants to fight. Cris told Ronda she’d cut down to 135 to fight and Ronda won’t do it. So she said she wants to get more fights under her belt. So they keep feeding 135-pounders to Ronda and Cris is just (gonna) keep dominating at 140-145, until Ronda finally says ‘ok, we’ll fight’. So we’re just waiting for Ronda to step up.”
If Tito gives Holly Holm a shot against Ronda
“Submission in two minutes.”