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Tag: WWE

  • WWE Smackdown results (10/8): Roman Reigns & Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman

    – Air Date: October 8, 2015 (Oct 7 in Canada)
    – Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA

    The Big News:

    The Smackdown main event ended with a non-finish. Also, they let us know what happened on Raw.

    Show Recap:

    They announced Roman Reigns and Randy Orton against Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman.

    The New Day came out and they recapped the big angle from Raw. Kofi Kingston said John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and The Dudleys could not stop the power of positivity. They claimed to be more dominant than The Shield, Wyatts, Nexus, The Corre, Los Boricuas, Legion of Doom and nWo.

    Woods said Philly knows nothing about being champions. He said Eagles head coach Chip Kelly called them asking for advice after losing to the Washington [football team]. They called the Eagles booty.

    Kingston said the Dudleys conned their way into another title shot. Big E said they would defeat the disgusting and dirty Dudleys and they changed New Day rocks. Dolph Ziggler interrupted, calling them the three stooges. Ziggler said they cost him a chance at the U.S. title against his “good friend” John Cena.

    Ziggler said he asked the Authority for a match with Big E, and he referenced their past together. Woods wished him luck and insincerely said it would be a fair fight. Ziggler said “you’re damn right it will be” and the Dudleys came out. Good opening segment.

    Big E (w/New Day) beat Dolph Ziggler (w/Dudley Boyz) via pinfall

    Ziggler immediately hit a dropkick and jumping DDT, but Big E escaped the ring and they went to commercial. Big E had the heat after the break as Kingston and Woods yelled and did mock commentary. Big E went shoulder-first into the post and Ziggler hit (missed) a fameasser for two.

    Big E came back with a belly-to-belly and a jumping splash. Ziggler hit a superkick, but everything came apart after that. New Day sent Bubba into the steel steps, distracting D-Von. Kingston bounced Ziggler off the rope and D-Von took out Woods. Big E covered Ziggler and Kingston held Ziggler’s foot down, allowing Big E to pick up the pinfall win.

    Big E winning makes sense to keep their momentum going from Raw, but Ziggler might be getting the next U.S. title shot and looked really weak here. Worse than that, as New Day posed on the ramp, the Dudleys and Ziggler just stood there watching after getting their asses beat on Raw.

    They recapped Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar at MSG. They followed by letting us know a Raw recap would air after commercial. After the break, they replayed the Lesnar/Show stuff from Raw and also the Summer Rae/Rusev angle.

    Backstage, Summer talked about her future wedding plans with the makeup women. Rusev joined and told them to leave. He asked Summer why she’s telling everyone about their engagement when they had a plan for Rusev to win gold first. Summer said she got Rusev a match with Ryback, presuming that if he wins he’ll be first in line for the Intercontinental title. Rusev liked this and hugged her. As Summer left, he smacked her ass. Rusev seemed pleased.

    Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Natalya beat Team Bella via submission

    They said that Charlotte and Lynch would get to pick their partner, and the announcers had to act like they didn’t know who it would be, as if there’s anyone else it could have been. Jerry Lawler said no woman has ever had a friend that she didn’t dislike a little. Ok.

    The heels worked over Lynch forever until she made the hot tag to Charlotte, who was quickly cut off with a kick off the middle rope by Nikki. Charlotte came back with a spear and applied the Figure Four but was kicked by Brie, allowing Nikki to reverse the hold. Natalya clotheslined Fox on the outside and Brie clotheslined Natalya. With the referee distracted, Lynch kicked Nikki, allowing Charlotte to apply the Figure Eight for the tap-out win.

    Total nothing match but at least Charlotte won over Nikki. This was the fourth straight 6-woman tag match they’ve done on Raw/Smackdown in the last two weeks, all involving the Bellas. Maybe do something else next week?

    Backstage, Renee Young caught up to Paige who was shown watching the match. Renee wanted to know her thoughts on “Team NBC.” Paige said it’s Team PCB and Nattie is horning in on her girls. Paige doesn’t like it and she doesn’t like Nattie.

    Ryback beat Rusev (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall

    Kevin Owens joined commentary and they announced that he would defend the IC title at Hell in a Cell against Ryback. Lawler asked Owens if he would run again and Owens asked Lawler if it looks like he runs anywhere.

    Brennan asked Owens about an interview he did with Renee who accused him of not being a proper Canadian. Owens asked Brennan if he gets tired of people telling him that he looks like Milhouse from The Simpsons. Owens said Rusev was motivated because the IC title brings money and prestige, not because he wants to marry Summer.

    The match was slow, but they did trade some impressive power moves. After going back and forth near the end, Rusev hit a superkick and went for the cover. Ryback’s foot was on the rope so Summer knocked it off. This didn’t matter, because not only did the referee not see any of it, but Ryback kicked out anyway.

    Rusev went for the Accolade but Ryback grabbed his leg and easily hoisted him up to hit shell shocked for the win. Unfortunately for Rusev, the finish made sense. Summer was upset that Rusev didn’t get the win.

    Before going to commercial, they again plugged that a Raw replay would air after the break. They always do this on Smackdown but they don’t usually do it more than once. The video package was for Seth Rollins/Kane.

    In his dark room backstage, Bray Wyatt said he and Roman would be trapped inside Hell in a Cell and Bray would put him down. Tonight, Roman and Orton would face the wrath of he and the black sheep. Strowman told a story about making rabbits run as a kid.

    King Barrett beat Neville via pinfall

    Barrett came out holding his crown and wasn’t wearing the goofy outfit. They did a quick video package for Barrett with clips of him laying people out with the Bull Hammer. Barrett got the heat almost immediately and Neville eventually came back with a top rope moonsault to the outside.

    Barrett tried Wasteland but Neville reversed into a DDT. Neville went up for Red Arrow but Barrett got up and got in between the ropes for safety. Neville went after him but the referee backed him off. This allowed Barrett to hit the Bull Hammer elbow for the win. If Barrett isn’t supposed to be in the ropes, why didn’t the referee get him out before he could hit his move? (I know, wrestling is fake.) Crowd was dead for this.

    In his dark room backstage, Stardust played Pick A Card by himself. The card he picked is presumably a reference to his next opponent (or partner, I couldn’t tell), but we didn’t see the card so who cares.

    Randy Orton & Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman via DQ

    Reigns did an inset promo before the match saying they’d be going to Hell in a few weeks so they can call tonight Purgatory. I think what he meant to say is that this match doesn’t matter because we just saw Team Reigns beat Team Wyatt on Raw, and Reigns is getting what he really wants at the pay per view. I could be wrong.

    They went to break after entrances, which is better than doing it a minute into the match. Orton and Bray started. Orton had his way with him so Bray tagged Strowman who got no reaction. Strowman knocked down Orton with a shoulder block so he tagged in Reigns who ate a shoulder block as well.

    Orton tagged himself in and they tried a double team move but Strowman knocked them both down with a double shoulder block. Strowman and Bray worked over Orton for a bit until he made the hot tag to Reigns. Reigns hit a flying clothesline but couldn’t get Strowman up for the Samoan drop. With Strowman on the apron, Reigns clubbed away at him and knocked him off the apron with a superman punch. Reigns then went after Bray and tossed him into the time keeper area.

    Reigns followed with an apron dropkick on Strowman but Bray hit him in the gut with a steel chair for a disqualification (this wasn’t actually announced). Bray hit him again with a chair and tossed him in the ring.

    Orton made the save but Strowman caught him with the hugging submission move. Reigns saved Orton and tossed Strowman to the outside. Bray tried Sister Abigail on Reigns but Orton saved him again, hitting an RKO. Reigns finished off Bray with a spear to send the fans home somewhat content.

    Final Thoughts:

    The opening segment was good and it’s a positive that they’re keeping the momentum going for New Day, who were the highlight of this show as usual. Unfortunately, that was it for them and the rest of the show was no good. Reigns speared Bray Wyatt through a table last week on Raw, defeated the Wyatt family this week on Raw, and laid out Bray again here tonight. Why are they having a Hell in a Cell match, exactly?

  • WWE: 7 thoughts on what the #DivasRevolution should have looked like

    By Will Cooling for WrestlingObserver.com

    Earlier this week, I outlined the mistakes the WWE made when bringing Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch up to the main roster. These mistakes mean that the WWE is still just throwing out random women’s matches, hoping that fans will care because they’re slightly better than the dross that went before. Depressingly, it’s remarkable easy to imagine a better product. To successfully create a stronger women’s division, the WWE needed to approach the introduction of the NXT women as a months-long project that needed to be carefully planned in advance.  

    Thought 1: Build Around A Superstar…But Be Patient!

    As explained in the previous column, the new women’s division needed to be built around a single superstar. Like most, I see that person as being Sasha Banks. Not only is she the best women’s wrestler in the company, she has an image that is unusually current for a pro wrestler. On a not entirely unrelated note, she also has the potential to tap into the black market that the promotion has ignored ever since The Rock went into semi-retirement.

    However despite this greater potential, she needs Charlotte to pave the way for her. Due to being Ric Flair’s daughter, she has the instant credibility with fans that Banks needs to earn in the ring, something she can’t do until fans have been educated to care about the division. The sensible play, as in NXT, is to use Charlotte to build the platform that eventually launches Banks into superstardom.

    Thought 2: Start With A Strong Storyline  

    First impressions are crucial when debuting new acts and the introductory storyline of the Divas Revolution gave nobody reason to take a fresh look at the division. The individual matches were inconsequential and the overall storyline had no emotional hook.

    Now imagine this as an alternative. Having just dropped her NXT Women’s Title, Charlotte debuts on RAW in the run-up to Wrestlemania 31. She challenges Nikki Bella due to Bella being the type of ‘diva’ that gives female athletes a bad name. With both ‘The Nature Boy’ and Brie Bella promising to be patrolling ringside the promotion hires the baddest women on the planet, Ronda Rousey, to be the trouble-shooting outside referee. At the big show, Charlotte squashes Nikki, and then receives the post-match endorsement from Rousey herself in scenes that evoke Mike Tyson raising the hand of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

    Such an introduction of Charlotte would immediately raise the profile and prestige of the division by making its title match one of the centrepieces of Wrestlemania through the involvement of Flair and Rousey. The storyline of Charlotte challenging for the title due to disgust at Nikki Bella gives fan a clear reason to care in a way that the three-way trios feud could never do. Having Charlotte squash Nikki Bella confirms that she really is better than the existing women performers, and the entire storyline put Charlotte in control rather than make her subservient to Stephanie McMahon.

    Thought 3: Book Charlotte Strong!

    After introducing Charlotte so strongly, it would be important to build on that foundation with her championship reign. As a general principle, her in-ring appearances should be limited to pay per views and the occasional television show. This would give her time to properly prepare for her matches, but also ensures that fans see women’s matches as special events and stops the promotion from burning through challengers too quickly.

    In terms of initial opponents, you don’t have to look beyond A.J. Lee, then the most popular and respected woman on the main roster. In return for her release, the WWE could surely ask for her to put the new champion over on her way out. Another credible challenger from the existing roster would be Natalie Neidhart, repeating the ‘Hall of Famer In Each Corner’ gimmick that successfully used Ric Flair and Bret Hart to add legitimacy to the NXT Women’s Championship.  

    After those two, you run into a problem that the division lacks both marquee names that fans would care about and capable workers that could match the high standard set by the NXT women. Luckily, you can reach into the past to bring back women from the division’s previous golden era who can be both. Charlotte’s reign could easily consist of a series of one-off matches against the likes of Trish Stratus, Victoria, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Lita. The novelty of the returning superstars would add interest to the division and having Charlotte decisively go over them would establish her as the greatest champion in the division’s history.

    The use of these veterans would also allow the promotion to keep Charlotte away from the pre-existing roster. This is important because all of the ‘divas’ are thoroughly discredited in the eyes of fans due to years of poor presentation. If Charlotte spent months defending against women who fans had long given up on, then much like Paige before, her reign would not be accepted as a fresh start.

    Thought 4: Refresh the Presentation

    It’s important to remember that in pro wrestling, the sizzle is just as important as the steak; no matter how good the pro wrestlers or matches are, if there are problems with the presentation, then fans won’t care. When relaunching the women’s division, the WWE really needed to pivot away from the ‘divas’ branding as it’s too associated with past failures and is a derogative term for women in the real world. Have Charlotte throw down the championship at Wrestlemania 31, denounce the branding as stupid and demand a new title belt.

    This should be more than a superficial change with the presentation of Charlotte and her matches dedicated to proving that she is anything but a ‘diva’ by educating viewers that she and other female pro-wrestlers are serious, credible athletes. Frustratingly, WWE pretty much nailed the correct tone to use back in April with the training footage of Charlotte they used to promote their new TapOut gear.

    A key point is that just like in NXT, the booking should avoid doing elaborate storylines with the women as endless scenes of women arguing with each other just makes all involved look catty, something that would prove a turnoff to the predominately male audience. Remember that the one setback to Ronda Rousey’s popularity was when she spent a season of The Ultimate Fighter screaming at Miesha Tate. Equally, performers’ ring gear should be somewhat tasteful. While there’s nothing wrong with presenting women as sex symbols (look at Paige VanZant and Tate), it’s important not to dress them in outfits that wouldn’t look out of place in a stripclub.

    Thought 5: Rebuild The Division Away From The Main Stage

    Charlotte defending against returning mid-90s superstars should be enough to keep her occupied from Wrestlemania to Summerslam. The future of the division rests on the promotion using that time to address the weak roster depth that has always held the women back.  

    Obviously at some point, you would bring Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley up, but by themselves, they’re not enough. Whereas NXT could survive with a division that was effectively just four people due to producing so little television, WWE needs a fresh championship programme every month. Equally, the emergence of NXT as a touring brand means you can’t entirely gut that division.

    Two things therefore would need to happen away from RAW and Smackdown during Charlotte’s reign. Firstly, those pre-existing divas that can be effective pro wrestlers (rather than hosts or valets) need to be sent down to NXT. There, the skills of raw athletes such as Naomi could be developed to unlock her hitherto untapped in-ring potential, whilst talented workers such as Paige can work on refreshing their characters and practicing matches with the likes of Banks and Lynch. At the very least time away from the main roster would help fans forget about how they had previously been booked into the ground.

    Secondly, the WWE needs to be more aggressive with their recruitment of new, talented women pro-wrestlers from the independent scene and overseas. These women would both stabilise the NXT division when the ‘Four Horsewomen’ start to leave Florida, but also provide the next phase of performers to be promoted to the main roster.

    Thought 6: Make The First Title Change Important  

    Having successfully got Charlotte over to the fans as a credible champion and therefore educating them to take the division as a whole seriously, you can then move to the second phase – bringing in Banks. It’s a story that writes itself; whilst Charlotte is winning plaudits on the main roster, the woman who beat her for the NXT Women’s Championship is defeating all comers in Florida. Eventually, Banks snaps at missing out on all the attention, comes up to the main roster to demand a champion vs champion match.

    With the benefit of hindsight, the ideal timeline for this would be for Banks to make the challenge on the RAW after SummerSlam and then for the match to be booked for the recent WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden to capitalise on her popularity in the New York market. Placing it on a Network special rather than a PPV would also allow for the match to be given greater prominence than usual – potentially even headlining the show.

    In that match, Banks would defeat Charlotte to begin her reign as the WWE Women’s Champion. This title change would need to mark an important shift in the division as the promotion refreshes its roster by bringing up the new and repackaged women wrestlers from NXT. This would ensure that Banks had challengers who she knows how to work with and that have not already lost to Charlotte on television.

    Thought 7: Have A Clear Plan

    With the title on Sasha and the women’s roster thoroughly refreshed, it’s important that WWE be patient and think carefully about not only Banks but each of her future challengers. As part of this, they must remember to book for the vast majority of the audience that hasn’t been following NXT. For instance rather than rush into Lynch challenging for the title, it may make more sense to go back to her acting as Banks’ henchwoman so you can build a relationship between the two women that makes the eventual match between them mean more

    While establishing Banks as the dominant champion, they would also need to protect Charlotte by keeping her in meaningful matches away from the title picture. Eventually, you book the rematch between the two at Wrestlemania 32 in what would be the ‘most eagerly anticipated women’s match in WWE history’. Whoever had been the more successful as champion should then win to establish them as the female face of the company, with the loser settling for being Randy Orton to the winner’s John Cena.

    Will Cooling is a freelance writer who writes on combat sports for Fighting Spirit Magazine, pop culture for Geeky Monkey and politics at It Could Be Said!

  • Wrestling Observer Live 10/9: Open Line Fridays, WWE, TNA, Divas, NXT Takeover, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns for OPEN LINE FRIDAYS talking tons of topics, WWE, NXT Takeover, the Divas, TNA and their title tournament, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • WWE NXT TV taping spoilers (10/8): new & familiar names, Nia Jax, Asuka, Finn Balor

    The big news from Thursday’s WWE NXT tapings at Full Sail University was former TNA Champion and multiple time TNA Tag Team Champion James Storm debuting tonight.

    Storm was at NXT’s weekend show in Nashville and backstage at TakeOver last night. He was given a win over Martin Stone, a former WWE contracted wrestler who worked the tapings as enhancement talent. Due to the TV schedule and even though he has been done with TNA for some time, he will continue to be appearing on TNA television for probably two more months, something discussed on Wrestling Observer Radio Wednesday night.

    *****

    Results submitted by John Carey

    – NXT Tag Team Champions The Vaudevillains over Dawkins & Fulton. The finish had to be reshot because Dawkins botched the sell on the finish. 

    – Nia Jax over Evie in a squash match.

    – Apollo Crews won a #1 contender battle royal match eliminating Baron Corbin to win. Notable entries included Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa & Martin Stone.

    – Asuka over Billie Kay in a squash match.

    – Enzo & Cass over Dawson & Wilder via Enzo roll up. Mechanics beat them down after the match.

    – James Storm over Martin Stone in a squash match.

    – Alexa Bliss over Peyton Royce

    – Emma over Shazza in a squash match

    – Chad Gable/Jason Jordan over Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa. Match went around 10 minutes and was the best match in the tapings to this point.

    – Nia Jax over Kay Lee Ray in a squash match

    – WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor over Tye Dillinger.

  • WOR: Bruno Sammartino celebrates his 80th birthday

    Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today with our very special guest, the “Living Legend” himself Bruno Sammartino to talk tons of topics including his 80th birthday celebration surprises, memories of his career, favorite matches and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • Figure Four Daily 10/7: Lance Storm talks Madison Square Garden show, Raw, Nitro, more!

    Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez returns today with special guest LANCE STORM to talk tons of topics, WWE in Madison Square Garden which he attended live, memories of the weekend, his work on the film CHOKESLAM, Nitro thoughts, Raw, tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • NXT TakeOver Respect live results: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

    NXT TakeOver: Respect takes place tonight at Full Sail University at 8:00 pm EST. The main event will feature NXT Women’s champion Bayley defending her title against previous champion Sasha Banks in a 30 minute iron man match. Meanwhile, we’ll also see the conclusion of the Dustry Rhodes Tag Team Classic, with semifinals on the show being Finn Balor and Samoa Joe taking on Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable against Baron Corbin and Rhyno, and the finals featuring the winners of both semifinals. Asuka will make her in-ring NXT debut taking on Dana Brooke, and Apollo Crews will face off against Tyler Breeze.

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    *****

    DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS: NXT CHAMPION FINN BALOR & SAMOA JOE VS. DASH WILDER & SCOTT DAWSON

    Joe & Balor won and advanced in a well-worked match. Joe got the hot tag and set up Wilder for the Muscle Buster. Balor told Joe he wanted to tag in and Joe hit the Muscle Buster, and then Balor used the Coup De Grace on Wilder for the pin. Most of the match saw The Mechanics work over Balor’s knee which he sold after hitting his finisher. Joe & Balor go to the finals with a hint of issues between them and Balor “injured”.

    DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS: JASON JORDAN & CHAD GABLE VS. BARON CORBIN & RHYNO

    Rhyno & Corbin advanced when Rhyno hit the gore on Jordan, and Corbin pinned Gable after the End of Days  The crowd just loves Gable. He’s got something really special.  Jordan & Gable are such a great babyface team that they really made the match, which had super heat, and overcame the fact that Corbin is, at best, passable at this point. There were all kinds of funny chants like “Save the Gable” and the crowd singing Kurt Angle’s music and chanting “Gable” where people used to sing “You Suck”. Jordan has all the ability in the world and has finally started to come out of his shell in this team.

    They showed Kevin Nash in the crowd.

    ASUKA VS. DANA BROOKE

    As a wrestler, Asuka is a level above every woman wrestler in WWE.  She looked super here with all her submissions, ring confidence, and total superstar presence. Brooke held her own and didn’t look out of place given this level of competition. The crowd was actually a lot hotter for this than the two tag matches. Asuka did an absolutely sweet flying armbar near the finish.  She ended up winning with the Asuka Lock — a chicken wing crossface with a body scissors. After the match, Asuka laid out Brooke with a high kick and then stared down Emma who turned her head like she was backing down. Excellent debut.

    We got the same Nia Jax promo we’ve been seeing recently. She’s debuting next week.

    APOLLO CREWS VS. TYLER BREEZE

    This was another good match that was built around Breeze working over Crews’ back.  Breeze really looked good here. He got a great near fall as Crews did the press slam, went for the standing moonsault, but Breeze hooked the leg.  Crews then broke free and went for the standing moonsault again, but Breeze got his knees up. Crews came back after absorbing two running elbows from Breeze, charging out at the third attempt and hitting a running kick. He then hit an atomic drop into a power bomb for the pin. They tried to tell the story that Crews is showing how much guts he has as he sold most of the way.

    They showed HIdeo Itami and Funaki in the stands.

    They are doing a show-long story as to whether Balor will be able to come out for the finals due to his knee.

    DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT FINALS: SAMOA JOE & FINN BALOR VS. BARON CORBIN & RHYNO 

    No angle, but a solid match and the crowd was pretty hot. At one point, Rhyno hit the Gore on Joe, but Balor saved. He went for a second one but Joe kicked him in the face, gave him a Muscle Buster, and Balor used a double foot stomp on Rhyno for the pin.

    Cody, Dustin, Michelle (Dusty’s wife) and his two daughters were all in the ring as well as Eden Stiles. Cody did a promo and talked about how Dusty died on the same day as John Wayne but 36 years later. Cody talked about how Dusty was referred to as “the oak of NXT” but to him, he was known as Dad. “Tonight, we are all Rhodes,” he said. They played Rhodes’ music and fans chanted “Thank you Dusty.”

    They showed Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Lita at ringside. Stephanie even chanted “women’s wrestling” along with the crowd.

    30-MINUTE IRONMAN MATCH: NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPION BAYLEY VS. SASHA BANKS

    Baley retained the title with a 3-2 margin by using a Fujiwara armbar at 29:57 to break the tie. 

    Banks won the first fall with an eye poke and schoolgirl using the trunks, Bayley won the second fall with the Belly To Bayley, while the third fall saw Banks win by ramming Bayley into the LED board, causing Bayley to be counted out. The fourth fall saw Bayley use a roll-up out of nowhere. The last few minutes were really dramatic as Banks used the Bank Statement, but because Bayley had worked over her hand during the match, she didn’t have full power. Bayley tried to reverse out once, failed, but then reversed into the armbar and was stomping on Banks’ head. The tap came right before time ran out. 

    It was pretty much what it should have been as far as a really good, well built match. Banks was great here, and Bayley was super over with the crowd so you had a great face/heel dynamic. Izzy at ringside was the other star of this match. They couldn’t create someone that good as her at ringside.

    After the match, they sent everyone on the roster out on the stage to give a round of applause. HHH and Wlliam Regal gave Banks flowers as the fans chanted “Thank you Sasha” as Stephanie and Sara Amato congratulated her with Bayley cheering for her from the ring.  HHH then went into the ring and gave Bayley flowers.  They did a good job of making this feel special with the post-match. 

    This really felt very close to, from an post-match atmosphere and setting, like a G-1 final or Arena Mexico Anniversary match.

  • WWE 24: NXT Brooklyn Recap: HHH, Bayley, Kevin Owens, and Finn Balor

    With NXT Takeover: Respect right around the corner, WWE is bringing back its WWE 24 series to chronicle the events of the Brooklyn Takeover show at the Barclays Center from the night before SummerSlam. The roster starts the special talking about how excited they are to have sold the building out under the NXT banner. HHH says they’ve taken what was developmental and are now selling out NYC. Hunter tells the NXT crew “holy f—ing sh-t!” and there’s no other way to describe the rise of NXT. Owens says he saw the rise and wanted to be a part of it. HHH says the goal of NXT is to be a platform for the roster to learn on and be more than just developmental. Matt Bloom describes NXT as punk rock and underground.

    Paige says it feels like an independent with less talking and more action. Charlotte says the new crew has no idea where they came from, and they talk about how poorly-run FCW was. Charlotte says some shows had only 9 fans. Seth puts over the Full Sail crowd as being their own thing, while Enzo says that fans reciting his promo is just a sign that they’ve been doing it at their own home. Corey puts over Blue Pants as being made entirely by the FS crowd, and she says she’s like the wacky neighbor in the sitcom – you don’t know when she’s going to show up.

    Fans pose with Samoa Joe while Bayley says the fans are able to connect with the wrestlers on a deeper level while one of the Ascension guys calls them the best fans in the world meeting them outside the building. We see clips of the initial NXT shows outside of Full Sail, while Byron says they expected Barclays to get maybe 7,000. For the second time, we see the HHH clip about them being developmental two years ago and selling out NXT. HHH tells the class that they’ll kick ass in NYC. We see some media appearances and a graphic notes it will be the final NXT show for Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, and Owens. Finn takes some photos with fans and says he had a great morning until he remembered he had a ladder match. He loves NXT and doesn’t ever want to leave it. Finn says he was determined to wrestle after seeing WWE and Bloom says he was determined to succeed no matter what and we see clips of the mini-doc they did on him earlier this year. F

    inn is amused by a locker room noting that he has dancers now. Owens says that he first met Balor in England before they came to NXT and now they’re having a match here. Owens says he drove to TLC in 2012 to see his friend Seth Rollins debut and he got emotional then, and now he’s main eventing NXT’s biggest show ever in the Barclays Center. Balor says it’s tough to not see his parents for months, but it’s part of the sacrifice. Sasha is amused that she now has bodyguards, and they’re apparently sharing a room with Stephen Amell here.

    Sasha says she’s excited because the fans bought tickets to see them and tears up thinking about the journey they’ve had. Sasha says she’s been watching since she was 10 and always wanted to be in WWE. She wanted to be the female Eddie Guerrero and we see photos of her notebook from 2005 where she went to Judgment Day and filled out pages on the card. Her mother knew she would get there and Sasha says she would always e-mail schools to train. She started in 2010, got signed by WWE in 2012, and now she’s on the main roster living her dream. She says she was 99 pounds when she started and opponents were scared to even touch her. She’s first cousins with Snoop Dogg, and noticed he was always called “boss”, so she took that for her character and liked the sound of “The Boss” Sasha Banks. Sasha says she’s nervous, but she’s got an NXT panel to go to now. Corey says they couldn’t sell tickets to save their lives in FCW and we see clips of Seth becoming the first NXT Champion with JR on commentary. It’s amusing to see him swing the title around here since he would later do that with the WWE Title at WrestleMania 31.

    HHH hypes up that WM 31 was a show with at least one guy in a match from NXT. Well, other than Brock vs. Taker and Sting vs. HHH. Sasha says she dreamt of having matches like the men, but as a kid, all she had to watch was stuff like bra and panties matches. Sasha says she was told to wrestle like a diva when she came in, but she wanted to fight. HHH said that he wanted them to be treated just like the men and Sasha says they all wanted to change for the future. Bayley says their goal is to have better matches each time out. Sara Amato says they’re all driven, while Becky says they all bring something different to the table and it allows them to compete without taking spots. HHH says that they’re about 30% where they want to go and gives Sasha a lot of credit for getting to that point and he puts Bayley over huge too. We see photos from Bayley’s youth of her posing with Bret and holding a pink-backed belt over her shoulder in another photo. One photo has her in a Rey shirt, while another shows her with Cena in his Ruck Fules shirt. 

    Bayley wrote a lot of poetry in school about wrestling. Bayley’s mother says she was determined to do well, and Bayley says she needs it all. She didn’t like being on camera, but loves how much she’s grown. Bayley says she’s basically either herself, or herself as a 10 year old now. Bayley hugs her fans and we see her recite another piece of writing from her youth while tearing up thinking about how much she loves wrestling. The actual document is shown and her teacher was quite happy with it. Bayley says she wants to have the best women’s match that anyone has ever seen. Six hours before the show, we see dress rehearsals for the entrances. Tyler says his is a tour of NYC.

    HHH tells Crews to slow down and take his time. Finn does his intro and we see Kevin Owens and his son Owen. Kevin asks if his son filled in for him and he said it shouldn’t be too hard – just walk and shake your head. Kevin says his son loves John Cena, so he had his wife record Owen’s reaction and we see the unbridaled joy of him seeing his dad going up against Cena.

    Becky Lynch is backstage looking at photos on her phone, including one with her mother when they were flight attendants. Becky’s excited for her parents to see catering. The look of sheer joy in Becky’s eyes is amazing here. Finn and his painter discuss the bodypaint idea. Finn says the paint helps him channel something within. Before he debuted it, his friend told him the paint was his worst idea yet – but it’s worked out great two years later. Bloom says the character is part of him and that’s why it works. Finn is upset with how the rehearsal went earlier. He’s prepared physically and mentally, and can rehearse, but he doesn’t know what to expect from the match since it’s his first ladder match. We see Kevin pass Vince’s office with a giant no smoking sign on it while Fill says Kevin is a master of ladder matches. Finn doesn’t know how to approach the match. 

    Showtime is nearing and Charlotte is getting her makeup done. Fans talk about how excited they are for NXT and we see more of it being the boutique indy that HHH has designed NXT to be. Corey says the difference in NXT is they don’t just put their divas in the main event – they are the main event. Becky’s mom says she’s cheering for Becky just to change the outcome tonight. It’s also the first time she’s seen Becky wrestle live. Ric Flair says he’s proud of what Charlotte has done in just two years.

    Bayley tears up a bit before her match, and HHH tells the crew their attitude needs to be “follow that”. Michael Hayes is is an astonishing getup. He has lavender pants and vest combo alongside a purple shirt underneath it, a WM 31 ballcap, and a black fanny pack. The roster makes their intros on the Takeover show and pre-show tapings. Becky and Charlotte come down while Ric watches their match on a monitor backstage. The Kliq, Rick Ruben, and Seth Rollins are shown in the crowd. Blue Pants’ intro gets over huge as does the Vaudevillians’ title win. Apollo Crews’ match is shown in highlight form and with his intensity, he comes off as almost like Goldberg. Bayley says she wants fans and the roster to say it’s the best women’s match they’ve seen. Sasha says they’ll have the greatest women’s match in NXT history. Bayley says that for every show, she peeks out to feel the crowd. In Brooklyn, she doesn’t need to – and we see the crowd imitating both her and the inflatable tube men.

    Sasha comes out and says she that she had to scream to let out emotion while in the Escalade. Sasha’s mom wipes a tear from her eye after the intro and we see clips of the match. The roster loses it seeing Bayley spike her head on the mat when Sasha held onto the buckle for the top rope rana. Bayley’s mom is in the crowd scared for her daughter. Top rope double knee spot is shown alongside the ring step big boot. Sasha’s dive over the ref is shown from the crowd’s perspective. All of the film footage here looks fantastic and gives things a different feel. Bayley’s scary reverse super rana is shown, then the belly to Bayley and the title win! WWE’s Four Horeswomen celebrate in the ring and they got a standing ovation backstage. Seth wipes a tear from his eye after it from the crowd. Cesaro says that kind of reaction is what wrestling is all about.

    Sasha tells a story that Bayley told her she didn’t want to go, and she didn’t want to. Sasha cries thinking about raising the four fingers up and now that era is over. Kevin Owens hugs Bayley and says that it’s a tough act to follow. Cesaro says the ladder match has the chance to be brutal, and that’s what you want in a ladder match. Fans are shown banging their heads to Kevin’s theme. Kevin hugs his son in the crowd and hugs Becky’s mom. Finn does his intro and says the only time they got it right was live – they tried and failed 30 times before. Owens slamming him on the ladder and then doing Finn’s pose is shown. Finn flips to the floor to regain control and then hits the double stomp, but eats the powerbomb while being pulled off the ladder. We get a beautiful shot of Finn doing his pose right before the double stomp off the ladder. He climbs up and grabs the title to win the match. Finn poses with HHH after the match backstage.

    Finn says he hopes Kevin leaves NXT and can now become an even bigger star on the main roster. Kevin says he did his best, but knows it could’ve been better. Finn says it’s just the start of a bright future for NXT. HHH says Dusty called the roster his NXT kids while everyone tells Dusty stories about how much he meant to them. Charlotte says that Bayley would be on top, and Dusty was right. Becky says she loves all the fans who love NXT while Blue Pants cries at the thought of reaching this point. The show closes to a Sinatra-style song set to NXT clips.

    *****

    This was a perfect time capsule for the growth of NXT, and it really felt like they’ve achieved their goal of making NXT what ECW was in the ’90s. It’s a place where international talent can be used nearly-perfectly in front of an audience that adores them already, while veterans can be given new life and stale talents can try something new and add new dimensions to their acts. There was a sense of sadness in the roster going from NXT to the main roster throughout this, and it wasn’t just due to the “last day of high school” feeling. It’s like Sasha knew this was the peak of her career in every major way, so she was going to savor every moment of it. She came off wonderfully here, as did both Becky and Bayley. Charlotte left no impression, while Kevin Owens came off as a hard-working guy who almost seems to realize he might’ve come here a bit late since he did his best, and didn’t feel it was good enough. WWE 24 has been hit or miss, but this was far better than expected and went into more depth than they usually do by just focusing on fewer people. 

  • WWE Raw Ratings 10-5: Numbers remain the same

    Raw last night did 3.37 million viewers, slightly up from the 3.32 million viewers last week. Last week was the lowest non-holiday rating for Raw since October of 1997 when there was head-to-head competition from Nitro. All five shows since Labor Day have done between 3.32 million and 3.4 million viewers, so if nothing else, the audience is consistent.

    The big competition, a Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, drew 14.40 million viewers which was up from the prior week of 13.52 million viewers.

    The three hours were:

    8 p.m. 3.47 million viewers
    9 p.m. 3.49 million viewers
    10 p.m. 3.17 million viewers

  • Wrestling Observer Live 10/6: NXT Takeover preview, Iron Man or Iron Woman, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including tons of thoughts on Raw from Monday, Fedor Emelianenko’s alleged next opponent, IRON MAN or IRON WOMAN, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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