But that almost paled in comparison to the unthinkable happening-- The Undertaker's vaunted Streak came to a shocking end as BRRROOOOCK LLLESSSNAAAR broke him and marched out, a triumphant conqueror.
Also, just days after burying the hatchet with Vince McMahon and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, the Ultimate Warrior passed away of a sudden, but not unexpected, heart attack, shocking many wrestling fans. All I'll say on that subject is, for all that I disagree with his worldviews, I was sad to hear of his passing. Rest in peace, Warrior.
Other major happenings from this week will be discussed below the break.
Down in NXT Land, the Adam Rose Experience continued, as did the BFFs' losing streak. Brodus Clay continued to make his case for a title shot, while the entire NXT Universe literally turned its back on Bo Dallas when he tried to do the same.
What can I say about Wrestlemania 30? Well, for starters, I was one of an apparent few who couldn't get my WWE Network stream to function for longer than a minute. It truly seemed like I couldn't watch more than a minute before the stream would stick, stutter back a few seconds and repeat itself over and over, then stick again. Granted, this was only on PS4, and my PS4 had a few other hiccups later this week on streaming services, so perhaps it was just the hardware involved. All other reports from fans I've seen suggest they had only a few stuttering problems but otherwise a smooth stream. Which is good news for the Network as a business model.
The show was incredible from top to bottom. Seeing the three biggest names in wrestling history-- Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock-- in the ring at once, cracking jokes and popping catchphrases, while also effectively saying "We built this house, but it belongs to the current superstars now," and bowing out over some Steveweisers. It gave me goosebumps, seeing the three of them in the ring together; it really was like seeing "Wrestling's Mount Rushmore" taking shape in front of me.
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt may not have had a result that I like, (I wanted Wyatt to win) but the story they told made up for it. Cena showed all his conflict and frustration, clearly wanting to just unload all of his pent-up rage on the maniacal cult leader, but not daring to do so lest he compromise his legacy. Helping sell the match even further was the partisan Mania crowd, who threw their support behind Wyatt, swaying their arms in the air and singing "He's got the whoooole worrrld in his hands," making for a great visual of Wyatt inviting Cena to strike him down with a steel chair, while his followers sway behind him.
Cesaro looked to start a major face turn at Mania as well. After the Real Americans eliminated both other teams in the pre-show's four-way Tag Title match, their loss to the Usos caused the tension between Cesaro and Jack Swagger to boil over. A frustrated Swagger put him in the Patriot Lock, but Zeb Colter played peacemaker, demanding they shake hands and hug it out. Instead, Cesaro put Swagger in the Cesaro Swing and walked out by himself... only to turn up later in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, where he picked up Big Show and carried him to the ropes to dump him to the floor to win the match. Of course, Cesaro's turn was halted the following night on Raw...
One of the biggest shocks of the night, however, came in the Undertaker's match. It's no secret that 'Taker can't keep doing this; it was a major part of the story of this match, that even the Dead Man is subject to the ravages of time, and that his epic confrontations over the last five years have taken their toll on his body. Even so, no one expected that the Streak would ever be broken. Brock Lesnar dominated the match, knocking Undertaker loopy off a suplex early in the match, and continuing to destroy all his attempts at offense, finally pinning him after three separate F-5s to conquer the Streak to a stunned
However, Daniel Bryan was the star of the night, first defeating Triple H unequivocally, although he still got a beatdown for it. And despite that, Bryan still showed up for the main event, injured shoulder and all, and overcame every obstacle The Authority put in his way: Double-teams from Batista and Randy Orton, interference from Triple H and Stephanie, crooked ref Scott Armstrong, taking a sick Batista Bomb/RKO through a table, getting off a stretcher and getting back into it. Nothing would deny him, and in the end, he made Batista tap out to the Yes Lock to finally win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
And then, ohhhh, then we got the Post-Mania Raw. This is a known Thing now in the WWE, as they are aware of how raucous the crowd is, and they used them perfectly. Starting with new champion Daniel Bryan's celebration, with several minutes of nonstop "Yes" and "Daniel Bryan" chants, an emotional promo from Bryan himself (and some manly tears being held back when the fans chanted "You Deserve It"), before the sudden but inevitable interruption from The Authority. A furious Triple H forced Daniel Bryan to defend the championship against him later in the night, swearing to end the fairy tale and shut up the fans.
The Wyatt Family roared back after their defeat the following night, defeating John Cena, Sheamus, and Big E in convincing and dominant fashion. The crowd was unabashedly supporting the Family, chanting "Let's Go Wyatt," "Let's Go Harper," and booing every bit of offense the faces managed to get in. Most amusingly, they sang "John Cena suuuuucks!" to the theme of Cena's music, and swayed as the Wyatt Family stood victorious, while a quietly terrified Cena backed away up the aisle.
Then Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar came out to gloat about conquering the Streak. And it was gloating. "We hate to be the people to say 'we told you so,' but... we told you so!" Heyman went off on a magnificent tear, belittling everybody in the locker room and in attendance as "Wanna-Be's," (and calling the commentary team "Mr. Layfield and those two things that call themselves announcers") saying a lot of people say they could do the things Lesnar has done, but they haven't, because Brock Lesnar is the one who did it. Everyone watching was waiting for an interruption that didn't come, but if anything, that just cemented Lesnar's place as being a feared, unstoppable monster. This was a man who had just beaten the unbeatable; who in their right mind would try to get in his way?
Surprise returns were also a theme that night. First, Rob Van Dam returned to the delight of the fans, popping them with his usual offense and beating Damien Sandow in a quick squash. But more importantly, Bad News Barrett surprised everyone by actually competing for the first time in almost a year. Barrett had intimated on his Twitter that his visa prohibited him from wrestling, hence the Bad News Barrett segments. Lo and behold, BNB came out to wrestle Rey Mysterio, who quickly got an already biased crowd further against him by interrupting Barrett's proclamation of "I'm afraid I've got some bad news--" Seeing a crowd which clearly had a number of Brits in attendance singing football (soccer) chants and yelling "Boom!" for Barrett's elbow taunt was a highlight.
Cesaro was presented with his Andre the Giant Memorial trophy by Hulk Hogan, but alas, we didn't get any "Real American" jokes from him, Cesaro, or Zeb Colter before Hogan left. Colter took the mic and praised Cesaro for coming to the right side, for joining him and becoming a "Zeb Colter guy." Cesaro interrupted him at this point to state "I'm not a 'Zeb Colter guy.' I'm a Paul Heyman Guy." To everyone's shock, the increasingly popular Swiss Superman aligned himself with the nefarious Heyman, then got into an impromptu match with Jack Swagger after the latter smashed the Andre trophy.
Then, in the main event, all of The Authority's schemes and plotting came to naught. Despite getting Orton and Batista on the same page earlier, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's machinations were undone by an outburst from Kane, after taunting from The Shield. Upset at The Shield mocking him for the absence of the Outalws, Kane yelled that Triple H sees them as "nameless, faceless, expendable pawns" and then blurted out that the gang-attack on Smackdown had been ordered by Triple H himself. Minutes later, after Daniel Bryan was laid out by an assault from Orton and Batista, HHH and Stephanie ordered the referee to ring the bell for the match anyway. And then, before HHH could capitalize?
Sierra - Hotel - India - Echo - Lima - Delta...
The fans erupted in cheers and chants of "Hounds of Justice!" as The Shield stormed to the ring, squaring off against The Authority, while Triple H desperately tried to prevent a war from breaking out-- only to turn into a Spear from Roman Reigns. The Shield took out The Authority and a nascent re-emergent Evolution, then surrounded Triple H, cornering him and leaving him wide open for a solid Knee Plus from Bryan. The Authority retreated as The Shield and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion stood tall, and Triple H roared, "You've started a war you will not win!"
...
God damn it's a great time to be a WWE fan.
NXT Stars Making Good!
Ah, but I would be remiss if I didn't bring up some of the other big news from Post-Mania Raw...
First, we might be seeing Summer Rae moving on to other things. After she tapped out to the Emma Lock on Raw, Fandango broke up with her via text and Twitter, and came out with Layla at the Smackdown tapings. With Summer being a big part of Total Divas this season, this might be down to that. We'll see.
After weeks of promos and hype, Alexander Rusev finally made an in-ring debut. Heralded by Lana (now dubbed "The Ravishing Russian"), Rusev made short work of Zack Ryder, looking almost bored as he tapped him out to the Accolade. If anything, his expression said "I know he's broken, just finish it." Now the Bulgarian Brute is going to have to follow up on all this hype, but if anything, an Eastern European heel is surprisingly timely at present.
Paige also made a surprise debut on Raw. AJ Lee-- 295 days into her record-setting Divas Championship reign-- was skipping with her triumph over the entire Divas roster, declaring herself better than them all, "I am the Divas Division." Paige came out-- to cheers and chants from the crowd-- just to congratulate her. AJ, being AJ, was mocking instead of accepting of this, then challenged her to a match. When Paige demurred, saying she's not ready, AJ smacked her in the face, said "This is my house, and I'll tell you when you're ready!" She even put the title on the line, and brimming with confidence, looked to tap Paige out to the Black Widow... only to have Paige reverse it into the Paige Turner (albeit a botched one) for the upset win! Paige, at 21 years old, is now both the NXT Women's Champion and the WWE Divas Champion, quite possibly the youngest ever.
On top of all this, we got hype vignettes! First, we got inspiring affirmation-style promos, telling us the word isn't "impossible" but "I'm possible," and telling us we just need to "Bo-lieve." Two of these promos aired, and this is guaranteed to help get Bo Dallas over as a "cheesy motivational speaker" sort. An upset win over a champion-- Big E or Dean Ambrose come to mind-- will go a long way toward cementing him as a heel.
The other two vignettes were for none other than Adam Rose, showing him cruising around on the "Exotic Express" bus with his neverending party. I'm quite pleased to see them both debuting soon, and I think Rose is guaranteed to get over quick with his quirky personality.
I'm just sad we didn't get Enzo Amore & BIG CASS, but I guess we can't have everything.
A Word on This Week's Commentary
We had a new face at the desk this week. Rich Brennan, who looks a bit of a nebbish, but he seemed solid enough in his role. He fills the Tom Phillips role of bland, inoffensive commentary. There was some confusion over his name, as Albert kept calling him "Mitch" by mistake. Then again, that could be a running gag they'll be playing up in the future.
With him on commentary were Jason Albert and Alex Riley, in their respective roles as exuberant big man and snarky analyst. There were jokes made about Albert's size/weight and Riley's unpopularity, as usual. During Adam Rose's match, Riley worked in some self-deprecating humor by claiming to have been invited to one of Rose's parties, but turning it down. His reason being that he doesn't like crowds of people, and so he sat at home by himself.
Match #1: Adam Rose (w/ Rosebuds) vs Danny Burch
We came straight into this match at the start of the show, with Rose in mid-entrance, the lights dimmed and some faint music to start, before CFO$'s "Break Away" kicked off and the big party scene went off. The NXT Crowd is getting into the swing of sing-along antics, much like the Mania Crowd did, as they were signing the tune to Rose's theme during parts of the match. It's worth noting, though, that they apparently prefer "World Goes Wild," since I could hear them sing the lyrics before giving a "Woooo!"
Burch seems to be one of the "named jobbers" that's been getting more action lately, which says to me he'll soon be getting more development in-character. With Oliver Grey returning from his ACL injury, I think we may see the two of them getting tag-team action soon. Burch started out the match by slugging away at Rose, backing him into the ropes for Rose's antics there. Rose kicked him away and hit a series of shoulder blocks and quick covers, followed by an armdrag into an armbar.
Burch fought out of this and slugged Rose in the face, then delivered a few blistering chops to the chest, pissing off Rose. The fans didn't like it either, and started chanting "Party Foul!" Rose made him pay for it with some rapid fire punches and chops, then a charging elbow in the corner. A back kick set up the Bronco Buster, and from there, Rose delivered a big spinebuster and then a second-rope elbow drop for the win.
Rose is getting set up for some send-off feuds with his getting called up, and while his quirky personality might catch on with the fans, how well he'll do will ultimately come down to how much attention they actually give him in terms of decent competition/writing. It also occurs that we'll have to listen to Michael Cole's fake laughter about Rose's antics, and/or JBL talking about the parties, in between yelling about how "Life's not always a party, Maggle! This guy needs to quit partyin' and start payin' attention!" Time will tell, I suppose.
Last week: Sami Zayn vs Corey Graves
The big story in last week's main event was Sami Zayn's concussion getting re-aggravated, causing the referee to call off the match for Zayn's health and safety. Backstage, Devin Taylor interviewed Sean Bennett, the referee in question. She asks him why he called it off when he did. "As a referee in the WWE, safety of the competitors is my number-one priority. I've refereed for Sami many times, I was trying to communicate with him, he wasn't answering me. Therefore, I decided he wasn't fit to continue, and I awarded the match to Corey Graves."
We then cut to a separate interview with Devin talking to Corey Graves. She referred to the match as "controversial," and asked if he considered it a win. "You're cute, where'd they find you? I suppose you'd like me to come up here and say there should be an asterisk next to the win, like it doesn't really count. But just like Barry Bonds is the undisputed home run king, I beat Sami Zayn. A win is a win. So, Sami, rest that little head of yours, because we're just getting started, pal."
Match #2: Bayley vs Sasha Banks (w/ Charlotte & Summer Rae cut-out)
Bayley has a new NXT-Tron video, a lot more colorful, and I think I saw glimpses of anime-esque pictures (presumably of her) in the side-trons. It's a nice touch to further her fangirl-ish character. Charlotte had a shirt on over her attire that said "You Can't Sit With Us," which is another nice touch to her own BFF character.
Banks went on the attack early with a take down and some quick covers, but Bayley kept kicking out. After some more of this, Banks got frustrated, and set up for a back body drop off a whip to the corner, but Bayley reversed it into a sunset flip. Banks saw it coming, however, and sat down on it for another near-fall. When Bayley rolled her up for a near-fall of her own, Banks pitched a fit on her and bounced her head off the mat. This segued into Banks' usual bully-girl offense.
Commentary spent some time talking about Bayley and her naivete. Riley said it leaves her vulnerable, but Albert and Brennan pointed out that she's won several matches lately, including one over Banks just two weeks ago.
Banks cranked in a straitjacket hold, pulling Bayley down into a pin for a kickout. Bayley blocked a bodyslam and started to rally back with some double axe-handles. She followed this up with a charging corner clothesline, then a running back elbow. A top-rope diving elbow looked to give Bayley a possible win, but Banks caught her with a kick and dodged a haymaker before grabbing the straitjacket hold again. However, this time Bayley went between her legs and flipped her onto her back before catching her with the "Belly-to-Bayley" hug-plex for the victory.
This marks another loss for the BFFs, who have been on a noticeable losing streak. Sasha Banks is clearly meant to be enhancement talent for some of the other girls they're training, but Charlotte's association with the BFFs won't do her any favors if she's meant to be a threat to Paige's NXT Women's Championship.
Match #3: Sylvester LeFort vs Mojo Rawley
This marks the first time we've seen LeFort since February, when Mason Ryan destroyed him to cap off their little rivalry. LeFort has himself some new gear, with a gold-themed ring jacket and gold trim to his gear, much better looking for his "wannabe rich guy" character. Riley certainly thought so too, saying he's "a guy who looks like he has it all together." Albert pointed out that looks are deceiving, since every single one of LeFort's "Legionnaires" camp has gone away. (Rusev defected to Lana's side, and Scott Dawson is still recuperating from his own injury.) As for Mojo Rawley, Riley kept up his negativity toward him, saying he doesn't like him, "Nobody is that positive all the time. If they are, they're lying to you."
After the lockup, Rawley powered LeFort back into the corner, then dropped back and taunted him with some football rolls before muscling him back into the corner again when LeFort tried to charge. The match ended shortly thereafter with Rawley's usual flurry: a whip to the opposite corner, two stinger splashes, butt-butt, and then the Hyperdrive. The Hyperdrive looked even worse than usual, because Rawley clearly landed on his feet before dropping at a much slower speed than usual. I understand this is part of how wrestling works; it stops him seriously hurting his opponent, but it shouldn't be that blatantly obvious. I'll keep saying it until it happens, but Mojo Rawley needs a new finisher.
While I'm at it, Rawley needs to hit the gym a little more and tone up. It would go a long way toward improving his cardiovascular conditioning, and it would help him lose the noticeable flab he has to his midsection. It's not much, but it's there. It actually sickens me that Rawley is getting a noticeable push despite this, while Chris Hero (fka Kassius Ohno) was cut for more or less the same reason, even after toning himself up.
Post-match: Brodus Clay attacks
After the match, while Rawley was leaving alongside the ramp, Brodus Clay stormed out. He hit LeFort with a standing powerbomb (cueing "Better Than Batista" chants) and then crushed him with a second-rope splash before demanding a microphone. "I saw NXT Arrival, and I saw Triple H and John Cena publicly endorse the great Adrian Neville. I've given my blood, sweat, and tears in WWE for years, and they've never even looked my way! I'm the main event playa! I deserve a shot! Where's this great Adrian Neville? I called him out last week, and what'd he do? He stayed in the back like the coward that he is! He's so great, I'm calling you out, face me now, like a man! ... I'm the main event playa, I deserve this! I will not be held back anymore! Not by you--"
Adrian Neville answered him by coming out in his street clothes, NXT Championship in tow. "Brodus, you know for a main event playa, you do lots of complaining, lots of moaning, and lots of whinging. You see, you've had opportunities, but the difference between me and you? I'm not gonna waste mine." Clay sneered at him, "You know, for such a little dog, you gotta big bark." Undaunted, Neville just looked him up and down and said, "Funny, 'cuz I thought you would be taller." Mics were dropped and they squared off, but then Clay backed off and said it'll happen on his time.
Backstage with Oliver Grey
This marked the first time we've seen Grey on NXT television since March 2013, when he tore his ACL shortly after he and Adrian Neville (as British Ambition) won the NXT Tag Team Championship off of the Wyatt Family. Grey has been active at NXT house shows, where he's been paired up in an odd-couple tag team with fellow Brit Danny Burch. With the dearth of tag teams, I welcome this if it happens on TV soon.
Devin Taylor interviewed Grey, who was wearing a suit, and asked him how it felt to be back. Grey barely had a chance to get started before Camacho interrupted. "There is a poser amongst us! There is a poser amongst us! You see, I am Camacho, an NXT Superstar. The poser? Adam Rose. The freak show! Adam, life is not about party rocking. You see, there's people like me, who had to sacrifice everything, everything to survive one more day. So, life's a big party?"
An understandably miffed Grey interrupted him. "Excuse me, young man. May one interrupt to suggest you forget about Adam Rose for a second? You see, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to return than me and you facing off next week? How does that sound?" Camacho just sneered and walked away.
Grey had little chance to get any sort of character over before his ACL injury, and here he was playing up an upper-class kind of British man. Camacho was wearing a suit, himself, a bit of a departure from his usual street clothes as a supposed gang-banger from the barrio. Camacho was also pretty obviously reading off cue cards. I would definitely recommend that the NXT guys practice their promos to address the camera, or to be more clearly talking at the interviewer or the guy they're talking to, so moments like that are less obvious.
An Exclusive Look at NXT at WWE Wrestlemania Axxess Weekend
Axxess is one of the reasons that WWE's two main flagship PPV events-- Wrestlemania and Summerslam-- are highly attended. It gives fans a chance to meet their favorite superstars and wrestlers. This segment was mostly to hype the NXT stars in attendance for Axxess. This was the usual sort of thing for Axxess, as they were signing autographs, taking pictures with and interacting with the fans and the main roster. There was also action in a ring set up at Axxess, and we got very brief clips of some of these.
One thing that stuck out in the midst of the segment was a brief clip with Corey Graves. He said that one fan came up to him and said that he (Graves) was the exclusive reason she'd come to Wrestlemania. It blew his mind, and it had to be a great boost to him, to know that he-- someone not even on the main roster yet-- had brought someone to New Orleans.
Backstage with the Great Khali
Devin Taylor is dwarfed by the Punjabi Giant. She asked him how it feels to be in NXT for the very first time. He spoke... in his usual hard-to-decipher way, but said it feels great. He got interrupted by a surprise hug from Bayley, who was geeking out a bit at meeting him.
A clearly unimpressed CJ Parker then walked up. "Please, tell me that you recycle. 'Cuz judging by the size of you, you must produce three times the human waste as the average wandering generality out there in the NXT Universe." An annoyed Khali yelled at him in Punjabi. Bayley translated, as she's been taking Punjabi lessons. "The Great Khali says that he will see you in the ring, next week." They walked off, and Parker looked a bit gobsmacked.
A Special Announcement from Bo Dallas
This was hyped throughout the night, that Bo Dallas would be addressing the NXT Universe in the wake of his failure to recapture the NXT Championship. Brennan also acknowledged Bo's "message of positivity" being shown on Raw this past Monday.
They had a great shot of the entrance ramp during Dallas' entrance, so that the side-screens again lined up in a way that they read "BOO" in a trick of forced perspective. A number of fans were turning their back to the ring during his entrance as well. Albert questioned why Dallas was here, after his loss two weeks ago. Riley defended him, saying that Bo is the longest-reigning NXT Champion, but Albert turned that around to a "What have you done for me lately?" and pointed out that the length of the reign no longer matters because he isn't champion anymore.
Dallas got on the mic. "There's a lot of guys out there who say they're next in line for a shot at the title. But we all know: it's still Bo Time! I'm not scared to step to the back of the line, I'm really not! But the voices of the Bo-lievers cannot be silenced! You may have heard of this little thing called the 'Yes Movement.' Daniel Bryan occupied Raw and got a shot at the title! And he's just a B+ player!" (Instant boos. I've noted in the past that the Full Sail crowd has a lot of smarks in it, and they all love Daniel Bryan, so badmouthing him is a surefire way to get heat.) "I actually deserve a shot! So that's exactly what we are going to do! Ladies and gentlemen, the Bo Movement is here! And earlier today, I reached out on social media and asked all of my Bo-lievers to gather here tonight! So members of the Bo Movement, join me! Stand together and let our voices be heard! And let's occupy NXT!"
At this point, virtually everyone in the audience turned their back on the ring, while chanting "NO!" Dallas saw this, and he got upset. "I gave you cookies! I was the best champion you could have ever asked for for 280 days! I was there for you! And you-- I was your champion! This-- this stinks!" He dropped the microphone and yells at the crowd from the floor, flipping out at at the apathy and hatred from the fans. "Where are my Bo-lievers?!" He got back in the ring and pitches a fit, screaming "WHY!?" He broke down, saying "It doesn't make any sense!" as we went to an ad-break.
When we returned, Dallas was on the verge of tears, screaming at the crowd off-mic. "You're my Bo-lievers! Why would you do this to me?! I gave you cookies! I gave you everything you wanted! I was there for you!" The fans chanted "No More Bo!" and "NO!" at him, and Bo sobbed, "Why?!" and the fans started chanting "Bo-tista."
Then NXT General Manager JBL came out. "Bo, I don't know what I would do with a whole ring full of Bo-lievers. This is the worst attempt at Occupy I have ever seen. You don't even have enough people to occupy a see-saw in that ring. So, Bo, I'm sorry, you were a great champion, no title match tonight." He brought out Justin Gabriel to face him, but Dallas wasn't interested in this, saying "I want Adrian!"
Match #4: Bo Dallas vs Justin Gabriel
Dallas protested that he wanted a title shot and circles up on Gabriel, who went on the attack early with his agility and speed for a couple of quick pin attempts. Dallas bailed to the floor and yelled again about his championship reign and how he deserves a title shot, saying he wasn't prepared for this. He took his time getting back in the ring, and the fans mocked him with "We Want Cookies!" chants.
Gabriel tried a wristlock, but got slugged in the face and caught with a headlock. "This is what it's like in the ring with a former champion!" Gabriel tried to roll out of the hold, but then made it to the ropes to break the hold and get a headscissors, then a headlock. Shoulder block and a howl from the 'Capetown Werewolf,' and then Dallas attempts a hiptoss. Gabriel blocked and they fought for leverage (somewhat awkwardly-- this prompted a "Botchamania!" chant) before Gabriel took him down with an arm hold and makes another pin attempt.
Gabriel swept the legs for another pin attempt, and then Dallas bailed to the floor again. He took his time again getting back in, but then bailed to the floor again, prompting "BO-ring" chants. (And yes, the fans emphasized the first syllable.) Gabriel pursued and brought him back in, going to the top rope, but Dallas shoves him down and then snapped his arm off the top rope before kicking him to the floor. Dallas slammed him into the apron and hit an elbow. Back in the ring, a knee drop gets a 1-count for the former champion.
Dallas followed this up with a suplex before cranking on a cravate hold. Gabriel fought to his feet and hit an armdrag to get free, only to run into a lariat from Dallas for another near-fall. He cranked on the cravate again, hitting a knee-lift when Gabriel started to fight to his feet again, sending him hard into the corner. His confidence starting to return, Dallas set up and connected with his short-arm elbow strikes, then a short-arm clothesline for another near-fall. After some more strikes to the body, Dallas tried to whip him, but Gabriel put on the brakes, then reversed so that Dallas hit the corner hard instead.
Gabriel now went back to his agility, hitting some kicks and a jumping roundhouse kick to put Dallas down, then flipped over a back body drop attempt, recovering quickly of a somewhat botched landing by hitting a spinning heel kick to put Dallas on the mat again. From there, he caught Dallas with a crossbody in the corner, landing on the apron and then flattening him with a springboard crossbody for a two-count. They exchanged strikes before Dallas went for a powerslam, which Gabriel reversed into a Reverse DDT, but Dallas reversed that and hit a Reverse DDT of his own for a near-fall.
Dallas tried to set up the Double-Arm DDT, but Gabriel reversed into a Northern Lights suplex for a 2-count. Gabriel connected with a punt to the spine, then attempted a top-rope Lionsault, but missed when Dallas rolled out of the way. The ex-champion pulled him to his feet, only to get caught with a small package for a near-fall. Dallas then kicked out his knee before hooking in and dropping him with the Double-Arm DDT for the pinfall. Dallas had his confidence back as his music played us out.
Bo Dallas has come a long way since his early days on NXT. The sheer apathy the fans had for his bland-as-milk vanilla babyface character soon turned into hatred when NXT wouldn't stop pushing him. Switching his character up the way they did-- the oblivious heel who thinks he's super-popular-- saved him from the scrapheap, and he's one of the few characters who managed to draw real heel heat because of it. He's got all the tools in the ring, too, with just the right amount of cockiness, cowardliness, and cunning to fit. You look at him, and you think, he'll fold like a bedsheet the second someone steps up to him, but then he proves he's a lot smarter than he looks and, much like his music tells you, he'll "do anything it takes to make it."
By the looks of things, they're keeping his "Bo-lieve" character intact, but it's not yet clear how they'll play that out. From the vignettes they've aired, I'd assume it's something along the lines of an "inspirational/motivational speaker" type, which is a kind of character we haven't had in a while in WWE. I'd almost recommend they give him some self-help book he's written and have him use it as a weapon. After all, Truth Martini's done the same with his Book of Truth in Ring of Honor, to great effect.
Weekly Rundown
- Adam Rose defeated Danny Burch with a spinebuster and second-rope elbow drop.
- Corey Graves told Sami Zayn they were just getting started.
- Bayley defeated Sasha Banks with the Belly-to-Bayley Hugplex.
- Mojo Rawley defeated Sylvester LeFort with the Hyperdrive.
- Brodus Clay beat up Sylvester LeFort because he could, then called out Adrian Neville.
- Adrian Neville responded, but Brodus Clay backed down.
- Camacho interrupted an interview with Oliver Grey, who challenged him to a match.
- The Great Khali says he challenges CJ Parker to a match next week.
- Bo Dallas tried to Occupy NXT with the "Bo Movement," and failed. So hard.
- Bo Dallas defeated Justin Gabriel with the double-arm DDT.
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