But more importantly than that, NXT guys made good this week on the main roster! Big E Langston (former NXT Champion) won the Intercontinental Championship from Curtis Axel, and Xavier Woods debuted as the tag partner of R-Truth, prompting dozens of 'Truth and Consequences reunion' jokes on the Twitter machine.
Down in NXT Land, with the "Bo Dallas vs. The World" tour complete, Interim GM JBL announced a 'Beat The Clock' Challenge to determine a number-one contender. While notables like Rusev, Aiden English, Adrian Neville, BIG CASS, and a returning Sami Zayn vied for the coveted spot, Hunico & Camacho turned up and immediately put the Ascension on notice. But the real question on everyone's mind was: Can Sami beat the clock?
Even if these things are transparently going to result in the expected challenger getting the number-one contendership, it adds a sense of legitimacy to it all, and puts a bit more of the 'sports' in our 'sports entertainment.' One of my favorite formats, however, has come to be the Beat the Clock Challenge. In essence, the first Beat the Clock Challenge match of the night sets the pace. All further matches must be won in less than that amount of time. It adds a sense of urgency to the other matches, and forces a change in strategy to wrestlers whose styles are geared toward a long-game.
A Word on This Week's Commentary
As you may have noticed, I do tend to expound a little bit on NXT's commentary team, with its rotating desk and the personalities involved. I'm coming to realize, however, at NXT's three-man desk format isn't really working that well, particularly when the third man decides to argue with the likes of William Regal. Regal can give every bit as well as he gets, and frequently can deliver a retort so scathing that it should give third-degree burns.
This week was no different, as Regal sat at the desk with Byron Saxton and Alex Riley. The main exchange that led to my even bringing this up came when A-Ry, justifiably annoyed, got on Saxton's case about his continually going to Regal for analysis and comments, completely ignoring his presence. This is a valid point, if you have a three-man desk, all three men need to be involved. However, Regal also pointed out why he was getting the questions as opposed to Riley: "On one side, you've got thirty years of experience across forty-four countries, and on the other, you've got two hundred matches, including those watching The Miz's back." Regal gets the questions because he has the experience.
A three-man desk with two former wrestlers and a play-by-play man just doesn't work, particularly when both of the former wrestlers have similar slants to their color commentary. (In the case of Regal and Riley, heel savvy but complimentary to talented faces.) It mostly works on Raw or Smackdown, because Jerry Lawler has skewed more face-ish in latter years, while JBL skews more heel-ish. It provides a different dynamic. On NXT, something similar is needed, or stick to a two-man desk unless Renee Young is out there to provide insight to the NXT women's matches.
Opening Segment: The Bo-mecoming
The show opened this week with Bo Dallas making his "triumphant" return to NXT after his vacation and his "Bo Dallas vs. The World" tour. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder, however, as the NXT Crowd was quick to boo him mercilessly, greeting him with the usual "No More Bo" and "Bo-ring" chants, along with the bizarre "Bo-cahontas" chant. Dallas, of course, was all smiles and completely oblivious to the animosity as balloons and streamers rained down, donning a party hat and picking up a noisemaker... I mean "microphone." Although he did have one of those little paper horn things.
The first part of the segment centered around Dallas subjecting us to a slide show of his world tour, largely his smiling his cheesy grin in front of various cityscapes or landmarks in places like Montreal (a clever nod to his and Sami's touring appearance at a main roster house show in that city), Cambodia, Lichtenstein, Japan, the Pacific Northwest, and Transylvania. He even tried to bribe the crowd with bags of cookies, some of which were thrown back in the ring. Amusingly, there were some embarrassing photos in the slide show-- such as his touching a sumo wrestler's butt and running away from Bigfoot-- that he hurriedly (and ineptly) tried to skip past, but the best line had to come about his trip to "Cam-BO-dia." He revealed that "I sports-entertained in front of a sold-out crowd of over 300,000 people!"
The exaggeration on the attendance figures is one thing, but having Dallas say he "sports-entertained" instead of "wrestled" is the perfect way to draw heat from the smark-heavy crowd at Full Sail University. Smarks hate the various terminology that Vince McMahon tries to shove down our throats, as part of his desperate attempt to transmogrify the industry into something that doesn't come from a carny background. It's not just the "audience," it's the "WWE Universe." They're not "wrestlers," they're "superstars." They're not women's wrestlers, they're "Divas." But the one that started it all is "sports entertainment," a term that McMahon invented so he could claim he wasn't in competition with Ted Turner's "rasslin' company" WCW, because Vince wasn't in the wrestling business, he was in the "sports entertainment" business.
Thus, Bo Dallas using the term in place of "wrestling" in this fashion is a brilliant way to garner extra heat from a crowd that already hates him. Smarks see WWE's insistence on their own terminology as a sign that WWE thinks its fans are stupid (which, I'll grant, is sometimes the case). More to the point, using the corporate-approved terminology subtly associates Dallas with The Authority, which the smarks currently despise.
As if to drive the point home, as Dallas was finishing up his slide show, JBL-- still the NXT Interim GM-- came out to pay his respects to the champion, both for his holding the title and for his international tour, concluding by equating Bo Dallas with Randy Orton; Orton is the Authority-approved "Face of the WWE," so JBL declares Dallas the "Face of NXT."
Sami Zayn made his return at this moment, getting a huge ovation and "Olé!" chants, well aware of the chilly reception he was getting from JBL and Dallas. He was friendly enough, but JBL very firmly told him that he still needs to learn some respect. Zayn just stated he "just wants a chance, a chance to earn a title shot, so I can win that NXT Championship off that delusional cheeseball!" JBL threatened him with indefinite suspension (and threatened the audience with the same when they started chanting "Cheeeeeseball!") However, JBL instead reinstated Zayn, which Dallas was less than pleased about, but called Zayn a sore loser, "Don't you remember? We already did this!" Zayn just said not to patronize him, "I have no problem starting from the bottom and working my way back up," and that the next time he faces him, "I'm taking that title."
JBL proved his bona fides as a member of The Authority when he, while still being slanted toward the heels, making a decision that's "best for business." In the JBL Era, "Opportunity is just one win away." He announced the Beat the Clock Challenge to determine the new number-one contender, and put Sami Zayn in the hunt. Positioning The Authority as heels, who still throw the faces a bone now and then, is a good way to update and refresh the "Corporation" concept, and JBL plays into it perfectly.
Match #1: Beat the Clock Challenge - Colin Cassady vs Alexander Rusev (w/ Lana)
Colin Cassady (which is apparently how they're spelling it now) is going it alone for the time being, since Enzo Amore broke his leg at a live show, putting him out for a few months. This will give BIG CASS a chance to shine on his own, perhaps, although a part of me secretly hopes to see Enzo come out in some leopard-print wheelchair or something equally tacky to keep talking. Commentary did acknowledge Enzo's injury.
Still nearly nothing is known about Lana, who did the introductions for Rusev in Russian. Commentary called her his "social ambassador," which is another sign of WWE not wanting to use the traditional wrestling term "manager." Ricardo Rodriguez wasn't Alberto Del Rio's manager, he was his "personal ring announcer," a bit of a mouthful, but it fits Del Rio's wealthy aristocrat character. Summer Rae isn't Fandango's manager, she's his "dancing partner." Probably the best alternative to "manager," though, was Paul Heyman. He wasn't CM Punk or Curtis Axel's manager, he was their "advocate." Those aren't all that bad, but "social ambassador" is just reaching. Come up with something a little less awkward, guys.
Rusev controlled most of the match, but Cassady got some offense in, with some big punches and a pretty sweet-looking high knee. Cass is definitely over with the NXT Crowd, however, as he was treated to "BIG CASS" chants and they regaled Rusev with a "Sloppy Jalopy" chant. Rusev eventually took control again when BIG CASS missed a Stinger Splash, leaving him open to a wrecking-ball like splash in the corner, leaving him open to the Accolade. Cassady fought it hard, nearly slipping out of it completely, and managing to make the ropes, something no one's managed to do yet to Rusev's finisher. Rusev maintained control, however, and after some more offense, got the tap-out to the Accolade to set the clock at 5:33.
WWE/NXT clearly wants to build Rusev up as an Umaga-like monster heel, probably to be the first major challenger to the next face NXT Champion. They're doing a solid job so far, but I don't really see why they needed to split him away from Sylvester LeFort to do it, unless they are planning to have LeFort shift from manager to wrestler. But Lana needs to show something to make her stand out, apart from just being foreign.
Backstage: Adrian Neville interview
We have a new female interviewer on NXT, named Devon Taylor. To be honest, she doesn't seem all that comfortable on the microphone, which makes me wonder why they didn't just use Renee Young. At any rate, she interviewed Adrian Neville about Corey Graves and Beat the Clock. Graves, it transpires, suffered a concussion in last week's match, which Neville brushed off by saying "this isn't ballet... what happened to him was unfortunate, but I can't think about that." He was focused on Beat the Clock. "I know a thing or two about speed. I'm the Human Roller Coaster. I've got twists and turns that you'll never see coming. I'm a thrill a second, and tonight, we're gonna see if Mister Aiden English can keep up."
This was a solid promo by Neville, giving him some much-needed chance to get his personality and nature over. He played into his aerial style and his speed by coining that "human roller coaster" line and following up by explaining it in a very brief, but sensible way, and when they call Neville up to the main roster, that's a line that needs to get used. (Although, obviously, "The Man That Gravity Forgot" is a better moniker.)
Backstage: Bayley interview
Devon Taylor had another interview on this episode, with the loveable Bayley, who seemed despondent and confused about Charlotte's recent betrayal and defection to the BFFs. "We were best friends. We were like SpongeBob and Patrick. Like Tommy and Chucky." Bayley taught her how to pogo stick, they did the robot dance together. She admitted she hasn't confronted her yet, but when she sees Charlotte, "these bad boys," her fists, "are gonna be doing all the talking!"
Bayley had been kind of sad and mopey for most of that promo, before she started grinning as she delivered that 'bad boys' line, even admitting, "I just always wanted to do that!" This is a nice touch, a little way to play into Bayley's socially awkward character.
Match #2: Beat the Clock Challenge - Tyler Breeze vs Kassius Ohno (Time to Beat: 5:33)
The indie wrestling world is a-buzz right now, because Kassius Ohno's release from WWE was announced just a day or so after his match with Luke Harper aired on NXT. Fans of Ohno's (aka Chris Hero) work on the indies were in an uproar, furious that he had been cut loose before getting to shine on the main roster, or before we got to see a proper Kings of Wrestling reunion with Antonio Cesaro on WWE programming. For his part, Hero promptly got back to work, returning to indie companies where he'd made his home, like CZW, and putting on a stellar match with Johnny Gargano in Dragon Gate USA.
The initial theories about Hero's release had been about his reported backstage attitude, things which seemed to be backed up when some reports stated that Ohno had been going around questioning why he wasn't getting the call up, since he saw himself as "better than" most of the other NXT wrestlers. Things are somewhat confused, however, by statements Hero has made, being quite gracious about WWE and having nothing but positive things to say about the company, and in particular about their Performance Center and the talent coming up through it.
This match was filmed at what ended up being the last taping that Ohno worked for NXT, likely before the release came down the pipeline. Ohno looked a little less defined than he did in his match against Harper, which only adds fuel to the "doesn't hit the gym enough" fire. There can be several weeks between TV tapings in NXT, between which the wrestlers are working live events and house shows.
Tyler Breeze, dubbed 'Prince Pretty' by Byron Saxton, was getting his usual smark-cheer reaction from the crowd, while Regal started dressing him down on commentary, saying he needs to stop posing and get serious. This did work in Breeze's favor when he lured Ohno in by continuing to preen in his phone, only to sucker punch Ohno when he got close.
Ohno played into the 'Beat the Clock' aspect of the match by going for frequent, quick covers, and later on pushing Breeze away to eat up time. This strategy doesn't seem to make much sense at first, but one could take the point of view that Ohno may have thought "I might not be able to win, but I can at least cost you time or run out the clock."
Breeze took control early on when he hit an enzuigiri that sent Ohno to the floor. He then spent a lot of time trying to drag Ohno up and back into the ring, while Regal was all but screaming about how foolish this seemed: "Why doesn't he just take the count-out win?!" Alex Riley justified it by pointing out, "Maybe he thinks he can save a couple of seconds if he can pin him in the ring." Regal eventually came around to this line of thinking, admitting A-Ry was right.
The finish came when Ohno ducked the Beauty Shot, then set Breeze up for the Ohno Blade (a discus elbow to the back of the head), which was ducked, but Ohno managed to roll through on a pinning predicament to pick up the win with forty-five seconds remaining, resetting the time to beat at 4:48.
Later in the show, Ohno would be interviewed by another new interviewer (whose name I did not catch), where Ohno talked about his recent slump and how he was fighting out of it. Lana interrupted him, telling him that he made a big mistake by beating Rusev's time. Ohno just told her "Tell 'Boris' that I'm no joke... when I'm NXT Champion, he can have the first shot. Do svidaniya." Lana left angrily, and this may set-up the match that 'writes out' Ohno from NXT.
Match #3: Hunico & Camacho vs These Guys (Johnathan Hornigan & Chris Rothwell)
Camacho made his return to NXT last week, and this week he was joined by Hunico, himself back from a long injury. The duo, who really need a better team name, had themselves a brief squash match against Hornigan and Rothwell (who didn't even get the distinction of a "Let's Go These Guys" chant). The match lasted less than a minute, as Camacho hit one of These Guys with a big Samoan Drop, then tagged Hunico for a high-angle Swanton Bomb for the victory.
Post-match, Devon Taylor interviewed them, and Hunico called out the Ascension. "You know why we're here, esse!"
Later in the show, the Ascension would respond with a promo of their own. The newly rechristened Konnor & Viktor (as their new Twitter handles indicate) declared, "Challenge accepted. But realize one thing: we will rip you apart, piece by piece. Limb by limb." "Good things come to those who wait. But for the two of you, when we arrive, it will already be too late."
Match #4: Beat the Clock Challenge - Aiden English vs Adrian Neville (Time to Beat: 4:48)
I've neglected to mention in past blogs that English's singing entrances are all usually an homage to a notable song from a musical. He's treated us to Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, among others, and this week, his song was based on Rent's "Seasons of Love."
The story in this match was all about Neville's speed, agility, and unpredictability in the ring, contrasted with English's size and power advantage. A-Ry pointed out the mistakes English was making, by wasting time arguing with the referee, trash-talking Neville, and getting frustrated. Another way in which time was wasted was when, after Neville took control again, English rolled away across the ring when Neville climbed to the top rope. A smarter idea would have been waiting for Neville to actually go for the Red Arrow, and then move or counter. It wastes less time, and lets his opponent hurt himself first.
The finish came when English started setting Neville up for a superplex, only to get fought off, letting Neville connect with the Red Arrow with three seconds left on the clock, resetting the time to beat at 4:45. Commentary was quick to point out English had screwed up by putting Neville anywhere near the top rope. It's a good thing to have heels generally be smart wrestlers, while still flawed enough to make one mistake that allows the face to win. It keeps the heels looking strong.
Match #5: Beat the Clock Challenge - Leo Kruger vs Sami Zayn (Time to Beat: 4:45)
Kruger swapped out his khaki combat trousers for actual ACUs this week, which looks better than the army-surplus camouflage pants he sometimes wears. There seems to be some indications, from reports of NXT live events, that Kruger may be changing his gimmick soon, so stay tuned.
A-Ry was questioning why Sami Zayn was getting another shot, pointing out that he lost to Bo Dallas, "he should go to the back of the line," completely forgetting about JBL's words earlier in the show that "Opportunity is just a win away." Speaking of Bo Dallas, however, he came out on the stage to watch the match from a chair, providing an immediate distraction to Zayn at the start of the match. Later on, they showed him looking nervous when Zayn started to take control and seemed about to win, playing up Dallas' concern that Zayn might be able to beat him for the title.
Kruger's offense was largely based around the chest, from headbutting him there from his knees, and a dual palm-thrust later on, prompting Regal to point out how his moves seemed designed to wear down body parts as well as wear out Zayn. The chest-related offense seems like it might have been intended to set up the GC3 submission, which stretches out the body, although Kruger never got to use it.
Down the home stretch, Kruger looked to be setting up the Slice in the corner, waiting for Zayn to get to his feet, but then-- in a perfect change-up that Beat the Clock Challenges bring around-- realized that he was losing time, and instead went for a cover. After Zayn kicked out, Kruger went back, set up the Slice, and connected with fifteen seconds on the clock. A series of pin attempts later, Zayn reversed a pinning predicament and got the three-count just as the clock ticked to zero!
While the referee tried to determine whether or not Sami Zayn had indeed beat the clock, JBL stormed out, stating that "This is the JBL Era, this is not the era of polka dots and controversy!" He almost threw the referee out, but instead decided not to blame him. Since the Beat the Clock Challenge ended with a tie, he booked Sami Zayn to face Adrian Neville next week, with the winner earning a title shot against Bo Dallas.
This was a good conclusion to the Beat the Clock Challenge. Sami Zayn is already established as being on Bo Dallas' level, and arguably above him, since the NXT Crowd clearly believes that Zayn can beat Dallas, and only lost due to chicanery and shenanigans. By coming up in a tie, this puts Adrian Neville on the same level as Zayn, and slots Neville into the title hunt very nicely.
That said, the endgame still appears to be having Zayn chasing the title and Bo Dallas, so a win by Neville and a title-shot there may be in the works, with Zayn having to fight his way back to a title shot in the meantime. When Zayn finally wins the NXT Championship, the pop is going to be tremendous.
Next week: Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville-- #1 Contendership on the line!
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