Oh, and CM Punk & Daniel Bryan formed the Greatest Of All Teams (G.O.A.T.s), only to run afoul of the Wyatt Family as they dragged D-Bry off for some time in Room 101.
Down in NXT Land, while Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville fought to determine who would be the next in line to vie for the NXT Championship, other wrestlers were picking fights left and right. Bayley stood up to the BFFs and issued a challenge to them. Hunico & Camacho continued to gun for the Ascension, and Antonio Cesaro appears to have a bone to pick with William Regal...
Which is, I think, indicative of one of the other problems WWE has at present-- too many championships. When the WWE "brand extension" still carried any meaning, it made sense to have separate championships for Raw and Smackdown. Indeed, at the time, Raw had the Women's Championship while Smackdown had the Cruiserweight Championship, giving some marked differences between the two brands. Then the Intercontinental and United States Championships were resurrected, but they were still adhering mostly to one brand or the other. There were even separate Tag Team Championships for each brand, and eventually even separate Women's titles.
Thankfully, they merged the Women's and Divas titles-- although they kept the appalling "tramp stamp butterfly" Divas belt instead-- and the Tag Titles-- and gave them the still-weird-looking centurion/hoplite helmet "oversized penny" face plates. There are still quite a lot of championships cluttering things up, which diminishes the meaning of all of them. The fewer titles there are, the more significant it is when someone finally gets a chance to challenge for them, much less hold them.
WWE is starting to take things in a sensible direction, if they actually go through with this "one undisputed champion" storyline, but NXT has been doing it right from the start. They have three titles only-- the Women's title, the Tag Team titles, and the NXT Championship. But even while everyone is chasing the gold, there are rivalries forming independent of the titles. Tyler Breeze and CJ Parker don't like each other. The BFFs formed less about the Women's title, and more about improving their status so they can make it on the main roster. Enzo Amore & BIG CASS have been fighting with Sylvester LeFort and his Legionnaires based strictly on wanting to win matches, and thus earn money.
If WWE's so-called Creative Team could start writing storylines that don't necessarily have to always be about the titles-- and don't just blow off every storyline within a month-- then the product might actually start to improve. Look to the youngsters and newcomers in NXT for some signs on how to do it, folks.
A Word on This Week's Commentary
NXT had a solid combination on commentary this week. As I've noted in previous blogs, a three-man booth works best when all three are bringing different perspectives on things. The combination of Tom Phillips, William Regal, and Renee Young seems to be the best of the three, in my opinion, giving the right mix of play by play, analysis, storyline exposition, and off-topic discussion to make the team work.
Regal should be a permanent fix at the commentary booth on NXT, since he's settled nicely into the role, and has a solid amount of awareness of his own deficiencies. He stutters from time to time, but he's gotten better about cutting it short and getting to his point faster, to reduce the amount of time he speaks and thus the chances for him to stutter. He knows how to justify a heel's actions and provide insight into possible strategies employed, while also being gracious enough to put over a face's tenacity or talent.
The fact that Regal can still go in the ring, and has a huge amount of respect from the NXT Crowd, helps a great deal when some upstarts decides to poke the retired monster to see what kind of reaction they'll get. Regal's been called the "NXT End Boss" by some, and it's as good a description as anything. Pay note to this, because it becomes important shortly.
Match #1: Yoshi Tatsu vs Antonio Cesaro
Color me surprised to actually see Yoshi Tatsu in competition! I was a big fan of Yoshi when he debuted on WWE's ECW, and hoped he'd at least become a semi-regular fixture in the lower mid-card. (I make no illusions on his making it any higher than that.) Alas, after ECW was rebranded into NXT, Yoshi kind of disappeared, relegated to jobber duty on Superstars. He did wrestle on the NXT before it was reorganized into its current form, even developing a rivalry with Tyson Kidd that actually led to Yoshi donning face paint and a darker appearance, a la the Great Muta, to end the feud. But after that, he became less and less prominent. Indeed, his last major appearance was in January, when he and Percy Watson teamed up to enter the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament.
Any hope I might have had that Yoshi's appearance this week would lead to something better was dashed the minute that Cesaro came out. The NXT Crowd is solidly in favor of more Cesaro, if the pop his entrance got and the loud "We the People" chant are any indication. Cesaro is clearly getting pushed, both on NXT and the main roster, even if his 'Real American' status is kind of in-name-only on NXT.
The story in this match came right at the start. Cesaro had thrown his Gadsden Flag in the ring, where Byron Saxton (pulling ring announcer duty this week) accidentally stepped on it. Cesaro got in his face over it, physically intimidating him, until William Regal surprisingly got up from the commentary desk to go pull Saxton out of the ring. This led to an intense staredown from Cesaro. Regal would explain his actions later on commentary by saying that he's an old villain, admitting to laying awake nights remembering the things he's done. He doesn't want the same thing to happen to Cesaro, putting over his incredible talent by saying "he doesn't need to do these things."
The staredown let Yoshi get a surprise roll-up for a nearfall and then some token offense, but Cesaro caught a flying wheel kick and slammed Yoshi down to start his dominance. In between big moves, Cesaro would stop to stare and yell at Regal, before delivering a Cesaro Swing to the helpless Yoshi. The crowd wasn't even hiding its bias by chanting "You Are Awesome" at Cesaro, who wore Yoshi down with his Cranial Crank sleeper hold, then finished him off with the Neutralizer, holding Yoshi up long enough to give a mocking wave to Regal.
I will admit, the prospect of a match between Regal and Cesaro is hitting all the right 'mark out' buttons in my head. I've been a fan of Cesaro's since I started following him on the indie circuit, and Regal always brings out the best in his opponents. That match should be epic.
Backstage: Bo Dallas interview
Devon Taylor is the backstage interviewer this week, but she's already showing improvement over her lackluster presence last week. She interviewed Bo Dallas, questioning him on who he thinks will win the #1 contender's match later on. Bo, in typical fashion, just blithely said, "We're all winners... it's like we're watching The Voice; all we're missing is Cee Lo Green!" He did add, "Of course, neither one of them has a chance of beating me, but..." shrugging and saying he'll take them under his wing. Exactly as Dallas has intimated in the past, implying he's been a mentor to Sami Zayn, when it's clear to anyone who watches that this isn't the case.
CJ Parker "photobombed" the interview at this point, prompting Dallas to take exception to his interrupting. Parker gave a sarcastic "Hey, man, I didn't realize realize I was harshing your mellow." Dallas replied with one of the sickest burns he's ever delivered, "Whoa, man, I didn't realize you were still employed! When was the last time you won a match there, Pauly Shore?" Parker challenged him to a match, declaring, "You just landed on the dark side of the Moonchild." Bo accepted the challenge, insisting he's not scared of competition.
This was a good way to keep CJ Parker at least somewhat relevant, while also possibly setting up a heel turn later, in response to the negative reactions he's been getting from the NXT Crowd. "The dark side of the Moonchild" could be where they're going with that. More importantly, it continues to push the notion that Bo Dallas is, deep down, not eager to get in the ring with anyone, and wants to be champion and a superstar without risking a loss.
Match #2: CJ Parker vs Bo Dallas
Poor Parker. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time to give him this neo-hippie "Moonchild" character, but they probably didn't anticipate the crowd turning on it. He got a pretty apathetic reaction, with noticeable "We Want Breeze" chants, when the fans weren't chanting "No More Bo."
This was a pretty quick match. Dallas controlled the match early with some short-arm strikes and a cravate hold, but Parker fought back up to his feet. He hit his corner charging knee-strike, then a big heel kick and a face-first drop/DDT for a two-count. When he went to the top rope, however, Dallas staggered into the ropes to crotch him, then hit a tornado bulldog for the three count.
There's really not much else to say. Regal and Renee Young were both gushing over the magnanimous nature of the NXT Champion, talking about his recent "Bo vs the World" tour. In Regal's case, it makes sense. He's a heel supporter, without being completely blindly loyal to the Authority like JBL, so it fits. In Renee's case, I think the implication that she is somewhat attracted to him. This becomes more prevalent during the main event. More on that later.
Backstage: Emma interview
Devon Taylor interviewed Emma, who revealed that the BFFs had attacked her in the locker room, and she'd sustained some head injuries, but she said "No big deal," promising to be back soon, better than ever, and the Emmalution will spread worldwide.
That's when Paige interrupted, glad to hear that Emma will be "better than ever," so there will be no excuses when they finally face off for Paige's NXT Women's title. Emma asked why she'd need an excuse, and Paige brought up the time that Emma hit her a few weeks ago. This led into an argument about whether it was an accident or not-- Emma insisting it was, while Paige claimed it was Emma "getting her own back" after Paige hit her the week before. Paige even said, "If [when I'd hit you] hadn't been an accident, you wouldn't be standing here."
The segment ended with a tense staredown between the two, before Emma faked Paige out with a hand, but just did her little Emmalution dance as she left. This continues the slow burn toward the eventual match between the two, while also furthering Paige's darker turn in her character, which is followed up on in the next segment...
Backstage: Paige and Natalya
Paige was in the back somewhere when she's approached by Natalya, who brings up something that Paige had said or done that had left a bad impression on her. I don't know what this is in reference to, so perhaps it's something that was on Total Divas, which I don't watch. Paige sarcastically responded by saying how she's surprised Natalya's even talking to her, with her being "Miss Hollywood." She claimed that Natalya doesn't care about the Divas Championship, or the (NXT) Women's Championship.
Natalya rebuffed Paige's claims, bringing up her roots in the business. Her family's been involved in wrestling for a long time, just like Paige's. In response, Paige challenged her to a match, and even suggested she'd put the title on the line. Natalya seemed a bit surprised by this, saying Paige has a bad attitude, "You have so many battles to fight you don't know which ones to focus on," and accepted the challenge, so she could take the chip off Paige's shoulder and the title off her waist. Paige replied, "You do that, and I'll show you where your roots are."
These two segments have done a great deal to rebuild Paige's "Anti-Diva" character. The segment with Emma sets up her possible heel turn on NXT, and the one with Natalya sets her up in opposition to the reality show cast of Total Divas. I wouldn't be surprised to see Paige turn up on the main roster soon, if this is the case.
Match #3: Tyler Breeze vs Kassius Ohno
This match is a return from last week's Beat the Clock Challenge, where Ohno beat Breeze to capture a new time to beat, before his time was beaten by Adrian Neville. Breeze wants some retribution in this match. As Breeze made his entrance, Regal was putting over his attractiveness, and delivered a nice burn to Phillips: "Not like you, Tom, you look like you've been embalmed!" Renee Young was also gushing over Breeze, especially when Regal noted, in regards to Breeze's attire, "He would like everyone to know that is fake fur."
The match hadn't even started when Ohno was attacked in the aisle by Alexander Rusev. Last week, after Ohno beat Rusev's time, he was warned by Lana that he had made a big mistake by doing so. This was the payoff to that warning, as Rusev hit Ohno from behind with a clothesline to the back of the head. He stared down at Ohno as he then left up the ramp. It took the officials some time to help Ohno to his feet, but he gamely got in the ring anyway. The bell rung, and Breeze immediately hit the Beauty Shot for the win.
This may have been the last match Ohno taped before his departure, in which case the fast, almost humiliatingly fast defeat here should be no surprise. It's traditional in wrestling that, in one's last match with a company, you "go out on your back." (i.e., lose) There are some exceptions to this, but by and large this is how it's done. As I mentioned last week, Ohno is already doing well on the indies since his release, so this loss here won't really do him any harm.
Backstage: The BFFs
The BFFs-- Summer Rae, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte-- were backstage, apparently playing "hot or not" on Charlotte's phone, when they noticed Bayley approaching. Charlotte quickly left so Summer and Sasha could play goalkeeper to keep her away. Bayley wanted to talk to Charlotte, but Summer very quickly said that she doesn't want to talk to Bayley, even sarcastically pointed out that Bayley's "friends" Emma and Paige aren't getting along either.
The BFFs tried to leave at this point, but Bayley stopped them and demanded to talk to Charlotte again. Summer called her a loser. Bayley retorted, "We'll see who the loser is after our tag match!" The BFFs laughed this off, saying she has no friends. But Bayley replied with a confident smile, "Oh, I've got friends." The BFFs looked unimpressed by this as Bayley left.
This adds a bit of intrigue to this little plotline. Bayley has never been one to be too mopey, and is often brimming with the kind of blithe confidence of the naive, but this was a different sort than usual. I don't doubt we'll probably get some surprise in the upcoming tag match, but the question is, who will be Bayley's "friend?" Some new NXT women's wrestler? A Diva from the main roster? Or will we get a return from someone like Kharma, or-- dare I hope-- the NXT debut of Sara Del Rey?
Or perhaps this was all a ploy by Bayley and Charlotte to lure the BFFs into a false sense of security, and Charlotte's not really turned heel?
Backstage: Adrian Neville & Sami Zayn interview
Devon Taylor interviewed the two prospective #1 contenders about the main event later on. Neville brought up the fact that he and Zayn go back a long way, a nod to their time on the indies as PAC and El Generico, but tonight, it's about the NXT Championship, and how that can be a ticket to Raw or Smackdown. He brought up Big E Langston and Seth Rollins, and how they've both gone on to compete at WrestleMania. "That's what this is about."
Zayn agreed, saying he knows what's at stake, and like Neville, he'll do whatever he has to do, mentioning that he's "had [the NXT Championship] in my hands," which prompted Neville to roll his eyes, "I guess that means you want it more than me?" "Maybe I do, actually," Zayn agreed, but put that aside, stating again they'll both do whatever they have to do... and then somewhat awkwardly stopped, saying, "Let's not get into this." The interview ended shortly thereafter.
The way Zayn ended the interview came across as the way one might stop an argument one has with a friend, when you want to avoid actually causing hurt feelings and to maintain the relationship as it stands. It was a nice way to put over the friendship without having to keep stating about how long they've known each other.
Match #4: Hunico & Camacho vs The Ascension
This non-title match was set up last week, after Huncio & Camacho beat These Two Guys fairly quickly and challenged the Ascension. Regal even commented on the speed of last week's match: "Hunico & Camacho beat their opponents so quickly I couldn't even stutter in the match!"
The match started with Victor and Camacho, with Victor controlling until Camacho managed to counter and hit a headbutt. The Latino duo (note: I know that Camacho is actually Tongan, I'm going by the character) held their own for a while on Victor, until he hit an STO to stop their momentum, tagging in Connor.
The Ascension hit Hunico with an H-Bomb, as Connor then took Camacho over the top rope to keep him from breaking up the pin. Hunico kicked out of the pin, however, and caught Victor with a small package for the win, thus putting Hunico & Camacho in line for a title shot.
Rick Victor is starting to show a little more savagery in the ring, as befits the characters of the Ascension. They should be stoic, looming presences before the bell rings, and then savage berserkers on the attack. Hunico & Camacho need to do something a little more to add to their characters. They have the look of Latino thugs down perfectly, but their team needs a little bit more. Show us some of their characters, let them talk a little more, give them a proper team name.
Match #5: NXT Championship #1 Contendership - Adrian Neville vs Sami Zayn
Regal was not on commentary for this match, allegedly being called to the back regarding Cesaro somehow. Bo Dallas was in to replace him instead. For a good part of the match, Renee Young was chatting with him. It wasn't exactly flirtatious, but she was being friendly and Dallas was happily answering her questions. There was a good heelish bit from Dallas, however, when she complimented his ponytail. "Thanks," he said, "You know, you're really smart for a Canadian."
The match started with a respectful handshake between Neville and Zayn, as commentary talked up both men's international experience, how they've known each other since their first match together in Britain, and how they've competed against one another in several different countries since then. The match started with fast-paced action to start, with both men seeming evenly matched. Neville sent Zayn to the floor and teased a dive, only to get cut off by a back elbow from Zayn, sending him to the floor, where Sami caught him with a big tope con hilo.
So it went for a while, as one man would hit a big move and take control, only to then fall victim to a big move from the other. Neville hit an impressively huge Asai moonsault on the outside, and Zayn took control back by catching Neville in mid handspring for a Blue Thunder Bomb. By this point, the NXT Crowd was starting to chant "This is Awesome," which really was true. Zayn hit Neville with a Michinoku Driver for a near-fall, but then ran into Neville's boot while attempting his corner boot.
One impressive set of reversals followed, as Neville went for a handspring move of some kind, only for Zayn to catch him on his shoulders. Zayn spun him around, looking for a powerbomb, but Neville reversed into a hurricanrana for a two count. Neville started to go to the top rope, blocking Zayn's attempt to stop him with a brain kick from the apron. Neville got to the top rope, and was stopped again by Zayn with some big elbows. At this point, it honestly seemed like Zayn was setting up his infamous BRAINBUSTAAAH!!! indie finisher-- a top-rope brainbuster into the turnbuckle. It's a move that Zayn didn't use in every match on the indies, but is certainly his definitive "just die already" finisher.
Alas, not this week, as Neville hit a headbutt to knock Zayn to the mat to set up the Red Arrow, giving him the three count for the victory. Adrian Neville is now the number-one contender to Bo Dallas' NXT Championship.
After the match, Sami Zayn was slow to get to his feet, staring down Neville. The crowd chanted for them to "Hug it out," as Neville offered a hand, but Zayn kicked it away. It seemed like we were going to get some frustrated pseudo-heel stuff, but no, Zayn instead hugged him, then raised his hand. Gracious, even in defeat.
Next Week: Bo Dallas defends the NXT Championship against Adrian Neville, while Bayley brings "friends" to deal with the BFFs.
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