Oh, and something called the WWE Network made its debut. I think they want it to be a big deal, fairly quick.
Down in NXT Land, my favorite piece of WWE programming made its own big Network debut with a two-hour live special, "NXT Arrival."
Let's start this off by talking about the problems the WWE Network has had since launching. A lot of people reported not being able to log into the Network through Xbox Live, and there were many stalling out or skipping issues that people had on those streaming methods that were working. Xbox Live was returning an error stating that their username and password were incorrect, even if they were. People could see the live-stream without any issues, but it was the archives that were giving them problems.
Jay 2K's Network Woes
I was having the same problems as many people. Xbox Live wasn't working. When I tried to watch anything on PS3, it stalled out on me about five to ten minutes in, then kicked me back to the menu. At work, no matter what browser I used, I could not get the Network to play any videos. I would get the little "TV-PG" rating card, but nothing else except a spinning buffer circle. I work in IT on second shift, when calls are much less frequent, so having something to watch in that down-time is a nice plus.
All this meant that, when I was at work on Thursday Feb. 27, I could not watch "NXT Arrival" live. So I went Twitter-dark and avoided my usual wrestling results sites to minimize spoilers. I got home that night and attempted to call up the replay. Even if I chose to try to play it "from beginning," because the Network was airing the replay immediately after the special was finished, I kept getting throw into the replay wherever it was in the stream.
I had to wait until Friday, my day off from work, to try and watch it. Even then, I was having problems. I tried queuing it up on PS3, but got Raw instead, from the Wyatt Family attacking John Cena. When I tried to play it on Xbox Live, it wouldn't play, period, giving me a "server not available" error. Fortunately, my laptop could play the Network fine.
"This is NXT" was a special episode of NXT that was made available on the Network to help hype the live special and inform newcomers on the last year's worth of action in NXT.
Frequent viewers of NXT such as myself, however, quickly realized that this was just a slightly updated version of the Dec. 25th episode, with some slightly different clips shown about the NXT stars that made good, among others.
It also, however, showed the full 2-out-of-3 Falls Match between Cesaro and Sami Zayn from August, as well as the full sit-down interview from last week. Cesaro/Zayn IV has been a big selling point for "NXT Arrival," so showing fans what these two brought in their last encounter is the best way to hype the next match.
"This is NXT" was also put up on Hulu Plus in lieu of the usual week's episode, since "NXT Arrival" is Network-exclusive.
We started out the show with the lights low and lasers flashing in the air. And then, out of the darkness came the voice of Triple H, asking, "Are you ready?" Cue spotlight as the COO repeated himself, "No, Full Sail University, I said, are you ready?!" He waited for the cheers to subside before stating simply, "NXT is the Next Generation, and the Next Generation... has arrived."
Cue a special opening video for "NXT Arrival ," highlighting many of the NXT stars that we'd be seeing over the course of the night.
A Word on Arrival's Commentary
The commentary team was William Regal, Tom Phillips, and Byron Saxton, probably the best iteration of the NXT announcers roster for this special. Regal's old villain analysis was helpful, and he could very easily sell Cesaro's skill and toughness, owing to his match against Cesaro on the Dec. 25th episode. Phillips was ... Phillips, and Saxton filled in the heel shill quite well. I have no real complaints about their work.
Match #1: Sami Zayn vs Cesaro
During the pre-show, NXT's General Manager JBL said that this match would go on first, to "set the pace." Sami came out first, sporting new tights, with a flag for every country (28!) he's ever wrestled in on them. Commentary did note this later in the match. Cesaro, despite technically being a heel, was still getting face reactions, as ever, thanks to the NXT Crowd being very into his skill and power.
Before they even locked up, the fans were already chanting "Match of the Year," and soon this became a dueling chant of "We The People"/"Sami Zayn!" Cesaro showed his arrogance early, overpowering Sami and throwing him to the mat, then slapping him on the back of the head. It's not hard to understand Cesaro's attitude: he's been on a major roll lately, having defeated WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and taking the Almighty John Cena to the limit, and besides which, he's beaten Sami twice already. Commentary even noted this, and said that Cesaro has called Sami "stubborn. ... He needs to get over the fact that I am just better than him." They went on to describe Sami as needing this match because he feels that Cesaro doesn't respect him as a competitor, and if nothing else, he needs that respect.
After this initial show of cockiness, both men showed their own scouting of the other. Cesaro tried to pick Sami's left leg-- the one that had just recovered from injury-- but Sami blocked him by grabbing a front face-lock. Cesaro powered him up over his shoulders for a back body-drop, but Sami landed on his feet, hit the ropes for a headscissors, but again Cesaro used his strength to put on the brakes and hold on, setting up for the Cesaro Swing. Sami, however, kicked free from it and was flipped to his feet, where he caught Cesaro by surprise with an armdrag.
Sami tried to keep the pace fast as Cesaro went to the floor, catching him with an armdrag, then wiping him out with a big tope con hilo. As they got back in the ring, Sami went for a high cross-body, but Cesaro's brute strength came to his rescue as he caught him and swung him around into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. From there, an extended sequence took place on the outside, as Cesaro threw Sami around like a small child, slamming him off the apron, the steps, the barricade, and every so often taking him back in the ring to break the referee's ten-count, then immediately throwing Sami back out on the floor.
Sami started fighting back when Cesaro tried to wrap the bad leg around the ring post, yanking his leg back and banging Cesaro's head off the post instead. This stunned the 'Swiss Superman' long enough for Sami to roll to the floor, setting up for a big move. In the 2-out-of-3 Falls Match, Sami wowed everyone with an over-the-turnbuckle tornado DDT on the floor. He went for it again here, but Cesaro nailed him with an uppercut in mid-air, prompting "Holy shit!" chants from the fans.
Cesaro took control, starting to work over Sami's bad knee,which went on for quite a while, stretching it with his own knee, even hitting a vile double-stomp to it and delivering multiple Dragon-screws to torque the knee even further. Sami did manage to hit a leg lariat when Cesaro came off the ropes, but Cesaro eventually ducked an enzuigiri and applied a single-leg crab for a submission attempt.
Regal took the time to talk about Cesaro's strategy to help sell his "ultimate competitor" status and intelligence. Cesaro had first been working over Sami's ribs, taking away his breath and conditioning, and then went after his leg to curb his agility. He described wrestling a strategist and competitor like Cesaro, saying, "You think you have a game plan, and then he just humbles you," by completely destroying your efforts.
Regal's words were perfectly illustrated when Sami managed to get back to his feet after making the ropes. Cesaro was smug as he backed up, then charged into an elbow, a boot, and then got dumped over the top to the floor. Sami went for an Arabian Press moonsault, but Cesaro caught him, then hit him with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on the ramp! Sami was hurt and down seemingly for the count as Cesaro went back in the ring to leave him to get counted out, but Sami just made it back in at the count of nine, while the fans chanted "We The People"/"Sami Zayn!" again.
Cesaro didn't let up, charging in for a corner uppercut, only to get caught for an Exploder suplex into the turnbuckles. Sami only got a two-count out of this, setting Cesaro up for the Blue Thunder Bomb, but got clubbed down for it. Cesaro tried to go for the ropes, but Sami held on and pulled him back to connect with the Blue Thunder Bomb, but only for a two-count again! Cesaro rolled into the corner to try to sucker in Sami, appearing to succeed as he kicked out the bad knee, but Sami caught him and planted him with a reverse STO, then locked in the Koji Clutch!
Once again, Cesaro proved tougher and smarter, as he twisted at Sami's thumb to break his grip, then held onto Sami's leg to roll him over into a Stretch Muffler submission, a move we'd last seen Cesaro use in NXT against Regal. Sami clawed and fought to the ropes to break the hold, then blocked a Cesaro Swing attempt by reversing it into a pinning predicament, but only for a near-fall. Now Cesaro managed to pull off the Cesaro Swing, swinging a flailing Sami around for 10 revolutions before tossing him.
Sami climbed back up to his feet in the corner, where he was creamed with a corner uppercut. Cesaro made a lazy cover, which Sami reversed into a pin of his own for a two-count, earning himself a quick and vicious double-stomp to the head for another two-count for Cesaro. At this point, Sami rolled to the apron to get space, but Cesaro just started to set him up for his impressive from-the-apron superplex. Sami slugged free, connecting with a kick to the face that forced Cesaro to sit down on the top turnbuckle. Sami set up for a top-rope Frankensteiner, but once again Cesaro's strength came to play as he held on.
Now Cesaro teased long-time fans of his from the indie scene, as he grabbed Sami's arms and crossed them, preparing to deliver the straightjacket powerbomb he used as his indie finisher, the Ricola Bomb. However, as he prepared to go for it, Sami got his hands free and pulled off the Frankensteiner, sending Cesaro flying across the ring, in perfect position for Sami's killer Corner Boot! It only got him a two-count, however, and both men were slow to get to their feet.
As they did so, Cesaro caught Sami with a headbutt, while the fans chanted "We The People"/"Sami Zayn!" Cesaro nailed him with an uppercut to send him to the mat and yelled for him to "stay down!" As ever, Sami Zayn would not go away as he got back up, only to eat another uppercut. The referee started to count him down, but Sami crawled back up at six to eat another uppercut. Back up at five again, Sami took another uppercut on the chin, but fired back with a forearm of his own. They tried shots and started slugging away at one another, before Sami ducked a punch and nailed Cesaro with a German suplex out of nowhere!
He set up for the Corner Boot again, but ran into a big boot from Cesaro, who promptly tried to go for the Neutralizer, but Sami backdropped him and went for a pin for two. Then he went up and over Cesaro's head with an amazing sunset flip for another two-count. Once again, both men were exhausted and slow to rise, but Sami got to his feet first, only to get muscled up into the air for Cesaro's Very European Uppercut-- but only for a one count! Everyone was stunned by that, especially Cesaro, who roared back with a discus uppercut, then planted Sami with the Neutralizer for the three-count, giving Cesaro a decisive victory.
The NXT Crowd started chanting "Match of the Year" as Cesaro celebrated and started to leave, but he stopped and looked back at the ring, where a dejected Sami was sitting in the ring. Cesaro returned to the ring and stared down at Sami. The fans wanted them to "Hug it out," and that's just what Cesaro did after pulling the Syrian-Canadian to his feet. "NXT" chants rained down as Cesaro left, and Sami looked... almost relieved, as if to say "I lost, but I have the respect of my peers after that performance." The fans ushered him out with "Olé" chants.
I'm slightly disappointed that Sami Zayn didn't get a win, but at the same time, it's the right finish. Sami looks like an utter badass for managing to hang with Cesaro-- even kicking out at one from that Very European Uppercut-- despite being shown to be completely outmatched. As an NXT Superstar, Sami really shouldn't be getting wins over a guy on his way up the midcard to main event status. Despite that, it took everything Cesaro had to beat him, because as always, the thing about Sami Zayn is he will not go away.
In Attendance Tonight
Throughout the night, we were treated to shots of notables in the crowd, such as Teresa Jacobs, Mayor, Orange County, FL, Garry Jones, President of Full Sail University, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and his daughter Charlotte, WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, the "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, and Steve Keirn.
Segment: Mojo Rawley hype - same clip as shown in the This Is NXT special
Match #2: CJ Parker vs Mojo Rawley
Before this match, we were treated to a hype video for Mojo Rawley, the same one that was shown during the "This Is NXT" special. Given that some viewers of "NXT Arrival" may not have watched it, it was necessary to build up Mojo for this match.
It was basically just a squash for Mojo, although Parker managed to get some offense in. Eventually, however, Mojo reversed a whip to the corner and connected with a short-distance Stinger Splash, then ran to the opposite corner to connect with a bigger one. From there, a Rear View butt-butt and the Hyperdrive sit-down senton gave the Hype Man the three-count.
As ever, I'm really not sold on that finisher. A former football player like Mojo Rawley should be using his size and power in some way. A charging spinebuster would be ideal, and he could set it up from a three-point stance, even.
Hype Segment: Emma
We first saw a glimpse of Emma warming up backstage, which segued into a brief vignette. It highlighted her rise in NXT. Her goofy dance-loving nature was front and center in the clips, while also dropping all the Emma-puns that have been centered on the Aussie Diva. ("Emmalution," "Emmatainment," the "Emmacrats," etc.
Hype Segment: The Ascension
This vignette highlighted the dominance of NXT's only surviving tag team. The words "scorched earth" were used at some points during the video, as every time a team is defeated by the Ascension, that team breaks up. Of some amusement was the fact that there were more than a few clips of the American Pitbulls (now wrestling under the American Wolves name for the Wrestling Company That Shall Remain Nameless) getting destroyed by the Ascension. Which I'm sure is pure coincidence.
Match #3: NXT Tag Team Championship - The Ascension defend vs Too Cool
The Ascension have, alas, dropped Daniel Nielsen's "Let Battle Commence" as their theme for "Rebellion" by CFO$. I actually think I may like it more than their old music. It's a hard rock theme that has a fast pace to it and a lot of bass, which suits a team that kicks ass like the Ascension.
We're told that Too Cool-- Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty-- were "mystery opponents" for the Ascension here. Too Cool did get a pop as their music hit, but even at a first glance, this was a "gimme" match for the Ascension, who quickly got the "Yah!" chants going as Viktor and Sexay started out. Sexay managed to avoid some of Viktor's offense and knocked him down with a shoulder block, but his dancing got cut short when Viktor just kipped up and beat him down for it, tagging in Konnor, who mowed him down with shoulder blocks of his own, prompting a "One More Yah" chant. The fans love chanting "Yah" for Konnor's offense, even doing an "Ohhhh YAH!" during his wind-ups for his strikes. When he wasn't in the match, the fans started chanting "We Want Konnor" and amusingly, "We Want Yah!"
Eventually, however, Too Cool actually got some offense in, as Sexay got out of a Viktor headlock with a jawbreaker. To Viktor's credit, he's clearly picking up on Konnor's "little things" approach to adding to his in-ring savvy, because as both men were down, he put himself between Sexay and his corner. Not that this mattered, as Sexay managed to get a tag to Scotty, who was a house on fire, even managing to knock Konnor to the floor with a punch.
Scotty managed to work in his signature spot, doing the Worm, but when he tried to drop the fist, Viktor grabbed him by the tights and hot-shotted him off the middle rope. From there, Viktor knocked Sexay to the floor, planted Scotty with an STO, and tagged Konnor to deliver the Fall of Man for the victory. Again, Viktor showed those "little things" by just cocking his head and giving Sexay a look, and he slid back out of the ring as the Ascension posed over Scotty's carcass. Konnor roared out, "Who can stop us?! Nobody! Nobody can stop us!"
During the match, commentary again mentioned the lack of competition for the Ascension, even saying that "The NXT Tag Team Division has been absolutely annihilated." Hopefully this means a call up soon, because I think the Ascension are ready.
Hype Segment: Paige
After a brief glimpse of Paige preparing for the match, we were treated to a vignette for her. It highlighted her "Anti-Diva" nature, with an interview from her stating, "I know what a Diva's supposed to be: she's supposed to be tanned, have light hair, wear lots of color. No. This is my world." It showed clips of her NXT Women's Championship win and her reign as well.
Before the match started, Stephanie McMahon came out, to some boos, and there were even some faint "You Still Got It" chants, much to her amusement. "Ladies and gentlemen, I never lost it. Right here, right now, we are all making history. Because the first-ever in-ring program to stream live on the Network is not Wrestlemania 30, it's NXT Arrival. I'm so incredibly proud to be here tonight, as a McMahon, and as a woman, because I have the privilege of announcing the Divas Division. And let me explain that being a WWE Diva is all about being empowered. It's about showing the world that women can do everything men can do -- only better. So without further ado, allow me to introduce to you the next generation of WWE Divas!"
This was actually a pretty classy promo, only slightly let down because it's Stephanie McMahon giving it. She always has this aura of cockiness/smugness about her that makes even her genuinely good-natured statements seem insincere. It must be a McMahon thing.
Match #4: NXT Women's Championship - Paige defends vs Emma
Stephanie was still in the ring, and as Emma came out, she could be seen doing the Emmalution dance as well. Much like the Ascension, Paige has new music as well, ditching George Gabriel's "Smashed in the Face" for "Stars in the Night" by CFO$. Stephanie shook both women's hands and held up the NXT Women's Championship belt before leaving.
This is a rivalry that's been simmering for months. It first came up when they met in the finals of the NXT Women's Championship Tournament, although they seemed to get along okay due to mutual enemies in the BFFs. However, some miscommunication and some accidental collisions led to an animosity that simmered in the background. Paige sees herself as better than Emma, having wrestling in her blood and not fooling around with dancing. Emma, meanwhile, has a cockiness about her as well, something even commentary noticed, treating a title win here as a foregone conclusion. In any case, it was very quickly established that "These two just don't like each other."
That was highlighted right out of the gate as Paige immediately got in Emma's face, but the Aussie didn't back down, shoving Paige in response to a shove, and soon we had a brief cat-fight before they locked up properly. Paige went for the Paige Turner early, winding up for it, but Emma countered it into a backslide for a near-fall. Paige kicked out, but their arms were still locked together as they got to their feet. Emma hit a double-leg takedown, setting her up for the catapult (which normally sets up the Emma Lock), but Paige sat down on it for a near-fall of her own.
Paige took control with a dropkick and bodyslam, then cranked on a rear chin-lock as dueling "Let's Go Emma"/"Let's Go Paige" chants rang out in the arena. Commentary was putting over Paige's history, coming from a wrestling family and thus being brought up in the business, having her first match when she was just 13 years old. She is currently the youngest Women's or Diva's Champion in NXT and WWE history.
Paige highlighted her vicious streak by getting Emma back in the corner, where she battered her around with repeated rear elbow strikes from either side. She tried to stomp a mudhole in Emma, but Emma kept hold of the boot as she got out of the corner, then swung it back to slam Paige face-first into the mat. She lined up for the Emma Sandwich, which Paige had scouted as she put a boot up, but Emma saw it coming and put the brakes on, grabbing the foot and catapulting her into the middle of the ring. Emma tried to go for the Emma Lock, but got kicked away into the ropes, where Paige started delivering her trademark trapped knee strikes to send Emma to the mat. Paige took too much time, however, as Emma clipped her leg and sent her crashing to the apron.
This bought Emma some time to recover in the corner, where she evaded a charge from Paige to hook in the Dil-Emma for a few moments, then connected with the Emma Sandwich for a near-fall. From there, Emma started showing off her own vicious side as she started working on the arms of Paige, stretching them both behind Paige's back, while putting the knees or boots into her spine. Paige did manage to get her feet under her, but Emma just kicked her forward onto her face for another near-fall. Commentary was quick to talk up Emma's submission skills, "she's much more than the fun-loving bubble machine from Raw or Smackdown." This certainly showed in Emma's expression, which was much more determined and fierce, a far cry from the Emma we've seen in the past.
Emma bealed Paige into the corner, where she stomped a mudhole in her for a near-fall. Paige rallied back, going for a whip, which Emma tried to reverse, but Paige reversed the reversal and sent her into the corner, avoiding crashing into the turnbuckle when Emma evaded to the apron and nailing her with a forearm. Paige tried to send her face-first off the turnbuckle, but Emma blocked and did it to her instead, climbing to the top rope. Paige punched away and set up for a superplex-- a call back to their match last year-- but Emma got free and attempted a sunset flip bomb out of the corner. Paige held onto the ropes to block it, but Emma-- in a rare display of power-- pulled her out of the corner and delivered a powerbomb anyway! Alas, this only got a two-count.
Both women were slow to get up, but Emma hit a Sick Kick running dropkick, but was still slow to capitalize, settling for smacking Paige and saying, "Get up, Paige!" This just fired the Anti-Diva up, as she hit a loud smack of her, then a clothesline. Paige Turner connected... but Emma kicked out at two! Paige was utterly shocked, as this marks the first time anyone's ever kicked out of the Paige Turner. Furious, Paige then tied Emma up into a submission hold, tying up her legs Sharpshooter style, but keeping Emma in front of her, (so an inverted Sharpshooter) then chicken-winging both of her arms and lifting her off the mat. Regal identified this as the Scorpion Cross Lock, and Emma had no choice but to tap out to give Paige the victory.
I was surprised by this, because I honestly thought Emma would get the win here. However, I'm not disappointed by the match. Both women showed they'd scouted one another, with call backs to their previous match. Emma, seen as something of a joke thanks to her antics on Raw and Smackdown, proved she's more than capable of bringing it, while Paige made a huge comeback from an injury hiatus. She even showed she could make a submissions expert like Emma tap out.
After the match, Paige pulled Emma to her feet and offered the handshake. Emma took it, but Paige pulled her in for a fierce staredown... before giving her the Hug of Respect. The fans showed their own respect for the match and both women by chanting "Divas!" Something I never thought I'd hear a WWE crowd chant.
Hype Segment: Adrian Neville
We saw a glimpse of Adrian Neville backstage, doing pushups and other stretches in preparation for his own match later. This segued into a video highlighting the 'Jumping Geordie,' making sure to point out his Red Arrow finisher. He was described as "fearless," and he was quoted about his love of the adrenaline rush he gets when he's in mid-air and feels that moment of weightlessness, something that makes sense when talking about 'The Man That Gravity Forgot.'
Match #5: Xavier Woods vs Tyler Breeze
Woods came out to "Somebody Call My Mama," and was welcomed heartily by the fans in attendance, while Breeze of course got a lot of pops as well. Commentary made sure to note that the fur for Breeze's outfit this week is made from Guatemalan alpaca, and ran down a list of his self-ascribed nicknames, including 'The King of Cuteville,' 'Prince Pretty,' 'The Most Gorgeous Grappler of the Game,' and 'The Sultan of Selfies.'
While Breeze was preening in the corner, however, Alexander Rusev's music hit. Woods' expression told the story there, as it just said "Aww, here we go." Breeze, naturally, was furious at an interruption. The Bulgarian Brute came out with Lana in tow, and both men attacked Rusev as he hit the ring. He effortlessly shoved them away, nailing Woods with a brutal thrust kick, then knocking Breeze down with a high kick to the chest. Breeze then ate a splash in the corner, and Woods the wrecking-ball splash in the opposite corner. Rusev quickly dispatched Breeze with the Clean-Jerk Samoan Drop, then powered up Woods for a stalling high uranage slam before cranking on the Accolade.
Commentary was selling this as Rusev looking to make an impact on the live special. Woods was tapping, but with match thrown out from Rusev's interference, there's no ref to stop him. Lana got in the ring while Rusev kept the hold locked in, and she addressed the crowd. "People of America, rise... for this is the Next Generation. He is the Super-Athlete, Alexander Rusev." She gave him the signal, he released Woods while the fans chanted "USA." Rusev took the microphone and spoke in Bulgarian, no translation given, but from the sound of it, it seems like he's repeating what Lana said in his own language.
Hype Segment: Bo Dallas
As before, we saw Bo Dallas warming up backstage to segue into a vignette to hype him for the main event. Much of the vignette had snippets of a sit-down interview with Bo, and these perfectly highlighted his spoiled, arrogant, and oblivious nature. The spoiled nature came up when he asked for some water, then said, "Do you have a glass? I don't drink out of bottles." The arrogance came out of quotes like "I always felt like I was a superstar ready to burst out. It was just a matter of when it was going to happen, not if." All these quotes were interspersed with clips from in-ring action, and Bo's Photoshopped "Bo versus The World" tour pictures. The obliviousness of Bo Dallas was perfectly highlighted by clips of the "No More Bo" chants and even a sign that said it, but Bo claimed they were chanting "Know More Bo" (and showed that "No More Bo" sign with a Photoshopped K and W on it).
The video also gave us some glimpses of Bo's savvy and cunning nature, being a serious threat, because one does not become the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history by being stupid.
A Word from The Heartbreak Kid
Yes, none other than Shawn Michaels himself came out with the NXT Championship belt in hand as he came to the ring. He greeted the fans and thanked them for their ovation, saying he's honored to be a part of the night. The fans started chanting "One More Match," which he riffed on, "I get asked that a lot... the question on the tip of everybody's lips, 'Shawn, are you ever going to stop enjoying retirement?' And I think to myself, here I am, fat and out of shape, not having to adhere to a dress code... who wants to change all that? Certainly not me." This was a nice, simple way to move things away from that and to perhaps put the kibosh on the doubtless thousands of tweets and emails he gets everyday asking him to come back.
He did briefly riff again on a fan chant of "H-B-Shizzle," noting they definitely need to get a shirt with that on it out. He then asked the fans to stop throwing him off because he's short for time. "Now, some of you might not know this, but I got a little bit of an inside shot on ladder matches." He plugged his new Mr. Wrestlemania DVD, quite shamelessly, and admitted he did it because he's got two kids he has to put through college and needs the money. But then he did finally get to business, plugging the upcoming match and the talent of the men in it.
Match #6: Ladder Match - NXT Championship - Bo Dallas defends vs Adrian Neville
It appears that CFO$ are NXT's new music composers, because Adrian Neville has new music from them as well, "Break Orbit," replacing Left With Tomorrow's "Faceless." We got the super-special in-ring introductions for both men as they stared one another down. When the bell rang, Bo broke first, trying to leave the ring to get a ladder. This was a nice touch, and brings to mind something Edge & Christian did for one of their TLC matches, coming to the ring first and bringing a ladder with them, which they immediately set up to try to win before the other competitors could come out.
Of course, that approach only works if your opponent isn't right there. Neville stopped him and started to strike away on Bo, who reversed a whip and sent him into the corner. Neville went up and over, doing handsprings to the opposite corner, but he blocked Bo's charge with a boot and a second-rope missile dropkick. Neville went to the top rope, perhaps looking for Red Arrow early, but Bo rolled away to the apron. Neville stood on the bottom rope to try to grab Bo, but his legs were swept from under him and he crashed to the mat.
Regal tried to spin Bo's oblivious antics on commentary as a deliberate act to get under people's skin, and to get people to underestimate him. That, I have to say, really works, because Bo Dallas' insincere heel-who-thinks-he's-a-babyface act does make you want to see him get punched in the face, but at the same time it means his cunning strategies can really catch you by surprise.
For example, after hitting Neville with repeated elbows to the head and a short-arm lariat, Bo picked Neville up and tied him up in the ropes on the far side of the ring, leaving him dangling upside down. He gave Neville a nasty little grin, then left the ring to get a ladder. This is a strategy I've often felt is overlooked. We've seen something similar as recently as December, when Randy Orton handcuffed John Cena to the ropes to try to keep him from climbing the ladder. It's a brilliant heel tactic.
It didn't pay off for Bo, however, as Neville got free and dropkicked the ladder off the apron, then wiped out Bo with a slingshot plancha. Neville put this ladder in the ring, but Bo pulled him off the apron, smashed him into the steps, then tied his arm up in the ring skirt as he went for another ladder. This is another glimpse of Bo's devious mind, something we do need to see more of, I think. Bo shouldered the ladder and attempted to launch it, javelin-like, into Neville's face, but Neville evaded and the ladder instead went in the ring.
Bo tried to regain control with a butterfly suplex on the floor, but Neville reversed it into a back body-drop on the ramp. Neville made it back to the ring and set up a ladder to climb, but Bo returned and threw the other ladder at him, then started spiking the ladder down into Neville's gut. Once he was down, Bo pinned him underneath the first ladder, starting to climb to the top. Neville once again showed that his physique isn't just for show, as he powered the ladder up and gave it enough tilt that Bo went crashing into the top rope. Neville got the ladder back upright and climbed, but Bo put enough tilt on it that Neville ate the top rope as well.
A tug-of-war ensued over the second ladder, but Bo used his size advantage to muscle him back in the corner hard enough to put him down. Bo wedge the ladder in between the ropes, attempting to catapult Neville into it, but he blocked it. Bo dragged him out from the corner, yanking him away from the ropes, but Neville landed on his feet, hooked him by the head and kicked off the corner-ladder for a tornado DDT. He tried to go up the ladder, but Bo tilted the ladder again. This time, Neville landed on his feet and pushed back at the ladder, before charging underneath it to tackle Bo back into the ropes. Their heads collided for a double KO spot as the ladder fell over.
Bo was first to his feet, nailing Neville in the corner with repeated clotheslines, then looked at the ladder on the mat with an evil smile. He set up for his tornado bulldog, but Neville countered and sent Bo face-first into the corner-ladder. The 'Jumping Geordie' was feeling the effects so far and took some time to set the ladder back up, long enough for Bo to get up and climb up the other side after him. The champion slugged away and pulled him face-first into the top rung, then pulled him down off the ladder and tossed him over the top to the apron. Neville blocked a punch, then hit a high kick to knock Bo down. Neville once again set up for Red Arrow, but Bo shoved him off the top, sending him crashing to the apron, and then the floor.
Once again, Bo's savviness showed as he took a moment or two to recover, then checked to make sure Neville was down before turning back to the ladder. He crawled his way slowly up the ladder, only just on the second rung when suddenly Neville springboarded off the top rope, over Bo's head, and onto the ladder! Bo was quick to follow, clubbing away at his back just as Neville had his fingertips on the title, teasing a German suplex off the ladder. Neville elbowed him off the ladder, but Bo just set up for a powerbomb off the ladder. Neville showed some great awareness of his own, pushing the ladder over before he ate a turnbuckle powerbomb onto the corner-ladder!
Neville propped himself up there, clearly in pain, as Bo picked up the other ladder and tried to sandwich him with a charge. Neville got the boot up, causing Bo to drop it, his fingers in pain, and then bodyslammed the champion onto the ladder! Bo was down long enough for Neville to dispose of the corner-ladder, then go to the top, and finally connect with the Red Arrow onto Bo, on the ladder!
Bo rolled out to the floor in pain as Neville crawled to the ladder to set it up. The fans could sense the finish coming, and with no sign of Bo, they were chanting "Yes!" as Neville started to climb. He was just at the top when Bo rolled back in quickly, racing to make it up the ladder, but he just wasn't fast enough as Neville grabbed the title to claim the victory, becoming the fourth NXT Champion in history.
Neville celebrated on top of the ladder as the "champion's jets" fired off smoke above the ring, while the fans cheered, and we got a glimpse of John Cena in the crowd, applauding WWE and NXT's newest champion
"NXT Arrival" Wrap-Up
Results:
- Cesaro defeated Sami Zayn with the Neutralizer.
- Mojo Rawley defeated CJ Parker with the Hyperdrive.
- The Ascension defeated Too Cool, with Konnor pinning Scotty 2 Hotty after the Fall of Man to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship.
- Paige defeated Emma via submission with the Scorpion Cross Lock to retain the NXT Women's Championship.
- Xavier Woods vs Tyler Breeze went to a no-contest when Alexander Rusev interfered.
- Adrian Neville defeated Bo Dallas in a ladder match to win the NXT Championship
This was an excellent showcase for NXT, and it was a brilliant move to put it on the WWE Network during its one-week free trial period. It was clearly a test-run, to see how well they can stream a live event before they do the same for Wrestlemania 30 in a few weeks' time. They've been hyping "NXT Arrival" as well, and they absolutely delivered.
I'm a little disappointed we didn't get to see Enzo Amore & BIG CASS on the show, and if anything, this would have been a great chance for Solomon Crowe to debut his "hacker" character by hacking the stream somehow, but then again, the show was a little heavily loaded already. Crowe will probably be one of the next wave of break-outs after Mania season.
If you have the WWE Network, and you haven't seen "NXT Arrival," I urge you to go and see it as soon as you can. (Provided you can get the Network to...you know, work.)
No comments:
Post a Comment