And Triple H continued to duck Daniel Bryan's demands for a match at Wrestlemania... but he wasn't quick enough to duck a kick in the head.
Down in NXT Land, Adrian Neville was put on notice by ex-champion Bo Dallas, Charlotte proved she's the "Dirtiest Diva in the Game," the Adam Rose Experience arrived on NXT, and Corey Graves picked a fight with Sami Zayn
This week was an odd jumble. There was at least one taping of NXT episodes before "NXT Arrival" that wasn't aired, but another set of episodes was taped since then. Judging from the strange jump in commentary match-ups and references to vignettes that we never saw, NXT must have cannibalized both sets of tapings to put together this week's episode. I hope this is not a continuing trend, because it will get a little confusing.
NXT Stars Making Good... sort of
Some of our known NXT stars on Raw and Smackdown are in a bit of an odd place. The Santino/Emma pairing is starting to get a bit shoved down our throats, in particular with the persistence of Michael Cole to keep reminding us how "funny" Emma is. Emma got over on NXT because she had the time to connect to the crowd. The Emmalution did not catch on immediately, but the commentators also did not see the need to persistently tell us how "great" of a dancer she was. That's because the joke is she's not a very good dancer, but she thinks she is, and the fans play along with it.
They also attempted to re-do the Santino/Emma vs Fandango/Summer Rae match that I talked about in my first blog, but the humor fell a bit flat because they tried to cram all the humor into just five minutes or so, and they haven't given Emma the chance to show how good of a wrestler she is. Hopefully they can shift her away from feuding with Summer so she can mix it up with Natalya or Alicia Fox before she goes after AJ Lee.
Meanwhile, Big E Langston has been forced to give up his last name and is still the Intercontinental Champion, but his title reign has been somewhat marginalized this week as he was used as a vehicle to further the "cracks in the Real Americans" storyline. Jack Swagger and Cesaro (another person who is now going by just one name) have been having a game of heated one-upsmanship that seems to suggest the team may be breaking up soon. Hopefully, Big E can recover from this and step it up, since one of the rumors is the WWE may do a title unification match between Big E and Dean Ambrose.
Alexander Rusev continues to be hyped, but the hype is shifting away from pre-taped promos to having Lana come out to the stage, speaking in Russian before introducing Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute then simply stands on a platform and repeats what Lana has said in Bulgarian, while staring blankly ahead. I'm therefore assuming they'll be giving him some big debut match either at Wrestlemania or on the post-Mania Raw. His new theme continues to be awesome, as it underscores his promos.
Of course, this segment of my blog would be remiss if I didn't briefly discuss the big Network debut last week. While the WWE Network is still experiencing some launch problems, many fans have reported their excitement at being able to watch old episodes of Raw, Smackdown, ECW Hardcore TV, and the old PPVs. And of course, "NXT Arrival" was a big success last week, being used also as a test run for WWE's live event stream in preparation for Wrestlemania. While "Arrival" had a couple of hiccups, it worked for the most part, and NXT is set to be a big part of the Network going forward.
There is also talk that NXT is going to be pushed as an entirely separate brand. While it will still be the developmental program, and that its angles will not impact Raw or Smackdown overmuch, the scuttlebutt is that call-ups will be slowed down and NXT will be pushed with a heavier wrestling focus. This means we may not see Sami Zayn or Adrian Neville on the main roster as soon as we'd hoped, but it also means we'll get to see them mixing it up on NXT, where they've thus far been used almost perfectly. Thus, a somewhat mixed blessing for NXT fans.
As I noted earlier, this week's episode looks to have been cobbled together from at least two different episode tapings. As such, commentary switches up a bit partway through the show. Regardless, the main team was Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and William Regal, a much more solid trio with the absence of Alex Riley, who seems to have become the Raw/Smackdown Pre-Show analyst. Renee Young joined the team for the Divas match.
For part of the show, the team swapped out Regal for Tensai, who continues to be the exuberant big man. I admit, I rather like this side of Tensai, although I think if they're going to be using him as a commentator/interviewer, they should drop the "Tensai" name. I'm not suggesting they call him by his real name, but give him a name that isn't just a single word.
New Opening Video
The video that started "NXT Arrival" last week, featuring "The Roar of the Crowd," appears to be NXT's new opening video, and not only shows the stars of NXT, but it gives their names as well, letting newcomers fairly easily learn who the notables are.
Match #1: Adrian Neville vs Camacho
Last week was Adrian Neville's big night, as he defeated Bo Dallas in the first-ever NXT Ladder Match to become the fourth NXT Champion. What wasn't seen in the "NXT Arrival" broadcast (but was presumably seen in the post-show) was that the Almighty John Cena, who was seen in the crowd, came to the ring to put over Neville's win. It was a nice touch, having the man who is fairly unquestionably the real Face of the WWE give his props to one of NXT's rising stars.
The match with Camacho was a fairly basic squash, the end of which was obvious when Camacho was seen already in the ring for Neville's entrance. While Camacho got a few licks of offense in, he eventually fell to a flurry of strikes from Neville, who concluded with a series of kicks (sole butt kick, running one-legged dropkick, a second-rope missile dropkick) to set up the Red Arrow for the three-count.
After the match was where it got more interesting. Renee Young came to the ring to congratulate him on the win and his big victory at "NXT Arrival." Neville said it was indescribable how he felt, saying he's been in the business for ten years, and last week was something else. Last week was a pivotal moment in his career, the most amazing night in his life. But the most important thing is the title on his shoulder. "This is validation. This is a message, a message to everyone and anyone, and that message is 'Anything is Possible.'" This was somewhat sappy face talk, but then Neville saved it by continuing, "Take one look at me; I'm not your prototypical champion, I'm not the biggest guy. To be honest, I look like some crazy elf-man! I'm from a small town in northern England that no one's ever heard of, and the accent-- the accent! Be honest with me," he said to Renee, "can you even understand what I'm saying? I sometimes struggle to understand myself. ...One thing you can never question is what I do in here. The NXT Championship proves I am the very best in this ring! Actually, the best thing about last week is that there is NO MORE BO." This, of course, started a "No More Bo" chant, which Neville started to lead.
Of course, this also cued the arrival of Bo Dallas himself, who has upped his punchability by adding earrings to his look. Neville wasn't pleased with Bo's interruption, and the two stared each other down, with Bo looking quietly furious. "Adrian, I've been thinking about our match all week. I only have one thing to say to you-- congratulations!" And therrrre's the smile. "You have done something no man on earth could do! You defeated me. I've always told my Bo-lievers to be good sports," which was a clever way for Bo to spin the fans' anti-adoration for himself to sound like he was controlling it, "but you didn't pin me! You climbed up a ladder like a dad cleaning out the gutters. I hope you've taken plenty of photos with you holding that championship and sent them on home to your friends and family in England, because I'm cashing in my rematch clause... soon. And I'm bringing that title home for all of my Bo-lievers." To cap it all off, the dethroned champ added, "Hey, Neville, It's Bo Time," and gave him a sarcastic thumbs up.
Bo Dallas has come a long way from the bland-as-milk babyface they tried to push him as initially. To be fair, his returning-from-devastating-injury angle (they have mentioned his lacerated kidney many times) was made for a babyface, but it was let down by Bo's lack of charisma. It took his aborted push to the main roster last year to kick off his heel turn, and he has taken it and run with it. Between that smile, his delusional talk of his Bo-lievers (and all the other assorted 'Bo' puns), and his cunning in-ring tactics, he's become an effective heel. Kudos to him for that.
Last Week: Post-match with Emma
This interview was filmed last week, following Emma's loss to Paige for the NXT Women's Championship, as Renee Young caught up with her backstage. Emma said, "It's a little disappointing. Turns out Paige is tougher than anyone you've ever faced, anyone I've ever faced. Paige deserves to be champion. Tonight, I earned her respect at last, and I guess we're friends after all. So I can move on. I've had my match, and I know that one day I can be champion in WWE. Emmalution!"
At that point, Ric Flair walked up, giving her props on her tenacity, saying she fought like she was the champion, but then said that both Emma and Paige will have to look down the line, and see the next NXT Women's Champion will be his daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte herself came up, somewhat insincerely offering condolences, "I hate losing, you must be devastated. And to lose twice?! You have my number, call me if you need a shoulder to cry on." Throughout Charlotte's speech, Emma just stared at her, somewhat blankly, a smile fixed on her face. This annoyed Charlotte, who then got faked out on an Emmalution hand-jab, before Emma left. Flair and Charlotte just laughed this off, claiming they've "cracked" her and gotten in her head.
Last Week: Post-match with Paige
On the other side of an ad-break, we got the follow-up to Emma's post-match interview, as Renee Young interviewed Paige after her successful title defense. "Well, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to win, but Emma gave me one hell of a fight." Paige said she respects Emma now for it, and calls her a friend. "After that match, I would like to welcome all challengers," Paige declared, adding boastfully, "Very easy now."
Much as happened to Emma, Paige was then approached by Ric Flair, who called her awesome, a great champion, and that she now has to look forward to Charlotte, who walked up, applauding. The daughter of the Nature Boy then mockingly referred to Paige's nickname of "The Diva of Tomorrow," before introducing herself. "I know who you are, Charlotte." "You have no clue who I am, Paige. So let me officially introduce myself. I am the Diva who's going to take that Women's Championship from you." The two stared each other down to end the segment.
Charlotte's delivery still needs some work. She may have some impressive in-ring skills, such as we've seen anyway, but it would appear that her father's ability to cut a promo wasn't one of the talents he passed along to her. I'll withhold further opinion on Charlotte until a little bit later.
Match #2: Emma vs Charlotte (w/ Sasha Banks)
Charlotte had a new entrance theme this week, "Going Down" by Spider Rockets, which has a nice sound to it. Sasha Banks accompanied her out to the ring, and filled in for the absent Summer Rae by holding up a Summer cut-out face on a stick. Renee Young, on commentary, dubbed Charlotte "the Dirtiest Diva in the Game," and didn't think much of Charlotte's riding her father's coattails, saying it's not a very admirable quality. Renee said she thought Charlotte should carve her own path, while Saxton and Regal both agreed that Charlotte should do whatever it takes to be successful.
Emma was forced back into the corner off a lock up, but ducked a swing from Charlotte. They locked up again and fought for control over a wrist-lock. Eventually, Emma won that exchange and forced Charlotte to the mat with a hammerlock, while the fans chanted "Better Than Batista," in reference to Emma's excellent sit-out powerbomb last week.
Charlotte fought her way up, but got rolled up by Emma for a two-count. Charlotte caught her with a kneelift, shot her into the corner, but ran into a boot and got rolled up again for a near-fall. This time, Emma sent her into the corner, where Charlotte tried to go up and over, but appeared to twist her ankle on the landing and went down. Emma hesitated for a moment before going for a quick cover, but then the referee started to check on Charlotte.
While this was happening, Sasha Banks got on the apron, apparently concerned. Emma noticed her and turned to face her down, wary of a sneak-attack, but this left her back exposed to Charlotte, who nipped to her feet, then caught Emma with the Somersault Cutter for a three-count. A masterfully deceptive heel move, straight out of Ric Flair's handbook, to give Charlotte the victory.
Now, I've got mixed feelings about Charlotte's new push. On the one hand, I think it's good that we're getting some new blood injected into the NXT Women's division and to see Charlotte wrestling some more. It was starting to get a little dull seeing the various permutations of Summer & Sasha vs Natalya & Bayley over and over again. On the other, fairly early in Charlotte's tenure in NXT, she warned off Bayley about doing the Ric Flair "Wooo!" around her, saying she wanted to step out from her father's shadow. To now have Charlotte turn around and associate herself with her father, even play off her father's "Dirtiest Player" moniker and tactics, is a bit unusual. However, I'm willing to overlook it if they have her cut a brief promo to the effect of saying "Summer and Sasha helped me realize that I should embrace my heritage, to do whatever it takes to be successful," or something like that.
Last Week: Post-match with Sami Zayn
Continuing on the theme of showing the post-match interviews from last week, Renee Young talked with Sami Zayn about his loss to Cesaro. Sami had nothing to say, saying that he was still processing it all. She asked him what Cesaro said to him after the match, in the "hug of respect," but Sami said "It's kind of personal, it's between me and Cesaro, but I got what I wanted out of that match," suggesting that Cesaro gave Sami the respect he was looking for.
Match #3: Yoshi Tatsu vs Corey Graves
Graves had new music as well this week, ditching Carl B.'s "Dead and Gone" for "Christcontrol" by Cancer Killing Gemini, which is a shame, because I liked "Dead and Gone." Graves grabbed a microphone on his way out and cut a promo before the match. "Before we get this started, there's something I need to get off my chest. In the event this the first time you're watching NXT on the WWE Network. Allow me to introduce myself, they call me Graves. I wouldn't have to come out here to introduce myself, had I been invited to NXT Arrival like I should have been. Instead, I'm forced to come out here and compete with a guy who still thinks he can be a WWE superstar. But more importantly, there's something that's been bothering me, it's been sticking in my brain, that one thing... is Sami Zayn. All I've heard about is Sami Zayn and his Rematch of the Year with Cesaro. Let me ask you a question: when was the last time Sami Zayn actually won a match? I forgot, he's been injured for a while, but apparently all you need is heart to get chance after chance after chance against the guy you can't beat. I would only need one shot, one chance in the center of this ring, and I would beat Cesaro. But instead, I'm here with Yoshi Tatsu, who hasn't been relevant since... since, well, ever. So you know what? Let's just get this over with."
Naturally, Graves' disrespct for Yoshi Tatsu got the Japanese superstar some "Yoshi" chants. They circled one another for a bit, before Graves bailed out of the ring, grabbing the mic to say, "On second thought, forget this." He stayed outside to start the ten-count, teasing a return at six, which lured Yoshi Tatsu to the outside. Graves sent him head-first into the steps, then rolled into the ring to let Yoshi be counted out, which he was. Yoshi was just making it back on the apron when the ten-count was reached, so Graves kept attacking him after the match, dragging him into the ring to lock in the Lucky 13 submission for a meaningless tap-out.
This bullying brought Sami Zayn out, and Graves bailed to the floor with a smirk as he started to leave. Sami grabbed the mic now. "Hey, Graves, I didn't know that we had a problem, but apparently we do. You're talking about opportunities, all you have to do is ask." He challenged Graves to a match later tonight.
Last Week: Party Time with Adam Rose
Interviewer Devin Taylor went into a room with a bunch of costumed party-goers to try to meet with Adam Rose. All of the party-goers were presumably disused or yet-to-debut NXT talent, as Solomon Crowe could be seen as the DJ, and Kalisto was doing some moves with a quarterstaff. Taylor eventually met Rose, who was enjoying Kalisto's moves, and told Taylor, "Everything you know is about to change." He called the party people his "Rose Buds," then cut the interview short, saying that she was being boring, and no one's allowed to be boring at his parties. The party music then switched to Above Envy's "World Gone Wild," which Rose called "his song" and started dancing as well.
Last Week: Aftermath of Rusev
Last week, Alexander Rusev stormed the ring to attack Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze, for no reason other than to make an impact on the live show of "NXT Arrival." Renee Young interviewed Woods about the attack, who said, "How do I feel? I feel like I just got kicked in by a monster. Rusev, apparently you have a problem with me, you Ivan Drago-looking piece of garbage. You might as well call me Creed, but I don't lose at the end of this story. Next time we're here, one on one, you and me." I like the references Woods dropped, as some people have indeed been comparing Rusev to the villain of Rocky IV, and of course, before coming to WWE, Woods was known as "Consequences Creed" in That Other Wrestling Company.
Renee also separately interviewed Rusev and Lana, mentioning the challenge from Woods. Rusev spoke at length in Bulgarian, which I don't speak, but some of the words sounded familiar enough that I think Rusev was just repeating his usual words when he's speaking. Renee asked for a translation from Lana, who said, "Rusev says he accepts." That match will be next week.
Match #4: Adam Rose (w/ the Rose-buds) vs Wesley Blake
When we returned from an ad-break, the Rose Buds were dancing on the stage and ramp, before Adam Rose himself danced to the front of the line, perfectly synchronized with the chorus of the song: "World gone wiiiiild -- woooo!" He climbed onto the apron and did a trust-fall-esque stage dive onto the Rose Buds and got carried around the ring before the Rose Buds danced off and Rose danced alone in the ring. The NXT Crowd gave him a "That Was Awesome" chant for the entrance alone.
Wesley Blake is the "Cowboy up!" wrestler from some of the leaked Performance Center promo practices, and he started out with a wristlock, but Rose escaped with a somersault, then continued to do somersaults in the ring to disorient Blake before delivering a chop to the chest and dancing around again. When Blake closed in, Rose leaned back through the ropes, see-sawing a bit to keep Blake back, before kicking him in the face and hitting a shoulder block for a two-count.
Rose caught him with an armdrag and applied a keylock arm-bar, but Blake got up and backed him into a corner and punched him. This angered Rose, who yelled, "He wants to fight, huh?!" He speared him down, delivering multiple elbows to the side of the head, then some knees, then some more elbows. He picked Blake up, planted him with a huge spinebuster, then backed into the corner. He started doing some gyrations and hip-thrusts, then hit Blake with a huge lariat for the three-count. After the match, Rose danced up the ramp to rejoin the Rose Buds.
This was our first chance to see Adam Rose, the new character of the former Leo Kruger. I was one of the first to admit that I didn't like the idea of the character when I first heard about it, liking the creepy South African mercenary/hunter-of-men character of Leo Kruger more than some Russel Brand rocker-type. I am proud to say that I was wrong, and I think the Adam Rose Experience is a great thing, and seeing some of the other NXT not-yet-notables in the Rose Buds is a great way to get them on TV and give them some exposure before putting them in the ring.
Match #5: Corey Graves vs Sami Zayn
After the earlier encounter, we were told, JBL, as NXT's General Manager, booked this match. Commentary was selling that the main thing that Sami Zayn had wanted was the respect of Cesaro, win or lose, and therefore he got what he wanted. This was in comparison to this match with Graves, commentary added, which is all about shutting the 'Savior of Misbehavior' up.
To start with, Graves got Sami into the corner and chopped away, but Sami was quick to reverse and return fire, which Graves stopped by kicking out his bad leg and pummeling him around. Sami started to rally back, but again Graves went low to the leg and cranked on a headlock to ground him. Once again, Sami Zayn would not go away and got to his feet, hitting a series of armdrags that sent Graves to the floor. Sami wound up for his tope con hilo, but Graves saw it coming and walked out of range. Seeing that, Sami instead did a spring-flip off the ropes, landing in a crouch and dared Graves to come back in the ring, while the fans chanted "Olé!"
Graves tried to bait Sami into coming out of the ring, and got him close enough to hotshot his neck off the ropes to soften him up for a series of strikes and a near-fall. He followed this up with a gourdbuster for another near-fall as we went to an ad-break. When we returned, Sami was still grounded as Graves cranked on a quarter-nelson hold, even fish-hooking his mouth for a moment. Sami fought to get out, but Graves clubbed him down and put him in the corner, slugging away and stomping him down. He delivered a leg twist to soften up the bad knee, clearly looking forward for Lucky 13, and then went back to the quarter-nelson, stopping another attempt by Sami to get free by planting him with a back suplex for a near-fall.
At last, Sami Zayn got his feet under him, hitting a clothesline on Graves, then a big back body drop. Graves got to his feet in the corner, where Sami lined him up for the Corner Boot, but Graves blocked it and hit Sami with a fireman's carry backbreaker for another two-count. He lined up Sami now for a shot in the corner, but ran into a boot, and was caught with a high crossbody for a near-fall. Now Sami lined up for the Corner Boot once again, but ran into a hard right hand from Graves, who attempted to go for Lucky 13, which Sami blocked, and then he planted Graves with the Blue Thunder Bomb for a near-fall.
Both men took a few moments to recover, and Sami once again looked for the Corner Boot, but in mid-charge, Graves clipped the knee and went for Lucky 13 again. Sami rolled him up for a near-fall, then grabbed the hand as he set up for his signature Tornado DDT, but in mid-move, Graves caught him on his shoulders in the fireman's carry, looking for the backbreaker again, but Sami countered into a small package to get the three-count! Graves was in disbelief as Sami celebrated up the ramp.
Graves has a solid technical base to his in-ring skills, but he seems to suffer from a problem wherein NXT doesn't quite know what to do with him. He was being pushed to be a big heel challenger to face champ Seth Rollins almost two years ago, but that got sidelined when Rollins joined The Shield and turned heel, forcing Graves to turn face by default. The long partnership with Adrian Neville to capture the NXT Tag Team Titles and then the rivalry with him has left him struggling to re-find his heel footing. A cruel, cunning malcontent would be a suitable fit to his look and style, if NXT would commit to it.
Next week: Rusev vs Woods II
Weekly Rundown
- Adrian Neville defeated Camacho with the Red Arrow.
- Bo Dallas invokes his rematch soon.
- Charlotte put NXT Women's Champion Paige on notice.
- Charlotte defeated Emma with a somersault cutter after faking an ankle injury.
- Corey Graves called out Sami Zayn.
- Corey Graves defeated Yoshi Tatsu via count-out, then got challenged to a match by Sami Zayn.
- Adam Rose gave an interview at his party to Devin Taylor.
- Xavier Woods laid out a challenge to Alexander Rusev, which he accepted.
- Adam Rose defeated Wesley Blake with a lariat.
- Sami Zayn defeated Corey Graves with a small package.
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