NXT talk

[Norwegian Rudo]

They also signed Evie and Nixon Newell, who will probably report with Hojo with Io reporting later. I'd assume the would hold on to debut all of them in the women's tournament that they are taping in July and August. I don't know what they will do after that. If you count all of the women on the main roster, NXT, the trainees at the performance center and the ones they've just signed the WWE has around 40 women under contract for just in-ring performers. That's a lot to have when you consider that there are already a few women who can't get on TV now.

My suspicion is we'll get NXT split into seperate men and women's shows later this year. As you say, they're going to have way too many women for the current show.

[Cap]

I kind of hope not. They could just embrace the fact that the show will be at least 50% women, sometimes more, given ebbs and flows of the show and the roster. I would much rather them do that and/or come up with some new programing. I would watch and I know women's wrestling has a lot of momentum right now, but splitting NXT into a men and women's show seems like a really good way to slow that momentum and I think they would have to put real work in to fight their (and wrestling culture's) instincts to turn the women's show as the B show.

[Norwegian Rudo]

I kind of hope not. They could just embrace the fact that the show will be at least 50% women, sometimes more, given ebbs and flows of the show and the roster. I would much rather them do that and/or come up with some new programing. I would watch and I know women's wrestling has a lot of momentum right now, but splitting NXT into a men and women's show seems like a really good way to slow that momentum and I think they would have to put real work in to fight their (and wrestling culture's) instincts to turn the women's show as the B show.

Giving the women 10 minutes more or whatever isn't in any way enough for the number of women with talent. They could extend NXT to 2 hrs and achieve the same result, but the chatter has been about a women's show, not just giving the women more time.

[stro]

They were talking about doing a women's only show about 2 years ago when they didn't have half the talent they do now, so I'm sure they'll take it seriously. Their model going forward seems to be making a show for each segment of their audience and using Raw/SD as catchalls.

[Cap]

Look, I get the premise of giving women their own show and in theory it sounds fantastic, and I have no doubt they are talking about it and have been for a while. I just don't have faith in them to treat the show as equal to a "men's" NXT. I hope I am wrong, but there is really not a lot on the company's resume to make me believe it will be treated as anything more than a B-show for what will ultimately come across as "the real" NXT show.

 

Again, if I am wrong no one will be happier than I am about it.

[Grimmas]

I'd rather they just make NXT 50/50 men/women then give them their own show.

[stro]

Look, I get the premise of giving women their own show and in theory it sounds fantastic, and I have no doubt they are talking about it and have been for a while. I just don't have faith in them to treat the show as equal to a "men's" NXT. I hope I am wrong, but there is really not a lot on the company's resume to make me believe it will be treated as anything more than a B-show for what will ultimately come across as "the real" NXT show.

 

Again, if I am wrong no one will be happier than I am about it.

I assume it wouldn't be called NXT Women, and would be it's own thing like the cruiserweight and UK shows.

[Ricky Jackson]

A potential problem with a women's show is what has helped make 205 Live a flop, that they will shoehorn typical WWE personalities and angles onto the wrestlers and nobody will care. Hopefully they will at least avoid the second big problem with 205 Live and tape at Full Sail instead of in front of dead Smackdown crowds

[stro]

Yeah I don't know why they don't tape 205 Live at Full Sail, a place where the audience knows the talent and will react to their shit instead of in front of a crowd that just saw a 2 hour show and most need to leave because they have work or kids to get to school in the morning, a lot of whom didn't watch the CWC and have no idea who these people are or why they're supposed to give a shit about the storylines they don't know about because they don't watch 205 Live on the Network.

 

I assume that's why they keep doing the same angles every week for months on end, because every live audience is basically 70% a brand new audience that doesn't know what the storylines are to begin with.

[Cap]

 

Look, I get the premise of giving women their own show and in theory it sounds fantastic, and I have no doubt they are talking about it and have been for a while. I just don't have faith in them to treat the show as equal to a "men's" NXT. I hope I am wrong, but there is really not a lot on the company's resume to make me believe it will be treated as anything more than a B-show for what will ultimately come across as "the real" NXT show.

 

Again, if I am wrong no one will be happier than I am about it.

I assume it wouldn't be called NXT Women, and would be it's own thing like the cruiserweight and UK shows.

 

Yeah, I don't mean that they will name it NXT women, I just think that whatever show they do with women will be framed, presented, and ultimately approached as a less important show than NXT (or whatever they make the "male" version).

 

I would be a little more optimistic if they kept women on NXT, went about 50/50 there, and in addition started a show exclusively for women that would obviously start as an implicit feeding system into NXT but they could work to grow into its own thing. Then MAYBE if it catches fire you move all the women who aren't on the "main roster" over. Even then I just think NXT is too much of a hyped and respected brand to just take all the women off and start something else with them without losing momentum for the women.

[hammerva]

Yeah I don't know why they don't tape 205 Live at Full Sail, a place where the audience knows the talent and will react to their shit instead of in front of a crowd that just saw a 2 hour show and most need to leave because they have work or kids to get to school in the morning, a lot of whom didn't watch the CWC and have no idea who these people are or why they're supposed to give a shit about the storylines they don't know about because they don't watch 205 Live on the Network.

 

I assume that's why they keep doing the same angles every week for months on end, because every live audience is basically 70% a brand new audience that doesn't know what the storylines are to begin with.

 

I guess the problem with running at Full Sail is that if these angles are crap they will let people know it. I can't imagine that NXT crowd reaction to this entire Noam Dar/Alicia Fox/etc feud. I mean I guess Noam would get more heat because I don't remember liking him in the first place.

[jcmmnx]

I think making NXT a 90 minute show would be the best solution. Do two tapings per month of two episodes each. I want to see the young developmental talent get a chance to find their footing along with the Strong/Itami matches. With a 90 minute show they could have at least two women's matches and a few angles per show.

 

I do have a decent amount of confidence that a women's only show would be treated fairly because basically for 3 years now the women's division has been one of the best things in NXT and was pretty clearly the best thing in 2015.

[The Thread Killer]

Does anybody know if Tommy End/Aleistar Black can cut a half decent promo?

 

I was unfamiliar with him prior to the most recent Takeover, but based on that, and his recent appearances on Main Event and NXT...I kind of like the guy. He has a unique look, and a great theme/entrance combo. I am sure his in-ring style isn't for everybody, but it appears to be somewhat like Nakamura? By that I mean a lot of kicking and strikes.

 

All that stuff combined...along with a great name to boot, that guy could be money. If he can cut a half decent promo. Assuming WWE doesn't screw it up and turn him into Bray Wyatt version 2.0.

 

Which they probably will.

[Blehschmidt]

I don't know that I have ever heard him actually cut a wrestling promo, and I have watched a ton of his pre-WWE work. He did appear on Colt Cabana's podcast, and he was interesting enough and had a good story, but I know that doesn't necessarily translate.

[Cap]

Yeah, I am not sure I have ever heard him cut one either. That makes me think it may not be his strength. Regardless, they gave him a persona he can work with with in silence as they work with him on promos, if it is in fact a weakness.

[BBscout]

More of a Steve Blackman than CM Punk on the main roster. Either way, looks like a cool dude.

[stro]

He reminds me of CM Punk in that he's skinny fat

[Cap]

If Steve Blackman and CM Punk switched bodies in some sort of Freaky Friday situation, Punk would very much resemble Aleister Black/Tommy End.

[Jimmy Redman]

I've caught up on the last month of NXT TV in time for Takeover. I honestly had no idea it was this weekend until today.

 

The MVP was clearly Nikki Cross. The big Nikki/Ruby brawl from weeks ago was awesome. And her interview was fucking glorious. I like how it was presented as kind of a giant fuck you from the NXT production crew. They tried to do the interview but she was such a fucking lunatic that they just threw their hands up and went, well, what bits CAN we use? And we're left with a couple of false starts and her cutting a wild promo way too close to the camera. They didn't even bother cleaning the lighting up. And they put in those super obnoxious static breaks just to hammer home the message: "And this is just the footage we could use guys. Imagine what we couldn't air! She trashed all our stuff, tried to eat the boom mike...I think she actually bit one of the techs. Fucking BIT the guy! He went home crying. Don't ever leave me in a room with that psycho ever again. Surely Full Sail can get me some other video production work experience where I won't turn up to class with scratch marks all over my face and a sore groin..."

 

Also fun was reaffirming that NXT, even in its current sleepwalking mode of booking, is still the land of miracles because they actually made me give a shit about Roderick fucking Strong. How they made this douche into a super sympathetic underdog babyface in a matter of 10 minutes is a wonder and a marvel. God bless this show. So much so that by the time they did the No. 1 Contender's match, it was weird that Roddy wasn't going to win it. It almost seems like a wasted opportunity to not capitalise on that goodwill right away.

 

Great match though. During it I really liked Nigel explaining that back work makes it harder to kick out of pinfalls, so even though Roddy's finish is a head kick, his backbreaker offense still makes sense because any damage to the back is going to help you win a match in the end.

 

The timing Black has on that spin kick is out of this world. I couldn't give a shit about all of these kicks suddenly permeating wrestling as finishers (why is Drew Mac's finisher a Yakuza kick? Just makes him look like he's copying everyone else) and to me they all kind of look the same, but I could watch Black hit his finish all day.

 

Heavy Machinery are kind of great as goofy babyfaces, and the eventual hoss match with the AOP is going to rule. Speaking of AOP, they're having a ladder match at Takeover, and they are so dominant and DIY are so insane that I'm slightly scared that someone is going to legit die. Should be awesome though.

 

A good sign for the women's division is that they're introducing all these new people who are distinct and recognisable. Ruby is the punk rocker. Evans is the sheila in the vintage fashion outfit. Sonya is the MMA sheila. There's that giant lady called Gonzalez. Kimberlee and Candice are indy girls. Plus all of the established girls like the Aussie sheilas, Liv Morgan and Aaliyah. Judging from the battle royal crowd Full Sail has decidedly turned on Aaliyah.

 

Speaking of that battle royal, HOLY FUCKING JESUS EMBER MOON'S MOTHERFUCKING DEATH. WHAT IN THE JESUS FUCKING CHRIST ALMIGHTY. Is she dead? That was insane. She fucking FLEW into that fence. Was she shot out of a cannon? Does Asuka have super strength? And are we sure she's not dead?

 

Asshole In Chief Asuka is great though. The more she holds the title, the longer she's undefeated the cockier she gets, and the more she walks around thinking she can do whatever the fuck she wants because nobody can step to her. Regal can send all the girls he wants at her, she'll kill and eat them all. Fuck you. I super need more Douchebag Asuka interviews by the side of the pool though.

 

Enjoyed Gallagher and Bate just going full WoS with the wrist levers and monkey flipping and crazy pinfalls and bendy hurty arm work and Nigel trying on his Kent Walton. I only wish he'd have talked about Gallagher being the one in the striped trunks.

 

Did Patrick Clark really need to be given a Prince gimmick? I feel like he had enough heel charisma as himself that he didn't need to be boxed into such a derivative character. But I suppose let's see what he does with it.

 

Roode is so boring though, fuck. I assume the plan is for Drew to fuck him up in Brooklyn, and I cannot wait.

[jcmmnx]

Asuka is the best character in WWE right now. Just a total homerun performance without needing to say more than a few words at a time to get everything across. It feels like they are on the cusp of another golden age for the women's division with Asuka getting more interesting over a year into her title run, and two top flight potential challengers for her just signed in Shirai and Hojo. And yes Nikki Cross is completely awesome in her role. I wish she would leave Sanity because she's too good for that group.

 

MMA fighter feels like such a lazy gimmick. I guess it was cool and fresh when Shamrock did it 20 years ago. Drew Mac should be the champ by years end. Dude just looks and carries himself like a star.

[Ricky Jackson]

Completely agree with Asuka. She's my favorite performer under the WWE umbrella. Classic character already

[topropepodcast]

Word is Ciampa may have seriously hurt himself tonight. Might need a last minute audible for Takeover. Ohno or Lorcan filling in seem the most likely, but a Johnny Gargano and Scott Dawson super team is the best fantasy booking I've heard.

[jcmmnx]

HHH said it was a sprained ankle for Ciampa, and as of now the match is still on.

[Cap]

Its smart. They can see how he feels he night of and make sure they have a surprise backup on deck.

[Coffey]

More boring: Roderick Strong or Bobby Roode?

 

I could not care less about this Roderick Strong Vs. Eric Young match. Dude just has zero charisma.