NXT
has been the best part of WWE for quite some time now. The gimmicks
are a little more fun, the atmosphere is a little looser, and the
action is totally non-stop (ahem). It feels like the boys – and
definitely the girls – have a little more room to find themselves
and discover ways to connect with the crowd.
Owens
didn’t blow me away initially. It took me a while to warm up to
what he was doing, which is often what happens with my favorite
things. What kept me watching was the fact that everything else on
the shows was amazing and in a way reminded me of early TNA, one of
my favorite eras of wrestling. Or at least, the best parts of TNA –
action, interesting characters, and unpredictability.
This
time around I’m going to put the tag teams together because for the
most part we haven’t seen them as individuals.
Aiden
English &
Simon Gotch
- I love this team. The guys stick to the gimmick all the way and as
a result are hugely entertaining, but I have to wonder if The
Vaudevillains would work as well on the main roster. But maybe I
don’t’
have to wonder about that because NXT is essentially its own viable
brand even more than it is a developmental brand. It had grown beyond
what was intended. So maybe Gotch and English will be just fine
here. I certainly don’t want to see this fun gimmick abandoned.
Alex
Riley
– The guy has something, but I feel like he’s never found the
right character. He’s good, but he has that fake intensity thing
going on. Not like Orton’s because Riley at least comes across like
he’s trying. But when he gets all enraged he doesn’t seem like
he’s buying it.
Alexa
Bliss
– Much better as a heel. I haven’t seen a ton of her in-ring
work, but she meshes well with Blake and Murphy, who I expect to see
competing for the titles again soon.
Angelo
Dawkins
– I am honestly not sure who this guy is. I think he’s lost some
matches.
Apollo
Crews
– Didn’t buy the hype at first, but seeing is believing. He’s
still a little green, but he has a ton of charisma and athleticism.
Totally held his own in the title match.
Asuka
– A legitimate phenom. She’s so good and so unique that it’s
almost unreal. Nobody works like her. Her mannerisms are so wild and
her moves are so fluid and solid it’s unbelievable. I want to see
her wrestle William Regal. That would be fucking awesome.
Baron
Corbin
– I don’t get it. I don’t know if he isn’t comfortable, can’t
emote, or is Orton-esque, but I don’t buy one thing he does.
Additionally, he does not look like the monster they make him out to
be. I haven’t seen anything other than his admittedly impressive
finisher that is compelling.
Bayley
– One of the few modern day wrestlers that I get all worked up
about like a kid. I am wholeheartedly behind Bayley and genuinely
want her to win every match. Her title match and defense had me more
invested than I can remember being in a very long time.
Billie
Kay
– One of the Australian girls. I think she’s okay.
Blake
& Murphy
– Solid heel tag team. I don’t love them, but I missed the bulk
of their reign. I do like their chemistry with Alexa Bliss and feel
like the trio have a good thing going.
Bull
Dempsey
– Bull is fun. I don’t know how much upside he has, but for the
moment he’s way over with the fans. I don’t mind watching him,
but I also don’t take him too seriously. Not that there’s
anything wrong with that.
Carmella
– Fantastic character work. Not amazing in the ring.
Chad
Gable & Jason Jordan
– Putting these two together was a stroke of genius. I really like
their personalities and they are killers in the ring. Clearly I’m
not the only one who misses the World’s Greatest Tag Team.
Big
Cass & Enzo Amore
– SAWFT were the first guys that I really loved in NXT. More
specifically, their entrance routine was the first thing
I loved in NXT. Their shtick was great, but then it turned out that
Cass was really good in the ring and Enzo wasn’t too shabby,
either. I love watching this team.
Dana
Brooke
– I’m not a fan, but she does seem to be getting a bit better.
She’s had a couple of decent matches now. I get her background, but
she needs to stop with the posing routine during her entrance. It
makes her look like she really doesn’t know what to do. I think
working with Emma has benefitted her greatly.
Dash
Wilder & Scott Dawson
– I like these guys a
lot.
They remind me of Arn and Tully, but a little more cocky. I wouldn’t
be surprised if they get a call-up sooner than later. I hope sooner,
because WWE is actually treating tag teams well right now and I’d
hate to see these guys called up only to be split soon thereafter
like used to happen with teams all the time.
Finn
Bálor
– Another guy that I didn’t buy at first, but it was mostly due
to his ridiculous entrance. I’m not a fifteen year old girl, so
that Jeff Hardy bullshit doesn’t do anything for me. It’s
actually proof of just how good Bálor is that I was able to look
past that nonsense and enjoy his work.
Hideo
Itami
– It was so infuriating to someone I consider to be an
international legend show up and almost immediately get hurt. Once
he’s healthy I fully expect him to tear the roster apart.
Marcus
Louis
– The guy plays his new weirdo character fairly well, but his
tattoos ruin it.
Mojo
Rawley
– This guy is a lot of fun and he clearly buys into his gimmick.
I’ll take that over armlocks any day. That’s not to say that he
isn’t good in the ring – he’s fine. But to me selling your
gimmick is half the battle. Maybe more. Consider me a fan of the Hype
Bros.
Nia
Jax
– I never could get the last NXT of October to play correctly and I
haven’t watched the 11/3 episode yet, so I’ve only seen her once.
And it wasn’t impressive.
Peyton
Royce
– Bad ring gear. Unique is not always good. She seems like a solid
hand, though.
Rhyno
– One of my all-time favorite wrestlers. I popped HUGE when he
showed up. I’m thrilled he’s sticking around.
Sami
Zayn
– Liked him right off the bat. He needs to get well soon. I think
he’s got a big future if he can stay healthy.
Samoa
Joe
– Another of my all-time favorites. I loved him in TNA until he
stopped giving a shit. It seems like he’s very much back on track
in TNA and I’m excited to see where he ends up. I’ve always had
an “Anti-Samoan” angle booked for him in my head. He’s not part
of the so-called Samoan Dynasty, so I think it would be awesome for
him to take issue with all of those guys.
Sawyer
Fulton
– Another guy that I’m not sure who he is.
Solomon
Crowe
– Does absolutely nothing for me. He comes off like a pale
imitation of Raven.
Sylvester
Lefort
– I do not know who this is.
Tye
Dillinger
– Good hand. I don’t think this “Perfect 10” gimmick is doing
anything for him.
Other
On-Air Personalities
William
Regal
– My all-time favorite wrestler and an excellent authority figure.
I hope he is able to enjoy a long career as the General Manager of
NXT. Or that he is someday able to start wrestling again. And
wrestles Asuka.
Rich
Brennan
– He’s fine. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between him
and Byron Saxton.
Corey
Graves
– Solid heelish announcer. I feel bad that his in-ring career got
cut short, but I’m glad he’s found a spot.
Solomon Crowe isn't really Raven-like at all, but I guess with the minuscule time he gets on NXT, that impression could come through.
ReplyDeleteAnd Brennan isn't nearly the face booster that Saxton is. Also Saxton is black.
Crowe comes across to me like this era's version of a "grunge" guy. That's really the only similarity.
DeleteAnd "heh". Nicely done.
Baylor's flashy, crazy entrance is a Japanese thing. They have these crazy ass long entrance productions over in New Japan for big time matches, and since a lot of his fans are from his time in NJPW it's a nod to that style.
ReplyDeleteNot sure it will carry long term with US fans, but it's different, and different is what is great about NXT.
-Justin
Oh, I get it and am familiar with the origins. Just not my cup of body paint.
DeleteI love Finn's demon entrance. It sits up there with things like Taker and Brood for spectacle. I can't wait to see what it looks like when they put the work behind it on the main card what they put behind some of the main card PPV event entrances.
ReplyDeleteI think the entrance has two things going against it:
Delete1) I don't like it when guys wrestle in body paint and, 2) I can't help but think of The Boogeyman when he's crawling around.