If you’re looking for a
recap of who elbowed who and when this guy flippity-flopped over that guy, this
isn’t the place. I have no talent for play-by-play wrestling recaps.
I like to talk about the
impressions wrestling events leave me with – who was over the most, who worked
hardest, and how well the overall, show kept my attention. In the grand scheme
of things, who had the best-looking finish (Shinsuke) doesn’t matter as much to
me as who truly had the crowd in the palm of their hand (the answer will
surprise you). I can’t even remember who won all of the matches because, quite
frankly, I didn’t care that much about that.
Also, I didn't take a ton of pictures because there was some sort of Very Serious announcement prior to the show before we got in about recording devices or something. And the Center Stage security guys were constantly flashing their lights at people and going to them and stopping them from doing whatever they were doing. I got a few pics just so I could remember who did what and when, but no action shots. I was mainly there to have fun with my son, anyway. I hadn't even planned to do a write-up, but after having so much fun I decided I wanted to.
The original plan was for me
and Rad Ranger to attend, but mere minutes after he bought our tickets he
remembered that he was going to be in Orlando for Star Wars Celebration (in
case you hadn’t heard). I asked a couple of people if they were interested in
going, but pretty quickly decided I wanted to just take my son.
Calling Phantom, Jr. a
casual wrestling fan would be a massive overstatement. Every once in a while he
might watch a bit of Jack Gallagher or John Cena, but for the most part he isn’t
interested. I’m okay with that because I am not an insane person that insists
my son share all of my interests. I like wrestling, he likes watching twee
British millennials with arrested development squeal while they play video
games on YouTube. We all have our own things.
But I wanted to take him to
NXT because I felt like it could be fun for him and because no matter how much
time we spend together it’s never enough.
To his credit he was good
about going. His main concern was actually that it was on a school night.
Otherwise he seemed reasonably excited for a kid that wouldn’t know Yoko Ono
from Kassius Ohno.
We arrived at Center Stage
just in time, taking our seats right before the ring announcer started her
pre-show hype. I think the ring
announcer was Charly Caruso. She had great energy and was pretty good at getting
the crowd engaged. Her intros were pretty short and sweet, but still good. I
could’ve learned something from the NXT intro style in my ring announcing days.
Kassius Ohno vs. Dan Matha
I
didn’t catch Ohno’s opponent’s name, but a quick Google search makes me pretty
sure it was Dan Matha. He was a pretty huge, ripped dude with backne that
looked like it was about to erupt. He did a solid job of being the big,
musclebound heel, but this was mainly a showcase for Ohno.
I
haven’t seen a whole heck of a lot of Ohno prior to NXT, when he was known as
Chris Hero, but I know him by reputation. The guy has a great presence and tons
of charisma. His moves are tight and he knows how to work the crowd. But man,
he needs to lose that gut. I could benefit from that same advice, but nobody is
paying me to fake fight on TV in my underpants.
My
hope is that he’s working on his look and that we’ll end up with a Kassius Ohno
that looks like a Main Eventer, because believe me – once he trims down the guy
has got “IT”. He’s tall and powerful and energetic and I think he’ll make lots
of money. But not until he gets the right look.
Enough
harping on the poor guy that is in way better shape than me. The match was a
hot opener and my son, who didn’t know either guy, was chanting and clapping
along with everyone. Ohno and Matha did their jobs and got the whole place
fired up, even my nine-year-old non-fan. Ohno got the win with a brutal elbow
shot to the back of Matha’s head and set
the stage for a big, fun night to follow.
A
note on the live crowd – I expected to be thoroughly annoyed by the audience,
only because I usually am on TV. Aside from a couple of instances of stupidity –
a “Roman Sucks” chant during the Women’s Championship match and scattered CM
Punk chants – Atlanta seemed to be there more to have a great time than to try
and get their stupid shenanigans over. Maybe because we knew the event wasn’t
for TV, but whatever the case, everyone was cool and into the matches.
Except,
of course, for the two buttholes next to us.
You
can go to a wrestling show and have fun and get caught up and enjoy the hard
work that the men and women in the ring are doing to entertain you. Or you can
go and try to show how “smart” you are and do dipshit things like criticize
every little thing and shout out the wrestlers’ real names or names they have
previously worked under.
What
do these guys think is going to happen when they shout “KENTA” at Hideo Itami? Do they think he’s going to stop and wave at
them? Or leave the ring and come give them a dollar? What the heck is that?
These
guys were also yelling at Dash and Dawson to hold onto the tag rope. While I
agree that the boys should be
conscious of such things, it’s not these guys’ place to be yelling that. I’m
sure somebody will give them grief backstage, and if not, maybe that detail isn’t
as important to today’s product as you think it is. WWF went years not even having tag ropes on the
rings.
MVP – Kassius Ohno
Mandy Rose & Daria Berenato vs. Kimberly
Frankele & Ruby Riot
I
can’t remember seeing Mandy Rose before, but she came out first and the crowd
was definitely into her. Then her partner, Berenato, arrived and things got
heelish.
Kimberly
Frankele debuted under this name on the most recent episode of NXT and immediately impressed me. She
carries herself well, looks good, and from the little I’ve seen knows her
business in the ring. I’m excited about seeing more of her.
Ruby
Riot has been solid so far. In-ring she’s good, but her looks are definitely
her gimmick at this point.
The
match was another hot, crowd-pleasing affair. All four women did their parts,
with Mandy Rose and Kimberly Frankele standing out. Berenato blew an arm drag,
which the crowd jumped on with a “You fucked up” chant, somewhat unfairly in my
opinion. Nobody got hurt and it didn’t interrupt the flow of the match – she just
didn’t quite connect with the initiator (I can’t remember if it was Riot or
Frankele). Otherwise she did a great job with her striking and looked good.
This
was another opening crowd-pleaser, so Riot and Frankele went over, but I can’t remember
how. Riot’s Ramones-esque theme played at the end, so she got the win, whatever
it was.
MVP – Kimberly Frankele
Kona Reeves vs. Aleister Black
Kona
Reeves came out first and I have to tell you that I expected nothing out of
him. My first impression was that he was a jocko guy with a good body but
nothing but generic cocky heel going on upstairs. He proved me wrong by having
a great feel for the crowd and, in my opinion, being 90% of why Aleister Black
got over.
I
won’t deny the coolness of Black’s character and the visual appeal of how
easily he transitions into Criss-Cross Applesauce, but otherwise the guy does
nothing for me. He doesn’t seem tight in the ring and if you took away the
trappings he doesn’t seem to have any natural gravitas. That doesn’t mean he isn’t
going to be awesome, but in the few times that I’ve seen him wrestle, I haven’t
seen it yet.
In
my opinion, Reeves’ selling of Black’s mystique is what got this whole match
over. He did a great job playing the chickenshit heel who was too weirded out
by Black’s gimmick to be able to focus on winning. Black won with the best
roundhouse kick I’ve seen him hit yet. There was much acclaim for his Black
Mass finish, but this was the first time it impressed me.
Side Note: There’s a whole other post to be written about why some kicks
to the head finish matches and some allow the recipient to hop right back up.
MVP – Kona Reeves
Patrick Clark vs. Tye Dillinger(!)
I
remember Patrick Clark appearing on an episode of NXT at some point in the recent past. He has a great look, but he
also carries some pretty strong charisma. In this day and age, coming out
dressed like Prince isn’t necessarily going to grab the instant heat it once
would have, but before Clark even grabbed the mic it was clear he was going to
be an effective heel. Once he did start talking he got the crowd hot fairly
quickly. He received what I thought was a somewhat unusual amount of time for a
guy I’d only seen once, but it was all to get the crowd fired up for the
surprise appearance of
10
Tye
Dillinger!
I
like Dillinger and his shtick quite a bit, but I’ve had some reservations about
his charisma. Sometimes he comes across as being a little plastic. That was
nowhere in evidence Thursday night. Dillinger was electric as soon as he walked
out on the stage. And the crowd went BANANA.
Phantom, Jr. was immediately into him.
Dillinger
and Clark proceeded to have an absolutely hilarious back-and-forth. Clark
claimed that Dillinger’s “10” sign was a weapon and made the referee confiscate
it. Then Clark gave up his scarf for the same reason. Dillinger then produced a
smaller “10”, which Clark sold like a gunshot. This went on with increasingly smaller
tens and scarves for a bit, then the match started.
I
fully expected a flash Perfect 10 to end the match immediately, but much to my
surprise – and everyone’s delight – the two went on to have a thrilling,
fun-filled match. Dillinger did eventually get the crowd-pleasing win and after
some celebrating with the ref got a standing ovation and a “thank you” chant
from the crowd.
MVP – Clark and Dillinger were both on fire
Going
in, I didn’t expect any of the recent main roster call-ups to be at what was
ostensibly a house show, so Dillinger showing up was a great surprise. Phantom,
Jr. got way into this match and loved
doing the “10” hand sign, which we all had plenty of opportunity to do. I had
told him I’d buy him a shirt and when I asked during the match if it was going
to be a Tye Dillinger shirt, he said it would.
William Regal
Regal
is my favorite wrestler of all time. Seeing him on that stage was awesome (I
was even wearing my William Regal “Born Naughty” shirt). He came out and spoke
briefly about being back in Center Stage where his career in America had begun
so many years ago. He was clearly emotional and it was a big moment to witness.
Naturally,
all kinds of thoughts went through my head as to how I might convince people to
let me backstage to meet him, but in the end it was more about enjoying the
show with my son, so I stayed put.
After
Regal spoke the ring announcer said that there would be a triple threat tag
team match for the NXT Tag Team Championships when the show returned after
intermission. I asked Phantom, Jr. if he was having a good time and if he was ready
to go, but he enthusiastically wanted to stay. He knows who DIY are and I think
wanted to see them wrestle. He was also intrigued by the concept of a three-way
tag team match. He seems to prefer it when there are lots of people fighting in
the ring. He loves the Rumbles.
DIY vs. The Revival vs. Authors of Pain for the NXT
Tag Team Championship
The
crowd popped huge for Tomaso and Ciampa, but the response to Revival was
massive. I don’t know is anyone else knew they were going to be there or not,
but I was thrilled. When they got called up I was actually bummed out because I
assumed that meant I wouldn’t get to see them live. Same thing with Dillinger
and Nakamura.
Dash
and Dawson still played the heels, but there was just too much love in the room
for them to get real boos. Normally that would bother me, but this was played
up like a special night.
Side Note: There are a few non-televised house shows scheduled and I’m
sure the call-ups are appearing at all of them and I’m sure they treat it like
their last NXT appearance every time, but it totally worked. And for all
intents and purposes, this was their
last appearance to us. We won’t see these people working NXT live again.
AOP
got a solid heel reaction, but I think everyone is starting to respect them,
too. They still seem a little green, but are doing a great job as big men. If
they can develop personas – like the incredible
Heavy Machinery already have – they’ll be players for a long time.
The
match itself was very similar to the Takeover
match. DIY and Revival teamed up against AOP initially, which led to some sweet
spots outside of the ring, including what I think was the spot of the night –
Tommaso Ciampa diving off the stage of Center Stage onto either Akam or Rezar.
It took everyone’s breath away and definitely got the biggest pop of the night
out of Phantom, Jr., possibly because it was right in front of us and we saw it
happen.
I
tend to have terrible seating luck
where wrestling is concerned. I get the spots opposite where the talent is playing
to, on the wrong side of the out-of-ring-action, and the ref is always in front of what’s going on. But
we had solid seats that night. Whatever else happened, witnessing Ciampa flying
like a missile off of that stage was tremendous.
Everyone
got some great spots in and The Revival got to pull out some classic heel
chicanery. But in the end, this is still a house show and nobody was toppling
the monster champs. AOP hit their double team move on (someone) and retained.
After
AOP cleared out, DIY and Revival had a Curtain Call of sorts where they hugged
in the ring and did a variation on the Too Sweet finger thing. After DIY
bailed, Revival graciously received a standing ovation and “thank you” chants.
This was a badass match to see live.
MVP – The Revival
Ember Moon vs. Asuka for the NXT Women’s
Championship
Phantom,
Jr. is big into werewolves, so Ember Moon’s quasi-lupine gimmick is a hit with
him and he is familiar with and likes Asuka for being colorful and weird. I
daresay this was our most anticipated match of the night.
Seeing
Asuka work in person is something special, as she bumps like crazy and has this
powerful vibe that permeates the whole building. When her music hit, everyone went
bonkers, but when she actually came out from behind the curtain, everyone went double bonkers.
Both
of these women are awesome. The match kicked ass all over the place and wasn’t
just a rehash. It was fast-paced and exciting and kept everyone engaged.
Obviously Asuka retained, but it left me wanting to see more of these two going
at it as opposed to feeling like I’d seen enough.
MVP – Asuka edges Moon out just for being so damned
electric
Andrade Cien Almas & Bobby Roode vs. Hideo
Itami & Shinsuke Nakamura
This
was a HOT Main Event.
Almas
is finally getting the chance to be himself, and it turns out himself is pretty
entertaining. Roode was played as a surprise, as prior to the intermission the
ring announcer had shown some mini-posters autographed by Roode and Nakamura,
sort of playing it up like neither one was there. This felt like an old school
tactic to heat up a later pop and it totally worked. The crowd popped huge for
Roode.
Itami
was first out for his team (naturally) and got a very respectable response. I’m
hoping he can really get involved in a program soon because I like the guy and
feel like his injury resulted in him getting overshadowed by Nakamura. And that’s
no knock on Itami – anyone would be
overshadowed by Nakamura.
When
the violin hit, the live audience turned into pure noise, but when Shinsuke
walked onto the stage, everything just exploded. I got chills down my spine, a
reaction I’ve only had a couple of times watching wrestling live. Part of it
was the fact that his presence was a surprise, but part of it was just pure
rock star. That guy has power. Like
Asuka, just being in the same room with him was electric. He owned that place.
I
don’t want to downplay Roode here, but maybe I should briefly explain my
feelings on the guy – I was watching the ten dollar TNA Wednesday night shows
from around the second or third episode. I was watching when Roode debuted and
the whole time he was there – from Team Canada to Beer Money to when he won the
Championship – I never got it. People would talk about how he was on a
guaranteed path to WWE and how he had “It” in spades and how great he was and I
never saw it. Not even a little. I thought he was bland and, at best, very good
in the ring. Not great.
But
as soon as he debuted in NXT, I saw something different. I don’t know if it was
washing the stink of TNA off of him (I loved TNA dearly for years and was an
avid supporter, but for me the company died almost a decade ago), or if he
really did up his game, but he seemed different to me. Maybe I’m just that big
of a mark for NXT. I dunno. Whatever the case, while I do think his rebirth is
Glorious, I am not totally in the Roode camp yet like everyone else is.
Everyone
else includes, of course, Phantom, Jr. He loved
Bobby Roode. He said that he seemed like the king of the show and he loved the
theme song. He was singing it all the way home. Oh, and he didn’t end up
getting that Tye Dillinger shirt:
Dammit,
son.
He
asked me when the match started who the good guys were and I told him that
Itami and Nakamura were. He gave me a funny look and then scrunched his face up
like he was thinking really hard. Then he started booing Hideo Itami and
cheering Bobby Roode. I feel like there was a slight anti-Asian racist bent at
play. We’re going to have to discuss this. That’s not how I raised my son. If you’re
going to boo anyone, you boo Canadians.
The
match was as fantastic as you’d think, with Itami and Cien bumping all over the
place and making Nakamura and Roode shine like diamonds. It all ended when
Andrade ate a sick Kinshasa (finish
of the night and it looked way better
in person than I’ve ever seen it look on TV).
MVP – Andrade Cien Almas – everyone did their part,
but he was the heat
After
the match Nakamura got the ol’ “thank you” standing ovation and we bolted for
the door to beat the traffic out and also because I had told Mrs. Troublemaker
we’d be home by 10:00 and it was 10:45.
Oops.
All
in all we had a wonderful time and every single person involved in the show was
clearly putting forth their best effort to entertain that crowd. I checked with
Phantom, Jr. several times to make sure he was still having fun and wasn’t
getting too tired and he was thoroughly engaged the whole time. If you can make
it out to an NXT house show – or any WWE house show – I recommend it.
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