The NXT Thread: It Must Breakk You

[mrluck_07]

For people living in the U.S, this will be the start of a interesting time for wrestling next week. NXT move to cable television and try to get more fans watching the product in the same way. Then in Three week, AEW start airing on TNT and try to be competition for WWE. This is a weird move as they are alienating their international fans just so they could counter program AEW.

This is the thing thought, just like the monday night wars, only U.S. wrestling fans gets to experience it as fans outside of the U.S. couldn't care less about this since we're not on getting AEW and NXT will still be playing on the Network the following day so it's just a matter of changing are viewing pattern.

As far as Takeover specials are concern, i kinda see it this way, i feel like they have the thinking that with the new mainstream exposure to the product, maybe the brand will become strong enough to not have to piggyback off the IWC audience that goes to the big 4 ppv and maybe by exposing it to another audience, they might not get a repeat of what happened in toronto for the last takeover special when they pretty much gave away ticket to make sure the arena was packed.

I don't know what the endgame is and how this will all plan out but something is for sure, while i doubt that WWE is seeing AEW as competition, they are still fighting to get the attention of the IWC audience they have and right now, that's what the wrestling business is. They're not fighting to get to casual fans or the forgotten fans to watch their show but they are fighting to keep us watching and that's pretty much why for us, it's a interesting time in wrestling but outside of our group, nobody cares about wrestling and won't for a very long time.

This would make a lot of sense. Wild thing is there are ppl who watch the main roster who don't NXT and they aren't casuals.

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: September 18, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to make this show live and double the length as well because of course it is. This is the first episode of the anti-AEW defense system and that means we’re in for a stacked show. That would include Velveteen Dream defending the North American Title against Roderick Strong and a street fight between Matt Riddle and Killian Dain. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

The Big Stage Awaits

[A11]

I like the idea of moving takeovers away from the big 4. Means there's potential for Mania over two days instead of the 23 hours it currently goes for

[Jack-Hammer]

I thought NXT's premiere on USA last night was a huge success overall. Even when factoring in the two hours and transition to the Network for the second hour, the show flew by and was very easy to watch. The length of the show was never a big concern of mine, I knew NXT would expand to 2 hours at some point, I was worried more about Vince getting his fingerprints all over it. It could still happen if NXT doesn't deliver good numbers after a while, but last night definitely wasn't one of the shows.

Lots of good wrestling action including a great 3.75 star sprint from the ladies to determine a new #1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship. Candice winning was the right call and I'm glad they didn't just go ahead and add Rhea Ripley to the match; Candice is really the only major female player in NXT to not have a shot at Shayna so let her have it, which has been announced will be on the October 2nd episode of the show, then build Rhea up a little more and let her have her moment at War Games.

Still not really into Cameron Grimes all that much, but he did make something of an impression with a quick squash win.

Setting up another bout between Dijakovic and Keith Lee for next week was a nice little treat. They've torn it up the first two times they've gone at it and I've little doubt this'll be any different.

The NXT North American Championship match was another fun 3.75 star bout that I think could've been a little better without the ref bump and the predictable ending that went with it. However, last night was also about delivering a moment and this is the first time in NXT's history that any certain group has controlled all the male championships and it's not as if the UE isn't doing or hasn't been doing a great job.

the second hour was also a lot of fun as it was a treat to see Imperium out there and Walter received a helluva response from the Full Sail crowd. Walter looks like a more traditional old school tough guy, he doesn't look all super buff or anything like that but he just looks like someone you don't wanna fuck around with. Also am I the only one who gets this image of Imperium standing in the center of the ring wearing Waffen SS uniforms rather than track suits. I mean they couldn't go down that road for obvious reasons but the "uniform" and identical appearance in dress does suggest a more military type code, as does Walter's stance. I mean...c'mon, we've all seen WWII set movies in which some hateful Nazi bastard is standing in some resplendent uniform, maybe wearing a long black trench coat and a hat, standing straight with his hands clasped behind his back while surveying the surroundings, it's exactly the image Walter especially evokes. Kushida coming out was unexpected, but a nice surprise as a bout between them a bit later down the line could be a lot of fun.

Pete Dunne vs. Arturo Ruas was a fun 3 star outing, a nice little physical match with a mix of styles. I still cringe a little whenever I see Dunne manipulate someone's fingers as I know how easy it'd be for him to really fuck somebody up.

Oney Lorcan vs. Lio Rush in a CW Championship #1 contender's match felt totally out of left field, but it was a lot of fun all the same. A nice mix of brutality and athleticism to deliver a strong 3.5 stars for me and the fact that Rush is so small made Lorcan's offense come off as even more effective; also, I have to get it off my chest in that there ain't no damn way that boy is 161 lbs.. I know they use work weights and that's fine, but ain't nobody believin' that kid is anything heavier than 145 or so. Rush winning the match gives him a future Cruiserweight Championship match against Drew Gulak, which will again be a nice mesh of styles that'll be more appreciated under the NXT banner, which is where is probably should have been in the first place.

The main event of Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dane in a street fight was more about delivering a spectacle than anything else, which is fine as it generated buzz with half the locker room going at it. it had the sort of chaotic energy that felt proper closing out this first new episode in this new era of NXT. Later on, footage was released of William Regal looking all bent out of shape as he addressed Riddle and Dane. They meet again in a singles match on next week's episode as well with the winner becoming the new #1 contender for Adam Cole's NXT Championship.

So yeah, some fun promo stuff that didn't eat up a lot of time, making use of your time well to set up matches for the next little bit via video packages, in-ring promos or other matches, payint attention to continuity, several strong matches in which the outcomes felt like they mattered and an energetic crowd that was lively from start to finish. NXT delivered a strong show last night, an A- show in my eyes, and now we can only hope that fans get behind seeing it on TV.

[Psykohurricane]

To tell you the truth, i haven't watch NXT in over a year, mostly because i saw that the product was starting to look like the main rosters stuff as being repetitive and predictable, but i was curious last night and even through i didn't have access to the first hour of the show because i live in Canada and USA isn't available here, i was still able to watch the second hour of the show and i got to say this, if they continue booking the show like this, their a really good chance that i will added this show to my schedule when the replay aired on the WWE network because this was 10 times better then the last NXT show is watched back in 2018.

They didn't try to have long matches, they introduced new characters and tried to tell more of a story throughout the night then focusing on in ring was the big problem for me at the time. The show felt freash and the un predictable ending of the show made for a better product. This shift in presentation made remember the early days of NXT when they wouldn't put all the focus on the same guys over and over again and it felt natural. Plus adding the cruiserweight and NXTUK divisions to the show is helping as well so i probably watch the show next week to see if they continue in that direction and after that i might just continue watching if it's something i enjoyed.

[Jack-Hammer]

The show did what I think WWE and USA will consider to be very good numbers last night. It was ranked #4 in the key male demographics last night and drew in 1,179,000 viewers.

So, they drew strong in their targeted demos and the show drew almost 1.2 million viewers, which has to be seen as positive when you consider that it's a wrestling show that doesn't have the usual faces like Reigns, Rollins, Bryan, Strowman, Lesnar, Styles, etc.. and Wednesday night is pretty tough when it comes to other shows. The first hour that aired on USA went head to head against shows like Basketball Wives and Tucker Carlson but it was still one of the highest drawing shows on cable yesterday.

Despite what AEW has said before, I have a feeling that NXT and AEW might cut into each other's audience. Much of AEW's proposed format is what NXT has already been for years and I can easily see people flipping back and forth between them.

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: September 25, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

Well it was a good run while it lasted, but things have to come to an end at some point. This will be the last week that the show is split between USA and the WWE Network. Therefore, this week’s show is going to be setting up next week’s two hour USA debut and that means we should be in for the usual big night. The big announced match is Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in a street fight to crown a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

The Experiment Ends

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: October 2, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuiness

As big of a night as it is on the other show, this one is huge in its own right with the first full two hour broadcast on USA. The card is completely stacked with three title matches for a new Takeover level show. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but NXT knows how to bring it on the big nights. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

The Counter Shot

[Jack-Hammer]

After having watched both shows, I watched NXT first and then saw the replay of AEW, and I have to give the edge to NXT tonight but that's not to say AEW put on a bad show. Nobody could watch either show tonight and objectively say that either one was bad; one show may have had someone you liked better on at a certain time or you may have liked a certain match better but, in the grand scheme of things, just about everything worked on both shows. The only way I can see anyone saying that either show sucked is if they're just being trolls because if you didn't enjoy tonight's shows, then you just may as well stop watching wrestling altogether because I have absolutely no earthly idea what it is that's going to entertain you. If you're looking for two shows where there's little to no filler, where they can use vignettes and promos that last no more than 7 to 10 minutes to tell you what's going on & who the wrestlers are and physical, athletic in-ring action then you should've been tickled pink tonight. Otherwise, just go and watch your garbage wrestling deathmatches in your best friend's backyard or some condemned gas station where the wrestlers beat each other with fluorescent light tubes and you run risk of catching Hepatitis due to them bleeding all over you.

For NXT, it's mostly what we've become used to over the last 5.5 years: a brand that knows how to deliver a quality wrestling product while making the best possible use of the time they have available to them
For AEW, it's mostly what I think most were expecting: an overall solid introduction to a brand new wrestling promotion featuring only a few familiar faces that also made good use of the time they had.

The biggest complaint I had regarding AEW was the commentary, I don't know the frig this Excalibur guy is but he just really, really kept getting off the mark sometimes. For instance, he started talking about how one of the wrestlers was into Dungeons & Dragons and sort of assigning strength stats to said wrestler or whatever. Anyway, he just really, really seemed like the odd man out in there with two veterans like Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone. While it's always nice to hear Jim Ross, he seems so subdued now, he doesn't have nearly the sort of spark that he once had. While Mauro may go a bit over the top sometimes, Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuinness act as a good counter balance to that.

Overall, I thought NXT put on the stronger matches in most cases though, again, there weren't really any bad matches on the card but I felt AEW's main event was far weaker as they telegraphed too much having Moxley interfere and take Omega out of the match. Also, and this isn't any sort of major complaint or anything of that nature, I had to laugh at AEW's Women's World Championship belt as I had no idea it was so tiny. I mean, this was my first really good look at it and it looked really small even with Riho holding it and it would've looked like some toy belt that comes with a wrestling action figure if a woman of any physical size gets hold of it. It looked like it wouldn't even fit around Nyla Rose's arm.

As cliché as this might sound, due to wrestling journalists, wrestlers themselves and executives saying it, wrestling fans were the winners tonight. Not every show will be as loaded as this, that goes for both shows, especially NXT as there's literally dozens of wrestlers who can be pulled from all over WWE to work NXT on USA some weeks, but that's okay as you can't just leave it all out there every single week. With that being said, however, you're pretty much guaranteed to get overall more wrestling content on these shows than Raw or SmackDown because neither AEW or NXT have monthly PPV events to sell. The last I heard, AEW only wants to run four PPVs next year and, unless things change, NXT only has five TakeOver specials, or that's been the case for the past few years, so don't be at all surprised to see a lot of PPV worthy matches pop up a lot on both NXT and AEW.

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re into the second week of head to head and that could mean some interesting developments. Above all else, it should be interesting to see how the show adjusts after getting flattened in the ratings last week. Maybe it was a one off surprise due to the debut, but it could be the start of a trend and that could mean some changes. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

Round Two