Kona Reeves definitely needs to have his teeth whitened if he's going to be taken seriously in a role like this.
He also needs to get injured so he can shred up like Ciampa and Gargano did when they were out.
Kona Reeves definitely needs to have his teeth whitened if he's going to be taken seriously in a role like this.
He also needs to get injured so he can shred up like Ciampa and Gargano did when they were out.
Kona Reeves scares me more than a thousand Bray Wyatt DEHs. His head is too small for his body. It's like if someone tried to genetically engineer a more gangly Bo Dallas.
I don't know how you got hold of a copy of my dissertation 'From Leo Tolstoy to Leo Kruger: NXT and Its Inspiration in Russian Literature' but I'd thank you not to plagiarise.Originally Posted by @smarkmouth
The visible injuries are making him even more menacing. He is checking his eye socket for blood during the match. Tommaso Ciampa is not a heel, he is a supervillain.
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NXT
Date: May 9, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo
We’re in that odd period of NXT as we’re too far away from the next Takeover to really start building there but too far from the previous Takeover to deal with fallout. NXT is capable of pulling off something in the meantime though and that should be more than enough to bridge the gap. Let’s get to it.
Just Change That One Thing
Ciampa has like 4 or 5% body fat and he weighs...what? 190, 195 lbs.? He doesn't have a ton of size but he doesn't have to; the way he carries himself, his demeanor, his lean build, those veins sticking out like earthworms under his skin, the knee brace, etc. all add up to this rugged, feral looking predator who looks like he'd be more at home swinging a battle axe into somebody's face than having a conversation with a beautiful woman.
Another good show from NXT this week and we can now see a bit more of what NXT TakeOver: Chicago II during MITB weekend is gonna look like.
We're almost certainly gonna get Gargano vs. Ciampa II and if the sequel is half of what we got in New Orleans, it'll still be a MOTY contender, especially if it's given the time and the build over the next 5 week or so can keep the intensity high or if it's even upped.
The storyline with Dakota Kia and Shayna Baszler is a lot of fun to watch as both are really good in their respective roles. The appearance of Nikki Cross doing her crazy chick cackle offers possibilities as well in that it leaves me to wonder if she's another rival for Kai to deal with in the NXT Women's Championship picture or if she's an ally.
We've also seen the start of Ricochet and the Velveteen Dream, which has all kinds of potential written all over it. I thought Ricochet did a nice job on the mic this week; you can tell that it's not his strongest suit and that he's probably not ready for lengthy promo segments on a regular basis, but I thought he did well and he certainly did better than I expected. Dream just oozes charisma and personality, more so quite possibly than just about anyone else in all of WWE, so this could be a lot of fun.
As for the NXT Tag Team Championship, it seems sorta wide open at this point. My guess, and that's all it is, is we might see O'Reilly and Strong defend the titles against Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. On paper, it sounds like a huge mismatch given that I don't think Orcan and Burch have won a match as a team, but they're a couple of guys that NXT fans really enjoy seeing work inside the ring. Their brief interaction with Pete Dunne and their own troubles with the Undisputed Era is what gives me a feeling they might go in this direction. It's too soon for War Raiders, as they're still getting established, the Street Profits are a strong possibility but their complete lack of interaction with the tag champs casts a shadow of doubt. TM-61 look to be in the midst of a heel turn themselves and are in the process of getting re-established.
As for the NXT Championship, it's truly wide open at this point. My guess is that Black's opponent will be someone from the NA Championship ladder match from TakeOver: New Orleans. Even though Adam Cole is NA Champion, which would seem to knock him out of the running, they do have a strong enough history to support it. It looks like Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream is being built up so that takes them out. EC III is a possibility, though he's literally brand new and in the middle of being established. Still, NXT has done a lot more with a lot less. Black's already defeated Killian Dane and Lars Sullivan is waiting in the wings. If the purpose is to sort of give Black sort of a hold over match, yet one that will still be very strong, then Cole is a great choice while Sullivan offers Black a challenge in that, if I'm not mistaken, Lars Sullivan is undefeated in singles matches.
At any rate, as is often the case, TakeOver looks to be shaping up to be another classic, must see show.
"What Do I Know Of Cultured Ways, The Gilt, The Craft And The Lie?
I, Who Was Born In A Naked Land And Bred In The Open Sky.
The Subtle Tongue, The Sophist Guile, They Fail When The Broadswords Sing.
Rush In And Die Dogs - I Was A Man Before I Was King."
Conan Of Cimmeria
I've cancelled by Network - WWE made the mistake of being mind-numbingly boring and offensive simultaneously - so if you could all just keep me updated until I renew just before the next TakeOver, which is... like, two weeks? Don't want to be out of the loop. Cheers.
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NXT
Date: May 16, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson
We’re a month away from Takeover: Chicago and that means we need a card. If there’s one thing NXT is capable of doing, it’s putting together a card in a hurry. There’s a bunch of stuff already set up and that’s enough to build a show in just a few weeks. If nothing else you can probably set up Gargano vs. Ciampa II. Let’s get to it.
Take Two Of These And Call Me At Takeover
NXT continues to do what it does best: make the most of the time it has to deliver the most consistently entertaining hour of pro wrestling on TV.
The interaction with Ciampa and Candace was a good next step in this escalating feud. They didn't give too much away here, which is exactly what was needed as there's still plenty of time so there's no need to go overboard with a single segment. I like that they haven't tried making Candace be an emotional basket case as she comes off more as someone that's become reluctantly resigned to the fact that someone very close to her family is pretty much gone. I hope there's more going down between them in the coming weeks; I know that this won't happen WWE can't get away with any portrayal of male on female violence, but the simplest thing in the world to just jack this program up would be Ciampa laying Candace out.
Lacey Evans is coming along, slowly but steadily. She's carrying herself with a lot more confidence and she's finding her stride. I think she needs a better finisher than just a hard right cross, though calling it "the Woman's Right" is clever. Kairi Sane interacting with her should be a solid little feud that'll probably see Sane ultimately come out ahead but will simultaneously elevate Evans because...well, NXT is just really good at that.
The match between Ricochet and Velveteen dream was designed to progress a storyline and angle along while simultaneously whetting our appetite for when these two have a real match. Well, mission accomplished. Dream just oozes charisma and it's hard to believe how smooth Ricochet's moves are, though it was also fun to see Dream basically keeping up with him in a nice show of gamesmanship. Lars Sullivan interfering was out of left field but he looked dominant. The announced handicap match with Sullivan taking on Dream and Ricochet would normally have me a little concerned; if this went down on the main roster, you just have to know that Vince would probably just have Sullivan decimate both guys just for the sake of building up Sullivan. However, this is happening in NXT and I have a feeling something will go down that'll ultimately wind up making everyone involved look good.
Kona Reeves was the low point of the show for me. I'm just not feeling this guy with the whole poor man's Rico Suave thing. There's just nothing special about him and his work inside the ring is maybe half a step or so above average. Hell, I found myself much more impressed by Raul Mendoza.
The six man tag team main event was a fun way to close the show and it all but guaranteed that Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch will be challenging Strong & O'Reilly in Chicago for the NXT Tag Team Championship. A lot of energy, a fun crowd, some hard hitting action and I think fans were genuinely a bit surprised to not only see Lorcan, Burch & Dunne score the win, but they were surprised that Orcan & Burch actually scored the pin. Hell, this might be the first time I've seen either one of those two win a match, at least outside of wrestling against each other.
I give tonight's show a solid B-, might've been a little higher without Kona Reeves or, at least if they tried something different with him.
"What Do I Know Of Cultured Ways, The Gilt, The Craft And The Lie?
I, Who Was Born In A Naked Land And Bred In The Open Sky.
The Subtle Tongue, The Sophist Guile, They Fail When The Broadswords Sing.
Rush In And Die Dogs - I Was A Man Before I Was King."
Conan Of Cimmeria
NXT
Date: May 23, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo
The build to Chicago is slowly taking form with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch looking likely to challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Other than that, we really don’t have anything set up yet. That being said, NXT has an amazing track record of being able to catch up in a hurry so it’s not like they’re in any real trouble. Let’s get to it.
Evil Never Dies
NXT is consistently entertaining. They do the big things right and they do so many of the little things right and tonight was no different.
Heavy Machinery vs. TM61 as a solid outing. HM is a fun tag team, they're kinda goofy but not so goofy that they come of as comedy fodder. TM61 looks to be slowly finding themselves and there's nothing wrong with taking some time; hell, taking things slowly, letting them develop naturally and see where they go is one of NXT's top qualities. I thought both teams looked good here, TM61 did a solid job of playing the strategizing, athletic heels taking on the big powerhouses. The ending comes with Otis going for a Vader bomb on Thorne, he eats a kick from Miller to knock him off the turnbuckles, Thorne cradles him up and they use the ropes to get the win a bit past the 7 minute mark. **3/4
Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans was surprisingly good. Evans has really made some good strides in the past few weeks, she comes off now as a more complete wrestler rather than just some chick wearing ring gear inspired by 1940s pin up girls. Sane as an energetic babyface just works and they'll have no trouble inserting her in the NXT Women's Championship picture once they decide to. Both women looked good here, but I have to say that I'm just not all that crazy about Evans' finisher, the Woman's Right. It's basically just a hard right hand/forearm and it just seems like it'd be well suited as the move to set up a finisher. She scores the win via the Woman's Right, giving each of them a win over the other. ***
They do a brief little backstage interview with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after their win, with Pete Dunne as their partner, over the Undisputed Era. They seem to be the next logical challengers for the UE's NXT Tag Team Championship and, as I've said before, it seems like something of a mismatch but Lorcan and Burch are two guys that NXT fans like seeing and like cheering for.
Ricochet and the Velveteen Dream vs. Lars Sullivan went better than I'd hoped. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect here; I'd hoped that they'd do something to ultimately make all three guys look good while simultaneously giving us a glimpse of their near futures but I was worried that they might just use the match to catapult Sullivan while simply using Dream and Ricochet as fodder. Thankfully, we got the former rather than the latter, the latter is something that would've almost certainly happened on the main roster. The match was smartly wrestled and told a good story with Dream & Ricochet functioning well as a team, getting to show off some of their stuff, while Sullivan got to look like a badass. Sullivan looked tough but not so tough that it made you think that neither Dream or Ricochet would have a chance in a 1 on 1 match; not that such a match is necessary at this junction but Sullivan wasn't such a monster that either of these men would've looked completely outclassed. The ending comes shortly after Ricochet lands a springboard 450 on Sullivan and Dream immediately afterward puts Ricochet in the rolling Death Valley Driver, calling him pathetic before bailing. Sullivan recovers and hits the Freak Accident for the win. You have to think Sullivan is heading towards a match with Aleister Black and Dream letting his ego get in the way before screwing over Ricochet all but locks in their match for the TakeOver in Chicago. ***1/2
The last segment featured Johnny Gargano coming out with Candice LaRae to address the fans, with Gargano wearing a neck brace. After moping about the ring for a few minutes, Gargano soon fires up and calls out Tomasso Ciampa, who does come out to the ramp, all while Candace is trying to talk Gargano out of it. I thought she did a good job of showing concern for her man, so much that she'd rather hurt his pride a little than see him suffer more "injury" at Ciampa's hands as he's not physically ready. She runs out of the ring and brings back a number of referees who hover around Gargano, who eventually slides out under the ropes as Ciampa enters the ring from the opposite side. Gargano climbs up onto the apron only for Ciampa to knock him off, causing him to slam into Candice and come down on top of her onto the steel ramp way. Personally, I'd have preferred it if Ciampa had started smiling this sick smile at what'd happened rather than adopting the expression that maybe he'd gone too far as it'd just fit in with Ciampa's sociopathic hatred of all things Johnny Gargano. However, even though it's NXT, it's also still WWE and they're going to avoid doing anything that makes it even remotely seem like WWE has no issue using male on female violence to help sell the product. Katy Sagal won a Golden Globe several years back for an episode of Sons of Anarchy in which she was gang raped by a bunch of skinheads but, apparently, no degree of condoning any shred of male on female violence is to be tolerated as WWE would be crucified.
Still, the final segment was more than effective in building up the needed intensity for Gargano vs. Ciampa II, which you just know is coming at TakeOver: Chicago. Good stuff tonight and I thought it was a very good B+ show.
"What Do I Know Of Cultured Ways, The Gilt, The Craft And The Lie?
I, Who Was Born In A Naked Land And Bred In The Open Sky.
The Subtle Tongue, The Sophist Guile, They Fail When The Broadswords Sing.
Rush In And Die Dogs - I Was A Man Before I Was King."
Conan Of Cimmeria
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