Results and Predictions

Despite a build that left much to be desired, NXT Takeover delivered a solid wrestling show, with a new champion being crowned in Shinsuke Nakamura and two new competitors making their in-ring debuts in Bobby Roode and Ember Moon.

Austen Aries defeated No Way Jose and attacked him after the match, until Hideo Itami made the save. Hideo hitting the G.T.S. on Aries got a rise out of me. I haven't seen that move since a certain someone took his ball and went home a couple years back. Following that, mysterious newcomer Ember Moon destroyed Billie Kay in quick fashion. I'm not familiar with Moon's earlier work, so I look forward to seeing what she's capable of. (I should mention Kay got in some good offense too!)

Despite his acrobatic shenanigans, Bobby Roode put the kibosh on "Cien" Almas. No big surprise here. Expect Roode to be challenging Shinsuke in the near future, but you don't need to be a fortune teller to see that coming. 

The first real breakthrough match of the night came from the tag champs, The Revival, defending against Gargano & Ciampa. The Revival showed they have a few more tricks up their sleeve than the challengers were ready for, retaining the titles via submission. Asuka and Bayley put on a show, with the champ retaining. And Bayley got a hug from Asuka to boot!

Samoa Joe and Shinsuke had a damn fine main event match, but I feel like something was held back in case of future rematches. The bit mid-match where they were reversing each other's holds into various other submissions was top notch. That kind of mat work warms the cockles of my heart. They kicked out of each other's finishers until Shinsuke sealed the deal with a trio of kicks to the back of Joe's head. Nakamure joins the ranks of Seth Rollins, Neville, etc. as the 9th NXT champion!

But that was just night one of WWE's invasion of the Empire State. Howabout Summerslam? Here are some quick and dirty predictions:

The Miz vs. Apollo Crews (Don't care. This has zero heat behind it.)

Enzo & Cass vs. Y2J & K.O. (Will make a great opener. Enzo and Cass need this one. Jericho and Owens are the type that can bounce back.)

The New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson (Are we still calling them The Club? I want Gallows and Anderson to win here just so more gold can go to Bullet Club Alumni--Kenny Omega won the G1 Climax and Adam Cole won the ROH title the other night.)

Rusev vs. Roman Reigns (Are they having another match tonight? I'm not sure . . . Either build sympathy for Roman or make him a monster. I want Rusev to retain; if their match on Raw was any indication, this could really surprise people.) 

John Cena vs. AJ Styles (Fall is coming, so expect Cena to take some time off to film a show or two. I want AJ to take this one for the same reason as Gallows & Anderson. Bullet Club 4 Life dur dur dur.)

Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler (Dean ain't losing that belt yet. Dolph is gonna wrestle circles around him though.)

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Was Sasha more interesting when she was chasing the belt? Maybe Flair's baby girl should win this one? I dunno, I'm torn.)

Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (Could be a Match of the Year contender if all goes well, although I think they gave away Finn's "Demon" character a little early. In my personal fan fiction, Balor wins the new belt and a big ol' Bullet Club banner appears. See also: AJ Styles and The Club. I'M CALLING FOR A WORLDWIDE TAKEOVER!)

Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton (I want to care about this more, but Brock's Suplex City shtick is wearing thin with me. I want Orton to take him out of his comfort zone. Let's see a little of that 2013 Brock that was jumping all over C.M. Punk and stuff. Orton wins to punish Brock for his various doping scandals and whatnot with an RKO onto a table covered in barbed wire and possibly set aflame.)

Thanks for reading! You can hit me back on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com).

Prelude to a Takeover

This year, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II seems to be overshadowed by Summerslam. Maybe it's the recent exodus of talent from NXT to the two main WWE rosters or maybe it's the fact that this year's Summerslam has a pretty loaded card, but something about this latest NXT special feels . . . I don't want to say lackluster, but . . . underwhelming. The two singles title matches have me hyped, but the rest of the show is going to have to really wow me.

(And wow-ing me is really important to the WWE as we're all well aware, heh.)

Let's see what the Florida team has cooked up for us, shall we?

No Way Jose vs. Austen Aries

NWJ has been growing on me as an entertainer, but he needs a broader arsenal of moves before I'd rank him among the other solid workers in NXT. Aries is a ring veteran who is known for pulling great matches out of people, but his run with the 'E has left much to be desired. This feud seemed like a step down for The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, but as the weeks have worn on, I think it's done wonders for his onscreen character. He just wants to be taken seriously sooo bad! I think Aries needs the win here to establish himself a bit, and NWJ doesn't. He's a comedy act for now, and comedic wrestlers don't need wins.

Bobby Roode vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas

There's a high ceiling for Almas, and I get the feeling we've only seen a fraction of what he can do thus far, but his debut and subsequent matches seem to have fallen flat with the crowd. This match is more about introducing us to the GLORIOUS presence of Roode. Roode was a mainstay in TNA/Impact for nearly a decade and whether he was tagging with James Storm or harassing a rookie Eric Young as the second coming of the Million Dollar Man, he was one of their top heels in and out of the ring. They could go two ways with this: Roode could walk in and simply body Almas, or get punked out to set up a more ruthless turn. I'm leaning toward the former, since they need to line up some solid contenders for the champion ASAP. 

The Revival vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano

I feel like The Revival lost some steam somewhere along the way. I think not having American Alpha or Enzo & Cass to play off of has hurt them a bit. I want them to retain, just so they can establish themselves with a long title run and fine-tune that smash-mouth "no flips, just fists" style. Ciampa and Gargano teased a breakup during the Cruiserweight Classic, but cooler heads prevailed and we got a handshake and a hug instead. Could a loss here bring that pot back to a boil? Perhaps.

Asuka vs. Bayley

The buildup to this match hasn't been the greatest thing in the world, but man, I just wanna see these two throw down! I predict Asuka will bring that long-dormant mean streak out in Bayley the way Charlotte did a while back, but will ultimatelt retain. Bayley is on her way to one of the main rosters, mark my words. Maybe the 'E will have a fall draft of some sort? Plus, Asuka needs to have a nice, long title run for the same reasons as The Revival. Let her hold onto that strap for a good long while, so once they move her up to Raw or Smackdown, she'll have a reputation to make up for her promo skills. (And she doesn't need promos anyway, just that crazy smile.)

Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

One thing that irks me about Joe's title reign is the way they tried to retroactively act like her just walked in, stomped on Finn, and grabbed the belt. He battled Finn Balor for months. Aside from that, this match has had a decent build, with things really heating up in the last two weeks. Shinsuke stealing Joe's nose is the .gif of the century and his unusual demeanor makes it hard to compare him to other comedic acts we've seen. He has a goofy persona that masks what a killer he is in the ring. I don't think WWE has had a character quite like him in their roster before. This one is tough to call. I think we'll get more than one match of it, with the eventual loser moving up to one of the main two rosters. I want to think Joe will hand Shinsuke his first loss here, but with so many of the heels going over before this match, I also think they'll want to end on a high note with the good guy winning.

Either way, it's gonna be a slobberknocker, as Good 'ol J.R. likes to say. Thanks for reading! Drop me a line on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com). 

That purple show and that yellow show

There's a lot more to the WWE than just Raw and Smackdown these days. If I were to travel back in time and tell my younger self about the sheer excitement I get nearly every week from watching NXT or how the Cruiserweight division was not only back, but starring in its own weekly show with a tournament format, I'd swear that I was pulling my own leg.

The Cruiserweight Classic or "CWC" has been quite an entertaining little program for the last few weeks, with each episode featuring a succession of quick matches designed to give us a little insight into the international cruiserweights and a chance for them to display the kind of offense you don't get to see much on the main roster. (Although I will say that is changing thanks to new faces like Sami Zayn and Finn Balor.)

This week, the tournament began its second round of matches and we were treated to two longer matches instead. I hope this is the format going forward, with episode length matches in the next round and a huge payoff at the next NXT special or even on the Raw brand.

Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik was the "WWE style" match of the two, with the usual in-and-out of the ring hijinks that can bog down two less than prepared workers. Fortunately for us, Tajiri is a craft ring veteran and while I'm not terribly familiar with Gran Metalik, he seems to know his way around a squared circle as well. Metalik advanced in the tourney after a Metalik Driver, which looks a lot like Zayn's Blue Thunder Bomb. Hmmm . . .

Kota Ibushi and Cedric Alexander had the ROH/NJPW burn-down-the-house style match that indy fans and "smarks" crave. They even got a "fight forever" chant, which is quickly becoming the new "this is awesome". I've followed both men in other promotions, but personally I'm leaning toward Ibushi to win the CWC, since I think he might be the biggest international signee since Shinsuke Nakamura. Seeing as he came out victorious against Cedric this week, I'd say he has a shot.

Let's move from the purple show to the yellow show for a bit.

NXT has evolved into so much more than just a "third show" or even a talent development program. It's a rival to the WWE itself from within the 'E, and that's pretty incredible. For a hot minute there last year, NXT's big programs were overshadowing the stuff on the main roster, as least as far as I'm concerned. It's become THE pure wrestling show, with its production values eclipsing Ring of Honor and its year-round schedule keeping it in view when Lucha Underground hibernates between seasons.

Currently, Samoa Joe is scheduled to face Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Title at the next Takeover special. Until this week's show, I was lukewarm about the feud itself, even though the match will surely be great. This reminds me of how I felt about the Charlotte/Sasha stuff on Raw. I should feel something more, but I just don't. Nevertheless, this is most likely going to be the first of a series of matches and they'll all be good.

The question is: Who's going to one of the main rosters first? Joe or Shinsuke?

The NXT Women's title feud between Bailey and Asuka picks up the slack for me. Bailey's anguish is palpable, and Asuka's leering has gradually gone from cartoony to threatening and disrespectful. Asuka's inner monster is coming to the surface and it'll be interesting to see the crowd split over these two fan favorites.

That's just the surface of NXT, but I have to save some for tomorrow. What else is there to write about? As always, thanks for reading and follow me on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) if you dare!