NXT is Unstoppable!

You gotta love an audience that chastises the referee for not doing his job.

NXT Unstoppable was my first NXT pay-per-view and only my second viewing of a NXT show. To keep it organized, I'll do a run down of the results and give my impression of the matches and the wrestlers.

Tyler Breeze VS Finn Balor

This really seemed like a battle of the gimmicks match. Both men had very well produced entrances, although if I were to pick which one of them had the better intro, I'd go with Tyler Breeze. Something about seeing Finn crawling around on the ground with dragon wings on seemed silly to me. Balor's make-up, the first time I've seen it in ring, was incredibly well done, especially the Eye of Sauron, sorry the Eye of Balor, painted on his back. My wife thought Finn was ridiculous, she doesn't see the sense in painting yourself up just so it smudges off in five minutes. I am kind of intrigued by the idea of a wrestler who SOMETIMES lets the beast out but other times wrestles without it. It's an interesting angle, if that is what he is doing. I saw him once in a show at ring side and I thought he was rather slim for a wrestler, but I guess if he is a high-flyer that's alright.

Tyler Breeze is looking a little . . . . aged. I am not sure how long he can pull this gimmick off, unless he just pulls an Adrian Adonis (man, was that guy ugly). I'd watch Tyler Breeze in the WWE, he might make a perfect foil for Stardust.

Not sure how Finn manages to double foot stomp people without hurting them. It looked painful, which I guess is the point, I just didn't think you could DO that in wrestling.

The way that Hideo Itami was taken out was poorly put together. Asian guys just can't catch a break in the wrestling industry.

I'd watch either of these guys again.


Dana & Emma VS Bayley and Charlotte

So Bayley is the one responsible for all those "I'm a Hugger" shirts?

It was a mixed bag match, the only thing I can say was worthwhile here was finding out Rick Flair had a daughter and seeing Charlotte and Bayley strut Flair-style at the end of the match. Just not enough here to judge them on.


Rhyno VS Baron Corbin

At 6'6, 273 lbs, Baron Corbin is a big dude, one of the biggest I've seen in NXT. He's a little slim for a big man, but he makes up for his lack of bulk with speed and precision. I am not a Rhyno fan, the guy is way too old to be in NXT and seeing him there was kind of a disappointment. Yeah, I am sure there are Rhyno fans who are going to blast me for this one, but the guy is a walking reminder of all the terrible and out of business wrestling promotions he's worked for over the years.
Here's what I'd do with Baron Corbin: Build up some more muscle and have the Undertaker bring him in as his Under-study. Let old Undertaker teach him the ropes, the way he did with Big Show when he arrived in the WWE. Then put Corbin up against the Wyatt family members and display how powerful he really can be. He doesn't really need to be on the mic yet and he isn't ready for any kind of title, but he's got a lot of raw potential. Perhaps we'll see him face Finn Balor soon?

Rhyno, as always, was forgettable. The Rhyno is extinct.


Blake & Murphy VS Enzo Amore & Big Cass
SAWFT was so bad I don't even want to talk about them. Enzo was every bad gimmick in wrestling all in one body. Big Cass had all the charm of Test, whose greatest contribution to wrestling was dying. Yeah I went there, that's how much I disliked these guys.


Becky Lynch VS Sasha Banks

I am really not sure why Sasha Banks is so well loved by the NXT crowd. I think the entire Divas division is ten times better than it was a decade ago and it continues to get better, but Sasha's personality just got on my nerves. I guess that makes me a member of the Lynch Mob. It was an impressive match and it was sad to see Becky lose, but I believe she's got a good shot at the WWE Divas division.

Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens

I still say KO is the most oddly shaped wrestler out there, although his chicken legs were less noticeable than on RAW. Zayn controlled the match up until a pop-up power bomb on the ring apron but him out. I am not a fan of matches ending without a winner, and certainly don't like matches that end with someone making their appearance on the show. Samoa Joe, in my mind, is a lot like Rhyno. I've watched his ROH matches and a couple other appearances and I just don't get Joe's appeal. If this guy is on his way to the WWE, I hope he runs right into Roman Reigns, the real Samoan champion.

I have to give Owens a thumbs up for the John Cena shirt. Is he going to drop the belt to Joe and move on to face Cena?

Not sure how well Owens heel power is going to stand up to guys like Kane or Brock Lesnar if he moves up the ladder to the WWE. We shall see.

My favorite part of the show is the crowd, what a rowdy, outspoken audience! I love the way they engage and influence the action in the ring. I also really like the yellow and black ring set-up, I immediately went and added an NXT show Wednesday night in my WWE 2K14 universe. Now I need to find a custom made KO. . .

As a young, starting point for wrestlers, NXT is doing a fantastic job. Even just streamlining and training some outside wrestlers in how the WWE works is a good idea, I just don't want to see the washed up wannabes, or the guys who blew their opportunities, hanging around NXT for a second chance. That's what TNA is for, NXT seems to be a hot, new, way for fans who maybe want a more real wrestling experience but still want to stay in the same WWE universe.

I'd like to see more interesting NXT venues in the future, maybe in some of the smaller, stranger, venues you can't take a big show to, or even an outdoor NXT bash at the beach.

I've got one complaint, one thing that is currently bothering me about both WWE divisions: The announce table. All of these guys, except for Michael Cole, Jerry the King and JBL, are horrible. Even the King isn't giving his best work, it's almost as if without JR he can't hit the same beats. Everyone else is terrible. Booker T is decent enough when he talks, but he doesn't say enough, he doesn't sell the in-ring action either. These guys need to know ahead of time which side they are on and play that up. They need to know the histories of every wrestler and use that to sell them in the ring. It's really that simple. Hell, fly me down there and I'll coach them for a couple hours, make them watch old JR footage.

That's it for this week. Cheers!