THE NXT REPORT - EPISODE 265 & 266

 

And so here we go. For those of you who haven’t read the blog lately and are just coming back after a break, then this new fortnightly feature will be replacing Review Corner which was brought to an abrupt halt by a severe falling out between your Wrestling God and the inept at Fremantle Media and Fetch. Fm. Whilst that is now in the past, we look to an uncertain future for this blog and we do so by highlighting the future of the wrestling industry. NXT is WWE’s best programme by far, trumping Raw, Smackdown, Superstars and Main Event for quality and quantity and now those of you who cannot regularly access its wonders will be able to read a detailed report of each weeks show right here.

NXT airs on the WWE Network around the world but seeing as WWE have had their fair share of problems with said Network, namely fans not being able to access it through certain devices thanks to problems with the technology, then NXT has slipped a lot of people by. This report beings one week after the excellent ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ event which saw Kevin Steen defeat Sami Zayn by referee stoppage for the NXT Championship in a fitting main event, Sasha Banks roll over Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch for the NXT Women’s Championship in a thrilling Fatal Four Way and Finn Balor down Adrian Neville in a high flying marvel to claim the Number One Contendership to the NXT Championship. Of course, these are just three matches from an entire show, but they were the pick of the bunch and if you haven’t yet seen ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ I urge you to do so.

Episode 265 – February 18th 2015

Coming fresh off of ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’, the show opened with a neat highlight package featuring the three best matches of the entire night; Kevin Steen vs Sami Zayn, Finn Balor vs Adrian Neville and Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Bayley vs Becky Lynch. Every other match is of course featured but in a lesser role and the highlight package ends on the shocking and controversial moment when Kevin Steen brutalized and injured Sami Zayn and the medical professionals made the referee stop the bout, thus awarding the NXT Championship to Kevin Steen.

General Manager Announcement

After the highlight package had finished, the arena fell silent as NXT General Manager William Regal appeared on screen from a set meant to mimic his fictional office. Opening the main section of the show with a special announcement regarding Kevin Owen’s NXT Championship victory, William Regal looked wholly serious as he explained that claiming a title by referee stoppage is legal in WWE and whilst Kevin Steen may be the current NXT Champion, his belief that he could whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted was misguided. In a role that befits William Regal, the Brit stated in no uncertain terms that it was he who laid down the law and not Kevin Owens before announcing a non-title match for the main event of the show where Kevin Owens would battle Adrian Neville. After William Regal had finished his speech, he proclaimed that this was a new era for NXT and it began now. I truly believe this is the very best role for William Regal in WWE in 2015. His body is so battered and beaten that he can no longer wrestle with any authority and in an age where new blood is breaking through at a rapid pace, there’s no place for him in the ring anyway. As NXT General Manager, William Regal is enjoyable and effective as he was in his role as WWE Commissioner in the 2000’s.

Opening Promo

Cutting back to the Full Sail University Arena where NXT is staged weekly, Kevin Owens’ entrance music hits and the new NXT Champion strolls down the ramp with his newly won gold over his shoulder. Despite massive backing at ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ one week earlier, the crowd reaction to Owens on this night was mixed. Much like John Cena’s reception, Kevin Owens who used to play his trade in Ring of Honor as Kevin Steen was greeted with chants of ‘Fight Owens Fight’ and ‘Sami Zayn’. It was expected after his manhandling of Sami Zayn seven days previous. Taking the microphone, Kevin Owens looked cool and collected as he regarded the crowd’s rabid chants. He truly resembled a man ready for the big time even though that chance will not befall him for another year or so. Speaking on his victory and opponent, Kevin Steen had the following to say:

“It seems a lot of people have a problem with what I did at NXT Takeover and the way in which I won this NXT title. And quite frankly, most people have no right to be mad about anything because the fact of the matter is that I haven’t lied or pretended to be something I am not. From the moment I got here, I made my intentions very clear. I said I would fight anyone and everyone to make things for my family better and that is exactly what I did!” At this point during his speech, Kevin Owens received a massive ovation from the crowd. He continued; “Who I beat or how I beat them is irrelevant. What matters now is that Sami Zayn is the past. And when you’re done with the past, what do you do? You look to the future and that is Finn Balor. Finn, I’m well aware that you are the number one contender to my NXT title and I am here to tell you to go to William Regal, pick a date and I will be there. But you must know what happened at NXT Takeover, it’s going to happen to you. Because nobody is going to take this (title) away from me or my family.”

As Kevin Owens stood in the middle of the ring and absorbed both fan adulation and jeers which included chants for Finn Balor, he exuded the heel aura which is sadly missing from WWE’s main roster today. You see Kevin Steen is an excellent fighter and a force to be reckoned with; he will make waves when he reaches WWE’s main stage and maybe a new star will be born. There’s something intangible that makes you punch the air with joy when Kevin Owens wrestles. I’ve not experienced anything like it since Randy Orton really came into his own in 2009. You want to like him. You want to be his friend but foremost you can understand him wanting to do it for his family. That is why Kevin Owens will go far in WWE. But that’s in the future. We have Kevin Steen vs Finn Balor to look forward to at a future event and wouldn’t it be a sign of the times if that event was WrestleMania 31? If not, then I expect it to transpire at a future Takeover event and it should tear the house down.

After Kevin Owens has had his say, we’re shown Rich Brennan, Jason Albert and Cory Graves at the announcers table. After bleating on about Sami Zayn’s injury the previous week, the trio ran us through the most important sections of the upcoming show which included mentioning the Kevin Owens vs Adrian Neville bout which was set of the main event as well as Sasha Banks vs Blue Pants for the NXT Women’s Championship. I’ve criticised announcers in WWE before and their criticism is warranted. But these three are a different class altogether. WWE swap up their announce team weekly but should never put these three emotionless stooges together again. Rich Brennan is the very best of the trio and with better partners or even on his own could become the Joey Styles of NXT. But Jason Albert and Corey Graves spout so much mindless pap on a regular occurrence that it’s hard to fight the urge to press mute on your remote control.

Rhyno vs Elijah Santa

It took nearly ten minutes of nothing but talking to get the audience to the first match of the evening, but unfortunately it wouldn’t be the usual fare that we had become accustomed to. For those who have never seen NXT, then the opening bout is usually a gripping technical war between two of the promotion’s finest talents. It sets the tone for the rest of the show and serves to immediately draw in those unfamiliar with the product. You see, the majority of the people who tune into NXT for the very first time have this common preconception that NXT is going to be like Raw, Smackdown, Superstars or Main Event. And who can blame them? Every WWE television show until NXT followed the same pattern. But for the last few months, NXT has risen above that and concentrated on the wrestling instead of the rubbish.

In the first match since ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ fans were given and left with a sense of both adulation and disappointment. The former because it heralded the return to WWE of Rhyno and the latter because the bout couldn’t have lasted more than thirty seconds from bell to bell. There were chants of ‘Holy Shit’, ‘Gore’ and ‘ECW’ as Rhyno made his way down the aisle to battle a man whose name I believe to be Elijah Santa, his name was never announced, but the momentum for Rhyno stopped there. You could see what was coming, it was terribly predictable to the point it’s not even worth mentioning the action because there was so little of it. A few kicks and punches here and there until Santa was stunned with a belly-to belly suplex out of the corner and gored out of his boots, handing Rhyno his first victory since rejoining the company.

Many people will have mixed feelings about Rhyno and other former WWE stars returning and particularly to NXT. But I believe it’s a good thing. The announcers keep telling us that NXT is the home of WWE’s future generation as well as well as a home for those wrestlers looking to re-invigorate their careers. Rhyno has been gone for a long time and whether he’s going to be a main stay on NXT or jump back to the main roster where nothing really awaits him, he can do a lot of good in NXT. When he was in ECW, Rhyno was a breath of fresh air. He honed his skill in WWE before leaving the company almost twelve years ago. Okay, he never reached a massive level in the company and both of his real life best friends in Edge and Christian are no longer around to help him get a foot in the door.

Rhyno can be very beneficial to the NXT stars should he stay in the brand after returning. Rhyno vs Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship would be awesome not to mention what he could with younger talent. A victory over a wrestler as tough as Rhyno would do talent wonders. Use him correctly and this could be the beginning of a new era for ‘The Man Beast’. It’s certainly good to see him back where he belongs. However, as far as the match was concerned it was a squash.

Finn Balor Interview

Backstage, we were shown Finn Balor being interviewed and replying to comments made by Kevin Owens at the beginning of the show:

“Kevin Owens is the new NXT Champion. After the destruction he caused at Takeover, I’m sure he has a very high opinion of himself. But guess what? I’m the number one contender and I’ve got a very high opinion of myself too. I’ll face Kevin Owens anywhere, any place and any time. You know, Kevin says that he’s a prize fighter and I’ll fight for a prize too. The NXT Championship!”

At which point, Finn Balor was interrupted by Rhyno who walked around Balor, smiled at him and then left without saying a word. This was a pointless interview which told us nothing about Balor’s quest to stand atop the mountain. He sounded and looked like a drone; WWE must do better with Finn Balor if he’s going to supplant Owens one day. The entire segment felt like a set-up for an upcoming storyline between Rhyno and Balor.

The Vaudevillains vs Colin Cassidy and Enzo Amore

Hoping that the length and stuffing of Rhyno vs Elijah Santa was a one off to get Rhyno over again, the fans finally settled into awkward flow of the show. Next up was Aiden English and Simon Gotch who are otherwise known as The Vaudevillains and they would be pitted against Colin Cassidy and Enzo Amore who were accompanied to the ring by Carmella. As is the usual with any Cassidy and Amore match, the pairing did their usual “Can’t Teach That” speech, however I’m not convinced this act is going to make it on WWE’s main roster which is where every NXT wrestler works to make it to. Whilst the speech is very popular with the NXT crowd, I just can’t see it mixing with WWE’s current crop of stars. Plus, neither man has the looks main roster fans would buy into.

Colin Cassidy looks like a cross between Edge and Test with the appeal of neither, whilst Enzo Amore gives off the image of a man who has been fished out of a skip where’s he’s sleeping rough to wrestle. It’s a weird look and combination for the pairing which harks back to ECW talent rather than main roster WWE. I may be wrong, but The Vaudevillains are much more capable at the moment of slotting into WWE’s tag team division and would fit perfectly. Simon Gotch has something of Santino Marella about him whilst Aiden English could be the spitting image of Cesaro and has the talent to match.

This tag team match was meant to produce a future set of challengers to NXT Tag Team Champions, Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. To do that, it was reasonable to assume that it would be allocated at least fifteen minutes to flourish and build to a stunning conclusion. However, sometimes these things never work out in practice and seemingly in a rush to get this over and done with, WWE booked another short squash which impressed no one in the arena and produced no legitimate challengers to the NXT Tag Team Championships.

What should have been a scorcher began with yet another meaningless tussle but did perk up when Aiden English nailed Enzo Amore with a cheap shot, which allowed Simon Gotch to take control of the match. The action was ugly but The Vaudevillains’ freak show, circus act works as a heel team and it wasn’t long before Gotch brought English back into the fray. It’s apparent that as good as The Vaudevillains are, they need some more work and serious investment. Aiden English appeared to be out of his depth when forced to take control of the bout, but it wouldn’t matter on this occurrence because Colin Cassidy brought an abrupt ending to the bout when he connected with a big boot to English behind the referee’s back, allowing Enzo Amore to cover him for the victory. It was a pointless endeavour.

Following the bout, Blake and Murphy appeared on the titan tron to mock Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy before offering Carmella a place on their team. Whilst Carmella protested, she did a little too much and I can’t help shake the feeling that once Amore and Cassidy have lost an NXT Tag Team Championship Match to the current holders, Carmella will switch sides to get her hands on gold. It’s an age old story.

As for The Vaudevillains, this is the second NXT television show in a row they’ve lose short, pointless matches. It’s simply not good enough for a team who could help restore WWE’s tag team division.

Adrian Neville Interview

Taking another unwelcome break from the action, we were taken to the locker room where Adrian Neville awaited with yet another promo. Speaking on his thoughts about the match ahead, the Newcastle born Neville who once plied his trade as Pac on the indi circuit had this to say:

“Last week, I had an opportunity to be number one contender for the NXT Championship and I failed. I fell short and it’s hard to take. But in a weird way it’s kind of like a relief, because here in NXT I am very used to being hunted and now I feel like the roles are reversed. I get an opportunity to be the hunter. I get to prioritize what is personal to me and is personal to me is Kevin Owens. You see, last week I had to watch whilst Kevin Owens destroyed my good friend Sami Zayn and before that, the last time I faced Kevin Owens in the ring I left Full Sail University on a stretcher. Now, you cannot think I have forgotten about that. And after tonight, Kevin Owens will not be able to forget what I do to him.”

Now, I understand what they were trying to do with Neville, but instead of getting us more excited about the match than we were already, all WWE managed here was to make us question why Adrian Neville didn’t come to Sami Zayn’s aid at Takeover, especially when Owens had sent Neville packing in a similar way previously. Apart from that fact, it a competent promo though Adrian Neville really needs to work on this side of his art.

‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ Fallout Promos

After a cracking Fatal Four Way war for the NXT Women’s Championship at Takeover which easily trumped any Divas match on WWE’s main roster for years, we heard pre-recorded promos from two of the participants in that bout, Bayley and Becky Lynch. Bayley stated that whilst she failed to capture the title, she got into the ring with three of the best and would one day find the heart to win the Women’s Championship. The beautiful Becky Lynch unhelpfully informed us that she would have won the title had it not been for Bayley and that she’s glad Charlotte didn’t retain the gold. This was completely unhelpful unless WWE are to begin a women’s feud between Lynch and Bayley with the winner facing Sasha Banks for the title at some point in the future.

Solomon Crowe Debuts

Taking up yet more time which could and should have been used for matches and to display what the brand was capable of, the redundant CJ Parker marched to the ring with a picket sign and proceeded to cut a promo on how unfair he’d been treated in NXT since arriving on the scene. Not that anyone had noticed because he’s been used so sparsely and had little effect when he did appear that no one really cares about him anymore. Mostly everyone in NXT seems to be making headway towards some type of push, but no CJ Parker. He’s going nowhere and taking up precious space that someone else could use to their advantage. Speaking on his treatment, CJ Parker had this to say:

 “I’m sick and tired of this! You’re going to have a special on the NXT, you’re going to have a special and I’m not going to be on it? No, that’s bull crap. That’s bull crap. I’m tired of it. I hate all of you people. I hate NXT and it’s over now because I’m taking it hostage.”

The promo was dire. Full of stuttering and repetitive words which held no meaning and the fans didn’t care. CJ Parker’s delivery was awkward and all it achieved was making him look like a spoiled brat. Wrestling fans aren’t dumb. Week in and week out we see wrestlers on WWE’s main roster not get the push they deserve. How many times do you see Dolph Ziggler coming out on television and bitch and moan? None. He gets on with it. If WWE wanted to do CJ Parker a favour they’d have had him on camera every week, in his wrestling gear, begging William Regal to let him fight. That would have relayed the message to us that he’s willing to put in the work to be here and that he doesn’t expect it and take it for granted. On top of all of this, CJ Parker looked as if when he was done, he was heading to the beach.

Living up to his word, CJ Parker proceeded to take NXT hostage and after propping his sign up on the apron covered the ring in ‘Caution’ tape. Of course, this was all a set-up for the debut of Solomon Crowe. For those who haven’t been watching NXT regularly, then WWE have been airing vignettes for Crowe for weeks now and they always interrupted a match or an entrance as if someone was trying to hack into the feed. They were unnerving a lot of the time, but sadly Solomon Crowe in person, wasn’t. It’s fair to say that he didn’t live up the hype.

Storming the ring in a leather jacket and a leopard print, double strap, singlet, Solomon Crowe looked laughable as a character. He brought back memories of Raven in ECW but had nowhere near the impact Raven did. Beating up CJ Parker to the relief of everyone in the arena, Solomon Crowe nailed an impressive Reverse Springboard Splash from the ring ropes before grabbing the microphone and announcing that normal service had been resumed. And that was it. The weeks of hype all came down to this. It was bitterly disappointing.

 Sasha Banks vs Blue Pants

Match three saw brand new NXT Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks, take on one the most absurdly name wrestlers in history. Before we get into yet another devastatingly short match, I would like to take you back to ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ for those of you who didn’t see it and the superb Fatal Four Way Match for the NXT Women’s Championship. I hadn’t been impressed by Sasha Banks in the weeks leading up to the event on February 11th. Her character was similar to a thousand that have passed before in every company; bitchy, self obsessed and possessing a misguided sense of self worth. Her matches weren’t particularly impressive. But for once, she blew me away. Sasha Banks was ultra impressive at ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ and deserved to leave with the gold.

Back to the present and with Kevin Owens vs Adrian Neville waiting in the wings, this non-title match needed to set the stage and blow the opposition out of the water. There was no reason Sasha Banks couldn’t do what she did one week earlier again, even though it was singles competition. What should have been a memorable beginning to her reign as NXT Women’s Champion turned out to be yet another forgettable time filler. Little action and too much stalling was the downfall of this bout, not to mention the bizarre Blue Pants whose name sounds like the creative team were pushed for time.

Blue Pants may have been popular with the crowd in the NXT arena but her wrestling skill didn’t match up the reception. Maybe it would have if the women weren’t allocated just three minutes, but in that small window of time the main objective was to get Sasha Bank over as a force to be reckoned with. Showing her brazen attitude towards anyone who steps into the ring with her, Banks’ character shone through as she sat on the middle rope and held it open for Blue Pants to exit. Bellowing at Blue Pants to get out of her ring, Sasha Banks was met with a stiff kick to the face which sent her sprawling to ringside. Blue Pants’ momentum wouldn’t last.

Once back inside the ring, Sasha Banks lost her cool and beat on her opponent with right hands. Pinning Blue Pants to the mat, Banks wailed away with stiff rights and didn’t look impressive doing so. In fact Sasha Banks looked ropey in control, but that may have passed most people by thanks to the brevity of the bout which concluded seconds later with the Bank Statement which is a Backstabber into a Crossface for the tap-out victory.

This is a match I’d expect to see on Raw, Smackdown or pay-per view from WWE’s current divas. Not a brand which champions new talent and has done so much with its talent up to now. Yet another disappointing bout ended when Sasha Banks was asked on what it means to be champion. This is what she had to say:

 “What does it mean? That everyone and I mean everyone including Bayley, Becky and Charlotte, knows I am the best diva in WWE”.

I hate to disagree with her, but on this evidence she’s wrong. At ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’, Sasha Banks was all of that and more. Here though, she was another disappointment; one in a long list that had transpired in this night. Even more worrying was the words Banks used to describe herself, ‘Diva’. In NXT, there are no divas only female performers. This says to me that WWE are trying to phase out what it means to be a legitimate female performer and attempting to plant in the female’s minds that a WWE diva is what they need to be. WWE divas are on the whole terrible in the ring and unimportant to the company. Why would you want young talent to be one of those?

Unseen Footage

Following a best forgotten NXT Women’s Championship Match, WWE aired unseen footage from after ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ went off of the air. As predicted, this was all of Sami Zayn being helped from the ring and to the locker room where he was said to have been looked over by trainers and sent to the hospital nursing a severe concussion. Once the footage was over, we heard from WWE trainer Doctor Chris Amann who spoke at length about Sami Zayn’s condition. No one was interested. It was in the past. Amann had nothing interesting to say apart from what everyone expected to hear and that was Sami Zayn had made a full recovery and was ready to return to the ring.

Anyone in the NXT Arena could have told you that. WWE have invested so much in Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn that they’re not about to bring it to a premature end. At some point in the next two months, Sami Zayn will receive his re-match whether it’s at WrestleMania 31 which would be groundbreaking for the brand or at the next Takeover event. WWE saw the potential in a feud when both men feuded in Ring of Honor, it’s going to be the leading feud of 2015 and before its all said and done Sami Zayn will be NXT Champion again, like it or lump it.

The Main Event

Kevin Owens vs Adrian Neville

I won’t lie, the first episode of NXT after ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ had been a terrible way to keep viewers on the WWE Network interested in the brand. And by the time it came to the main event, not many people cared. Thankfully that would all change when Kevin Owens and Adrian Neville stepped into the ring for a re-match of a collision the pair had two months previous. At this point, forty five minutes into the show fans needed a massive pick-me-up and the last thing NXT needed was for both men to capitulate and waste the time they were given.

For a little while, it looked exactly like both men were going to follow in the footsteps of everyone else on the card and put on a boring display to cap off the episode. As the bell rang, Kevin Owens repeated his mind games of ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’, slipping from the ring and waiting Adrian Neville wait. But this time around, the Brit had Owens well scouted and went out after him. The opening of the bout took place on the arena floor as both men traded right hands in a lacklustre display before Adrian Neville returned the NXT Champion to the ring. Sliding back under the rope, Neville was met with Kevin Owens’ boot which unsuccessfully attempted to stomp on the Geordie only for Neville to roll out of the way, retaliating with a stiff kick to the head which rocked Kevin Owens.

Spotting the NXT Champion on the defensive, Adrian Neville decided to try and seize the early advantage and fought with brought him to the dance. Namely his speed and ariel ability. Going to the ropes, Adrian Neville cracked Kevin Owens with a lovely Hurricanrana which was followed up by a crisp Calf Kick. Before Kevin Owens landed with a thud, it was clear that this was going to be the one match on the entire show worth sticking around for. Going to the well once too often would be the downfall of Adrian Neville in the end and the signs of that were clear from the outset. Attempting to retrieve Owens by the head, Neville found himself hoisted onto the champion’s shoulders and blasted with an excellent Gutbuster.

As the control of the match once again switched to Kevin Owens, little did fans know that it would be a long time before Adrian Neville regained control. Full of pent up frustrations, Kevin Owens pounded on Neville with hard shots and a Senton Splash. His offence was unforgiving but then a huge question mark hung over Kevin Owen’s ability to carry out a fluent match. Instead of carrying on the flow of the match with big moves and intense reversals, everything went dead when the NXT Champion applied a banal Rear Chinlock which felt like it went on forever. It was a very weird moment in the match because the action which came before didn’t warrant being broken up a rest hold. Neither Kevin Owens nor Adrian Neville looked tired and the move felt like a way to wind down time.

Finding the strength to battle out of the Rear Chinlock, Neville quickly lost his momentum when Kevin Owens threw him over the top rope. Soaring like a Pegasus, Neville took the bump expertly and it added to the drama of the bout. Frustratingly, the match was interrupted by an advert for the upcoming Fast Lane and when the action returned we’d missed a little bit of the middle as both men were back in the ring, with Kevin Owens’ continuous domination running rife.

Sensing the end drawing near, Kevin Owens executed a pitch perfect Snapmare which was followed by a strong kick to the spine and a pinfall attempt which garnered the NXT Champion a count of just one. This was the moment to go all out and trade reversals and high energy moves, but instead, the experienced Kevin Owens applied a second Rear Chinlock which didn’t last as long as the first but came close to matching it. It was unneeded. Not only did it break the flow of an exciting bout but everyone knew both men were capable of filling fifteen minutes with non-stop actions.

Fighting out of the Rear Chinlock for a second time, Adrian Neville attempted to find his footing in the match only to be ejected from the ring a second time. However, on his way over the top rope, Neville managed to hang onto the top rope and bring himself back into the bout with what was meant to be a Springboard Splash. Thwarted by his foe, ‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’ was caught on Owens’ shoulders but miraculously managed to reverse a Gutbuster into a sumptuous Spinning DDT. At last, the affray was picking up and catching fire, not before time either. Finding their way back to their feet, Kevin Owens and Adrian Neville traded further right hands until Owens found himself on the arena floor.

What was meant to be an attempt to regain his composure turned into an opportunity for Adrian Neville to strike at the heart of the NXT Champion. Ascending the turnbuckle, Adrian Neville flew with an outstanding Moonsault which connected with Owens but almost came up short. Neville’s face was inches away from striking the ring apron on the descent. With time ticking down, both men made their way back between the ropes for Adrian Neville to execute a cracking Enzuigiri which was countered into a Backdrop over the summit. Holding on once again, Neville threw himself at Owens with a Springboard Dropkick for an excellent near fall.

Rolling to ringside, Kevin Owens couldn’t escape the onslaught of his foe when Neville caught him square in the head with a Running Double Dropkick on the apron before hitting what was an outstanding 450 Splash from the ring apron to the arena floor. In a time when very few risks are taken by the stars we’re used to seeing, this was a sight to behold; one which Kevin Owens sold to sheer perfection. It’s refreshing to see someone actually take the time sell a move in 2015. With the ending fast approaching and both participants back inside the ring, Adrian Neville began to conclude his part in this bout with an absolute stunning German Suplex as Kevin Owens rebounded off of the ropes before bringing the crowd to their feet with an impressive feat of strength, pulling off a Deadlift German Suplex which has to be seen to be believed.

And just like that, with fans reigning down the ‘This is Awesome’ chant on the twosome and willing to watch another twenty minutes which would never come, the bout would draw to an exciting finish. Countering his foes offence with a hard Back Elbow, Kevin Owens proceeded to miss a charge into the corner and was dropped with one of the best moves I’ve seen in twenty years, namely the Reverse Hurricanrana. However, the move only garnered Adrian Neville another gripping near fall. It was time to burst the balloon and send people away happy.

With Kevin Owens prone at the foot of the turnbuckle, Adrian Neville went with what brought him to the dance once to often and again climbed the turnbuckles. Flying with his patented Red Arrow, no one was home when Adrian Neville plummeted to the canvas and when ‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’ got up; he turned into a crushing Powerbomb from Kevin Owens which handed the NXT Champion a hard fought victory. It was a jaw dropping effort by both men. This is what NXT is all about.

The Summation

Episode 265 of NXT was a let down for forty five minutes. Coming off of the back of a Takeover event, I expected something revolutionary from the brand but instead what we got was a short episode of Raw; way too much talking and not enough action in the ring. The three mid-card matches were all terribly short thus not affording their participants ample time to get over with the crowd or put on a real show, whilst the majority of the promos with the exception of Kevin Owens’ meant nothing.

The main event which saw Kevin Owens defeat Adrian Neville in a wonderful effort saved the programme from being completely worthless, and in future I hope Triple H refrains from booking this jewel in WWE’s crown as if he’s booking WWE’s main shows. He’s not. He’s booking something completely better in every way. Let’s hope this was a one off and Episode 266 returns to normal.

Episode 266 – February 25th 2015

Hideao Itami vs Bull Dempsey

Unlike the week previous, we were greeted upon the opening of the show with a proper bout to kick things off. Straight off the bat it seemed as if WWE had realised their mistake from the previous week and rectified it immediately. Hideao Itami is a sensation in the ring and anyone who has been witness to his stellar performances since he joined WWE can attest to the fact that he’s going places. Only I don’t think it’s in WWE. The artist formerly known as Kenta has the skills and the looks to make it in WWE but not the size. Vince likes his guys to be big, strong and muscular not to mention the fact that Itami has the tag of former Japan wrestler to contend with as well. During this match, the commentators say that Itami is Triple H’s golden boy, but I can only envisage Itami being given the Lo-Ki treatment of a few years previous.

Bull Dempsey on the other hand has at least the looks to make it big in WWE; possibly as another Rusev character should WWE book him correctly when he gets to the main roster. If you’ve never seen Bull Dempsey in action then at the moment I can’t say you’re missing anything special. Dempsey looks like the pervert neighbour that live down the road and never goes out. The kind of guy you wouldn’t allow your children near. On top of that, Dempsey’s arsenal isn’t the greatest and unlike Rusev before him, the guy relies on sheer power to get the job done instead of a carefully weaved move-set of technical skill. However, this isn’t your Wrestling God saying that it can’t happen for Dempsey. It’s just going to take some work to get him to where Vince McMahon would like him to be.

As the bell rang, both men became hooked in a standard Lock Up in the interest of fairness, but it was Bull Dempsey who would naturally seize the advantage with his size and height advantage. Forcing Hideao Itami into the corner, Bull Dempsey pounded the Japanese star with hard right hands and cracked his smaller opponent with a Clubbing Forearm Blow to the back as he tried to escape the corner. Things looked bleak for Hideao, but his star would get a chance to rise as the match wore on. Lining Itami up for a devastating blow just second into the bout, Bull Dempsey propelled his more agile counterpart into the ropes only to miss an intended right hand, but connect on the rebound with a violent looking back elbow.

With Hideao Itami reeling on the canvas, Bull Dempsey heaved up his challenger and stuck his fingers into the eyes. Temporarily blinded, Itami found himself hurtling into the corner once more but managed to counter a freight train charge with boots to the face. Spotting his first real opening of the bout, Itami revved up the engine and raced towards the larger Dempsey only to be felled once again by a stiff Shoulderblock which attained Dempsey a count of two. Keeping the firecracker on the canvas, Bull Dempsey fired in several hard elbow shots and applied a Rear Chinlock. Feeling the bout slip from his grasp, Hideao Itami rallied back and successfully reversed a Backdrop before temporarily rocking the man mountain with a Clothesline.

Despairing at the thought of losing an important bout so early, Hideao Itami went to the well once too often and on his second rebound ran straight into a Standing Splash by Dempsey which put him on the canvas. Ever the spirited warrior, Itami didn’t let the splash keep him down for long and battled back with Forearms and kicks to the chest, finishing off the series with a lovely Spin Kick and Punch combo which put Bull Dempsey on his backside in the corner. Gaining momentum, Itami rocked the NXT Arena with a Running Dropkick to the seated Bull. Against the flow of the bout, Hideao Itami managed to seize the opportunity and caught Bull Dempsey with a devastating Dropkick for the victory.

Celebrating with the crowd, Hideao Itami forgot his ongoing feud with Tyler Breeze and paid the price. Reaching the top of the entrance ramp following the bell, Itami turned into a Breeze Superkick and lay dormant until the talented Breeze had taken a selfie of the pair on his selfie stick. The angle was booked purely to advance the feud between both men which has been entertaining up until now, and I hope WWE can keep their momentum rolling. Their matches are rewarding. Once back to his feet, Hideao Itami struck back and both men brawled to the ring where Itami got the better of Breeze and sent him running for the shelter of the locker room.

The match wasn’t great but it wasn’t hideous either. Largely thanks to the inability of Bull Dempsey, Hideao Itami was hindered in his quest to execute a barn burner to open the show. However, both men did justice to the story they were trying to tell and it was a lively way to open the show.

Match Announcement

As Hideao Itami celebrated in the middle of the ring, the camera cut to this weeks announcer, Tom Phillips, who was serving time with the plain Corey Graves and the pointless Alex Riley who should feel lucky to even have a job with WWE more talented wrestlers and personalities have been released. Breaking a major announcement, Phillips informed us that next week on NXT, Sasha Banks would defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Charlotte in what should be a stunning encounter.

Sasha Banks was mightily impressive at ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ but failed to produce anything of note last week against Blue Pants. Whilst Sasha Banks’ personality is a winner, I get the feeling that she’s going to be one of these performers that needs a better talent in front of her to shine and not someone who will be able to take a lower level of talent and make them a star. Charlotte, former NXT Women’s Champion, is the perfect person to oppose Sasha Banks for the title and really kick off her reign with the gold.

As well as the NXT Women’s Championship Match announcement for next week, we were also informed that later on in the broadcast Bayley vs Becky Lynch and Finn Balor vs The Brian Kendrick would take place. The latter would signal the return to WWE of The Brian Kendrick.

Tye Dillinger and Jason Jones vs The Lucha Dragons

Sin Cara and Kalisto who make up The Lucha Dragons, were frowned upon by many of the WWE Universe when it was announced a while ago that the pair would form a team. Many believed that Sin Cara’s time in WWE was over and even though the wrestler portraying the character had changed, the character had no future in the company. I was one of them. Sin Cara’s treatment at the hand of WWE on the main roster was terrible and shoddy but then so were the majority of his performances. We all lost count of the amount of mistakes Sin Cara made in matches, but then when the wrestler changed and WWE fired the original Sin Cara replacing him with Hunico. Overnight, Sin Cara had a chance once again.

But, if we’re being brutally honest here, the guy doesn’t have a chance on the main roster regardless of how long he spends in NXT; which is why NXT is the best choice for him. Hunico by now, must realise that it doesn’t matter what he does in the ring, WWE are never going to push him as a serious wrestler so would be wise to forget about making it big on the main roster and concentrate on being the best in NXT instead. It’s a far more reachable goal especially in front of an audience who wants to see the type of wrestling both Sin Cara and Kalisto provide. The latter on the other hand is carbon copy of his partner only smaller and certainly won’t make it higher up the food chain which is why I believe it would be an excellent idea for WWE to introduce an NXT Light Heavyweight Championship. That way, when The Lucha Dragons do eventually split up they will still have relevance within the brand.

With The Lucha Dragons in the ring, the spotlight fell on Tye Dillinger and Jason Jones as the partners made their way to the ring. However, their treatment at the hands of WWE’s shaky creative department was signalled when the company willingly interrupted their entrance with a broadcast from Solomon Crowe who was show sitting on some stairs in the darkness, just live Raven would have done in ECW. But this wasn’t just done to sabotage Jones and Dillinger’s chances of making it in NXT, Solomon Crowe had a message for the NXT Universe which was that last week was only the beginning and that his mission won’t stop until he’s NXT Champion.

Kindly cutting back to the action that we tune into NXT each week for, the match began with Sin Cara and Jason Jones. Tussling for advantage, both men looked tired and somewhat lazy as Jones managed to wrestle the advantage from his masked colleague with a lift which culminated in throwing Sin Cara to the mat. It wasn’t stylish but it did state at least some intent on the behalf of the rookie duo. As Sin Cara climbed back to a vertical base, he was grabbed from behind by Jones but managed to escape by launching several Back Elbows into the mug of his attacker. With Jones’ grip relinquished, Sin Cara held onto the head and propelled himself backwards, running Jones into the turnbuckle after landing on his feet.

Reversing the attempt, Jason Jones put Sin Cara in the corner but couldn’t prevent the former NXT Tag Team Champion from tagging in his much smaller partner. Fans watched on in anticipation of a mistake as Kalisto sprinted into the match. At ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’, Kalisto had many several errors on high flying moves as the duo battle Blake and Murphy for the doubles gold, fans wanted to see if that was a one off or if Kalisto has turned into Sin Cara circa 2011. Thankfully,  ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ was a one off and Kalisto wouldn’t have to wait to contribute as Jason Jones hauled the Mexican into play with a impressive Hip Toss over the top rope and into the ring upon where Kalisto just about managed to land on his feet.

Swinging the momentum the way of The Lucha Dragons, Kalisto outsmarted a rapidly angered Jason Jones by reversing a Slam attempt into a thrilling Armdrag, before being caught in two large Slams which attained the rookie duo a count of two. Tagging in Tye Dillinger, Jason Jones watched from the apron with wicked intentions as Dillinger controlled Kalisto with an accomplished Snapmare which he followed up with a stinging Stomp to the face. Mocking Sin Cara, Tye Dillinger gave Kalisto time to recover and upon a Slam attempt found his advantage severely cut when the Lucha Dragon executed an Armbar and tagged in Sin Cara.

With Tye Dillinger at their mercy, The Lucha Dragons nailed a gorgeous Senton Splash. Pulling Tye Dillinger from the mat, Sin Cara belted the wrestler across the chest with several slaps before tagging Kalisto back into the bout with an excellent Elevated Moonsault. Keeping up the pressure on Dillinger, Kalisto attempted to ground his foe with an Armbar but wasn’t strong enough to keep the tag team wrestler down and as Tye broke the grip his smaller compatriot tagged Sin Cara back into the match. The quick tag format has been used to hype drama in wrestling for years, but on this occasion it looked as if Kalisto wasn’t good enough to deal with their challengers on his own.

That wouldn’t matter however, as the match drew it its conclusion. As Kalisto tripped Tye Dillinger, Sin Cara dropped him with a tope and the news was to get worse for the rookie who hopes to make it big. Wriggling free of Sin Cara’s grasp, Dillinger made it back to his corner only to watch in despair as Jason Jones abandoned him and walked to the locker room. Alone and against two hungry dragons, Dillinger failed to counter a Sin Cara Senton Splash which secured another tag team victory for The Lucha Dragons.

The first tag team match since ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ was a good advert for NXT’s double division. Fast, powerful and rarely coming to a close it showcased what the likes of Sin Cara can do when then shackles are taken off. I know most people are privy to this already but NXT’s tag team division is ten times better than WWE’s and it would take much for these teams to move up to the main roster and revolutionize WWE’s main tag division with the likes of The Usos.

Finn Balor Interview

I wasn’t impressed with Finn Balor’s lacklustre interview last week. When compared to that of Kevin Steen, it was terribly short and brief. Worse, there was no real backbone to it because it was blatantly set-up to start something between Finn Balor and Rhyno. But, having watched Balor in action I sat through his recent attempt with an open mind. Speaking on the subject of where he sits mentally and the looming threat of Kevin Owens, Finn Balor had this to say:

“Kevin Owens? I’ll deal with Kevin Owens in due time. Tonight, I’ve got a match with The Brian Kendrick. He’s a former WWE Tag Team Champion and that is something I can’t look past. So if you don’t mind, I’ve got a match to prepare for.”

Once again, Finn Balor was given material which said nothing anything about his drive and desire to be NXT Champion or his character. The words Balor spouted in his Irish accent were meaningless and even worse; it appeared as if he brushed off his challenge for the NXT Championship as a mere trivial matter. I know that WWE had a match to hype but there’s no way a one off bout was more important than the honour Balor won at ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ and his words should have reflected that. How are we meant to care about Balor’s challenge if it sounds like he doesn’t? WWE need to do better with Finn Balor and fast. Give him something to get his teeth into.

Tye Dillinger vs Baron Corbin

Coming back from the adverts, most were surprised that Tye Dillinger was still in the ring and hadn’t moved since being pinned by Sin Cara. In a fit of rage, Dillinger took the microphone and addressed his now former partner Jason Jones:

“Shut up! I’m not going anywhere. Not until Jason Jones gets back out here and explains why he left me high and dry. I don’t care whose match is next, I’ll fight the man, and I’ll whoop that man. He can’t even lace my boots. Jordan! Get back out here now!”

The effort by Tye Dillinger was a decent one. After all, he’s a jobber in NXT right now and doesn’t get many chances to get on the mic and show what he’s capable of. Whilst delivering the promo, Tye Dillinger looked serious and acted the part of the hard-done-by partner to perfection. However, even though WWE will try to get something out of this new feud between tag team partners neither personality is strong enough to make it big. I predict both Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan will be distant memories by the end of 2015.

Hoping to rouse something in the man that had abandoned him, Tye Dillinger waited impatiently for an answer. But he didn’t get the response he wanted when the imposing and impressive Baron Corbin made his way to the ring. Accepting the challenge of Dillinger who was about to eat his words by spouting that he would take on whoever was next, Baron Corbin methodically made his way to the ring as fans anticipated a beat down. They wouldn’t be disappointed.

As Baron Corbin and Tye Dillinger stood toe to toe, the pair greeted the opening bell with a Lock Up which Corbin turned into a tight Side Headlock. Forcing Corbin’s grip to loosen, Dillinger managed to stun Baron into the ropes but was railroaded with a Shoulderblock before Baron Corbin mashed him with the excellent End of Days finisher for the victory at just over fifteen seconds. Losing two matches in one night, Tye Dillinger may as well have had ‘Jobber’ tattooed on his back. Judging by the evidence, he’s going nowhere in WWE.

As for Baron Corbin, it’s only going to get better. Standing at well over six feet tall and sporting an impressive physique as well as a unique look, the sky really is the limit. If he continues to break his way through NXT’s talent then he’ll reach the summit before summer and a Kevin Owens vs Baron Corbin bout for the NXT Championship could be dynamite especially if it was to put Corbin on the map. He’s not completely ready yet, but with constant exposure and a guiding hand from Triple H then Baron Corbin could make his main roster debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble Match. How historic would it be if he was to win the match and head to WrestleMania on his debut? That is how you build a star.

Charlotte Interview

For the first time since ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’, Charlotte Flair, the daughter of wrestling legend Ric Flair appeared on NXT minutes the title she lost in the Fatal Four Way Match to Sasha Bank. The focus of this interview as you could have already guessed was her impending re-match for the gold:

“Look, I’m not trying to take anything away from Sasha Banks, but she’s never beaten me one on one. Nothing is guaranteed in life, but what is, is that the NXT Women’s Championship is coming back where it belongs.”

It was short but got to the point and made Charlotte actually look as if she cared about the prize on offer. I have no doubt that the match will be an excellent technical war and once again pout WWE’s divas division to shame. NXT creative need to take a look at this promo and apply the same desire to Finn Balor, it would be ten times more impressive.

Tyler Breeze Selfie Promo

Following his attack of Hideao Itami and subsequent high tailing when the Japanese star fought back, Tyler Breeze appeared in a selfie promo which was designed to further his feud with Itami which could be a lasting highlight if WWE can play their cards right and not milk it:

“Hideao Itami, did you really think that you got one over one me? Because I don’t really see it that way! I see it more like…you fell right into my trap. And soon enough, you are going to be squished in it, like the little cockroach you are.”

Hideao Itami has now defeated Tyler Breeze twice, one in the Number One Contender’s Tournament before ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’ and at the event itself. Whilst it’s usually not practical for this to happen as fans can believe the losing party isn’t good enough to sustain a feud with the victory, the losses add to Tyler Breeze’s anger and in certain situations this method can work. However, the next time both men face off, Tyler Breeze must take the victory otherwise this feud is dead in the water before it’s had a chance to breathe.

Sami Zayn Announcement

Wishing to break up the action, the next segment on this weeks NXT was an announcement that Sami Zayn would appear on next week’s programme to address the NXT Universe after his beating at ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’.  After the announcement was made, footage of Zayn appearing on house shows in the U.A.E was aired which didn’t do Zayn any favours. It made it look as if it was a relief for him to drop the gold just so he could move up to the main roster for a week to tour the world. And that when he was cleared for action, the first thing he did was abandon the fans that had paid to see him in favour of furthering his career.

Its little mistakes like this which can sink a wrestler’s career by WWE. All that’s needed is one person to take offence to Zayn being willing to wrestler on the main roster elsewhere and not appear on a show he was Champion of not two weeks ago, and these things snowball. At least next week we’ll get some clarification as to where Sami Zayn stands in NXT. The announcement will either be of his intention to challenge Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship again or a goodbye speech which will allow him to move up to the main roster on a full time basis. He can’t sustain both.

Bayley vs Becky Lynch

Following both women’s excellent displays at ‘NXT Takeover: Rival’, two of the three losing parties met a fortnight after their Fatal Four Way Match following comments the previous week from Becky Lynch, that Bayley cost her the NXT Women’s Championship. You see, this is where NXT trumps WWE’s main roster. There’s no way I could see WWE’s main roster fans putting up with two or three separate female feuds because they women get so little time to flesh out their characters and matches. When they do get a singles match on weekly television or pay-per view, it’s hindered by bookers who believe they know best when it’s obvious they do not.

In NXT, the women are told what is needed of them and are allowed to express themselves in which ever way helps their character. They’re given an outline and a time frame and kicked out to sink or swim. That is the way it should be, because you’re only going to know if a performer can get the job done if they’re not acting upon direct orders from management. It’s raw and it’s pure. WWE have something special here and it can’t be allowed to fall into the hands of those who would gladly change it to fit the main roster blueprint.

Serving as the penultimate match of the show before Finn Balor stepped into the ring with The Brian Kendrick, the grungy, girl next door Bayley made her way to the ring first but was clearly not as popular with the fans in the NXT Arena as Becky Lynch who would get a massive reception when she came out second. Just a note on Bayley before we can begin. Though her wrestling skills are getting better and she clearly needs more time to hone her craft, Bayley has the type of fun character which could go far on the main roster. She’s likable and possesses the same qualities Paige does though she’s not as good a wrestler as the British siren.

Becky Lynch came out second and last and it’s evident from watching her in the ring that her attitude is sound and her character and talent as good as flawless. With the current state of WWE’s divas division, I have no doubt that if Becky Lynch was called up tomorrow she’d be able to handle the rigours of main roster life with aplomb as long as she wasn’t made to ‘pay her dues’ by jobbing to anyone and everyone to prove she really wanted it. As the bell rang on this bout, it was evident that the fans preferred Becky Lynch to Bayley but wrestling fans are never predictable and the chants would soon be split down the middle.

Initiating a Lock Up to kick off the action, it was Bayley who got out of the traps first by attempting to outsmart her opponent. Spinning out of the Lock Up, Bayley locked in an Armbar which she proceeded to turn into a Sleeper Hold. It was nice to see someone like Bayley implement obvious changes to her arsenal even if they wouldn’t last very long. Feeling her opponent out, Becky Lynch looked at ease as she effortlessly reversed Bayley’s Sleeper Hold into a Wristlock followed by a Hammerlock. The action looked promising in the early outset and hadn’t yet lagged as some female matches have a tendency to do. Keeping up the standard of reversals, Bayley turned Lynch’s Hammerlock into a Snapmare and pinfall, which Lynch bridged out of. It looked brilliant.

Failing to pin her foe with early reversals, Bayley went on the offensive with a series of Shoulderblocks but found her efforts thwarted when Becky Lynch sent Bayley careering into the corner. Charging at the smaller and less able Bayley, Lynch got an elbow in the face for her troubles, which was the set-up for something more impressive from the future divas sensation. Taking flight, Bayley looked liked a Lucha Libre as she threw her frame at Becky Lynch and tackled her with a Flying Armdrag from the middle turnbuckle. Attempting to escape the onslaught, Becky Lynch crawled into a corner and was savvy enough to spot an incoming dive from her attacker. Moving at the last second, Becky Lynch dropped to the mat and Bayley ate a face full of turnbuckle, missing a Corner Splash.

Spotting that Bayley was reeling from her connection with the turnbuckle; Becky Lynch acted on her avenue of opportunity and hooked the colourful character into a Pumphandle Slam which she altered into a sumptuous Pumphandle Suplex for a count of one. The moment was very easy on the eye as was Bayley’s selling. She hit the mat like a sack of bricks and sold the move like it was the end of her career. Enraged that such an attractive move hadn’t worked to secure her the bout, Becky Lynch went on a rampage and attacked with two decent Running Leg Drops and a Standing Leg Drop with stunned the already hurt Bayley. Covering Bayley, the Irish Lynch only managed to rack up a count of two.

Slowing the pace of the bout down a little before both women ran out of steam, Lynch dropped to her knees behind Bayley and paid homage to Ted Dibiase by applying the Million Dollar Dream. It was a wise move. When you have two firecrackers that are capable of filling the amount of time allocated then stalling and rest moves aren’t generally advised because they slow down the pace of the bout. But Becky Lynch and Bayley aren’t two of those people. You got the feeling watching this that the women would run out of both steam and ideas if they didn’t take a short break from the action. Credit goes to booking and the women for spotting this and doing something about it. The rest hold brought the pair enough time to complete the rest of the intended bout.

Fighting back to her knees, Bayley broke the Million Dollar Dream with hard elbow shots to the gut but nearly found her head rolling on the mat next to her when Becky Lynch blasted her with a devastating Uppercut. In sheer desperation and with the bout slipping from her grasp, Bayley had to do something quickly and took matters into her own hands by throwing Lynch to the apron when the Irish native went to grab her to inflict further damage. With several Forearm blows to the jaw, Bayley forced Becky Lynch from the apron as the recipient hit the apron face first. Fortunately this was planned and not some mishap. Rolling under the bottom rope, Bayley heaved her tiny frame from ringside and underneath the bottom turnbuckle with a Slide Dropkick before rolling Lynch back into play.

Mustering her last reserves of energy, Becky Lynch caught Bayley with a hard knee to the gut as the lively female made her way back between the ropes. Firing Bayley into the ropes, Lynch made the mistake of bowing her head which allowed the recipient to reverse the hold and instead of a stiff kick to the face or chest; Bayley simply threw Lynch into the ropes for a hell of a Clothesline on the rebound. Trying her luck once too often, Bayley missed a second Clothesline allowing Becky Lynch to perform a neat Rolling STO Punch Combo. However, a second wind would serve Bayley well as wound a Shoulderblock and several Rear Corner Splashes.

Feeling a victory in her clutches, Bayley hoisted Becky Lynch to the top rope but failed to make sure her foe was properly secured before joining her on the perch. Pushing Bayley from the summit, Becky Lynch traded several reversals with her oppressor which saw Bayley end up on the middle rope and in prime position for a Flying Back Elbow for a very good near fall, all things considered. Holding her shoulder, signalling a faux injury from the bump, Bayley attempted her Bayley To Belly Suplex with an injured wing only for Becky Lynch to counter with a lovely Reverse Cross Arm Breaker which looked brilliant. With an injured shoulder, Bayley was forced to tap out handing Lynch a hard fought victory.

Yet another good advert for female wrestling in WWE, this was a pointer of what is possible when two women aren’t constrained by rules and a ridiculously short time limit. You see, fans will sit and watch women wrestling without falling silent and heading for the toilet if the story is good enough and the wrestling is good enough. On WWE’s main roster at the moment, there are only a few women capable of putting on a great match without having the audience lose interest, but they’ve got to be given more time and investment. Becky Lynch and Bayley shone here and will do so if Triple H can revise Vince McMahon’s attitude to his divas division.

Rhyno Interview

Taking a short break before the main event of the evening kicked in, NXT showed us Rhyno backstage with one of NXT’s many interviewers. Responding to comments about why he had come back to WWE and more importantly NXT, Rhyno had this to say:

“Why am I here? Everywhere I go I hear about NXT. I hear NXT this, NXT that so I tuned in and what I see when I look at the superstars, I see intensity in their eyes, I see the fire and the drive they have to be the best. Then I looked at myself in the mirror and what did I see? I seen the same intensity I’ve always had. I’ve felt the fire I’ve always had. So if you want to make a statement you go to a place like NXT. And I’m here to climb to the top. And how am I going to do that? I’m going to do that by ripping people in half, with a gore! Gore! Gore!”

This wasn’t a particularly impressive promo by Rhyno, full of oddly phrased words and terrible English but it once again got the point across. A former WWE star coming back to NXT and not the main roster because NXT is the place to be spoke volumes to those still in doubt about the brand. It got over how important the brand was to WWE and the future of the company, though for future reference I would put someone with Rhyno to do his promos for him. He looks awkward in front of camera on his own and at several points during the interview he could be seen reading his piece from an autocue.

Jason Jones Interview

Before the main event kicked off, we were shown footage supposedly recorded before the break of Jason Jones marching down a backstage corridor moments after his turn on Tye Dillinger. With an interviewer in pursuit, Jason Jones responded to comments as to why he walked out on his tag team partner:

“I did what I did and I’ll give you and explanation when I’m ready.”

It didn’t give much away and points to the fact that NXT are planning a feud between the tag team partners. But one has to question how much interest they’ll be in a feud between two jobbers.

The Main Event

Finn Balor vs The Brain Kendrick

For those people who don’t know either of these stars, then your Wrestling God is here to once again inform you and save you from wrestling obscurity. Let’s begin with WWE’s future in Finn Balor. The Irish sensation used to compete on the independent circuit in America and was a massive part of New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name Prince Devitt. Leader of NJPW’s hugely successful Bullet Club, Finn Balor decided to come to WWE when there was nothing left for him on the Indies and it was probably the best decision of his entire career. With his unique ring skill and athletic ability, many fans have taken to Finn Balor like a duck to water. The majority knew who he was before he stepped foot in a WWE ring, but he’s done a great job of adhering himself to those foreign to him since his debut.

The Brian Kendrick was a surprise for me when it was announced on WWE.Com that he would be returning to WWE to compete in NXT. You see, when Kendrick who used to be known as Spanky in WWE was fired by the company because they had nothing for him to do and he was taking up space other wrestlers needed, he was a spare wheel. Fresh out of a tag team with Paul London, Brain Kendrick was a Brian Pillman type character and not overly popular. Don’t get me wrong, his skill between the ropes was as good as anyone but WWE weren’t using him correctly. So it’s surprising to see him come home, but a nice surprise. You see, I have a great belief that Brian Kendrick can do good things in NXT if he can find the passion for the business that he lost when travelling the independent circuit. He’s a great talent, let’s just hope he can help keep the light of NXT burning and not be the inclusion to put it out. At this very moment, his path is uncertain.

Already informed that The Brain Kendrick would be making his WWE return this week, fans were deprived of the shock of another return, the likes they got with Rhyno last week. However, The Brian Kendrick was warmly received when he made his way down the aisle and he didn’t look as if he’d lost a step. ‘Welcome Back’ chants greeted Kendrick as he stepped inside a WWE ring for the first time in several years, though I think that it’s worth pointing out if WWE carry on bringing back former stars into a brand meant to be for new talent then they run the risk of turning into TNA. A few here and there are good, but every week just won’t do. There’s not enough room for everyone in NXT and even the big stars only compete one per fortnight so they can have their share of the spotlight. WWE cannot trade old for new otherwise NXT will become a shell of its former self.

As The Brian Kendrick made his way to the ring, we were shown Kevin Owens who had joined the commentary team in preparation for his upcoming match with Finn Balor whose entrance was up next. If you’ve never seen Finn Balor’s entrance then you owe it to yourself to do so. It’s an event all by itself, though I’m surprised with WWE’s strictness on what fans wear that the NXT team allowed fans into the arena wearing Bullet Club T-shirts. They refer to a time in Balor’s life that WWE would rather not have mentioned on camera.

The Brian Kendrick and Finn Balor began the bout with an enthusiastic Lock Up which came to an abrupt end when Balor forced Kendrick against the ropes and broke the move. Getting into their groove, the pair partook in a second Lock Up which began proceedings properly, when Balor turned the move into a Waist Lock but couldn’t secure his grip quick enough to stop Kendrick reversing the hold into a nice looking Wristlock. Searching for ways out of the hold, Balor dug deep into the Owen Hart playbook and flipped and rolled his way into a further reversal by synching in an Armbar. Like the women’s bout before it, this had gotten off to a speedy and interesting beginning. It boded well for the rest of the collision.

With his arm in a Half Nelson, The Brian Kendrick had to find an escape before feeling his shoulder pop. Coming across the escape route which would lead him to freedom, Kendrick reversed the Half Nelson into a Headlock. Spending less than thirty seconds in the hold, Finn Balor shook off The Brian Kendrick and fired him into the ropes but was surprised by the dexterity of Kendrick who instead of charging Balor and ending up on his backside, sprung from the ropes with a lovely Sunset Flip which Finn Balor rolled through before catching his returning foe with a Double Dropkick to the face. It was brilliant. Clutching his face, The Brian Kendrick stumbled into the corner where Finn Balor lined up him for what would be a miscellaneous Big Boot when Kendrick moved out of dodge.

 Now the roles were reversed and Finn Balor was in the corner, The Brian Kendrick charged his younger and newer opponent but found himself flying through the air when Balor Backdropped him over the top rope. Instead of plummeting to ringside, Kendrick attained a decent grip on the top rope and steered himself to the ring apron. With a Shoulderblock to the gut, Kendrick found his way back into the ring via a Rolling Sunset Flip but landed hard on his ankle and went down feigning an injury. Feeling sorry for his foe, Finn Balor was fooled hook line and sinker and drawn into the trap when he attempted a Test of Strength. Clutching hold of Balor’s hand, Kendrick snatched a vice grip and rolled through Balor’s momentum into a lovely looking pinfall.

Failing to achieve a count of three, The Brian Kendrick halted the momentum of the bout with a Side Headlock Takedown which lasted longer than most would have liked, especially for a bout with an eleven minute time limit. Still, like as all the best ones do, Finn Balor found his way out of a tricky situation by propelling Kendrick into the ropes and after a series avoidances blasted his foe with a Standing Dropkick. Receiving a face full of leather didn’t do anything for Kendrick’s complexion and he rolled to ringside in the hope of avoiding any further punishment.

The break in the action was the signal for other events to begin and the attention suddenly turned to the commentary table where NXT Champion Kevin Owens had become embroiled in his own little spat with Alex Riley. It was quite the verbal piece as Owens lambasted Riley who attempted to fight back but didn’t have the brain or the wit to do so. Kevin Owens destroyed Alex Riley with his words and the latter came across as easy pickings. WWE need to allow their commentators to fight back when they receive criticism on air. They refused to allow Josh Matthews to do so and he was forced to sit week in and week out taking JBL’s abuse. This is 2015, everyone is meant to have freedom of speech.

Back to the action and The Brian Kendrick made his way back into the ring, catching Finn Balor with a sharp Calf Kick for a count of one. Applying a Double Arm Surfboard, Brian Kendrick allowed the action to once again swing back to the announcers table where Kevin Owens retrieved his NXT Championship and left the table because of Alex Riley. It wouldn’t be the last time we saw Owens on this broadcast. Returning from an advert which hyped next weeks NXT Women’s Championship bout and Finn Balor was propped in the corner awaiting a Brian Kendrick charge. Spotting the oncoming freight train, Balor raised his knees and cracked Kendrick with two accomplished Clotheslines.

Moving the action back to the corner, Finn Balor stuck hard with two stinging Chops to the chest which brought tears to the eyes as it became visible that the months of inactivity and a slower pace were having an effect on Brian Kendrick, who was beginning to blow up badly. Obviously not learning from history or his past mistakes, it was Finn Balor who charged at Kendrick in the corner only to get a boot in his face and open the door to Kendrick who hopped to the second turnbuckle and dropped Balor with a Tornado DDT which brought about the first near fall of the entire bout. A Flying Dropkick and Tiger Suplex followed for Kendrick who still failed to keep Balor down for his first victory in WWE in many years.

With time beginning to run short for the pair, they initiated the match ending sequence which began with Finn Balor reversing The Kendrick into a Clothesline before snapping The Brian Kendrick with his Slingblade Neckbreaker. Pulling Kendrick into position, Finn Balor rose to the top rope and soared with his Coup De Grace finisher which is a Double Foot Stomp and looks painful for its recipient. Teaching The Brian Kendrick that talent had moved on since his day, Finn Balor covered his foe for the victory.

Following the bout, Kevin Owens sauntered back out onto the stage and a stare down between the pair ensued. In an effort to send a message to Finn Balor, the NXT Champion attacked Alex Riley on commentary and threw him across the announce desk. It was a strange moment because the face Balor didn’t even attempt to rescue Riley and just stood in the ring as NXT went off of the air.

The match was another good effort even if it didn’t live up to the standards of last week’s efforts and was slow in places. The audience didn’t warm to the pair until the end which leant a weird ambience to the proceedings and in parts it sounded as if the match was playing out in front of silence. Maybe Finn Balor isn’t ready in the audience’s mind yet or maybe the novelty of another returning WWE star has well and truly worn off.

The Summation

Episode 266 was a marked improvement on its predecessor. Full of gripping action, not one of the bouts disappointed and more importantly the storylines from each were highlighted so the brand can carry on down the path it’s currently going. Out of the two, I’d recommend Episode 266 for new viewers but in the cold light of day WWE can and have done better with NXT and I look forward to seeing what heights it reaches in the near future.

Onwards and upwards…