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| NXT TakeOver May 20, 2015 |
PREDICTIONS (as of 5/20/2015)
[NXT Championship]: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Sami Zayn
This is tough. If you are going with classic storytelling, Sami Zayn should come out on top. However, Kevin Owens is so good in this role as a dominant champion that I could see them keeping the belt on him. More so than anything else, I think the biggest factor to determine the winner is if WWE has any plans on bringing either of them up to the main roster. If one is going to make that jump, he'll lose and his opponent will likely be expected to keep that title for a long while. I would think Sami Zayn would have a better chance at coming up due to his longer tenure and how he could possibly serve as a replacement for Daniel Bryan, if his injuries are significant and he'll take a lot of time off.
PREDICTION: Kevin Owens retains.
[NXT Tag Team Championship]: Blake & Murphy (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Enzo and Cass HAVE to win this, right? They're far more entertaining and easily the best tag team in NXT, if not the whole company. For some reason, WWE is supportive of Blake and Murphy, but I don't really see what makes them stand out. They're adequate, sure, but should your champions be adequate or above average?
PREDICTION: Enzo Amore and Big Cass win the titles.
[NXT Women's Championship]: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Sorry Becky, you're being fed to Sasha here. I have no doubt that Banks is retaining the title and it isn't because Lynch is awful or anything of the sort (as she isn't), it's just that there's no upward momentum in that direction for the title. Bayley is the only woman in NXT that could win the title from Sasha Banks and it would be an improvement or at least a lateral move, whereas Becky would be a step down. Sasha is too fresh as the champion to lose it now.
PREDICTION: Sasha Banks retains.
Rhyno vs. Baron Corbin
There are two options here. In the first scenario, these two are being paired up because Rhyno is getting a push to job to Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn (more so Kevin Owens), meaning Rhyno wins here and looks impressive by beating someone who has had far more wins than losses as of late. On the other hand, this could be a big push for Corbin to take on Kevin Owens as the next feud after the Sami Zayn story is pushed aside and finished. If so, beating someone like Rhyno definitely gives Corbin an extra surge of credibility. I'm inclined to lean more toward the latter, but I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the former happened.
PREDICTION: Baron Corbin wins.
Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Finn Balor
NOTE: This match is unlikely to happen as advertised, as Hideo Itami is now injured. This greatly affects the title match, since Zayn will probably not be in that. I would assume this turns into just Balor against Breeze with the winner facing Owens later in the night, which would mean Balor is the most likely winner and would lose to Owens.
PREDICTION: Finn Balor wins.
Emma & Dana Brooke vs. Bayley & Charlotte
Emma's in dire need of this heel turn to work for her, since her babyface run on the main roster was a total failure. That being said, she's here for Bayley to beat while Sasha Banks plays around with Becky Lynch. Then, when the time comes, Bayley will be the new NXT Women's champion. Emma's just in the way temporarily. However, Dana Brooke is getting pushed, so if Emma's team wins, it will be Brooke getting the pin. Charlotte should come up to the main roster, so she's in no danger and I'd be surprised if she factored into this much at all.
PREDICTION: Bayley and Charlotte win with Bayley pinning Emma...or vice versa, with Brooke pinning Bayley.
COVERAGE
The pre-show has begun and they are announcing Hideo Itami will not participate in the #1 Contender's Match, although instead of just announcing it, they show some "fan footage" from before the event where he's injured in the parking lot. Kevin Owens walks by and says "that's a shame" (haha).
[#1 Contender's Match]: Tyler Breeze vs. Finn Balor
Tyler Breeze has a bunch of women dressed similar to his usual look who accompany him to the ring for this special Periscope entrance. Finn Balor's entrance starts off creepier than normal with some kind of demonic prayer or something...or maybe I just can't recognize other languages? Either way, he has slightly new face paint to go with it since he has a cape with spikes on it. The only thing separating these from main event main roster entrances is the venue. Already, the fans are chanting "holy shit", and one of them keeps covering his son's ears to say it (haha earmuffs!) When the entrances stop, a chant of "that was awesome" erupts. Such a positive crowd...this should be fun tonight. Both men are getting time to shine and look like they're legitimately equals. The crowd gets anxious when Breeze gets a few close calls, including after a Beauty Shot. Balor heads to the stage and when Breeze goes after him, he jumps him. Balor climbs up part of the stage (and the fans chant "please don't die", but it's not that high) and jumps off onto Breeze. They head back to the ring and Balor hits his finisher for the win.
WINNER (and new #1 contender to the NXT Championship): Finn Balor via pinfall.
Very solid opener. Very solid contender's match. Very solid match in general. I'm a fan.
Backstage, Kevin Owens is watching Balor on a monitor. In the crowd next to Stephanie McMahon is Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson from Game of Thrones—and yes, I copied and pasted that because there was no way I was going to spell that correctly on my own.
Dana Brooke and Emma vs. Bayley and Charlotte
Emma's newer gear looks better than anything she's even worn. Dana Brooke is thankfully not doing her repetitive posing as much (but she's still doing it too many times). Bayley's got new attire as well, it seems. Everyone's going all out with this like the main roster tends to do for WrestleMania. Charlotte really has honed her skills so much and has gotten smooth as silk in the ring. Charlotte gets the win for her team with Natural Selection.
WINNERS: Charlotte and Bayley via pinfall.
Once more, the women in NXT prove to be more entertaining than the main roster ones. Compare this to the tag match at Payback and it's so much better.
Also in the crowd are some of the more recently signed developmental stars. I don't know much about any of them, but one of the women is exactly my type, so I love her already. Uhaa Nation gets a big pop.
Rhyno vs. Baron Corbin
The crowd is split, but Corbin seems to be playing the heel for sure, even almost getting disqualified by refusing to stop attacking Rhyno in the corner. He's definitely the dominant one. That's odd to see, considering how Rhyno is bigger than him. Rhyno goes for a Gore but Corbin clotheslines him, then hits End of Days for the win.
WINNER: Baron Corbin via pinfall.
This wasn't as entertaining as the previous two matches, since it was mostly the slugfest brawl that you could expect, but it wasn't awful. So far, if there's something you should skip, I would submit this as the option to fast forward.
Backstage, Greg Hamilton says he's sorry to bother Kevin Owens, but he wants an interview. Owens replies "But you did it anyway...you're sorry to bother me, but then you did it." I'll spoil it ahead of time and just tell you all that Owens is my choice for the best newcomer of the year. Look forward to that at the end of 2015 with the Smark Out Moment Awards.
[NXT Tag Team Championship]: Blake & Murphy (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Casssady
For their opening promos alone, Enzo and Cass need to win the titles. There's a fun exchange when Cass gets in the ring and nobody wants anything to do with him due to his size. (Side note: not only does Finn Balor need to feud with Bray Wyatt, but Colin Cassady could be the next big guy that lasts a long time in WWE like Big Show, Undertaker, Kane, etc.) Blake and Murphy look ridiculous with the pigtails and such. Are they wearing new gear, too, by the way? I'm a fan of the powerbomb/backstabber combo move they do (but Murky would do it better, for those who get that joke). Cass tries to position Enzo on the ropes, but gets distracted when Alexa Bliss comes out and starts attacking Carmella. Heel turn! She also pushes Enzo off the ropes and Blake and Murphy retain.
WINNERS: Blake and Murphy via pinfall.
As happy as I am to see Alexa Bliss, since I think she is the most attractive woman in WWE, I'm disappointed the titles didn't change hands.
[NXT Women's Championship]: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Becky Lynch
I've said it before and I'll continue to say it: I fucking love the heartbeat and the backstage shots that WWE does for title matches. Wow, Becky Lynch has crazy new gear, too, and a new hairstyle. Sasha Banks looks as amazing as ever and I'm digging her attire as well. I didn't expect to be talking so much about what people are wearing. Sasha works Becky's arm and follows up with a nice submission where she's literally just standing on her arms bent in an awkward position. Ouch. Sasha beats down on Becky, but she keeps kicking out. Lots of reversals lead to Becky working on Sasha's arm instead. The crowd's split again. Becky is able to lock in her armbar finisher, but Sasha reaches the ropes. Sasha launches herself through the ropes, but Becky (somewhat) catches her and shoves her into the steps. Sasha capitalizes on a mistake Becky makes and forces her to tap with the Bank Statement.
WINNER: Sasha Banks via submission.
Again...show me these women and I'll tout all that they can do. Show me a main roster match and it ends up sucking. This was great. Whoever is responsible for hindering the main roster's women really needs to knock it off.
After the match, the crowd gives Becky Lynch a lot of support. Face turn to balance out Alexa Bliss turning heel?
[NXT Championship]: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Immediately, Owens leaves the ring. This ends up leading to a brawl on the outside, which spills into the crowd for a bit. Somehow, the referee does not reach a 10-count despite it being over a minute. Sami's taking charge and getting the most amount of offense. Owens turns things around, though, with a pop-up powerbomb to the ring apron. Referees tell Owens to back off and trainers come out to check on Zayn.
WINNER: Kevin Owens via referee stoppage.
Not too much to review. There was a brawl that ended fast. Entertaining, but not the full match I was hoping for.
Owens hits some more punches after the match is basically stopped. They tell him to back off again and he does for a minute, then drags Sami into the ring. Four referees keep pleading for him to stop, before William Regal steps in and tells him not to do anything. Owens doesn't listen, so Regal grabs his face. Owens knocks him out of the ring. Owens grabs his belt and a chair and comes back into the ring with both (chair in hand). He hits Sami once, but music starts to play. (Samoa Joe?) Yup, Samoa Joe comes out...and they refer to him as Samoa Joe and he's wearing a shirt that says Samoa Joe. He's keeping the name??? They stare each other down and Owens leaves for the back with his belt. Owens comes back out, though. He puts the title down on the ramp, but then he backs down again.
REVIEW
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