NXT 2017 Thread *SPOILERS*

Virtanen

CastorTroy wrote: »

I know loads of episodes are already taped in advance and I'm trying to avoid the spoilers, but who on the current roster could be a strong opponent for Asuka, considering Bayley has pretty much beat them all and Asuka is tearing through them as well?

She still has work to do, but Liv Morgan has serious potential IMO. She's impressed in every match she's had so far

Andersonisgod

Without wishing to be harsh, I've seen Nakamura have that exact same match that he did with Tye Dillinger like a dozen times. There's few better big match performers than him but equally there's few guys working in a top company that so often and so blatantly go through the motions as he does.

Stereomaniac

That's something I meant to ask after the TakeOver show. I am not a regular watcher of Japanese stuff. What we saw from Nakamura against Sami Zayn, how close to his best is that?

SureYWouldntYa

CastorTroy wrote: »

I know loads of episodes are already taped in advance and I'm trying to avoid the spoilers, but who on the current roster could be a strong opponent for Asuka, considering Bayley has pretty much beat them all and Asuka is tearing through them as well?

Dana Brooke if rebuilt would be perfect

One thing I loved in the Takeover promo package for Asuku/Bayley was Dana Brooke talking up Asuku, saying that no matter what trick she pulled she couldn't get to Asuku. Such a brilliant simple way to push Asuku even more, you wouldn't see something like that on the main roster, someone like say Bray Wyatt pre Wrestlemania when he was still heel putting over Roman Reigns

Stereomaniac

Roman Reigns was warning Dean Ambrose about Brock Lesnar before the match at Fastlane a couple of months ago. Then on the flip, Paul Heyman has acknowledged that he has respect for Roman Reigns several times on television. It goes to show that it's the two most sacred calves that WWE have, with the exception probably only of John Cena though..

SureYWouldntYa

Stereomaniac wrote: »

Roman Reigns was warning Dean Ambrose about Brock Lesnar before the match at Fastlane a couple of months ago. Then on the flip, Paul Heyman has acknowledged that he has respect for Roman Reigns several times on television. It goes to show that it's the two most sacred calves that WWE have, with the exception probably only of John Cena though..

That's faces praising other faces though, just doesn't have the same effect

Imagine if Y2J praised Styles in the promo for his title match, would never happen, but if it did it would give Styles a lot more legitimacy

Or HHH coming out and doing the same for Reigns

Don't know why but I just really liked it when Dana Brooke done it

Stereomaniac

Yeah it jumped out at me as well when they played the video package before the match. Dana Brooke saying that about someone else, so out of character, and really put over how dangerous Asuka is. I'm wondering what's next for Bayley, will there be a rematch at the next TakeOver before she is called up, or when even is the next TakeOver scheduled for anyway?

Andersonisgod

Stereomaniac wrote: »

That's something I meant to ask after the TakeOver show. I am not a regular watcher of Japanese stuff. What we saw from Nakamura against Sami Zayn, how close to his best is that?

Pretty close. Very few wrestlers anywhere have that rare mix of charisma, phenomenal, main event style ring work and such aura and presence. Sometimes you see a guy who can work bit you're simply not invested in their matches because they just don't have that magnetism. No matter where he goes Nakamura will be a star. Also to be fair Zayn was the perfect dance partner in his debut match, his role in that bout shouldn't be understated.

All I'd say is don't expect to see Nakamura at that level very often, the Dillinger match is pretty much his default mode till the next big match rolls around.

billion dollar baby

She hasn't debuted yet but Athena, to me, is the complete package. Athletic and strong with great charisma. Think of all the members of Team BAD rolled into one.

She has already wrestled Asuka on the independents and they have good chemistry so I see her being the most believable threat to the title.

Stereomaniac

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Pretty close. Very few wrestlers anywhere have that rare mix of charisma, phenomenal, main event style ring work and such aura and presence. Sometimes you see a guy who can work bit you're simply not invested in their matches because they just don't have that magnetism. No matter where he goes Nakamura will be a star. Also to be fair Zayn was the perfect dance partner in his debut match, his role in that bout shouldn't be understated.

All I'd say is don't expect to see Nakamura at that level very often, the Dillinger match is pretty much his default mode till the next big match rolls around.

I'll probably be shot for saying this but I haven't been marking out over either of his matches since he's debuted. Having said that, I have found him very entertaining and enjoyable. But I wasn't completely wrapped up in either of them.

beakerjoe

Whike his match with Zayn wasnt his best work, it was a joy to watch and IMO it was worth marking out over. He , like so many others, is capable of 5 stars everytime he has the right opponent but he has a tendency to phone it in unless its a big match. But lets be clear, hes so talented that he can coast and hes so over he can afford to take his foot off the gas in lesser matches like the one with Dillenger

DM_7

In the super hero world of WWE, where Vince has always showcased special physical characteristics a more technical performer can appear less impressive bell to bell.

Even Bret Hart felt under pressure to be big and attain a certain look.

Nakamura stood out in the strong style of wrestling in Japan because of how he mixed the charisma with the strong style. Until he found that he was not majorly over at home.

In WWE, the charisma is less impactful just because of the way WWE shows are booked and created. Its going to take time for it all to come together in the USA for him.

AJ Styles for example is perfect for how WWE construct and pace matches, he is in great physical shape. I don't think Nakamura could yet have the type of TV match AJ had with Del Rio this week on Smackdown.

Stereomaniac

Don't get me wrong, I think Shinsuke Nakamura is lightyears ahead of most of his contemporaries at NXT. I was merely asking how close to his best matches the last two I have seen were because I'm not as familiar with his previous work as a lot of the other posters here are. I've seen lots of footage of him over the last few years but haven't seen many full matches. The TakeOver match definitely showed me that he's going to be just fine in WWE when he gets to the main roster. His energy is so infectious and I couldn't imagine anyone else getting away with a lot of the mannerisms that he utilises in his overall presentation and in how he communicates things in his matches.

Clegg

Tbh what we got was typical Big Match Shinsuke. You got most of his signature spots, the stiff strikes and the massive dollop of charisma. And that's such a good mixture that you'll get a great match out of it.

But imo he didn't get out of his comfort zone. I'm not saying he was coasting because he clearly worked hard with Zayn to have a great match. But it's a similar match to what he's been having for a while now. Ha best matches are when he comes out of his his box a bit. You saw a bit of pissed off Nakamura against Zayn, but when he works the majority of the match like that what you get is pure magic. A part of what made the NXT bout so special is that it's so different to what you'd normally see in WWE. There weren't many holds, throws or moves you'd normally see in WWE. It was an extremely good match and up there with one of the better ones in Nakamura's career. But it isn't near his very best imo.

Look for his Wrestle Kingdom 9 match against Kota Ibushi. It's my favourite match of the last 5 years.

Angron

That Ibushi match was pretty fecking amazing.

gerrybbadd

+1 for the Ibushi match.

Out of interest, has anybody ever seen Ibushi's matches with the mannequin? They are really entertaining. And speak volumes of how talented Ibushi is to be able to pull that off

Andersonisgod

gerrybbadd wrote: »

+1 for the Ibushi match.

Out of interest, has anybody ever seen Ibushi's matches with the mannequin? They are really entertaining. And speak volumes of how talented Ibushi is to be able to pull that off

Ye Ibushi is super talented and those matches with Yoshihiko (the blow up doll) are always fun. We'll see where he ends up because right now he is doing this Ibushi Institute thing that nobody actually seems to understand other than its Ibushi working for lots of different companies to gain a greater understanding of wrestling, basically he's an odd guy but a supremely talented odd guy with an established fanbase and a proven draw.

Monokne

Stereomaniac wrote: »

I'll probably be shot for saying this but I haven't been marking out over either of his matches since he's debuted. Having said that, I have found him very entertaining and enjoyable. But I wasn't completely wrapped up in either of them.

When even is the next TakeOver scheduled for anyway?

Agree re Shinsuke. I thought his match with Zayn was very good, but his work hasn't been blow away if you ask me. People kind of casually ignored the fact that the two knee strikes he finished Sami with - one from the top ropes, the next the Bom-A-Ye looked like ****.


If I had to guess, the Wednesday night show in June at the Echo Arena could well be a Takeover.

martyos121

Monokne wrote: »

Agree re Shinsuke. I thought his match with Zayn was very good, but his work hasn't been blow away if you ask me. People kind of casually ignored the fact that the two knee strikes he finished Sami with - one from the top ropes, the next the Bom-A-Ye looked like ****.


If I had to guess, the Wednesday night show in June at the Echo Arena could well be a Takeover.

Won't be a Takeover, the next one is at Full Sail on June 8th.

Stereomaniac

Monokne wrote: »

Agree re Shinsuke. I thought his match with Zayn was very good, but his work hasn't been blow away if you ask me. People kind of casually ignored the fact that the two knee strikes he finished Sami with - one from the top ropes, the next the Bom-A-Ye looked like ****.


If I had to guess, the Wednesday night show in June at the Echo Arena could well be a Takeover.

Do you think Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Bálor will be the next main event? No spoilers!

Monokne

martyos121 wrote: »

Won't be a Takeover, the next one is at Full Sail on June 8th.

Thanks fam. Not sure how that escaped me. Bit of a shame, thought another big one in an arena full of UK fans would've been cool.

Still, at least I don't have to deal with the dilemma of do I go to it or not now

Monokne

Stereomaniac wrote: »

Do you think Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Bálor will be the next main event? No spoilers!

I also avoid spoilers, so whatever I say is guesswork here.

On balance I would think probably not as usually they like to build things over a longer period and that would be a peak match. Much the same as Asuka - Bayley seemed like it would be Mania weekend all the way since the Brooklyn show.

However, the fact Balor is main roster bound sooner rather than later and they would need his successor to be someone equally adored by the IWC, I could see them going to it quicker to move the belt to Shinsuke.

Personally, I'd use Joe as a transitional champion between the two. Joe is there to be a top guy but he's losing all his big matches and I think they need to establish some credibility with him.

Of course, he could be called up too and this is all moot! What you reckon yourself?

sky88

Monokne wrote: »

I also avoid spoilers, so whatever I say is guesswork here.

On balance I would think probably not as usually they like to build things over a longer period and that would be a peak match. Much the same as Asuka - Bayley seemed like it would be Mania weekend all the way since the Brooklyn show.

However, the fact Balor is main roster bound sooner rather than later and they would need his successor to be someone equally adored by the IWC, I could see them going to it quicker to move the belt to Shinsuke.

Personally, I'd use Joe as a transitional champion between the two. Joe is there to be a top guy but he's losing all his big matches and I think they need to establish some credibility with him.

Of course, he could be called up too and this is all moot! What you reckon yourself?

I think were going to get a triple threat match with finn vs joe vs nakamaura. Just from seeing joes promo on this weeks NXT i dont think hes done with the title picture.

I guess this would depends if Hiedo itami comes back who seems to be gone for so long now. there must be a serious problem with him as he had same injury as sami,cesaro and cena but i havent really heard anything about him coming back. Almost a year since hes been gone i think.

Monokne

First week of May was when he hurt himself, so we are right at the year and Meltzer recently reported he was not close to a return. I would worry about his long term prospects now. Torn rotator cuff is a very different type of injury and heals differently than a break or even a tear in a different ligament. There's so much movement in the joint that people who tear it often say they feel afterwards that they may never return.

Randy Orton did his once and now it feels like every 2 years it goes again (think he did it punching the mat one time). Cain Velasquez did his and has never been the same fighter since.

I agree that Joe may be involved. Personally, I would have put the belt on him earlier. He's better than Balor, even if his name is not as fresh & his presentation not as cool.

Clegg

I'm thoroughly bored by Balor at this stage. He has a unique look that's over in WWE but apart from that he's not very interesting. He's not good on the mic and there's no drama in his matches because you know he's the face of the brand and he's going over. Even his in ring stuff, while good, isn't at the same level as previous NXT champions.

beakerjoe

Clegg wrote: »

I'm thoroughly bored by Balor at this stage. He has a unique look that's over in WWE but apart from that he's not very interesting. He's not good on the mic and there's no drama in his matches because you know he's the face of the brand and he's going over. Even his in ring stuff, while good, isn't at the same level as previous NXT champions.

While I find him to be still developing as a speaker, his matches, esp the last one with Joe was excellent.

CastorTroy

Hope Itami still has a place on the NXT roster when he gets back. They're taking on so many, that it seems he could be lost in the shuffle. He hasn't been too visible while he was out, unlike Zayn who made the occasional appearance.

I find it interesting that the more recent signings are all keeping their names

jaykhunter

CastorTroy wrote: »

Hope Itami still has a place on the NXT roster when he gets back.

KENTA was my favourite Japanese wrestler about 5 years ago, I know he had knee injuries but I was ecstatic to see him in NXT, and he's been riddled with injuries for almost his entire run. So sad, despite a long head-start he's been leapfrogged by a much more charismatic Japanese signing in Nakamura. Hopefully he won't be lost in the mix.

Stereomaniac

Monokne wrote: »

I also avoid spoilers, so whatever I say is guesswork here.

On balance I would think probably not as usually they like to build things over a longer period and that would be a peak match. Much the same as Asuka - Bayley seemed like it would be Mania weekend all the way since the Brooklyn show.

However, the fact Balor is main roster bound sooner rather than later and they would need his successor to be someone equally adored by the IWC, I could see them going to it quicker to move the belt to Shinsuke.

Personally, I'd use Joe as a transitional champion between the two. Joe is there to be a top guy but he's losing all his big matches and I think they need to establish some credibility with him.

Of course, he could be called up too and this is all moot! What you reckon yourself?

I think we could all see it coming a mile away and I think WWE will slowly realise that the Shinsuke Nakamura train is going to get rolling faster than most of the other people who went through NXT and they'll just have to follow.

A Primal Nut

Samoa Joe fought Nakamura in a house show in front of 300 people. Amazing really. That could be a WrestleMania match or a B PPV main event for the WWE title.