By Nicholas Jason Lopez

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 10/28/15)

Ready, Willing And Gable 

– The Emma-Shazza match was obviously an enhancement contest to build up “Evil Emma” for when she gets her turn at facing the Japanese wrestling powerhouse Asuka, who already barreled through her best friend Dana Brooke at NXT TakeOver: Respect. Loved how Emma was uber-aggresive throughout, looking as vicious as you’d expect. Shazza definitely made an impression with her ring work, which was decent at best, but what on earth kind of ring name is Shazza? Sounds more like an onompaoepia than a convincing name. Her ring attire also screamed “medieval times.” For you gamers, think of Cassandra from the Soul Calibur fighting series. The submission finish was as polished as could be, as Shazza gave some bloodcurdling screams when she was caught in the Emma Lock to end it.

– Even after his hotshot debut last week defeating Danny Burch, it’s encouraging for James Storm’s status with WWE to see that he was mentioned and given air time on new episodes. Here, we saw a backstage promo that followed last week’s match, where he was the happy-go-lucky cowboy who was happy to be where longtime friends and fans said he belonged – NXT. Also liked how he turned something as simple as a breast cancer ribbon on a blazer into a story about his mom beating breast cancer to make him more relatable to fans. Only complaint if any, was that he barely looked at the camera during all this. All solid though in terms of promo work.

– We got the announcement that the NXT Championship match between Champion Finn Balor and Apollo Crews would take place next week, which almost assuredly means Balor retains. We’re fine with that, but the company is really playing up both sides of this matchup. We saw a hype video for Balor that had snippets of interview clips and footage from the “Who is Finn Balor?” series and that was more than enough. He came off as a star in all of this who was well-respected amongst his backstage peers.

– Now to the match of the night – Jason Jordan/Chad Gable Vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano. What more could you say about the work of these four men right here? These were tag team guys performing high-quality tag team wrestling. What was particularly noteworthy was the babyface turn of Gable/Jordan, who acknowledged and smiled along with the fans, who couldn’t get enough of them by chanting “Gable” and “Jordan” to the tune of Kurt Angle’s old theme music in WWE. They kind of come off as the new generation of The World’s Greatest Tag Team with their look and their ring skills show their amateur-backed prowess. For their worth, Gargano/Ciampa looked like a solid unit as well, relying on their stiff kicks and athleticism. This was a back-and-forth tag team match in every way, almost rivaling Ring of Honor’s high-energy tag bouts. Seriously, check this one out. It was obvious that the emerging Jordan/Gable team would win, but you were never quite too sure here. Jordan handled the hot tag spot with ease and transitioned beautifully into their Grand Amplitude double-team finisher. Think game-winning alley oop basketball shot. That’s how it comes off. Perfect.

– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley’s backstage promo talked about Alexa Bliss downing on her for being a role model. This was basically Bayley expressing her satisfaction of being Champion and being looked up to. We also liked how she tied this into her personality difference with Bliss in that she stood true to herself while Bliss changed.

– Eva Marie sent another video message from France. You know how it is. The bad part is we almost know she’s going to be instantly thrust into the Championship picture upon returning.

– The Nia Jax-Kay Lee Ray match was Jax’s second match and this time, she wore better Awesome Kong-esque attire, though still not the most flattering for her figure. Ray was a redheaded Scottish girl like Becky Lynch and it was hard to separate her from that comparison with her athletic style and ear-to-ear grins. She put in more offense than a traditional squash, but the reason she probably came on so strong was so that when Jax grounded her, it had more of an effect. It worked to some extent, but this wasn’t particularly great, even though Jax handled her in-ring mannerisms better, coming across more like a sadistic beast this time.

– After losing to Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady last week before administering a brutal beatdown, Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson have come across as a dangerous heel team and there was an even more convincing beatdown this week. The two teams were set to square off and the heels ambushed NXT’s most popular team at the time they were most vulnerable – their trademark entrance/opening promo. Geez, Amore just said his name before getting laid out, as Cassady’s leg was the target this time, as Dash/Dawson attacked it like wolves. The match never happened, Amore was laid out on the stage and Cassady banged the canvas in agony while Dash/Dawson got mega heat. Solid angle.

– The Bliss/Blake/Murphy promo saw her lay a challenge to Bayley for a six-person tag next week, laughing at the idea of Bayley finding two worthy partners. We’re going to guess Bayley gets The Vaudevillains since they’re feuding with Blake/Murphy, but that’s just speculation. Good use of Bliss having her two boys and trying to use that to her advantage.

– The second installment of “Who is Apollo Crews?” sold his in-ring credibility more with EVOLVE Wrestling stock footage along with Performance Center training footage. His debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn was also highlighted in how he beat Tye Dillinger and was received well by the 16,000 Brooklyn crowd all on his birthday. We also saw just how Crews won the Number-One Contender Battle Royale, which all made him look like a star on the rise.

– The Samoa Joe-Tyler Breeze match was a unique matchup to say the least. You had Joe out for revenge against the guy who deliberately cost him what he wanted and almost got – a shot at Balor for the NXT Championship. Breeze strolled in self-obsessed with selfie finesse, which was a perfect foil for the already angered Joe. We saw Joe’s signature spots like the suicide dive and kokina clutch submissions, while Breeze hung in there. The two styles meshed well together, especially towards the end when they kicked it into second gear. Breeze kicked out of some convincing pins, but ultimately paid the full Muscle Buster price for his troubles. Joe gets his revenge and now we just await the heel turn.

– Balor’s backstage promo put forth more solid hype towards his defense against Crews, by building up Crews’ Battle Royale victory and that he beat everyone there except for him and 15 years of pain wasn’t going to deter him as Champion and that Crews would become Champ one day, but not next week. Solid final line.

Quick Results

• Emma (w/Dana Brooke) def. Shazza via submission
• Jason Jordan/Chad Gable def. Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa via pinfall
• Nia Jax def. Kay Lee Ray via pinfall
• Samoa Joe def. Tyler Breeze via pinfall