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Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 4/8/15: Mr. Itami Goes To WrestleMania
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 4/8/15)
Mr. Itami Goes To WrestleMania
– We wouldn’t necessarily label this episode a “throwaway” show by any means – it was very cool to see WWE finally acknowledge the accomplishments of Hideo Itami during WrestleMania Axxess weekend, chronicling his rise to getting to compete in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale and the matches he fought through to get there. The ending video package was appropriate and emotional – showing his two younger sons backstage and his interactions with Triple H, The Big Show, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan and more, as they all spoke quite highly of him. This made Itami look like the international superstar that he is, and this was excellent because it had seemed his accomplishments had slipped under the radar and swept under the rug by a Show KO punch. Only complaint about this was the timing of the show. Being that the great majority of us already seen WrestleMania and knew Itami would win the tournament, it took the unpredictability out of the matches. This show would’ve been most effective say, three days after Mania.
– The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Qualifying Tournament Semifinal match between Hideo Itami and Adrian Neville was a good lengthy match with offense galore from both guys – from the ground up to the air. Crowd was favorable for Itami and Neville took the reaction and used it to his advantage, playing the crowd at times. This was telling, with Neville in likely his last legitimate NXT appearance, groomed for the main roster, looking as sharp as possible in the ring, not missing a step, providing the perfect foil for the uprising Itami. The ending sequence was incredibly good, with Neville close to winning, only for Itami to pull out his finisher almost out of desperation, which came off very well.
– The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Qualifying Tournament Semifinals match between Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze was the clash you’d expect – not just of personalities but also in-ring styles, one almost complimenting the other. Balor was a good choice to advance, given his popularity rise and would increase fan interest in the tournament finals. One minor complaint might be that the match was sort of short, but it’s not completely unheard of for Balor to decisively beat Breeze at this point.
– Dana Brooke continues to come off as the confident muscular blonde bombshell. Her debut next week is something to look forward to.
– Cool to see the video package that highlighted the house show at the San Jose University Arena filled with a crowd of 5,000 crowd. It shows the magnitude of NXT and how “over” it is, with a crowd that size. Would’ve also been cooler if they legit didn’t use TNA’s old “Adrenaline Rush, Adrenaline Rush” theme music, but we’re slightly nitpicking here.
– The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Qualifying Tournament Finals match between Itami and Balor was great – would you expect any less from these two? Itami had his shining moments here, coming closer than ever to his goal, eventually getting there, moving past the fight of a relentless Balor. The finish did feel a little “empty” and it would’ve been appropriate for Itami to advance using his GTS, but that’s not how it went down. However, they did highlight his first GTS in the ending video package and the effect it had on social media, getting Itami to trend on Twitter during Mania weekend. He finally got his moment and that’s what this episode was all about.
Quick Results
– Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Qualifying Tournament Semifinals – Hideo Itami def. Adrian Neville via pinfall to advance
– Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Qualifying Tournament Semifinals – Finn Balor def. Tyler Breeze via pinfall to advance
– Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Qualifying Tournament Finals – Hideo Itami def. Finn Balor via pinfall
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 2/18/15: New Era (No Problems)
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 2/18/15)
New Era (No Problems)
– Following NXT Rival sounded like a mission in itself and the opening video defined that in every way.
– The opening William Regal promo set the tone to the show – declaring it a “New Era in NXT” and rightfully so. Most of the show focused on the future aspects of storylines and new feuds. It also properly hyped the Kevin Owens-Adrian Neville main event, which already had storyline background to it. It also confirmed that Owens was NXT World Heavyweight Champion by victory of referee stoppage.
– You had to start the show off with Owens of course. He’s a heat magnet just from how he won the belt. It’s evident the crowd was split down the middle for him. This was a confident. strong promo from him as he made bold statements, mainly calling Sami Zayn “the past” and wanted to fight Finn Balor anytime. It’s like he’s a fighting champion with moments of selected cowardice. Owens pulls it off excellently.
– Random, but always pleasant to see Rhyno appear from nowhere. Crowd understandably went wild and this kept up the “anything can happen” atmosphere. Never let your guard down while watching NXT. Elias Sampson had a short night, but it didn’t matter anyway. Rhyno won with the gore.
– The Balor promo made him sound tough in response to Owens and the disruption by Rhyno who smirked was appropriate. Perhaps a match between them next week?
– The Vaudevillains-Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady (w/Carmella) was a subtle way to get Amore/Cassady over while reminding us The Vaudevillains still exist. It’s hard to not crack a smile with how over Amore/Cassady are with the crowd. The promo by Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy after the match set them back to being sleazy heels. Smart move, considering the popularity of Amore/Cassady.
– The Neville promo was decent as he set himself as a “hunter” and was focused on the personal side of his match with Owens later. He’s out with something to prove.
– The Bayley promo was short and sweet in how close she was to winning last week. She definitely has the crowd’s support.
– The Becky Lynch promo was also decent in that she expressed her disdain for Bayley and Charlotte. Odd that she wouldn’t be upset with Sasha Banks winning being she fought with her many times over the belt. The absence of Charlotte on the show was also obvious here at this point.
– CJ Parker taking the show “hostage” with police caution tape was an attention-grabber, but ultimately a great way to debut Solomon Crowe. Seems like Crowe will have some kind of cheesy, punkish character, but no complaints, as it fits his look.
– The Banks-Blue Pants match seemed like an odd way to kick off Banks’ reign as Champion. Blue Pants’ “Right Off The Clearance Rack” gimmick is oddly amusing right down to the “Da Da Da Da” Price Is Right theme music. Banks was clearly playing with Blue Pants and won by submission with the Banks Statement. Her promo was all Sasha confidence, being the “queen bee” and all.
– Showing the footage after “Rival” went off the air of Zayn being helped up after the match and word of his update from Dr. Chris Amann saying Zayn was ready to go soon was all good. His return promo should be something to watch.
– The Neville-Owens match was more of showcasing Owens’ brash style mixed with Neville’s aerial fighting spirit. This turned into a really good match as it went on. The 450 splash by Neville off the apron was impressive and the near falls were believable towards the end where it seemed that Neville could actually win. The story told was that Owens is a force to be reckoned with and things aren’t done yet with him and Zayn. With Balor also in line for a Title shot, NXT has some great main event matches set up for the near future.
Quick Results
– Rhyno def. Elias Sampson via pinfall
– Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady (w/Carmella) def. The Vaudevillains via pinfall
– Sasha Banks def. Blue Pants via submisison
– Kevin Owens def. Adrian Neville via pinfall