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Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 10/26/16: On The Up And Up
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 10/26/16)
On The Up And Up
– The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament First Round match between #DIY (Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa) and Tian Bing/Hoho Lin was a smart way to have #DIY advance while at the same time serve Bing’s in-ring NXT debut. He was the guy who was the first signed superstar from China, so he had a chance to impress and was in the ring with the right guys for it. Lun still is on the lower half of the Cruiserweight Classic talent spectrum, but he wasn’t a prime focus thankfully. Him and Bing worked well enough together to give #DIY a tease at an upset, but when commentary revealed that the winners here would take on NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival in the second round, they might as well have given away the result right there. With #DIY-Revival as past foes, they’d be dumb not to set up another excuse for an encounter and if they beat The Revival there, it could even set up the Tag Title match at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. Maybe we’re thinking too ahead, but they got the first part of the puzzle right, as we saw #DIY win their running knee strike/superkick combo on Lun, which also protected Bing, whom they can build down the road.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 10/19/16: Champion’s Address
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 10/19/16)
Champion’s Address
– The opening video reminded us of the huge brawl to end last week’s show when NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura returned to cast vengeance upon Samoa Joe, who purposely sidelined him in an attempt to get back the NXT Championship. To the point where he annihilated various talent in demand of either Nakamura or the Title from NXT General Manager William Regal, Joe had this coming to him. A smart way to drag out television time.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 10/12/16: Joe Gets What He Wants
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at then bottom of the post.
(Aired 10/12/16)
Joe Gets What He Wants
– Another week of NXT TV was here and the good thing was that we’d finally get Sanity’s long-awaited debut and the first match of “The Glorious 10” pair of Tye Dillinger/Bobby Roode. It’d also happen under the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament First Round. This was a smart way to blend programs. Needless to say, Sanity’s entrance was unique, yet left us unsettled. This was reliant upon flashlights in the dark, smoke, brick walls and heavy metal music as four denim-jacket clad figures stood with masks. Two of them were revealed as Alexander Wolfe/Sawyer Fulton. It had been a while since we seen them, so we were all for this. They were big in stature and powerful, so smart idea. A man and woman remained masked outside for the match. The duo worked over Dillinger extensively as they mauled him to no limit. Roode watched from afar and wanted no part of them, to the point where he teased a step-in, but walked away, as Dillinger reached out for help. It became apparent that Roode had no interest in a team with Dillinger and was only concerned about himself. Then again, at the same time, we wouldn’t to step in against those guys either. Their finisher was like a Magic Killer variation as they turned Dillinger over for a powerslam to get the win. The reveals of Eric Young/Nikki Glenncross as the last two members was well-done, especially on EY’s part. The crowd let loose a “Holy shit!” chant and rightfully so. We’ll see what promos they give us to establish who they are, but so far, this was a hot debut. Their entrance and look almost rivals The Wyatt Family.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 10/5/16: When Samoa Joe Attacks
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 10/5/16)
When Samoa Joe Attacks
– With the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament now upon us, it was time to let the stories come to us. Thank goodness, with a lot of notable names absent from NXT’s roster, this was an easy way to carry us weekly with natural storytelling. Surely, that’s how the late Dusty would’ve wanted it. We had the announcement in the opening video that there’d be two First Round matches. Let the games begin.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 9/28/16: The Glorious 10 Is Born
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 9/28/16)
The Glorious 10 Is Born
– It’s an incredible thing that the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament was already back in its second edition. We began with a promo from NXT General Manager William Regal in an empty arena as he broke down the news that 16 teams would face off in single elimination rounds and it’d all start next week. Such a great way to enhance the TV episodes and is a smart move all around.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 9/14/16: Glorious Actions
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 9/14/16)
Glorious Actions
– At their first-ever encounter at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, Shinsuke Nakamura beat Samoa Joe to become the new NXT Champion. There had to be some intriguing way to set up a reason to want to see the guaranteed rematch. Boy, did it happen here. A lot of credit for the opening in-ring segment with Joe and Nakamura. Joe did his best to make like he had turned a new leaf and learnt from his mistakes as Champion while he dealt with hecklers and claimed their words were deserved. He called out Nakamura and told him he had respect for him, that he was a worthy Champion. It had ended with the news that as soon as Joe was medically cleared to compete, he wanted his rematch. He called for a handshake before he went to the back as Nakamura posed in the ring. The shocker came the moment Joe ambushed Nakamura on the ramp and let loose his true intentions all along – to sucker the Champ into a sick attack. Now, it wasn’t quite to the level that Mark Henry did in 2013 with his fake retirement speech, but the key was that Joe said and did enough for us to let our guard down, even if we slightly felt an attack coming. They alluded to an attitude change ever since the show after TakeOver and that made the attack all the more buyable. Joe culminated his attack with a Bookend onto the steel steps before medical trainers took over and put the Champ on a stretcher. A cool mini-swerve that came off even better as it was played up like a legitimate injury, as we saw the Referee throw up the “X” and even Corey Graves came down from the commentary booth to check on Nakamura as did NXT General Manager William Regal.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 8/31/16: The Era Of Strong Style Begins
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 8/31/16)
The Era Of Strong Style Begins
– With NXT back at home at Full Sail University, it was time to see some new feuds and stars develop as the next NXT TakeOver event looms in the coming months. We started off with a backstage segment with Samoa Joe, NXT General Manager William Regal and a medical trainer as Regal was told that due to numerous injuries caused to Joe at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, he wouldn’t be cleared to compete any time soon. Joe, who was uncrowned of the NXT Championship at Brooklyn by NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, was expectedly pissed and stormed away. Uh oh.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 8/24/16: Stick To The Plan
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 8/24/16)
Stick To The Plan
– To nobody’s surprise, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II stole SummerSlam weekend in all its goodness. In line with highlight videos of past TakeOver events, we saw the cool slow-motion effects as everything newsworthy from the event was covered, from No Way Jose’s conga line, Hideo Itami’s Go To Sleep on Austin Aries, Ember Moon’s finisher to Bobby Roode’s “Glorious” entrance and the fantastic NXT Tag Team Championship match where Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa fell short against Champions The Revival to Bayley’s failure to regain gold and Shinsuke Nakamura’s fulfilled mission to win it. We came out of this with the idea that a “new chapter was written” and how right they were.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 7/6/16: Flips And Fists
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 7/6/16)
Flips And Fists
– Whenever NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival and American Alpha meet, magic happens. Plain and simple. They bring something new to the tag team wrestling table, with inventive spots to showcase their contrasts in styles. Revival are known to be old-school rule-bending heels with more emphasis on their strikes while AA pride themselves on being premier athletes with a repertoire of suplexes and submissions. Give these two teams 20 minutes and they’ll give you the world. AA eventually got to hold the gold, but quickly lost it at TakeOver: The End, which made Revival the first two-time Tag Champs. We knew a rematch would come for the former Champs and they made it even better as it was announced to be a 2 Out Of 3 Falls match. That was set to happen on this episode, as evidenced by the opening video. Safe to say expectations were mightily high.
Notes In Observance – WWE NXT 6/22/16: Nakamura Demolition Derby
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 6/22/16)
Nakamura Demolition Derby
– Out of TakeOver: The End, we know that “The Beginning” has ended and with that comes a focus on the now. Arguably, since they alluded to it the week before, NXT’s spotlight feud’s now the anticipated encounter between Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura. The opening video looked at last week’s epic closer segment where it was first referenced. There’s a great story in there too. Balor looked to see what was next for him while Nakamura felt that he needed to beat an “idol” the caliber of Balor to cement himself as a contender.
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