SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: 2 More Teams Announced

    Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: 2 More Teams Announced

    The second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic begins next week on NXT and we now know 8 of the 12 teams competing in the single-elimination tournament:

    • Hideo Itami & Kota Ibushi
    • Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
    • Bobby Roode & Tye Dillinger
    • Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
    • NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival
    • Andrade “Cien” Almas & Cedric Alexander

    On Friday, WWE announced 2 more teams:

    Former NXT Champions Finn Balor and Samoa Joe made history last year by winning the inaugural event. The finals of this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic take place at NXT TakeOver: Toronto on Saturday night, November 19th.

  • Spoilers: NXT Tapings Results (9/21-10/12)

    Spoilers: NXT Tapings Results (9/21-10/12)

    [tps_footer][/tps_footer]Below are spoilers from tonight’s WWE NXT TV tapings at Full Sail:

    9/21:

    * Samoa Joe kicks us off with a promo stating that Shinsuke Nakamura has a ton of injuries and will be out 6-12 weeks. Joe threatens to hurt the whole roster if he doesn’t get the title vacated

    * Austin Aries beat Oney Lorcan. He calls Hideo Itami out after but retreats

    * Billie Kay beat Aliyah

    * Cedric Alexander beat Andrade “Cien” Almas

    9/28:

    * Regal announces the return of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The finals will be at Takeover: Toronto

    * Tye Dillinger beat Angelo Dawkins. After the match, Bobby Roode comes out and Tye accepts his offer to team for the Classic

    * The Ealy Brothers vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival never happens as Samoa Joe comes out and destroys the Ealys. Joe threatens more beatings

    * Ember Moon beat Mandy Rose

    * The Authors of Pain beat enhancement talents. Paul Ellering cut a post-match promo

    * Women’s Champion Asuka quickly defeated Liv Morgan

    * Hideo Itami beat Lince Dorado. Aries attacked after the match but ran off when Itami fought back

    10/5:

    * Authors of Pain beat The Bollywood Boyz in a first round Dusty Classic match

    * Rich Swann beat Patrick Clark

    * Peyton Royce beat Danielle Kamella

    * Dan Matha comes out for a match but Samoa Joe comes out and destroys him. Joe tells Regal more beatings are coming

    * Tag Team Champions The Revival beat Cedric Alexander and Andrade “Cien” Almas in a first round Dusty Classic match. Andrade destroyed Cedric after

    10/12:

    * Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton beat Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger in a first round Dusty Classic match. Roode walked out on Tye early. Sanity attacked Tye and was revealed to be Eric Young, Nikki Storm, Wolfe and Fulton

    * Billie Kay beat Liv Morgan with help from Peyton Royce

    * TM-61 beat Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss in a first round Dusty Classic match

    * Blake vs. Murphy stops when Samoa Joe runs in and destroys both. He calls for Regal saying time is up. Nakamura’s music hits and he comes out in a neck brace. He takes of the brace and charges to start a brawl. It ends with Nakamura hitting a Kinshasa

  • Spoiler On “Sanity” In WWE NXT

    Spoiler On “Sanity” In WWE NXT

    It was revealed at tonight’s NXT tapings that the “SANITY” teasers were for a new stable with Eric Young, Nikki Storm, Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton.

    They will face Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger in a match for the second annual Dusty Rhodes Classic. We will have full spoilers and more on the Classic shortly.

    Below is a photo:

  • Ember Moon Talks About Goals In NXT, Her Unique In-Ring Style

    Ember Moon Talks About Goals In NXT, Her Unique In-Ring Style

    NXT newcomer Ember Moon was recently interviewed by Byron Saxton for WWE.com. After making her successful debut at Takeover: Brooklyn, we’re starting to learn more about her background. Ember moon reveals why she decided to train at Booker T’s Texas-based Reality of Wrestling Academy.

    “After training with Vance [Archer, and General Skandor Akbar], I drove five hours for a tryout and made the cuts to be part of Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling promotion in Houston,” she said. “In addition to being able to work his shows, I received full access to his training facility. Booker was the one who helped me hone in on the high-flying aspect of my move set. Even though I was really comfortable in the ring, Booker gave me the confidence and motivation that I really needed to succeed in the wrestling world.”

    She describes her in-ring style as unpredictable and a blend of lucha libre and strong style. As for her goals in NXT, she wants to raise the bar set by the Four Horsewomen of NXT (Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley).

    “They changed the way people view the Women’s division, and I want to continue that. I am not a porcelain princess; I am here to break barriers. I not only want to change women’s wrestling, but I also want to change the industry as a whole. This is the path they choose and the war I will take up arms for. It is a new beginning and I am ready for it.”

    You can read the full interview with the former Athena by clicking here.

  • NXT Japan Show Announced For 12/3 At Osaka’s Edion Arena

    NXT Japan Show Announced For 12/3 At Osaka’s Edion Arena

    NXT is coming to Japan for the first time this December.

    Triple H broke the news on Twitter on Sunday evening that NXT will be coming to Osaka, Japan’s historic Edion Arena on Saturday, December 3rd. The Edion Arena is one of the hottest venues in Japan and seats over 5,000 people.

    Top stars advertised for the historic NXT Japan show include NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT Women’s Champion Asuka, Samoa Joe, Hideo Itami and Bobby Roode. Tickets for this show are available Saturday, Oct. 1 at eplus.jp.

    The Japan show takes place just days before NXT kicks off its tour of Australia and New Zealand, which runs from 12/5-12/15.

  • NXT Takeover: Toronto Announced For Survivor Series Weekend

    NXT Takeover: Toronto Announced For Survivor Series Weekend

    WWE has announced NXT Takeover is coming to Toronto on Saturday, November 19th, the night before Survivor Series.

    The event will take place at the Air Canada Centre, kicking of the consecutive nights at the venue (Takeover, Survivor Series, RAW). The show will be broadcast live on the WWE Network, with tickets going on sale Friday, Sept. 23rd at Ticketmaster.ca.

    The originally scheduled NXT live events in Toronto on Sept. 22, St. Catharines on Sept. 23 and Kitchener, Ontario, on Sept. 24 have been canceled. Refunds are available at all points of purchase. As per WWE’s official announcement, a special pre-sale code for NXT TakeOver at Air Canada Centre will be made available to fans that purchased tickets to original NXT live events.

    WWE holding the next NXT Takeover event during another big PPV weekend is the latest sign of the brand’s growing momentum. NXT Takeover shows have become a staple of WrestleMania and SummerSlam weekends. The NXT Takeover specials are often the best WWE shows held during pay-per-view weekends, with this year’s Takeover: Dallas and Takeover: Brooklyn arguably outshining WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Triple H promised 2016 would be a banner year for NXT and he’s delivered in spades.

  • Spoilers: NXT Tapings Results For The Next 3 Weeks (8/31-9/14)

    On Thursday night WWE taped the next 3 episodes of NXT television from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The following are complete results sent in by Andrew Twiss:

    -Daria Berenato def. Billie Kay in a dark match.

    Week 1 (Airing 8/31)

    – Tye Dillinger def. Buddy Murphy.

    – Tommaso Ciampa is being interviewed backstage when he’s confronted by The Revival. The Revival beat him down on the way to the ring. They continue the beat down of Ciampa, before stopping to cut a short promo talking about how Gargano and Ciampa had to face reality. The Revival then laid Ciampa out with the Shatter Machine.

    – Steve Cutler def. Kenneth Crawford

    – No Way Jose def. Angelo Dawkins.

    – Liv Morgan def. Aliyah

    -Shinsuke Nakamura cut a promo saying this is the Era of Strong Style. He came to NXT to face the best competition and he’s defeated Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, and Samoa Joe.

    – Asuka def. Danielle Kamela in 9 seconds.

    Week 2 (Airing 9/7)

    – TM61 def. Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese

    – Ember Moon def. Leah Von

    – Shinsuke Nakamura def  Steve Cutler. Samoa Joe was on commentary.

    – Austin Aries def. Andrade Cien Almas.

    – Oney Lorcan def. Tino Sabbatelli  (Likely dark match)

    Week 3 (Airing 9/14)

    – Samoa Joe comes out for a promo. He says he’s a man who can admit his mistakes. He destroyed friends and enemies in his quest for the NXT Title. He asks for Nakamura to come out. Joe says he means everything he said and asks for a rematch  Nakamura agrees. As Nakamura leaves, Joe attacks Nakamura and lays him out. Nakamura is stretchered out.

    – Liv Morgan def. Raechel Ellering (using a different last name). After the match, Morgan cuts a promo about wanting a shot at the Women’s Championship and challenges Asuka.

    – Hideo Itami def. Drew Gulak

    – The Authors of Pain won a squash

    – Bobby Roode def. No Way Jose

  • Bayley Pens Emotional Message About Leaving NXT

    Bayley Pens Emotional Message About Leaving NXT

    After joining the main roster full-time on Monday’s RAW, Bayley has written an emotional message about her official departure from NXT. It was a three and a half year run that culminated with a seven month run as NXT Women’s Champion.

    Becoming a WWE Superstar was a life long dream for Bayley, but “graduating” from NXT is bittersweet. Bayley was front and center as NXT transformed into the global phenomenon that it is today.

    “NXT is my life, it’s everything I am, everything I’ve ever wanted in wrestling,” she said. “The roster, the coaches, our bosses, our fans. All of it is everything I’ve ever wanted. I couldn’t have dreamt up a better journey, and I couldn’t have asked for better support and love that all of you have embraced me with.”

    As she embarks on a new journey, here’s the full statement:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BJgJDYQge9e/?taken-by=itsmebayley

  • Samoa Joe’s Jaw Dislocated At NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

    Samoa Joe’s Jaw Dislocated At NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

    Samoa Joe had a rough night at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. Not only did he lose the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura, but he was also injured during the match.

    On Monday morning, Joe revealed that his jaw was dislocated and he’s not currently medically cleared to wrestle. Joe was visibly in pain after Nakamura delivered the kinshasa of the match.

    Joe noted that he expects to be back in action soon.

  • NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II Results & Discussion

    NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II Results & Discussion

    NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II aired live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 20th on the WWE Network.

    – Austin Aries def. No Way Jose: After the opening bell they go back and forth until they eventually take things to the outside and Jose gets the upper hand. Aries tries to escape through the crowd but Jose throws him back in the ring. Aries gets back in the match after dropping Jose’s throat across the top rope and hitting an elbow drop to the back of the head for a near-fall. The crowd starts “Woo”-ing at someone off-screen, who appears from a distance to be Ric Flair taking his seat in the front row. Aries hits a suplex on Jose and rolls through into the Last Chance. Jose crawls to the bottom rope to break the hold. Aries misses a rolling elbow and Jose picks him up and hits a TKO for a near-fall. Jose rolls to the outside and Aries hits a suicide dive through the middle ropes that crashes Jose into the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Jose reverses a suplex into a suplex of his own for another near-fall. Aries escapes another suplex attempt and gets Jose in the Last Chance an this time he taps. After the bell rings, Aries beats down Jose until Hideo Itami comes out for the save. Itami hits a kick to the head and then the Go 2 Sleep and stands tall over Aries to end the segment.

    – We get a close up of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair sitting in the front row with his significant other.

    – Ember Moon def. Billy Kaye: Billy Kaye controls the opening moments of the match and gets Ember in a Widows Peak-like submission move then drops her for a 2. They go back and forth with elbows and forearm strikes, then Ember comes back with a kick to the midsection and a suplex. Ember hits a somersault into a splash in the corner. As Billy is getting up to her feet, Ember comes off the top rope and and hits the Stone Cold Stunner on her form the air for the win.

    – Bobby Roode def. Andrade Almas: After some wrist locks and head locks early on, Almas takes the lead with a chop to the chest and a dropkick. Almas follows up with a hurricanrana that sends Roodes to the outside. Back in the ring, Roode crotches Almas on the top turnbuckle then stomps a mud hole in him in the corner. Almas dropkicks Roode to the outside then follows up with a springboard corkscrew plancha to the outside. Back in the ring, he hits a moonsault for a near-fall. Almas hits a spinning heel kick and a big boot, but Roode comes back with a spinebuster and a pumphandle powerslam for the win.

    – Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder def. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa: The Revival’s tag titles are on the line in this one. The challengers get in lots of offense in the opening minutes. The champions roll to the outside and Gargano and Ciampa hit suicide dives in tandem on them. Back in the ring, the Revival double team Ciampa for a couple near-falls. Ciampa finally fights his way to Gargano who clears the ring. Gargano kicks Wilder to the floor and springboards through the ropes with a spear on Dawson for a near-fall. Ciampa tags back in and locks Dawson in an armbar, but Wilder breaks it up. After a series of close near-falls, Gargano and Ciampa hit a superkick and knee to the head in tandem for yet another very close call. The Revival starts working on Gargano’s knee. After laying out Ciampa on the outside, Dawson locks Gargano in a modified Texas Cloverleaf for the win via submission.

    – Asuka def. Bayley: Asuka controls the opening moments of the match with numerous knees and kicks to the head. Bayley comes back with a suplex and a series of clotheslines for a near-fall. Bayley hits a splash in the corner, then hits a Stone Cold Stunner on the apron. Bayley hits a springboard cross body off the middle rope for a 2 count. Bayley misses another cross body attempt and Asuka comes back with a Shining Wizard for a 2 count. Asuka slows things down with an ankle lock, then a series of kicks to the chest. Bayley blocks a clothesline and rolls her up for a near-fall. Bayley hits a Dominator for another near-fall, but Asuka quikly comes back with a Cross-face Chicken Wing. Bayley breaks out and hits a belly to belly suplex for a 2 count. Asuka kicks Bayley in the head but Bayley hulks up and comes back with a kick of her own. Asuka hits two more kicks to the head and pins Bayley for the win.

    – New NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura def. Samoa Joe: Joe’s NXT Title is on the line in this one. They block kicks from each other and Joe slaps Shinsuke in the fact. They wrestle around the mat until Joe gets him in an armbar. Shinsuke comes back with some knees and kicks. They take the action to the outside where Joe takes control. Back in the ring, Joe hits a splash in the corner and an enziguri. Nakamura comes back with a Pele kick and a knee to the head. He misses another knee attempt and falls to the floor, then Joe hits a suicide dive through the ropes onto Nakamura on the floor. Back in the ring, Joe hits a kick to the chest and an elbow drop for a near-fall. Joe locks Nakamura in a series of submissions, then a powerbomb into a Boston Crab, then an STF. Shinsuke comes back with an enziguri and both men are down. Nakamura hits a series of kicks, but Joe hits a big boot of his own. Nakamura hits some knees to the head, then goes for a splash in the corner but Joe catches him and slams him down. Nakamura hits a kick off the middle rope, then the two men start trading elbow shots and slaps. Nakamura goes for a triangle choke, but Joe gets out and puts him in the Texas cloverleaf. Joe hits a stiff knee to the head then starts choking out Nakamura, but he reaches the ropes. They trade more elbows, chops, and headbutts, until Nakamura hits a German suplex on Joe. Shinsuke goes for a big boot, but Joe catches him and hits a spinning powerslam for a near-fall. Joe hits Nakamura in the head then hits the Muscle Buster for another near-fall. Joe goes for another Muscle Buster, but Nakamura gets out and hits a Shining Wizard for 2. Nakamura hits a knee to the back of the head off the top rope, then another one to the face to win the NXT Title.

  • NXT Wrestler Released, Value Of WWE Stock Vince Sold, Shane’s Mock Universal Belt

    NXT Wrestler Released, Value Of WWE Stock Vince Sold, Shane’s Mock Universal Belt

    – WWE posted the above video on Thursday acknowledging Shane McMahon’s social media post from earlier this week where he and Daniel Bryan were featured together in a photo making fun of RAW’s new WWE Universal Championship with a mock title belt. The real title will be on the line this Sunday when Seth Rollins and Finn Balor compete for the vacant strap in one of the co-featured bouts of the evening at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view in Brooklyn, New York.

    – WWE released NXT talent King Konstantine (Radomir Petkovic) from his deal with the company on Thursday. Konstantine, 29, was signed to a developmental contract with WWE back in April of 2015, however he never made it to television.

    – As noted, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon sold off 1,547,372 shares of WWE stock on Wednesday for estate planning purposes. According to an SEC filing, McMahon’s shares were valued at $19.92 per share, which would have netted him $29,895,227.04 from the sale. This is the second large sale of WWE stock for McMahon this year, as he sold 2.19 million shares for a reported $36.2 million back in May.

    (Partial Credit: PWInsider.com)

  • Updated Card For Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II

    Updated Card For Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II

    NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II takes place this Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY at 8 PM with results and discussion on SEScoops.com. Before the event begins, they will be taping matches for next week’s episode of NXT.

    Below is the updated card for Saturday’s show:

    NXT Championship
    Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Samoa Joe

    NXT Women’s Championship
    Asuka (c) vs. Bayley

    NXT Tag Team Championships
    The Revival (c) vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa

    Bobby Roode vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

    No Way Jose vs. Austin Aries

    Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay

    WWE’s first NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event took place back in August of 2015 at the Barclays Center.

  • Triple H TakeOver: Brooklyn 2 Call: New WWE Signings, 50/50 Booking, Cruiserweight Title

    Triple H TakeOver: Brooklyn 2 Call: New WWE Signings, 50/50 Booking, Cruiserweight Title

    Triple H took part in what has become his NXT TakeOver tradition, as he spoke to members of the media on conference call on Wednesday afternoon to promote this Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II event at the Barclays Center.

    Although most of the discussion centered around this Saturday’s live NXT special on the WWE Network, HHH also touched on the recent signings made as part of the new red-brand exclusive Cruiserweight division, which WWE has been advertising on RAW the past couple of weeks.

    “We’re signing a lot of cruiserweights right now and I’m, you know, basically I’m creating a division,” said Triple H. “So, I’m going around and signing guys and I’m also keeping an eye towards the future as well.” He continued, “I don’t need to have every single cruiserweight right now, I just need to have a decent amount. And they will be working NXT, they will be working NXT live events, and they’ll also be working Raw as cruiserweights. The opportunity is there to do both.”

    Regarding Kota Ibushi, who has insisted that he is interested in working for WWE while continuing his work elsewhere as a true freelancer. Triple H mentioned that WWE is open to doing a variety of different things, but he seemed to be pretty firmly opposed to that arrangement.

    “I think when it comes to the cruiserweight division we’re looking for something solely WWE and keeping it in-house.”

    The WWE COO also touched on the 50/50 (Even-Steven) booking reputation and style that WWE has become synonomous with over the past several years. While he reiterated comments he made in a previous interview he did with ESPN last week (read here), which basically relies on WWE’s success as the main reason to support the argument, even though nothing is mentioned of well over 50 years of getting fans into a form of habit in terms of what to expect from a WWE show or match.

    In addition to making the same points as he made in the ESPN interview, HHH also spoke about the extreme differences in booking the one-hour NXT program as compared to the three-hour RAW, or two-hour SmackDown Live broadcasts, noting that it’s a completely different ballgame.

    “When you compare a one-hour show to a three-hour show from a writing and a booking standpoint it’s not even in the same stratosphere. It’s a totally different animal. “ Triple H said. “None of it is right and wrong, it’s chocolate, it’s vanilla, it’s all these different things that they’re different flavors, and at the end of the day the long-term success of your business and your company, and you can say what you want about it, but there’s a pretty good track record for a lot of it.”

    Near the end of the call, the reports regarding WWE having their official Cruiserweight Title belt commissioned and ready to go, including the rumor that it will debut at the finals of the first-annual WWE Cruiserweight Classic (CWC) came up. Triple H was non-committal towards the latter, and instead of giving a direct answer, he opted for the generic, “You’ll have to wait and see!” response.

    Triple H would then wrap up the media call, but not before including some final praise for all of the competitors who have been involved with their first ever Cruiserweight Classic tournament and referred to it as something WWE created that “is special.” He then said that the company is still deciding what and when the next opportunity will be.

    NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II takes place this Saturday, August 20th from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will air live on the WWE Network. The WWE Network is also the place to be if you want to catch the WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament, which is currently airing every Wednesday night.

    Thanks to F4WOnline.com for the transcription of some of Triple H’s comments from the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II media call.

  • Samoa Joe Still Wants To Face Brock Lesnar, Says He Hopes Orton Loses At SummerSlam

    Samoa Joe Still Wants To Face Brock Lesnar, Says He Hopes Orton Loses At SummerSlam

    Samoa Joe still wants a shot at Brock Lesnar in a WWE ring. In a recent interview with Forbes, the NXT Champion explained why he wants Lesnar to defeat Randy Orton at SummerSlam.

    “For selfish reasons, I’d like to see Brock stand tall until I get my hands on him,” Joe said of Lesnar’s match against Orton on Sunday. “I’d like to see Brock pull through so I can get my shot at him.”

    Back in 2015 Joe wanted Lesnar at WrestleMania 32, now Joe says he wants The Beast at WrestleMania 33 next year.

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross also wants to see Joe and Lesnar face off at some point. Back in April, Ross said he would “love” to see the match, and predicted that Joe and Finn Balor would both become big stars on the main WWE roster.

    You can read Joe’s entire interview at Forbes.com.

  • Samoa Joe Speaks On Keeping His Name & Character In WWE, If Management Trusts Him

    Samoa Joe Speaks On Keeping His Name & Character In WWE, If Management Trusts Him

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qFcFP72s2U

    Samoa Joe says he’s enjoying his time in WWE so far. In an interview with Channel Guide Magazine to promote Takeover: Back To Brooklyn, the NXT Champion explained that he had hear “horror stories” about how things are in WWE before he joined the company. Joe began his career in 1999 and didn’t arrive in WWE until last year.

    “The majority of my career, you see people released or on their way out of the company saying various horror stories about how things are,” Joe said. “So my expectations were pretty low. But being a part of the company has far exceeded my expectations. It has been a blast the entire time I’ve worked here.”

    Joe says what makes this run in NXT so enjoyable for him is management giving him certain freedoms with his character. He feels that WWE trusts him enough to get over on his own as Samoa Joe.

    “It was really WWE kind of taking their hands off and letting me do me,” he explained. “They kind of gave me the reins to be Samoa Joe and do what I needed to do. They let me keep my moniker. I think the biggest thing is they respected me and my artistic integrity.”

    Joe also commented on the Cruiserweight Classic, calling it “very exciting” and says WWE is trying a lot of new and exciting things. You can read his entire interview here.

  • NXT Stars Advance In The Cruiserweight Classic, Next Week’s Main Event, More

    NXT Stars Advance In The Cruiserweight Classic, Next Week’s Main Event, More

    This week’s Cruiserweight Classic show saw the following stars advance to close the first round:

    • Rich Swann (over Jason Lee)
    • Jack Gallagher (over Fabian Aichner)
    • Noam Dar (over Gurv Sihra)
    • Johnny Gargano (over Tommaso Ciampa).

    Gargano will now face TJ Perkins while Gallagher will face Akira Tozawa, Dar will face Ho Ho Lun and Swann will face Lince Dorado in the second round.

    The second round kicks off next week with:

    • Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik
    • Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander

    Corey Graves looks at next week’s show in this video:

    Here are post-match reactions from Noam Dar and Jack Gallagher:

  • Samoa Joe Talks Nakamura, Possible Main Roster Match-Ups, His NXT Locker Room Role

    NXT Champion Samoa Joe recently spoke with NOLA.com and offered thoughts on his Takeover: Back 2 Brooklyn opponent Shinsuke Nakamura:

    “I’ve known Shin since he first started in wrestling, and his accolades speak for themselves. He’s reignited any company he’s ever been with, and coming into NXT, he’s definitely added a lot of flame to our fire. But he says he’s the King of Strong Style. When you look at the history of wrestling and you see who brought the techniques and the style that was so prolific in Japan here to the United States, it was me. … For him to say he’s the King, by default, that makes me the Emperor.”

    Joe also discussed his role in the NXT locker room and seems content as a the designated leader. He said:

    “My inclusion in NXT from the start was to spearhead it as a stable brand in the WWE Universe. Me being a designated locker room leader, I take the responsibility very, very seriously. I hope to continue extending the brand even beyond its current bounds. Some of these guys, it’s their first opportunity to see the rest of the country. The enthusiasm when you have such a younger roster is tenfold. And to be around them when it’s their first time is kind of invigorating, and the energy is infectious. It even manages to seep into me a little bit.”

    While Joe is happy with his spot in NXT, he’s looking forward to having some dream matches on the main roster. He commented on possible match-ups:

    “I have so much history with so much of the roster up there. A.J. Styles, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn. … Brock Lesnar, a guy I don’t have any history with but I’d love to get in the ring with. … Randy Orton, another guy who we’ve kind of run parallel but have never crossed paths. I would definitely love to get in the ring with him and mix it up. The options and potential is limitless. To me and to a lot of fans these options are really incredible matches in the making. … Rusev, there’s another guy who I’d love to go after.”

  • Women’s Championship Match Official For NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II

    Women’s Championship Match Official For NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II

    It’s official: NXT Women’s Champion Asuka will defend against Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II.

    This match is in addition to the main event, which will see Samoa Joe defending the NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura.

    NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II takes place on Saturday, August 20th from the Barclays Center.

    If you don’t mind spoilers, you can see the complete card for Takeover: Brooklyn II at here.

  • Bobby Roode Debuts In NXT (Video), Ember Moon Promo, Hideo Itami’s Return, More

    Bobby Roode Debuts In NXT (Video), Ember Moon Promo, Hideo Itami’s Return, More

    – The contract signing for Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Asuka at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn will take place on next Wednesday’s episode.

    – Ember Moon, the former Athena, will make her debut at Takeover. Below is a new vignette for her official debut:

    – Hideo Itami made his official return on tonight’s NXT episode. In the backstage video below, Itami says he’s glad to be finally back but he didn’t just return, he came back to win the NXT Championship.

    – Tonight’s show also saw Bobby Roode make his official TV debut. Roode was trending on social media after his “glorious” promo seen below:

  • Bobby Roode Debuts Tonight On NXT, SummerSlam Theme Song, More

    Bobby Roode Debuts Tonight On NXT, SummerSlam Theme Song, More

    – The dark match before Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown saw Kane defeat indie wrestler John Skyler.

    – Fort Minor’s “Welcome” song has been chosen as one of the theme songs for this year’s WWE SummerSlam.

    – The following matches and segments are scheduled for tonight’s NXT on the WWE Network:

    • The debut of Bobby Roode
    • Hideo Itami vs. Sean Maluta
    • Asuka vs. Aliyah
    • Dash and Dawson vs. TM-61
    • Mojo Rawley vs. Chris Atkins
  • Video: Finn Balor Bids Farewell To NXT

    Video: Finn Balor Bids Farewell To NXT

    RAW Superstar Finn Balor bid farewell to NXT at Saturday night’s live event from Houston, Texas and WWE has posted video of the historic moment.

    Balor teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event, defeating NXT Champion Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode. After the match,Bayley came out and thanked Balor for everything he did for NXT. Balor congratulated Mojo Rawley, Nia Jax and Carmella on joining him on the main roster and thanked everybody for their support. He specifically singled out NXT head trainer Matt Bloom for completely changing the vibe at the WWE Performance Center once he took over.

    Finn Balor will face Seth Rollins in less than 3 weeks at SummerSlam to crown the first-ever WWE Universal Champion.

    https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/759594629411069952

  • September #NXTRoadTrip Dates Announced For Midwest & Canada

    September #NXTRoadTrip Dates Announced For Midwest & Canada

    Triple H announced two new NXT “Road Trip” tours on Monday, including the first-ever NXT live events from Canada. The first stretch includes:

    • September 16: Des Moines, IA (HY-VEE Hall)
    • September 17: Omaha, NE (Ralston Arena)
    • September 18: Minneapolis, MN (Roy Wilkens Auditorium)

    The following weekend, Canadian fans get their first taste of live NXT action:

    • September 22: Toronto, ON (Mattamy Athletic Centre)
    • September 23: St. Catharines, ON (Meridian Centre)
    • September 24: Kitchener, ON (The Aud)

    Tickets for all 6 shows are available this Friday morning at Ticketmaster.com.

  • Trish Stratus Compares NXT Stars Joining RAW & SmackDown To WCW Stars Joining WWE

    The brand split is bringing back old memories for WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, who says the separation was a “good move.”

    In a recent interview with Total Wrestling Magazine, Trish says WWE’s roster is deep enough with talent to pull off the brand split effectively. She says splitting the roster across RAW and SmackDown gives WWE the opportunity to spend more time developing each character.

    “You can only highlight so many characters on one show and with so many NXT talent coming in, which is somewhat of a parallel to back in my day when we had the WCW talent come in, this gives the audience two separate platforms for storylines to unfold,” Trish said “Having new talent come in is obviously a plus, new faces is always good to keep the product fresh. It’s especially good, the fact that the audience is familiar with the current crop coming in, as opposed to a brand new persona they need to develop.”

    Trish also gave her thoughts on SmackDown going live, saying that when it was taped it was missing the element of surprise. She feels that the show going live on Tuesday nights was a good move and that it forces talent to stay on their toes.

    “When I was around you were always glad you were on Raw excited to be on a live telecast,” Trish continued, “also, it was a great challenge and a good learning tool to have the pressure to have to perform live with no editing to help your performance – or audience reaction, you had to earn it.”

    Stratus was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

  • ZZ From Tough Enough & Two More NXT Stars Released

    Former WWE Tough Enough runner-up Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe was released from his WWE NXT deal this morning, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. No word yet on what caused the release but ZZ never made it to TV after being signed last October with other participants from the show. After suffering an injury last fall, ZZ made his NXT live event debut this past Match – a win over Oney Lorcan.

    Update: Josh Woods (former national wrestling champion & MMA fighter) and Tom Kingdon (former bodybuilder) were also released today, according to PWInsider.

  • WWE Q2 Conference Call Notes: Questionable Claim About SmackDown TV Rating, McMahon Praises NXT “Influx of Talent”

    WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Chief Strategy and Financial Office George Barrios spoke and took questions about the Q2 (April 1 to June 30) earnings release that took place today.

    McMahon and Barrios started the call off by reading highlights from the investor presentation and earnings press release.

    McMahon mentioned that the first live SmackDown (on July 19) was the highest-rated edition of the program since its move to cable, which happened in October 2010. The rating for July 19 was 2.20. According to records of Live+SD ratings kept at Gerweck.net, there have been a number of episodes of SmackDown since October 2010, both live and taped, that were rated higher. We have submitted a question to WWE about this and hope to follow-up in another article later today.

    As usual, the most interesting part of the call was the Q&A, where market analysts who cover WWE asked questions.

    • An analyst asked whether WWE expected any impact on business, possibly through television viewership, from the upcoming Summer Olympics, which begin August 5. Barrios said the company doesn’t expect any impact.
    • Brandon Ross from investment firm BTIG asked WWE to provide some color on WWE’s rationale for the brand extension. McMahon responded, praising the “influx of talent” thanks to Paul Levesque’s work with NXT and the Performance Center. Because they have so much talent, it allows them to have more pay-per-view events, more live events and more licensing opportunities, McMahon said.
    • Eric Katz from Wells Fargo asked if WWE has seen any signs that storylines from the brand extension are driving WWE Network subscriptions. Barrios took the question, saying SmackDown just went live last week. He noted they’re three days into the brand extension itself. They have no trends in place yet, he said, but the company expects the brand extension to help drive engagement across all media platforms.
    • Laura Martin from Needham & Company asked whether the new deal in China with partner PPTV is exclusive. Barrios confirmed that it is. This is the first time RAW and SmackDown are being provided live in that market.
    • FBN Securities analyst Robert Routh asked how WWE views the sale of UFC, which recently sold for $4 billion. He inquired whether WWE itself would ever consider a similar transaction. Barrios emphasized that UFC is a private company, so all that’s known about its business is what’s reported in the media. Trying to portray the sale in a positive light for WWE, he said the sale of UFC shows how much value branded live content has today, which is obviously something WWE has a lot of. As to whether WWE would consider a sale of the company, Barrios said, “We’re always willing to listen… We care about doing what’s best for our audience, our shareholders and our employees.”

    Thanks to Chris Harrington (@mookieghana) for helping collect notes on this conference call.