SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • How Much Does Forbes Claim Vince McMahon Is Worth?, NXT Preview For Tonight

    – It was reported back in May that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon did not make this year’s Forbes list of billionaires, however it’s worth noting that Forbes’ profile on McMahon currently has his net worth listed at $1.21 billion, as of Wednesday, August 5, 2015. The profile does, however, note that McMahon “dropped off” this year’s billionaire list. You can check out McMahon’s Forbes profile at Forbes.com.

    – The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.

    * Charlotte vs. Bayley
    * Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler
    * Tyler Breeze vs. Aaron Solow
    * The Mechanics vs. The Hype Bros
    * Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno

  • Triple H Confirms Sasha Banks Opponent For NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

    Earlier tonight we reported that Triple H was testing out Facebook’s new video streaming application that had been created for celebrities who were verified on the site.

    In the video he discussed a number of topics including the upcoming special event on the WWE Network NXT Takeover: Brooklyn which will take place the night before SummerSlam.

    He once again mentioned the main event of the night, Finn Balor defending his NXT Championship against Kevin Owens in a rematch from the Beast in the East event in Tokyo.

    Triple H also confirmed that live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, August 22nd, Sasha Banks would defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Bayley.

    If you haven’t seen the video, you can check it out at this link.

  • WWE NXT Results – July 29th, 2015

    As the road to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn continues the WWE Network presented yet another packed episode of WWE NXT taped in Full Sail University, Florida.

    Below are the results:

    – Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass

    Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are shown backstage, mocking the other tag teams in the division.

    A video package is shown to build up the Dana Brooke/Charlotte feud.

    – Baron Corbin defeated Jesse Sorenson with the End of Days

    Tyler Breeze visits William Regal in his office and demands a match at Takeover, Regal tells him to be careful what he wishes for.

    – Jason Jordan & Chad Gable defeated Elias Samson and Manny Garcia (Levis Venezuela Jr.)

    Devin Taylor is backstage with Dana Brooke and Emma. Dana says that she’s going to beat Charlotte and once again taps Devin on the head as she walks off.

    A video package showing Bull Dempsey trying to get “Bull Fit” is aired.

    – Charlotte defeated Dana Brooke with the Natural Selection

    Samoa Joe is shown backstage talking about his goal in NXT is to win the title and talks trash about Rhyno and says that his future will end during their match next week.

    Kevin Owens is shown backstage apologising to William Regal for striking him during the contract signing with Finn Balor last week.

    – Kevin Owens defeated Martin Stone with the pop-up powerbomb and attacked him afterwards by planting him on the ring apron

    – Blake & Murphy defeated The Vaudevillains to retain the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships

    After the match, Alexa Bliss is left alone in the ring with The Vaudevillains, they allow her to leave unharmed but as she leaves she slaps them both across the face.

  • WWE Changes Becky Lynch – Nikki Bella Match, Finn Balor Congratulates Hideo Itami

    The match originally advertised on RAW

    – During RAW it was confirmed that Becky Lynch would take on Nikki Bella in a non-title match on SmackDown however during last night’s tapings, that did not happen.

    Instead, Becky Lynch took on Brie Bella as part of the Main Event tapings. No word yet on why the original plans were nixed.

    – WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor posted on Twitter yesterday that Hideo Itami had got his Florida state drivers license after apparently 27 attempts:

  • Matt Striker Talks About His Time In NXT, Working With Lucha Underground

    Lucha Underground play-by-play commentator Matt Striker recently spoke about his time in WWE and his early days in NXT, as well as his current work with Lucha Underground. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On his time working in WWE NXT: “I remember sitting in LaGuardia Airport and the executive producer of WWE television, who normally files privately and I don’t know why he was flying commercially but I don’t know why he would sit and talk to me but he told me of this concept and it was given the green light. It was his brainchild and to this day. You can say whatever you want about WWE producers but the man is a television genius. Every single Cole vignette or video or any entrance that you see and love it comes from the mind of that man. So what came to me and said it I thought it was awesome. So we got a list of all the development that he had envisioned I knew that I had wrestled with him down in Deep South and my trip to OVW so when they brought up a Wade Barrett or a Brodus Clay I knew that just right away that these guys were just going to be great. I was wrong about a few guys too. Oh, what was his name? It wasn’t Eli Cottonwood. He looked like Bruce Prichard. He was very tall, Jacob something. I thought that kid was going to be a star. Tall blond, good looking and then 3 weeks later the kid was gone.

    But when they brought in Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan, it was let’s see what this guy can do? I would snicker in the corner. I had no idea who this guy was. When they brought in Low Ki as Kaval and teamed him with Layla and Michelle, again it was like great for some of my buddies to show you guys how good they are. I came up with guys like American Dragon and Low Ki and stuff like so I was able to see who was going to be what and also able to see who wasn’t going to make it. He was in the Ascension. He isn’t a kid now but what do they call him? Was it Connor O’Brien? I mean he’s been in the system for years but I there was always something missing there and he disappeared for a while and now God bless him and all do respect and he’s got this new Ascension thing going on and all but you got see what it takes but to answer your question to see who has it I was pretty on point with just the exception of a couple of guys. It wasn’t Jacob Goodnight that was Kane’s character.”

    On working in Lucha Underground: “Well the first thing was for me it was great to just sit back down, put on some headsets and just watch wrestling. Not that I didn’t like being concerned with driving storylines, the main thing with Lucha Underground was the storylines build themselves. All I was told to do was just talk about the wrestling and I can do that. That’s the first thing that stood out. The second thing that stood out was a lot of the guys at Lucha Underground are encouraged, are not afraid, go out and top the next guy, go out there and make it hard for the next guy to get a reaction and that’s not the case a lot of times.”

    On competing and commentating in the indies: “Well the first thing was for me it was great to just sit back down, put on some headsets and just watch wrestling. Not that I didn’t like being concerned with driving storylines, the main thing with Lucha Underground was the storylines build themselves. All I was told to do was just talk about the wrestling and I can do that. That’s the first thing that stood out. The second thing that stood out was a lot of the guys at Lucha Underground are encouraged, are not afraid, go out and top the next guy, go out there and make it hard for the next guy to get a reaction and that’s not the case a lot of times.

    So I kind of had to marry the now with the then so psychology will never change, emotional investment will never change and I’m sure the wrestling will never change and selling and registering will never change. It’s just how to get the people to believe what you’re doing because they’ve seen everything. Guys have seen power bombs on tables on fire and kick out at 1! So I mean you have to make them believe that a small package at the end of the match so they can bite here and make it believable. That was one of my biggest things. And there are a lot of great guys out there now like Curt Hawkins and all these other guys that can marry the two styles and make it into a nice potpourri.”

    Check out the complete interview by clicking here.

  • Backstage News On WWE & ROH: Liger At NXT Brooklyn Considered A Major “Double Cross”

    WWE’s announcement that Japanese wrestling legend Jushin “Thunder” Liger will be appearing at the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event on August 22nd has opened up a “political hornet’s nest” according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    Liger is a New Japan Pro Wrestling talent and with NJPW having a long running affiliation with Ring of Honor (which runs head-to-head with NXT in Brooklyn on 8/22), the relationship between WWE and ROH is now considered to be more strained than ever. ROH was not aware of Liger being booked for Takeover until the news broke online and Meltzer notes that even by pro wrestling standards, the move is considered to be a major ‘double-cross.’

    ROH has sold approximately 1,100 for their Field of Honor show that night, which they were said to be happy with. They were expecting the show to eventually sell out with around 2,000 fans in attendance, but ticket sales have stalled out since WWE announced Takeover: Brooklyn. Ticket sales for the “Ringside with Jim Ross” show in Manhattan on the same night have also taken a hit due to NXT Takeover.

    It remains to be seen whether WWE using Jushin Liger is the start of a working relationship with NJPW, but it’s not good news for ROH, which does not have much recourse against WWE.

    WWE’s relationship with ROH taking a step (or two) backwards is surprising. Triple H has publicly stated that a strong Ring of Honor is good for WWE, since ROH is another place for wrestlers to learn their craft and the company has produced countless talents who have gone on to great success in WWE. That said, the strong push to make NXT a bonafide means that ROH is now a direct competitor in a market they are looking to corner.

  • NXT Diva Dasha Fuentes Joins NXT Announce Team

    WWE announced that NXT Diva Dasha Fuentes is the newest member to join the NXT announce team. For the time being, Fuentes will be conducting backstage interviews with the NXT talent each Wednesday night.

    Dasha was signed by WWE in the spring of 2014, however she was sidelined with a knee injury later that summer. Fuentes was presented with the announcing opportunity when she was finally able to return.

    Dasha has also handled some NXT ring announcing at live events.

    “WWE is such a large and amazing company,” said Fuentes. “I’m looking forward to the endless amount of possibilities it presents.”

  • Neville Talks About Changes To His Character Since Moving To The Main Roster

    WWE Superstar Neville recently spoke with The Straits Times about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On changes in his character since moving from NXT to the main roster: “NXT is incredible. The performance centre in Orlando, Florida (where recruits train) is just a fantastic facility. It’s got world-class coaches with hundreds of years of experience between them, all the facilities you need like a gym to places where you could develop your character like the promo room.

    I have to give respect to the late great Dusty Rhodes who passed away recently. He was my main influence in bringing out my character. I worked with Dusty every week in the promo room. He really brought me out of my shell. Before coming to NXT, I was very much just a wrestler. Now I feel very confident as an all-round performer.”

    On who influenced his in-ring style: “I remember as a child watching The Rockers and the other tag teams like the Dynamite Kid and the British Bulldog. They had a huge influence on me. The Dynamite Kid was an innovator in the ring. He was a cruiserweight and someone I looked up to very much, especially his feud with Tiger Mask. That was something revolutionary. I’ve watched it over and over again. Later on, the WCW cruiserweight guys like Rey Mysterio, Ultimo Dragon, Jushin Liger and onwards, to the Japanese junior wrestlers…they also influenced my style.”

    Check out the complete interview at StraitsTimes.com.

  • Video: Batista Featured In James Bond: Spectre Trailer

    Former WWE Superstar Batista is featured in the new trailer for the new James Bond movie, “007: Spectre,” where he plays villain “Mr. Hinx.”

    The movie is scheduled for a November 6th release in theaters.

  • Michael Elgin On Wanting To Make It To NXT, Kevin Owens’ Future In WWE

    Ring Of Honor star Michael Elgin appeared as a guest on Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast recently and spoke about Kevin Owens’ future in WWE, as well as his goal to make it to NXT.

    Regarding Owens’ future with WWE, Elgin claims Owens will eventually be a WrestleMania main event talent. “[Owens] has the passion for it, he has the work ethic, and, you know, I see huge things for him within WWE,” Elgin stated. “Working with him, being on the road with him, he has a knack for it in every aspect – I would be almost shocked if he doesn’t main event a WrestleMania.”

    Elgin also apoke about his own goals, noting he hopes to make it to NXT in the future.

    “There [are] still a couple of things I want to accomplish and a few things at Ring of Honor that I still have to accomplish, but, no doubt in my mind, [making it to NXT] is definitely a goal of mine,” Elgin said.

    “I always thought I was going to make it, but in other people’s eyes, if I was going to make it,” he continued. “I was going to have to venture the world and follow in the footsteps of guys like Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko and Chris Jericho and leave behind a legacy of my work elsewhere to get to WWE, or now NXT, but that’s definitely a route I’m okay with taking and I want to take in the future.”

  • Tyler Breeze Talks About Not Getting Called Up To WWE Main Roster Yet

    NXT star Tyler Breeze recently spoke with Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Magazine to promote some of the upcoming NXT live events. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On watching WWE developmental go from FCW to NXT: “I’ve gotten to see it go from FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) and something that was very small. We had FCW TV, but the audience wasn’t the same. A lot of people didn’t even know it was on TV. It was just local Florida stuff. The production wasn’t what it is today. I was watching these matches with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. They were great matches then, but nobody was watching because nobody knew we even existed. There was no WWE Network back then, so you couldn’t even watch what you wanted to unless you were local. I was part of the initial pilot episode to test out Full Sail University to see if it would work for our NXT tapings. I watched the entire transition from something small to something that now millions of people can watch on WWE Network each week. Just the production alone is fascinating. Every time we show up for TV tapings or the live specials or anything, they always have something new added. A screen here or some sort of effect there. Everything feels big and important. To be a part of that from the start to what is now, it’s really cool for me to take it all in and watch it grow.”

    On not getting called up to WWE’s main roster yet: “You can’t get frustrated by stuff like that. It’s been like that since I got down here at FCW. I was the one who had Cesaro’s first match. I’ve watched Seth go. I’ve watched Ambrose go. I’ve watched [Erick] Rowan and [Luke] Harper go. I’ve seen everyone kind of come and go. The thing is these are my friends. These are people who I am happy for. I’m not going to have any ill will toward them. They just happen to be ready quicker or what WWE needed at the time. It’s nothing that frustrates me, because it’s not like Harper and Rowan are taking a spot that Tyler Breeze would be in. We are completely different marketable assets to the company. It’s just a matter of time before Tyler Breeze is what they are looking for and need. Then nobody else is going to take that spot but me. So it’s not a frustrating thing for me, I’m happy for my friends who go on and succeed and make it all comfortable for me when I get up there.”

    On what he does in his down time: “I’m a big Netflix guy unless there is something I’m really watching. My girlfriend and I are watching ‘Devious Maids’ right now. It’s a little addiction of ours. On Netflix we watch ‘The Following’ and reruns of ‘Friends’ and ‘Parks and Recreation.’ There are also so many new shows out there and not enough time to watch them all. …There is always that one character in each show that I can always pull a line or mannerism from. There was a show a while back called ‘Blue Mountain State.’ Thad was kind of funny, loose cannon. He would lose his temper right away and say some funny stuff. I pulled a lot of stuff from him. There is stuff I got from Ben Stiller that I’ve taken and used. There are things that pop up that you don’t even realize. When you hear something and just realize it’s something you can use.”

    On his inspirations in wrestling: “Earlier in my career it was very much Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and other guys in the ring who were untouchable. Everything they did was so crisp and clean. I loved the athletic part. I just wanted to see everything they did. As I kind of made the transition to Tyler Breeze, I decided to look at the other end of the spectrum. I looked at the character and the over-the-top flamboyant gestures and mannerisms. I watched a lot of Buddy Rogers and Gorgeous George and took from them. It’s certain things that have fallen by the wayside of how they did it. I don’t know if it was ahead of its time, but you just don’t really see it anymore. People just don’t do it. I started watching that and mixed it with my other influence to have a nice complete package.”

    Check out the complete interview at ChannelGuideMagBlog.com.

  • Chris Jericho Interviews Jarrett & Magnus, Balor/NXT, Cena Workout Clip

    – Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett and GFW talent Nick “Magnus” Aldis were the guests on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

    – WWE posted the following Finn Balor themed preview for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.

    – WWE United States Champion John Cena posted the following video clip of himself working out with the caption, “Focus.”

  • NXT Running Another Show Opposite Ring Of Honor In September

    It looks like August 22nd in Brooklyn, New York will not be the only time that WWE and ROH are running competing shows in the same market.

    WWE’s NXT brand will touring Texas from September 17-19th, with shows in Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

    On Sunday 9/19 – Ring of Honor will also be running San Antonio for All-Star Extravaganza: Night Two at the Shrine Auditorium. NXT’s show from the Aztek Theater will be taking place less than 20 miles away.

  • Tyler Breeze Talks About Changing His Look, Why He Uses The iPhone & More

    NXT star Tyler Breeze recently spoke with The Miami Herald to promote Friday’s NXT live event in the city. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On his character: “Tyler Breeze is actually a mix of a few of things. It started out as an idea from what I’d seen from a couple of people who came for tryouts from different walks of life — acting, modeling — who didn’t really know what wrestling was or what it was all about. I used to help [WWE NXT Coach] Norman Smiley, and we would train them for about a week. We would teach them the basics, see who was getting used to it, who was taken to it. As we were in there, it wasn’t their fault, but they would say things that were kind of funny. I thought that would be a funny character, somebody from the outside looking in saying, ‘Wrestling looks easy. I can do it.’ I figured let’s go off that and see what happens. [Tyler Breeze] formed from that and bits and piece from other things. Obviously some ‘Zoolander’ mixed in there; some Ben Stiller from ‘Dodgeball’ mixed in there as well; and it turned into what it is.”

    On changing his look: “I like to switch it up [the wardrobe] every time that you see me. If you see me once, you’ll see me in something. You’ll see me in colors; you’ll see me in furs; you’ll see in something that as soon as you see it, you’ll go, ‘Wow. I like that,’ or ‘Wow. That guy looks ridiculous. Either way, you have a certain feeling about it. Then the next time you see me, you might be expecting me to be in the same thing, buy you won’t see that. You’ll see a completely different color scheme, or you’ll see some little tweak. Now, some of my newer stuff has fur going down the side as well as the fur tassels that I wear. My vest is starting to be switched up a little bit. It’s always about keeping it fresh and something for people to look forward to seeing what I’m going to wear on the next [NXT] special.”

    On using the iPhone in his entrance: “It was actually Triple H’s idea [to use the iPhone]. The initial idea when I first started doing it was with a pocket mirror. I found a nicer one that you could go out and get. It was working, but when Triple H saw it, he said, ‘We’ve done that. We’re past that. There’s a lot more we can do.’ He suggested the selfie. ‘The selfie movement is really big right now, so what if you had a cell phone, taking selfies all the way to the ring and during matches.’ I immediately said, ‘Yea.’

    “You can’t go wrong with technology type stuff. It’s always advancing, and especially now more than ever, there’s so much stuff you can do. Everyone is glued to their phone. It’s 2015. Everyone always has their phone on them. They’re constantly checking stuff, checking Twitter, checking Instagram. Everybody wants to know what’s going on. There’s nothing wrong that can come from doing this. So I had the phone, tried that out, and it went from there. We figured out how to stream it up onto our big screen that we have for the entrance, and at the last [NXT] TakeOver [special] we did the Periscope app where everybody was watching as I was making my entrance. Any new app that comes out, any new technology that comes out, I can be the first one to tap into.”

    On naming his finisher: “I had like five or six options, and I was mulling them over, but nothing really felt like it was it, and I didn’t want to force it. I repeated them a couple of times. ‘Beauty Shot, Beauty Shot.’ That sounds all right. I think that one will work. That was just one. I had all these ideas, but everything felt forced on trying to name it. I was working with [NXT commentator] Tom Phillips. He said, ‘What do you want me to call this and this and this?’ He was tossing out some ideas, too. I don’t know if that rolls off the tongue. I don’t know if that fits. Finally, I said, ‘A superkick. What about a Supermodel Kick?’ He said, ‘I love it. I love it . I’ll say it tonight.’ He’s good because he always comes to me and asks, ‘Hey, you got anything new that your going to do or you have a name for anything that you want me to call.’ If it catches on, it catches on, and luckily those two have caught on, so far, and I’m working on some more.”

    Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.

  • King Barrett Returning To “Bad News” Gimmick?, Lana’s In-Ring Status, NXT Brooklyn

    – Lana is being advertised to team with Dolph Ziggler against the team of Rusev and Summer Rae in mixed-tag-team action at the WWE live event in Hampton, Virginia on September 4th. Also scheduled for the event is Sheamus defending his Money In The Bank briefcase in one-on-one action against Neville, as well as John Cena vs. Kevin Owens in a “Street Fight.”

    – The NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event on August 22nd from the Bayclays Center is close to being sold out, as more tickets for the event were released on Saturday afternoon. The event will likely end up drawing 10,000 or more fans, making it the biggest NXT event to date.

    – WWE banned the name “Wade” in reference to King Barrett a while back, which is why Barrett no longer uses it. There’s been speculation that Barrett will go back to the “Bad News” gimmick after Battleground tonight, as his “Crown” is on the line in his Kickoff Show match against R-Truth.

  • Update On NXT Divas Being Called Up, Backstage Arguments Over The Decision?

    WWE reportedly went back-and-forth in recent weeks over how to bring the group of NXT Divas to the main roster, as well as which Divas to use, so much so that arguments broke out between various members of the creative team.

    At one point, there was an idea to bring the NXT Divas to the main roster and have them replace the current WWE Divas division, outside of a couple of Divas that could keep up, as well as those needed because of Total Divas.

    Stephanie McMahon was always scheduled to be involved and that fact was never debated, however there was some discussion as to whether or not she should take credit for bringing the Divas in on television, as it is seen as a babyface move.

    Originally, there was talk of calling up four NXT Divas — Sasha Banks, Charlotte Becky Lynch and Bayley, and at times, they were thinking about bringing only two NXT Divas to the main roster — either Charlotte and Banks or Charlotte and Lynch.

    The belief is that both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are invested in this angle and are fully in support of it, so it likely won’t be one of those WWE angles that is quickly forgotten about in a matter of a few weeks.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Former TNA Star And Former NXT Star Work Matches At NXT TV Tapings

    Former TNA Wrestling star Jesse Sorensen worked the NXT television tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida this past Thursday evening.

    Sorensen worked a match with Baron Corbin at the taping, which should air on the WWE Network at some point in the next four weeks as Corbin faced all “enhancement talents” during the tapings.

    Additionally, former NXT talent Danny Burch (Martin Stone) worked the NXT TV tapings this week. Burch lost to Kevin Owens in a match that should air on the July 29th edition of the show.

  • NXT Preview For Next Week, Tough Enough Injury Update, Stephanie Hosts Rally

    – WWE Tough Enough competitor Chelsea suffered an ankle injury earlier this week and visited with doctors on Saturday. WWE posted the following photo of her getting checked out.

    https://instagram.com/p/5SC-oPzCZG/

    – Stephanie McMahon, Renee Young, Big E., Xavier Woods and Natalya hosted an anti-bullying rally at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stamford, Connecticut this week. Below are some photos from the event.

    – Below is a preview for next week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.

  • Top Matches Expected For NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

    Following the most recent batch of NXT TV tapings, the following are the top matches expected for the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn live WWE Network special event on August 22nd.

    NXT Championship
    – Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens

    NXT Women’s Championship
    – Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

    – Tyler Breeze vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger

    – Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe

  • Details On NXT Contract Signing, WWE Network News, WWE & NXT Attendance

    – WWE Network does not have a Battleground post-show scheduled for this Sunday.

    – Next week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network will feature a “Takeover: Brooklyn” contract signing between NXT Champion Finn Balor and challenger Kevin Owens. NXT General Manager William Regal will be on hand to oversee things.

    – The following are some recent WWE and NXT attendance figures:

    * July 9th in Largo, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 375 fans
    * July 10th in Orlando for NXT drew 275 fans
    * July 10th in Philadelphia drew 8,000 fans (John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins)
    * July 11th in Jacksonville for NXT drew a sellout of 500 fans
    * July 11th in Pittsburgh drew 6,000 fans (Cena tour)
    * July 11th in Nashville drew 4,500 fans (Reigns tour)
    * July 12th in Macon, GA drew 2,000 fans (Randy Orton headlined)
    * July 12th in Knoxville, TN drew 4,500 fans (Rollins and Reigns)
    * July 13th in Atlanta for RAW drew 12,500 fans

  • *Spoilers* NXT TV Taping Results (7/22 Through 8/12)

    WWE NXT TV taping
    Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University
    Results courtesy of In-The-Building Jacob and ProWrestling.net

    Dark

    1. Lina Fanene over an enhancement wrestler. The crowd was very into Lina with “Lina’s gonna kill you” chants. She won with a jumping leg drop.

    July 22 show

    The show opened with the new NXT Champion Finn Balor coming out for a promo. He said he’s made a lot of sacrafices but they’ve all been worth it because he’s the champion. The contract signing for the title rematch with Kevin Owens was announced for later in the show . Balor said Owens has done a lot of things but beating him in Tokyo wasn’t one of them. Balor proclaimed that he will walk out of Takeover Brooklyn still NXT Champion.

    1. Eva Marie beat Cassie.

    2. Baron Corbin squashed an enhancement wrestler (Mr. 450).

    3. Samoa Joe squashed Mike Rawlis. Joe got new music, though it’s not as much of an improvement as most have hoped for.

    4. Bayley pinned Emma. Dana Brooke was ejected before the finish of the match.

    5. The Vaudevillains over Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton.

    The contract signing for the title match between Finn Balor and Kevin Owens for Takeover Brooklyn took place. Owens recapped all he had done since arriving and said that Finn beating him was a fluke. He declared that he will be the first two-time NXT Champion and take Finn out for good. Finn said he’s going to make Owens choke on his words. They both signed before Owens took cheap shots at Balor and William Regal before Balor fought back.

    July 29 show

    1. The Mechanics defeated Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady (w/ Carmella). The Mechanics got the win with a pop-up Codebreaker.

    2. Baron Corbin squashed an enhancement wrestler (former TNA wrestler Jesse Sorensen)

    3. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan beat an enhancement team.

    4. Charlotte over Dana Brooke.

    5. Kevin Owens pinned Martin Stone. Afterwards, he took Stone out with the apron powerbomb. Yes, the same Martin Stone they released from developmental a year or two ago. For what it’s worth, there was no mention of the U.S. Title, although with six matches on this show it could’ve easily been for the live crowd only.

    6. NXT Tag Champions Blake and Murphy (w/ Alexa Bliss) over The Vaudevillains to retain the tag titles. Bliss grabbed English’s leg and Murphy rolled him up with a handful of tights. Post-match, The Vaudevillains got the better of them before holding up the tag title belts.They surrounded Bliss, but then offered to hold the ropes for her because they’re chivalrous. She just bitched them out and gave each a slap before leaving.

  • New Japan’s Jushin Thunder Liger Confirmed For NXT Brooklyn Special

    In what is considered a major political move, New Japan Pro Wrestling is sending Japanese legend Jushin Thunder Liger to appear for WWE on the NXT Brooklyn event on August 22.

    On the same night, New Japan has Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada and Kushida for the Ring Of Honor event, which is also taking place in Brooklyn, New York.

    Liger will be going one-on-one with Tyler Breeze at the NXT event, which is scheduled to air live on the WWE Network.

  • NXT TV Results – July 15, 2015

    WWE NXT
    Aired July 15, 2015
    Taped June 18 at Full Sail University
    Report by Zack Zimmerman and ProWrestling.net

    A “last week on NXT” recap showed Charlotte teaming up with Sasha Banks in exchange for a title shot this week, and the match was hyped as the main event… The opening video played…

    Inside the arena, the fans chanted “NXT” before the team of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable made their entrance. There was a moderate “Gable” chant before the bell.

    1. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. Steve Cutler and Elias Sampson. Gable wanted to start but Jordan coaxed him out onto the apron and kicked things off with an amateur-style takedown on Sampson. Jordan tagged Gable in, and Gable showed some very impressive and smooth-looking mat work. A short time later though, Gable was backed into the opposing corner and began to be worked over. Gable managed to hit a nice judo throw and make the tag to Jordan. Moments later, Jordan picked Cuther up for a back suplex, but then tossed him over to Gable who caught him out of the air and and finished the suplex himself with a bridge for the win.

    Gable and Jordan over Cutler and Sampson in about 3:00.

    A recap showed the debuts of Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte from Raw… The main event was hyped.

    Back in the arena, Samoa Joe made his entrance to his back music. His opponent was already in the ring.

    2. Samoa Joe vs. Axel Tischer. Ticher went right after Joe and landed some shots in the corner, but that didn’t last long as Joe reversed momentum and beat Tischer down. Joe hit a stiff soccer kick to the back and a chop before Tischer tried to fight back. Fischer washed Joe’s face across the top rope, but Joe came right back with the atomic drop, boot, and senton combo. Joe planted Tischer out of the corner with the STJoe before hooking the Muscle Buster and dropping down. Rather than making the pin, Joe locked in the Clutch and Tischer tapped as he faded out.

    Samoa Joe beat Axel Tischer in about 3:00.

    The main event was hyped… [C]

    A Baron Corbin vignette aired. He showed off his four college conference rings, which he claimed he won himself. He said he was a golden gloves champion, and the baddest man to ever play in the NFL. Corbin mocked the fans who support internet guys and said those guys were getting paid in chips and hot dogs while he was making giant checks in the NFL. He said he will enjoy destroying the fans’ heroes and he’s the angel who will destroy fate…

    Eva Marie came out onto the stage and was booed roundly. She said she’s just as excited to see them. She said she’s also excited to watch Charlotte and Sasha Banks tonight, but she said she’s here to announce that her in-ring debut will take place next week. She told the fans to have their signs ready and warned that all red everything is coming. The commentators said this was the start of her path to the top…

    The Tag Chamions Blake and Murphy made their entrance with Alexa Bliss. Their opponents were already in the ring.

    3. NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy (w/ Alexa Bliss) vs. Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton. Dawkins came out with a nice dropkick early, but Murphy got his boot up in the corner and BaM began to take control. Even the commentators got bored as they began talking about toothpaste sandwiches. Blake yanked Fulton off the apron before they hit their running suplex and frog splash for the win.

    Blake and Murphy squashed Dawkins and Fulton in about 3:00.

    The tag champs celebrated and Corey Graves tried to put over their “Blake and Murphy Factor.” Bliss suddenly gave a signal and the champs began to beat down the other team again. Bliss watched on from the corner until Blake and Murphy went over and hurled her into her twisting splash finisher onto Fulton…

    Sasha Banks was shown prepping for the title match tonight… A medical update on Sami Zayn was hyped up next… [C]

    Back in the arena, Sami Zayn made his entrance in a polo and black jeans, with his arm in a rather complex looking sling. The fans were understandably excited to see him and welcomed him back with lots applause, “Ole” chants, and “Sami Zayn” chants. He said that was nice and thanked the fans. He mentioned that he recently had shoulder surgery and this was a nice escape from the doctors offices and therapy rooms. He said that he hasn’t forgotten the fans and it sounds like they haven’t forgotten him either. A loud “Sami” chant broke out.

    Zayn said that people keep asking him for updates, and he said he’ll give them what they want but admittedly it sucks. He said that 2014 was the best year of his career, ending on the highest of highs by winning the NXT Championship. He said that in stark contrast, 2015 has been the worst year of his career and that will continue because he probably wont be back until next year.

    He said that he’s not out there to be depressed Sami, but to tell everyone that he’ll be back. He said he’s setting little goals like finding a comfortable position to sleep in, and soon it will be lifting his arm again, and before long it will be him coming back and regaining his NXT Championship. He then addressed Kevin Owens and said that whether or not Owens likes it, his Career has always been linked to Sami Zayn and it always will. Zayn warned Owens to watch his ass because when he comes back, he’s coming for Owens…

    A recap showed Charlotte and Sasha making the title match last week… Charlotte was shown jumping rope in preparation for the main event… A recap aired of Finn Bálor defeating Kevin Owens to win the NXT Championship at Beast in the East… A clip from ComicCon was shown with William Regal announcing the rematch between Bálor and Owens for the NXT Championship at Takeover Brooklyn…

    Charlotte made her entrance for the main event. The champ Sasha Banks was out next. A little girl in the front row was all decked out in Bayley gear holding her replica NXT Women’s title high in the background when Sasha did it. Very cool. Both ladies got full formal in-ring introductions. Charlotte got a fair share of “Woo’s” and a smattering of boos, and Sasha got a mixed reaction as well. There’s clearly respect for both, but they have the crowd split with each having their camp of supporters as well as their detractors.

    4. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the NXT Women’s Championship. The two briefly exchanged to a stalemate before another exchange saw Charlotte getting the better with a headstand headscissors. Charlotte applied the figure-four head scissors rolled forward into slams, but before long, Sasha had regained control and hit her double-knee drop in the corner. [C]

    Back from break, Sasha had Charlotte in a strait-jacket hold as a replay showed her hitting a running double-knee strike during the break. Sasha hit a boot in the corner and Charlotte Flair Flopped in the middle of the ring. Sasha mocked her with a strut and then went back to working the strait-jacket, this time working it into a kneeling surfboard variation.

    Charlotte tried to roll over the top, but Sasha caught on and hooked in Charlotte’s own figure-four headscissors. Sasha worked it into facebusters and a cradle attempt before Charlotte powered up to her feet with Sasha on her shoulders. Sasha tried to spin around into a ‘rana, but Charlotte hoisted her back up and planted her with a wicked kneeling powerbomb and both ladies were down.

    Referee Drake Wuertz began the count but both ladies made it to their feet. Charlotte hit her spinning neckbeaker and followed up with a spear for a two-count. Charlotte went back to the well on the neckbreaker and Sasha reversed, connecting with the Bankrupt neck breaker for a two-count of her own. Sasha slapped Charlotte and declared “I’m better than you” which just fired up Charlotte who went wild on Sasha. Charlotte looked for the Figure-Four, but Sasha rolled through.

    They tried a wheelbarrow facebuster, but it looked like Charlotte didn’t snap forward on the bump the way she did and thus looked like a weak botched victory roll. A short time later, Charlotte had fought back and applied the Figure-Four. Sasha managed to reach the ropes, but Charlotte rolled to ringside with the leglock still applied and wrenched it over the apron until the ref’s count got to four.

    Back in the ring, both ladies traded roll-ups for near-falls before Sasha connected with the Backstabber and floated over into the Bank Statement. She put some crazy looking torque on it and Charlotte looked like she was fading. Charlotte rolled backwards into a quick roll-up attempt, but Sasha shifted her weight and re-applied the pressure until Charlotte was forced to tap out.

    Sasha Banks forced Charlotte to submit in about 13:00 to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.

    A series of replays showed all of the highspots and the finish. Charlotte was in tears in the corner and Sasha celebrated her win before the two ladies met in the middle of the ring with a hug. Charlotte raised Sasha’s hand before they embraced again with watery eyes and that’s how the show closed.

  • NXT Preview For Tonight, Ric Flair/J.J. Dillon, New Ross Report Podcast

    – The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with Ring Of Honor star Michael Elgin, is now available. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

    – The latest edition of Ric Flair’s “Wooo Nation” podcast, which features an interview with J.J. Dillon, is also available today. You can download that one at Play.it.

    – The following matches and segments were taped on June 18th in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.

    * Eva Marie promo

    * NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins in a non-title match

    * Sami Zayn appears

    * Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the NXT Women’s Championship

  • Blue Pants Talks About Her NXT Future, Jealousy Backstage In NXT & More

    Leva Bates, better known to NXT fans as Blue Pants, recently spoke with the folks at Rolling Stone for an interview. Below are some of the highlights:

    On how she got into NXT: “They have a recruiting page online, and I filled it out and they got a hold of me through that. Actually, my first time I did anything with WWE was being a Rosebud. So when they called me for NXT, I assumed it was another Rosebud gig, which I was all for. Then they told me I was going to be on NXT doing a match. That’s kind of how it went down. They actually called me the day of the show, so thank God I was local. I ended up just leaving Universal and going straight there.”

    On if she’s surprised she’s become a fan favorite: “It was definitely unexpected. I didn’t expect to be called Blue Pants, I didn’t expect it to catch on like it did. And then when I got called back the second, and even third time, I didn’t expect for the chants to keep happening. Whenever I get those “Blue Pants” chants, it just blows my mind. I think part of it was Carmella though, whenever her character would be disgusted with me, and then I’d come out all excited, the crowd just ate it up. It really was just right place, right time; the stars aligned, and now the sky’s the limit.”

    On if she’s worried about becoming a permanent enhancement talent: “Not really. I’m getting a lot more attention now. I’ve gotten more opportunities in wrestling, my fans have increased, a lot of doors have opened for me. I still do a lot of things outside of NXT, and people get that. Some of my fans have actually gotten more upset about that than me. They talk about how I’m not Blue Pants, I’m Leva. But I really don’t mind it. I have a lot of creative ideas, and I don’t think Blue Pants will hinder those ideas, even if they get to know me as her.”

    On if she’s sensed any jealousy backstage in regards to her crowd reactions: “No, not at all. I do hear a lot of disbelief that I’m as over as I am, but everyone has been really nice and supportive. One person even told me that I make superstars, or villains, which was really cool. Everyone has been super nice; they even celebrated my birthday the last time I was there. All of that caught me off guard. That was incredibly heartwarming. The thing is, if one person succeeds, it proves that success is possible. Everyone just stays positive there, which is great for me, since I’m a super-positive person.”

    On if there’s been talk of her signing a WWE developmental contract: “We’ve talked about doing more house shows in the future, which is a lot of fun. I think I’m kind of creating something new with them. I’m sort of a free-agent regular. I can do my things, but also appear on their shows. If they do offer me something though, that would be awesome. If they don’t, that’s still great, because I get to live my dream. I get to work with WWE. That’s always been a dream of mine. I’m just looking at everything positively. You have to enjoy the moment. I could be sitting here concerned about if they’re going to be offering me a contract or not. Instead, I’m enjoying every time they’re calling me. I can say I’ve won a WWE match now! I can cross that off my bucket list. I got to wrestle the NXT champion! I got be on Raw! Cross all that off my bucket list. Instead of worrying what comes next, you have to enjoy what you’ve accomplished so far. I think so many people, especially wrestling fans, are concerned about what comes next. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I just ride the moment. You never know when it’s going to end. I’ve had an awesome ride.”

    Check out the complete interview at RollingStone.com.