Former Tampa Tribune writer Joe Belcastro is the new head writer for NXT. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Belcastro will be working directly under Triple H. He was also involved in the pilot of the NXT Kids show filmed earlier this year.
Belcastro is replacing former NXT head writer Ryan Ward. Ward has been promoted to working on RAW and SmackDown on the USA Network after receiving high praises within the company for his work on NXT.
The new NXT head writer first applied for a job with WWE back in 2008 after graduating college, but was turned down. A friend with a connection in WWE reportedly got Belcastro a second interview with the company in 2013 after writing for the Tribune and movie review websites, and he was hired. He has no prior experience writing anything for television.
Kenneth Crawford attempted a springboard at Friday’s NXT house show in Citrus Springs but slipped and landed bad in the ring. He was then pinned by Noah Kekoa and the referee called for help.
Trainers tended to Crawford for a few minutes and he was then stretchered out. He was reportedly communicating but not moving his arms or legs. A fan in attendance told F4Wonline.com that Crawford was flown out for medical attention.
Eric Young recently spoke with NiagaraThisWeek.com to discuss his NXT debut, which aired on this week’s episode of NXT TV. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His WWE Contract Status:
“We are working on contract stuff now, but there isn’t a final pen to paper yet.”
His NXT Debut Against Samoa Joe:
“It was in the works. I was supposed to go and talk with Hunter (WWE executive Paul Levesque). They reached out to me and there was an opportunity. Hunter and I hit it off right away, joking like we had known each other for 10 years. About half way through the day he called me aside to see if I’d be interested in doing a promo with the NXT champion Samoa Joe to start the show. I went and grabbed my stuff out of my rental and we got to business. The crowd reaction was insane. I figured it would be decent, but it was insane.”
As quick as it was announced, it was deleted. WWE’s UK Twitter account briefly announced that Bobby Roode would be part of next month’s NXT’s tour of the UK. NXT will be invading the UK’s Download Festival starting June 10th before hitting the read in the UK and Ireland.
Roode was reportedly backstage at the most recent NXT TV taping but did not appear on camera.
Here’s a screen cap of the Bobby Roode announcement, courtesy of Twitter user @BBladem83:
Tyler Breeze returned to NXT at Thursday night’s live event from Salina, Kansas.
Prince Pretty squared off against Shinsuke Nakamura in what was described the match of the night and one of Breeze’s best ever. Breeze was extremely over with the NXT crowd and Nakamura got a big pop when he took a selfie with Breeze’s selfie stick midway through the match.
In light of his lackluster run in WWE thus far (he was 0-49 for the year at one point), many fans have been calling for Breeze to return to NXT, where he was a title contender and working featured matches. Someone like Emma went back to NXT, was repackaged as a heel and is now back on the main roster. We’ll see if this was just a 1-time appearance or if Tyler could be heading back to NXT on a more regular basis.
– Prior to Thursday night’s NXT TV tapings, Manny Andrade defeated Angelo Dawkins. The former La Sombra won with the running knees in the corner and was said to be very over with the crowd.
– Rachael Ellering, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering, made her NXT debut at this week’s tapings. She’ll will face Alexa Bliss on the May 11th episode. Ellering was trained by Lance Storm.
– Bayley appeared to tweak her knee on Thursday night while reversing a suplex from Nia Jax. She was able to finish the match, but was helped to the back after being checked out by a trainer. It’s entirely possible that this was simply an angle – we’ll post an update if there’s anything to the story.
WWE taped several episodes of NXT TV in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University on Thursday night. Here’s what happened:
Airing on May 4th:
– NXT Champion Samoa Joe was in the ring to open up the show, when Eric Young made his debut by coming out to challenge Joe to a match. Joe accepts and says he’ll destroy him.
– Nia Jax def. Tessa Blanchard
– Austin Aries def. Tye Dillinger
– The Revival def. The Hype Bros
– No Way Jose def. Noah Kekoa
– Non-Title Match: Samoa Joe def. Eric Young via submission
Airing on May 11th:
– Finn Balor opens the show and cuts a promo about losing the NXT Title. Elias Samson confronts him and Balor lays him out.
– American Alpha def. Skyler & Hollis
– Shinsuke Nakamura def. Alex Riley
– Alexa Bliss def. Rachel
– Finn Balor def. Elias Samson. After the match Balor demanded a rematch with Samoa Joe. Joe comes out and William Regal books them in a match for NXT Takeover.
– Asuka def. Adrienne Reese
Airing on May 18th:
– Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Blake and Murphy
– Carmella def. Peyton Royce
– Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa def. Martin Stone & Rob Ryzin
It was revealed at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings that Samoa Joe will be defending his NXT Title in the main event of the next NXT Takeover special. His opponent will be former champion Finn Balor. Joe beat Balor for the NXT Championship at a live event last week.
The next Takeover special will take place on June 8th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL and will air on the WWE Network.
The title match between Joe and Balor is the only match announced for the card as of this writing.
– TV host Andrea D’Marco recently announced on Twitter that she will be joining NXT. It’s unknown when she’ll first appear on NXT TV, but she says her first day was Monday, so it’s likely she’ll be at tonight’s tapings. D’Marco is a former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader who has previously worked for several South Florida TV channels.
I'm working as host for NXT. I'm learning the ropes and ready for this amazing opportunity! https://t.co/uLQpHOF2Or
– WWE tapes episodes of NXT TV on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Stars advertised for the tapings include NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, and Austin Aries. Aries will be featured in action on next week’s episode. We’ll have spoilers from the tapings later tonight.
– Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady made their WWE in-ring debuts on this week’s SmackDown when they defeated The Ascension. WWE posted the above video following the airing of the match where Cass talks about joining the WWE main roster and going for the Tag Team Titles.
– WWE announced on Friday that the next NXT Takeover live special would take place on June 8th. They also reported that the next set of NXT TV tapings will be on May 19th and June 9th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.
During a recent appearance on the Ross Report podcast, Jim Cornette spoke to Jim Ross about Shinsuke Nakamura and how he feels the Japanese wrestling sensation will fare in WWE.
At this point there’s no question as to whether or not Nakamura has the tools to succeed. Besides being a world-class in-ring talent, his charisma is electric and his appeal is undeniable. As somebody who knows talent as well as anybody, Cornette feels that Nakamura’s upside in WWE is more dependent on Vince McMahon’s preferences than Nakamura’s abilities.
“I think it comes down to he will be a superstar in NXT and people are going to love him whenever he appears with that brand,” Cornette said. “And when he gets to the main roster, I’ve got to be honest with you, I think it depends on how Vince sees him.”
He continued, “Obviously, everything [in WWE] depends on how Vince sees something, but he hasn’t had the best track record, and I’ll tell you, it’s not a racist thing with international stars, whether it be luchadores, whether it be Japanese talent, [or] whether it be anybody from Europe. Sometimes, the chairman does not understand what they have meant to their world because he’s so isolated in his and he tries, possibly, to remake them in the image that he perceives for them. That may not work.”
Cornette feels that in certain ways, Nakamura is in the same boat as WWE legends like Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar were – “essentially the more [Nakamura] is himself and he’s allowed to do his thing, the better off he’ll be.”
Visit PodcastOne.com to listen to The Ross Report and check out Jim Cornette’s weekly podcast over at MLW Radio.
H/T to William Windsor at WrestlingINC.com for the quote transcript
– The following matches will take place on tonight’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network. These were taped at last weekend’s WrestleMania AXXESS event from Dallas, TX:
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Elias Samson
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Eva Marie
Carmella vs. Aliyah
Dash and Dawson vs. Local wrestlers
Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy
– Lat week, WWE filed for several trademarks related to Shinsuke Nakamura:
WWE submitted Trademarks for "Shinsuke Nakamura" (name/clothing) and "King of Strong Style" (name) on 4/8/16. pic.twitter.com/CKvmH4yqof
WWE issued a press release today announcing a number of new developmental signings. With a group that includes a few well-known names in there as well as more obscure international wrestlers, let’s take a look at who the newest additions to the developmental system:
Michael Nicholls and Shane Veryzer of Perth, Australia are Mikey Nichols and Shane Haste, also known as The Mighty Don’t Kneel (TMDK). They were the top foreign tag team in Japan’s Pro Wrestling Noah for several years and were due to sign about a year ago when Haste blew out his knee. It was considered a forgone conclusion that they’d sign once he was cleared and their work visas were in order. With their size, look, athleticism, and ability it was always inevitable that they’d go to WWE at some point.
Nicola Glencross of Glasgow, Scotland is well-known female wrestler Nikki Storm. “Glencross has eight years of experience wrestling on the independent circuit for Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling (JWP), Pro Wrestling Eve, Scottish Wrestling Alliance, Insane Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Elite, Stardom and Shine.”
Daniella Kamela of Los Angeles, California was a Tough Enough finalist. “Trained with Rikishi Fatu and David Gangrel Heath at Knokx Pro Entertainment, Kamela was an on-air talent for FOX Sports Arizona, Phoenix Suns dancer and Arizona Cardinals cheerleader.”
Macey Estrella of Parris Island, South Carolina has some experience with smaller indies but would be best known as the blonde haired women who cut a really passionate promo at a tryout camp that was aired on Breaking Ground. “Trained with Tom Caiazzo of American Premier Wrestling, Estrella is a former U.S. Marine and mmber of the Marine Corps SWAT Team.”
Nikola Bogojevic of Superior, Wisconsin is a Gerald Brisco recruit. “World-class Greco Roman Wrestler who was the National Champion in Greco Roman Wrestling at the Junior Pan-American Games in 2011. Bogojevic also won bronze at the Pan-American Games in Greco Roman Wrestling in 2014 and has extensive experience training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
Terrance Jean-Jacques of Boston, Massachusetts is another Gerald Brisco recruit, and he parlayed his amateur wrestling credentials into a single pro MMA fight. “Standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 265 pounds, Jean-Jacques was an All-American wrestler at the University of Rhode Island in 2015. Prior to that, he accumulated a 32-2 record in wrestling at the University of Iowa.”
Babatunde Aiyegbusi of Olesnica, Poland is a non-wrestler athlete who was recruited into the system. “Standing 6 feet 9 inches and weighing 350 pounds, Aiyegbusi is a former professional football player who had stints in Poland and Germany. Most recently, he spent the 2015 pre-season with the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive lineman.”
Bianca Blair of Knoxville, Tennessee is another non-wrestler recruit. “Blair was an All-American and All-SEC track & field performer in hurdles at the University of Tennessee, and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2011 and 2012. A CrossFit competitor and powerlifter, Blair has been featured in RX Magazine, Femme Rouge Magazine and CrossFit.com.”
Carolyn Dunning of Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the non-wrestler recruits, with her background being as a fitness model. “Dunning is a former Air Force ROTC member and nationally ranked bodybuilding bikini competitor by The National Physique Committee (NPC).”
The following are results from last night’s NXT live event from Concord, North Carolina, which featured NXT Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura teaming up in the main event:
– “No Way Jose” Levis Valenzuela defeated Riddick Moss.
– Elias Samson defeated John Skyler.
– Alex Riley defeated Wesley Blake.
– Eva Marie defeated Carmella. After the match, Carmella attacked Eva.
– NXT Tag Team Champions Jordan & Gable retained against Dash and Dawson.
– Austin Aries defeated Manny Andrade.
– Tom Phillips came to the ring and invited a couple to join him. The guy proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce. Eva Marie interrupted the match to tell Asuka she’ll be challenging for the Women’s championship at Friday night’s show from Columbia, South Carolina. After the match, Asuka grabbed a mic and said, “Eva Marie. Tomorrow night I kick your ass.”
– NXT Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin in the main event. The fans in attendance knew they were being treated to something special, as the crowd was super into the match. After the match, both Nakamura and Balor briefly spoke to the crowd before celebrating. Balor grabbed a fan sign teasing the arrival of his former Bullet Club partners Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.
Jim Ross says he thoroughly enjoyed being at WWE’s NXT Takeover: Dallas this past Friday night. The WWE Hall of Famer and former head of talent relations recently posted a new blog entry where he discusses the event that took place just two nights before WrestleMania 32.
“Thoroughly enjoyed myself at WWE NXT Takeover Dallas on Friday night and it was one of the most enjoyable evenings that I’ve ever spent at a pro wrestling show. Loved the booking and the unfiltered effort from the talents who took the ring,” Ross wrote. “The stage we set by the opening match of the Alpha Males vs Dash & Dawson who showed everyone that they are all potential big time players in WWE. Helluva tag match by both teams that demonstrated fundamental soundness, logic, intensity and effort. Really proud of all four men in the match.”
Good ol’ J.R. also talked about Samoa Joe’s match with Finn Balor, and revealed who on the WWE roster he most wants to see Samoa Joe face off against.
“Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor was a Slobber Knocker for sure and here are two more big stars waiting to take off in a major way in WWE,” Ross said. “I’d love to see Joe vs Lesnar someday. Seems like WWE needs to address the procedure of inadvertent blood as to not have to adversely impact the flow of the bout in progress.”
Samoa Joe is rumored to be moving from NXT to the main WWE roster in the near future.
The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network. These matches were taped at WrestleMania AXXESS during WrestleMania 32 weekend from Dallas:
According to PWTorch.com, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano have signed deals with WWE NXT. Their deals were originally reported The Wrestling Observer and PWInsider.com.
For several months, both Ciampa and Gargano have appeared on NXT television sparingly. Neither were close to a championship program, but perhaps now that can change.
As Sean Radican and James Caldwell of PWTorch.com put it, Gargano and Ciampa will be at “Tier 2” status. For example, Tier 2 status means they’ll appear on NXT programming regularly, instead of once per every-other taping.
Originally, they were both at Tier 3 status. That’s comparable to Blue Pants’ earlier deal, or Deonna Purazzo now.
Both wrestlers will begin working what Samoa Joe was initially signed to. He worked Indy dates, but mostly NXT. Now, he is at Tier 1 status and is WWE exclusive. At this point, Ciamba and Gargano are still allowed to work Indy shows.
With Sami Zayn Samoa Joe rumored to leave for the main roster full-time and Shinsuke Nakamura changing the men’s division, Gargano and Ciampa have a rare opportunity to make a statement on WWE NXT every week.
WWE issued a press release on Friday about NXT’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The U.K. shows will be part of the annual Download music festival. In a conference call with Mirror.co.uk, Triple H commented on the summer tour, saying “It’s going to be a very exciting U.K. tour that I think will continue to showcase what NXT does amazingly well. It’s an exciting time.”
Here’s WWE’s press release:
The hottest brand in sports-entertainment will join up with one of the biggest music festivals in the world to kick off NXT’s tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland this June.
From Friday, June 10 through Sunday, June 12, WWE NXT takes over the Download Festival at Derby’s Donington Park. Alongside some of the biggest names in rock, including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Rammstein and Korn, Superstars like Finn Bálor, Bayley, Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura will take to the ring to showcase their high-octane brand of competition. Festival-goers will also get the opportunity to meet the Superstars of NXT during autograph signings.
The NXT tour continues to Dublin’s 3Arena Monday, June 13, then travels to the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Tuesday, June 14. The Echo Arena in Liverpool plays host to live NXT action Wednesday, June 15, while the Bournemouth International Center will be treated to an action-packed evening on Thursday, June 16. The tour concludes on Friday, June 17, at Plymouth’s Pavilions Arena.
Tickets for the Download Festival are available now at downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets. Tickets for the rest of NXT’s tour of the U.K. and Ireland are available starting Friday, April 8. Don’t miss your chance to see NXT live and in-person this June!
– There was a change of plans for last night’s main event at NXT Takeover: Dallas. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Samoa Joe was originally written to win the NXT Title from Finn Balor, but WWE officials changed their mind. Joe is set to make his debut on the WWE main roster soon, which may have had something to do with the decision not to give him the NXT Title.
– Dave Meltzer also reports that former NJPW talent Kota Ibushi has agreed to join NXT, but has likely not signed a contract yet. Ibushi was in the crowd at Takeover: Dallas last night. It’s expected that WWE will bring him in for more than just the Global Cruiserweight Series on WWE Network.
As noted, former TNA World Champion Bobby Roode was spotted at ringside for last night’s NXT Takeover: Dallas event. WWE’s official Twitter referred to Roode as a former World Heavyweight Champion. Roode briefly commented on the news on Saturday, cryptically telling fans to “stay tuned.”
As of right now, it’s believed that Roode has not officially signed with the company yet. According to F4WOnline.com, Roode could soon be added to the Global Cruiserweight Series.
It looks like Shinsuke Nakamura will just be known as Nakamura to the WWE/NXT universe. The King Of Strong Style is listed by his last name only in the Wrestlemania 32 program being sold at the WWE Superstore and considering Chad Gable, Jason Jordan and Apollo Crews are on the same page with their full names — it seems like the name drop will happen.
It’s interesting to note that Nakamura is listed with NXT talent in the program, leading many to think he will spend more time than most believed on NXT programming. There is not much known about Nakamura’s direction with NXT/WWE, but this could be a good indication. Or it simply could just be they have him in the NXT section because he is debuting with NXT.
Nakamura is set to debut at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in a match against Sami Zayn . It has been one of the most talked about and highly anticipated matches on both NXT and WWE’s weekend events. The event is live on the WWE Network, Friday April 1.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows are scheduled to be at this week’s WWE TV tapings, as first reported by PWInsider. They will be backstage at WrestleMania on Sunday and are scheduled to debut on the main roster within the next week.
Karl Anderson was training at the WWE Performance Center earlier this week. NXT head trainer Jason Albert tweeted a photo of Anderson in Orlando, so they’re not keeping it a huge secret.
It remains to be seen if they will be aligned with Finn Balor from the get go. Rumored names for the faction include Balor Club and Bulletproof.
Balor defends the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe tomorrow night at NXT Takeover: Dallas.
