Archive for the ‘NXT’ Category

WWE Interested In Top Lucha Underground Star, Date For Next NXT Takeover Special

– Lucha Underground star King Cuerno was reportedly offered a spot in WWE’s Global Cruiserweight Series tournament. According to the Wrestling Observer NewsletterCuerno was all about it, but AAA and Lucha Underground blocked him from accepting. Cuerno is signed to a seven-season deal, but wasn’t at the first round of Season 3 tapings and hasn’t wrestled for AAA since March 4th.

– The next WWE NXT Takeover event after “Takeover: Dallas” this Friday is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8th.

– WWE has moved the Andre Memorial Battle Royal match from the WrestleMaia 32 Kickout Pre-show to the main card for the show. The Kickoff Pre-show still remains at two hours long, with two hours on social media, Youtube and the WWE Network, and one hour programming on the USA Network.

Final Card For Friday’s NXT Takeover: Dallas

Following this week’s episode of NXT, Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson is now official for Friday’s NXT”Takeover: Dallas special. Here’s the final card for the show:

  • NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
  • NXT Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Asuka
  • NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. American Alpha
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn
  • Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
  • Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson

NXT Takeover: Dallas airs live this Friday night on the WWE Network. Join us here for Live Coverage of the event.

Tough Enough Contestant ZZ Debuts For NXT

Former WWE Tough Enough contestant and Breaking Ground star Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe made his NXT in-ring debut at Saturday night’s live event from Orlando, Florida.

ZZ defeated Christopher Girard with a rollup pin. The match was said to be kept relatively short and didn’t feature any real noteworthy offense from ZZ. In fact, there was said to be a lot of rest holds used throughout the match.

Girad doesn’t sound like he was impressed by ZZ’s in-ring prowess:

https://twitter.com/_stardestroyer/status/713919635989655553

Here are a few photos of ZZ’s NXT debut:

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/713875394785509377

 

Update On Jericho’s Beef With Nakamura, Finn Balor Renames His Finisher & More

– On Wednesday, Chris Jericho called out Shinsuke Nakamura on Twitter, telling the Japanese star that he’s nothing in Jericho’s world. It’s now being speculated that Jericho is going after him to build towards a match that will take place this summer when WWE holds two showsfrom Tokyo’s Sumo Hall (July 1st & 2nd).

Shinsuke Nakamura makes his NXT debut against Sami Zayn next Friday night at NXT Takeover: Dallas.

– WWE has announced that next week’s episode of NXT will feature Samoa Joe vs. Bull Dempsey and Alex Riley vs. Apollo Crews. This is the “go-home” show before Takeover: Dallas.

– Finn Balor has renamed his  Bloody Sunday finisher. It will be now known as 1916.

Details On “No Way Jose” Coming Soon To NXT

A promo aired on this week’s episode of NXT teasing the arrival of No Way Jose. For those wondering, the vignette is setting the stage for the arrival of Levis Valenzuela Jr. He has been with NXT since May 2015 and has been using a dancing gimmick over the past several months.

Valenzuela Jr. is a Dominican wrestler based out of North Carolina who used the name Manny Garcia on the independent wrestling scene prior to signing with WWE. Here’s are a few videos of Valenzuela in action:

NXT Preview: Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano & Asuka In Action

The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network:

  • NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Rich Swann.
  • Asuka vs. Emma.
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Sarah Dobson.
  • Johnny Gargano vs. Elias Samson.
  • Bull Dempsey vs. Danny Birch.

Also appearing are Samoa Joe and Apollo Crews.

Video: Finn Balor Leads Birthday Celebration For Samoa Joe At NXT Event

Samoa Joe turned 37 years old on Thursday. Joe fought Finn Balor at Thursday night’s live event from Coral Gables, a preview for their upcoming showdown at NXT Takeover: Dallas. Joe didn’t get the win on his birthday – but he did get a St. Patrick’s Day-themed birthday celebration courtesy of the NXT Champion.

Balor led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to the Samoan Submission machine after their match. He then sang a classic Irish song in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

Backstage Heat Over NXT Takeover Omission From WrestleMania Week Promo Video

On Monday’s RAW it was advertised that the WWE Network will feature 7 hours of WrestleMania coverage and the Hall of Fame ceremony, but NXT Takeover: Dallas got no mention. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that a lot of people within the company are openly unhappy that the NXT event was not promoted on RAW.

Either someone simply forgot to include NXT Takeover in their WrestleMania week lineup, or someone in WWE felt it wasn’t important enough. One conspiracy theory is that Kevin Dunn may have made the decision to leave Takeover off the promotional video on RAW. NXT is considered to be Triple H’s project, and Dunn has nothing to do with the NXT product.

Meltzer noted that the feeling within WWE is that Dunn will likely be let go when Triple H and Stephanie McMahon eventually take over the company.

NXT Takeover: Dallas will take place on April 1 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, and will feature Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut.

Austin Aries Explains Why He Signed With NXT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo13BvRiODs

Former TNA World Champion and recent NXT signee Austin Aries says the last mountain for him to climb in his career is in the WWE Universe. In an interview on WWE.com, Aries explained why he’s excited to be in NXT right now and how he came to join the company.

“I became a free agent in the middle of last year. I was seeing what all my options were and had a lot of different opportunities on the table. But from the moment I became a free agent, the WWE opportunity was the one I wanted,” said Aries. “Obviously, there were strong plays made by some other companies, but in the end, when WWE offered me an opportunity, I could not turn it down.

“Frankly, it’s the only thing I haven’t done in my career. I’ve accomplished every goal I’ve set out to. I’ve traveled the world, I’ve competed in just about every promotion there is. The last mountain to climb was the one that resides in the WWE Universe. I’m excited to get that opportunity. The NXT brand is as hot as any brand in wrestling, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Aries says NXT has a certain energy to it because of their diverse roster. Aries, who is also a two-time ROH World Champion, says he’s happy drop some knowledge on the younger talent just starting their careers.

“There’s a certain energy to NXT, because there’s a mixture of young guys just starting their career who are hungry. Then, you have established guys like Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor,” Arties continued, “who have walked the same paths that I’ve walked, now trying to prove themselves on the biggest stage. I’m someone who’s been very passionate about the business and love to pass on the things that I’ve learned to the guys coming up. I think I’ll have the opportunity to do that.

“I look at is as an opportunity for Austin Aries to grow as a performer, while helping some of the younger NXT guys grow, too.”

Nia Jax Talks About Her Modeling Career, The Rock Helping Her Get Into WWE

NXT Diva Nia Jax recently spoke with Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald about her time in NXT thus far, training at the WWE Performance Center and doing plus-size modeling before joining WWE. Here are some highlights of what she said about:

The Rock Helping Her Get Into WWE:

“We talked about it, and I was going to attend Uncle Afa wrestling school [in Minneola, Florida],” Nia said. “[The Rock] got word of what I was doing, and he heard about the  Performance Center opening up, and he thought maybe I should tryout there and see if it was exactly what I wanted to do. After the tryout, they said, ‘We’d like to have you come on board.’”

Her Modeling Career: 

“Not everybody is made to be a size 0 or a size 4, and I’m not saying there is anything wrong with being a size 0 or a size 4. Being my [plus] size is something I’ve had to deal with my whole life. I’ve always been the big girl. I’ve always had curves, and I never could relate to any of the girls like the Victoria Secret models. Once I realized, when I became a plus-size model, that there were more women like me, my confidence immediately shot through the roof. When I was able to walk out there and show younger girls, who are like me when I was their age — who didn’t see girls who are curvier being put in a beautiful light — it just made me think that I have to be able to show these girls that they are just as beautiful as the girls who are size 0.”

Other topics discussed include training at the WWE Performance Center, her cousin The Rock and growing up in Miami.

NXT Head Writer Moved To SmackDown, Former UFC Fighter Comments On NXT Rumors

– NXT head writer Ryan Ward has been moved to the SmackDown writing team, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. No word yet on who will be replacing him. WWE has already taped NXT TV through WrestleMania weekend, so we’ll see next month if the there are any noticeable changes.

– WWE is already booking talent for this summer’s Global Cruiserweight Series. Several top independent wrestlers have already been contacted about participating in the series.

– Former UFC fighter Matt Riddle recently spoke to the Orlando Sentinel regarding reports that he could be headed to NXT in the near future. Riddle, who has received a WWE tryout and currently wrestles for EVOLVE, said:

“I haven’t heard anything. I’ve heard the rumors, and I’d love to do it, but I don’t know. Right now, I’m too focused on EVOLVE, and ecstatic to see what comes next.”

– There is an online petition for a statue of the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage to be erected in his home city of Columbus, Ohio.

Top Matches Announced For NXT Takeover: Dallas

Following this week’s episode of NXT, we’ve got two big matches announced for next month’s NXT Takeover: Dallas event.

Samoa Joe defeated Sami Zayn in a Best of 3 Falls match to earn a shot at Finn Balor’s NXT Championship. NXT General Manager William Regal also announced that Austin Aries will face the man who spoiled his NXT debut last week, Baron Corbin.

WWE also announced that former New Japan Pro Wrestling star Shinsuke Nakamura will debut at Takeover: Dallas.

Based on recent NXT TV tapings, we know there are 3 more matches confirmed for the card as well.

NXT Takeover: Dallas takes place on Friday night, April 1st in Dallas, Texas at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The show will air live on the WWE Network.

Report: Vince McMahon Does Not See Most NXT Talent As “Stars”

NXT has grown into a touring brand beloved by fans around the world, but WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is not entirely sold on its potential. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince is largely not convinced NXT talent are “stars” who can draw money in WWE. Meltzer wrote:

“Vince isn’t going to step aside, but there is a lot of concern about the rigid decision making and limited viewpoint on who can be real top stars. While publicly HHH will say Vince loves NXT, the internal perception is very different, seeing it as a touring brand filled with so many guys Vince doesn’t believe are money.”

Several of NXT’s top stars have publicly stated they are in no rush to join WWE’s main roster. Back in December, NXT Champion Finn Balor stated on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, “I feel like to get quote, unquote called up to the main roster would be, maybe, like a step back for my career right [now].”

NXT Women’s Champion Bayley echoed the same sentiment late last year, telling The Independent, “I definitely want to be a part of it but I’m not in any rush right now. NXT is so huge and we’re already doing something very special here, so if I was on the main roster right now I’d feel that I was missing out with what’s going on in NXT.”

The handling of Tyler Breeze on the main roster has been a big warning sign to NXT talent. After being a staple of NXT for years and being featured prominently on Breaking Ground, Breeze has been relegated to ‘enhancement talent’ since his debut.

Earning a spot on the main roster is still the ultimate goal of most in NXT, as it means big league money, global exposure and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. However, it’s not without significant risk, at least under WWE’s current regime.

WWE Wins Judgment Against Thai TV Partner; How Much Were They Owed Per Show?

Last August, WWE sued CTH Content Company, their TV partner in Thailand. Essentially, from the first quarterly invoice of the contract (covering the first quarter of 2014), CTH just didn’t pay  WWE the agreed upon licensing fee, which was $560,000 per quarter in 2014 and $728,000 per quarter in 2015. CTH also never provided WWE a bank guarantee for each year’s total license fee, something else that they were required to do under the contract Throughout that whole period, CTH was running WWE programming. CTH never replied to the lawsuit, and on Thursday the judge entered a default judgment in favor of WWE in the amount of the full five year contract plus interest on the late payments:

ORDER granting 16 Motion for Default Judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 55, as the Plaintiff’s claim is for a sum certain and is supported by affidavits showing the amount due. The Clerk is directed to enter judgment against Defendants CTH Content Company Limited and CTH Public Company Limited, jointly and severally, in the total amount of 23,387,360.76, representing liquidated damages of $22,942,500 and contractual interest of $444,860.76. Plaintiff may file a motion for supplemental judgment with an affidavit demonstrating Plaintiff’s entitlement to any interest for the period from 11/1/16 to 3/3/16. Signed by Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on 3/3/16.

With CTH being based out of Thailand and WWE winning a judgment in federal district court in Connecticut, it’s unclear if they have any chance of collecting the monetary award. This was not the first time WWE had to file such a lawsuit against a TV partner in that part of the world, as in 2013, they sued Solar Entertainment in the Philippines for similar non-payment issues. In that case, they had been doing business with Solar since 2007 when the problems arose. They also sued a South Korean home video distributor for non-payment in 2003 as well as filing another lawsuit in 2010 against a Portuguese clothing licensee for illegally sub-licensing to a different company in France.

As far as any kind of interesting information surfacing in the lawsuit, there was a little bit, as WWE included their licensing agreement as an exhibit. That included the itemized list of how much CTH was paying (well, supposed to pay) for each WWE TV show:

  • For 2014, the first year of the contract (it went up each year), the full three hour version of Raw was the most expensive show per episode at $13,461.54 ($700,000 per year).
  • Vintage Collection was the cheapest at $1,076.92 per episode ($56,000 per year).
  • NXT was the second lowest priced show, at $1,615.38 per episode ($84,000 per year). No other shows were under $100,000 per year.
  • By comparison, Superstars and Main Event (as well as recap show AfterBurn for some reason) were $5,384.62 per episode ($284,000 per year).
  • The other recap shows, Bottom Line, WWE Experience, and This Week In WWE, were exactly half the “C-show” price, which SmackDown doubled the “C-shows,” though it was the same price per hour of programming. That says a lot about the value of Smackdown in 2014, or it least it seems that way.

Emma Knocked Out By Asuka At NXT Live Event (Video)

NXT Diva Emma was knocked unconscious in the ring by Asuka at Friday night’s live event from Cleveland, Ohio. Asuka unleashed a flurry of offense on Emma that ended with a stiff kick to the face.

https://twitter.com/MichelleLee905/status/705963548636278784

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/705915848305811456

Chad Gable Endorsed By Wrestling Legend, William Regal Attending EVOLVE Shows & More

– Triple H announced yesterday that NXT will will be holding a live event from Kingston, Rhode Island on April 22nd. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

– Gabe Sapolsky announced on Monday that NXT General Manager William Regal will be in attendance for EVOLVE’s upcoming live events from Queens and Brooklyn, New York:

https://twitter.com/BookItGabe/status/704469900358717440

– NXT star Chad Gable got an endorsement this week from Olympic wrestling legend Dan Gable. Dan Gable won the gold medal at the 1972 games without giving up a single point. He was also the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa and led his students to 15 NCAA titles in a 21 year priod (76-97).

Results & Video Highlights From This Week’s NXT (2/24)

The following are quick results and video highlights from this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network:

  • American Alpha defeated Blake and Murphy
  • Apollo Crews defeated the debuting Chris Girard (formerly Biff Busick)
  • Tomasso Ciampa defeated Bull Dempsey
  • Eva Marie and Nia Jax defeated Carmella and Bayley

Looking Back At The Early Days Of NXT, Bayley At WWE HQ

WWE.com has published a lengthy feature looking at the first incarnation of NXT to celebrate the brand’s 6-year anniversary. Several members from the early seasons were interviewed, including Chris Jericho, Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Daniel Bryan, Bad News Barrett and more. Here are some quick highlights:

AJ Lee: “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I hope people realize how lucky they are that they don’t have to have chocolate-eating contests and gift-unwrapping contests and dance contests their first day on television [laughs]. We didn’t sleep. Just busy every day, working and training in locker-rooms that were basically large closets.”

Wade Barrett: “When I first heard the idea I didn’t like it. I thought it was like a Total Divas kind of reality show. I thought it was gonna be a bunch of us living outside the ring and being followed around, which I really didn’t like at all. But once I realized it was a competition based on in-ring talent and in-ring talent only, I got a lot more comfortable with it. That’s when I sized up the opposition and really felt confident of winning.”

On Wednesday afternoon, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley noted on Twitter that she was heading to WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT for a “very important business meeting.” Later in the day, she followed up and revealed that she was there to film an episode for the “Edge and Christian’s Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness” WWE Network show.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCL51KHB1po/

WWE NXT Internal Documents From 2011-2012 Revealed Online

Rob Naylor, who worked as Creative Assistant under Dusty Rhodes in Florida Championship Wrestling/WWE NXT from 2011 to 2013, tweeted some interesting stuff over the weekend. He kept formats, memos, and other documents from his time with WWE and decided to make some images of them public…

Format sheet for the first Full Sail University pilot taping in 2011 (note the puns):

A list of indie wrestlers from 2012 that Naylor would sign if he could, which he was asked to make by Triple H’s assistant (the note about Alex Shelley being clear of a TNA contract is most likely due to TNA’s lawsuit against WWE and Brian Wittenstein being an ongoing matter at the time):

https://twitter.com/NINaylor/status/701186517667020801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

And finally a list of independent promotions to watch (Dragon Gate USA being the only one that isn’t running shows anymore in 2016):

https://twitter.com/NINaylor/status/701186638005870593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Naylor also mentioned that he found other things going through his collection of records, like performance reviews and a list of tips from Ricky Steamboat on how to work babyface, so hopefully there’s more to come.

Mike Quackenbush Talks To WWE.com About NXT Guest Coach Stint

In the latest sign of how WWE is changing, at least within the developmental system, Chikara founder and head trainer Mike Quackenbush was brought in as an NXT Guest Coach at the WWE Performance Center a few weeks ago. A veteran indie cruiserweight who originally had no formal pro wrestling training, prefers international wrestling, and runs a wacky comic book-inspired promotion does not sound like the type of person they’d normally look to. But times have changed, and they’ve changed so much that WWE.com actually interviewed him about the trip. That is also notable because a ton of guest coaches come through without public fanfare. You should check out the whole interview, but here are some of the highlights:

How did he end up being brought in as a guest coach?

Two WWE talents who spent some time at The Wrestle Factory had gone to bat for me and sung my praises to Head Coach Matt Bloom, those people being [Assistant Head Coach] Sara Amato and Cesaro. They were kind enough to stick their necks out a little bit for me. It came together very quickly through Coach Bloom and I was able to come down to the Performance Center and do my thing. […] I might have said [I was surprised] as well two weeks ago. I was really pleasantly surprised that they brought me down and gave me the measure of trust that they did in instructing this type of class and that type of class. I feel like I really got to put all of my skills to work in a variety of different ways and settings. They showed me such respect and trust in giving me the reigns. That was surprising and very flattering.

What did he want the talent to take away from what he taught?

I wanted to leave everyone at the PC with a sense of my passion for the craft, and to renew their belief in this simple thing, which I think goes overlooked when you spend hours in the ring, gym and on the road: The true net yield of wrestling is always joy. It is our responsibility to give that to our audience, time and time again. Sometimes, you need to hear a different voice, a different perspective on it to remind you of the value of it. That’s what we’re trying to give the audience. You have people down there from all over the world, from all kinds of disciplines, different age groups, they speak different languages. If I was able to remind them of that in a way that really resonated, then I think I did my job.

The article has a whole lot more, including Quack talking about working as a road agent/producer at that weekend’s NXT live events, spending time with Chad Gable, and much more.

Apollo Crews: “I Look At NXT & I See I’m A Part of History”

To promote tonight’s NXT live event in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Apollo Crews spoke to Bill Bodkin of NJ Advanced Media for an article that went up yesterday. You should read the whole article, which also includes some thoughts on how he developed his style among other quotes, but here are some of the highlights:

On the rise of NXT:

I look back at the Attitude Era, which was historical for me, but I look at NXT and I see I’m a part of history. I can look back and tell my kids, and my grandkids that I was a part of NXT when it was growing.

Swearing during his NXT Takeover entrance:

People still make fun of me about it. I had rehearsed my entrance backstage, but I remember coming out and the first thing I did was cuss.

How stacked is the NXT roster?

The roster from top to bottom is talented. We want to challenge and outdo each other in a friendly and competitive way [every show]. [The audience] is going to have so much fun, and they’re going to want more. The environment is going to be through the roof.

Finn Balor Back In Action, Austin Aries Debuts In NXT

Austin Aries made his NXT live event debut at Thursday’s event in Upper Darby, PA at the Tower Theater.

He teamed with NXT Champion Finn Balor against Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin in the main event. Balor and Aries were victorious. Balor had been out of action for several weeks due to a badly sprained ankle.

Fans Discover Sami Zayn Easter Egg On Google Translate

Last night, Wrestling Twitter was abuzz over something that had been discovered when a fan was playing around with Google Translate. Apparently trying to figure out if there was some special meaning to Sami Zayn’s name (or more likely just playing around), someone translated “Sami Zayn” from English to Arabic. Remember, Rami Sebei, the man behind Sami Zayn, is of Syrian descent, so it’s not like this was the most random thing in the world. So then, when you translate the Arabic text back to English, it says…El Generico??!?!?

El Generico Google Translate Easter Egg

Clearly, there’s a big wrestling fan at the Google Translate team as no, that’s not any kind of real translation. Other machine translation sites, like the one on Bing, turn it into “Zain Sami,” and El Generico was, of course, Rami Sebei’s pre-WWE gimmick. Officially, though, they’re friends, as opposed to the Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, and Asuka treatment of acknowledging their past with different names.

It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if there were more wrestling relate Easter eggs like this within Google Translate, but since this one is so perfect, it may be best if they just stopped with this one. They can’t top it.

Global Cruiserweight Series Shows Shift In WWE Attitudes

WWE doing a “cruiserweight show” of some kind as a WWE Network project has been rumored for years now, going back even before the network launched. Back in 2012, when WWE was first shooting pilots at Full Sail University before the launch of the current version of NXT, one of those pilots was some kind of cruiserweight show. The rumors kept going as for a while, disappeared last year, and finally returned a few months ago when it finally got close to reality. Yesterday, WWE finally announced the Global Cruiserweight Series, which is coming in July with 32 wrestlers from around the world.

There’s always been a complicated relationship between WWE and smaller wrestlers. Historically, even long before Vincent Kennedy McMahon was in charge, the WWWF/the Capitol Wrestling Corporation was a territory built around bigger wrestlers working a slower style, with a heroic champion slaying giants in main events. That a big (pun not intended) reason why the rings are bigger and were historically harder than other promotions’ rings for many years, as well. That informed McMahon’s preferences, and so on and so forth.

Even when they eventually tried, they badly missed the mark. In 1997, after the cruiserweight division became a key ingredient in WCW’s success, the WWF light heavyweight division was launched. The problem was that it was badly mismatched mix of great junior heavyweights from around the world (TAKA Michinoku, Mr. Aguila, Pantera, and so on) with whatever shorter wrestlers they had hesitated in signing before, like Scott Putski and Brian Christopher (who was a great performer, but wrong stylistically). It never clicked, and eventually disappeared from TV for long stretches of time. Eventually, it improved, and while there were hiccups, the version that inherited the WCW Cruiserweight Championship as a WWE belt featured good action in the style fans wanted.

Until it vanished after Hornswoggle won the title.

So you can see how WWE introducing the Global Cruiserweight series is a big change, In context, though, it’s not surprising at tall that it’s happening now. PWInsider’s interview with Triple H yesterday made it very clear.that this is one of his projects, and, well, look at what’s happened with NXT. If this was ever going to happen, it was going to happen now. WWE is now actively recruiting from “workrate indies,” the same people they laughed at a decade ago, and paid good money to lure Shinsuke Nakamura from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Even if the main roster shows still have issues, this is not the WWE we used to know.

Of course, the question is if any of this can make its way to the main shows. Triple H is not in charge of the main roster shows, Vince McMahon is. Based on how Raw has looked as of late, it seems like it could be a long time before any of this is reflected on “Vince’s” shows. But it’s a start.

NXT Tampa Results (2/12/16): Sami Zayn vs. Manny Andrade

NXT fans who attended Friday night’s live event from Tampa, FL were treated to a match between Sami Zayn and newcomer Manny Andrade, formerly known as the masked luchador La Sombra.

Andrade is a hot prospect and fans who were in attendance have been raving about how good the match was. The following are results from the show:

  • Hype Bros defeated Sunny Dinsha & Gzim Selmani
  • Tino Sabbatelli defeated Alexander Wolfe
  • Peyton Royce defeated Aliyah
  • Alex Riley defeated Patrick Clark
  • Enzo, Big Cass & Carmella defeated Blake, Murphy & Alexa Bliss
  • Sami Zayn defeated Manny Andrade (La Sombra)
  • Nia Jax squashed Adrienne Reese
  • American Alpha defeated Dash and Dawson in a non-title match

After the show, Sami Zayn tweeted about the significance of facing Andrade and NXT newcomer Biff Busick also gave them both props.

https://twitter.com/_StarDESTROYER/status/698328071716388865