The following are results of the NXT TakeOver: Rival special, which aired live on the WWE Network on Wednesday, February 11, 2015.
– Hideo Itami def. Tyler Breeze in an excellent opening match. This was a solid match to kick off the special. The crowd was hot for it throughout. In the end, Itami picked up the “W” with a running kick to the face.
– Baron Corbin def. Bull Dempsey in a No DQ match. Dempsey dominated a lot of the action throughout the majority of the match, however in the end, Corbin hit his End Of Days finisher for the 1-2-3.
– Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy def. The Lucha Dragons to retain the NXT Tag-Team Championships. This was a solid tag-team match with a ton of fast-paced, high-flying spots. In the end, Blake hit a top rope frog splash on Sin Cara for the pinfall victory.
– Finn Balor def. Adrian Neville to become the new number one contender to the NXT Championship. Balor did his elaborate entrance, which as usual, received a big reaction from the crowd. Neville dominated a lot of the action throughout, including multiple believable near falls, however in the end, Falor hit a giant double foot stomp off the top rope to score the win.
– The Usos are expected to induct their father Rikishi into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.
– There was no dark main event after last night’s RAW. There was a brief comedy segment with Daniel Bryan and Jamie Noble.
– As seen on last night’s RAW, The Miz bragged that he invented the Figure Four leglock. Ric Flair’s daughter, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, called him out on Twitter:
– In the Fallout video from last night’s RAW, Goldust addresses the issues with his brother Stardust. Goldust says he doesn’t want to see Cody fall into the same trap that he once did.
WWE NXT Diva Bayley recently spoke with Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Her Character In NXT
“It comes kind of natural being Bayley. Watching wrestling already made me excited. When I was younger, going to live events, I was so into it and just felt something inside me that made me feel driven to do it; so when I go out to the ring, it’s a natural fire for me. I can’t help but smile. Bayley is a dream chaser. She’s grown up watching the product, wrestling, WWE, everything. She knows everyone, from top to bottom, all the history. She’s been motivated since she was 10-years-old and is finally here, trying to pursue the dream, live the dream to the fullest.”
Randy Savage Joining The WWE Hall of Fame:
“I’m a huge Macho Man fan. Him being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year is so cool, and it’s in my hometown [San Jose]. His ring gear is actually what stood out to me when I first saw him. He was the first guy I saw ever in wrestling; so that’s what hooked me to him and what got me into wrestling. I kind of base my gear to being very colorful, different shapes and a little bit of randomness, basing it off him.”
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte:
“She’s amazing. Sometimes we’ll do stuff training, little warm-ups, and of course, she ups the ante on everything, and it turns out amazing. What she’s done in her past matches…You guys have no idea…She’s going to keep bringing it, and you’ll continue to be surprised and in awe of her. She’s great.”
Read more at
NXT Divas Champion Charlotte recently spoke to the folks at talkSPORT’s “Gorilla Position” podcast about her future goals in WWE.
Regarding the Divas division in NXT, Charlotte claims fans haven’t fully seen yet what they are capable of.
“We’ve only given a taste [so far], that’s only a little bit of what the girls can do down here,” said Charlotte. “I don’t know how long it will take, but we won’t stop until we prove to the world NXT means business.”
The daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair continued, pointing out the fact that she fully believes she will headline a WWE pay-per-view one day.
“I guess that sounds cliched but that’s what I want to do. I want to be taken as… I know we’re not men, but I want to be a main eventer,” said Charlotte. “I know one day I will main event a pay-per-view. It might not be Wrestlemania, but it will be a pay-per-view.”
Check out the complete Charlotte interview at TalkSport.com.
– WWE NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte made a special appearance on the WWE App with Tom Phillips during last night’s RAW. Charlotte talked about defending her title in the Fatal 4 Way at NXT Takeover: Rival next week. She said that she’s already beaten all three challengers, so the odds are in her favor. This is her opportunity to show she’s the best wrestler in the world today, male or female.
– WWE announced the following details for the new WWE 2K15 DLC that’s been released today:
2K Announces WWE 2K15 Downloadable Content for 2K Showcase Available Today
New York – February 3, 2015 – 2K today announced the availability of the newest downloadable content for WWE® 2K15, the latest release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. The new content marks the first addition to the game’s story-driven 2K Showcase mode – One More Match – and highlights the rivalry between WWE Superstars Christian® and Randy Orton® in 2011. One More Match enables players to experience Christian’s triumph and heartbreak throughout the year, including winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship® at Extreme Rules®, losing it one night later to Orton and turning his back on his best friend, Edge®. Christian’s quest to regain the title is highlighted across a series of notable moments, including matches against Orton on SmackDown®, as well as at Over the Limit®, Capitol Punishment®, Money In the Bank® and SummerSlam®. The downloadable content offering* is accessible via Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as PlayStation®Network for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, and includes the following items:
2K Showcase: One More Match
* Story focused on the rivalry between WWE Superstars Randy Orton and Christian in 2011;
* Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Christian, Randy Orton, Edge®, Mark Henry® and Sheamus®;
* Playable arenas from 2011: SmackDown®, Extreme Rules®, Over the Limit® and Capitol Punishment®;
* 2K Showcase: One More Match is available for a suggested price of $9.99, as well as through the Season Pass program.
The WWE’s next generation was back in class last night, meaning it’s time to grade their performances. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, crowd involvement, and overall impact on the storyline. Important promos will also be graded based on entertainment value, believability, and originality.
Without further ado, here is this week’s NXT Report Card.
Tyson Kidd vs. Finn Balor
This week’s show kicked off in a big way, as two of the most talented athletes in NXT locked up. Balor came out firing, going for the diving double foot stomp just seconds into the match.
Kidd eventually took control and slowed the match to a methodical pace, at one point driving Balor through the barricade into about the third row. Balor eventually turned it around after hitting the move Alex Riley so eloquently described as a “floating, spinning neckbreaker of some kind.”
After delivering a kick to the head and hitting a somersault over the top rope to the floor, Balor dominated the rest of the contest (aside from a minor Kidd offensive), eventually picking up the victory after hitting a diving double foot stomp.
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall
Analysis: Most importantly, I think it’s awesome that Tyson’s gimmick is basically a guy who loves cats and Beats headphones. With that said, these two worked very well together. The action was fast paced for the most part, and it was nice to see Balor get the win. He definitely needed the win more, and as much as I love seeing Balor and Itami together, I’m hoping he starts his solo career in the near future.
For better or worse, it’s a new year. Everyone starts with a fresh slate, New Year’s resolutions are in effect, and generally speaking, people try to better themselves for the first week of the year before giving up the futile expedition.
Things are no different in the WWE, as every superstar will be trying to reach the next level in 2015. Here are ten superstars who will strike gold in 2015 by capturing a title that was previously unattainable.
10. Charlotte
Although her debut on the main roster was less than memorable, Charlotte has the potential to revolutionize the Divas division. As seen in NXT, the daughter of the Nature Boy can easily put on entertaining 15+ minute matches any night of the week. It’s now up to the WWE to let the talented women of NXT show what they can do on a regular basis. Charlotte will help to legitimize the Divas division a bit in 2015 by capturing the Divas Championship.
9. Sasha Banks
Charlotte and Sasha Banks put on one of the best Divas matches in the history of WWE a few weeks back at R Evolution. It appears “The Boss” is next in line for the throne in the NXT Women’s division, meaning she will capture the title after Charlotte leaves NXT in 2015.
– Tonight’s edition of NXT TV will feature a look back at NXT in 2014, along with Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship and an appearance by Ric Flair.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
December 18th in Tampa, FL for NXT drew 300 fans
December 20th in Sioux Falls, SD drew 5,500 fans
December 20th in Winnipeg drew 4,000 fans
December 21st in Sioux City, IA for SmackDown drew 4,000 fans
December 22nd in Minneapolis, MN for RAW drew 9,000 fans
Next week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, which falls on Christmas day, will feature Charlotte defending the NXT Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks in a rematch from NXT Takeover: R Evolution. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair will accompany Charlotte to the ring for the bout.
Additionally, next week’s edition of NXT will feature another NXT Takeover: R Evolution rematch, as the team of Finn Balor and Hideo Itami take on The Ascension.
Sometimes things work out. Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins.
Other times, things don’t. Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Fandango.
After last week’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution special, which fans are still raving about a week later, it became crystal clear to me that WWE is developing a number of future Superstars that have the potential to lead the company into the next generation.
Today, we are going to look at ten current performers/acts in the NXT system that I feel have the best shot at achieving success on the main WWE roster. With that being said, lets jump right into the list at number ten….
#10. The Lucha Dragons
The Lucha Dragons — Kalisto and Sin Cara, two talents that as individuals could flourish, but as a unit, make up one of the best tag-teams in WWE’s developmental system. Their ring work is solid and entertaining. Crowd pleasing. The gimmick is another story, but unfortunately, with WWE being in the middle of their PG-era, gimmicks and characters such as these two are unavoidable.
With that being said, they are what they are, and that’s a great tag-team combination. They’re the Los Matadores, only better. That’s not a knock against them, despite the fact it could be seen as one. If they remain under their current gimmick, it’s pretty much a given that they’ll never reach past mid-card, comedy-team status, but like I said, we’re going to have that one way or the other. Since that’s the case, it might as well be two guys who are as talented as these two.
I think it’s a given that these two guys will eventually make it to the main roster, and equally as predictable is the way in which they’ll be used. They’ll be two guys in a tag-team division on the main WWE roster that isn’t worth much, but for whatever it is worth, these two guys have the potential to be among the top teams in the company. While that’s not saying much, it’s saying something, and in this day and age, you pretty much have to take what you can get if you’re an aspiring wrestler.
#9. Tyler Breeze
Much like The Lucha Dragons, I feel that Tyler Breeze is an extremely talented worker, but is unfortunately stuck in a lame-duck gimmick. On social media, I’ve read a lot of comments that makes it seem like fans are actually believers of the Tyler Breeze gimmick in the sense that it could actually go somewhere on the main roster.
I am not one of those believers.
I’m of the opinion that if Breeze jumps to the main roster and is used with the same exact character that he has now, it’s one that has a ceiling that comes with it. This type of character can only go so far. Think of talents like Fandango and Adam Rose and how they are positioned on the main roster, and you’ve got my opinion of how Breeze would be used in this type of role.
If they were to change his gimmick, he certainly has the potential to go further than this type of character would allow. He’s got the talent in the ring, he has a unique charisma about him and he’s got a great look. His promo work is decent, nothing to ride home about in my opinion, but he’s got enough tools to work with that if he was given a different type of character, it would be interesting to see how far he could take it. Maybe if they started a character-change in NXT and let it grow a bit, that would be the route to take in terms of preparing him for a call up to the big leagues.
Whether or not that ever happens is another subject entirely.
2014 is quickly coming to an end. With only two weeks left in the year, fans have seen basically everything the WWE has to offer in 2014, for better or worse. In particular, the fourth quarter of 2014 was filled with exciting action, unexpected debuts, and a noticeable lack of WWE World Heavyweight Championship matches.
With all four quarters essentially “in the books” at this point, we want you to familiarize yourself with our picks from all four quarters. Next week, we are going to create a poll where you can vote on your pick for 2014 Match Of The Year.
NXT Takeover: R Evolution Results Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida December 11, 2014
– Corey Graves announced that his in-ring career was over and that he was retiring due to concussions. However, it was revealed that he is joining the NXT announcing team. He makes his debut tonight.
– Kevin Owens def. C.J. Parker in the opening match on the show. The fans were heavily into Owens throughout the match. Owens ended up getting busted open pretty badly near the end of the match, likely from a palm strike from Parker. It looked like he may have suffered a broken nose. In the end, Owens picked up the win with a big power bomb for the 1-2-3.
– The Lucha Dragons def. The Vaudevillains to retain the NXT Tag-Team Championships. This was a fun match with a lot of high-spots and high-flying offense. The finish saw Kalisto hit the Salida del Sol on Simon Gotch for the 1-2-3.
– Baron Corbin def. Tye Dillinger in a quick squash. The fans did the routine where they count from the opening bell. The count died down when it got past 30, although the match didn’t last much longer than that. Corbin hit Dillinger with the End Of Days for the pinfall victory. After the match, he and Bull Dempsey, who was in the front row, had a long staredown.
– Finn Balor & Hideo Itami def. The Ascension in an awesome tag-team match. Balor’s entrance alone garnered “this is awesome” and “marking out” chants from the fans at Full Sail University. He had the head gear and the full-body paint, etc. The finish in this one saw Balor and Itami both hit a double-foot-stomp off the top, with Balor scoring the pinfall.
– Charlotte def. Sasha Banks to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. This was an excellent NXT Women’s match that had a lot of positive chants from the fans, such as “this is wrestling!” In the end, Charlotte hit the Natural Selection for the pinfall victory to retain the title.
– Sami Zayn def. Adrian Neville to become the new NXT Champion in the main event of the evening. This match tore down the house, exactly as you would expect. Zayn hit his big running boot to the face in the corner for the pinfall victory after a bunch of teases with ref bumps, which at one point actually led to the fans chanting “this ref sucks.” Lots of cool spots throughout this one and lots of intensity from the fans in attendance. After the match, the entire NXT roster, including Pat Patterson, came out to congratulate Zayn. They put him up on their shoulders and it was a big, giant celebration.
As Zayn was at ringside taking in the moment, Kevin Owens came out to congratulate his friend once again. He then viciously attacked him, reigniting their classic rivalry. Owens power bombed the new NXT champion onto the ring apron and the show closed with Zayn selling the attack.
Overall, an excellent show that showcased NXT’s unbelievably talented top stars.
WWE originally planned a singles match between NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte and WWE Diva Natalya for Monday’s “Slammy Awards” edition of RAW. The idea was then changed to a tag-team match, but was changed back again to a singles match. Due to the awards, time was running low so the decision was made for them to have a quick singles match.
Apparently Vince McMahon made the call for Charlotte to lose. It’s been said that if Triple H had his way, Charlotte wouldn’t of lost on Monday.
When the idea was for the two to compete in a tag-team match, it was Charlotte who was scheduled to score the pin for her team. When it was changed to a singles match, Natalya reportedly asked to lose the match, feeling it was the right thing to do.
McMahon ultimately decided for Natalya to win and it’s said that Triple H defended the idea in a sense, bringing up the timing issues and noting that in six months when they bring Charlotte back to the main roster, no one will remember that any of this happened.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t “Shockmaster” or “Gobbledy Gooker” level bad, but it was pretty damn bad.
Maybe the headline should read, “Worst Diva Debut In WWE Television History,” as now that I think about it, there’s been some stinkers throughout time to be calling this the worst in “history,” but good lord was it bad.
After a lot of anticipation, or as much as a “Diva’s debut” can actually garner, current NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte finally made her main roster television debut this week on the Slammy Awards, TLC “go-home” edition of RAW.
It was a colossal flop — and not the entertaining “Flair-flop” either. Just a plain, old flop.
When you take into consideration the many factors playing into this one, it really looks awful in hindsight. And while hindsight is 20/20, this — even on paper — would had to of looked just as bad.
WWE RAW emanated from Greensboro, North Carolina, otherwise known as “Flair Country.”
Charlotte is the NXT Women’s Champion. She wore her belt to the ring. She’s defending it this week on a live NXT special on the WWE Network — and she loses her debut match in just over two minutes.
After going out of her way not to be a Ric Flair clone, or to use the Flair name or style, WWE agents booked Charlotte to do two things offensively in her WWE television debut — a chop and a figure-four leg lock (attempt).
Sound familiar?
It was outright atrocious watching that match play out on television last night. They aired the big video package to introduce her, she’s hyped up as a super-athlete, she marches down to the ring wearing a championship belt, and then does basically nothing before being pinned — clean — 1-2-3, right in the middle of the ring.
What in god’s name was the point of that?
There’s an old saying in pro wrestling when something sucks. It goes something like this — “Who books this crap?”
Whoever booked that crap deserves to be unemployed today. If not that person, then whoever gave it the “okay” certainly does.
How in the world do you expect someone to get over in modern WWE when this is how people are introduced? Look at Adam Rose and Bo Dallas. Those were the latest two NXT call-ups that come to mind, that were given the “vignette” treatment, only to be used as second-rate, mid-card, filler-comedy characters from that point on.
Why bother in the first place if that’s all they’re going to be?
Every once in a while they’ll get it right. Usually when it’s an obvious one. The Wyatt Family — obvious. The Shield — obvious. Unfortunately, Charlotte seemed like an obvious one in terms of a Diva that could actually matter. Another Trish Stratus type, or something along those lines.
But nope. The writing is already on the wall.
Anyone who is introduced the way she was last night should not expect much in her future. It’s pretty clear that WWE is not going to capitalize on a superb athlete with a legendary bloodline.
She’ll join the rest of the nothing-happening Divas and if she’s extremely lucky — could get a small gig as one of the characters on “Total Divas.”
Yippee!!
NXT: Takeover R Evolution is this Thursday, December 11th, live on the WWE Network. If you want to see what Charlotte is really all about — check it out.
Until then, have fun discussing the horrible main roster debut of Charlotte in the “Comments” section below. You can also follow me on social media for more news and views at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR, and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.
– It was announced during Monday’s WWE TLC “go-home,” Slammy Awards-themed edition of RAW that at this Sunday’s pay-per-view in tag-team action, A New Day will square off against Goldust and Stardust.
– Also on Monday’s RAW, the NXT Women’s Champion and Ric Flair’s daughter — Charlotte — made her WWE main roster television debut. Charlotte lost in a close effort against former WWE Divas Champion and Total Divas star, Natalya.
Following this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, below is the latest official lineup for the NXT Takeover: R Evolution live WWE Network special, which takes place on December 11th:
NXT Championship vs. Career Match
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn
NXT Tag Team Championship
– Kalisto & Sin Cara (c) vs. Simon Gotch & Aiden English
NXT Women’s Championship
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks
– Finn Balor and Hideo Itami vs. The Ascension
– Kevin Owens debuts
Make sure to visit the website on December 11th for the best NXT Takeover: R Evolution live results coverage on the web!
There continues to be discussion within top WWE circles that NXT Women’s Champion and daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair — Charlotte — will be receiving her call up to the main roster in the very near future.
Most are under the assumption that she will be appearing on the main WWE roster shortly after the upcoming NXT “Takeover” live WWE Network special on December 11th.
Additionally, many considered her appearance at the recent WrestleMania 31 Kickoff Party to be a sign that they are moving her in the direction of the main roster sooner rather than later.
The following are highlights of a new Huffington Post interview with NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte:
Fear of not living up to Ric Flair’s legacy: “The biggest thing holding me back is fear. Being afraid to fail and not live up to such a legacy my dad has made. I do feel the pressure, but I also feel the drive. My dad was really hard on me as a kid in sports, so this is no different.”
Her desire to change the WWE Divas division: “I want it so bad. Obviously NXT’s brand, we have a little more time to work. There’s a little more Divas focus — more story lines, more backstage segments. As NXT is the future, I hope as we all come up together, the Divas division will have more depth and be stronger. Not to say it’s not strong now. But I hope with what NXT has to offer, the division will just be incredible.”
– NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte is scheduled for the WWE RAW show in Greenville, South Carolina on December 8th and the WWE SmackDown television taping in Columbus, Georgia on December 9th.
– This week’s edition of “The JBL Show” (no longer called “The JBL (Not Cole) Show”) features the final part of their two-year anniversary celebration. You can check out the episode below.
– While there isn’t a lot of details at this point, it has been reported that WWE legend Kamala (James Harris) was hospitalized over the weekend.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair took part in a Q&A with the folks at MassLive.com to promote an upcoming appearance for Big Time Wrestling. When asked about his daughter, current NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, he offered the following comment:
“She’s more than up-and-coming. She’s going to be the best female wrestler they’ve ever had. Along with being a beautiful girl–and I’m obviously prejudiced because I’m her father–she’s got athletic gift second to none. She’s already surpassed me.”
– As of this week, out of the 11,000 tickets available for purchase for the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, 4,000 tickets were unsold. WWE is now selling family packs of four tickets for the price of three, which is unusual for a pay-per-view event.
– It’s worth mentioning that WWE listed NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte as “Charlotte Flair” in the advertising for the upcoming WrestleMania 31 On-Sale Party. Up until now, WWE has just been using the Charlotte name. There has been a lot of speculation that Charlotte will be getting called up to the main roster after the next NXT live special on the WWE Network in December.
WWE has announced an official WrestleMania 31 On-Sale Party for Friday, November 14th from 6pm until 9pm at the Intel Plaza inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the host of next year’s show. Tickets for WrestleMania 31 go on sale to the public the next morning.
Superstars scheduled to appear at the party include Daniel Bryan, Bad News Barrett, Charlotte, Tyler Breeze, Rosa Mendes, Booker T, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. The event is scheduled to be hosted by NXT’s Corey Graves and Fan Axxess emcee Christian Litke.
Additionally, a DJ will be playing throughout the night and fans in attendance will have their first opportunity to get official WrestleMania 31 merchandise.
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog.
On WWE cutting Justin Roberts: “Shocked to hear of the release of WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts. I admit that I have no information as to why but Justin was always a professional, polite young man who loved his WWE job and did a great job ring announcing. No one will ever top The Fink but Justin carried himself well, had a great appearance, and seemed reliable. I treat people as they treat me and Justin Roberts always treated me respectfully and as a true professional. I’d guess that the Phoenix native won’t have any issues finding work. I wish Justin the best.”
On Charlotte: “Charlotte is certainly ready for prime time and her presence may help lend more credibility to the Divas group than merely being a promotional vehicle for Total Divas on the E Network.”
On WWE Network: “With the WWE Network how easy would it be for WWE Superstars and announcers to organically mention what they’ve watched recently on the WWE Network via Twitter, etc. It would cost nothing and would be a valid testimonial from the WWE stars themselves. Somehow I get the feeling that some on air talents don’t watch as much of the Network as many of us civilians.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.