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.
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??!?!?
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.
Earlier this month, NXT Champion Finn Balor injured his ankle at the NXT live event from Nashville, Tennessee. WWE has provided an update on the injury, which is said to be a severe sprain. Balor says he’s feeling better and hopes to be back on the road this weekend. He is advertised for Thursday’s NXT live event from Upper Darby, PA, as well as Friday’s show from Asbury Park, NJ.
WWE announced Saturday on its website that Finn Balor injured his ankle at Friday’s NXT live event in Nashville, Tennessee and therefore will be unable to compete at tonight’s show in Indianapolis, Indiana. WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann said, “Finn Bálor suffered an ankle injury, and will be unable to compete tonight.”
Amann added that Balor will undergo further evaluation on Monday. WWE.com will keep fans updated on the NXT Champion’s status.
Samoa Joe is scheduled to get called up to WWE as soon as the RAW after WrestleMania 32. The original plan was for Joe to spend extended time in NXT but WWE officials have been very impressed with his work thus far and there is a spot specifically designated for him on the main roster.
It should be no surprise that Sami Zayn is also getting called up soon. At Wednesday night’s NXT TV tapings (leading up to WrestleMania weekend), they essentially filmed a farewell angle for Zayn. After being out for a good portion of 2015 due to a shoulder injury, Zayn was a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble and has a ready-made feud with Kevin Owens waiting for him when he does arrive.
As for NXT Champion Finn Balor, he’s staying put for now. Balor is the top babyface draw in the promotion and WWE is still committed to building the brand around him in the first half of 2016 as NXT continues to sell out arenas across the country.
With Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn joining the main roster soon , NXT won’t be hurting for talent. New blood including Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Aries, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Biff Busick and Rich Swann will ensure that NXT remains must-see for the foreseeable future.
After the NXT live event in Chicago on Saturday, Finn Balor cut a promo after his match with Sami Zayne where he mentioned the Bullet Club from NJWP. In the video above, you can see Balor in the ring talking about a “club” in Japan that he used to be a member of.
Since news broke of NJPW Bullet Club members AJ Styles, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson potentially signing with WWE, rumors have spread that they will reunite with Finn Balor on NXT as the “Balor Club.” WWE recently filed a trademark for “Balor Club.” While their signings still have yet to be confirmed, one of the biggest rumors in wrestling right now is that AJ Styles will appear at WWE’s Royal Rumble event on January 24th. Earlier this month, Balor said on WWE.com that he would like to make his RAW debut alongside the three Bullet Club members, if they sign.
When asked if he would be available for bookings on the night of the 2016 Royal Rumble, AJ Styles answered: “Sure.” The former TNA champion was interviewed by WhatCulture after a 5* Wrestling event in Newcastle, England and touched on the subject of WWE, where Styles is rumored to be signing a contract. Here’s what AJ had to say when asked who from the NXT roster he’d like to work with:
“Finn [Balor], I think that’s the one most people would like to see me wrestle,” Styles said. “There are a lot of guys I haven’t worked with [in WWE], and hopefully one day I’ll get to wrestle them before it’s over.”
Styles is either currently in negotiations with or signed with WWE. WWE reportedly offered him significantly more money than they had before, after Styles left TNA and “raised his profile” in Japan.
When asked “what’s next” for him, AJ didn’t make any mention of his potential new employer, but did say he plans to wrestle as long as he can without seriously injuring himself.
“I love what I do,” Styles said. “I’m going to do what I do the best I can. I’m definitely not an artist but I can paint with the wrestling brush. I think I got some kind of thing going on with that. And I’m going to keep doing that as long as I can. Keep in mind, still gonna be able to walk away from this business. Will I have surgeries? Of course I will because I’m going to get old and I’ve hurt myself, but that’s just the nature of the beast. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Saturday afternoon’s NXT live event from the Portage Theater in Chicago was delayed due to the heat not turning on at the venue. Fans were left outside in the cold until the heaters were fixed. NXT Champion Finn Balor was sent outside to greet the line of waiting fans, thanking them for their patience. Fans were tweeting that it was freezing once they got inside.
The show is now underway, you can follow along on Twitter searching the hashtag #NXTChicago.
NXT will be running a second show at the same venue later tonight.
Muscle & Fitness recently spoke with NXT Champion Finn Balor, who spoke about NXT going from being a basic development league for WWE to becoming the popular second brand owned by WWE.
“NXT has grown so fast that nobody really understands just how big it can get,” Balor said. “We are expanding into Europe. It’s not just a flash in the pan.”
Balor continued, explaining that it is the quality of the product that has connecting the audience to the brand in such a way that it has created its’ own identity.
“We’ve been consistently delivering night in and night out,” Balor said. “NXT has definitely created its own brand and is its own entity.”
An AJ Styles Royal Rumble appearance would send shockwaves throughout the wrestling world and NXT Champion Finn Balor is reminding fans that it’s a very real possibility.
In a tweet sent out Monday night during RAW, Balor questioned what would happen if he entered the Royal Rumble himself at number #1 and AJ Styles entered at #2. It’s an intriguing prospect to say the least. Balor has yet to make his WWE main roster debut and Styles is the most likely of the departing New Japan stars to appear in the Rumble.
No matter how or when Styles, Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson debut in WWE, it seems apparent that they’ll be involved with Finn Balor in some fashion. Balor has ties to all four men from his time working for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He’s best friends with Karl Anderson and the two of them rode together in the Bullet Club along with Doc Gallows. AJ Styles took over as the leader of the Bullet Club when Balor departed NJPW and joined WWE. He’s wrestled Nakamura.
With so many of WWE’s top performers out of action for the next several months due to injury, there couldn’t be a better time for an influx of fresh talent. 2016 is already off to wild start and there’s a very strong chance that the complexion of WWE will be very different by the time WrestleMania season kicks into high gear.
WWE’s trademarking of the phrase “Balor Club” took step towards finalization on January 5th. According to the US PTOwebsite, WWE filed for the mark back in April 2015 and it is now ‘Published for Opposition.’ According to the application, the trademark would be used for:
“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment; fan club services in the field of sports entertainment; organizing and staging entertainment events with wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely, blogs, in the fields of sports entertainment.”
With all the talk of NJPW talent jumping ship to WWE, there had been some speculation as to who actually owns the “Bullet Club” trademark, but a patent & trademark search confirms the name is owned by New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Finn Balor spoke to WWE.com this week to discuss the reports of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and members of the Bullet Club leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling and jumping ship to WWE. The NXT Champion spoke extensively about his history as a member of the Bullet Club, his close friendships with Karl Anderson and Shinsuke Nakamura and much more.
Balor called Nakamura one of the most charismatic wrestlers on the planet and said his arrival in WWE would be an absolute game changer. He put over Gallows and Anderson as one of the top tag teams in the world, singling out Karl Anderson as a tremendously underrated talent. AJ Styles’ reputation speaks for itself and it would be a huge coup for WWE to bring him in.
In terms of what type of impact these 4 men would make on WWE, Balor didn’t hold back his excitement. “I think the next couple of months could change the way pro wrestling is viewed for the next 10 years,” he said.
As for whether or not he sees himself reuniting with his fellow Bullet Club members in WWE, Balor says he can’t think of a better way for him to make his main roster debut.
“I am very ambitious. And I want to be in the place that is causing the most controversy and getting the most media attention and getting the most focus put on it. I did that in New Japan, I did that in NXT. And perhaps, in the future, if Bullet Club were to arrive on Monday Night Raw, there would be no better way for Finn Bálor to make his debut than with his best friends by his side.”
NXT announced via their official Twitter account on Thursday evening that NXT Women’s Champion Bayley now has her next challenger set, as she will be facing Carmella at the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida for the set of television tapings scheduled in the venue for January 22nd.
Additionally, they announced a number one contenders match between Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn to decide who will challenge Finn Balor in the next NXT Championship match.
The event on 1/22 is part of an aggressive January calendar for the NXT brand, as they will be running a total of 15 shows, including multiple shows on the same night in two different locations.
Finn Balor is fueling the speculation that members of the Bullet Club, the organization he used to lead, are headed to WWE. News broke on Monday that several top names ‘gave notice’ to New Japan Pro Wrestling, including AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.
WWE is even getting in on the action, addressing the speculation and tweeting photos of AJ Styles and the Bullet club.
As exciting as all of this is, we should all keep our expectations grounded, because there is still no confirmation that any of the departing NJPW stars have signed with WWE. That said, the reigning NXT Champion is patiently waiting for the arrival of his old pals. Or just trolling.
– NXT Champion Finn Balor revealed his New Year’s resolutions for 2016 in a new post on his official Twitter account this weekend. Balor noted that he would like to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and perform at Madison Square Garden in addition to some more generic resolutions, such as “[being] a positive influence,” “[becoming] the best” and “[changing] everything.” You can check out Balor’s tweet below.
#ResolutionsFor2016 Be a positive influence Preform at MSG Become the best Win the WWE world title Change everything
– Speaking of Balor, WWE announced the categories and nominees for the first-ever NXT Year-End Awards for 2015, and the current NXT Champion is nominated in every male singles category, including being featured in four of the eight matches nominated for NXT “Match of the Year” for 2015.
Fans still have time to cast their votes for the NXT “Year-End Awards,” as voting will remain open until Wednesday, January 6th at 10am EST. The winners will be revealed on a special edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network on Wednesday, January 13th. Cast your vote today at WWE.com.
Overall Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor, Bayley, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Samoa Joe, Charlotte, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Tyler Breeze, Asuka
Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze
Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Asuka
Tag Team of the Year: Blake and Murphy, The Vaudevillains, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, Dash and Dawson, The Lucha Dragons
TakeOver of the Year: Rival, Brooklyn, Respect, London
Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Takeover: Brooklyn), Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens (Brock Lesnar: The Beast in the East, Live from Tokyo), Women’s Fatal 4-Way (Takeover: Rival), Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor (Takeover: London), Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (Takeover: Rival), Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match (Takeover: Respect), Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (Takeover: Unstoppable), Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks (WWE NXT, July 15, 2015), Finn Balor vs. Neville – No. 1 Contender’s Tournament Final (Takeover: Rival), Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor (WWE NXT, March 25, 2015)
Both NXT Champion Finn Balor and NXT Women’s Champion Bayley have made no secret about the fact that they are happy to remain in NXT, as opposed to moving up to the main WWE roster. Apparently, this has become a major discussion point within NXT.
There is starting to be a concern now that there will be an expanded NXT touring schedule in 2016 that Balor will start breaking down his body carrying NXT main events before getting to the real money on the main roster.
Additionally, there has been talk about how Bayley will work out on the main roster. Some feel she could become a female John Cena, bringing in younger female fans and doing a lot of charity and media work, while others think she could be a flop on the main roster. Apparently the feeling is there is no in between for Bayley, as she will either have great success or she will have trouble making it at all.
– Longtime friends Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler teamed together over the weekend when Ryder’s Hype Bros partner Mojo Rawley did not attend the WWE live event from Chicago:
Following last week’s NXT Takeover: London event, the next challenger to Finn Balor’s NXT Championship will be Baron Corbin. A lot of fans were surprised to see Corbin go over Apollo Crews clean, but Crews has a bright future and Corbin has been a pet project of management for some time. Corbin has shown marked improvement over the past year and will make a good heel challenger to Balor during Q1 in the lead up to the big WrestleMania weekend show.
There is talk of Finn Balor defending the NXT title against Sami Zayn at the WrestleMania weekend show from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. That venue holds about 7,000 fans and tickets sold out immediately.
NXT tag champions Dash & Dawson will be feuding with Jason Jordan & Chad Gable in the coming months, which should be a phenomenal program. Both teams are getting better and will bring out the best in each other as they continue to establish their acts.
As we’ve been reporting, NXT ticket sales have been very strong for the live events scheduled for January. All of the shows outside of Florida sold out except for the 1/15 show from Green Bay. Ticket sales are dragging for the 1/22 TV taping from Orlando during Royal Rumble weekend. The lower portion of the venue is sold out but there’s still plenty of seats left.
NXT Champion Finn Balor recently appeared on The Kevin Gill Show and spoke about his transition from wrestling in Japan to NXT, the evolution of his demon character and more. Here are the highlights:
Transitioning from NJPW to NXT:
“Japan was an incredible chapter. I was kind of very reluctant to move on from Japan and very unsure of what I was getting into when I came to NXT. I can honestly say it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made. Here maybe 14 months now and I’ve been having a blast.”
Developing his Demon character:
“For me it’s kind of like a trial and error. I’m very much of the belief that you can’t preplan art. You can’t set out in advance what you’re going to do… you have to feel it in the moment. With the entrance we’ve done a lot of rehearsals. I had a lot of input from Hunter and a lot of input from Road Dogg… It’s a huge effort to what goes on behind the scenes while I’m actually doing the entrance.”
NXT’s Success:
“Sometimes you just have to take a step back and admire the landscape. It is a very competitive place NXT right now. What I consider some of the best athletes in the world wrestle for NXT. You got Gable and Jordan who are a really strong tag team at the moment. They’ve shown tremendous growth… We’re all striving for the same goal and that’s striving to make NXT special.”
NXT Champion Finn Balor recently spoke with Kerrang.com to promote the ongoing NXT U.K. Tour and Wednesday’s NXT TakeOver: London special. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his fsvorite all-time wrestling entrance:
“Stone Cold Steve Austin, when the glass breaks. It just gets you every time, doesn’t matter if it’s a small house show or a big-bang show, just once the glass breaks it gets everyone riled-up, so that’s easy!”
On his picks regarding who WWE will call up to the main roster next from NXT:
“I think there’s some very obvious ones, like Apollo Crews, but two for me that have really started to stand out in recent times are Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, as a tag team. I think someone who I don’t think gets enough credit is Aiden English, and I think in the future he’s definitely one of the unsung heroes of NXT – and I think he has a very bright future, be it as a tag-team wrestler, as he is currently, or as a singles wrestler in the future.”
On what fans should expect from an NXT show:
“Well I always like to describe NXT as more of a rock’n’roll wrestling show. It has that kinda underground, indie feel that I was so accustomed to in the independent circuits that I loved so much. So, for me, it’s been a beautiful coming together of working with the WWE but also still having that raw organic feel of being an independent, so that’s the one thing that makes NXT so different than anywhere else. It’s kinda having the hybrid of both very different styles.”
Finn Balor recently appeared as a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast to promote Wednesday’s NXT TakeOver: London live special on the WWE Network, where he will be defending the NXT Championship in the main event against Samoa Joe. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On the photo of him doing the D-X “crotch chop” to the TNA offices:
“Everyone kind of took it for what it was and it was just a bit of fun. It was literally a complete potluck. We arrived in Nashville, they dropped us off at a gym because we [had] four hours to kill, [and] the gym was below the TNA office. By coincidence, the bus pulled up right outside the sign. I was like, ‘that’s the TNA sign!'” Bálor added, “all the boys were busy pulling their bags out from under the bus and stuff and I had one thing on my mind: retweets.”
On the “too sweet” hand gesture and why he continues to use it in WWE:
“It was something that when I came here, I thought, like, ‘I’m not going to do that anymore’ and [Triple H] threw it up one time, so I was like, ‘oh, I’ll give it to you.’ And then I consciously stopped doing it in the ring, but so many fans are throwing it up, so I was like, ‘I’ll give you one here. I’ll give you one there.'”
On why moving to the main WWE roster might be a step back from being in NXT:
“I really believe that what we’re doing here in the [WWE] Performance Center [and] what we’re doing with NXT is something that’s going to be remembered for years. 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]. Obviously, instant gratification, you get called up to the main roster, that’s great, but I think what we’re doing here in NXT will stand longer in history as kind of like a revolutionary period and to kind of pull myself out of that would be detrimental to my career in the long term.”
WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was a guest on The Taz Show: Bodyslams and Beyond earlier this week and spoke about various issues related to the state of the pro wrestling industry. Here are there highlights..
Austin continues to voice his opinion that promos are entirely over-scripted, which stifles creativity and prevents the wrestlers from fully getting over.
“I don’t like to be the bitter veteran that complains about the system, but, I don’t believe that promos should be scripted,” Austin said. “A couple of bullet points, yes, to point a cat in the right direction, but you’ve got to be out there and be able to feel at home and believe with conviction and your heart and your soul with everything that you’re saying and if you’re just trying to be an orator or someone who delivers a speech, that’s not effective in my opinion. And to me, to draw money, you’ve got to be able to reach people’s heartstrings and reach some kind of guttural response or just anything that resonates with them.”
Despite the limitations of a stale creative environment, Austin says today’s WWE Superstars are athletically superior to the generations that proceeded them. That said, it’s not just about bouncing around in the ring and current performers need to focus on selling and telling a story.
“These guys are a step above our generation and the generations before us, athletically. What they can do in the ring is amazing and they’re great athletes, but I can give you Flair/Windham from ’87 or ’86 and those guys are working at today’s pace, but they’re selling everything, they’re not telegraphing anything, they’re not foreshadowing the next sequence of moves. It’s about 50-50 or 70-30 called in the ring and so it feels spontaneous and it feels different. It feels like a shoot. So there’s a real fine line between taking all that athleticism and you’re going to set up a little bit of stuff, but when it looks like you’re just going through the motions, you’re just going through the motions and people can see that. And you’ve got to be able to feel and really get behind a character and a personality and the human that’s doing that. I mean, that’s the money level.”
NXT Champion Finn Balor was also a recent guest on The Taz Show and explained that he’s in no hurry to join the main roster. Stone Cold also has some concerns about Balor getting called up and whether his character will connect with the WWE Universe. Austin put over Balor as a great human being and a hellacious worker, but it’s all about getting the fans behind your character.
“I’m wondering if he’s going to get lost in the shuffle a little bit [on the main roster]. He does that crawl to the ring and sometimes it takes so long. It’s a little disconcerting because I’ve seen the kid. Good looking kid, worked for many years in Japan, and he’s very technical from Ireland or wherever he’s from. Great kid! Great kid! Hell of a worker. Ten times the worker I ever was, but he [has] got to connect with those people. And so hopefully that gimmick allows him to do that. And it’s a great look. You can make a lot of action figures off of it, but put all the pieces together. People [have] got to care about him to become emotionally invested in him, but a great human being and a hellacious worker.”
He added that he’s not totally sold on Balor’s elaborate ring entrance because he finds it unrealistic that his opponent will stand in the ring waiting while Balor takes his time crawling to the ring. If Austin would have been in the ring waiting for Finn Balor to finish his ring entrance, “I’d have to go stomp a mud hole in him and walk it dry when I’d have the opportunity because that’s what ‘Stone Cold’ would do.”
– NXT Champion Finn Balor and Baron Corbin will be attending tonight’s WWE RAW taping from Pittsburgh after working this weekend’s live events. They’re not expected to be appearing on the show, but could work a dark match.
Speaking of Balor, he got an endorsement from his fellow countryman Sheamus on social media over the weekend.
– Muscle & Fitness Magazine has named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Man of the Century.
NXT Champion Finn Balor recently appeared on The Taz Show: Bodyslams & Beyond show, a live two-hour daily show (NOT a podcast) hosted by the multi-time world champion.
Balor spoke about his transition from the independent scene to WWE. Not only was it a big change joining the NXT roster and working a different style than he was used to, but also moving to the United States. After living in Ireland (which was “peaceful”) and Japan, calling Florida home has taken some getting used to for him.
He also commented on the possibility of being called up to the main roster. Echoing what he’s said in previous interviews, Balor indicated he’s in no rush to leave NXT and takes a lot of pride in building the NXT brand:
“A lot of people keep bringing up that question, this ‘when are you getting called up to the quote, unquote main roster?’, but I really believe that the stuff we’re doing down at NXT is going to go down in history as a period of time that has changed the sports entertainment business and I want to be here in NXT and be a part of what we’re doing right now because it really does feel like something special. And there’s this real kind of camaraderie among the boys, [and] really, like, team effort. And it’s something that I’m not in a hurry to step away from. I’m here for the long haul.”
Bálor continued, “a lot of people are kind of always focused on what’s coming next and trying to get onto the next thing, but I’m very much living in the moment here at NXT and I’m happy to be flying the flag as NXT Champion.”
Finn Balor defends his NXT title against Samoa Joe at NXT Takeover: London on Wednesday, December 16th.
