– WWE is considering the idea of having one or two NXT stars participate in Sunday’s 30-man Royal Rumble match.
WWE surveyed fans asking which NXT stars they would most like to see in the Rumble, with the options being — Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, Kalisto, Tyler Breeze, Bull Dempsey and Enzo Amore.
– Xavier Woods has been out of action at recent WWE live events due to an injury. The New Day member was wearing a walking boot on Monday’s RAW and noted that his ankle is currently “out of commission.” Regardless, Woods is still advertised to wrestle in the six-man tag-team match against Tyson Kidd, Cesaro and Adam Rose this Sunday night.
As noted recently, WWE is looking at Adrian Neville as the next main roster call-up from NXT, however they are some matches and programs they would like him to do in NXT first.
WWE officials want Neville to work with Hideo Itami and Finn Balor in singles programs, and also a potential triple-threat feud for the NXT Championship with he, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
– A tag-team rematch from NXT Takeover: R Evolution between The Ascension and the team of Hideo Itami and Finn Balor is confirmed to take place on next week’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
– As noted a few weeks ago, Matt Hardy and his wife — Reby Sky — are expecting their first child together. In the video below, they reveal that they are having a boy.
WWE is scheduled to return to Japan for some live events in July of 2015. The company will be returning to Tokyo on July 3rd and July 4th for shows at the Sumo Hall, events that WWE is pushing as the big debut of NXT star Hideo Itami in the Japanese market.
With Itami now in NXT, J Sports in Japan has been airing NXT television each week, and also aired the recent NXT Takeover: R Evolution event live.
– WWE’s official Japanese website will soon begin running a weekly column from NXT Superstar Hideo Itami. The column, which will debut on December 26th, will feature Itami writing about his experience in NXT with photos and more.
– NXT Superstar Cal Bishop may have suffered an injury of some kind during the finish of his match with Solomon Crowe at the live event in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday night. We’ll update you when more details become available.
– As seen in the post-NXT video with William Regal yesterday, Curtis Axel has asked for a shot in NXT. Apparently he will get that shot against Hideo Itami in the main event of the January 1st edition of NXT on the WWE Network, unless that show ends up being a 2014 year-in-review special.
– ECW original Rob Van Dam will be featured in the new Kayfabe Commentaries “Timeline: The History of ECW – 1999” shoot-style DVD, which is set to be released on January 8th.
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.
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!
– The recent “Journey to SummerSlam” special that aired on the WWE Network focusing on Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins embarking on their first post-Shield journeys, is scheduled to be extended and released as a DVD/Blu-ray project next year.
– There’s been some talk recently that Finn Balor and Hideo Itami will be making a run as NXT Tag-Team Champions before having singles runs in NXT. While there is no word regarding when the two will be called up to the main roster, it is believed that part of Balor’s deal when he signed with WWE was that he would not stay in the developmental system for too long.
Survivor Series is less than two weeks away, and while three matches on the card are essentially set, much of the program is still unannounced. So, will the WWE work to build a pay-per-view that is solid from top to bottom, or are they simply throwing in the towel because this is a “free” event? Here is the card is expect to see on November 23rd in St. Louis.
Adam Rose vs. The Bunny
After attacking the Bunny last week on Raw, it appears these two legends of the squared circle will square off sooner rather than later. This pairing has kickoff show written all over it, as the company tries to get the crowd going with a “humorous” contest.
Gold & Stardust (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos
Los Matadores have picked up a few victories over Gold & Stardust over the past few weeks, and the Miz and his stunt double have also feuded with the champs. Throw in the Usos to make an even number of teams, and you’ve got yourself an elimination tag team match for the straps.
If there was ever an awful time for a ten-person pay-per-view main event … this is it.
Why WWE is choosing to run with a ten-person elimination match for the upcoming Survivor Series show is completely beyond me. At this point in time, the depth among WWE’s roster is at one of the lowest that I can ever recall.
With top stars such as Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns on the shelf, and guys like CM Punk leaving at the peak of their popularity and Brock Lesnar working infrequently, WWE is left with very little at the top of the card. The only positive is that it forces them to move guys up the ladder at a faster rate than they normally might do.
With that being said, and I’m well aware that it’s a tradition to have multi-person elimination matches at Survivor Series, but I just can’t fathom why WWE is running with that concept this year, considering the state of their roster.
There’s been plenty of times in the past where they abandoned the elimination match concept at Survivor Series, so it’s not like something they have to make work because they do it every single year.
Regardless, that’s the direction we’re headed this year.
Having said that, one has to wonder how Survivor Series will come off later this month. WWE has put on some pretty solid pay-per-view shows in recent months, but I’ve got my reservations as to how well this show will come off in two weeks.
With pretty much all of the top guys either injured or involved in the main event, what is the rest of the show going to look like? Outside of Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose, thus far there’s virtually nothing on the Survivor Series undercard that I’m looking forward to.
Sure, Adam Rose vs. The Bunny will no doubt be an instant ring classic, but I digress.
All kidding aside, what’s left for the Survivor Series undercard? How many people that matter that aren’t tied up in the main event are left? The answer — not many.
It will be interesting to watch as the card continues to take shape in the final week of television next week leading up to the event.
By the way, if the stipulation in the Survivor Series main event has The Authority losing power if “Team Authority” loses the ten-man elimination main event, why isn’t Triple H trading his suit in for a pair of tights?
Beats me.
You would think with so much on the line, “The Game” would take matters into his own hands, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Unless I’m missing something, however, I guess it’s still possible, as last I checked there is one spot yet to be filled on the heel team. One would assume Triple H will fill that spot, although I haven’t seen any hints aimed in that direction.
While the roster is badly in need of some more depth right now, it is refreshing to know that the talent pool in developmental is as deep — if not deeper — than the current main roster in terms of promising young talent.
I can’t wait for guys like KENTA (Hideo Itami), Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens), Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Tyler Breeze and The Ascension to get their chance to make a splash on the main roster.
Look at some of the recent call-ups from NXT and how they are performing on the main roster. Guys like Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and others are among WWE’s absolute top-tier performers these days. If WWE brings in guys like the names I just mentioned the way those guys were, as opposed to say, the way Adam Rose and Bo Dallas were brought up, the WWE main roster could be quite the group this time next year.
If and when that day comes, WWE can put on as many ten-man elimination matches as they’d like. For now, however, it just boggles my mind that they are choosing to do so with the roster in the state that it’s in.
What do you guys think? Leave your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also hit me up on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.
WWE announced that the next NXT live special on the WWE Network will air on December 11th.
WWE released the statement to members of the media which included a graphic that shows Triple H, Sami Zayn, Kevin Steen, Fergal Devitt, Hideo Itami, Charlotte and Adrian Neville.
HHH will hold another conference call to promote the special prior to the event.
The following are highlights of a new Shake Them Ropes interview with former NXT trainer Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore:
On seeing the WWE Performance Center: “No, this is something that when I first saw it, it blew my mind. I heard they went and looked at the New York Giants facility to see what the standard is for professional athletes, and I feel like the Performance Center far exceeds that.”
On new talent coming in: “There’s a wide variety of talent there, from former professional athletes to actors to independent wrestlers… They’re people that can perform. It’s something special I saw at the Performance Center.”
On KENTA (Hideo Itami) and Prince Devitt’s (Finn Balor) integration into WWE: “Kenta would have English class every day to help with his English. Fergal had apparently never driven a car before, so he would have driving classes. WWE was right there to help anyone who wanted to take a college course to help them with their WWE product, WWE was a very helpful company. Phenomenal.”
The following are highlights of a new WWE.com interview with Hideo Itami:
On his debut at NXT Takeover II: “I was very excited when I made my debut. It was the biggest moment of my career because WWE has always been my goal. The NXT Universe was very welcoming to me and very happy. I was very nervous before I made my debut, but excited, too.”
On the meaning behind his name: “It means ‘Hero of Pain.'”
On the transition from Japan to the United States: “Everything is an adjustment. (Laughs) Driving on the right side instead of the left side, like in Japan. In the house, I notice a lot of people don’t take their shoes off, but in Japan we always take off our shoes. Even the toilets and showers are different here in the U.S. I do like American food but I still miss my Japanese food.”
On his long term goal: “I want to be a World Champion and I would like to compete at a WrestleMania. It’s funny because the thought of making it here first popped into my head about 10 years ago. Around 2003, 2004, I thought about walking away from wrestling and then I attended a WWE show in Japan. From that point forward, I was re-inspired to make it.”
– NXT Diva Alexa Bliss returned to action at this weekend’s NXT live events after being out for a few weeks due to a wrist injury.
– Hideo Itami (formerly Kenta) wrestled at his first non-televised NXT live events over the weekend in Florida defeating Tye Dillinger. Itami’s matches were designed to showcase his in-ring skills and he got great reactions from the live crowds. He thanked his fans on Twitter after this weekend’s shows:
While there is still one more set of television tapings before the next NXT live special, which is expected to take place on December 11th on the WWE Network, based on what has been taped thus far, the following matches are rumored for the fourth live NXT special:
NXT Championship:
– Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
NXT Women’s Championship:
– Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch, or a multi-Diva match with Bayley included
NXT Tag-Team Championships:
– The Vaudevillians vs. The Lucha Dragons
– WWE Diva Naomi had her Twitter account hacked on Friday morning. Her account linked to an adult website with a caption that read: “I never feel more racist than when trying to find my waiter at a Mexican restaurant.”
– The former KENTA, Hideo Itami wrestled his first NXT live event match in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday night. Itami defeated Tye Dillinger in singles action in a match that was said to be excellent.
– Hideo Itami, formerly known as KENTA, will be making his NXT live event debut this Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida. Tickets for the event are available right now at this link.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently tweeted the following, praising Triple H’s recent appearance on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast:
– NXT star Hideo Itami was one of the most-searched terms in Japan over the past week. There has actually been more interest in Itami than anyone on the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster.
– WWE broadcaster Renee Young welcomed the newest addition to the WWE broadcast team, Arda Ocal, in a new message posted on Twitter. Young tweeted the following shortly after the news was released that Ocal would be working for WWE.
Yessir! @arda_ocal and I are reunited!! Happy to welcome him to @wwe! congrats buddy!!
