WWE Superstar Adam Rose recently spoke with the folks at Sporting News to discuss this week’s ESPN “E:60: Behind The Curtain” documentary, which profiled Rose, Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze and other up-and-coming NXT talents.
“I thought it was really well done,” Rose said of the documentary. “I think it was a really good look at all the different aspects of first what it takes to become a WWE superstar and secondly a personal look at what the guys go through to get there.”
Additionally, Rose admitted that it was hard for him to watch. “It makes you a little vulnerable when you see things that personal coming out,” he said. “For my wife, I think it was hard because she has been with me through the entire journey. She’s been with me through all the ups and all the downs. It’s hard for her to watch me go through all of that. And then to see it all pay off at the end of the day, I think we all share in the reward of that.”
Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.
Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn’s match with WWE U.S. Champion John Cena was laid out this week to include Bret Hart’s involvement, as we all saw on RAW on Monday night, however things didn’t quite go as planned from there.
The plan was for Zayn to lose but in the process, get over as a big star in front of an audience in Montreal that WWE was sure he would get a huge reaction.
What’s interesting is that this was not apparently going to be Zayn’s official full-time debut on the main WWE roster, even though he was originally scheduled to wrestle on SmackDown again this week. Due to the injury he sustained at RAW, SmackDown this week had to be re-written.
While there’s still no definitive word regarding the specifics of the injury, reports from those close to the situation have described it as “serious.”
There was talk in the locker room on Tuesday night at the SmackDown television tapings that Zayn would be out of action for a few months. Others claimed WWE had not yet received a report from the doctor yet, so it could be anything.
If Zayn is going to be out of action for a few months, WWE would have to cancel his match against NXT Champion Kevin Owens at the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable special on May 20th.
With Zayn out of the picture, if that turns out to be the case, the leading candidates for his replacement in the match with Owens would likely be Finn Balor or Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze in a number one contender match, with the winner of that buot earning the shot at Owens.
Several of the wrestlers who were featured in last night’s “ESPN E:60: Behind The Curtain” documentary on NXT posted their reactions to the special on social media shortly after it concluded.
Below are comments from Adam Rose, Corey Graves, Tyler Breeze and Xavier Woods, all of whom were featured prominently in the special.
For those who missed the documentary last night, you can read a detailed recap by clicking here.
Hideo Itami finally pulled out his “GTS” finisher in NXT, using the move to win his match in the opener against Tyler Breeze.
Vince McMahon, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Seth Rollins were among those backstage watching the NXT event on Friday night in San Jose, California. Jim Ross was also in attendance, sitting in the front row. Below is a photo of McMahon, HHH and some of the other WWE executives watching some of the action from backstage.
Speaking of last night’s NXT show, the building was packed with lively fans from start-to-finish, with the rowdy crowd doing a lot of “This Is Awesome!” and even “We Are Awesome!” chants.
A tournament featuring NXT talent will be held next Thursday at WrestleMania Axxess, with the winner earning the right to compete in the second annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania.
Tournament participants will include Adrian Neville, Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze.
WrestleMania Axxess takes place at the San Jose Convention Center Thursday, March 26, through Sunday, March 29. Details on the event are available here.
– Jey Uso did not work the WWE live event on Saturday night in Seattle, Washington. Instead, Jimmy Uso appeared by himself, defeating The Miz in singles competition.
– Bo Dallas and Tyler Breeze have been working as a tag-team at recent WWE live events. At Saturday’s live event in Seattle, the two lost to The Lucha Dragons in tag-team action, however before the match, Dallas cut a promo, telling everyone that they were witnessing history as he and Breeze teamed up, and are now known as “Bo-Breeze.”
Below are photos of Bo-Breeze at last night’s show.
– There was speculation that the segment where Triple H “fired” Booker T on Monday’s RAW was unscripted, however the word is that what happened in the segment went down exactly how it was written in the final script for the show, and that Booker T was well aware that it was coming.
– The second ever NXT live event outside of Florida will take place tonight in Cleveland, Ohio.
– Bo Dallas has somewhat of a new look. Below is a photo of he and Tyler Breeze from this week’s WWE television taping which shows Dallas sporting a beard.
– WWE referee Scott Armstrong celebrates his 56th birthday today. Armstrong was born on March 4, 1959. Also celebrating birthdays today are former WCW star Crowbar (41) and former TNA Knockout Sarah “Sarita” Stock (36).
– WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.
Adam Rose comes vs. Tyler Breeze
Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins
Baron Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Solomon Crowe vs. Bull Dempsey
Charlotte vs. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
– Several NXT stars worked this week’s WWE television tapings. Tyler Breeze worked the post-show dark match, teaming with Bo Dallas, losing to fellow NXT stars The Lucha Dragons. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks also worked the taping, losing to Natalya in a pre-show dark match.
You can read full WWE Main Event spoilers for this week by clicking here.
– The official WWE website has a new article up with comments from several stars who worked with Sting in WCW in the past. Below are some excerpts.
Big Show on Sting’s heroics: “To fight evil, sometimes you have to become evil. That was a brilliant move to embrace that darker side. You still knew the good Sting was there, the guy you grew up with and cheered for, the guy with the big smile. But you saw this other guy that had all this anger toward the nWo; he really exemplified a character that, in a superhero kind of way, could stand up at the plate and take everyone on by himself. A lone wolf kind of deal. And with the unique ways he would enter the ring, dropping down from the ceiling or blackouts before he would show up, he kept the element of surprise. I think the thing about Sting today is he hasn’t changed. Though his character has developed, the core value of who he is and what he represents hasn’t changed. He’s got a fan base from so many years of being someone you can depend on, kind of like John Cena. He’s been through so many trials and tribulations, and been able to stick to his guns. That’s what we respect in a hero.”
Booker T on Sting’s aura: “He’s an enigma. He’s mysterious and lurked in the shadows for many, many years. It’s an aura that draws you to him. Guys like that, they’re one of a kind. People have wanted to see him here in WWE for many years. I think people are intrigued by him. I think Triple H knows what he’s in store for. He’s conquered the business, putting himself in power as COO of a money-making company. That right there says a lot about his drive and determination. I don’t think he’s going to underestimate Sting. It’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight. However, I know since 1998, when DX invaded Nitro, Sting has wanted to get even. WrestleMania’s going to be a war.”
You can check out the complete article at WWE.com.
WWE taped the following matches for this week’s edition of Main Event prior to Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping in Washington, D.C.
Dark Match
– Natalya def. Sasha Banks in Divas action to kick off the taping. Nattie picked up the win by submission after locking Sasha in the Sharpshooter.
WWE Main Event
– Fandango def. Curtis Axel in the first match taped for this week’s Main Event. Fandango won what was described as a pretty basic match with a roll-up.
– Adam Rose def. Zack Ryder in singles action. Rose picked up the “W” when he caught Ryder coming in the ring by smashing his head into the ring.
– Paige def. Summer Rae in Divas action. Paige picked up the victory after getting Summer with her PTO.
– The Usos (with Naomi) def. The Ascension in tag-team action in the final match taped for this week’s Main Event. The Usos got the win when Jey hit the top rope splash for the 1-2-3.
Dark Match
– The Lucha Dragons def. Bo Dallas & Tyler Breeze in tag-team action in another dark match. The Lucha Dragons picked up the win by pinning Dallas.
– The dark match before Wednesday night’s NXT Takeover: Rival event at Full Sail University saw Enzo Amore and Big Cass defeat Aiden English and Simon Gotch.
– The blonde woman who jumped on Tyler Breeze during his entrance at Takeover was Gionna Daddio. She’s a former Hooters model and has been signed to NXT for a few months now.
– WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and Larry Zbyszko were both in attendance. Brian Kendrick was there as well and is expected to be at tonight’s NXT TV tapings.
– After Takeover went off the air on the WWE Network tonight, trainers continued to check on former NXT Champion Sami Zayn. Kevin Owens went on with his celebration as NXT General Manager William Regal came down to check on Sami.
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.
– Randy Orton and Bo Dallas returned to action at last night’s WWE live event from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Orton defeated Kane with an RKO. A correspondent at the show said Orton showed no signs of ring rust and got a big reaction from the crowd.
Bo Dallas cut a promo before his match and asked for a ‘moment of silence’ from the audience. He said he was out of action for 102 days due to a toe injury. He lost to Sin Cara.
– Hideo Itami revealed on Twitter that he’ll be facing Tyler Breeze at Wednesday’s NXT TakeOver: Rival live special on the WWE Network.
Tyson Kidd recently spoke with the folks at Slam! Wrestling to promote the recent WWE live event in Calgary. During the interview, Kidd spoke about his current tag-team with Cesaro, his relationship with Viktor of The Ascension, his work in NXT, Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech and more.
Below are highlights.
On Viktor of The Ascension and their history: “It means a lot because I know of his struggles and past and it is similar to mine. We both competed in a lot of places that weren’t highly publicized so even though you are doing a lot people don’t know about it. You have to keep growing and growing and to see him here is great. Unfortunately for him I am also in a tag team so it is probably for the best for him that our paths don’t cross.”
On working in NXT: “The main thing is that everything is taped at Full Sail. It is kind of like competing on home turf every time in terms of the tapings and specials. The main roster travels, I am in Hartford for live Smackdown, then head to Edmonton and Calgary and Denver. It is travel travel travel. NXT is more stationary. Having a chance to work with Dusty Rhodes, he has helped me so much that I can’t even praise how much. The first time I saw him on WWE television in polka dots I never would have thought that guy would be such an influence on my career.”
On the current talent pool in NXT: “Those guys are unbelievably talented. We really can take nothing away. Just look at my match that aired this week on the WWE Network with Adrian Neville. The guy is phenomenal. It is really cool that they are being bred down there. Add in a guy like Tyler Breeze doesn’t have the publicity, background, or buzz, but is a sleeper — he is the one to keep your eye on.”
On his current tag-team with Cesaro: “Two guys who are insanely talented, extremely shredded and a lot frustrated come together and decide to make a name for ourselves and show why we are who we are. Cesaro’s story is unbelievable; he won a green card lottery in Switzerland and now here he is. The man is a freak. He can clean and jerk 135 pounds with one arm. He is a freak in every sense of the word. Throw in the best guy pound for pound in the business as his tag team partner and I think our upside is limitless.”
On Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech: “I think it fired a lot of the talent up. We have a super talented locker room, for any that maybe were coasting it lit a fire under them and for the rest of us ensured we just keep pushing. Every day here is different. One day I was in Phoenix at Axxess wrestling Cryme Tyme in the worst match we ever had with them, which is saying a lot, 48 hours later I am clotheslining Mr. McMahon in front of 58,000 people at Wrestlemania. Things can change here quickly.”
– 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 last week, Heath Slater has been taking time off from WWE for what the company is describing as “personal reasons.” Those reasons stem from the alleged domestic assault incident from the WrestleMania after party in 2011.
Due to Slater’s absence, WWE decided to officially drop the “Slater Gator” tag-team with Heath Slater and Titus O’Neil. Everyone within WWE had been praising Slater’s work in getting over what was viewed as a lower card comedy gimmick.
It appears as though the team of Tyson Kidd and Cesaro was put together due to the fact that the Slater Gator team was dropped, as a way to fill the hole left in the heel-end of the tag-team division.
On non-televised live events, Tyler Breeze has been brought up from NXT to work with O’Neil against Los Matadores.
It appears as though WWE has given Heath Slater time off while he deals with legal issues stemming from an alleged assault incident at the WrestleMania 27 after-party a few years ago.
As noted earlier this month, a misdemeanor arrest warrant was issued for Slater. Slater subsequently issued a statement claiming his innocence and pointing out his confidence that the charges would ultimately be dismissed. WWE also issued a statement and claimed they would take the appropriate action once they received details on the warrant.
Slater’s last WWE match was at the SmackDown tapings on November 25th, just one week prior to the arrest warrant being issued. NXT star Tyler Breeze has apparently replaced Slater on the current holiday tour.
As promised, here are the top pay-per-view events from 2014.
8. NXT Takeover
This event started off sluggish but certainly ended with a string of entertaining matches. In particular, the match between Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn featured solid in-ring work and highlighted why both of these guys could succeed if given the opportunity.
The real treat during this pay-per-view, however, was the final two matches of the evening. The match between Charlotte and Natalya for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship was probably the most technically sound women’s match I’ve ever seen, and the main event between Neville and Tyson Kidd was the perfect way to end the show. In my opinion, this was the event that made fans realize NXT is more than simply a developmental league for the main roster.
Worst Match: Adam Rose vs. Camacho
Best Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya
7. Payback
There was some worry heading into this one, largely due to the absence of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The event would carry on just fine without the title, however. It started off strong with a bruising contest between Sheamus and Cesaro.
From there, the Last Man Standing match was entertaining, even if it would have been nice to see Wyatt pick up the victory. With that said, this pay-per-view is all about the main event. It was an awesome 30-minute affair that featured memorable spots, brutal action, and a decisive Shield victory. This was also important because it would set up Seth Rollins’ heel turn the next night on Raw.
– For those who enjoy interesting trivia facts, it’s been pointed out recently that country music band Florida Georgia Line has made more WWE television appearances than Brock Lesnar since the Night Of Champions pay-per-view. Florida Georgia Line appeared at Night Of Champions, TLC and Tribute to the Troops while Lesnar has only appeared at Night Of Champions and last week’s RAW.
– Unless the January 1st edition of NXT on the WWE Network turns out to be a 2014 “Year-In-Review” type of show, Shoot Nation leader Chad Gable is scheduled to make his NXT in-ring debut, working against Tyler Breeze on the show.
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.
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 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.
– As a result of his victory over Tyler Breeze in the number one contender match on tonight’s edition of NXT, Sami Zayn earned himself a shot at NXT Champion Adrian Neville on next week’s show.
– Below is a backstage video of Finn Balor talking about his NXT television debut from tonight.
– There is a feeling that Kevin Steen may make his WWE debut at the next set of NXT television tapings. With all of the top talents debuting at NXT, WWE officials may be staggering them so that they can maximize each one.
– The local wrestler that worked a dark match with Tyler Breeze at the WWE television tapings on Tuesday was Vordell Walker. Walker was also one of the security guards who appeared on the WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
