Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view marked the end of the third quarter of the WWE calendar. With only three pay-per-views left in 2014, fans have almost reached the end of another exciting year of rasslin’.
With that said, it is now time to review the top matches from the third quarter. Feel free to compare these contests with the best matches from the first and second quarters:
Without further ado, here are the top five matches from the third quarter of 2014.
5. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Night of Champions)
Some might disagree with this choice, but I feel that it warrants inclusion. The contest perfectly juxtaposed the first contest between Cena and Lesnar at SummerSlam. Instead of Lesnar dominating from the opening bell, it was Cena who quickly hit an Attitude Adjustment and controlled the pace throughout much of the contest. The match was booked well enough that the outcome seemed in doubt, and the no-finish ending was the perfect way to keep the title on Lesnar, not make Cena look too weak, and inject Seth Rollins into the storyline.
– NXT stars Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze worked dark matches prior to the Main Event and SmackDown tapings on Tuesday night in Little Rock, Arkansas. Breeze worked a match with a local wrestler before Main Event began and Neville defeated Zayn prior to the start of the SmackDown taping.
– Speaking of NXT, below is the video preview for this week’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network:
Ronda Rousey vs. TRANSSEXUAL?!, Wanderlei Silva BANNED FOR LIFE From MMA + MORE!
– Top NXT talent Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze are all currently backstage at the arena in Memphis, Tennessee for tonight’s post-Night Of Champions edition of WWE RAW.
– WWE has released two new episodes of their animated series, “Slam City” on the WWE Network today.
As noted, several of the top NXT talents, such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze and The Ascension are all scheduled to go on the road with the main roster for live events and television to help cross-promote the NXT brand.
The reason none of the guys worked the television tapings this week was said to be because this week was the “go-home” week for Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
In addition to the NXT names we reported earlier today that are scheduled to work next week’s WWE television tapings, which included Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze, former NXT Tag-Team Champions The Ascension are also scheduled to be among the NXT talents traveling with the main roster.
All of those NXT names are set to work the non-televised live events with the main roster next week as well. It’s also believed that all of those NXT talents — including others from time-to-time — will be working a pretty regular road schedule with the main roster, meaning next week will not be a one-time thing.
As we reported earlier today, WWE is looking to use NXT stars on the main roster events as a way to cross-promote both brands in a more legitimate fashion.
As far as the opposite-side of cross-promotion is concerned, as has been the case for a while now, main roster WWE Superstars and Divas will continue appearing on the NXT television and live event shows from time-to-time as well.
WWE announced a Divas tag-team match for Monday’s RAW, which is the “go-home” show for next Sunday’s Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
Brie Bella and AJ Lee will team up to take on the duo of Paige and Nikki Bella at the show, which emanates from the Cajundone in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Also scheduled for Monday’s RAW, as noted earlier today, is the return of several top NXT talents. Currently booked for RAW (and SmackDown) next week are Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze.
Finally, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is also scheduled to return at next week’s RAW. As seen on this past Monday night’s show in Baltimore, John Cena promised that he’s either kicking Lesnar’s ass, or Paul Heyman’s, if Lesnar doesn’t show up.
Several of the top talents in NXT are booked for next week’s WWE television tapings. NXT Champion Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze are all scheduled to work both the RAW and SmackDown TV shows in Lafayette and Biloxi, respectively.
Triple H noted during the NXT Takeover 2 promotional conference call that WWE will be doing more cross-promotion with the NXT roster and the main WWE roster. With several NXT talents scheduled for next week’s TV, this seems to be the beginning of that cross-promotion.
– Stephanie McMahon is featured in the October edition of “Shape” magazine. In the magazine, Stephanie talks about how she stays in shape while not only juggling her WWE career, but while also being a mother to three children. The article promotes the upcoming release of she and Triple H’s upcoming WWE Fit DVD series.
– The Divas who were featured in the NXT Takeover 2 backstage segment with Tyler Breeze were Dasha Kuret, Dana Brooke and Leyvonna.
The following are results of the NXT Takeover 2 special, which aired on the WWE Network on Thursday, September 11, 2014.
– The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara & Kalisto) def. The Ascension to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions in the opening match of the show. The finish came when Kalisto pinned Viktor.
– Baron Corbin def. C.J. Parker in a quick squash match that lasted all of 29 seconds.
– Enzo Amore def. Sylvester Lefort with a rolling reverse cradle, holding his trunks during the pin. Lefort tried to run away after the match, but Big Cass clotheslined him. Louis attacked Cass and Lefort ran off, leaving Louis alone. Cass hit a big kick on Louis. Cass said to Amore, “Enzo, get the bucket!” in Dudley Boyz fashion. He poured the bucket on Louis and Louis ran off.
– KENTA came out to the ring after being introduced by William Regal. KENTA announced that his new name is Hideo Itami. The Acension came out and threw him out of the ring and demanded a tag-title rematch. He came back in and cleaned house of both guys.
– Bull Dempsey def. Mojo Rawley in about a minute with a diving head-butt. After the match, he gave Rowley another diving head-butt for good measure.
– Backstage, Enzo Amore and Big Cass wanted to see somebody bald. They found Louis and Lefort ran away, leaving him alone yet again. Cass attacked him and carried him to the ring. Cass hit him with a reverse atomic drop and Amore took the towel off that was covering his head, revealing that he only had a little bit of hair left and no eyebrows.
– Charlotte def. Bayley to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. The finish saw Charlotte hit a moonsault, followed by a neck-snapper for the pin. After the match, Sasha Banks came out and taunted Bayley and then attacked her. Charlotte ended up making the save.
– It was announced that Hideo Itami (formerly known as KENTA) will be making his in-ring debut on NXT TV next week, which is actually being taped on Saturday night, September 12th.
– Adrian Neville def. Tyler Breeze, Sami Zayn & Tyson Kidd to retain the NXT Championship. The finish saw Neville hit his spectacular Red Arrow on Kidd for the pin after Zayn had hit the running kick into the corner and had the match won, but Neville pulled the referee out of the ring so he couldn’t make the three count. This was definitely a “match of the year” candidate.
On Thursday September 11th, WWE’s developmental system, NXT, will present their third special event with Takeover: Fatal 4-Way. First came NXT Arrival, followed by NXT Takeover. Although this third event is also named Takeover, it will be highlighted by a fatal four way match for the NXT Championship.
Here is a breakdown of each scheduled match and who should be expected to leave the NXT arena victorious.
Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey
The hyped Mojo Rawley has appeared regularly on NXT, including a win against CJ Parker at Arrival. Now Rawley has the challenge of facing newcomer Bull Dempsey. The two superstars were partners in the tournament to determine number one contenders for the Ascension’s titles. Although they lost in the first round, these two both have bright futures ahead of them in WWE.
It’s already been seen that Rawley is a big part of this new NXT generation of superstars. If Dempsey is also going to be a key member, then look for him to win. My thoughts? I have faith in the newcomer.
Winner: Bull Dempsey
Hair vs. Hair Match: Enzo Amore vs. Sylvester Lefort
Enzo Amore has returned from injury and engaged in a good feud with Sylvester Lefort, who has had an inconsistent run in NXT. Lefort has spent time as a manager and a wrestler. Both superstars are also currently in tag teams – Amore with Big Cass and Lefort with Marcus Louis. I wonder why we didn’t get a tag team match here instead, but the hair versus hair stipulation has something to do with it.
Amore does crazy things with his hair, while Lefort has a lot of long hair. Which one would look better with a shaved head? My money is on Amore losing his hair and coming back with it in a creative way, which means Lefort would win.
Winner: Sylvester Lefert
WWE NXT Tag Team Championship: The Ascension (C) vs. Kalisto and Sin Cara
The Ascension have been unstoppable since winning the NXT tag titles. NXT has lacked any sort of competition for Konnor and Viktor. However, the last few weeks NXT has been pairing up random wrestlers in a tag team tournament to decide the number one contenders. At the last Arrival event, Kalisto was also involved in the tag title match, but with El Local (Ricardo Rodriguez). WWE has to like Kalisto as he is the full package and reminds fans of a young Rey Mysterio. Clearly, things didn’t work out with El Local since he was released.
Sin Cara, on the other hand, is a character WWE would love to succeed. He must do well in merchandising since WWE won’t let the character go. Perhaps pairing with Kalisto will be the answer WWE and fans are looking for to rival with the Ascension. Not that the Ascension isn’t great, but as we all know, competition is important. It would be great to see new tag team champions at Takeover.
Winners: NEW NXT Tag Team Champions Kalisto and Sin Cara
WWE NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (C) vs. Bayley
As Charlotte continues to improve in the ring and as a character, the NXT division isn’t as deep as it once was. With Emma and Paige being promoted to the main roster, NXT needs stronger women. Charlotte isn’t bad, but she and Bayley are nowhere near the level of Paige and Emma. Bayley has a better character than Charlotte, but that doesn’t mean she will win. The challenger’s character is very childish and often the victim. Charlotte doesn’t have much of a character other than being Ric Flair’s daughter, but that seems to go a long way in WWE. Charlotte will probably win, but Bayley is the best option for her number one contender right now.
Winner: Charlotte retains
WWE NXT Championship: Adrian Neville (C) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd
The best outcome of this match is crowning a new NXT Champion. Adrian Neville has a lot of talent. He is a great high flyer and is rightfully called the man that gravity forgot. However, his mic skills are terrible. He seems like a better fit in a tag team.
All three challengers are very intriguing. Sami Zayn is an indy sensation with everything going for him. Mic skills, in ring talent and a general likeability to him. Tyler Breeze is the top heel in NXT and the perfect character for this generation. This is the selfie era and Breeze’s character speaks directly to it. Tyson Kidd has really impressed me. He has proven that he is better off as a heel. He talks better as a heel and is more interesting as a heel. If WWE wants to keep their champion a babyface, Zayn is the right choice. However, Zayn is a Daniel Bryan type where he plays the underdog and chaser well. Look for Breeze or Kidd to win. My final choice? The selfie sensation.
Winner: NEW NXT Champion Tyler Breeze
What are your thoughts on my predictions for Thursday’s NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way? Please share your thoughts and predictions in the comment section below.
Seth Guttenplan is a math and computer technology teacher for special education students in New Jersey. In his free time, Seth writes about wrestling. Follow Seth on twitter @sethgutt
– NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte defeated Bayley in what was said to be an excellent main event at the NXT live event in Citrus Springs, Florida on Sunday night. The reason the NXT Divas were in the headline match of the evening was because several of NXT’s top talents were on the road with the main WWE roster this weekend.
NXT Champion Adrian Neville defeated fellow NXT performer Tyler Breeze at the WWE live event in Dayton, Ohio. Sami Zayn defeated Tyson Kidd and The Ascension lost to Big E. and Kofi Kingston at the WWE live event in Hampton, Virginia.
– Speaking of NXT, several new promos for NXT Takeover 2 have been added to the official NXT Instagram account. The two newest additions feature Sami Zayn and Sasha Banks talking about the upcoming live WWE Network special. You can check those out at Instagram.com/wwenxt.
– The Tickld website has a new article up regarding Batista’s role as “Drax” in the wildly successful “Guardians of the Galaxy” film. You can check that out at Tickld.com.
– The following matches are confirmed for this Thursday’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network, which is the “go-home” show for the September 11th NXT Takeover 2 special.
*The Vaudevillains vs. Sin Cara & Kalisto [Number 1 Contendership For Tag-Titles]
*Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss [NXT Women’s Championship]
*Tyler Breeze vs. Tye Dillinger
*Tyson Kidd vs. Adam Rose
*Adrian Neville vs. CJ Parker
On tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, William Regal was revealed to be the new NXT General Manager. As a result, Regal will be overseeing the upcoming NXT Takeover 2 live special on the WWE Network, which is scheduled for September 11th.
Additionally, new NXT GM Regal announced the main event for the Takeover 2 special, which will see Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Adrian Neville for the NXT World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE NXT star Tyler Breeze recently spoke to Brian Fritz of Between The Ropes during a WWE “Be A Star” campaign in Orlando, Florida.
During their discussion, Breeze spoke about the status of his injured finger. “It’s getting better,” said Breeze. “I’ll find out tomorrow, actually, if I need this (splint) on there anymore, but besides that I wrestled on Saturday, feeling pretty good.”
In addition to the many injuries plaguing the main WWE roster in recent weeks, the developmental talent in NXT are starting to fall victim to the injury bug as well.
NXT wrestler Marcus Louis is currently out of action with a leg injury, while Cal Bishop is also on the sidelines — possibly up to seven-or-eight months — due to a torn rotator cuff.
Outside of those two talents, the following is a look at some of the guys in NXT that are currently dealing with various injuries:
– Tyler Breeze (broken finger)
– Corey Graves (second concussion)
– Kendall Skye (broken wrist)
– Dana Brooke (leg injury)
– Veronica Lane (leg injury)
– Marcus Louis (leg injury)
– Cal Bishop (torn rotator cuff)
– Xavier Woods, Eva Marie, Bill DeMott, Alexa Bliss, Tyler Breeze and others were on hand at the Opening Ceremonies of the Florida Special Olympics, which took place on Friday. Woods noted on his official Twitter account that he was leaving to join the rest of the WWE crew for the ongoing European tour.
– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which you can see below, takes a look at some of the best moments from some of the recent WWE European tours.
– Xavier Woods, Eva Marie, Bill DeMott, Alexa Bliss, Tyler Breeze and others were on hand at the Opening Ceremonies of the Florida Special Olympics, which took place on Friday. Woods noted on his official Twitter account that he was leaving to join the rest of the WWE crew for the ongoing European tour.
– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which you can see below, takes a look at some of the best moments from some of the recent WWE European tours.
– WWE’s new TV deal could be announced as soon as this Thursday, when NBC Universal holds their annual “Upfronts” event from New York City. Industry insiders believe that a deal might have been struck already.
– Here is the synopsis for Thursday’s episode of Legends House on the WWE Network:
“The Legends participate in a charity art gala in Palm Springs. Back at the house, Tony Atlas prepares a feast for his polarized housemates.”
– WWE NXT star Tyler Breeze posted a photo of himself in a recording studio on Instagram this week with the caption, “coming soon.”
The following are results for the WWE NXT episodes that will air on May 1st, May 8th, May 15th and May 22nd. All four episodes were taped on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
Dark Match
– Alexander Rusev def. an unknown wrestler in a dark match to open up the tapings.
Spoiler Results for May 1, 2014
– Tyson Kidd def. Bo Dallas in the first television match of the evening.
– Sasha Banks (with Charlotte) def. Bayley in an opening round match of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Adam Rose def. Danny Burch. After the match, Camacho appeared during Rose’s big after-match party.
– Natalya def. Layla in an opening round match of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Mojo Rawley def. Oliver Grey. After the match, Aiden English came out and cut a promo on Rawley.
– Adrian Neville def. Brodus Clay in a no-disqualification match to retain the NXT Championship in a what that served as the main event for this episode.
Spoiler Results for May 8, 2014
– This show kicks off with Triple H in the ring for a promo. He talks about how NXT is the future and is taking over wrestling. He pushes the NXT Takeover special, which will take place live on the WWE Network on May 29th. Additionally, he announces a battle royal to determine the new number one contender to the NXT Championship.
– Charlotte def. Emma in a second round match in the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Kalisto & El Locale (Ricardo Rodriguez under a mask) def. The Legionnaires (Sylvester Lefort & Marcus Louise).
– Camacho def. Captain Comic from Adam Rose’s party group. After the match, Camacho came out and had a confrontation with Rose.
– Alexa Bliss def. Alicia Fox in another match in the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Next up was the battle royal announced by Triple H earlier in the show to crown the new number one contender to the NXT Championship. The participants were Xavier Woods, Brodus Clay, Baron Corbin, Curt Hawkins, Aiden English, Jason Jordan, Danny Burch, Oliver Grey, Marcus Louise, Sylvester Lefort, Big Cass, Camacho, Mason Ryan, Kalisto, El Local, Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyler Breeze, Bo Dallas and Tyson Kidd. In the end, Breeze, Zayn and Kidd were the final three and all were eliminated at the same time. This leads to Triple H coming back out and announcing that the three will compete in a triple-threat match to determine the official number one contender to the title.
– The Ascension def. Buddy Murphy and an unknown wrestler in the main event of this episode.
For results of the May 15, 2014 edition of WWE NXT TV, as well as the May 22, 2014 edition of the show, click ahead to page two …
The following matches are scheduled to take place at the NXT Takeover special, which will air live on the WWE Network on May 29th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
NXT Championship
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Tyson Kidd
NXT Women’s Championship
– Charlotte vs. Natalya
Number One Contender Match
– Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze
The first two matches were announced during the NXT television tapings, which took place on Thursday night. The number one contender bout was not yet officially announced, but is listed on the event poster.
– There are several WWE Superstars who are currently banged up due to the ongoing WWE European tour. The feeling among most of the performers in the company is to the point where they just want to finish up and head back home.
– Apparently negotiations between Hulk Hogan and WWE for the Hall Of Famer to appear at WrestleMania XXX are “looking good,” although as is the case with any negotiation, it’s never a done deal until everything is signed and official.
– According to one source, Kassius Ohno’s release from WWE was not a sudden decision on the part of the company, as it had actually been planned for a while. Ohno still has a few matches with the company that will air on television for NXT. Ohno will appear in matches on November 20th against Tyler Breeze, a November 27th rematch against Breeze and a December 11th match with Alexander Rusev.
– As seen at the conclusion of Raw, Triple H took hold of the mic and ran Daniel Bryan down yet again in typical fashion, as he proclaimed that the 5’8″ grappler is not worthy of being “The Face of WWE.” The Chief Operating Officer’s remarks had a lot of people shaking their heads backstage since they feel he was burying him as a performer rather than knocking him in a villainous manner that would lead to Bryan gaining retribution.
– WWE NXT star Tyler Breeze, who competed on WWE live events over the weekend in matches against Justin Gabriel, receiving positive reviews for his performance. His co-workers were especially impressed with his heel mannerisms.
– In WWE’s latest Susan G. Komen for the Cure promotional video, Nikki and Brie Bella share personal stories about their families’ struggles with breast cancer.
– This Sunday at WWE Hell in a Cell, the WWE Tag Team Championship will be on the line as Cody Rhodes and Goldust defend their titles against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, as well as Jey and Jimmy Uso, in a Triple Threat Match. In this “Backstage Fallout” video for Raw, The Shield and the brother duo vow to regain the gold. Plus, AJ Lee appears almost speechless after losing her match against Brie Bella.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd4g9dZi2u8
– This week’s WWE Classics On Demand updates are as follows: WWE Payback (June 16 2013), WWF at Madison Square Garden (December 29, 1991, featuring “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith vs. Berzerker, Sgt. Slaughter vs. Col. Mustafa and General Adnan, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs. Hercules, The Nasty Boys vs. The Bushwhackers, Skinner vs. Jim Powers, Chris Walker vs. the Brooklyn Brawler, Virgil vs. Repo Man, WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart vs. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair), WWWF Championship Wrestling (January 28, 1978), ECW Hardcore TV (November 6, 1998), WWF Prime Time Wrestling (December 11, 1989).
– In addition to Xavier Woods, fellow WWE NXT wrestler Tyler Breeze was backstage at Monday’s Raw in Memphis, Tennessee. He competed on WWE live events over the weekend in matches against Justin Gabriel.