The following matches were taped at Full Sail University for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:
– Charlotte & Bayley vs. Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch
– Tyson Kidd vs. Dash Wilder
– Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze (No. 1 Contender To NXT Championship)
The following matches were taped in Kansas City prior to Monday’s WWE Hell In A Cell “go-home” edition of RAW for this week’s WWE Superstars show.
– Tyson Kidd def. Kofi Kingston in singles competition to open up the show. This was said to be a good, high-flying type of match that the crowd seemed to enjoy.
– Jack Swagger def. Bo Dallas in the main event of the evening. We didn’t get a lot of specific details from our correspondent on this one, but in the end, Swagger got the “W.”
The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of WWE NXT on the WWE Network:
NXT Championship
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Tyson Kidd
NXT Women’s Championship
– Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley
– Hideo Itami vs. Viktor
– Baron Corbin vs. Troy McClain
– The Vaudevillains vs. Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger
VIDEO: Top UFC Contenders Have HEATED Exchange Backstage After Controversial Fight
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpcBR75c5WY
Following the in-ring debut of Adam Rose’s Bunny on Monday’s RAW, Tyson Kidd tweeted the following, denying that he is the Superstar portraying the bunny:
Bunny did a great spin kick, mines a touch better though. Rumor dispeller, fact dropper #RAW pic.twitter.com/NypWtyEUx7
— Tyson Kidd (@KiddWWE) September 23, 2014
Justin Gabriel is rumored to have portrayed the Bunny last night on RAW. Courtesy of the unofficial WWE subreddit:
After losing the WWE Divas Championship back in 2010, Natalya’s career hadn’t been the same. She spent time managing other divas like The Chickbusters and her Divas of Doom partner Beth Phoenix. However, the worst utilization of Natalya’s talent was when she was the on screen manager for the Great Khali.
The success of Total Divas has changed all of this. The E! reality show has breathed new life for Natalya’s WWE career. The hit show has helped show Natalya’s great leadership in the locker room and put her back where she belongs – in the ring.
Total Divas is filled with drama. From Nikki Bella’s continuous lying to John Cena to Eva Marie’s hiding her marriage from her family, the show did wonders for Natalya. The Hart Dungeon diva has come across as the leader of the group. The diva that others can go to for advice and assistance in any situation.
The show has also helped Natalya get back to wrestling. For the past few years, WWE has booked her primarily as a manager rather than a wrestler. This was a surprise considering Natalya is one of WWE’s best female wrestlers. While Natalya hasn’t won the divas title recently, she has had a few opportunities to challenge the champion.
The most interesting and best utilization of Natalya’s career recently has come as a result of her relationship with Tyson Kidd. The two were married in June, though they had been dating since 2001. Total Divas provides fans with a look into their relationship and we even got to see them get married. Although there was drama involved with their wedding, the two are a great pair who we should see together more often on WWE programming.
Kidd returned to WWE TV last year and initially teamed with Natalya on Raw. It was then that it became obvious how much chemistry the two have. Although Kidd didn’t stay on the main roster, he has also enjoyed more success as of late. He has been challenging for the NXT Championship recently, unsuccessfully though.
Whether it be on the main roster or NXT, WWE should continue to book the Wilsons (Kidd’s real last name) as an on screen couple. They could manage each other, team together and continue to enjoy success together. There is no better wrestling married couple in WWE today. Sorry Naomi and Jimmy Uso.
Natalya and Tyson’s success overall in their WWE careers have been mediocre most of the time, but Total Divas has given the married couple a reboot. WWE fans should be thankful and hopeful that the rebirth of their careers continues to find them success moving forward.
What are your thoughts on the revitalized careers of Tyson Kidd and Natalya? Please share your thoughts 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
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
– As noted earlier today, Alberto Del Rio (as El Patron) is advertised for the AAA events in Puerto Vallarta on September 13th and 14th. Del Rio is included in the promotional posters for the event, which takes place at the Hard Rock Casino, making it the first time he has appeared on a wrestling poster since leaving WWE.
– In a related note, Del Rio is being credited with some of the success of the big AAA “TripleMania” event due to the amount of media coverage he garnered for the show.
– Above is a video promo from Tyson Kidd for the NXT Takeover 2 special, which takes place on September 11th and airs live on the WWE Network.
DIRECT LINK: Two SEXY New UFC Octagon Girls In SKIMPY BIKINIS! [Smokin’ Hot Photos >>]
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.
The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW in Montreal for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars:
– Adam Rose def. Titus O’Neil in the opening match. This was said to be a bit longer than most usual Rose matches.
– Curtis Axel def. Tyson Kidd in the main event of the show. Ryback was in the corner of Axel, while Natalya was in Kidd’s corner.
The following matches were taped on May 30th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of WWE NXT on the WWE Network:
– Sami Zayn & Tyson Kidd vs. The Ascension
– The Vaudevillians vs. A local tag-team
– Xavier Woods vs. Bull Dempsey
– Summer Rae vs. Becky Lynch
– Sawyer Fulton vs. Colin Cassady
– Adrian Neville vs. Rob Van Dam
– WWE Superstar Evan Bourne (remember him?) celebrated being signed with WWE for 6 years on Tuesday and said is looking forward to his eventual return to action. He tweeted:
Dudes! I'm celebrating my anniversary with WWE. It's a positive thing. I'm grateful to be with WWE and I can't wait perform again soon!
— Matt Sydal (@MattSydal) June 3, 2014
Bourne has been cleared to return to the ring for some time now apparently WWE creative doesn’t have anything for him yet. There’s been talk of pairing him with Tyson Kidd as a new high-flying tag team.
– WWE’s Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection DVD is selling very well, shipping 68,000 units in the first two months since it was released. The top DVD sales for the first quarter of the year were:
There are reportedly plans within WWE to make T.J. Wilson (aka Tyson Kidd) into a masked wrestler. Kidd has already reportedly had the mask designed.
The feeling within the company is that Kidd is very talented, but has been marginalized for so long that they can’t really do much with him beyond the lower card.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WWE has added the latest sit-down interview between Michael Cole and Triple H to their official YouTube channel. The official description for the interview, which you can view above, reads as follows:
“The WWE COO gives a preview of what to expect at NXT Takeover, including Charlotte vs. Natalya for the NXT Women’s Title and the NXT Championship Match between Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd.”
Following Thursday’s edition of WWE NXT TV, the following matches are confirmed for the upcoming NXT Takeover live special, which airs on the WWE Network on May 29th:
WWE NXT Championship
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Tyson Kidd
WWE NXT Championships
– The Ascension vs. Kalisto & El Local
Vacant NXT Women’s Championship
– Charlotte vs. Natalya or Sasha Banks
Tyson Kidd tweeted the following regarding the battle royal on last night’s edition of WWE NXT, and also put over the triple-threat match scheduled for next week’s NXT show.
Crazy ending to the battle royal on @WWENXT
Next week is a triple threat match, I'm positive you don't want to miss it
— Tyson Kidd (@KiddWWE) May 9, 2014
Additionally, Kidd revealed the logo for the upcoming NXT Takeover live special, which airs on the WWE Network on May 29th.
One step closer pic.twitter.com/YfiLQlRWjE
— Tyson Kidd (@KiddWWE) May 9, 2014
– The planned heel turn for Sheamus could end up taking place during the upcoming WWE tour of Europe, or immediately after it. WWE didn’t want Sheamus turning heel right before the tour, with the feeling that his heel turn could lose momentum if he were to get cheered so early in his heel run.
– According to one report, WWE is strongly considering pairing up Tyson Kidd and Evan Bourne as a new tag-team combination.
The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s edition of WWE NXT, which was taped on April 24th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
– JBL announces a tournament to determine a new NXT Women’s Champion
– Tyson Kidd vs. Bo Dallas
– Bailey vs. Sasha Banks [NXT Women’s Title Tournament Match]
– Adam Rose vs. Danny Burch
– Natalya vs. Layla [NXT Women’s Title Tournament Match]
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Brodus Clay [NXT Championship — No-DQ Match]
For those interested, you can check out complete NXT spoilers for tonight by clicking here.
The following are highlights from the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On the opening segment of last night’s RAW: “The opening segment with the children’s choir eventually wearing sheep masks was provocative but at the end of the well produced segment I am not sure what was accomplished. Not sure why I did not ‘get it’ and you’re welcome to insert your own joke here as I am sure many will.”
“Bray Wyatt should win the cage match this Sunday at Extreme Rules in Jersey but who knows? Cena is still the face of the company and Wyatt escaping the cage, I am not an escape the cage aficionado BTW, helps the newcomer and doesn’t do any irreparable harm to Cena. Plus, it extends the story line one would assume.”
On Daniel Bryan: “The WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan is ‘injured’ and his title is in serious jeopardy via the story line but was that message made abundantly clear Monday night? The hero at risk is a good philosophical, pro wrestling trait. I still think that Kane and Bryan will have an overachieving match on Sunday.”
On Evolution vs. The Shield: “Older lions vs the new lions, IE Evolution vs. The Shield, have a clearly defined issue and should have a good one on Sunday. I’d expect the younger guys to get a signature win this Sunday. Not sure what the Ric Flair element did for the late show segment.”
On WWE’s 50 greatest talkers list: “Love the debate regarding WWE.com’s list of the top 50 greatest talkers in the history of the biz list that has created a fair amount of controversy which is exactly why ‘lists’ of any kind are comprised to start with. ‘Lists’ are subjective and can any list really be totally right or totally wrong? Not in my opinion.”
On Tyson Kidd: “See where Tyson Kidd is coming back on the road and is booked for WWE which I perceive is a good thing. Kidd is highly under utilized and a very talented professional. Hope he gets a break while he’s still young and can carry more of a load.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
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.
As previously reported, Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella were officially married on April 11th in Sedona, Arizona. The wedding ceremony was filmed for what is believed to be the final episode of the season of Total Divas that will be airing in the late spring.
Nikki Bella was the maid of honor at the wedding. Other WWE personalities that attended included Cesaro, as well as the regular cast of Total Divas, which includes John Cena, Tyson Kidd, Jimmy Uso, Naomi, Cameron, Natalya and Eva Marie.
Bryan and Bella were given the week off by WWE for their honeymoon, but are both scheduled to return on April 21st at the WWE RAW show in Baltimore.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)