Sunday, September 23, 2012

Who's NXT?

When WWE decided to discontinue their version of ECW in 2010 they unveiled a new show. It was to be known as NXT. The premise was simple, 8 so called "rookies", in reality they were FCW wrestlers to be groomed for the main roster, would be paired individually with a WWE wrestler from the main roster with the goal of one of them becoming the NXT break out star. Each week one of the rookies would be eliminated until one man was left standing. Initial signs were positive. Seeing Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) on WWE television competing against Chris Jericho in a fantastic match was a highlight of the first series along with the development of eventual season 1 winner Wade Barrett. The first season of NXT also led to the rise of The Nexus who quite clearly made an impact that has lasted as during a Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel match from last weeks Raw audible chants of "we want Nexus" erupted from the crowd.

Season 2, 3 and 4 saw a gradual decline in what NXT was producing. The shift from in ring work to so called "rookie challenges" was disappointing. Season 2 was won by Kaval (Low Ki). Season 3 an all diva season was won by Kaitlyn. Season 4 was won by Johnny Curtis. After season 4 it was announced that season 5 would be entitled NXT Redemption where those who failed to win in previous seasons could come back and redeem themselves. An ok premise but that season ran for well over a year with little or no direction.

In June of this year a new version of NXT debuted. Essentially it was FCW. The stupid challenges and rookie/pro partnerships were abandoned. In their place, straight up competition with a young and talented roster. FCW was eventually discontinued in August with all titles ceasing to exist and as such NXT is now the developmental territory for new additions to the roster to ply their trade. As such I will now look at who I believe are the 5 gems of the roster that could move on to bigger and better things on Raw or Smackdown when the time comes for them.

1. Richie Steamboat- Son of the legendary Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, the boy has pedigree. The first time I saw Richie was against Damien Sandow for the FCW 15 championship (all matches were 15 minute iron man matches, winner would be one with most pinfalls/submissions). Richie won 2-1 and was crowned champion. A championship he held for 6 months. He is crisp and moves effortlessly around the ring. The highest compliment that can be paid is the he moves likes his father. Since the debut of the new NXT he has put on some entertaining matches against the likes of Leo Kruger and Jinder Mahal. He makes his opponents look good which is a great attribute to have. With age on his side, he's 25, he could have a long and successful career. Will he win a world title? I don't see why not. The shift to the likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan as world champions has benefited the smaller competitors. Richie Steamboat is one to watch, he is his fathers son, more so than other second generation wrestlers. Ricky "The Dragon" was a supreme worker who was consistent and reliable, Richie can do the same and possibly surpass his father's legacy.

2. Seth Rollins- Formerly known as Tyler Black, former ROH World Champion. He has won every title in FCW history and is now the current NXT Champion. Simply put. He is that good. Out of everyone on the NXT roster Rollins is "the" guy. He is the one who will likely move to the main roster first and experience success on the main roster. Those who have followed Rollins career know how good he is, for those who have not seen his earlier work I'd recommend his two matches against Austin Aries for the ROH World Championship. Becoming the first NXT Champion clearly shows that he is thought of as one for the future. He is a natural fit for the main roster and the thoughts of seeing Rollins hook up with Punk, Bryan, Sandow, Ziggler are intriguing match ups to say the least. Like Richie he has age on his side as he is 26 years of age. I see him as a natural replacement for CM Punk, when Punk decides to hang up the boots. Similar style and work ethic but different enough in character although there are similarities, particularly in their career trajectories. Punk could easily pass the torch to Rollins.

3. Bray Wyatt- NXT afficionados will recall Bray Wyatt as the former Husky Harris. A third generation wrestler and the only one on my list who competed on Raw and Smackdown. The man behind these characters is Windham Rotunda. Rotunda has created numerous characters/gimmicks in his time since returning to development, however his main reason for returning to development was to drop weight. His latest character that of Bray Wyatt (a Max Cady type character) is just brilliant. Deranged, uncomfortable, volatile and calm all at the same time, Rotunda's portrayal has been something totally different that we haven't seen before. Different characters are what is always needed on the main roster, as a worker he can move like a smaller guy even though he is a big guy. The character is the selling point for Rotunda and as such his work rate comes second (although as a worker I deem him underrated). He tore a pectoral muscle in July and returned at the most recent lot of tapings as a manager. This is another facet to the character that is brilliant, it lends itself not just as a competitor but as a leader of a group where he doesn't have to compete. Out of all the characters on the NXT roster Wyatt is the most interesting and intriguing and the one with longevity.

4. Kassius Ohno- Don't let the ridiculous name fool you, the man formerly known as Chris Hero is a supreme worker. Saddled with a terrible name should be no bother for him as his natural ability and talent shines through. A mainstay of the independent scene for a long time I thought he wouldn't make it to the WWE as unlike the 3 previous competitors he is slightly older at 32 years of age. Whereas Rollins, Wyatt and Steamboat could stay on NXT for a couple of years that happening to Ohno could cost him his prime years away from Raw and Smackdown. Initial signs show that Ohno is thinking along those lines as his performances have been crisp, athletic and have been of a high impact. While I think Rollins will be the first to move, I see Ohno as a close second. He needs the move more so than Rollins. Ohno is a smarmy, witty heel. Once again something different. I don't see him becoming a world champion as time is against him but he could be a great gate keeper and maybe luck out with a title run much like Christian.

5. Paige- This is a sole gut instinct one. They have featured a lot of new divas on NXT. But for me she stands out from the crowd. She isn't the typical diva. She reminds me of a mix of Daffney and Lita. I wish I could write more about her but I don't know much about her apart from she is British. It is a gut instinct and I think she is a "diva" for the future. With the addition of Sara Del Rey as a trainer Paige, will benefit no end as she already has the raw materials and with one of the best to hone those raw skills she could be the gem of the women's division for years to come.

Those are my 5 to watch for the new NXT. Thanks for reading.

Gar

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Night Of Champions Preview

First off a big thank you to Darragh O'Connor and all those involved in the Wrestleview International Desk for plugging this blog, it means a lot lads and it is hugely appreciated. Now to business, tonight is the Night of Champions PPV where every single title in the WWE is defended. It should be noted that ideally all the titles would be defended on every single PPV but that is another topic for another time. Including the pre show match we have 8 matches to enjoy tonight. So here is the card as it stands-

1. Pre show Battle Royal where the winner will face Antonio Cesaro on the main show for the US Title
2. Antoni Cesaro (c) v Winner of Battle Royal for the US Title
3. Miz (c) v Sin Cara v Rey Mysterio v Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Title
4. Layla (c) v Kaitlyn for the Divas Title
5. R-Truth & Kofi Kingston (c) v Daniel Bryan & Kane for the World Tag Team Titles
6. Dolph Ziggler v Randy Orton
7. Sheamus (c) v Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title
8. CM Punk (c) v John Cena for the WWE Title

For the US Title match I see Brodus Clay picking up the win in the Battle Royal to go forward and face Cesaro just from what was teased on Smackdown. I think this could be an interesting match up as Cesaro has proven to have a smash mouth style much like the much bigger Clay. Sometimes similar styles compliment each other and given a solid ten minutes this could work really well. As for who picks up the win? I'd go for Cesaro. I think the time for having the more so light hearted acts like Ryder, Clay and Santino as mid card champions has passed and these titles should be for the up and comers. Cesaro is definitely a future player within WWE and a strong mid card title reign will help him no end so whoever he faces tonight, for me, he retains.

Moving on to the Intercontinental title. Fatal 4 ways can usually be a cluster f**k and tonight I can't see it going any other way. Miz has lost matches to Rey and Sin Cara in recent weeks and Cody jumped him on last weeks Raw. Simple set up for a multi man match. The Intercontinental title seems to be floating about in recent times. Each new champion espouses that they will bring back the prestige to the title. As of yet it hasn't happened. Since WrestleMania 28 the title has changed hands 4 times in 5 months. That's more changes than any other title this year. It has became the hot potato much like the WWE Title was last autumn. Sin Cara ain't winning this, reports from this weeks Smackdown will confirm this. Does Rey need it? At this stage in his career? Probably not. Cody has floundered since dropping the title earlier on in the year.As such another run could help him get back on track. Miz has proved a solid enough champion so why take the belt off him. For this I will go with Miz. The title needs stability and Miz is the current champ so stable the ship with him. Sin Cara needs a huge amount of work done and pairing him with Rey for a while could benefit him going forward. As for Cody? Take him off TV for a while. Re-evaluate the character and bring him back down the line. 

Ah the Divas Title. Normally I wouldn't have much interest but tonight that changes as my favourite Diva has a chance of winning the title for the first time. Those who know me know I am a huge Kaitlyn fan, and always have been. Will she win? My heart says yes but the head says yes too. Clearly they want the title on Eve, which makes sense with the mainstream exposure she is getting.  If we are to believe that Eve was supposed to win the number 1 contender battle royal then it should make sense that Kaitlyn has no chance as she has "fluked" her way in to contention. She has gotten big wins against Beth and Nattie so a suprise win against champion Layla isn't as far fetched as once thought. But then again maybe I'm biased. But still I'm going for Kaitlyn. 

I'll sum up the tag time title match quickly. Kane & D-Bryan win. Simple as. They have been gold recently and as such they shall receive gold...........or bronze in this case. 

The only match tonight not to be contested for a title will be Dolph Ziggler v Randy Orton. This is a match I am looking forward to immensely. This is the show stealer in my eyes. Dolph picked up a win a couple of weeks ago against Orton on Raw and with Orton busy filming 12 Rounds shortly I can see Dolph picking up another win to keep his momentum going as him cashing in Money in the Bank looks more and more imminent. This should be a cracking match.

The World Heavyweight Title match is for a third PPV running Sheamus v ADR. Is anyone else getting tired of this match? Dolph needs to cash in tonight. As for who wins the match I can see ADR winning after shenanigans from Ricardo and Otunga. After he picks up the win Sheamus Brogue Kicks them all and Dolph moves in for the kill. The time is right for Dolph to cash in. The main event scene needs a fresh face for match choices. ADR would have beef as would Sheamus. Orton could be added when he is back from filming. ADR v Dolph & Sheamus v Dolph would be far more interesting to watch than a fourth installment of ADR v Sheamus right?

Finally, the main event. The WWE title match between CM Punk and hometown boy John Cena. The WWE  title has been the focus of Raw for the past 4 weeks and the build for this match has been very good. The addition of Paul Heyman to Punk's heel turn has been a very welcomed development and will add a dimension not seen to Punk's character going forward. Cena has showed some good fire on the mic particularly last weeks Raw and has done his part in the build for the match. Punk v Cena rarely disappoints and tonight should be no different. Going forward I see Punk retaining. They keep talking about the lenght of his title reign and I believe he will make it past the year and drop the title to Rocky at the Rumble. I don't think this will be the last time we see these guys face off, I think that will come next month at Hell in a Cell. But tonight for me Punk wins in Cena's hometown giving him that little bit extra heat he needs in cementing his heel turn.

Well that's that. Those watching live tonight I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading. My next blog post will be on the new NXT and the 5 to watch out for. I should have that posted next Sunday/Monday. Thanks for reading and once again enjoy Night of Champions tonight.

Gar

Monday, September 10, 2012

Allow me to beg your indulgence...

For my first blog post I was mulling over who to write about, offer an opinion of and discuss in general. It would be easy to pick the likes of Punk, Cena, Lesnar etc. The A-listers as it were. Also the likes of Bryan, Orton and Ziggler (who I have championed for a very long time) would have proved to be a nice first entry but I have decided to go with Damien Sandow, arguably the surprise package of new additions to WWE programming in recent times.

Those au fait with Damien Sandow will know he has been around the block in WWE off and on for nearly a decade. His highest point in his initial run was part of a tag team under the name Idol Stevens, his tag partner was KC James (anyone remember him? Nah didn't think so. The guy lost to Braden Walker, kinda puts it into perspective) and their manager was Michelle McCool. As a team they were dubbed "The Teacher's Pets". Whilst showing some promising signs the team never got off the ground and they were sent back to developmental . Having bounced around in developmental for a few more years to some success (winning the OVW Heavyweight Title) he eventually asked for and was granted his release in 2008.

At this time he went around the indies and eventually ended up back in OVW, however at that time OVW was no longer a farming ground for WWE. To little fan fare he was re-signed by WWE in the summer of 2010 and was sent to developmental in FCW. This would be the first incarnation of Damien Sandow. Sandow debuted as a militant, think la Resistance and Muhammed Hassan, only without the controversy. He formed a tag team with Titus O'Neill and they quickly won the FCW tag team titles. When they lost the titles Sandow turned on O'Neill. He floated about again before adopting the gimmick that we know today of the intellectual saviour of the unwashed masses. With the new gimmick came with it a centre piece in FCW tapings. He won the FCW 15 championship from Tyler Black and went on to have fantastic matches with Black, Dean Ambrose and Richie Steamboat. Having put on consistently good matches and finally having a strong enough gimmick it was only a matter of time before he was called up to the main roster.

His call up took place in April of this year and since then he has shared ring time with the likes of Randy Orton, Sheamus, taking part in the Money in the Bank match and sharing ring time with DX in the opening segment of Raw 1,000. To have this much success in such a short time on the main roster is an indication of how much is thought of the character and the man portraying him. But we have seen this before. Take Alberto Del Rio. Similar hype surrounded him with the vignettes. He debuted with a big win over Rey Mysterio and in under a year had won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and his first WWE title but has now arguably plateaued all the while staying in the title picture.

Sandow, like many before him is at the delicate stage with his status on the card, should they pull the trigger and send him upwards and he fails he'll be back in the undercard before we know it, should he succeed we have a heel who can carry a match and has a stronger character than a rich chap talking about destiny. If they leave it too long the likelihood is he'll bounce around meaningless fued after fued, something Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler have gone through after the trigger wasn't pulled on their ascencion up the card.

As for me, the character is fantastic, parrallels have been drawn to Triple H's debut gimmick Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the Greenwich snob. Arguably Sandow is far better on the mic at this stage of his career than H was at the time of the Helmsley gimmick. This is where Sandow's talent really lies, in his mic skills. When he starts speaking I genuinely want to listen to every word he says, that is a strong trait to have in a character. Some have questioned if he is ready as a worker, those who have questions watch some of his FCW matches on youtube, particularily the Ambrose matches. But as of right now if the title went on the best talker Sandow would be a shoe in.

Recently he has had matches against Sheamus, the World champion and Randy Orton. He has scarpered in both matches resulting in his opponent picking up count out wins. His reason for bailing against Sheamus was he was unprepared for Sheamus as it was a spur of the moment match and he needs to scout his opponents. This adds dimension to the straight forward heel character the likes of Del Rio tuned into. Along with when DX jumped he proclaimed that he was a "martyr", he has shown that his character has development possibilities. All these subtleties add more realism and scope going forward with the character.

As for now, he is flirting with the main event players on Smackdown and doing well, hopefully this continues. Sandow may be one to look out for in the Royal Rumble. The main event will be packed anyway with the likes of the Rock, Punk, Cena, Lesnar and Taker. So the option of giving someone a push up the card for the World title is an option. Sandow, to me is a logical choice. Particularily if Sheamus or Orton are the champ heading into Rumble. So I'm going out on a limb now, for me the 2013 Rumble winner will be the intellectual saviour of the unwashed masses.

Oh and you're welcome.