Lucha 2014 MotY Candidates Vol. #1

Rush vs. Negro Casas - Hair vs. Hair - CMLL 8/1/14 - 7

This was pretty great. Awarded high points not entirely for polished ring work but for dramatics and aura. Rush didn't even let the veteran Casas get down the aisle. Rush winning the first fall by charging at a crumpled Casas in the corner and crushing him with a dropkick directly in the face was terrific. The match-ending field goal punt to the phallus was a nice touch. I was on the edge of my seat at Car X in the lobby while they were changing my car's oil watching this on my phone.

Negro Navarro vs. Virus - 11/5/14 - 5

Speaking of cell phones this match was recorded on one. You wouldn't want to run into these two in the Early Bird Senior Sunday Brunch line. I'm a big mark for the kid with the dual faux-lightsabers that keeps walking in-front of the camera. This is human chess wrestling and we don't see Virus getting to work the canvas like this in CMLL so a treat. Virus Taps like Timothy Hutton. Falls a point shy of of NHO "recommended" status but still a fun rarity.

House of Hardcore VII

House of Hardcore VII - November 15, 2014 - Philadelphia, PA

1. Danny Doring vs. Stevie Richards - 3
2. Brian Myers vs. Christian York -5

Stevie looked in great shape. Danny wore the significance of being back in the old ECW Arena on his face and in his eyes, and while a few steps off, and guilty of some exposing "ring talk", he did hit a swank top rope legdrop. Knocked a point off as they mistimed the Stevie Kick finish and it whiffed but Doring still took the bump and fall. Myers is the former Curt Hawkins of several failed WWE tag teams (with Ryder, Reks, Archer, Croft, etc.) fame. I was ready to write this match off but gave it a "5" just on York's performance alone. Christian really had his working boots on, busted out some great kicks like a spinning thrust kick and Rolling Koppo, nimbly leapt onto the steel guardrail then moonsaulted off, and hit a crushing cannonball senton onto Myers in the corner. Post-match Alberto El Patrón makes a surprise appearance to a "Fuck McMahon" chant and gets over on Myers as well because why the hell not?

3. Anthony Greene, Ben Ortiz & Vik Dalishus vs. Team Tremendous & Guido Maritato - 4

4. Eddie Kingston vs. Eddie Edwards - 5

Man, the harsher critic of me from ten years ago would have tore the six-man tag apart but while admittedly ridiculous it captured a particular type of goofy charm really synonymous with old ECW Arena undercard bouts and the crowd at the old Arena approved. Not sure what, or more specifically whom, was the eyesore most difficult to peel your eyes away from. Team Tremendous were two guys work 1970's NYC movie beat cops complete with mustaches, suspenders, etc. then there's Ben Ortiz who looked like a 500lbs. man poured into one of MVP's old bodysuits, lastly Vik Dalishus, a portly white guy literally carried out to the ring horizontal like royalty led by his valets two African American women with breasts the sizes of small Pacific islands. And in proper ECW fashion the referee even got involved including a moonsault off of the top onto the wrestlers on the floor -- again, why the hell not? So, Matt Striker just put Chris Benoit over on commentary. Yeah . . that just happened. Kingston is in rare company with the likes of Necro Butcher, Billy Ken Kid, and Don Kernodle as oddballs I'd like to see wrestle just about anybody because of their idiosyncrasies. Somewhere under a stack of back issues of Ebony in my closet I've got a Best of Eddie Kingston three-disc set I've been meaning to watch. If only Eddie hit the treadmill as hard as he hits Del Taco and his opponents. A head drop exchange got zero reaction. I enjoyed their attempt at delivering a hard-hitting affair and had the crowd agreed with me and responded this would have gotten knocked up into recommendable status.

5. Alex Reynolds vs. Lance Anoai vs. Tony Nese - Elimination Match -  5
6. Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) vs. Team 3D - 4

Maybe I'm feeling generous but I'll toss the three-way elimination match a "5" too. Anoa'i, a fourth generation member of wrestling's grandest family, looked real good. He did a Samoan Drop on Nese while simultaneously dropkicking Reynolds which I'd never seen before. I hope WWE calls him up sooner than later. Reynolds looked the least polished of the lot, Nese we know from DGUSA & TNA, and the set-up here was "let's just throw everything we have out there" which led to a fun sprint with a few legitimately impressive highspots like the match-ending Super Reverse Frankensteiner off the top. IWGP champs in the house! After dethroning TenKoji in NJPW and claiming that WWE, TNA, & ROH were scared of them, they ended up in the ECW Arena but were interrupted by Team 3D and Bully said they were "in the wrong place, at the wrong time!" Mild brawl to start, Dudley's working on autopilot, tepid formula affair that I found a bit disappointing. I would have liked to have seen KES get some shine but this was a Dudley reunion in the Arena complete with table bump finish.

7. Austin Aries vs. Drew Galloway - 7

During intermission some cool stuff with Stevie talking off the cuff about how not just matches but shows themselves have psychology. How each match tonight served a specific purpose, etc. Galloway better known as Drew McIntyre needs to get signed by ROH or Lucha Underground so I can see him on my TV semi-regularly. Drew follows up a very stiff chop with a . . . crotch chop? Tilt-a-whirl slam onto the hard ring apron by Drew a standout spot. Galloway does cool Finley homage. Aries' chest is purple and welted. Austin busts out some top-shelf stuff too including his patented huge air double-ax handle off the top to the floor and Heat Seeking Missile suicide dive. Finish was good, wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, seemed too sudden, but upon a re-watch I was satisfied. I really liked this. I'll be seeking out some of Drew's stuff in EVOLVE.

8. Tommy Dreamer vs. Bobby Roode - Extreme Rules Match - 4

Tommy's bringing Beulah down! Seems a bit on the nose that instead of holding up hands for high fives people in the crowd are holding up food and beverage for Tommy to devour. "I'll never forget the night Tommy Dreamer took a bite out of my turkey panini!" Roode a surprise replacement for an injured Ethan Carter III. Velvet Sky does a run-in leading to Beulah getting involved and Striker doing old pastiche screaming "Cat fight!" like Joey Styles with bronchitis. Dreamer looks in terrible shape but damn it I'm not mad at him. If he wants to work meandering brawls in his own vanity fed that's alright  (just if you're reading this, Tommy, keep booking Young Bucks, and maybe bring Low Ki in?). CW Anderson interferes leading to a Sandman run-in and then one by Spike Dudley for good measure. Striker says it looks like Spike's been cooking meth. Then weakly tries to clarify it was only a Breaking Bad reference. Another buxom bimbo I don't recognize gets in the ring and does a moonsault off the top onto Dreamer which he no-sells like Undertaker wearing a stupid ash gray Phantom of the Opera mask. Finish sees Tommy eat a Death Valley Driver onto a barbed wire board. This was the definition of overbooked but Dreamer's such a class act it's too hard to find much fault in it. Dreamer does a sweetly sentimental promo post-match with wife Beulah and daughters the Twinovators of Violence.

9. Young Bucks vs. The Hardys - 8

This next match I'm going to put down the pen and notebook and just watch and marvel. Two of my all-time favorite tag teams. I'll be back with my collected thoughts -- and here I am returned from my superkick sojourn. Loved hearing the Bucks coming out to "MMMBop" again. Strikers said Bullet Club shirts are the biggest things in wrestling merch since Austin 3:16. Loved Matt Hardy's Elmer Fudd expression after Matt Jackson crotch chopped him early. Nick and Jeff's early parity exchange was fluid. Loved Jeff eating a superkick mid-springboard to the outside and selling it by taking a "Trust Fall" backwards onto both Matt's. Nick sells a Twist of Fate like he just ate some bad tamales. I once bumped into Matt Jackson buying a smoothie in Palo Alto. Who do you think wore their VHS tape of the Razor vs. HBK ladder match out more -- Matt J. or Matt H.? Tommy please book this as a Best of 7 Series. Not too many other people would bump for a neck snap on the top rope by spinning off the apron and leaping chin-first onto a steel guardrail but we thank Matt Hardy for it. Matt Hardy looks like he's working a kangaroo gimmick with that pouch. Nobody strings offensive flurries together like the Bucks. Loved Jeff doing a headstand on the top buckle like Ultimo Dragon only to eat a superkick. The Bucks busted out a Twist of Fate/Swanton combo on Jeff for a gripping nearfall! Soon after I totally bit on the Meltzer Driver ending it. I won't detail each step of the finishing act but it had some nice peaks and valleys and I was genuinely surprised that the Bucks won clean with More Bang For Your Buck. This was a few steps behind one of my 2014 MotY candidates Briscoes vs. Hardyz but that's not feint praise. Hell of a main event!

2001: A WCW Odyssey - WCW Thunder 1/17/01

The regime of Ric Flair and his cronies is in full swing. What will happen this week on Thunder as we start setting the direction for SuperBrawl!

1. Kwee Wee vs. Rick Steiner - 3

2. Hardcore Match: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Meng - 3

First match was pretty much a squash if nothing else but it got points for Steiner’s brutality. Kwee Wee got destroyed with an unnecessarily stiff assortment of suplexes and clotheslines, including one exceptionally nasty suplex that nearly broke his neck. Top rope bulldog from Steiner polished this off in short order. First few minutes of the hardcore match was fun with them trading chair shots and brawling at the announce table. Inexplicably, Bigelow decides then to start working over Meng’s knee for the remainder of the match and disregarding all weapons. I guess that’s a sound strategy as if you can’t stand, you can’t waffle someone with a waffle iron. Ending wasn’t much except Meng jumping off the top rope and hitting a fucking FROG SPLASH! Damn, what’s gotten into Meng?

3. Norman Smiley vs. Ron Harris - 2

4. Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell vs. Kronik - 3

Smiley and Harris was a nothing match. The whole story was the announcers building up a neck injury that Don Harris had and how they can’t do the old switcheroo trick since one has a neck brace on. Norman hit a few nice armdrags as the crowd audibly chanted “bor-ing” to which Schiavone claimed they were chanting “Nor-man”. Harris Brothers switch off and get the win as Norman looks to heavens for Glacier to come save him afterwards. Yep, I’m just as confused as you are right now. Tag match was set up at the beginning of the show during a Cat promo. Right at the beginning, Adams hit this wacky gorilla press into a stiff looking ribbreaker type manuever. Luger and Bagwell were doing nothing but cruising through this as there wasn’t much to get excited about. The middle seemed like they were just killing time until the run-in finish with Jeff Jarrett knocking out Clark with the guitar. Why? I have no idea. 

5. Billy Kidman vs. Mike Awesome - 4

6. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Gen. Rection - 3

More of the Filthy Animals/Team Canada feud that seems like it’s never, ever going to end. Running shooting star press of the apron by Kidman was nice but also comes across as idiotic as I’m not sure that it was a smart thing to do by someone with busted up ribs. Awesome shows hes not the dumbest tool in the shed by working over Kidman’s ribs consistently. Ending had a nice chain of nearfalls but would have probably worked better had there not been an eternity in between each one. Liked the Awesome Bomb at the end that just ruined Kidman. Chavo and Rection was a tepid battle between two former Misfits in Action colleagues. Rection charged the ring at the get-go like it was last call at Golden Corral and Chavo just bailed. Guess he didn’t want to be a part of the never ending buffet special. For a grudge match, you’d think this would have a lot of heat but a big nearfall spot by Chavo off a DDT didn’t elicit anything but golf clap from someone up in the cheap seats. Seriously, my high school study hall was livelier than this. Wall comes out at the end to supposedly root on Rection but quickly turns and chokeslams Rection off the second rope in a heel turn that my two year old son could have figured out.

7. Jeff Jarrett vs. Diamond Dallas Page - 3

Main event time and I never understood why main events for wrestling shows were made during the show. This one was made about 45 minutes ago. Eight minutes left in the shows and do these two really need to trade lame verbal barbs on the mic? Lots of kicking and punching by Jarrett, like he was being controlled in a video game by someone who doesn’t know how to power grapple and was just mashing buttons. Jarrett working the sleeper and Page frantically wailing about to get out of it didn’t do it for me at all. Just when I thought we might get a main event with no interference, we get a cavalcade of people running out for no apparent reason and presenting a lame brawl to close out the show.

2001: A WCW Odyssey Master List

TNA One Night Only: World Cup of Wrestling 2

Four team captains leading their units through the toughest task in sports entertainment. Insert laughter. Alright so maybe just me and another 26 other people domestically ordered this on-demand PPV and yes I had no idea what these teams were fighting for or toward but I watched all the same.

The show started with a terribly lengthy in-ring segment. Felt like a Béla Tarr film. Each captain choose their team one person at a time while those in attendance at Universal Studios wondered why they weren't in line for Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride or Men in Black: Alien Attack. Not much to say about the assembled teams. Except Team EC3 sucks a big 'ol floppy dick.

1. James Storm vs. Eddie Edwards - 3
2. Madison Rayne vs. Gail Kim - 4
3. Bro Mans vs. Sanada & Mr. Anderson - 3

First match starts 24 minutes into the program. Even the announcers are burying the confusing rules of this tournaments of sorts. Edwards slaps high-fives with yokels in the front row harder than Jarrett punches. Eddie's Asai Moonsault bombs like his hometown Boston's famed marathon. Now the announcers bury that's it's "World Cup" and not "TNA Cup" (the 2013 edition had an international theme missing here). Mechanically the opener wasn't terrible but it lacked a pulse to really register. When you've seen the same match-up roughly 30 times you watch closely looking for little touches and while too short to assign recommendation status I liked the Knockouts match, kept it reigned in, and even though they could have done this match in their sleep they made it click. Tag was full of goofy stuff, both intentionally and not, from Sanada doing Anderson's trademark intro on the microphone, to Robbie's pinball bumping for Ken's tired pastiche, this felt like a meandering joke with no punchline. Mr. Anderson looks like a janitor from the Wonka Factory. Finish with the laptop foreign object usage was a 4.5 on the Alexandra York scale.

4. Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young - 5
5. Magnus vs. Kurt Angle - 3
6. Angelina Love vs. ODB - 2

Young's blue and yellow attire calls to mind the colors of my elementary alma mater the Van Buren Vikings. I expected these two former Team Canada members to fight fiercer than Kevin Nash and his son this past Christmas Eve but this was pretty sporting and measured. Fan in front row appears to be wearing Professor Dave Jennings' rug. Two former World champions working this like they would a UWF-TNA armory show fills me with little hope but this was still the best thing on the show thus far (and the match-ending piledriver was pretty damn swank). Prevailing notion online is that Kurt Angle hasn't been good in years if ever but I happily disagree and can always go for a nice slice of my favorite atrophied Olympian. A smidgen of chain wrestling early left the crowd comatose -- you could hear an iPhone drop or the audience literally growing fatter from the theme park fare. I scored this low because they only laid out a quarter of a match. After doing some feeling out, Angle hit a few throws, then shortly and suddenly won with an Angle Slam with zero fanfare. Very telling of Magnus' career that after a short and problematic run as company ace they then demoted him to Bram's second. ODB looks like she's wearing a fruit leather bodysuit. I've seen chili stains with better fashion sense. Love's facial sell off a bodyslam looked like the clerk at Target when I returned all that stuff without a gift receipt. This match even had a chase sequence around ringside that was played like a bit from The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo.

7. Davey Richards vs. Ethan Carter III - 4
8. Gunner & Bully Ray vs. Kenny King & Samuel Shaw - 3
9. Team EC3 vs. Team Young - 10-Person Elimination Tag Match - 5

I've seen kids at my son's pre-school taller than Davey Richards. Watching most EC3 matches is like back in the day when you'd go to the house of the girl you were dating and her little brother would put way too much sugar in the Kool-Aid ("or purple drank") and you'd just grin and bear it. Not to be confused with the Kool-Aid that Paul Heyman was ladling out convincing people that ECW was ever good. I did like how Davey took Carter's One Percenter headlock driver right on top of his bleach-blonde skull. Shaw's dark attire looks like what Rob Feinstein probably wore when he was trolling playgrounds. King's side headlock on Bully was weaker than our economy. I hope Tommy Dreamer brings Gunner into House of Hardcore next year to work a TLC match with Danny Doring. Never noticed before that Ray takes whips into the buckles like Doug Gilbert. Or maybe Glenn Gilbertti. I was predicting a Team Angle vs. Team Roode final so color me surprised, and also chartreuse, just 'cause I like it. This went on like The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Godderz makes a bad Tauriel. Gail and Bully actually had a face-off that kind of made me want to see that match -- on WWE 2K15 that is. Gunner doing a Randy Savage double ax-handle off the top complete with swirly finger was unexpected, he also scored an elimination for his team using Luger's Torture Rack, so clearly he'd been watching old WCW pay-per-views off the WWE Network around that time. It comes down to Young and . . . Magnus? Eric chose to sell a lariat like he'd just taken some bad LSD. It was cool seeing Magnus eat a second clean pinfall on one show -- really not a fan save for his tag stuff teaming with Samoa Joe in NOAH. Pretty fun main event tops off a mostly forgettable show. It this has been '94 I'd have recorded it while watching on VHS. Then likely accidentally taped over it with the "Das Bus" episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete.

I ordered the next two subsequent TNA One Night Only shows (Knockouts Knockdown 2 & Victory Road '14) so once I get my notes cleaned up on those expect reviews. Also previewing next year here on Never Hand Over, expect lots more activity on the still relatively new NHO Podcast, as we've got lots of awesome show ideas (Starrcade '89: Future Shock retrospective, anyone?) we're excited to produce. On my own I'll also be looking at a lot of PWG stuff, as I now own all their shows from 2010-2014, as well as some of Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore shows, not one but two Sami Callihan 60 min. Iron Man matches, the NJPW/ROH War of the Worlds co-show, and a completely random and wild collection of misc. reviews analyzing both current stuff and things from my staggering personal collection. Late-quarter 2014 has seen some life breathed back into NHO and we're excited to continue refusing handing over in the new year!

NHO Podcast Episode #4: TLC PPV, 2015 Preview, Weekly TV Rundown, and more!

The NHO podcast returns and there is an absolute TON of stuff to talk about. In this episode, Brian and Adam dive into the recent WWE TLC (and Stairs) PPV, rundown the weekly TV schedule going into 2015, what to watch, what to skip, etc. There's also discussion in regards to previewing 2015 not only in wrestling but with what's happening and coming up on the blog, plus other discussion about NXT, ROH Final Battle, and loads more!



Feedback is appreciated. Find us on Twitter @neverhandover or email us at nhopodcast@yahoo.com and be sure to subscribe on iTunes!

ROH Final Battle '14

1. Caprice Coleman vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Hanson - 4
2. Adam Page vs. Roderick Strong - 4
3. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Michael Elgin - 5

Event was held at Terminal 5 which both looks and sounds like a stage from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Ordering a live 3 hr. HD pay-per-view from Ring of Honor from the comfort of my luxurious living room is something I could certainly get accustomed to. Fairly fun opener. Besides one sequence where Caprice and Hanson couldn't get on the same page this went off well. Coleman was a bit all over the place but also the most engaging performer. I didn't care for Hanson's "spinkick" finish it looked like he barely got his leg up and felt like a weak throwaway strike not a bout ender. Page hit what might possibly be my favorite clothesline of the year (and that covers a ton of ground) when he flipped over the guardrail from out in the crowd springing forward into a devastating clothesline that crushed Strong. Sick finish as the Strong Hold looked like it was going to break Page in half. I loved Elgin's way of breaking out of a Testicular Claw was rearing back and punching Ciampa right in the teeth. This was worked like a big heavyweight boxing bout from yesteryear and had enough big impactful spots without dipping into overkill territory. A hotter stretch run would have warranted a higher score but I did like Elgin's new DDT variation finish.

4. The Addiction and Cedric Alexander vs. The Young Bucks and ACH - 6
5. Moose vs. R.D. Evans - 1
6. Jay Lethal vs. Matt Sydal - 6

Funny seeing Kaz and Daniels wearing '90's era X-Men attire when Daniels looks more like Professor X than any of its fighting heroes. First match of the show that really felt vibrant and alive and got the crowd rollicking. Bucks looked as fluid and smooth as ever and turned in quite fine performances. Proud of them for recently turning down WWE's offer. Wanted to take this grade a little higher and would have had Addiction offered a little more to the proceedings. Next match stunk like coming across a malodorous noisome pile of moose excrement in the forest while taking a hike. Couldn't tell if Evans was purposefully blowing spots or just that inept but three consecutive botches of a springboard is troublesome either way. I've been saying Lethal has quietly been an MVP of 2014. Not enough high profile matches to be considered a real WotY candidate but he's sunken deep into his role and has been a reliable ace. Sydal's hair looked composed like a Roy Andersson set. This was competently put together but would have fallen a point short of real recommendation status had it not been for the cool unique finishing stretch that saw Lethal catch Sydal in mid-air while he was hitting a Shooting Star Press on Jay's manager Truth Martini with a Lethal Cutter -- really cool spot.

7. reDRagon vs. Time Splitters - 5
8. Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Cole - Fight Without Honor - 6

I rate Kyle's work in PWG & NJPW a touch higher than a lot of his ROH stuff but in general think rDRagon have likely surpassed The American Wolves' reign. They haven't had enigmatic rivals like the Wolves did with Steen & Generico but turn in pretty consistently solid work as champs. Fish was flat in EVOLVE as faux-fighter but has developed some personality as the mustachioed muscle of the team. Shelley isn't getting any younger but is still a clever and capable hand. KUSHIDA's Swanton onto the dogpile out of the ring was on the right side of crazy. Saito suplex shouldn't be a transition move. Finish was fine for a random NJPW show undercard bout but for a PPV semi-main felt a bit anticlimactic with reDRagon narrowing their focus on Kushida and hitting a series of things on him until they put this to bed. They teased an early ending with Briscoe nailing a Jay Driller very quickly and soon after putting Cole through a ringside table. Also saw first signs of blood early with Jay getting his forehead stapled by Cole. Just like a Briscoe's family reunion soon everyone is bleeding. Cole would be great in NXT. I had to laugh when Jay poured out the thumbtacks. Having regrettably done some backyard wrestling in my past we'd buy huge bags of standard silver tacks but here Briscoe looked like he raided a second grade teacher's desk as only about 400 multi-colored (green, yellow, red, blue, etc.) tacks poured out. A backdrop is about as lame a bump to waste that garbage spot on too. They should have sent them to the principal's office for ruining perfectly good school supplies. Cole survived a second Jay Driller but a third one finally finished the job. I really anticipated giving this a "7" and briefly felt like it might get to that level but they never really let loose with the violence and allowed this to feel unhinged.

This was a decent PPV offering, I'd say slight Thumbs Up, but not a pulse-pounding, run out tell your friends, type of affair. Better than last week's WWE TLC (and Stairs?) pay-per-view by any means. 2014 has been a good year for Ring of Honor but they need to mix things up a bit in the year ahead and the recent signing of Alberto Del Rio is a good step. I'd like to see them do these quarterly or three times per year and perhaps go with Cole and Briscoe on top again on the next one but in a big blowoff gimmick match (Iron Man, anyone?).

NXT Takeover R-Evolution - 12/11/2014

NXT is back with another live special on the WWE Network and I'll be damned if this isn't a loaded show ... Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville for the NXT Title, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami against the Acension, and the long-awaited debut of Kevin Owens. Strap in, this is going to be a wild ride!

1. Kevin Owens vs. C.J. Parker - 3

Right out of the gate we get the former Kevin Steen debuting against a guy who does a trippy hippy kind of deal. Owens just smashed this dude across the ring the few minutes that it was allotted. Parker hit a open palmstrike so hard that it just busted up Owens’ nose. The running cannonball style dive over the top rope was pretty wicked as was the powerbomb that sent Parker packing back to the 1960s. Parker makes a really good punching bag.

2. NXT Tag Team Titles: The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara & Kalisto) vs. The Vaudevillans (Simon Gotch & Aiden English) - 3

After watching Lucha Underground for a couple weeks now, there is no possible way I can take the Lucha Dragons seriously. The announcers kept harping the fact that they were paying homage to their Lucha culture but I seriously doubt you’d see La Parka, Mil Mascaras, or any other number of Lucha legends being a comedy team. The Vaudevillans are doing the old timey carnival wrestler type deal, complete with black and white entrance. The work was solid but not really notable. English went for a roll-up really close to the ropes which ended up being him throwing Sin Cara straight to the ground. What I’ve seen of the Vaudevillans in general, I haven’t been too impressed, although English seems like he could be a solid hand. Finish with Kalisto pinning Gotch with the sliced bread was a fun ending.

3. Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillenger - 1

Corbin destroyed Dillenger in about 30 seconds and then stared down a guy named Bull Dempsey in the crowd. Had the announcers not mentioned it was Dempsey he was staring at, I would have honestly though it was just a random dude in the crowd.

4. The Ascension vs. Hideo Itami & Finn Balor - 5

Here’s where things started to get good. Never did care much for the Ascension, always thought their names (Konnor & Viktor) along with their team name sounded like they belonged in some sort of metal band or wrestling for a random indy fed somewhere in the Midwest. Balor’s body paint was completely nuts and featured giant monster teeth painted on his neck like a mouth and whenever he moved his head and neck, the teeth opened and closed. Truly something to behold. This was probably the best Ascension match I’ve seen, mainly due to their opponents. They have the big guy look that WWE likes down pat but I’d like to see them use more moves that stand out. Right now, I couldn’t tell you which guy was which or what their trademark moves are. Itami and Balor worked good as a team and there were some nice nearfalls towards the end which really sucked the crowd in. Balor did some sort of wacky looking DDT move that dropped one of the Ascension dudes right on his head. I dug the double mushroom stomps from the top rope as a nice way to cap this off.

5. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks - 6

Women’s matches in NXT are usually very good however going into this I couldn’t really get excited for it. Charlotte has had a nice little run with the Women’s title in NXT and some good to great matches. Banks has the act down for the homegirl, ratchet type she’s portraying (someone out there correct if I butchered that completely please). If she was stuck in here with anyone else, this wouldn’t have been near as good. Charlotte has definite star power but that will quickly be squandered when she gets called up to the main roster and has to do 2-3 minute matches as an afterthought on Raw with Emma. The match istelf was one of the better ones she’s had as champion. Banks busted some wild stuff including a tope and got some good nearfalls. Charlotte retained with a top-rope neck snapper that just looked to ruin Banks night.

6. Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville - 8

Stipulation here was that if Zayn lost, he was done in NXT. This was an absolute classic and by the end, these two had me sucked in and on the edge of my seat reacting to every moment and every nearfall. The story that was played into this was that Zayn was tired of being the nice guy and needed to be more aggressive to win the title. Early on, this felt really basic but about halfway through, things kicked into high gear. Zayn did his trademark dive across the corner of the ring and kill the other guy with a DDT spot which added a nice touch since he hasn’t used that much recently. Neville completely crashed and burned doing the Red Arrow into Zayn’s knees which Zayn then transitioned into a submission hold. If this was an arcade game, he would have gotten bonus points for a combo move on that one. We got two ref bumps that were done effectively for a change. The big spot was the second ref bump where Neville brought the belt into the ring. However, Zayn got the belt and they did the Piper/Bret spot from WrestleMania 8 where in this case Zayn couldn’t bring himself to cheat to win the title, just like Piper couldn’t bring himself to cheat to retain the title in that match. After Zayn through the belt away and got rolled up by Neville, I though for sure that was it but HE KICKED OUT!!! Then, finishing it off, we get Zayn hitting the STO into the turnbuckle and nailing a big kick for the win. But wait … THERE’S MORE!! After the bout, the big celebration commences with the entire roster coming out, Zayn and Owens hugging, and then as Zayn is leaving, Owens comes out a second time and just floors the poor fucker who was just through a war with Neville. My jaw absolutely dropped when I saw that! This match was pro wrestling at it’s absolute finest. While I can’t vote it NXT match of the year (Charlotte vs. Natalya from May is my runaway winner in that category), this is an absolute must see match with a fantasticly done post-match angle.