Originally posted by CRZAnyway, I have found that recap shows are a theoretical (Tyler) Breeze...
That's why he's the boss! Well, that and the years of dedicated work through wrestling's biggest boom period. Also, he owns and operates the board. Also...
You know what? I'm just going to stop there.
Anyhoo, CRZ's right, there's not much meat to this one. If you've been following along, then there's very little new content in this recap episode. But let's take a look at what they decided to focus in on.
First, we have a recap of the Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens feud, starting back at last year's (R)Evolution and going through the title match at Rival. They even show the end of the title match and Owens winning the belt by ref stop. It was a real shame that Sami's injury prevented us from getting a real end to that feud, and I hope there's some way for NXT to use Owens this year so that we can get the blow-off. Highlight Rating: It Was Interesting, But I Have Trouble Calling It Good.
The next highlight was Hideo Itami. He really ought to be back soon. They replay the angle for his shoulder injury, and then show highlights from the Breeze/Balor #1 contender match that Itami had to be written out of. Highlight Rating: Not Sure I Would Have Highlighted Itami With A Match He Wasn't In.
We see some stuff about NXT on the road, including the behind the scenes stuff they shot at their first road show in Cleveland. I mentioned this back when they actually did it, but hearing that NXT was performing in the same venue my wife used to see punk shows in was kind of surreal. I'm deeply, deeply disappointed that I couldn't actually go to Cleveland to see the show.
Okay, here's some fresh content for us. They're plugging a DVD of NXT's best matches, including some that have never been televised before. They're going to show Adrian Neville vs. Cesaro from the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH. That sounds super exciting! I can't wait! What the fuck do you mean we're joining the match in progress! This is a taped show! There's no excuse for this nonsense!
Anyhoo. It's really just the finishing sequence. Cesaro hooks in a really nice Boston crab, but Neville escapes and counters with a superkick. Cesaro tries to go up top, but Neville counters him and goes for a hurricanrana. Cesaro counters and goes for a powerbomb, but Neville counter-counters and hits the original 'rana. He tries for the Red Arrow, but Cesaro gets to his feet. Cesaro lays in a trio of European uppercuts, followed by the Neutralizer and the win. Match Rating: Half A Match? Fuuuuuuck You.
Next is a package spotlighting the women's division, and the four horsewomen in particular. This leads into the last five minutes of the ironman match from Respect, which, I say again, had the best, most inventive finish I've ever seen. Highlight Rating: There's No Real Conversation To Be Had Here, Right? That Was The Match Of The Year.
The next package takes a look at who debuted in NXT this year. It's been a pretty big year: Zack Ryder, Rhyno, James Storm, and Samoa Joe. All great gets.
To spotlight Joe, we get highlights from his match with Baron Corbin at Brookly. One Joe match, and one match from Brooklyn, and they went with this one. Highlight Rating: No Offense, But That Was Actually The Worst Match From That Entire Show.
Although, fair's fair: It wasn't a bad match and Brooklyn was a great show.
They show Sami's shoulder injury against John Cena, which leads into this show's "main event," Cena vs. Kevin Owens from Elimination Chamber. This was a pretty good pick, I think. Number one, it was the best of the three matches between those two. Number two, if you're some weirdo who only watches NXT but not the RAW stuff, you've never seen it. Number three, it spotlights NXT by showing their champion beating the most important performer in all of professional wrestling. So, like I said, good choice. Highlight Rating: I Still Can't Believe Owens Won. And I'll Be That Guy - He Should Have Won The Whole Feud.
That's it for the Year in Rev - wait, what's that? This is only part one? They've inexplicably broken this up into a two week affair? Well, I guess they've had a hard year and they deserve some time off. It's light work for me, too, so it's hard to complain (It is never hard to complain) and I guess we'll see what else they thought stood out in 2015. I'm going to go with Beast in the East, Bayley's title win in Brookly, and maybe a look at the guys who got called up to RAW this past year? Okay, those will stand as predictions. Thanks for all the kind words in last week's thread, and you guys have a happy New Year.
So WWE is doing NXT Awards, which I assume will be done in a less show-jarring way than the Slammys. Besides male wrestler and female wrestler of the year, they have an overall category that includes Sasha, Bayley, Becky, Asuka and Charlotte in with the men. What's the realistic odds that one of them actually wins? (I voted Sasha though I battled back and forth with her and Bayley, so that's one vote at least).
Hey, I haven't watched WWE since before the *last* PPV. Sure, I'll play!! Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns, WWE Champion vs. Universal Champion Match: McIntyre Asuka vs. Sasha Banks, Raw Women's Champion vs. Smackdown Women's Champion Match:
Thread rated: 6.04
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