Thursday, December 11, 2014

NXT Takeover - R-Evolution 12-11-14

After issues getting the Network to launch on the PS3, Xbox, and PS4, I finally got it working on the X1, which means screens will be super-sharp. The X1 defaults to 720p, which looks way better than 1080i for my purposes - way sharper. Renee, Alex, and Tensai talk about the main event, then hype up the Balor/Itami tag. Itami's signing with Hogan and Hart, photo with HHH, and even NOAH shots are used here. He comes off like such a badass until they show him getting killed by the Ascension. Tensai blatantly lies and says that Itami is as popular in Japan as Flair is in America. Corey Graves hype video shows off his moves and kickass theme. Corey talks about concussions befalling him, and thanks to WWE's doctors, he can live a comfortable life - but out of the ring. He's retired in-ring, but he'll be a commentator instead. Owens promo. NOW IT'S TIME TO FIGHT! Tonight, Kevin Owens takes over! Yeah, this ruled!


Lucha Dragons talk to Michael Clone. BFFs recap sets up Charlotte-Sasha nicely. Sasha talks to Riley about THE NXT UNIVERSE, and then Bayley talks and gets jumped by Becky. IS IT YOUR KNEE!? Riley is dumb as fuck. I'm astonished Bayley won't need full reconstruction and miss at least one week of action. Zayn-Neville hype. We get a recap of Zayn's many big losses and then the Neville turn-ish thing, and their promo on the go-home show. They point out Corey's Revolution tattoo and throw to the opening hype for Owens, Charlotte, and everyone talking about their evolution.

FIGHT OWENS FIGHT! Is out. He's got a new KO shirt, a tear in his eye, a kick-ass theme, and a massive FIGHT OWENS FIGHT chant to greet him. Owens kills him with shots, kills him with a corner lariat, hits the cannonball and does a somersault senton to the floor getting a holy shit chant. A FLYING COW!? Fuck you A-Ry! Parker hits some stuff, misses a senton by a mile, but gets 2.9 off a palm strike. WHY IS CJ PARKER GETTING OFFENSE!? KO kills him with a lariat, gets the over the knee neckbreaker and wins with a pop-up powerbomb. Somehow, Owens got his nose busted up - probably on the palm strike. Definitely the palm strike - replay shows him clearly holding his nose after it.
 They throw to a Lucha Dragons video, but it won't play right away. I wish they'd just run NXT as a separate thing and give them all main roster pay, because NXT is the only place where talent is actually being maximized. Sin Cara is actually useful here, while on WWE TV, he's just a dude. Lucha Dragons are in gold gear, and while their theme is fine, it loops too quickly and is too "gemeric Mexican music" for me. Aiden's hair is something else. Love him yelling at Simon to SHOW HIM YOUR STRENGTH! They double team WITH POWER on Sin Cara. Kalisto has less of a body on him than Sin Cara - wow. English with a SCHOOLBOY TO THE FLOOR on Sin Cara. Heels double team Sin Cara a ton and lure Kalisto in to do more damage closer to their corner. Kalisto gets a tag and flies around. Faces sent English onto Gotch on the floor. DOUBLE TAKER DIVE TO ENGLISH! SDS hits and the champs retain. Okay little match - nothing really required to watch in it though. Sasha stretches with Becky backstage.NXT hype video.

Tye Dillinger is out and my stream's going to hell. Owens interview is coming next week on NXT. Tye's out to face Baron Corbin. Well, if the stream's going to be bad, it should at least be for this. Baron gets the snake eyes and big boot. Corbin hits the flatliner and wins after Bull comes out. Sami's chat with Cole takes up the focus, BUT IN THE BACKGROUND, Sami meets with the Goomba and Steen won't look at him! They do the same video for the Balor-Itami tag.

 


Ascension's out. Itami's got a new tron and new gear with a yellow and black kung-fu jacket. Balor's out with a revamped, darker version of his theme and THE PAINT RETURNS! And Balor has the biggest-league intro in the company! The performance art stuff's a bit weird, BUT THIS RULES! Faces kick ass. MARK-ING OUT CHANT! Itami's Bruce Lee gear is good stuff. Heels run wild when the match begins proper. Riley - "Itami doesn't speak English" - if you don't count HIS OPENING PROMO ON NXT, AND EVERY PROMO SINCE THEN, then yes, you're correct. God, the Ascension dominating this hurts it a lot. LOL at the WE WANT KENTA chant, and it being booed. Ascension guy with a fivehead misses a corner charge, but the fat one takes Balor down on the apron. BALOR COMES IN WITH A SLINGBLADE! Balor does a somersault senton to the heels on the floor. Corner kick to both guys. Saving Grace hits for 2! Itami spears Konor to the floor and lands on his head. Running lariat/STO from Viktor. GTS tease got a HUGE pop! Itami pulls Konnor out to prevent their finish, Pele hits! DOUBLE DOUBLE FOOT STOMP! Balor wins! This was fun - Ascension's awful and doomed on the main roster, but this was a must-watch due to Balor and to a lesser extent, Itami.


Renee meets with her guest at this time, Roman Reigns. OH MY GOD THEY'RE KILLING ROMAN WITH THIS VERBIAGE! Ric meets with Charlotte - Ric looks great, nice and thin. Sane Charlotte-Sasha vid. Sasha's out first, then Charlotte. YAY LIL NAITCH IS THE REF! I'm pretty sure Lil Naitch has been in the ring for matches with every one of Flair's kids that has wrestled - granted, one would be a nothing Reid match on Thunder, but still. They exchange chops. Why is Sasha covering her face for a chest chop? They fight on the floor and Sasha smacks her into the steps. Graves is doing really well for literally just starting this - although I assume he's been doing this at the Performance Center for a while. Sasha gets double knees in the corner then does the strut during a basement spot to get schoolgirled. Too gimmicky. Double knee straightjacket choke from Sasha. Sasha gets a hairpull and a figure four choke just like Charlotte. Electric chair drop out of that. They fight on the floor and Charlotte gets taken out on the ramp with a suicide dive - 2 for Sasha. FLIP BUMP FOR A SPEAR FROM CHARLOTTE! .2 on the Aries scale for that flip bump off the spear. Bank statement countered into the figure four, cradle gets 2. Banks neckbreaker gets 2 three times. Slam-style suplex by Charlotte. Charlotte's moonsault misses, but she gets a somersault instantly for 2! Nice! Headscissors fakeout by Sasha sends Charlotte's face into the buckle. Charlotte counters a superplex. DIAMOND DUST FROM CHARLOTTE gets the win! Good-ish match, but not as good as Charlotte-Nattie from the last special.

Sami-Neville video replays. Sami's out in slightly new gear, then Neville's out in red and white gear. NXT has the best themes outside of New Japan. Sami looks really smug in the corner - I can't wait for this! Dueling LET'S GO SAMI/NEVILLE SUCKS chant! I'm Oleing at home, and clapping - AND THE MATCH HASN'T EVEN STARTED! Neville takes him down with a front facelock and they exchange holds ala 2K15. Corey makes a great point about Neville needing to man up like his favorite football team. Modified crossface chickenwing on the ground from Neville. Sami wins that exchange, so they go for another one. Corey doing a fantastic job pointing out that Sami's biggest rival here is himself. Sami gets a tiltawhirl backbreaker. ASAI MOONSAULT FROM SAMI! There's a staredown...and the stream's video freezes. It comes back and Sami's in a chinlock. Crowd chants Ole and SAMI FIRES UP! Neville gets the missile dropkick and 2. Neville kicks him mockingly and then gets the Kawada kicks. Sami comes back with a lariat. Pop-up dropkick sends Neville to the floor, he comes in and gets a running rana to Sami. Neville to the floor - FLIP DIVE FROM SAMI! Sami is so close to being the best in the world right now. Big crossbody gets 2 for Sami! Go-behind counter exchange sets up a hop-up into a victory roll setup and then the Blue Thunder Bomb for 2! Off the ropes German gets 2 for Neville. Sami takes a powerbomb for 2. NJPW FOREARM EXCHANGE! Sliding dropkick misses, LARIAT HITS FOR ZAYN! Helluva misses and he eats kicks. RED ARROW, KNEES! KOJI CLUTCH! Neville gets the ropes and a chorus of boos. Ref makes contact after a victory roll. Sami checks on the REF BUT HE EATS A SUPERKICK AND A REVERSE RANA FOR 2.9! Holy shit! BIG FOREARMS! Neville misses a kick and eats rolling Germans and then a chickenwing half-nelson suplex, BUT NEVILLE ROLLS TO THE FLOOR! TORPEDO DDT! HELLUVA KICK, BUT NEVILLE PULLS THE REF IN! Neville's on the floor! Neville grabs the belt, Sami takes him down and stares at the belt. Ref's kinda down, but not out. "COME ON MOTHERFUCKER!" "NAH, FUCK THAT!" Corner exploder! HELLUVA KICK! sami does it!

The locker room comes out and congratulates him - led by Kevin Owens, who hugs and kisses his best friend. This is amazing. This is like if Luger had got the big win in '93 - they're all just having so much fun out there. Confetti's falling, and I'm totally fine with this being Sami Zayn's career peak in WWE. I can accept them fucking him up massively on the main roster because he at least had this moment. Neville gets up, refuses the handshake and hugs him! Steen and Generico go off into the sunset, BUT KEVIN HITS THE APRON POWERBOMB! Boom - can't wait for the future.


Screens -
http://www.imagebam.com/gallery/qamv180xi9tzoqb61hrev3ww66c5yogo


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