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| Back like déjà vu Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Dean Ambrose would've gotten a better fight out of the mock Rollins mannequin he toted out a few RAWs ago then he did against Justin Gabriel in the closing part of the program.
Watching Alicia Fox trying valiantly while failing to carry Cameron into something watchable must be the professional graps equivalent of Kat Dennings on 2 Broke Girls: watching a sunflower trying to emerge from a pile of manure.
Adam Rose's Bunny actually served its purpose in helping its steward beat Stardust, probably leading to a tag match that hopefully leads to the re-emergence of Leo Kruger and/or the reveal of the wascally wabbit. Serviceable stuff, but short, and more in service of the story than the match. Kofi Kingston's promo promising an alliance with Xavier Woods' A New Day alliance probably drove up recruitment numbers for the New Black Panthers.
This almost interminably long hour from an in-ring standpoint had one little bit of glimmer in the darkness, however. As it's had to do since the Spring Of Yes! turned into further proof of Abeyance's stranglehold on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, NXT was put on display and while another battle between Tyson Kidd and Sami Zayn didn't quite didn't save the show, it wasn't for lack of trying. They were given the most time of anything on the show -- come to think of it, it may've gone the length of every other match on the show combined -- and showed off yet again not only what they were able to do last week and in that RAW tag match pre-Fatal 4 Way but expanded upon the building blocks of that and all their rivalry contretemps down Full Sail for the last few months.
Seeing a British audience immediately respond to Zayn and break out in the familiar ole-ing after the bell rang should remove the speck of doubt there was that everyone's favorite Syrian-Canadian was ready for the big time (even if big time's creative is probably unready for him). They went into some fun chain wrestling with a multitude of go-behind reversals, Sami got applause merely by slamming Kidd's face into a few buckles, and heading into break he'd reversed the polarity and made Nattie kiss him a couple of times in between beatings of Zayn.
The second half built upon what had come before while going off into its own jaunts: Tyson blocked a trademark Blue Thunder bomb but couldn't escape one when Zayn landed on his feet after a back suplex attempt, and the series of reversals off of the slingshot Owen Hart-style rollup that led to last week's chicanery was caught by the referee this time. No wonder the blokes were chanting This Is Awesome as it roared down the stretch. Yet this time would see Tyson use some chicanery again -- this time hugging Nattie on the floor while Zayn held off on bringing him back into the ring only to have the former Tag champion trip him up from the bottom rope before sliding in and ending the match with a swinging fisherman's neckbreaker.
Let us also keep in mind, considering it got hype on commentary while the match was going on, that Zayn is as you read this hours away from competing vs. Adrian Neville for the Big X. Kidd can't fight Neville anymore. That stipulation doesn't apply to Zayn. And given the nature of the two victories on two Tuesdays and an otherwise inexplicable match against Dash Wilder on the Championship Wrestling from Florida last week...not saying, just saying.
It's a fun thing to think about, and should be even better to see play out. You know, the inverse of Cameron's wrestling.*
(* = nobody is allowed to call that a cheap shot that didn't see the match, especially the ending. Writers going through their fourth IPA shouldn't be thinking they can't legally drive a car but could take a bump and be in position better than somebody who's supposed to be trained at this and is allegedly improving. Of course, she could prove everybody wrong and be the Bella Twins of 2017, but that's then and this is now. Jesus. H. Vishnu, she is Not Good.)
Watching Alicia Fox trying valiantly while failing to carry Cameron into something watchable must be the professional graps equivalent of Kat Dennings on 2 Broke Girls: watching a sunflower trying to emerge from a pile of manure.
Adam Rose's Bunny actually served its purpose in helping its steward beat Stardust, probably leading to a tag match that hopefully leads to the re-emergence of Leo Kruger and/or the reveal of the wascally wabbit. Serviceable stuff, but short, and more in service of the story than the match. Kofi Kingston's promo promising an alliance with Xavier Woods' A New Day alliance probably drove up recruitment numbers for the New Black Panthers.
This almost interminably long hour from an in-ring standpoint had one little bit of glimmer in the darkness, however. As it's had to do since the Spring Of Yes! turned into further proof of Abeyance's stranglehold on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, NXT was put on display and while another battle between Tyson Kidd and Sami Zayn didn't quite didn't save the show, it wasn't for lack of trying. They were given the most time of anything on the show -- come to think of it, it may've gone the length of every other match on the show combined -- and showed off yet again not only what they were able to do last week and in that RAW tag match pre-Fatal 4 Way but expanded upon the building blocks of that and all their rivalry contretemps down Full Sail for the last few months.
Seeing a British audience immediately respond to Zayn and break out in the familiar ole-ing after the bell rang should remove the speck of doubt there was that everyone's favorite Syrian-Canadian was ready for the big time (even if big time's creative is probably unready for him). They went into some fun chain wrestling with a multitude of go-behind reversals, Sami got applause merely by slamming Kidd's face into a few buckles, and heading into break he'd reversed the polarity and made Nattie kiss him a couple of times in between beatings of Zayn.
The second half built upon what had come before while going off into its own jaunts: Tyson blocked a trademark Blue Thunder bomb but couldn't escape one when Zayn landed on his feet after a back suplex attempt, and the series of reversals off of the slingshot Owen Hart-style rollup that led to last week's chicanery was caught by the referee this time. No wonder the blokes were chanting This Is Awesome as it roared down the stretch. Yet this time would see Tyson use some chicanery again -- this time hugging Nattie on the floor while Zayn held off on bringing him back into the ring only to have the former Tag champion trip him up from the bottom rope before sliding in and ending the match with a swinging fisherman's neckbreaker.
Let us also keep in mind, considering it got hype on commentary while the match was going on, that Zayn is as you read this hours away from competing vs. Adrian Neville for the Big X. Kidd can't fight Neville anymore. That stipulation doesn't apply to Zayn. And given the nature of the two victories on two Tuesdays and an otherwise inexplicable match against Dash Wilder on the Championship Wrestling from Florida last week...not saying, just saying.
It's a fun thing to think about, and should be even better to see play out. You know, the inverse of Cameron's wrestling.*
(* = nobody is allowed to call that a cheap shot that didn't see the match, especially the ending. Writers going through their fourth IPA shouldn't be thinking they can't legally drive a car but could take a bump and be in position better than somebody who's supposed to be trained at this and is allegedly improving. Of course, she could prove everybody wrong and be the Bella Twins of 2017, but that's then and this is now. Jesus. H. Vishnu, she is Not Good.)