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| Even without all the jumping, Neville shone in the spotlight Photo Credit: WWE.com |
First off, a quick sidebar to deal with some doubly depressing news from the NXT injury list, as not only Enzo Amore but Scott Dawson have suffered recent serious injuries and are slated to be out well into the spring. BCB sends well wishes to both men in the hopes they're on their way back safely as quick as possible.
Actually, it's highly odd that Enzo's disappearance happened in light of the main event; Adrian Neville proved he was a lot of things, but definitely not...well...do I have to spell it out for you?
S A W F T SAWFT!
As a wise and roguishly charming man once stipulated earlier in the Bo/Sami Interregnum, NXTers shouldn't be choosing betwixt winning and revenge when winning is the best revenge. While Corey Graves won the first battle, Neville came out and won the best 2 out of 3 falls skirmish that was his defining moment in NXT to date--a signature match on the board. It wasn't just the quickness with which he won the first fall with his vaunted Red Arrow, but what happened after Corey Graves did the bail-out/roll in trick to set up kicking his previously injured leg out from under his leg and then went after it like a ninth grade girl after a sale at Hot Topic.
After being put in a half crab, Neville fought off a couple of attempts at getting locked into Lucky 13 for the third time but failed. This is where his babyface heart came to the front, more effective than his concise menacing promo a couple of weeks ago. Both Regal and Tensai noted that he had a fall to burn and maybe he wanted to save himself. Despite being practically in the center of the ring, he failed to do so and then tapped out, heading into the decisive fall.
When he cut off another attempted chop block with a basement dropkick, it showed off a brilliant counter at a moment when he absolutely needed to pull a Colts logo out of the crevasse. Then things got really awesome: he had Graves in perfect position for the Red Arrow but wasn't nearly as fully operational as he was in the first fall, natch. So he did his best McGuyver impersonation after staggering out to the apron by getting to the top rope in a vault that put him at a diagonal angle over the top rope on his belly. Slowly, he used his right leg to get up top and it worked. All he needed was the left leg to hold up, even if only for a couple seconds.
It failed.
He went down faster than Enron stock, and Graves took advantage of the flub he'd created by putting on L13 yet again. Neville was screwed royally, and not in the fun Kate Middleton way. He gritted his teeth. He yelled. He even had Regal and Tensai rooting for him as he inched along the mat on his fists, finally making the ropes after the better part of a strenuous minute that by all rights should've finished him off. And then he countered the rereapplying of the L13 into a small package and won. That's the sort of thing that gets a man above "the guy who does the awesome corkscrew Shooting Star Press" and into "awesome babyface"; considering the abundance of the latter on NXT's roster any distinguishing characteristic to separate yourself can only be a boon.
(Also I'm willing to bet some wags said this wasn't as good as the Cesaro/Zayn best of 3, and I will simply say I have no interest in comparing really good swords to Hattori Hanzos.)
Less one awesome babyface is the divas division, seemingly setting up a trios match between Team Awesome (Bayley/Paige/Emma, not listed in order of importance or giddy fanboyism...well, probably) and the BFFs, who just added Charlotte to their ranks. What is in the water in Full Sail recently with all these sudden if necessary heel turns? That said, there's one easy way for the NXT Constellationite to decide they suddenly hate somebody. Slap Bayley in the face when she's going for the hot tag after getting wailed on and being put in leglock full nelsons and the like. Damn you, Charlotte Flair. And damn you too, Summer Rae, for throwing down the headbands Bayley got you and Sasha before the match. Those babies are going to be cash cows once BayBay gets the callup, let me tell you. She pulled off the Hugplex and everything and ugggghhh these heels need to get served dance-wise then kneed repeatedly in their faces then Hugplexed twice each and then more knees! In their faces!
[wr. note--had to clean up the language in the last two sentences. JEEZ, MAN.]
Rather than end the Bias on that dark cloud, Aiden English continues to give me life. The first scumbag to drop him from behind while he's doing the pre-match song is going to be the next Charlotte. Even better than bursting out the Director's Cut Out Of Nowhere!™ was him selling the effects of Camacho's offense during the encore, but still delivering the encore because the people wanted it, damnit! This is Exhibit #47,178 why Full Sail hosts the Show of the Year, since nothing would convince me on RAW some babyface wouldn't've denigrated him and gotten cheered for it after delivering some variant on "LOLGAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!" but here in the glorious shores of NXTania he gets the roses and hosannas he deserves. Hell, William Regal being brought to tears to the point of having to take Tensai's pocket square and blowing his nose in it was the funniest thing since FandanRae lost to Emmatino. Hey, that happened on NXT, too! WATFO?!
Next week, Bo Dallas returns, and he just might bring Sami Zayn out of mothballs with him as a result. But in word, song, and deed, both English and Neville in their respective bouts took steps up the newly minted Power Rankings to justify decent places in line to be the ones to derail the Dallas Express.
Actually, it's highly odd that Enzo's disappearance happened in light of the main event; Adrian Neville proved he was a lot of things, but definitely not...well...do I have to spell it out for you?
S A W F T SAWFT!
As a wise and roguishly charming man once stipulated earlier in the Bo/Sami Interregnum, NXTers shouldn't be choosing betwixt winning and revenge when winning is the best revenge. While Corey Graves won the first battle, Neville came out and won the best 2 out of 3 falls skirmish that was his defining moment in NXT to date--a signature match on the board. It wasn't just the quickness with which he won the first fall with his vaunted Red Arrow, but what happened after Corey Graves did the bail-out/roll in trick to set up kicking his previously injured leg out from under his leg and then went after it like a ninth grade girl after a sale at Hot Topic.
After being put in a half crab, Neville fought off a couple of attempts at getting locked into Lucky 13 for the third time but failed. This is where his babyface heart came to the front, more effective than his concise menacing promo a couple of weeks ago. Both Regal and Tensai noted that he had a fall to burn and maybe he wanted to save himself. Despite being practically in the center of the ring, he failed to do so and then tapped out, heading into the decisive fall.
When he cut off another attempted chop block with a basement dropkick, it showed off a brilliant counter at a moment when he absolutely needed to pull a Colts logo out of the crevasse. Then things got really awesome: he had Graves in perfect position for the Red Arrow but wasn't nearly as fully operational as he was in the first fall, natch. So he did his best McGuyver impersonation after staggering out to the apron by getting to the top rope in a vault that put him at a diagonal angle over the top rope on his belly. Slowly, he used his right leg to get up top and it worked. All he needed was the left leg to hold up, even if only for a couple seconds.
It failed.
He went down faster than Enron stock, and Graves took advantage of the flub he'd created by putting on L13 yet again. Neville was screwed royally, and not in the fun Kate Middleton way. He gritted his teeth. He yelled. He even had Regal and Tensai rooting for him as he inched along the mat on his fists, finally making the ropes after the better part of a strenuous minute that by all rights should've finished him off. And then he countered the rereapplying of the L13 into a small package and won. That's the sort of thing that gets a man above "the guy who does the awesome corkscrew Shooting Star Press" and into "awesome babyface"; considering the abundance of the latter on NXT's roster any distinguishing characteristic to separate yourself can only be a boon.
(Also I'm willing to bet some wags said this wasn't as good as the Cesaro/Zayn best of 3, and I will simply say I have no interest in comparing really good swords to Hattori Hanzos.)
Less one awesome babyface is the divas division, seemingly setting up a trios match between Team Awesome (Bayley/Paige/Emma, not listed in order of importance or giddy fanboyism...well, probably) and the BFFs, who just added Charlotte to their ranks. What is in the water in Full Sail recently with all these sudden if necessary heel turns? That said, there's one easy way for the NXT Constellationite to decide they suddenly hate somebody. Slap Bayley in the face when she's going for the hot tag after getting wailed on and being put in leglock full nelsons and the like. Damn you, Charlotte Flair. And damn you too, Summer Rae, for throwing down the headbands Bayley got you and Sasha before the match. Those babies are going to be cash cows once BayBay gets the callup, let me tell you. She pulled off the Hugplex and everything and ugggghhh these heels need to get served dance-wise then kneed repeatedly in their faces then Hugplexed twice each and then more knees! In their faces!
[wr. note--had to clean up the language in the last two sentences. JEEZ, MAN.]
Rather than end the Bias on that dark cloud, Aiden English continues to give me life. The first scumbag to drop him from behind while he's doing the pre-match song is going to be the next Charlotte. Even better than bursting out the Director's Cut Out Of Nowhere!™ was him selling the effects of Camacho's offense during the encore, but still delivering the encore because the people wanted it, damnit! This is Exhibit #47,178 why Full Sail hosts the Show of the Year, since nothing would convince me on RAW some babyface wouldn't've denigrated him and gotten cheered for it after delivering some variant on "LOLGAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!" but here in the glorious shores of NXTania he gets the roses and hosannas he deserves. Hell, William Regal being brought to tears to the point of having to take Tensai's pocket square and blowing his nose in it was the funniest thing since FandanRae lost to Emmatino. Hey, that happened on NXT, too! WATFO?!
Next week, Bo Dallas returns, and he just might bring Sami Zayn out of mothballs with him as a result. But in word, song, and deed, both English and Neville in their respective bouts took steps up the newly minted Power Rankings to justify decent places in line to be the ones to derail the Dallas Express.