NXTweet 09.12.15

One week until Takeover: London. This was all about final bits of build for the key matches. And reminding North American Network subscribers that it's not the end of the world that they can't watch a show live in the evening for once.

Intro

Tweet 1: It's NXTime.

Tweet 2: These emotionally manipulative ads for JEWELLERY on the Network though.
Tweet 3: "Bull Dempsey deserves to be in the opening credits," said nobody ever.

Corey Hollis and John Skyler v Enzo Amore and Big Cass

Tweet 4: Little Enzo and Colin Nash have engaged Serious Mode.

Tweet 5: Corey Hollis and John Skyler are rocking the ECW jobbers look. Good for them.
Tweet 6: Cass been hitting the spray tan, hasn't he? Probs part of his knee rehab.
Tweet 7: Liking Carmella's hair this week FTR.

Fresh knee pads on Li'l 'zo.

Tweet 8: Cena-esque drop kick from Enzo there.
Tweet 9: Story of this match is Cass and Enzo have beaten this jobber team far easier than the tag champs did. Commentary have missed that.
Tweet 10: Food on tables promo here from Enzo. Great stuff.
Tweet 11: Such a fan of Cass waiting awkwardly to hit his catchphrase once Enzo decides he's done.
Tweet 12: "We WILL walk out the NXT tag team champions" - Big Cass, who's probably wrong

Dana Brooke and Emma talk to Tom Philips

Tweet 13: Dana Brooke in a white top? #twothumbsup

Tweet 14: NXT > Japan, says Emma.
Tweet 15: I could believe Emma is a heavy smoker.
Tweet 16: "Scrunch down" - Dana Brooke, with another line I'd be a fan of hearing IRL

Deonna Purrazzo v Asuka

Tweet 17: The Asuka versus Dana and Emma feud isn't the best thing ever but I do like their issue being independent of the women's title.

Tweet 18: I don't like Deonna's chances for this match...
Tweet 19: Not least because she's wearing massive knee pads.

Ask her!

Tweet 20: Going to make the bold prediction that Asuka will debut new ring gear at Takeover: London.
Tweet 21: Oh no! Dana and Emma are standing on the ramp and Asuka is distrac- oh, wait, everything's fine. She just KOed that job girl.

Hype Bros promo

Tweet 22: Imagine Mojo thinking 90s references will get him over with Vince McMahon.

Tweet 23: Things would be very different for them if Russo was still around.

BAMF promo

Tweet 24: 'Fashionplate' Wesley Blake.

Tweet 25: That's a singles run waiting to happen. Give it time...
Tweet 26: Anyone done any fanfic about Alexa's Goa'uld hand thing yet? Asking for a friend.

Hype Bros v BAMF

Tweet 27: Mojo and Ryder are a good fit as partners but you still have to feel for Ryder. Got himself over and this is his reward.

Tweet 28: Liking the Dennis the Menace colour scheme on BAMF.

FFS.

Tweet 29: The physiques on Mojo and Blake though.
Tweet 30: Really enjoying the heel shenanigans of BAMF. Shocking display as Alexa gets lifted up by Blake to kick Ryder in the head.

At least Zack's safe from her rough moonsault.

Tweet 31: Mojo Rawley is a sweaty lad.
Tweet 32: Hoping Blake and Murphy win this. Feel like the Hype Bros will though.
Tweet 33: They won immediately after I pressed send FFS. I get it. Heel tag champs need fave challengers. Still, BAMF deserve better.

Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin promo

Tweet 34: Joe and Barry having a chat here.

Tweet 35: "I don't like where you come from and I don't like what you represent" - Barry Corbin on Apollo Crews
Tweet 36: Barry's gimmick of calling indy guys rookies: tremendous.

Peyton Royce v Bayley

Tweet 37: Peyton Royce getting a featured intro here. Has she won a TV match yet?

Tweet 38: I retract that question as it no longer matters when she's doing Billy Gunn's draped-in-the-ropes pose. Hilarious.
Tweet 39: Billy did it better though. More erotic, for starters...
Tweet 40: Going by boot colours Bayley is the heel and Peyton is the face.
Tweet 41: Bayley doing the Jericho style bulldog always makes me sad.

Peyton loses. Again.

Tweet 42: This Nia Jax and Eva Marie pairing being a lasting thing is a great decision. This heat is manager heat.
Tweet 43: Standing at ringside to get booed. That's how to book Eva Marie.

Apollo Crews and Finn Bálor chat backstage

Tweet 44: Casual chat between Apollo and Finn in front of a camera here.

Tweet 45: #unfinishedbusiness
Tweet 46: I want Finn Bálor to be booked as an increasingly paranoid champion, like Austin in 2001. Doing backstage skits where he sings and that.

Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe v Finn Bálor and Apollo Crews

Tweet 47: Barry and Joe tagging out against their rivals and it being framed as tremendous use of mind games is hilarious.

Tweet 48: Crews v Joe will be a good thing for NXT when it rolls around.
Tweet 49: Barry, you're not even taping your wrists, mate. What have you become?
Tweet 50: If this match ends with Joe choking out Finn then Finn retains next Wednesday.
Tweet 51: Could see Apollo or Barry taking the pin though TBH.
Tweet 52: Barry Corbin should get a new gimmick where he makes reference to being a werewolf every so often.
Tweet 53: Bálor falls to the Coquina clutch. So he'll retain the title. Because that's how WWE works. And NXT, despite what it gets right, is WWE.

The hossiest hoss.

Tweet 54: Joe posing with another man's belt to close the show. #heel
Tweet 55: Good show. Good hustle. Strong stuff.

WWE TLC 2015 preview

There are two things I want to more at the start of this preview. The first is that the show is sponsored by Toys 'R' Us. This is an example of why WWE went PG. They never would have got such a sponsor (and say what you want about Toys 'R' Us but they're a big retailer who pop the kids) without that rating on their product.

The second is that the show is to be held in Boston, Massachusetts. That's (pretty much) John Cena's hometown. That he's currently on a sabbatical filming a reality fitness show or getting married or finding himself or something was already a problem for the injury-heavy roster. Big Match John missing a PPV in Boston is doubling disappointing. There's always the potential to do something memorable with him there.

But let's not focus on what's missing. Let's focus on what we have. The hot new feud in WWE since November's Survivor Series? Roman Reigns versus Sheamus. No, it's not the most exciting-sounding programme WWE could have put together but it has avoided being actively bad. Shaymo comes as close to having genuine heat as anyone in WWE these days and works fine as a generic heel for the valiant Reigns to chase. It would be nice if we were getting something different to the tried and tested cowardly-paper-champion routine, especially as Sheamus could convincingly portray a bruising bully, but it's better than nothing. Marginally.

Reigns and 'Great White' have decent enough chemistry too. And while I'm not the biggest fan of Sheamus he does at least bring some variety to pay-per-view main events. It's nice to get a break from the seemingly never ending cycle of established headline names exchanging victories.

Pleasingly, it's found a use for Bad News Barrett and 'Don't Call Me Alexander' Rusev, teaming them up with world champ Sheamus as the League of Nations. The stable has a whiff of the mid-card about it but considering it's comprised of mud-carders that's both understandable and okay. I'm all for guys being given things to do.

The specifics of this feud are largely uninteresting. The only part that matters is that Sheamus is the man who "robbed" Reigns of his first WWE title and has been bragging about it since, even going so far as to slap a slogan on a T-shirt (the audacity!). Of course, Sheamus didn't rob Reigns. He used a contract that he'd won fairly in the manner in which it was intended. But this is WWE so they have to frame Reigns as the wronged party.

The match will benefit from a strong layout. We know that because keeping Reigns strong is still the company's priority. I'll be amazed if Barrett and Rusev don't interfere to give Reigns some fodder to blast through. That seems to be the sole reason the League of Nations was formed. Sheamus will almost certainly escape with the belt via shady tactics, setting up a rematch at Royal Rumble where Reigns can finally get a lengthy run as champ on the go.

The undercard is mostly comprised of decent-sounding but unspectacular matches. Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze was rumoured and would have made sense but has been omitted from the card. Because WWE loves it's "everything remains even" booking, part of the reason so many members of the roster find it hard to build any momentum and generate a connection with the crowd, the likelihood would have been a win for 'The Show Off' because 'Prince Pretty' went over in their first PPV encounter.

But that match isn't happening so I'll note that the "evening out" logic also applies to Kevin Owens v Dean Ambrose. 'The Lunatic Fringe' pinned KO at Survivor Series. Owens' title wasn't up for grabs there, instead it was a spot in the finals of a world championship tourney. The standard practice of feuding wrestlers swapping PPV victories indicates a win for Owens, as does the fact that he's only had the title three months. It feels like he's die a long run as the IC champion, partly because he's got so much star potential and partly because I suspect that factions backstage want to rehabilitate that belt. Ambrose could win it here but I think he's more likely to get it in a rematch. Or possibly not at all, at least not from Owens.

The logic will probably not apply to Charlotte versus Paige. The reason for that is that 'The Nature Girl' is in the process of turning heel (following in the footsteps of Paige, who herself turned only a couple of months back). She's had an unspectacular face run and the chances are high that she's going to keep hold of the belt to see if she can improve her standing when she switches to the dark side fully.

I think she will. Charlotte got over in NXT largely because of strong booking and benefiting from working with superior wrestlers. She's got neither on the main roster and has found it tougher to connect because of it. Going bad will mean her slightly stand-offish nature is a strength and not a hindrance. It will also help her character make sense: boasts of genetic superiority do not a babyface make.

Paige v Charlotte could be good fun if they're given long enough and there's some interesting booking thrown in to play up Charlotte's new attitude. Paige is easily a good enough wrestler to get a good match out of Ms Flair.

Alberto Del Rio v Jack Swagger is mostly interesting because of the mess of a storyline it represents. ADR returned in October and was paired with J-Swag's former manager, light-hearted racist Zeb Colter. The two spent two months telling people they're all about MexAmerica (whatever that's meant to be) with Swagger popping up every so often to try to convince Colter to go back to his fun-lovin' racist ways. The really confusing part isn't that this got aired (this is WWE, far weirder stuff than this has been okayed over the years) but that Swagger was presented as the good guy despite being, essentially, pro-racism.

Either guy could win the match. I'll be bored to tears whoever goes over because Del Rio does nothing for me. I'll pick 'The All American American' to win because that'll free the reportedly highly paid Del Rio up for bigger and better things. Winning after interference from Uncle Zeb would help: ADR wouldn't suffer the indignity of a clean loss that way.

In a similar vein the Wyatt Family versus ECW Originals match is one that's hard to care about. Despite being one of the strongest characters in the company Wyatt is routinely placed into dreary programmes (not that this is big news or anything). His two feuds with The Undertaker this year have both been badly and this has been little better. 'The Eater of Worlds' has taken a dislike to the Dudleys for whatever reason and they've called in Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno for assistance. Which, for anyone familiar with the history of Dreamer and the Duds in ECW is jarring. For that matter Rhyno had little to do with either of his three teammates here. They're being held together by the love of a promotion that went out of business fourteen years ago.

This is a match that has powerful train wreck potential. In a perverse way I'll enjoy it the worse it is, because it's not something we can expect to be good by any reasonable criteria. The right result would be the Wyatt clan going over because they have more to offer the company in the future and Bray still has the glimmer of main event potential to him, but who the hell knows if we'll get that. They lost to 'Taker and Kane last month, and they have a combined age of 98.

The highlight of the line-up is the tag team championship match, New Day defending against the Usos and the Lucha Dragons. Iffy psychology aside (faces shouldn't outnumber heels in a triple threat unless under exceptional circumstances) this match should be fun. New Day are great, Kalisto is an ultra talented dude that deserves better than being half of a bit part tag team, and the Usos have now been around long enough to be acceptable as the veteran doubles squad that are a constant threat to whoever has the belts.

It feels like a change is due in the tag scene. Brief Prime Time Players reign aside New Day have had the gold since SummerSlam in August. There would be nothing wrong with them retaining but it feels like a good time for a switch up, if only for a while. While the Usos winning would prove them to be the constant threats I've said I feel they can be I think a win for the Lucha Dragons would be a better move. Getting a title onto Kalisto should be a priority. Having him as a former tag champ would make any eventual singles push that bit more meaningful of done right.

Ryback versus Rusev will also happen. If there's a less appealing bout WWE could add t this pay-per-view I'd love to hear it.

***

Predictions summary:

Sheamus to defeat Roman Reigns to retain the WWE championship
Kevin Owens to defeat Dean Ambrose to retain the Intercontinental championship
Lucha Dragons to defeat New Day and the Usos to win the tag team championship
The Wyatt Family to defeat the Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno
Charlotte to defeat Paige to retain the Divas championship
Jack Swagger to defeat Alberto Del Rio to win the United States championship
Rusev to defeat Ryback

NXTweet 02.12.15

This week's episode of NXT was all about solidifying the spots of the main players ahead of Takeover: London.

Nia Jax got to win a squash match and calmly confront Bayley backstage. 'The Hugster' got to show she was intimidated by her new challenger (always important for a fightin' babyface) and officially accept the unspoken challenge. Then she was thrown through a door, which got over Nia's power and made her ruthlessness clear while putting Bayley at an even larger disadvantage than she was before. Because she's now not just facing a larger opponent, she's doing so after being thrown through some specially constructed collapsible furniture. 

The tag title competitors didn't get as much air time but chances are they'll get spotlighted next week. Here we were shown champs Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson bragging about having already injured Big Cass's leg, a nice change of pace from the kind of heels presented on the main WWE roster. It's a basic thing but not something anyone on the more high profile WWE shows would get to do. What's more, Dash and Dawson are good at it. It plays to their strengths.

The more interesting news from the tag division came after the Vaudevillains versus Jason Jordan and Chad Gable match. English and Gotch lost and were offered a handshake. Despite having shaken backstage beforehand they refused. The bad sportsmen shtick signals a heel turn for the pair which, while not exactly needed because they're so popular, is still welcome because the pair were in danger of becoming stale, having faced most teams available to them and having been champs. It'll be interesting to see how bad guy hipsters are portrayed in NXT.

While NXT champion Finn Bálor remained unseen his next opponent, Samoa Joe, got to headline the show. He had a stiff (or, as Steve Austin would likely say, snug) match with Tommaso Ciampa. It was wonderfully hossy and a credit to both men. Joe won with the Coquina clutch, a move that's been built up as inescapable and a sure-fire match-ender for months. Were he heading into a match with John Cena we'd obviously get a spot where Cena powers out of the hold. In NXT against Bálor that's not going to happen, but the champion could escape the hold.

As things stand now I'm expecting a Joe victory at Takeover: London. A Bálor promotion to the main roster seems like it could happen on any given Monday night. There's no more obvious candidate to replace him than Samoa Joe. He could work with Apollo Crews before turning face and doing something with Baron Corbin, should he be in NXT for long enough.

There's also the Sami Zayn return to factor in. He could come back and challenge Bálor. They'd have very good matches but it doesn't quite feel like the direction in which NXT would go. What seems far likelier (to me at least) is a Joe win over Bálor at Takeover, only to be confronted by a returning Zayn as the show closes. For now, that's what I think we're going to get.

Intro

Tweet 1: It's NXTime. I've done that one before and I don't care.

Tweet 2: James Storm shown in the still for this episode. It's already quite the show.
Tweet 3: To be clear, I do not rate Jim Storm. Can't even enjoy him ironically.

Baron Corbin v Tye Dillinger

Tweet 4: But someone I CAN enjoy ironically is 'The Big Wolf' Barry Corbin.

Tweet 5: Had Barry been around in the early 90s he definitely would have gotten work in Smoky Mountain.
Tweet 6: I want a pre-match promo from Barry in which he claims to eat tens for breakfast.
Tweet 7: Wish Jim Ross was still alive to gush about Barry's football background and stud-like appearance.
Tweet 8: Sadly Jim Ross of NXT 1610 died in a company-wide crossover event.
Tweet 9: If Dillinger had a finisher to hit he probably could have won that.

The state of this move.

Tweet 10: Still think the End of Days is a daft-looking move. Good name though.

Apollo Crews interviewed backstage

Tweet 11: Apollo Crews is concerned for Barry Corbin's safety. He's even laughing about how concerned he is.

Tommaso Ciampa interviewed backstage

Tweet 12: Tommaso Ciampa looking decidedly like a hipster here.

Tweet 13: Ciampa is convinced he's winning. His loss will trigger a breakdown which leads to the return of the Tommy Penmanship character.

Nia Jax v Blue Pants

Tweet 14: Surprising lack of heat for Nia Jax considering she attacked Top Girl Bayley last week.

Tweet 15: Book Nia like 911 and use her to destroy jobbers making their last appearance.

Blue Pants: the natural first opponent for a new heel in NXT.

Tweet 16: Nia working "snug" here...
Tweet 17: Nia should switch to Gangrel style elbow drops.
Tweet 18: Big fan of Nia almost going for her usual style of pin before remembering she'd been told to do the cocky foot on the chest routine.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder talk to Tom Philips backstage

Tweet 19: Dash and Dawson sitdown interview. Tears.

Tweet 20: They're really good to be fair. Getting themselves over as a couple of lads who don't care about hurting people.
Tweet 21: "... carry-on item Enzo Amore..." - Scott Dawson

Adam Rose v James Storm

Tweet 22: Adam Rose entering wearing glasses with no music? Yes.

Tweet 23: Why does Rose have to be sacrificed to 'Big' Jim Storm?

Former TNA champ there...

Tweet 24: These striped shin guards on Rose though.
Tweet 25: Heel Adam Rose is worthy of so much more attention from Creative™.
Tweet 26: Honestly no idea what people see in Storm. Only thing he had going for him in TNA was that he could be presented as "their" guy.

The Vaudevillains interviewed backstage, featuring Jason Jordan and Chad Gable

Tweet 27: #Vaudevillainspop

Tweet 28: "Tonight we will win" - Simon Gotch, who's probably wrong

Sami Zayn vignette

Tweet 29: Reminder of Adrian Neville being a smug prick in his rivalry with Samuel Zayn Esq. here.

Tweet 30: I remember this R: Evolution main. It was good, weren't it?

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable v The Vaudevillains

Tweet 31: Hyped for this match.

Tweet 32: Looking forward to Kurt Angle suggesting he return as Gable and Jordan's manager, cementing himself as the new Ric Flair.
Tweet 33: That's if he hasn't already.

Dlicious drop kick from Jordan there.

Tweet 34: The Vaudevillains would probably benefit from being given a regular second that isn't Blue Pants. Someone new who fits their gimmick.
Tweet 35: Solid match that.
Tweet 36: The 'villains splitting without shaking hands and Gable loling about it is world class stuff.

Emma v Liv Morgan

Tweet 37: The point of that Emma and Dana segment? No idea beyond extending their thing with Asuka.

Tweet 38: Emma wears glove because of all those flips and springboards she does.
Tweet 39: It will eventually be revealed that Liv Morgan's origin story is that she's an Alexa Bliss clone.
Tweet 40: NXT: Clone Wars, coming summer 2016.
Tweet 41: Culminates with a clean shaven Reigns clone being introduced to feud with the original Reigns.

No, that's not Alexa Bliss.

Tweet 42: On the women's division: either Dana and Emma or Asuka are Bayley's feud after Nia Jax.
Tweet 43: Either would be good. I'd prefer Emma and Dana. They've been around NXT longer and deserve the spot more.
Tweet 44: Then again maybe Nia will beat Bayley and then be challenged by Asuka.
Tweet 45: This is why NXT's so good. Mostly logically booked but very few things are obvious when it counts.
Tweet 46: That said Emma was always going to beat Jersey Alexa.

Bayley interviewed backstage, featuring Nia Jax

Tweet 47: Bayley doing great work as a top babyface champ here.

Tweet 48: Crying at Nia throwing Bayley through a stunt door.

Tommaso Ciampa v Samoa Joe

Tweet 49: Thomas the Champ Engine versus 'Mr TNA' Samoa Joe. This'll be "snug"...

Tweet 50: "Samoa Joe introduced Tomasso Ciampa to his eventual wife." I need details on this...
Tweet 51: Joe punching Ciampa into the ropes. Great stuff.
Tweet 52: That slap exchange.
Tweet 53: "Submission specialist" - This means he knows a submission hold in WWE
Tweet 54: Really enjoying this match. Hoss levels are off the charts.

Nice teeth.

Tweet 55: Yeah, that was great fun. Proof predictable outcomes don't ruin wrestling.
Tweet 56: "Báloooooor!" - Samoa Joe
Tweet 57: Great episode. Great hustle, loyalty, respect.

Sheamus 5:15

We've all come across Austin 3:16, haven't we? That's the phrase that got Austin to click with audiences, which in turn helped him crack the WWF main event and become a monstrous success. It sold him a bunch of T-shirts and various other lines of merch. Many of those have been parodied and used as inspiration by other wrestling promotions.

Sheamus 5:15 says "Match times, fella!"

Surprisingly, given how good they are at finding ways to both make money and drill any given idea or co Celt into the ground, WWE have never really used the 3:16 thing as inspiration. That changed on Monday's RAW. On that show three time WWE champion Sheamus bragged about how, because of his Money in the Bank cash-in, Roman Reigns' first ever title win resulted in a reign (the repetition of reign here is why "Roman Reigns" is not the best ring name Leati Anoa'i could have chosen) that lasted just five minutes, fifteen seconds.

It's a nice idea. It was used to set up an interesting scenario on RAW, Reigns getting a title shot but having to win in 5:15 or less, but it feels somewhat like WWE have missed the point. Austin's line worked not because it was numbers but because it was an off-the-cuff remark that fit with the promo he was giving at the time. It was a shot at Jake Roberts but it could be used without his inconvenient because it was, in essence, a quote from the fictitious Book of Austin.

Sheamus's version is a putdown related to Reigns and Reigns alone. It will make little sense outside of a programme with Reigns. Its success, measured in crowd heat, is largely dependent on people caring enough about Reigns to boo Shaymo's dastardly bragging. Some people will do that. Some people won't. Most won't care either way because Reigns is largely uninteresting and hard to sympathise with and Sheamus's biggest source of heat is a daft haircut.

This isn't a bad effort by any means. It's actually rather inspired. But this being the best WWE can come up with for the new champion and, presumably, top active heel demonstrates how creatively shallow things are right now.

NXTweet 25.11.15

A rarity on NXT this week: a match that was built around outside interference and ref bumps. Honestly, that change was welcome. When used sparingly it's a fun approach that can effectively get heat and build up new acts.

Intro

Tweet 1: Watching the NXTs innit.

Tweet 2: Feels like the intro video changes every week. I remember when I first watched RAW and the video was the same for about a year.

Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor contract signing, hosted by Michael Cole

Tweet 3: AHAHAHA, MAGGLE COLE IS IN CHARGE, MAGGLE!!

Tweet 4: "Email from Corporate" is such a Michael Cole thing to say.
Tweet 5: Suit and a gimmick T-shirt. The hell you thinking, Finn?
Tweet 6: *Bálor gets in the ring, gives Cole Bloody Sunday*
Tweet 7: Finn Bálor here, declaring war on trust and friendship.
Tweet 8: Enjoying the communist Russia vibe from Joe's entrance lighting and video.
Tweet 9: Arrive. Sign contract. Leave. Get that on a T-shirt.
Tweet 10: Only one man is walking out of this contract signing... and his name is MAGGLE COLE.

"Are you there, Finn? It's me. Joe."

Tweet 11: Building up Joe's clutch here. I assume that means Bálor will survive or counter it at Takeover.
Tweet 12: Genuinely hyped for Bayley versus Eva Marie. Has potential to be either fun or a ridiculous mess. Either way I'd be happy.

NXT tag team championship: The Vaudevillains v Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder (c)

Tweet 13: #Vaudevilainspop

Tweet 14: Really enjoying The Ring Jacket Express lately. Good lads. I'm a fan of them just being a pair of rasslers.
Tweet 15: Excellent facial hair all round in this match.
Tweet 16: Throwing about the falsies here, aren't they?

Such a fan of this move.

Tweet 17: Dawson and Wilder win, because they were always going to. One day we'll get a feud where titles switch back and forth a bit.
Tweet 18: Is it not being called the Shatter Machine anymore? That name was, and is, great.
Tweet 19: Enzo and Cass v The Super Shatter Bros has potential. It'll definitely get the crowd hot.

Eva Marie talks to Tom Philips

Tweet 20: Eva Marie with some slick mic skills here.

Tweet 21: "I'm the hottest literally prospect in a long time" - Eva Marie
Tweet 22: Wut?
Tweet 23: Nia and Eva coming together to form the New Mega Powers and dominate the women's division (which sadly has no tag belts).

Elias Samson vignette

Tweet 24: Loving how daft Elias Samson's 'Drifter' shtick is.

Tweet 25: Give him Bull's push.

Asuka v Dana Brooke... doesn't happen because of an attack by Emma

Tweet 26: Asuka versus Dana Brooke is the definition of Something for the Dads™.

Tweet 27: Dana 'Panto Villain' Brooke there.

Maybe Emma could be revealed as Sister Abigail.
Got the hoodie and she can go upside down like Bray.

Tweet 28: Emma's borrowed Luke Harper's hoodie from Battleground.
Tweet 29: Dana's taunting needs work.

Bayley talks to Tom Philips

Tweet 30: "To some people Eva Marie is the perfect champion" - Bayley

Tweet 31: Bayley is the latest person to mention WWE Corporate. Is that a thing now? Is this what Regal will be crediting for heel decisions?
Tweet 32: WWE Corporate, feat. Jack Tunney.

Sami Zayn vignette

Tweet 33: Sami Zayn is coming back. But more importantly they included a shot of El Local in his return video.

Tweet 34: Samuel Zayn Esq. presumably returning at the post-Takeover tapings.

Apollo Crews v Jesse Sorensen

Tweet 35: Can't wait until Apollo Crews debuts a move and Rich Brennan informs us it's called Crews Control.

Tweet 36: Making out that Jesse Sorensen is a big deal is a step too far. Dilutes the Big Name Free Agent card they've been (over)playing lately.

Apollo's new finish. Save that combo for special occasions, yeah?

Tweet 37: You know who I'd REALLY like to see in NXT? Akira Tozawa.
Tweet 38:  They made the right call keeping that short and not having Sorensen do much.
Tweet 39: "Baron Corbin..." *boos*

Baron Corbin promo

Tweet 40: Barry Corbin with a wildly passionate promo here.

Tweet 41: Sad we didn't get his sign off from last week.

NXT women's championship: Eva Marie v Bayley (c)

Tweet 42: Li'l 'Naitch' pop.

Tweet 43: Corporate have flown Charles Robinson in to "ensure a clean finish." They should have brought in Earl Hebner for this spot.

Old lion Charles Robinson watches on.

Tweet 44: This heat on Eva though. It's because she's wearing gold gear despite her "all red everything" gimmick.
Tweet 45: Nia Jax is wearing more red than Eva.
Tweet 46: Charles Robinson subtly concealing an erection there.
Tweet 47: Potential for Attitude Era level shenanigans here. I'm already a fan of this one.
Tweet 48: To clarify: I hate constant interference. When it's used sparingly and on special occasions it can work wonders.
Tweet 49: Eva being talked about as undeserving. Why, exactly? She's won more matches than Bliss has lately, and Bliss got a title shot.
Tweet 50: Textbook lockup. Who says Eva can't work?
Tweet 51: Eva taking some air guitar from the Tanahashi playbook there.
Tweet 52: Shot of Charles Robinson nodding sagely. Tremendous.
Tweet 53: Loling at the nonsense of this Nia interference.
Tweet 54: Brad should have gotten to do this refereeing. One last hurrah.
Tweet 55: Sliced Red getting such a hot response. Tears.
Tweet 56: Ref bump. Nobody does it better than Charles.
Tweet 57: Good booking. That was a fun bit of nonsense.

The next, and perhaps ultimate, obstacle for Bayley to overcome.

Tweet 58: Nia Jax attacking Bayley because next challenger and why not?
Tweet 59: The Hogan pattern continues.
Tweet 60: Good show that. It was a laugh.