The WWE Network is a big deal. It is the first channel-based netflix-styled
content publisher out there. You can
just turn it on, and it has scheduled programming. Or you can skip ahead a few DAYS and go ahead
and watch what they have scheduled for you.
Not only that, there is an entire library of content available on demand. There is also live show, like every PPV of the year, and a few others it
seems, like NXT ArRIVAL.
NXT is the "new" brand name for the developmental
division of the WWE, bring up stars to the main roster. But it has evolved slowly beyond that. 4 or 5 years ago, when it was FCW, I was very
very into it. It had consistently better
characters and matches than Raw and Smackdown.
And watching this "PPV" now, I almost feel the exact same way! I say almost because ... well, I'll get
there in a minute.
Having the WWE Network is all kinds of fabulous. I have a few qualms about some of the
mechanics, but overall it is incredibly user friendly, and just offers so
fricking much stuff. If you loved
wrestling, think you might like it, or used to love it but only like the old
stuff, get this! $10 a month for more
content than you could WATCH in that month is ridiculous. The one of the best things is being able to see NXT.
I love seeing these guys trying so hard, trying to make a
name for themselves, trying to learn how to be a face or a heel, trying to
learn what makes a match great, what spots work, how to do storytelling in the
ring, how to adjust to a television style of wrestling. And ArRIVAL showcases all the good
and bad of that. Mostly good, but there
is some bad. Lemme break things down a
little bit to talk about the matches.
1) Sami Zayn v. Cesaro IV
This match is the FINAL showing between these two men. They had a 2 out of 3 falls match not too
long ago that could very fairly be considered a Match of the Year quality
match. It was phenomenal. This match was a little different. This match was all about the heel dominating
the face. Cesaro was in control the
entire match, and while Zayn got the fans behind him and worked very hard, the
story here was he was back from injury, and just was never able to get back to
the level he was at before with Cesaro, despite all his babyface fire. And that's
ok, it was an interesting match. Zayn
has a lot of skill, and is a natural in-ring babyface. This match wasn't MOTY quality, but it was
certainly PPV quality, and as a show opener, it succeeded in showing how
important this show was. You can see at
the end, after Cesaro hugs Zayn, Cesaro whisper something to him. And I'd like to think it was Cesaro sharing
with Zayn that he just made himself a star in front of 8 million WWE Network
subscribers, the most people he's EVER competed in front of. Good things for both guys in the future.
2) CJ Parker v. Mojo Rawley
CJ Parker's gimmick is a heel hippie. Mojo Rawley's gimmick is a dude who doesn't
just get hyped, he STAYS HYPED! I love
Mojo's gimmick. I didn't enjoy his
match. CJ controlled the whole match
until Mojo made his babyface return and then hit a very lame looking finisher
for such a muscular dude ... he ran and then sat on him. Sitting finishers work for dudes like Rikishi
and Andre, just big ole dudes. But Mojo
... he does a butt bounce and then sits on them. It was lame.
The match was short, and the gimmick I loved won, but the whole thing
was not good. But Mojo is cool! Hopefully he'll improve.
3) The Ascension v. Too Cool
Veteran comeback versus the newest tweener hardcore tag team
there is, who have been and currently are the tag champs. The Ascension is as hardcore as can be, and
when Regal compared them to the Legion of Doom, it makes perfect sense. They do not care who you are, look like
warriors, and destroy people. Too Cool
stood no chance, but were great to see.
But once again, we had a match where our heel dominated the faces. This is a disturbing trend of match booking
or running. But it gets better, no
worries, and the Ascension look ready to come up to the main ranks and destroy
some people.
4) Paige v. Emma
Women's Championship.
Normally people roll their eyes. But this match was great. Emma worked
the match heel even though she is the bubbly face, and Paige made a star out of
herself retaining her title as the face anti-Diva, pale and "gothic"
... well, gothic-esque. They worked
hard, hit hard, and did some great matchwork.
The finish was fantastic, the counter moves, as this is a third or
fourth time they've wrestled, were all fantastic, and this has so far been the
best match on the card.
I also want to point out that the commentary team is
amazingly great. Always insightful,
always on point, always entertaining, always adding to the match and the
credibility of the wrestlers, not taking it away. Basically, the exact opposite of the
commentary on Raw, Smackdown, and everything else WWE does that isn't NXT.
5) Xavier Woods v. Tyler Breeze
Woods is a nerdy dancing PhD having cool kinda dude. Breeze is vain and takes selfies as he walks
to the ring. That's all you need to
know, because they are immediately destroyed by Alexander Rusev, who debuted in
the Royal Rumble (I talk about that PPV here).
Rusev was pissed he wasn't on the card, so he destroys these guys to
make a point. Perfectly fine sequence to
get us ready for the main event, and we understand all three guys from what
little we saw. These kind of things,
when done sparingly, very much work. It
worked here.
6) Ladder Match for the NXT Championship: Adrian Neville v.
Bo Dallas
I don't like Bo. Or
at least I didn't. I never really
thought he was as good as the guys backstage seemed to think, considering how
many times he's held the NXT title and how many chances he's gotten to switch
gimmicks and alignment. That said, his
current Leonardo DiCaprio/Justin Bieber ignorant to the fans egotistical
gimmick, man is that working. He just
smiles with his fake smile and it gets him heat. I hate him for the right reasons. Good show.
Adrian Neville is one of the best high-flyers I've ever
seen. "The Man that Gravity
Forgot" indeed. I like little
"vanilla midgets" like Nash called guys like Neville so long ago: Jericho, Benoit, Malenko,
Lance Storm, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Neville. These
guys know how to do a great match, compensate for their small size by being WAY
better at EVERYTHING ELSE, and did I say know how to put on great matches. And this match was absolutely great. Watch this match, and you'll see the new star
that is Adrian Neville and you'll love every gravity defying stunt he
does. He just flips around in the air
and on the ground like it is no big deal.
THIS MATCH IS GREAT, WATCH IT!
I plan on watching NXT for reals now. And that is exactly what WWE and HHH wanted
for the outcome of NXT ArRIVAL. WWE finally has
competition, and it is with its developmental system. Ok, it isn't real competition, but in the
end, I'll always watch and cheer these guys on.
Root for them when the make it, like the SHIELD and Bray Wyatt. Feel justified when a sucky one can't cut it,
like Mason Ryan. And overall, enhance my
own enjoyment of the product, even when I'm super upset with how the product
looks like it is shaping up for Mania.
The first "PPV" on the WWE Network was for their
developmental. Great choice.
I loved all of this that I saw - I wish there were more fun gimmicks in the WWE shows like some of these. And of course, some aren't even gimmicks, they're just good wrestlers.
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