5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 7/27/15

Welcome to this week's Monday Night Raw preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon. We're on the road to SummerSlam and despite what's going on with Mr. Boella, we're going to take the high road on that topic and give you a clear perspective on what you can see on tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw from Oklahoma City. The Lesnar & Taker program has started on a high note and both stars gave you a great demo as to what you may see on August 23rd. Lot's to get to, so let's see the five things I expect to see on tonight's WWE Raw from the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

1.) The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar + Paul Heyman Promo's 

There was a bit of hesitation from the fans when it came to another round of a Lesnar and Taker program, but from what I saw with the pull apart on last week's Raw, everybody is hooked. Paul Heyman planted the seeds on the background behind this feud. Paul Heyman had another great line where he said that "You can sell your soul to the devil, but your ass belongs to Brock Lesnar." I don't think there's heel or face dynamic in this program cause it remnids me alot of Rock vs. Austin at WrestleMania 17 in the fact that it's a PERSONAL ISSUE and Taker is in Austin's position where he needs to get his revenge on Lesnar and take his yard back. Both guys are not advertised for tonight's Raw which I don't have a problem with. The video above was flimed at the WWE Headquarters at Stamford, Connecticut. So when Lesnar and Taker are not Raw you can expect Paul Heyman to basically continue to sell the match to you the fans. I think it will be live via Satellite, but who knows maybe Heyman shows up in OKC tonight. It would be nice to see Heyman bring up how The Undertaker has plowed through so many legends in the wrestling business, but he's never conquered Brock Lesnar.

2.) John Cena vs. Seth Rollins "Champ vs. Champ" ?

Coming off last week's Raw it seems like Seth Rollins will be defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam against WWE United States Champion John Cena. Rollins was basically rubbing in the fans face in one of his better heel promo's that you guys doubted me and I survived Suplex City and I'm still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. For some reason Cena came out and pull out his heel tactics whenever he wants to get the WWE Championship back. When you see this on paper you see the behind the scenes coming into this storyline because it's known that ratings haven't been that high over the past couple of months and people may assume that the WWE is blaming Rollins for that, but you can't blame him because I think he's been one of the best heel champions since CM Punk. From this standpoint I think Cena has had one of the best year's of his career and I think he and Rollins can have a great match, but my thing is every since WrestleMania has talked about how the US Championship is the symbol of excellence. Now Cena want's the WWE Title? Yea I guess it's not a bad marketing idea to have a Champion vs. Champion match at SummerSlam, but would you want Rollins title reign to end in a span of a month to John Cena? I think tonight we may see another promo where Cena tries to act like he's above Rollins. As far as matches are concern I think we'll see Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro and John Cena will have another US Open Challenge.

3.) What's next for Kevin Owens? 

If you didn't see last week's SmackDown you missed a good one. Let me say this and I know there's alot of people who think that the WWE is going to bury Kevin Owens because he lost a feud to John Cena. I just don't see it that way. He's not a jobber and yea he'll do mid-card stuff for awhile, but I don't think Owens should be in the main event scene already. Owens is going to be there for a long time, so why would you want him to be in the main event of every show and WrestleMania in his first year on the main roster. On SmackDown the seeds were planted for the Kevin Owens/Cesaro match. Cesaro basically was talking about how he always deliver and Owens made fun of him and then Cesaro reminded everybody how basically Kevin walks out of all of his matches. Owens laid out Cesaro after his match with Seth Rollins. I think this feud is great for both guys and we'll need to see more character development with both guys, I mean we all know that Cesaro and Owens are great wrestlers, but what's their next for their characters? I do think Owens and Cesaro will brawl tonight and it will be official that Owens will take on Cesaro at SummerSlam.

4.) SummerSlam Mid-Card Matches 

I think we'll see the three way match for the Intercontinental Championship with Ryback, Big Show and Miz. I think we'll see one more match with The New Day and Prime Time Players and New Day will continue to interfere in the PTP matches until they get another opportunity at the tag straps. Even then maybe tonight we'll see New Day vs. Lucha Dragons in a Number One Contender's Match. Stardust vs. Neville is happening and I'm loving the comic book stuff they are doing with this storyline. I think we may see the mixed tag team match with Dolph Ziggler & Lana vs. Rusev & Summer Rae. Orton/Sheamus? Maybe? I think tonight could be a good implication on what other matches will be on SummerSlam besides Taker/Lesnar and Cena/Rollins. I mean hell we can see Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. The Wyatt Family in a No DQ Match. Lot's of questions and excited to see what they bring to the table tonight.


5.) Divas Running Wild 

The Divas revolution segments have been dominating WWE programming over the past couple of weeks. I think for tonight it would be nice to see Paige vs. Sasha Banks and then later on the show if they want to do another divas match you can do The Bella Twins vs. Charlotte & Becky Lynch. I think it's also important to establish at least where we going as far as the Divas Championship is concern. I know that Nikki has been banged up for awhile, but we'll need to know if Nikki will be defending her championship at the second biggest show of the year.

Thanks for checking out this week's Raw preview. I hope you enjoyed it. Enjoy Raw

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Check out my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesdays from 11am-2pm ET on Chicagolandsportsradio.com.

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 7/20/15

Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon. Lot's to get to. We're coming off the heels from last night's WWE Battleground and now we're on the road to WWE SummerSlam. Tonight's Raw emanates from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. We're on the road to SummerSlam. A legend is back another is expected to be on the show tonight. In one of the five points in this article I'll give you my FULL review of last night's Battleground event.

1.) WWE Battleground PPV Review 

I enjoyed the R-Truth/King Barrett match. Despite the fact I didn't have that much interest in the feud I thought the match was pretty solid and thank god Barrett won the match. I thought the opener of Randy Orton and Sheamus was good and the crowd in St. Louis was great tonight. I think the Prime Time Players/New Day match was better then their one from Money in the Bank. Don't have a problem with PTP retaining here they continue to grow each week and they deserve a longer title reign sorry New Day fans (I am one too). The Roman Reigns & Bray Wyatt match was one of the best matches on the show and love the ending of the match and not only did Wyatt picked up the victory, but at the same time there's a Wyatt Family reunion with Luke Harper. The Divas three way was okay it was nice seeing Charlotte and Sasha getting that spotlight on a main roster WWE Special on the WWE Network. Thought they made the right decision letting Charlotte submit a Bella Twin. The John Cena and Kevin Owens match was great what else is new and no I don't think Kevin Owens is negatively effected by tapping out he's a HEEL AND HE'S SUPPOSED TO LOSE! The main event was I thought it was going to be and then Undertaker came out and I marked out I have no problem with Brock and Taker at SummerSlam. Overall I thought Battleground was one of the best PPV's of the year and I can't wait for SummerSlam.

2.) What's next for John Cena and Kevin Owens? 

John Cena and Kevin Owens had another stellar match last night and now everybody is losing their minds because they think it's all over for Kevin Owens. I have to disagree with that stand point. There was no way that Kevin Owens was buried. Cena obviously is up 2-1 in this series and I doubt that this feud is over. I think for Raw tonight Cena will have another US Open Challenge. I think this time Dean Ambrose will accept the challenge time or maybe Stardust that's my guess in case they actually do the open challenge tonight. I'm sure Cena will have a talking segment, but tonight is about planting the seeds for SummerSlam this year. There's many questions as to what we'll see from both Owens and Cena at this year's SummerSlam, but I think tonight we'll get a great talking segment with both guys tonight. Owens is not done. He's not buried. Take a chill pill and enjoy the ride.

3.) Wyatt Reunion 

Bray Wyatt defeated Roman Reigns in a very physical match last night and Luke Harper reunited with his Wyatt Family brother. In theory you would think that Reigns would try to go after Wyatt. I would think maybe we'll see Wyatt and Harper vs. Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam. There was rumors about Sting possibly coming in for SummerSlam this year and fighting Bray Wyatt and if that happens I'm fine with that actually I'll mark out for that. I think Wyatt's performance last night proved why he's in the position he's in the company. Wyatt can lose, but at the same time he's put on amazing performances and people still care about him. I'm really interested in what they do with this feud tonight on Raw. I think we may see Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper, but besides that I don't think Bray Wyatt will be in a match on Raw tonight, but he will lay out Roman Reigns tonight.

4.) Divas Revolution 

Charlotte made Brie Bella tap out in the divas three way last night at Battleground. Shared a special moment with her father Ric Flair last night in the video above. I have a feeling that Nikki Bella will be defending her Divas Championship at SummerSlam against Charlotte or we can have whole malay and have that triple threat tag team match. I'm not going to be nit picky with this particular storyline because I want to sit back and see where they go with this because it's so subjective and there's so many different directions this storyline can go. Congrats Charlotte and let's see what happens on Raw tonight.


5.) Taker vs. Brock 

Short and sweet. It's pretty simple that Brock will take on Taker at SummerSlam. This about Taker getting not only revenge for his brother, but also avenging the streak. The next four to five weeks of TV will tell a great story about where we're heading to especially not only SummerSlam, but also WrestleMania. I'm sure Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar will have a lot to say tonight and hopefully we'll see Taker tonight.

Hope you enjoyed this week's WWE Raw preview. Hope you enjoyed Battleground

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Check out my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesday on Chicagolandsportsradio.com from 10am-1pm CT

NXT Report

Only 3 weeks in and we missed an NXT Report. Note it is time to get some staff coming out of Wrestlemania. I won’t bore everyone with week the old news, but have just a few comments on NXT’s first outing to Ohio.

It is clear the vision for NXT has changed or at least expanded to the idea of it being its own unique brand. The test drive in Columbus was a huge success. Crowd was even more jacked than the crazies at Full Sail were and they knew everything and everyone connected to the product.

NXT is getting a show on Friday Night of Mania week at San Jose State University and it will sell out and likely be one of the most talked about things as part of Mania weekend.

As for this week’s show, it was two title matches that we have to see. Alexa Bliss got a count out win and earned a shot at Sasha Banks for her NXT Women’s Title. Bliss did a decent job in the match. Really does a great job with facial expressions to the camera. Her work in ring is still a little bit off in comparison to the top girls like Banks, Charlotte and even Bayley. I still see a bright future for her on the main roster, as she will really appeal to the kids. She will also appeal to the adult males and she is very attractive. That is a winning combination. She predictably came up short falling prey to the Banks Statement the finishing submission hold of Sasha Banks. Stone Cold would approve of this finisher as she really locks it on every time. It is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites as far as submission finishers go male or female.

Couple back stage segments one setting up a feud with Bayley and Emma who seems to have gone heel in her return to NXT. In addition, a rubber match between Tyler Breeze and Hideo Itami in a two out of three falls match that is booked for next week’s show.

Breeze calling Devin Taylor Barbra Walters based on her simple question was a highlight for me. Taylor seems to be cast in the role once played by Maria now in ROH as the ditsy but loveable backstage reporter. Taylor has the ditsy down but I am not feeling the loveable part at the moment. Maria played that character so well and it is amazing the contrast of that to her current ROH character that is a mean and nasty female valet for The Kingdom.

Kevin Steen as you may have heard had to have a minor knee surgery. The last match he had in the can was his title defense against Finn Balor. These two were given almost half of the show and made use of the time with a fantastic match. Balor sold a leg injury that ultimately led to his demise and Kevin Owens would retain the NXT title via pinfall.

Another note word is that Sami Zayn may also be injured with a shoulder injury of some sort. There is no real info on it, as the injury hasn’t been a part of storylines to this point. The same is true for Owens. Sadly, fans at Mania will miss on seeing Owens and possibly Zayn Wrestle.

Someone will be getting a ticket into the Andre the Giant Battle Royal and will be determined in a tournament going on at Axcess or perhaps on the Friday night show in San Jose. Most people are suggesting Adrian Neville will win and get the chance to appear on Mania.

I think that would be a bad debut for him in terms of his finisher being from the top rope and this being a Battle Royal. The two don’t make for a happy marriage. Neville I see more than any of the other top NXT male stars having a hard time getting over on the main roster. Vince McMahon is likely to see his negatives more than his positives and that could spell doom for him. Triple H is a huge supporter though so maybe he can help Neville survive in the land of the sharks on the main roster at least at first.

Lastly, there has been a lot of talk of how you change the Diva’s Division and make it into something different. Aside from cutting the dead weight, like the Bellas and the other non-wrestling chicks out of the picture there could be another way too eventually.

Most will say that Charlotte is where this goes next but it isn’t where this is heading. No doubt, Charlotte will be a success but given her ties to Ric Flair being his daughter she is not the answer on here own to change the divas back to women.

Dana Brooke is being teased as debuting soon in NXT. Assuming she is capable in the ring, I have an idea that is long overdue for the Diva’s Division. UFC has Ronda Rousey and she is not going to be wrestling anytime soon in a WWE ring. Brock maybe back but the UFC’s number one draw is not stepping in a WWE Ring to fight.

I purpose you make Brooke into a Ronda Rousey like smashing machine. She is attractive like Rousey and is a fitness model and body builder. So, she has the look to be that attractive ass kicker. Only question is how quickly she can get good in the ring. You could book her in a way to protect her much as they have with Baron Corbin at first. Like the real Rousey, have her come out and just maul he competition. Hell on the main roster she can be part of the authority and make her Stephanie’s response to the Give Diva’s a Chance Movement. If A.J Lee is not sticking around have this girl debut taking out A.J and putting her into a wrestling retirement.

It could work and the WWE’s most successful Women’s Champion started as a fitness model that wasn’t the greatest wrestler in the world. Her name is Trish Stratus and she is the Ric Flair of Women’s wrestling with nine Championship reigns the most by any women in WWE.

Hell if some day the real Ronda comes maybe you have the biggest women’s match ever. It is just a thought of where they could go with Dana Brooke. Now can she do that Rousey ring walk death stare? I have no idea. Nevertheless, this is a gimmick that fits her well. If she can’t do an armbar have Chris Jericho teach her it was one of his 1004 moves in his great feud with Dean Melenko back in WCW.

That is it for NXT. Don’t forget later today a special edition of Condo on the Moon Podcast talking Brock re-signing and previewing the ROH show tomorrow in Cali with Walder and myself.   

NXT Report: March 4th 2015

This is likely long overdue but welcome to the first ever NXT Report here on Condo on the Moon. If you have listened to our podcast, you know how much I love NXT in fact who doesn’t love NXT. It is a big weekend for the WWE’s Developmental brand, as they will be appearing at the Arnold Classic on the weekend. This will be the first venture outside of Florida for NXT as a whole. A big step as Triple H has stated he wants to see NXT expand and tour doing some live events in the future going forward.

A couple of notes on this new venture it will be spoiler free for the most part and follow what is going on with the product based on the most recent T.V. Any reference to future events are just speculation and is not based on info gather from spoilers.

So, here are some thoughts based on this week’s episode of NXT:

We had a couple of squash matches featuring NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy who have flipped the script to being heels. They are being positioned to face the much-loved team of Enzo and Big Cass. Who cut a promo with Carmella declaring their intentions to become #1 Contender to the tag team titles. Not sure if it was Blake or Murphy, but one of them hit a pretty nice frog splash covering 3/4 of the ring to get the win.

The other jobber match saw Baron Corbin squash some poor sap with The End of Days. The NXT crowd tried to do their counting gimmick but it appeared they were trying to kill that by have a long pause before Corbin and his prey locked up. Corbin has definitely had a noticeable drop in his buzz since his brutal match with Bull Dempsey. It was a horrible match and exposed Corbin for being not ready for prime time.

Solomon Crowe had a match over the aforementioned Bull Dempsey and came out on top. I wasn’t blown away with his in ring work but maybe Bull Dempsey just makes people look bad at the end of the day.

Segments of note on this show included Bayley wishing Charlotte luck in here title match with Sasha. After which Emma came along and suggested to Bayley that acting nice was what got Emma back in NXT. Some might say it was a terrible pairing with Santino, a shoplifting incident at a Walmart and a general failure to get over but let’s go with she was too nice for sake of storyline.

Sami Zayn had a taped promo that he claimed was taped from his home in Montreal. He talked about not being mental right to compete right now. He stated he has yet to watch back the match he lost against Kevin Owens yet but will and promises to return to NXT. He also made mention of all the changes in the short time he has been gone. So it appears if Sami is going to the main roster he will at least have one more run of matches on NXT.

Speaking of Kevin Owens, he was on the show again. At the start of the show, Alex Riley who Owens attacked last week was in Regal’s office begging for a match with Owens. Regal stated that he could not be a commentator and competitor in NXT. Later in the night, Kevin Owen came out, starred at Riley, and eventually dumped water on his head. Jason Albert restrained Riley and Steen calmly walked away. Riley stormed into Regal’s office as he was talking with C.J Parker. Riley said he wanted to wrestle and wanted Owens. Regal stated he needed to sign a talent contract and he would get to fight Owens but only when Regal deemed he was ready. C.J Parker chimed in stating he has been the only person that ever hurt Owens and Riley had no chance. This sets up Riley and Parker for next week.

Alexa Bliss was back and stated she is ready to compete and looking for revenge against Sasha Banks regardless of if she retained her title or not. Banks apparently broke Alexa's nose and she has been out as a result. Don’t remember that happening, but hey, its part of the story now.

Divas always get a chance on NXT and that includes main eventing as Sasha defended her title against Charlotte. It was a great match that really showed off the flexibility of Charlotte. It also showed the growing aggression in Sasha Banks. Charlotte survived many submission attempts after stopping Banks from running out on the match and taking a count out loss but keeping the title. In the end, Banks would get a pinfall using the ropes for leverage keeping this feud alive if they choose to do so. Charlotte has been another name rumored to be heading to the main roster. Her not regaining the title adds fuel to that speculation.

Last note on NXT mark your calendar as the week of Wrestlemania on Wednesday we will be getting Kevin Owens defending his title against Finn Balor. It should be an amazing match that likely will be better than many at Wrestlemania.

So, that was your NXT Report look for this every Thursday going forward here in Condo on the Moon. Don’t forget tomorrow night that we have the Condo on the Moon Podcast.

NXT Takeover: Rival 10 Observations On The Night

NXT Takeover: Rival continued the tradition of awesome events for NXT. It was a night of change with both a new Women’s Champion crowned in Sasha Banks and Kevin Owens is the New NXT Champion. Instead of doing a re-cap of the show, I thought I would offer 10 observations based on last night’s show. There was a lot to talk about coming out of this show that is for certain.

1. Selfie Sticks Rule When Used By Tyler Breeze: It was a late edition to the card with Tyler Breeze taking on Heido Itami. When Breeze came out with a selfie stick all styled to match his outfit. I have missed Tyler Breeze and he had a good match with Itami that as I stated prior to the match both needed. Match aside the Selfie Stick stole the show as far as this match went.

2. Baron Corbin Is Not Ready For Prime Time: Corbin’s feud with Bull Dempsey has damaged him. The third in this trilogy of doom was suppose to be a no disqualification match but had very little in the way of weapons as part of the match. There were a few botched spots and Corbin just didn’t look good in a longer match. It is not like Corbin can’t succeed, but much like how people are critical of Roman Reigns and the position he holds currently. People seeing Corbin as this next big thing is not a role he is ready for at this time.

3. NXT Tag Team Division Needs Help: The Lucha Dragons and Blake & Murphy had a very sloppy tag-team championship match. Blake and Murphy are just to babyface for me liking. While people rave about Kalisto, I have seen him look like a red-hot mess on two NXT specials now. Sure, you have the Vaudevillians and Big Cass & Enzo, but just like on the main roster tag-teams are few and far between. It was a toss up for worst match of the night between the tag team match and Corbin and Dempsey.

4. Finn Balor A Better Version of Jeff Hardy: Finn Balor is a much more together version of Jeff Hardy in some ways. The introduction he has is a much better version of Jeff Hardy for modern times. His introduction is almost bordering on performance art. Once the bell rings with or without the pain, he is an amazing talent. He doesn’t have the baggage and bad habits that have held back Jeff Hardy from having the true career he could have had. Finn Balor should have a tremendous chance of success on the main roster and could be a big merchandise seller.

5. Ladies Hit A Home Run: Triple H talked about wanting to expand the roles for women on main roster on Stone Cold’s Podcast. A big reason for this desire has to be the talent he has seen in NXT. The four-way match that the ladies put on last night validated his opinion. All four women worked about as solid a 4-way match that you could hope to see regardless of gender. The success of Ronda Rousey in MMA is proof that times are changing and women fighting can sell. It may sound silly in the scripted world of pro wrestling it feels more real than the guys may at times. The talent is there to take the Women’s division back to its glory days with Trish, Lita and a host of other ladies.

6. Charlotte and Sami Zayn Next Stop Main Roster: Sami Zayn and Charlotte Flair both lost their titles and that seems to scream that time are now for them to be heading to the next level. If Triple H wants to expand the women’s division Charlotte Flair is the WWE’s Ronda Rousey to run with. The fact her dad is Ric Flair adds to her credibility. While Sami Zayn has nothing left to prove on the NXT level. While many fear what will become of Sami on the main roster his support from Triple H. Clearly, Sami has been taken under the wing of Triple H and just as other guys like The Shield and Bray Wyatt have had success I feel Sami will be able to do the same with his support and backing.

7. What is next for Adrian Neville: Some will say it also time for Neville to move on to the main roster. I have a feeling he will not and would almost be inclined to see him make a heel turn in NXT. He has lost in many face vs. face matches of late and always been taken the losses with class. Eventually he has to snap from this you have to figure. His size will always be a major concern on the main roster. Maybe with a Napoleon complex as a heel he would have a better chance than being the rumored Mighty Mouse type gimmick they planned. I still say face or heel he must have a manager and given faces seldom have mangers these days this is another reason to turn him heel. They teased a heel turn in his feud with Zayn so why not go all the way with it. 

8. Sasha Banks Is Finally The Boss Of The NXT Women’s Division:  Sasha Banks has lived in the shadows of Summer Rae and after that Charlotte but she now can truly be The Boss she has professed to be. I often felt her work was somewhat underrated as people were dazzled by Paige and after that the quickly developing Charlotte. The NXT fans have been behind her long before this moment but this is validation of her gimmick and she finally is on top of the mountain. It will be interesting to see how she handles being on top moving forward with Charlotte likely off to the main roster soon. 

9. Cory Graves A Work In Progress On Commentary: Cory Graves was thrown into commentary out of the blue after being forced to retire as an in-ring competitor due to concussions. I felt on his first show in December he was somewhat better than he was last night. He probably has too many voices in his head telling him what he should be doing. I still like him and his style is unique from the other cast of characters. He is the closest thing we have seen to a heel announcer in NXT. If he is given the chance to grow into the role, I think he can be very good at this eventually.

10. Kevin Owens the Greatest Debut In NXT History: if you had told me 18 months ago, that Kevin Steen would even be in the WWE, I would have had a hard time believing it. It would not be that Kevin wasn’t good enough but that Kevin wasn’t the typical mold of what a WWE Superstar is. I could never have imagined not only is he here in NXT but also has been brought in as the dominant heel of the brand. In his words two months to the day, he debuted in his third televised match he has won the NXT Championship. It is mind-boggling and to see him pictured with Triple H with the NXT Title seems almost out of a dream. It is all very real though and Kevin is truly one of the best performers I have been privileged to see.  It is so great to see him succeed and have success. It is so amazing the confidence and push he has been given on his way in the door in WWE. It really is a magical ride that Kevin has been on after months of waiting for him to debut. I don’t think this is the last title Kevin Owens will lay his hands on. He perhaps without knowing celebrated the same way as Brock Lesnar did when he beat The Rock head butting the title. I made the joke on twitter is it too late for Lesnar vs. Owens at Wrestlemania?  It is one of those wrestling moments that I will remember for a long time... if not forever. Now the work begins, as Owens will look to stay on top and validate what has been afforded him in entering the company with such a strong push.

Fast Lane will have a tough act to follow. This is nothing new for the folks on the WWE Roster who finally have some competition that TNA could never provide. NXT has become not just the future of the WWE but a true force that should motivate people on the main roster that have a pulse and a competitive bone in their body. It was another fun night in the wrestling fantasyland that is NXT. In a place where things make sense, more than they don’t and talent exceeds the high expectations of demanding pro wrestling fans more often than they do not.

5 People Needing To Shine On NXT Takeover:Rival Tonight

It is always a big night when they have an NXT Special at Full Sail. It has produced some great cards to remember in the brief history of NXT.   It promises to be an important night for everyone involved but perhaps more so for the five people we have targeted as needing to come through on this big stage.

Kevin Owens: Owens made perhaps one of the greatest impacts on his first night in at NXT than anyone has every. He was the guy that book ended the show and left a lasting impact. Now just two short months later he is challenging for the NXT Championship in tonight’s main even against long-time friend Sami Zayn. Zayn has made these NXT specials his personal Wrestlemania to display his skills to the world. He has consistently provided the match of night on every single one of these specials. While Owens and Zayn have had long and great feuds, in ROH and elsewhere this match now is displayed on the WWE stage and the stakes are high. Kevin if he could successfully capture the NXT Championship would have really done something even his biggest fans would not have seen coming for him so quickly in the WWE. The long time Ring of Honor star and former Ring of Honor Champion was the biggest drawing card for Ring of Honor for the better part of two to three years. If Owens wins, it will be a sign of incredible faith being put in him by the WWE and Paul Lévesque. It also could be a clear sign that Sami Zayn could be on to bigger things on the main roster of WWE. Everyone expects this match to be fantastic and thus the pressure is on to produce. If it doesn’t the blame will likely fall on Owens as Zayn has yet to have a bad match or even an average one in big matches like this. No one expects it not to be great but they still will need to deliver a great performance as they have in the past in places like Ring of Honor and PWG.

Baron Corbin: If Roman Reigns is the next big thing on the WWE main roster, you might say that is the position waiting for Corbin on the NXT roster. He has been packaged as a silent killer who was undefeated until losing to Adrian Neville in the semi-finals of the #1 contender’s tournament. He lost that match due to interference from Bull Dempsey who Corbin has already defeated on a couple of occasions. This match unlike the previous will be a no disqualification affair. In the end Corbin needs to shine in this spot and being on a card that is stacked will need to have some way to stand out amongst the crowd. He has a tremendous presence and a monster-finishing move in the End of Days. What we have yet to see is how Corbin can survive in a longer match. Neville provided the longest match he has had to date and his only loss. The interference in the match still leaves Corbin as very strong and he needs to carry that momentum and roll through Bull Dempsey once and for all. Dempsey has a gimmick that really hasn’t caught on with people and honestly has been a disappointment. It will be up to Corbin to not be dragged down and rise up and squash his opponent and continue on his journey to being a potential title threat perhaps sooner than later in NXT.

Sasha Banks: The lady who deems herself the Boss needs to perform like it tonight. It is thought that Charlotte Flair could be making her way to the main roster sooner rather than later. This would make a title change a real possibility in this match. Sasha had a really strong one on one match with Flair at the last event in December. This four-way encounter has a lot of options with Becky Lynch who has become Banks sidekick in recent months and Bayley as the other two competitors in this match. If Banks is to gain the title, it seems vital that she would get the pinfall over the current champion. Anything less than that would not do her any favors as the champion. If it doesn’t go down that way, it could be a great way to build on her heel persona but will always leave her as somewhat weakened by the fact she didn’t beat the champion. Like Charlotte’s dad Ric Flair says to be the man you have to beat the man or in this case woman. In any case, Banks has shown a lot of growth and improvement since Summer Rae left NXT and she has been more featured. This is her opportunity to shine and prove that she is more than just talk. In generally all four of these ladies, should have the potential to have a tremendous match. 

Hideo Itami: The man that many knew as Kenta was made of as a huge deal when he signed with the WWE; it has not exactly been a run-a-way success to this point. It seems clear of the group known as the NXT 5 that Itami is the one lagging behind in his development. You have obvious challenges of coming to a new country and embracing a new culture and language. We see this often in the NBA with European stars trying to make that transition. Some do it successfully and quickly and others don’t. One thing that they have been doing with Itami is teasing him using the Go to Sleep. The move that C.M Punk made famous in the WWE but actually was a move he stole or borrowed from its inventor Kenta aka Itami. Perhaps that drama comes to an end and he finally hits the move and gets a much-needed win. Fans will love that at Full Sail how they would react on the main roster of the WWE is another story. The last thing Itami needs is being the creator of C.M Punk chants. Bottom line Itami needs to show the folks who are not familiar with him just how good he is. He will have an opponent that is motivated to do the same in Tyler Breeze. These two faced off in the opening round of the NXT #1 Contender’s Tournament. This re-match will mean a lot for both guys.

Tyler Breeze: Tyler Breeze has to pardon the pun had the wind taken out of his sails in recent months in NXT. He had really seemed to be on the rise when he had captured the #1 contender spot with a win over Sami Zayn. Since that time an injury and just being lost in the shuffle has made people somewhat forget about the Prince of Pretty. He needs to remind everyone of just how talented he is and have a great match with Hideo Itami win or lose. Tyler has shown he is much more than just another pretty face and can get it done in the ring. It is time for everyone to fall in love with Tyler Breeze again. On a show that has Kevin Owens vs. Zayn and Finn Balor vs. Adrian Neville getting the match of the night is likely not in the cards. However, both Itami and Breeze need a match that at least gets them in that conversation, as both need to shine in this contest.

It is also a big night for others like Finn Balor, the new NXT Tag Champs of Blake and Murphy and everyone else. However, the five listed above have most to gain or more importantly lose in tonight’s event depending on their performances. It promises to be another can’t miss night of NXT Action that you won’t want to miss. There has yet to be an NXT special that has not delivered the goods and it is unlikely that this one will be the first not to do so. This should be a fun night of NXT action with a lot on the line for the people that make up the future of the WWE.

NXT Takeover [R] Evolution Preview + Predictions

If you have been living under a rock, tonight is the WWE NXT Special "Takeover R Evolution". Tonight's show hails from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Tonight show will be on the WWE Network at 8/7 CT with a pre-show with Renee Young, Alex Riley and Jason Albert. I think this NXT special may be the most anticipated NXT Special this year and what a way to end the year on a high note for these young and up and coming talents in the WWE developmental system.  We'll give you a preview for tonights show plus our predictions.

1.) NXT Tag Team Championship Match 

The Lucha Dragons (c) vs. The Vaudevillans 

Josh: Out of all the great matches that we'll see tonight I wouldn't be surprised if this match stoled the show and it should since it's for the NXT Tag Team Championship. I enjoy the wrestling style of The Lucha Dragons and at the same time I love the team of The Vaudevillans. I think this will be a good back and forth match, but at the end of the day I think the title of reign of The Lucha Dragons will come to an end tonight. I'm rolling with the Vaudevillans 

James: Dragons just won the belts recently and the NXT crowd loves them. They do like the Vaudevillans too. Still give me the guys in the masks to retain.

2.) WWE NXT Women's Championship Match 

Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks w/Becky Lynch 

Josh: I've been personally looking forward to this match for a long time. Sasha and Charlotte have split up from their partnership for about 5-6 months now and this match has brewing to happen ever since Charlotte won the NXT Championship at NXT Takeover over Natalya. Despite her losing on Raw this week, Charlotte is one of most skilled technical female performers I've ever seen. Not only is she beautiful, but she's unique in her own way. Sasha Banks another beautiful and talented performer who naturally comes off as a heel and I like the work she's been doing over the last couple of months. I'm going with Sasha Banks because I think it's her time and also the fact that Charlotte may be going up to the main roster very soon. 

James: Many feel Charlotte will lose this match as she is going to be heading to main roster soon. I think she will retain and lose the belt as part of the T.V taping after the special event. Her lose on Raw adds to my belief she needs to win and retain her championship.

3.) Finn Balor & Hideo Itami vs. The Ascension

Josh:  This has the makings to being a match of the year candidate and plus now we finally get to see Balor and Itami perform without being interrupted by commercials I'm going with Hideo & Finn, because they’re both guys I’ve been watching for a very long time. I know what they’re capable of. I wouldn’t want to be The Ascension. They’ve just been needling them, like two tigers in a cage. That’s not a team I’d want to mess with. Plus I think the Ascension will be heading up to the main roster to go after the WWE Tag Team Championships. I seriously can't wait to see this match and just one of those matches that you sit back and it reminds you of why you enjoy watching wrestling 

James: The Ascension is on the move to the main roster. Balor and Itami are still being built for the WWE audience that doesn't know them. It equals a win for the former Prince Devitt and Kenta.

Kevin Owens Debut: 

Josh:  I'll keep this short and sweet, I'm so happy for Kevin Owens and he's going to make a big impact in the WWE in my opinion. You're going to have alot of sour grape ring of honor fans that are going to nit pick every single thing the WWE does with him, but I'll tell you this I think Kevin is the perfect guy for the WWE environment and if you give it time and see how his character evolves then this is going to be a fun experience. I don't think we'll see Kevin cost Zayn the title and that leads to the WWE version of Ladder of Wars, I think Kevin will come out cut a promo about who he is and will challenge somebody to a fight 

James: Kevin Steen has transformed into Kevin Owens. Both guys are pretty much the same and Kevin will no doubt in my mind cost his long-time friend Sami Zayn the NXT Championship. If you have never seen Steen vs El Generico Ladder War you have missed out. WWE is aware of the history and made new fans to Owens aware of it so if WWE does not pair these two they have missed the boat.

4.) WWE NXT Championship Match 

Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn 

Josh: I know alot of people may have seen this match already before a WWE televised taping, but now we're in a different environment, I've been loving the story telling aspect of this feud and Sami is doing some of the best work of his career right now. Neville is on top of his game and don't count him out, Neville deserves as much as praise as any NXT Superstar out there. I think this match may have the opportunity to surpass the Zayn vs. Cesaro matches, but at the end of the day I think we'll see Zayn finally win the NXT Championship. 

James: Based on my Steen Debut thoughts Neville wins and continues to be a tweener that is heading to the heel side of the equation. Owens vs Zayn is on and I suggest you get your popcorn ready for this one.

This should be a fun night maybe we see some appearances from Enzo & Cass, Baron Corbin, Bull Dempsey and this may be the best NXT show of the year.

Speaking of Kevin Owens who will be debuting tonight, one of his mentors and best friends Steve Corino the color commentator from Ring of Honor wrestling will be on the podcast tomorrow with James and Chris Walder.