MIA YIM vs. BIANCA BELAIR- 6.5/10
Bianca Belair’s heel turn continues. She got the win with “illegal leverage” using her hair, but the physics of it made no sense. The ropes are not magic. Your “illegal leverage” pin needs to be something that actually gives you extra leverage!

SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE OF FORGOTTEN SONS AMBUSHING THE WAR RAIDERS AT THE PERFORMANCE CENTER GYM EARLY IN THE MORNING- AWESOME!
Major props are due to whoever came up with the idea for Ryker showing up in his truck as the distraction to also block the exit. This really did feel like a well-planned “military-style attack” (as it was called). This made the Forgotten Sons feel like more than just wild and crazy psychopaths. War Raiders will be on TV next week to address this.

THE HORSEWOMEN SPAR AT THE PERFORMANCE CENTER- And while Marina and Jessamyn were doing so (with Shayna playing referee), Io Shirai jumped Baszler from behind. The other two jumped in once they realized what was happening, and everyone else in the vicinity soon ran in to break it up. Io turns the heels’ tactics against them and has to fight smarter now because her pal got called up.

RAUL MENDOZA vs. RIDDICK MOSS- 3.75/10
Apparently Riddick Moss is still employed. His new gimmick is his “Riddick Regimen” which is the training system he used to come back from a torn ACL months earlier than he was supposed to. He’s combining Scott Steiner’s mannerisms, Tank Toland’s look, and Simon Dean’s fondness for alliterative names for exercise plans.
He kept picking up goofy exercise equipment and braded water bottles during the match and walking around the ring with them. DO YOUR JOB, REFEREE! Mendoza won a short “speed vs. power” match.

KUSHIDA WILL BE WRESTLING NEXT WEEK- care to tell us against who?

MATT RIDDLE vs. ADAM COLE- 8.5/10
AWESOME! Roddy came out to cheer Cole on and try to help him up but otherwise didn’t get involved in any way at all, as Riddle quickly took him out. Riddle got the win and then bailed because UE were incoming. Cole and Roddy argued after the match, though I didn’t really understand why. The crowd wanted them to hug it out but they didn’t. This was the second week in which Fish was the guy calming Roddy down and Kyle was the guy calming Cole down. From what we heard Cole say at the end as he and Kyle were walking up the ramp, he seems to think Roddy somehow cost him the match here, but I don’t see it, which makes Cole definitely the heel in this situation (yet again).

A GREAT episode of NXT. The main event was awesome and I actually care about the Forgotten Sons now!

Okay so, I might be totally alone here, but I’m really not sure how I feel about Riddle. I want to like him, I do, but there’s so much about him that throws me for a loop. I can’t get behind his submission finish, it just doesn’t look as dangerous as some of the other ones I’ve seen, I can’t handle him when he talks, or his bare feet... especially the bare feet.

I really want to like him, but all those things just kinda kill it for me.

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:20 Okay so, I might be totally alone here, but I’m really not sure how I feel about Riddle. I want to like him, I do, but there’s so much about him that throws me for a loop. I can’t get behind his submission finish, it just doesn’t look as dangerous as some of the other ones I’ve seen, I can’t handle him when he talks, or his bare feet... especially the bare feet.

I really want to like him, but all those things just kinda kill it for me.

you just pin pointed all the things that i don't think people will get unless they followed him around the indies

cero2k wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:43

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:20 Okay so, I might be totally alone here, but I’m really not sure how I feel about Riddle. I want to like him, I do, but there’s so much about him that throws me for a loop. I can’t get behind his submission finish, it just doesn’t look as dangerous as some of the other ones I’ve seen, I can’t handle him when he talks, or his bare feet... especially the bare feet.

I really want to like him, but all those things just kinda kill it for me.

you just pin pointed all the things that i don't think people will get unless they followed him around the indies

'I think the talking thing is more of a callback to his... um... issues that led to him leaving UFC. He's definitely a guy you have to watch for a while before you start to like him. With hindsight, Gabe putting him in Catchpoint was genius, as even if they hadn't done all of the internal turmoil that the combination Riddle and his attitude plus Stokely Hathaway managing TJP caused, putting Riddle in the group allowed people to get exposed to his character without him having to be the one to carry the segments.

I'm trying to think of something similar that NXT could have done with him and the only thing coming to mind is teaming him with Keith Lee, but at the time the singles division needed a lot more help than the tag team division so using him as a singles wrestler made more sense.

cero2k wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:43

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:20 Okay so, I might be totally alone here, but I’m really not sure how I feel about Riddle. I want to like him, I do, but there’s so much about him that throws me for a loop. I can’t get behind his submission finish, it just doesn’t look as dangerous as some of the other ones I’ve seen, I can’t handle him when he talks, or his bare feet... especially the bare feet.

I really want to like him, but all those things just kinda kill it for me.

you just pin pointed all the things that i don't think people will get unless they followed him around the indies

Which is exactly me, 100% lol

I'm also not particularly fond of that kind of... we'll call it a lifestyle, so perhaps it's just a little bit more distasteful to me than to the average person.

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 16:14

Which is exactly me, 100% lol

I'm also not particularly fond of that kind of... we'll call it a lifestyle, so perhaps it's just a little bit more distasteful to me than to the average person.

but you love Jeff Hardy!

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 16:14

cero2k wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:43

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 11:20 Okay so, I might be totally alone here, but I’m really not sure how I feel about Riddle. I want to like him, I do, but there’s so much about him that throws me for a loop. I can’t get behind his submission finish, it just doesn’t look as dangerous as some of the other ones I’ve seen, I can’t handle him when he talks, or his bare feet... especially the bare feet.

I really want to like him, but all those things just kinda kill it for me.

you just pin pointed all the things that i don't think people will get unless they followed him around the indies

Which is exactly me, 100% lol

I'm also not particularly fond of that kind of... we'll call it a lifestyle, so perhaps it's just a little bit more distasteful to me than to the average person.

One of my things is ...this man's whole entire shit CLEARLY REVOLVES AROUND SMOKIN' DOPE...CHILLIN'...FEELIN' IT...GETTIN' RIGHT...

But no one cares lmao.

KILLdozer wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 00:33 One of my things is ...this man's whole entire shit CLEARLY REVOLVES AROUND SMOKIN' DOPE...CHILLIN'...FEELIN' IT...GETTIN' RIGHT...

But no one cares lmao.

Bro! People definitely care, he's not a Superstar for nothing. WWE would sign a known pot smoker if people didn't care for him, bro!

cero2k wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 18:02

Serujuunin wrote: ↑May 10th, '19, 16:14

Which is exactly me, 100% lol

I'm also not particularly fond of that kind of... we'll call it a lifestyle, so perhaps it's just a little bit more distasteful to me than to the average person.

but you love Jeff Hardy!

Haha, yeah, I know that’s a bit of a contradiction... but that was before all the drug stuff and then when that all happened, I felt like it would be shitty of me to stop liking him because he made a mistake, especially after how much of a role he played for me growing up. And then he did the rehab and grew up and it was all okay.

cero2k wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 07:19

KILLdozer wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 00:33 One of my things is ...this man's whole entire shit CLEARLY REVOLVES AROUND SMOKIN' DOPE...CHILLIN'...FEELIN' IT...GETTIN' RIGHT...

But no one cares lmao.

Bro! People definitely care, he's not a Superstar for nothing. WWE would sign a known pot smoker if people didn't care for him, bro!

What are you, me?!?

I meant it just seems strange that in kayfabe no one even notices nor cares...this "combat athlete" is clearly on dope all of the fuckin' time...it just doesn't seem like a safe idea within kayfabe lol...

I didn't see a lot of the RVD stuff in the formulative years so I can't really compare them btw.

KILLdozer wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 12:05

cero2k wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 07:19

KILLdozer wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 00:33 One of my things is ...this man's whole entire shit CLEARLY REVOLVES AROUND SMOKIN' DOPE...CHILLIN'...FEELIN' IT...GETTIN' RIGHT...

But no one cares lmao.

Bro! People definitely care, he's not a Superstar for nothing. WWE would sign a known pot smoker if people didn't care for him, bro!

What are you, me?!?

I meant it just seems strange that in kayfabe no one even notices nor cares...this "combat athlete" is clearly on dope all of the fuckin' time...it just doesn't seem like a safe idea within kayfabe lol...

I didn't see a lot of the RVD stuff in the formulative years so I can't really compare them btw.

RVD still had a bit of that about him when he spoke, but not like Riddle. I maybe also wasn’t as aware of it because I was younger, come to think of it...

The thing with Riddle is that he's doing the thing where he's "being himself with the volume turned way up". By all accounts, every shoot interview or behind the scenes piece, he is the happiest laid back guy in the world but will not deny the fact that he can and will legit fuck somebody up (god... that core strength... those deadweight germans...), and the whole thing is totally relatable in a really weird way. Like the Stone Cold Steve Austin of pot smokers or something...? He's somebody that needs his UFC backstory told to really understand. You can't just throw Riddle out there, which is what NXT did and what they'll do on the main roster if he ever gets there, or you get conversations like this. Evolve did a FANTASTIC job tying everything together...


But personally, I think this is as far as his current shtick gets him inside the WWE machine. He's cringe at scripted promos and looks like he's wrestling in his tighty whities strait out of the shower. Considering the amount of people that already don't "get it", Vince REALLY isn't going to "get it", and it's his ringwork that sells the entire thing - something WWE sucks at getting across. A true superstar in front of a small crowd, but I absolutely do not see him translating to WWE TV well at all unless Heyman picks him up or they figure out a way to tell the man's story...

Bob-O wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 17:59 The thing with Riddle is that he's doing the thing where he's "being himself with the volume turned way up". By all accounts, every shoot interview or behind the scenes piece, he is the happiest laid back guy in the world but will not deny the fact that he can and will legit fuck somebody up (god... that core strength... those deadweight germans...), and the whole thing is totally relatable in a really weird way. Like the Stone Cold Steve Austin of pot smokers or something...? He's somebody that needs his UFC backstory told to really understand. You can't just throw Riddle out there, which is what NXT did and what they'll do on the main roster if he ever gets there, or you get conversations like this. Evolve did a FANTASTIC job tying everything together...


But personally, I think this is as far as his current shtick gets him inside the WWE machine. He's cringe at scripted promos and looks like he's wrestling in his tighty whities strait out of the shower. Considering the amount of people that already don't "get it", Vince REALLY isn't going to "get it", and it's his ringwork that sells the entire thing - something WWE sucks at getting across. A true superstar in front of a small crowd, but I absolutely do not see him translating to WWE TV well at all unless Heyman picks him up or they figure out a way to tell the man's story...

Vince is already gonna say "no boots?"

KILLdozer wrote: ↑May 12th, '19, 09:16

Bob-O wrote: ↑May 11th, '19, 17:59 The thing with Riddle is that he's doing the thing where he's "being himself with the volume turned way up". By all accounts, every shoot interview or behind the scenes piece, he is the happiest laid back guy in the world but will not deny the fact that he can and will legit fuck somebody up (god... that core strength... those deadweight germans...), and the whole thing is totally relatable in a really weird way. Like the Stone Cold Steve Austin of pot smokers or something...? He's somebody that needs his UFC backstory told to really understand. You can't just throw Riddle out there, which is what NXT did and what they'll do on the main roster if he ever gets there, or you get conversations like this. Evolve did a FANTASTIC job tying everything together...


But personally, I think this is as far as his current shtick gets him inside the WWE machine. He's cringe at scripted promos and looks like he's wrestling in his tighty whities strait out of the shower. Considering the amount of people that already don't "get it", Vince REALLY isn't going to "get it", and it's his ringwork that sells the entire thing - something WWE sucks at getting across. A true superstar in front of a small crowd, but I absolutely do not see him translating to WWE TV well at all unless Heyman picks him up or they figure out a way to tell the man's story...

Vince is already gonna say "no boots?"

Either that or Vince will say "hair like that and no boots? We'll make him a Von Erich! I'm a G-d damn genius!"