Cheap Pops - Wrestling News & Views - August 16, 2015

By Mike Maillaro, Josh Pollard, Jeff Ritter, & Graham Scherl

This Week:

• Amell is Raw!
• Getting your $9.99 Worth from WWE Network
• Cage loves Trump!
• NXT Takeover Brooklyn Predictions
• NXT Results

Mike: Chris is on vacation the next few weeks, so I recruited some friends to come help with the column!   Thanks, Grey and Josh!  The check is in the mail!  

Amell is Raw!

Josh: So how about Stephen Amell? Judging by his one appearance on Raw, that man is quicker than a hiccup.

Grey: I was surprised by how short he was. I mean, Hunter is a big dude, but he’s hardly a giant, and he’s just towering over Ollie Stephen.

Mike: The sad part is that Arnell was still FAR taller than poor Neville.  I love Neville, but when I saw that (especially with how much shorter he was next to Triple H) it was real clear that poor guy will never get a real big push in the WWE…

Typically I cringe at the idea of celebrities being involved in any kind of high prestige match.  But I do think Amell can make it work.  He’s definitely fast and agile.  He was like Spider-Man getting in the ring.  And this isn’t just a paycheck for him.  You can tell he really loves the business and wouldn’t do it unless he can make a convincing showing of it.

Josh: Neville’s kind of weird in that he’s jacked as all hell but also looks like he’s about 4’11. So maybe he’ll occupy some in-between land where they don’t push short people, but they do push bodybuilders.

Jeff: I’ll never understand why people get so hung up over height in pro wrestling. Give me a Rey Mysterio or a Dean Malenko over a Great Khali or El Gigante every time!

Mike: For me, it’s not so much that I care about the height of the wrestlers...but you know Vinnie Mac does.  So the whole reason I pay attention is because I know it will have an impact on how much this guy will get pushed down the road.

Grey: I’ve got a dollar that says Barrett was thrown into the match to take the pinfall.

Mike: I tend to agree with that.  And as much as I like Barrett, I am kind of glad.  I have really been concerned that Stardust was just going to have to do the job to someone else...a non-wrestler this time.  By the way, when this story started, it seemed like it was going to be The Miz and Stardust, I wonder what happened to that. Again, not knocking Wade, but I LOVE Miz.  Would be nice if the WWE found something useful for him to do.

Best in Our World: WWE Network (or “How to get your $9.99 worth?) PART 1

Josh: So I turned on a random WWE Network show recently, deciding I should probably get something out of it besides the $9.99 I pay for PPVs (still a great deal on its own). December 19th, 1985. I would have been four years old, wow. No wonder I don’t remember when Jesse Ventura was actually a wrestler. It’s actually kind of neat here, as he goes from announcing with Gorilla Monsoon, to wrestling for the Intercontinental Title versus Tito Santana (he wins by countout, but no belt), then back to announcing. And we get 98 year old Bruno Sammartino kicking the holy hell out of Roddy Piper before he’s saved by Cowboy Bob Orton. Bruno was in better shape than I’ll ever be. Bruno is probably still in better shape than I’ll ever be.

Mike: The first Starrcade! I actually think it’s better in a lot of ways than Wrestlemania I.  If nothing else, it had a hell of a lot more star power (in terms of wrestlers at least). While the main event with Flair and Harley race facing off for the NWA title is huge, for me, the selling point is the Piper/Valentine Dog Collar match.  By the time I started watching wrestling, Piper was sort of a fan favorite, and I hadn’t seen just how sick and warped he can be.  The first time I saw this match, it stuck with me for a long time. This is a real hardcore match!  

You also can’t go wrong with any of the NXT Takeover specials.  There have been incredible matches on every show, especially some of the women’s matches, and any match involving Sami Zayn or Adrian Neville.

For WCW, I am a huge fan of Wargames.  Unfortunately, most of them were not done at PPV’s, but the first one I ever saw is on the Network as part of Great American Bash 1989.  And Wrestlewar 1992 featuring the...Sting Squadron...vs the Dangerous Alliance.  There are others, but I remember both of those shows so much.

As for WWE...wow...hard to pick.  So many classics.  Wrestlemania 3 is the first wrestling show I remember seeing, and it’s got so many great moments.  I also loved the tournament format they used for Wrestlemania 4.     No Mercy 1999 was the first ladder match between Edge and Christian vs the Hardyz, which made me huge fans of both teams.  I will admit, it got better when they added the Dudleyz later on, but it all started here.

I also have personal affinity towards Royal Rumble 2000 and Wrestlemania 29.  The only two PPV's I ever got to attend live.  

Josh: And my favorite Wrestlemania match ever (well, it was until I got to see Undertaker vs CM Punk live), Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 7. I just love the story that match told. Savage had cost Warrior the title and man, he was boned from the go. Warrior actually changes up his usual M.O. of running around like a lunatic to stalk Savage down and calmly beat him into paste. That’s when you *know* you’re screwed.

Mike: You saw Wrestlemania 29 live too?  What a strange coincidence….

Josh: I totally didn’t get all teary finally getting to see Undertaker live. Nope nope nope.

But really, that entire place blowing up when Undertaker went “That’s it, you die now” to the Anaconda Vice was incredible.

Grey: That was a great weekend. Not being able to smoke in my rental car really helped me start the cut down that led to me quitting cigs.

What to watch on the Network? Well, obviously NXT and PPVs. I’ve had some fun watching bad WCW lately, though I’m limited to the PPVs since WWE has yet to put up post 97 Nitro’s.

Countdown is fun, The List is fun, Renee’s interview show is great but short.

Mike: Yeah, next week, I am definitely going to talk more about some more about my other favorite shows on the Network.  

Brian Cage heels it up in Mexico

Mike: I was very surprised to see one of my favorite wrestlers, Brian Cage, featured on the website The Daily Beast...in a political story:  

“Right after the controversy with him saying that Mexicans are rapists, I was like, ‘I’m gonna wear a Donald Trump shirt to the ring one day.’ I kept saying it as a joke. Everybody thought it was hilarious,” says Brian Cage. “So I brought it up with (friend and fellow wrestler) Konnan. I said, ‘I’m really thinking about buying a Trump shirt.”

Cage is most known for his work with Lucha Underground, a wrestling organization that airs shows on the El Rey Network and UniMas. (Those networks are owned by Univision, which Trump is suing for $500 million.)

“I was in that outfit for one of my promos, so I ended it with, ‘Make America Great Again,” says Cage.

Cage tried the Trump shirt on a local TV show as well—the station told him to wear it and see what happened.

“Nobody said anything,” he says. “I think they were intimidated by it.”

It’s worth noting that Cage is 6’0” and 230 pounds. Even still, Cage had some concerns about how wrestling fans would react.

“You know, in some towns, you don’t mess with certain people,” he says. “I asked (Konnan), ‘I’m not gonna get shot, am I?’”

Konnan, who was once called “The Mexican Hulk Hogan” (back when that was a good thing), assured him everything would be okay.

Everything was more than okay. Cage emerged from backstage at Arena Ciudad de México, he flexing in his “Make America Great Again” tanktop while his manager waved an American flag. He was booed mercilessly.

“Oh, for sure. Instantly,” he says. “As soon as I posted the first picture about it, I lost like 30 Twitter followers immediately. It was perfect. That’s what I want.”

Cage had a good start to the match, but after leveling Alberto with a chair, a baking sheet, and a power bomb through a table, Cage eventually succumbed to an arm bar to end the match.

(You didn’t think they were really going to let Donald Trump’s America win in Mexico, did you?)

It gets better: the El Patron Albert V. Brian Cage was a loser-shaves-their head match. Cage is now shorn.

“Now I feel like a white supremacist,” he says, laughing.

Mike: I am a huge fan of Brian Cage, so I loved this story so much.  He had a huge match with Alberto El Patron at Triple Mania, and decided the best way to heel it up in Mexico was by playing a Trump Supporter.  Makes perfect sense to me!

I do want to say that Brian Cage is not only a great wrestler, but a really cool guy.  I got to meet him a few months ago, and he was huge.  Definitely in my top five wrestlers at the moment! And not just because I think he could break my neck without even trying….

Josh: Now I remember the story about Rowdy Roddy Piper playing La Cucaracha on his bagpipes and causing a Mexican crowd to riot, and I miss Piper all over again. Boo.

Mike: Pretty much the only one in WWE doing these kinds of tactics these days is Rusev.  And that might have backfired.  I really, really want a massive Rusev flag now!

Rusev might end up being the next Fandango.  And that is not a good thing.

Josh: Really, what have they done to poor Lana? Here you have a woman getting the most sheer hate out of the audience since Vickie Guerrero, so...they take away all of that and make her a do-nothing goodie goodie.

NXT Takeover Brooklyn Predictions

Finn Bálor (c) vs. Kevin Owens Ladder match for the NXT Championship

Mike: The first time I ever saw Kevin Owens (Steen at the time) was the ladder match he had with El Generico the Generic Masked Wrestler in Ring of Honor  (No idea what happened to that guy).  That was easily one of my all time favorite matches.  Especially that finish with the package piledriver on an elevated ladder.  I honestly think that Piledriver might be the root cause of all of...uhm...Generic Masked Wrestler’s shoulder issues to this day.  So for us indy nerds, as soon as Owens said he wanted a ladder match, I got a little wood.

And then you add in Finn Balor.  Finn is not only a charismatic performer, he’s high paced, and high flying.  The perfect combo for a ladder match.  This really has the potential to be an awesome match.  

As for picking a winner, Owens really needs a big win here.  But if he’s going to be on the main roster full time, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for him to continue to be the NXT champ.  I’m really torn her, but I think Finn keeps the title. And hopefully Owens will have a big run-in the next night at SummerSlam to get his next WWE feud rolling.

Josh: Er, well...on the one hand, I can’t see Finn’s reign ending *this* soon into his run. But they’ve also been teasing a lot of Regal/Owens shenanigans. Gut says this ends with Owens somehow cheating (I don’t know how he would in a ladder match, but hey) to stick it to Regal, then Finn trying to get it back.  

Jeff: I recall hearing that Finn’s contract stipulated that he wouldn’t have to stay on NXT very long before getting called up to the main roster. But just round the time he arrived NXT was becoming the best brand in the WWE. I believe he may have amended his deal, and I project him to be in the NXT title picture for a solid year or so before getting bumped up...although I’m not so that would be a “promotion” anymore. Kevin Owens will probalbly strattle the line between all promotions, and why not? While I’ll never dig his “family man as a heel” gimmick I can admit that his work with Cena has won me over. Sure, some of that is due to how much I despise Cena, but the chubby indy guy really can bring it.

Mike: Odd little postscript to this story.  At the NXT tapings this week (which will air AFTER Takeover Brooklyn), Owens did come out with the NXT title, but they didn’t announce him as the champ, and they didn’t seem to offer some explanation.  Hopefully that’s just a swerve...otherwise, that would be damn foolish of the WWE to give away the finish to a big match this way.

Grey: I’ve got Owens losing in an instant classic, but then powerbombing the shit out of Finn into the apron afterwards. He keeps making a big deal about how he needs a championship, so it would make sense if he were to just walk off with it even if he lost.

Mike’s Prediction: Finn Balor
Josh’s Prediction: Kevin Owens
Jeff’s Prediction: Finn Balor
Grey’s Prediction: Finn Balor

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tyler Breeze Singles match

Mike: I remember Liger from WCW, but I have not seen any of his Japanese work.  I know this is a big deal (and Chris is a big fan).  Personally, I love Tyler Breeze, and I really hope they didn’t just bring in this big name so another opponent can beat Tyler Breeze.  WWE has a track record for giving “guests” the win, so I predict Liger takes this...but I really don’t want him to.

Josh: I’m kind of up in the air over this one too, but they *really* need to start giving Breeze some damn wins, and Liger isn’t exactly a breaker of worlds when it comes to winning and losing. He’ll show up, he’ll be awesome, and then he’ll lose.

Jeff:  This match could steal the show. I honestly don’t know what Liger has left in the tank, but NXT has had a way of rejuvenating some veterans. Breeze is on the cusp of being a megastar. He’s been hitting that Beauty Shot finisher at will, which is a great thing to have in his repertoire. I think this is a way for Breeze to learn a couple of moves from one of the all-time greats, and Liger doesn’t need a win to remain popular.  

Grey: Tyler losing here hurts him while doing nothing for the one-shot appearance by Liger. Breeze is main roster ready, give him the win, give him the push, and stop wasting him!

Mike’s Prediction: Jushin Liger
Josh’s Prediction: Tyler Breeze
Jeff’s Prediction: Tyler Breeze
Grey’s Prediction: Tyler Breeze

Blake and Murphy (c) vs. The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship

Mike: I hate predicting two title changes in one night, but I think it’s definitely time to get the titles off Blake and Murphy.  Honestly, it was probably time to take them off at the last Takeover and give them to Enzo Amore and Big Cass.  But that just didn’t happen.  I am real curious to see how The Vaudevillians take Alexa Bliss out of the equation.  Maybe Carmella will help them out...though again, that would have made more sense when they fought Enzo and Big Cass...

Josh: The might of Blue Pants saves the day! Or so I can hope. I just want to see her somehow included in the Vaudevillains intro.

Jeff: “LET’S GO SEPIA TONE PANTS!” I dunno, Josh, it doesn’t have the right ring to it. What if they recruit a third member? Perhaps the all-new, all-different Bull Dempsey? Perhaps that Elias Samson guy--I like his look and he was something about it that just makes me want to see him succeed. Alas, I don’t think the reign of the rather generic tag team champions comes to an end just yet. I think you could see some challenges yet from Dawson & Wilder, Jordan & Gable, and maybe even Ryder and Mojo! MOJO! MOJO!  (That last bit is pure sarcasm, it it wasn’t terribly obvious.

Josh: Blake and Murphy are drifting into a Honky Tonk Man reign where it just keeps going on and on and on. So they’ll win this one too to continually annoy me.

Grey: I hate Blake and Murphy with a passion, and not like the way you hate Rollins or Owens. No, these guys are straight up X-Pac heat for me. F*** the Dubstep Twins. That said, my love of the Vaudevillains comes with an understanding that they are likely to never win the big one. Dubstep Twins win, unfortunately, again.

Mike’s Prediction: Vaudevillians
Josh’s Prediction: Blake and Murphy
Jeff’s Prediction: Blake and Murphy
Grey’s Predictions: Blake and Murphy

Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley Singles match for the NXT Women's Championship

Mike: This will probably be one of the best matches of the night, if not THE best match of the night.  It is likely to be Sasha’s farewell match for NXT.  I hope she gets a well deserved “Thank you, Sasha!” chant.  Bayley is definitely next in line to lead up the women’s division for a little while.  She seems ready for the main roster, but they really need a strong hand in NXT to keep the women’s division going, and I can see Bayley being great there.  

Jeff: I want to agree with you, Mike. I really do. But I just expect that they’ll screw it up some kind of way. You’re right in that Sasha doesn’t have much more to prove in NXT, and she’s far and away the best female heel on the show. If she leaves, who’s going to take that role on? Emma? Just shoot me. Charlotte? Rebecca Lynch? It would seem a little bit early of them to turn heel so soon.

Josh: Bayley’s story of the Little Engine That Couldn’t has always been pretty fun. Unfortunately she’s one of those that I think would just not transition to the main roster, since that requires effort on the part of WWE. See Emma.

So with that said, Bayley finally ends Sasha’s reign of terror and I am a happy Josh. Bayley’s pretty awesome.

Grey: Bayley wins, no question there. Then she’ll drop it to Dana Brooke or Emma at the next Takeover, because, like Sami Zayn, her appeal is in the chase. And hugs.

Mike’s Prediction: Bayley
Josh’s Prediction: Bayley
Jeff’s Prediction: Sasha Banks
Grey’s Prediction: Bayley

Samoa Joe Vs Baron Corbin

Mike: What gypsy witch did I upset to deserve having to watch this match?  The sad part is I actually do think Corbin has some potential..but his look doesn’t match his gimmick all that well.  And WWE is doing him no favors by constantly having him win squash matches.  Samoa Joe, on the other hand, has a great look, but he’s done nothing for me in NXT.  He definitely seems to be a little past his prime.  These guys could surprise me and put on a great match...but I am not expecting much from this one.  I think Corbin will win, just because him losing would basically kill his entire gimmick.  Though that might not be the worst possible thing either…

Josh: I can’t see Corbin and not immediately think that he looks like a  6’10 Bo Dallas. They seem bound and determined to make him into a great big monster though. He’ll probably win, although Joe murdering him on the recent NXT episode was the most fun I’ve gotten out of Corbin in ages.

Mike: When Corbin started dominating him, I actually slumped down.  And then, BAM, put his ass to sleep.  That was damn cool!  Hope he does it again at Takeover.  But I doubt it.

Jeff: Joe’s been phoning it in for years, but I just can’t see them crushing out Corbin’s long push just out of the blue. but then again maybe it’s been going on too long to really pay off now.

Grey: Jesus, I figured at least one of you would get behind the Samoan Submission Machine. I don’t like Baron. At all. His undefeatable gimmick has been tired for months, and every match he’s had go past two minutes has been a Khali level shit show. Now is the time to make him mortal. With him losing you get two ways to go, you can either have him in NXT trying to recover from the loss, or you send his ass to the main roster to fulfill his ultimate potential of being a bodyguard. Winning does little for him, as it just encourages them to have him come out and wipe out more jobbers at the next taping. Dude hasn’t grown even remotely as a talent since his redebut.

But if you really want to laugh, look up what he looked like when he was an offensive lineman for the Cardinals. Fat Baron is hilarious.

Mike’s Prediction: Baron Corbin
Josh’s Prediction: Baron Corbin
Jeff’s Prediction: Baron Corbin
Grey’s Prediction: Samoa Joe

Mike: You know, considering there are four of us, I think it’s hilarious that every single match ONE person predicted something different.  No 2-2 splits, no unanimous decisions.  3-1 straight down the line.

Mike: I don’t get to listen to many Podcasts.  Honestly, I have a real short attention span, so if I have something playing in the background, I tend to miss most of it.  So I tend to avoid Podcasts or Books on Tape.   People tell me all the time that I need to check our Stone Cold or Jericho’s podcasts, but I typically have no interest.  But I saw that Austin’s guest this week was Vampiro, and they were going to be talking about Vampiro’s match at Ultima Lucha against Pentagon Jr.  I loved that match, so I have to check it out.  I know a lot of people have issues with Vampiro, but I was a huge fan during his WCW days, and I’ve really enjoyed him as a commentator for Lucha Underground.  And like I said...THAT MATCH AT ULTIMA LUCHA WAS AWESOME!

One thing that amazed me is that someone in these two’s very long career, they had never managed to run across each other.  You can tell Vampiro was totally geeking out at getting to meet Austin, and I thought that was really cool and unexpected.  

I also liked hearing how this match came about.  Vampiro talks about some big name who came into Lucha Underground who refused to job to Pentagon (Vampiro wouldn’t name names).  He thinks Pentagon had a lot of potential, and understands that in the wrestling business, if you’re not willing to put over new talent, the industry is going to die.  You don’t get to hear enough people in the wrestling business talk about this.  WWE seems determined to keep giving part time talent wins, and never pushing new younger talent.  Which is a huge mistake as far as I am concerned.  

I was also surprised to hear that this match was about 30 minutes long but had to be cut down quite a bit to fit in the show.  You definitely could not tell by watching it. The Lucha Underground editing crew did an excellent job!

As I said when I started, I have trouble listening to things for a long period of time, so I only got about halfway through, but I do plan on finishing it on Monday at work.  If you get a chance, I highly recommend checking it out.

NXT Results - August 12, 2015

- Last week, Regal is asked about Owens’ comments regarding Regal not being fair and impartial.  Regal says that despite his own feelings for Owens, it would not cloud his judgement.  But Finn Balor agreed to take the match as a ladder match for Takeover Brooklyn.

- Tye Dillinger def. Solomon Crowe with what looked like an inverted Overdrive.  Dillinger finally debuted his “Perfect 10” gimmick that he’s been getting over with on house shows.  

- Mojo approaches Zack Ryder outside the arena to brag about how many chicks he was hanging out with last night.  Zack seems to be the crotchety old man in this tag team.  I don’t know why, but I thought this was hilarious.  

- Baron Corbin squashed Axel Tischer with the End of Days. Once again, by the time I was able to find his opponent’s name online (I thought the announcer said Castle Fisher...and I was pretty sure that was wrong) the match was already over.  After the match, Corbin cuts promo about his domination and being the real deal.  No one gets up from the End of Days.  Steve Cutler charges the ring.  Corbin hits the End of Days on him too.  Baron gets the mike again and says, “I don’t care who you are, no one gets up from the End of Days.”  Out comes Samoa Joe.

Samoa Joe says he’s been impressed by Baron.  Samoa Joe guarantees “You won’t be doing that to me.”  Joe seems to want a fight now.  Baron begs off saying he just fought two guys.  He shoulder bumps Joe.  They fight.  Corbin dominates momentarily.  He tries to hit the End of Days and Joe reverses it into the Coquina Clutch.  Corbin is out cold.

- Another segment with Bull Dempsey training backstage.  The slogan “Irons sharpens iron” appears on the screen.

- Tyler Breeze is backstage.  He says that Regal did not disappoint when he picked Tyler’s opponent for Takeover, Justin Liger.  But Regal also brought in Hideo Itami, and Tyler beat him too.

- Finn Balor def.  Marcus Loius with Coup De Grace.  After the match, Owens attacks Balor.  He tries to powerbomb him onto the apron, but Finn Escapes.  He dropkicks Owens through the ring barricade.  He rolls Owens into the ring. but Owens catches him with the pop up powerbomb.  Owens poses with the NXT title and then drops it on a fallen Balor.

-Backstage interview with the Vaudevillians.  They say they have a plan to take care of Alexis Bliss at NXT Takeover to keep her from interfering in their title match.   Alexa Bliss comes and starts to taunt them.  She then slaps them both.

- Apollo Crews promo video.  Once again, I think he has a tremendous move set.  I can’t wait to see him debut at NXT Takeover Brooklyn,

-Bayley def. Becky Lynch with a roll-up to become number 1 contender.

Mike: I said a few months ago that I thought Dillinger had some huge potential.   I loved this gimmick!  He seems to have gone all in on it, with 10 on his signs he carried with him to the ring, 10 on his trunks, and a 10 on his shirt.  This was by far the best match Crowe has put on since he’s debuted on NXT.  I was not expecting this match to have my attention like it did. I was folding laundry and actually stopped folding entirely early on.

Josh: I only keep up with NXT off and on, so Dillinger coming out of nowhere and being damn huge with the audience was really surprising. The 10 thing is ridiculously chantable...honestly I felt kind of bad for Crowe, since he was just kind of there in the midst of that insanity.

Mike: I was surprised that during the Finn Balor match they actually allowed Marcus Loius to hit some offense here.  I was expecting another squash match.  Not sure it made a lot of sense to make it seem like your champ couldn’t easily defeat a perpetual jobber which Baron Corbin continues to beat opponents in two seconds flat.  But, I appreciate that Finn actually seems to want to have competitive matches every time he’s in the ring.  Personally, I think that makes him stand out more than a lot of guys in NXT.  

Josh: What...are they really doing with Marcus Louis? He’s pretty much the jobbingest jobber ever, he has a pretty good look, but I have no idea beyond that what he’s supposed to be. I love my weirdo gimmicks so it catches my interest, but yeah.

Speaking of jobbers, I glanced up, saw Iron Sharpens Iron and had a brief shining moment where I thought it was the return of Iron Mike Sharpe. But no, that wasn’t to be, it’s only Bull. And then as I mentioned, Samoa Joe amused me greatly by kicking the snot out of Baron Corbin. He should do more of that.

Mike: The main event was great.  Typical NXT women’s match.  Sasha Banks did commentary during the match. Some of it was a little awkward, but I think on a whole, she held her own.  I loved seeing Becky really working the arm throughout the match.  She came across as an old school submission specialist, and I love that.   The ring work and psychology here was great.  Submission sequences, pin combos, working injured body parts, and some great suplexes.  All things you don’t expect to see when you hear “two women are wrestling.”  Bayley even pulled off a nice surprise victory when Becky tried to hit her finisher, but Bayley stacked her up for the win.  I expected Bayley to win, but not like that.

Josh: Bayley won! I was *not* expecting that, as Bayley has developed a big track record of almost making it to the top, then failing. And then sometimes she loses to Emma just for kicks. She’ll probably be the one to finally take out Sasha too, which will be neat...probably.

Grey: She’s the female Sami Zayn, and, come to think of it, they both have “Modern Tommy Dreamer” potential. They’re the people you pay to see chase the bad guy for forever and a day, and when they get the strap it’s all “Yay! So happy for them!” but then you secretly cheer for them to lose so you can watch them chase it again.

Bull Dempsey’s workout videos are quickly becoming my favorite non-Tyler parts of NXT.

Mike: I actually was annoyed the Bull Dempsey segment wasn’t longer this week.  I really liked last week when you see him building up to this great physical feat while all the other wrestlers were cheering him on.  It was kind of weirdly inspiring.  It made me actually cheer for Bull Dempsey, which I never thought would be possible.  Give NXT a ton of credit for pulling that off.