UP NXT: Episode 6

Hello everyone and welcome once again to Up Next, where your 115,764th favourite wrestling podcast on the internet every week comes together to bring you our thoughts and opinions and also some of yours on WWE's alternative brand that is NXT. Remember to join us in the conversation, find us at rtmwresling on Twitter and as he stands for post the podcast in full onto YouTube, SoundCloud, rtmwresling.com and iTunes. So go and subscribe, like, comment, review, where is most convenient for you. My name's Anthony and as always I'm joined by the Pocket Rocket.

Emma! Hello there, yes again! Well back again! Or for the night, we'll be behind the mic for a second time in one evening or someday no less.

No less. No less. No less. No.

So, nothing good, no we can, hopefully it'll be good, damn it. But we've already done a prediction show for paybacks and go and listen to that if you would like to. If not, just tweet us, it's nice to hear from you. So I start the show and with what is and always will be...

Twitters. Twitters, twitters, twitters, twitters. Twitters from the rtmwresling. So we start and this is, you know, just a general thing about NXT at the moment and a certain signing that's been leaked, even though I don't read the rag pages.

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay away from the topic three is also going to be something unfortunate, I couldn't stay away from either. And we start with Josh Lawless, MCFC and he talks about Eric Young and he says good signing. NXT needs a new wave of talent and he's top notch. Brilliant, thanks very much for that Josh.

And when we actually got at Carl Gaki's point, it's almost like they're just treading water in the moment, until the global Cruiserweight series. Still worth watching though, we'll go on to that little bit later as well Carl. So much like that. At Ted is legend, has agreed with Carl and it's called hashtag NXTNA.

It's currently undergoing a transformation. Last but not least, we've got at Chantel Air. He's bought if but like Lesnar Nakamura draws. Wrestle Kingdom 9 and 10 had distribution in the US and UK and it got him so over.

Keep him special. Awesome. Thanks very much for your sweet everybody. Greatly appreciate it.

That's what you guys think of NXT in the moment. So few key points to pull out. First one, nobody mentioned him and I'm probably not surprised. And that is no way Jose.

I said it wrong. You did. Yeah. You were looking at me because you've been gone in Jose.

Jose. You're doing it to wind me up. Jose. No way.

Jose. And the song, an example, if you will, of a song being maybe a bit better than the person. And I mean, I don't mean that in the sense of better than, you know, I don't think this guy is terrible or anything but it's as though they have an idea of the song and then just threw it at one of them and said, we've got this idea for a song. We're going to say no way Jose.

It's yours. You're now Jose. And I'm like, right? Okay.

No worries. We've seen that guy a couple of times before. He's done a few squash matches. I think he called Jose.

I don't know. I don't know either. But yeah, it's I'm waiting. I like the song.

The song is excellent. I also liked Adam Rose's song. Yeah. Adam Rose went with the character of it.

So here's my issue with no way Jose at the moment. So he seems like he's not quite there with it. So like it's coming out and he's dancing and there isn't really anything too choreographed. Whereas Adam Rose was very choreographed.

Like his fall from the ring to the to the Rosebuds was at a specific time of the song. And like I said, we're in a couple of shows ago, he needs to get that in time for when the music kicks back in that, you know, on the floor, which he did on the first one this week, so he didn't because, you know, who were, who were we? To say what the King of Strong's down needs to do. I tell you what, they do need to fucking do though.

They need to send my fucking t-shirt through the post and yours as well. More importantly, mine sends me my fucking my King of Strong style t-shirt, God damn it, because I'm starting to lose my shit of other days. It says it's been sent. Passes a little segue and I'm sorry to do this.

I don't even hate this. But when we do the great Manchester run in fancy dress, perhaps you could be Shinsuke. The King of Strong style. We could.

We could do that. I don't know if I could pull that off. I mean, I'll put some crazy hairdo going on. Yeah, I pulled whole Colgan off I think the last time we did it.

But that's before anyone's racist. Yeah, then everybody did it. He came out with a racist to say. And he hit on you over Twitter.

He did. He actually did. But anyway, because you weren't. Oh my God, if you just suck up.

If you're a black girl, he won't be tweeting his call. You do already monster. The monster that is called Colgan. Yeah, but maybe you could be Shinsuke.

If you're T-shirt around on time. Just saying. Maybe I should just do it in the Shinsuke t-shirt. Anyway, well, no, because I'm dressing up.

So I want you to dress up too. But where am I going to get a red leather jacket and leather pants from? Maybe you want to wear some kind of, if you go to the fancy dress shop and some kind of like Michael Jackson dress up. I think that might work.

And Jacko, like crazy Jacko jacket. Are we in the realms of weird again? Like Logan? Well, I wore a Nikki Bellatops when I actually went to the event.

So it's off limits. Anyway, back to Jose. I think he needs to grow into it a little bit more. I don't believe he fully is with it at all.

He's just done. He's done things a bit out of time with the song. He doesn't do the no way Jose think with the crowd as convincingly as he probably should do to get it over. Well, those sort of things all come in time.

Yeah, I think it is a definitely classic case of it's an idea for a song and someone's got it. And it's not fair. It's not their idea. It's not their idea.

I've got money on that. Well, based on his performance, I would say that was the case. Maybe we're wrong. Maybe he did call it.

And he said, Oh, I'm going to be no way Jose. And then they made the song for him. Maybe another cracking example of the music that I see knocking out on the moment. Yeah, the music is amazing.

But we shall see in time at the moment. I'm not convinced. But he needs a little more time for sure. A lot more time.

Summer to Eric Jung. And I don't know much about Eric Jung. Only what you've told me. And that is that he was involved in a storyline that was similar to Daniel Bryan one.

He was like the underdog champion guy over there. And that kind of got my back up at the time because I could say, yeah, I know it's your idea. Not about him. But the whole thing.

So that's my lasting memory of him. I'll be honest with you. I don't hear people talk about him all that much. I know he people champion him.

We get a lot of people tweeting us talking about Indian wrestlers or people who are in different promotions. Rickishay. Yeah, they want to see them kind of Prince Puma. That is Rickishay.

No, no, not at all. In Neutrapan, he's ricocheting it and he doesn't wear a mask. And he's got abs. You could fucking great cheese on.

Holy shit. And he's actually because I started following him on Instagram. If I'm boying away like I was, he's actually dating Tessa Blanchard, who's just debuting NXT as well. So she could get him in the door.

Game in the fucking door, Tessa. Come on. Yeah, I think you'll turn up at some point. I feel like I just can't commit to that name.

I feel like it just sounds wrong. As for him, I just don't know what people talk about him. So it seems like a bit of a weird choice on that level, but I'm not that close. So I really wouldn't know whether or not this is a good sign in.

I feel like they could have signed some other people that I've heard people talk about first, but then it sounds that person might be signed. Indeed. And what impressed me a little bit. So we've got another tweet on this in his familiar role as a come shot.

So the last tweet of the day, congrats, guys. I'm amazing. I hope you find it as funny as I do. And he's literally upset.

I don't know why they went with her at young. I really don't. And that is my first response as well. What I gauge from it.

And for some reason, the rep seems to be empty and I out a little bit at the moment. And poor James Storm, let's say a little prayer for James Storm, went back to DNA to form beer money. And now it seems like Bobby Roode said, up on NXT as well. What you did say?

He did say it was an open door. So maybe they'll do beer money in NXT as well. So I'm going to ask who knows. But at first glance, you think, Oh, they're young strange one, but they've been so good with their signing so far is that I I don't necessarily think that they do sign people based on just pure in ring talent.

So I personally don't feel like they're doing that. I feel like they're getting the people who work their ass off who will get in that performance center, even though they've been DNA world heavyweight champion and the fucking buster ass. And I look at Eric Young, and I feel like that's the case. I can look at him and I think right.

He was quite he was like a bit of a tough one when I used to watch DNA, which is a long time ago. He seems to be a bit of a talisman of the show like it was always Sherry young. He's this quick, quirky guy who's the underdog. And he doesn't really win a lot.

And I don't know if I'm right on this and correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember him used to tag with Shark Boy, who was a guy who this is the depths of where DNA went to. It was a guy who dressed as a shark who acted like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Shark Boy, it was a shark, but I just don't think somebody needs killing off. But yes, we used to do the stunner, we used to do that.

And you know, the put his hands over his head, but he was dressed as a shark. But yeah, I remember him sort of being a tag match with him at some point and never really getting over. And then when I heard about the whole storyline that they did where it's like too much, he's in one night and he was literally like, again, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what it sounded like, it was literally a week after WrestleMania, they were pulling this out and it was just all a bit strange and Dixie Carter must be just like pissing her kicks now. So she used to sit in a push chair, she's sitting in a push chair, had a nice little desk, had a nice little office.

Now they're going to work out of a warehouse. So it's all going wrong for Dixie at the moment. Yeah, her daddy will probably pull that from the next some stage and nobody wants to see a company go down because the more companies they are, the better the overall product would be. But I just feel like I've never wanted to go back and watch the CNA.

I've only ever watched a new Jupo, new Jupo wrestling, ROH, Lucha on the ground. There's so much more interesting shows out there than CNA, which let's be honest, is trying to be a carbon copy of WWE. And it doesn't work. You've got to do something a bit different.

The writing's got to be on the wall. I know we say that all the time. You know, we always say, oh God, it's got to be over now. It's like the ratings are terrible.

The best wrestlers are moving. They stopped living live shows or sorts of shit. They think they've all got, we must have been saying this for the last year. In the world of the amount of money that's at stake here, I'm amazed they're still going.

They must have a following in some way that keeps them afloat. I'm surprised they've not gone to online only or something. Yeah, to try and become something. I can't remember whether ROH just got their TV deal because it used to be like TNA was on it and ROH was after it.

And I remember ROH beating them in the ratings one week. ROH is much better. Oh, it's much better. It's much better quality because the thing is ROH knows what it is.

It's a wrestling show. It doesn't really go too far with storylines. It does a little bit, but just enough. But it's a great wrestling show.

So when you've fed up a scene coming out and going, roady crow tonight, then you've got Jay Lethal performing that lethal injection, which is fucking one of the best finishes I've seen. You know, it's just cool. It's a cool show. You've got young books on the, you know, ACH, Casheeda was on an animated animated video, which is fucking amazing, six months.

And then when you think, oh, I want a bit more pomp and circumstance again, you go to Lucha Underground. Yeah. And it's just, so it's just, it seems like TNA is always one step behind WWE. And because of that, they seem to be in shit.

Now back in the day, TNA was great. When he had, when I was gone back to the six, I did ring now or five, I did ring camera. I don't have to go back to it now. But when it styles and Daniels and some, I was Joe was there and it was really like, right, this is the alternative.

This is not WWE. This is the alternative to WWE. Now, TNA, the last time I saw him, it was just WWE with Matt Hardy as the champion. And I was like, what the fuck is this?

But yeah, I mean, just to see what they do with their young. Yeah, I mean, it's another nail in the coffin of NXT being a developmental. Yeah. Because it's really coming away from that now.

Yeah. It's, I would say at the moment, the split is kind of even more in the favor of the established indie wrestlers. Yeah. Yeah.

There's a lot more coming in and obviously that positions it as an alternative brand and not a developmental brand. And it's dangerous. It's fucking dangerous in the best possible way. Yeah.

Because you've got this crazy developmental place where you can practice your promos and you've got monsters coming in, huge elements on social media and really established. You can come in and just hone it even more, which is unbelievable. I mean, it's, it's, it's, on one hand, it's a bit of a shame for the developmental guys who really thought that was their show. However, I now see it as shit.

This is the biggest opportunity ever going to get. Yeah. You're wrestling alongside these, these guys who, you're going to learn so much more and you're going to make them better. Yeah.

And these people, I just feel like it's weird, actually, because people's debuts now do seem stronger. And I don't know her name, but that girl who debuted, like properly debuted who we saw on that NXT. Oh, it's a leo or something. Yeah.

Yeah. Because past debuts, I'm not sure they all look a bit uncomfortable. Yeah. She was comfortable.

She really came out and I don't know whether that's a one off, but it could be a sign of the times where the developmental guys are just getting that extra bit of oomph. Yeah. Extra bit of confidence. And that's amazing to see.

Because you know where else is, she's ready. She's ready and, and on that documentary, she wasn't great. And I was like, oh, I can't see her doing well. Whereas when she came out now, I was like, shit, she's great.

Yeah. She's really got it now. So it helps everyone raise their game. It's just an absolute mammoth of a show.

Yeah. I'm really excited. Because I think what I think will start happening as well. And it's kind of happening to some degree with like Corbin and stuff like that.

I think the developmental guys will bypass and will go to Raw and Swat Down. Whereas you Joe's and your Eric Young's mate and Alcindor he's in things that may stay behind and may build it as a brand and may make it as their show. That's what I think this will happen. And then you'll get the odd one that gets stripped of him.

So like, Alcindor he might get dripped into Raw at one point when, because you know, if you look at, if you look at the talent that is in NXT right now, so you got, you know, Tidy Lynch is amazing. I think Tidy Lynch is ready to go up now. And it would be over. The 10th thing would be over because he's not got the S channel anymore.

I think he's great. He's struggled now to see where these guys will fit in. So like, because there's so many more monsters in NXT now, just great workers like Dashing Dawson, you know, American Alpha, you look at them and you think, well, they're ready. But there's only so much time for Raw and Smat Down, which makes this payback brand split even more interesting if it happens.

Yeah, we'll see. Which everybody seems to be going on about. I do wholeheartedly agree and we said that it'd be great if Shane got Smat Down. Hey, oh, let's go.

But Eric Young very interested. See what he does. Yeah, for sure. Something I'm not interested about though, that much.

Putting a bit of a damping on the next take over a little bit and spoilers alert. So if you don't read the spoilers, unfortunately I had this spot for me. I couldn't stay away from it. We had it tweet a dozen on sorts about what we thought of it and this sort of stuff, which is fair enough.

But hey, it's ruined the next month of NXT shows. But yeah, spoiler, spoiler, spoiler, if you don't want to know what the main event of the next take over is turn off now. I'll give you two seconds. One, two.

So the thing that I'm not excited about for is Joe versus Bowler three. Yeah, Matt really surprises me that. I didn't think what we've the title getting thin dropping the title to Joe losing the title. I thought that would make way paved the way for someone else to just enter that picture.

And I thought Finn would come back if you were saying in the next tee. But I thought, oh, he's losing it because he's going up. Or he's just going to step aside for a little bit. Someone else will have a go and then maybe he'll come back and do the Joe thing for the next one or the next two way.

But yeah, I'm with you there. I just find that a little bit of a weird one and a bit is a bit kind of like a luster a bit or an exciting because we've seen it before. And now like Joe's got the title. So it's like, well, is Bowler gonna win it back?

Like, is that the aim of this? Or because I can't see him winning it back. So I feel like I already know the results. I reckon Joe will keep hold of it for a little bit.

I think if they're clever, they'll do that. This is about time. And Joe's a really good person to go against his lobster. But yeah, I know I'm not bothered about it now.

Shame because it's a great margin. I will be right in there with it. And I can't remember. I don't think I don't know if they've announced where it's going to be or I think I'm not too sure.

But I'm sure there's a serial killer in that town that he'll come out as and he'll be a big thing. Maybe they're doing this again because of the blood from the last one and that room in a little bit. Maybe. Yeah, that's a good point.

If they did have a good... Yeah, but Eric Jung was one who came out and his debut now was against Joe. So he comes out apparently on this NXT that's coming up. Eric Jung comes out and then chances him to match.

They have a match. That's a real stiff. They're smacking the fuck out of each other type of match. Like some other champer.

And Jung, yeah, oh, he's amazing. But Jung ends up getting choked out. So that was his debut. He lost to the champion.

But fair enough. The interesting thing for me for it is you can't trust a word by the says. And I don't believe he is going on. I think we just did this just to see what the reaction would be like.

I don't think there's room for him up there. No, there isn't. But I've said that about a few people and the company went to you. It's like when you've got ends up getting some of this promo time.

Where's Epico and Primo going to come into it? Yeah, I know. It's a really good point. It is.

But I'm more interested to see what the rest of the card looks like. Whether Bayley's going to be in the title match, probably not. It seems to be leaning a bit more towards Nia Jax now. But I've not read any spoilers so I'm sure there's like a match like Bayley and Nia Jax.

And if I'm right, Nia Jax will probably win it. So then Bayley can have a match against like somebody else on the card. Like maybe Carmella, maybe an Emma. Just that.

But I'm a good women's match. Whereas in the titles, Aska versus Nia Jax. But yeah, it was a bit of a solo on me because I don't necessarily want to see it again. Maybe throw somebody else in there as well as a triple threat just to make it a little bit different.

Well, they absolutely can. And I think that Lockhart's all tweeted saying that they're they're lacking a bit of star power in NXT at the moment. But I completely agree. But I think that's a booking thing that you throw in the same matches together.

It's always people. Just whack someone else in there. It's not you're not sure of like amazing talent that the crowd would want to see or cheer for and get really behind. Like just give it a go.

I don't know why that it's a bit strange because for a promotion that's kind of so inclusive, they do kind of stick to the stock main events. And I don't think they need to think that the wrestlers in NXT are a lot more on and even footing that they are on the main roster certainly. So you could whack someone random in freaking you could have a women's match of ask a say it was ask a bailey and how much it could run in. Anyone could run in and you wouldn't question it and go why are they on there?

It's not like Ziggler running in to stay the day with Roman Reigns or something. They're like what for fuck. He's like what hell you know you could do anything. You could shake it or you could have a really random main event and no one would ask too many questions.

And I think the reason why that is because on NXT TV you don't see the same face every week. So there is a main event person on each one. There is a main event. So like one week it's Joe, one week it'll be Nakamura, one week it'll be Valor, one week it'll be Austin Aries or whatever.

I say throw Austin Aries into the mix and I've got a triple threat. I know they've been doing that on the live tours. I think it's saying so now yeah. Well just from what I got to it it seems like it's saying so.

But no, it's one of the questions I can't remember who did it but it's one of the questions. No, I'm not impressed with it really. But again it'll be a great match. It'll be a great match.

It'll be a great show. Really good show. We'll obviously do a prediction or something a little bit closer to the time. But yeah.

We know a little bit more about it. Yeah for sure. Yeah but it's interesting. I'm intrigued to see where NXT is going.

I think it's kind of growing to a bit of a giant and then the next year I think it's really got to find figure out who it wants to be because at the moment it's being everything. It's being everything really well. But I do think you kind of need to pick a route that you're going down. And if you do want to continue with the one title which I think it should.

But I feel like this is the year where it'll really start to mold and we'll get a finished product probably in the next 12 months. I think it's the first product that will be a shame. It'll be a stop. Like a very formulaic kind of way of doing things.

Right now we know what it's about. Yeah. Because at the moment I feel like there's too many debuts and it's going to go in. Yeah it's free for all.

Every month I can be person debuting. It's like holy shit or the fuck. They're just throwing me about the move to so many people up. Which is kind of mad when you know Cena, Rollins, Orton come back on the main show.

There's a lot of and new people from NXT. We do really good work at the moment. And we've said it before and it's like shit what the fuck happens to them? They're going to go back.

Are they just there as placeholders? Rather than that for good. I don't know. We'll see.

We will see. And lastly, it's not really an NXT thing. It's the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series. So the first I think it was a revolution per I wore.

Oh, progress wrestling. Sorry. Apologies progress wrestling. So they had the qualified matches.

So Zack Sabre Jr. who we still need to watch a match for for educating Andy. And also Jack Gallagher, the gentleman Jack. Which you know, it's a good name.

It's a good whiskey. We've seen it. We've seen him wrestle the time before. Yeah.

You wrestled that guy as well. The last one we went to. It was really good. We saw in the gym.

Oh yeah. Yeah. It was Jack Gallagher versus the team. Yeah.

Yeah. We've seen it. Yeah. That's not just approaching him.

Yeah. But that was a fantastic match. And so but I don't from because WWE did an amazing thing for progress by putting the match on their YouTube channel. So it's like they're doing everything that so if you were an up and coming sort of promotion, this is what you'd want to do to sort of rival WWE, say rival.

We're going to get all the indie guys and we're going to get like, you know, all these like UK indie scene shows where just get them all together and have like a super show type thing. And they're doing it with this global cruise away series and and you're kind of thinking now, don't be doing this fucking go everything. So they've obviously got a summit going with New Japan because of Nakamura and constantly mentioning New Japan when Anderson and Gallo's come out and so far. So there's something going on there.

They're showing all this progress wrestling stuff when Nakamura versus Zane, the revolution pro footage of Nakamura. So there's obviously something going on there as well. So they are doing everything they can to be the only one left. But and also like, you know, there's banter with ROH that they are.

And so they're not they're not putting anybody out. They're sort of raising the companies up that they want to raise up with them. You know, it's like that's their developmental brands now. So, you know, you progress wrestling in the UK, you're pressing city wrestling, maybe or pressing city wrestling, usually a lot of TNA stars as well.

So probably probably aiming away from them a little bit. But, you know, they're bringing up those developmental things, but in different fucking countries. So it's like, this is insane. So like NXT is now turning into their second brand, like without that, we've been saying it for years now, it's their alternative brand.

It's not a developmental the developmental side of it will be at these indie shows and all, you know, you're thinking, right, well, this is where you're learning to see a regal, whether they do a UK tour regal, go into them and meet them all and chat to them. Robbie Brokseye did a match on Nick's show. You know, these are the people that are going to be feeders that will go into NXT. Right.

Are you ready? Right. Okay. Well, then come to our performance center and we'll train you for a few months and then you'll debut.

That'll be what the plan is. Yeah, it's really interesting. It is certainly is very interesting, very exciting. I think NXT gives them because the main show is so like beyond everything else.

And I don't mean that from a talent perspective, I just mean from the pomp, the size, the money, everything. NXT does a job to compete with, you know, you are our own teachers, you know, each or underground. It's the same sort of, it's as close as we are ever going to get to friendly competition. Yeah.

Because before it was just, they're just out in the middle of nowhere. Yeah. With no one to kind of bounce off, no one to compete with. I think that's healthy.

I think any company needs to have some competition and it's the perfect one to do it. Yeah. As you get in the NXT guys coming up now with a massive chip on the shoulder and massively ready, as well as I end up with a cast of just coming in. Oh, they've been there for years.

So it's a fantastic time to be a wrestling fund, ladies and gentlemen. And I cannot wait to see where they go with it. And I feel like, you know, we've said it before, NXT, we felt like my man Wayne a bit, and Carl even said, you know, he's kind of going through the motions into this Clue Cruiserweight series. But it's gonna be crazy.

It's gonna be crazy. It is, certainly. And we've got NXT in June. NXT in June, yeah.

In Liverpool, of which we have two spare tickets because we bought tickets, and then we bought two more because we thought the seats were slightly better. So we've got two lots of tickets. So if anyone is interested, we will sell them at face values. So just do this.

And we don't want to make a profit on him. Just want to make our money back as much as possible. And they are floor-seating. They're really good seats.

And so, yeah, happy to show you. Awesome. Yeah, please tweet us. If you want to.

If you would like to sell them. Yeah. So somebody, like, not just to give it to a tower. Yeah, I'll definitely do that.

Just, you know, just somebody who's not going in, you thought they missed the bell again. A good seat. We've got two face values tickets here, waiting for you. Indeed.

So thanks so much for listening, everybody. Any parting shots on NXT or we covered everything? I think I have for now. I'm excited.

I really am. I'm excited for the short term and the long term game with them, which is really great. Yeah. So play the music.

Thanks so much for listening, our team wrestling. Find us out. Our team wrestling on Twitter. Join in the conversation.

It's only fun. What we do bounce ideas off all you guys and really appreciate every time you tweet and tweet along with those shows and everything like that. It's really appreciated. So everyone who subscribes us on YouTube and subscribes us on iTunes and everything like that.

Thank you so much. It means a lot. Bye.