Sasha Banks has had quite the week already, and it’s only Tuesday. On Sunday, she picked up a big tag team win on the Battleground pay-per-view with her surprise partner and BFF Bayley (even though Bayley’s main-roster WWE debut was a one-time thing … for now). Oh yeah, and on Monday night, she defeated Charlotte on Raw to capture the WWE Women’s Championship.

In the exclusive WWE.com video you see above, Sasha got backstage after her emotional title win and (after some difficulty) had a FaceTime call with Bayley. It was a very fun and emotional moment for both women … and exceedingly dorky and awkward, just like you would expect and want these two awesome, nerdy friends to be. Bayley talked about how much she cried when Sasha won, while The Boss herself said the moment was so overwhelming she couldn’t even manage any tears.

And in another great backstage video, Sasha revealed she has another souvenir, to go along with her shiny new belt.

Yes, she snatched Charlotte bald and pulled out one of the former champ’s extensions during that fantastic title match. If this is truly the era of The Boss, I am fully prepared. All hail the legit queen.

As we inch ever-closer to the series premiere of Total Bellas, the good news keeps on coming: Principal cast member (and also professional wrestler) Nikki Bella is officially back in a WWE ring, shaking off the ring rust. Bella has been off WWE TV since November 2015 due to injuries, and she underwent successful neck surgery in January. After a long stint of rehab, she was cleared to return to the ring earlier this month and has since decamped to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

Lo and behold, who did she run into down there but former NXT women’s champion Bayley, fresh off her surprise appearance at Battleground. Bella posted a video of herself working out with Bayley in the Performance Center, and while we might only get to see the former Divas champ take a standard back bump, it’s a huge improvement from last March, when she was being told that a single bump could end her career.

Of course, this video doesn’t give a whole lot of context as to when we might expect Nikki Bella to be back on live TV, whether it’s Raw or Smackdown, but whenever she does pop up, she’ll have a new finishing move in tow, having retired the Rack Attack due to the role it played in her neck injury. Considering there have been reports of new Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan helping her figure out a new finisher and her near-husband John Cena has recently moved to Tuesday nights, the odds seem pretty dang high we’ll see a Bellabration on Smackdown Live before we know it.

Via WWE FAN NATION

After watching her fellow NXT Superstars get drafted to WWE’s main roster, many fans were left puzzled after Bayley was left behind. The Fourth Horsewoman opened up to Chris Jericho on the latest episode of his podcast, and it seems like the former NXT Women’s Champion is just as frustrated as the rest of us:

I think I’m getting more towards [frustration]. When they first went up, I was so excited and just like, ‘dude, I’m just so happy for you guys – if you guys can mold the division and make it easier for me when I get there, like, go for it!’ and I had things I wanted to work on here [in NXT]. But now, I think I’ve done what I can, and especially after WrestleMania and I saw their amazing match and the new women’s title, I’m like, dude, this is where I need to be. So now, I’m pretty, like, ‘alright, let’s do this!'”

Though she did make a surprise appearance to tag with Sasha Banks at WWE Battleground, it was revealed to be a one-time thing. When it does end up happening, however, Bayley knows exactly what she wants to do:

I mean, if I had it my way, I’d prefer to kind of start out the same way I did in NXT where I was just kind of laying low. And I don’t want to be thrown in the championship mix right away. I kind of like growing in front of the fans. What I hope to do is just grow in front of the larger audience, but I hope it all kind of works out the same way. I hope I really don’t have to change much because I’m so happy with how it’s going right now. But, if along the way they give me a few things they want me to change or that I need to tweak to make it better, make the produce better, then I can do it.

While I’m trepidatious about her leaving NXT and venturing into less evolved women’s storylines on the main roster, I have to admit the idea of a whole new audience of girls and women falling in love with Bayley and everything she represents makes my heart grow three sizes.

Transcription h/t to Wrestling Inc

WWE is ramping up for SummerSlam this Sunday, and that included an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter by Sasha Banks. The current Women’s Champion has quickly become one of the most popular stars in WWE and talked to Jonathan Coachman about several things, including her career, and which wrestler she thinks is going to be the next breakout WWE superstar.

The interview is a little odd because it seems to dip in and out of kayfabe. Banks is definitely playing up her “Legit Boss” persona, but she also mentions being in NXT and working on her character, which obviously is a peek behind the curtain. At the end of the interview, Coachman, who used to work for WWE, asked Banks who she thinks will follow in her footsteps as the next big breakout star. To nobody’s surprise, she said Bayley.

Banks and Bayley have a lot of history together. In NXT, they had some of the most well-received matches in recent memory, including the first women’s iron man match. On top of that, Bayley was Banks’ mystery partner at the last WWE Battleground pay-per-view. Bayley’s appearance got a huge crowd response, so Banks may be onto something when she says that Bayley might be the next star. Perhaps a year from now both Banks and Bayley will be major players at SummerSlam.

(Via ESPN)

Back at WWE Battleground, NXT darling Bayley surprised fans by revealing herself as the mystery partner for Sasha Banks. Despite fan reactions, Bayley confirmed that it was just a one-time thing, and she wouldn’t be on the main roster anytime soon.

Bayley lost to Asuka in her quest to get back the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Brooklyn II on Saturday. Bayley herself told Chris Jericho that she was ready to move on from the brand where people fell in love with her, and the emotional end to the match felt like her final bow in NXT. That was confirmed when she showed up on WWE Raw Monday night. After Raw General Manager Mick Foley told Charlotte that there are aspects of his job that bring him utter joy, he announced that he and Stephanie McMahon signed the hottest free agent of the new era. The former NXT Women’s Champ wasn’t afraid to jump right in and throw down a challenge to current WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte:

While she may not have gotten her crack at Charlotte right away, she had no problem going head to head with fellow NXT-alum Dana Brooke:

Of course, nobody was more proud of Bayley than her number one fan, Izzy:

Well, except maybe real-life bestie and recent NXT call-up Carmella:

WWE Raw

Previously on the Best and Worst of WWE Raw: WWE SummerSlam 2016 happened, and now everyone’s either injured or hurt. I think Nikki Bella’s the only person who showed up and didn’t leave worse for wear. Now we’re on the road to KFC PRESENTS BACKLASH!

Remember that With Spandex is on Twitter, so follow it. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. You can also follow me on Twitter.

And now, the Best and Worst of WWE Raw for August 22, 2016.

Worst: Finn Bálor And The Curse Of Seth Rollins

Let’s set the right vibe for tonight’s Raw by opening by what basically sounds like a retirement announcement from the hot new star who won the first-ever Universal Championship on his WWE PPV debut and is now going to miss “at least six months” with a torn labrum because Seth Rollins threw him arm-first into the ringside barricade.

I don’t want to put any unnecessary blame on Rollins, but between this, blowing out his knee, breaking John Cena’s nose and retiring and almost killing Sting with a bucklebomb, I’m starting to wonder if we should wrap that dude in bubblewrap and limit him to headlocks and armdrags. But knowing this Bad Luck Schleprock motherf*cker he’d drag Heath Slater over and dislocate both of their arms.

It’s the billy goat’s curse for breaking up The Shield, I’m telling you.

Worst: “A Series Of Matches”

The solution to the now vacant Universal Championship is the most Raw and Commissioner Foley thing ever. As ol’ Dropkick Murphy is leaving, Seth Rollins shows up to nasally accept the belt as the “real winner” of the match. He’s interrupted by Sami Zayn, who is quickly interrupted by Chris Jericho, and pretty soon Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Enzo and Cass are out there, too. Instead of, I don’t know, looking at the rankings or standings and deciding what would be best and most fair for the championship, Foley and Stephanie McMahon are just like, “everyone in the ring, you’re in a series of matches tonight that will lead to a title opportunity next week.”

First of all, “a series of matches” is the vaguest thing ever. Isn’t every wrestling show ever a “series of matches?” I know we probably don’t have time to do a full tournament, but you’re just doing the first Universal Championship qualifier in reverse. Before, you were like, “we’re going to have fatal four-way matches to determine who gets to compete in a singles match for the Universal Championship.” Now you’re like, “we’re going to have four singles matches to determine who gets into a fatal four-way for the Universal Championship.” Killer creativity, guys.

Second of all, how hilariously unfair is it that you can just walk to the ring and get included in these qualifiers? What did Cass do to deserve this? He lost a tag match the night before. Sami Zayn and Neville won a lower-tier tag team pre-show match, and Roman Reigns didn’t even HAVE a match because he attacked and injured the champion with a chair. If you can get a title match by just walking to the ring, why isn’t the ring FILLED with guys? Why aren’t Darren Young and Titus O’Neil and Jinder Mahal and whoever else stomping out here to make an appearance and get a spot? They aren’t any less qualified than Enzo. And how sh*tty is it that Cesaro and Sheamus are nowhere to be found, because they’re currently locked in a best-of-7 series “for a championship opportunity?” If they’d just both walked to the ring at the top of this Raw they could’ve saved themselves a lot of work. Now they’re stuck in a story, which means they can’t exist outside of it and take advantage of these easy, lazily-tossed-around opportunities.

Worst: Please Do Not Pretend To Be Injured Right After An Actual Major Injury

So the first match ends up being Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn, with Kevin Owens lingering around long enough to distract Kevin Owens Obsessive Zayn and give Rollins an unfair advantage. Things are going really well until Sami does his “springboard backwards off the bottom rope into a leapfrog” bit, comes down hard and appears to blow out his ankle.

Now look, I don’t want to limit a wrestler’s ability to believably sell and tell a compelling story, but can we maybe not make it look like Sami Zayn hurt himself in the first match after announcing Finn Bálor is out for six months? Especially after Zayn actually hurt himself in his first marquee Raw match, especially when he’s in the ring with Seth Rollins.

I’ll give the match itself a supplementary Best for telling a great story, giving Sami a fair but unfortunate out for taking another clean loss and for making Seth Rollins look skilled and opportunistic, but I’m going to need my pro wrestling to be a little comically unbelievable at least long enough to deal with the string of suspensions, a devastating real-life injury and Randy Orton’s exploded face.

Best: BEST FRIENDS

The next qualifying match is Kevin Owens vs. Neville, because I guess Mick Foley doesn’t know the difference between Neville and Enzo and just told the littlest dude he could find to go out there and wrestle.

It ends with Chris Jericho showing up and distracting Neville long enough for Owens to get an unfair advantage and win, and while I vehemently hate WWE’s love affair with cornball distraction finishes, I’m giving it a Best because (1) I’m gonna feel like a jerk if I Worst everything, and (2) Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho continuing to be best-worst friends is my favorite thing in wrestling right now.

I think my favorite aspect of the friendship is that Jericho is, shockingly, a better friend to Owens than Owens is to him. I guess that’s not shocking if you talk to Sami Zayn, but you know what I mean.

Jericho ends up facing Roman Reigns in the main event, and Owens shows up to return the favor from earlier in the night. The only problem is that Roman Reigns has the power of 65 Nevilles and thrives in the field of John Cenic Odds Overcomings, so he’s way harder to manipulate and beat. Despite doing his best and having a pissed-off Canadian dad in his corner, Jericho can’t close the deal and everybody ends up Superman Punched.

Normally I’d be more upset with Reigns getting ANOTHER title opportunity for no reason, seemingly moving past the United States Championship feud to do more important stuff and more or less beating two top-level heels by himself, but it is what it is. I wasn’t expecting them to not include Roman. I just hope they aren’t bold enough to have him like, spear Kevin Owens and win next week. That’s not a conversation I want to have with every wrestling fan ever.

Worst: Poor Rusev

As for Rusev, he’s stuck doing this crazy thing called “selling” in a match with Big Cass. One quick supplementary Best I’d like to note: I appreciate the creativity in the selling on this show. Usually selling in WWE is limited to the arm, leg, back or nothing whatsoever, and the qualifying matches on Raw featured people selling their eye (Roman Reigns), ankle (Sami Zayn) and ribs (Rusev). It’s not a big creative epiphany or anything, but it’s a pleasant change of pace. After the Styles/Cena match at SummerSlam, I’m hoping Cena gets super into joint manipulation and starts wrestling World Of Sport style on Smackdown.

Anyway, secret babyface Rusev has injured ribs from being beaten violently with a steel chair for trying to stand up for his wife, and now he’s out here competing in a championship qualifier with an injury because he’s what Jim Ross should be at the commentary table calling a “tough son of a bitch.”

Cass targets the ribs (which, I mean, I can’t blame him) and Rusev is forced to bail and bail until he takes the only thing I like less than a distraction finish, the purposeful heel count-out. In a CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER. He’s already a champion though, so I suppose I understand.

And before I forget, +1 to wonderful, beautiful Ru Ru for kicking Enzo Amore in the head for no reason. That should probably happen more.

Best: At Least Dudleyville Isn’t As Covered In Blood As Viperville

I’m not sure what to make of the Dudley Boyz farewell. According to reports it’s totally legitimate and they’re actually free agents again, even though the recent story of the team had been D-Von causing a bunch of miscommunication and being a weak link. I think everyone assumed Bubba was going to turn on him here (or somewhere) and go Full Bully Ray for a bit, but … nope. They’re just saying goodbye.

I’ll save any tearful goodbyes for the Dudleys until we know this isn’t just a Mark Henry-style bait and switch or whatever, but I appreciate them going out getting trounced by The Club, and not ending it on that expectant “squash the hopeless team with no future and pose” thing they were doing with the Shining Stars. Because yo, they punched these dudes for buying them international flights to a vacation destination. I sat behind D-Von on a plane on the way to WrestleMania last year, I know he’s not above flying coach.

The Dudleys have never been my favorite team and I’m not gonna say modern WWE TV will be worse without them, but they’ve got a legitimate claim to legend status, and should get a lifetime of love for being one of the most confusing, diverse and successful tag teams ever. From stuttering in ECW to the WWE TLC matches to Japan and the f*cking Aces and Eights, who has done more for as long and been better at it, even when it was terrible?

Best: New Day, This Is Stupid

The best moment of the entire show is Karl Anderson rendering the New Day speechless by just walking up to them and saying THIS IS STUPID, YOU’RE STUPID, STOP BEING STUPID. New Day’s just like, “uh, well, uh, butts? Booties?” It’s GREAT. Although I gotta say, it’s a little stone-throwy in a glass house for a guy who spent the last month dressed as a doctor so he could put eggs in a jar and call them a dude’s balls to call someone else’s act stupid. It’s like when I get mad at Mauro Ranallo for shoehorning in terrible references nobody gets and being self-satisfied about it. Mauro is the Kanye West of announcers because he’s always GETTIN’ IT IN.

(That’s such a good joke.)

Watching his singles match with Anderson, I just wanted Big E to be in the Series Of Matches for the Universal Championship. I often miss NXT Big E Langston, where they seemed actively impressed by his strength, intensity and skill, and didn’t just market him as the especially loud guy whose clothes don’t fit who sometimes jumps through the ropes like a psychopath.

E gets a strong win over Anderson via the power of teamwork (and The Damned Numbers Game), and the next step for The Club HAS to be adding a third member. If Styles isn’t around to help them and Bálor is too injured to finish whatever they were teasing at SummerSlam, there are a lot of Bullet Club members to choose from. What’s Jeff Jarrett up to?

Best: Johnny Knockout, Sex Jobber

Stephanie McMahon recently announced that WWE would be working to integrate LBGT characters, so meet JOHNNY KNOCKOUT, the subtle, complex character with a delicately progressive reason for wanting to wrestle Braun Strowman:

The WWE Fan Nation video edits out … well, all of it, but yeah, John Knockout over here wants a wrestling match with Braun Strowman because he “likes big, sweaty mean.” If this bothers you at all, consider how much time you’ve spent on the Internet complaining about how Baron Corbin’s stomach looks.

I’m not sure JK (who really needs a “KO” style shirt) tops chinless Pidgeotto James Ellsworth as Strowman’s best jobber, but it’s close. They should bring him back next week as Nia Jax’s jobber, have him say he likes beautiful, powerful women, then scream I’M THREE-DIMENSIONAL into the microphone.

Worst: Titus O’Neil Makes It A Loss

Congratulations, Kalisto, you’re off the hook for worst WWE promo of the year.

This is how the promo STARTS.

“Now last night you all, I mean earlier tonight you guys hurl, heard that the New Day, talking about winning the WWE Tag Team Champions, being BECOMING the WWE Tag Team Champions, last summer, right here in Brooklyn. Now what you all forget, sometimes, is that going into that match, that the Prime Time Players were your tag team champions, buh, going in.”

If you missed it, here’s a clip:

By the time Bob Backlund shows up like a runaway elderly freight train to get bodyslammed, Titus has already dug everyone involved a hole so big they couldn’t climb out of it with a f*cking helicopter. Titus should just quit, go to TNA and change his name to “BARNABUS FLEX” or whatever space gladiator name they’d give him.

Best: The Miz Gives My Upcoming Movie An Unintentional Wrestling Reference

During the spring, I made a movie called Seven Hill City, which is currently in post-production. It stars a very talented young actor named Matthew James. A few weeks after we wrapped filming, he messaged me with, “do you know a pro wrestler named The Miz?” I was like, “uhhh.”

So yeah, here’s the star of a movie I made playing The Miz’s assistant in a Domino’s Pizza commercial, co-starring a monkey. I am so excited about this you guys. Also, Miz would totally want to order the highest quality of the low-quality pizzas. They should do a followup where he makes one of my female leads bring him Mr. Hero.

Best: Hey, We Want Some This Lady

SummerSlam was a total sh*t-show, apparently. Finn is hurt and out for six months, Randy Orton got his head caved in so hard the voices got out, and now Sasha Banks is going on the DL to deal with nagging injuries. Raw opens with the new champion being stripped of the title and two straight heel victories. They’ve gotta give us SOMETHING to be happy about, don’t they?

Hey. We’d like some Bayley.

Two nights after her emotional goodbye in front of 15,000-plus at WWE’s Actually Good Show, Mick Foley brings out Bayley as the new challenger to Charlotte’s WWE Women’s Championship. This is her official WWE TV debut, and it’s crazy that it’s happening in the Barclays Center, where I guess every important Bayley moment is gonna happen going forward.

She gets a short promo with Mick, makes Charlotte make a bunch of concerned faces and gets her first main roster win over Dana Brooke. It’s weird seeing Bayley, the world’s biggest pro wrestling underdog, getting instantly slotted into a Women’s Championship match on her first night on the show. At first that made me kinda sad — the trials and tribulations of Bayley and watching her growth over like three years is what endeared her to us so strongly — but it’s nice to know that the growth and development of NXT can just carry over onto Raw. There’s no reason for her to start at the bottom and struggle against Dana, right? She was just going toe-to-toe with Asuka.

So yeah, this is all exciting and bittersweet and I’m excited to see Bayley catch on with a mainstream audience the way she did with any kid or good-hearted adult smart enough to watch NXT on the reg.

Best: Top 10 Comments Of The Week

Spitty

“D-Von get the tables”
*D-Von pulls out a series of charts detailing the financial crisis which Peurto Rico finds itself in.*

Redshirt

(earlier today)
Stephanie: “Look, I’ll give Daddy one line to write on tonight’s show so he feels like he’s contributing. What’s the worst he can do with one line?”

Wendell Baugh

Mick Foley: I sacrifice my Sasha Banks and my Finn Balor in order to summon Bayley! In attack mode!

ScooterMcGooch

Correction: #BayleysOutForHarambe

SHough610

Kevin Dunn: “Hey Vince, Bálor’s hurt, gonna be out a few months.”
Vince: “Damn it! :looks over at Cesaro: Cesaro! Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Cesaro: “I think I am, boss.”
:Cesaro starts to loosen his cuffs:
Vince: “Good! Go tell Roman his punishment is over!”

The Real Birdman

Lana still wearing her wedding dress, Rusev still wearing his cummerbund

Rodeo

“There will be repercussions. If Brock agrees to them.”

Mickenbock

Did Titus’ tongue have a match with Seth?

shb23

::John Cena, backstage::
“Wait, why didn’t his limb damage reset when Zayn built up his Finisher gauge?”

Yukon Cornelius

More important than a title’s appearance is NOT F*CKING INJURING THE INAUGURAL CHAMPION OF SAID TITLE. You really let us down tonight, Seth.
-Brooklyn

Thanks for reading, everybody. Be sure to click the share buttons below, and be back here next week when Seth Rollins accidentally breaks his own eyeglasses and is unable to read, despite being alone and surrounded by books.

WWE.com/2K Sports

Here at With Spandex we’ve got hyperbolic opinions, and they change on a dime. One person we haven’t wavered on, however, is WWE Superstar Bayley.

From her humble beginnings as a naive, too-handsy rookie obsessed with meeting and glorifying her idols to her current spot as a former NXT Women’s Champion and anchor of the Raw women’s division, Bayley’s torn it up in WWE rings for years, and shown that good guys can actually be good. Socially and professionally.

This year marks Bayley’s first appearance in a WWE video game — WWE 2K17, released on Tuesday — and we had a chance to talk to her about that milestone. We talked to her about her favorite games, her WrestleMania dream entrance, what it takes to be a member of fictitious Team Extreme — spoiler alert, it involves cargo pants — and the best and worst huggers in WWE.

WWE RAW

With Spandex: I guess I’ll ask you the obvious question that I think you’re probably going to have to answer a million times, how the heck does it feel to be in a video game with the rest of the Four Horsewomen and everyone?

Bayley: Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. Because honestly I was expecting and hoping to be in last year, but then, like you said, the Four Horsewomen, none of us were on there and I was like, oh God, like, this has to be our year, this has to be our year. And now we’re all in together at the same time. It’s all of our first time, which makes it very cool. I would have felt a little left out last year if it was them and not me. It’s cool because I just used to play the WWE games all the time. I bought a game system just to get SmackDown vs. Raw, and like, Just Bring It.

I used to play with my brother all the time. It was just us and we’d have friends come over, we’d have all our crazy matches and I’d be creating all these characters and now that I’m actually in the game. I have friends that think this is the coolest thing ever because they are so into video games. They don’t necessarily watch the product or anything, but they play video games still. They think it’s really cool that I’m this virtual character now and yeah, it’s been amazing.

Have you actually gotten a chance to sit down and play as you yet?

No, not yet, I’m hoping to soon. I’ve seen videos of just my entrance and … there’s a match between myself and Sasha, a falls count anywhere match, so I’ve seen it go down and I’m really excited to be able to actually play it.

Did they get your entrance right?

They did. I didn’t hear anything, there was no sound on it, but they have the wacky wavy inflatable tube men, they have the high fives with the crowd and everything. It’s really detailed.

Do you think you’re going to be critical playing as you in the game, you’re going to like, “I wouldn’t do that move that way.” Because I know motion capturing is kind of weird, right?

Probably. They’ll probably have a few extra moves in there that I don’t necessarily do, but I think that’s a plus.

You’ll get like a burning hammer or something.

Yeah. Yeah, but it’s going to be cool.

Did you used to make yourself in the games?

Yes. I was thinking earlier, I was such a tomboy and so weird that I was creating myself as a guy most of the time, and I think it was just so funny. I wanted to be a Hardy Boy. I wanted to make a character that was kind of like a third member of them.

WWE Network

The Hardy Boyz, not looking very different from modern day Bayley.

Yeah, I used to go to Gadzooks and buy those weirdly tight shirts with the tribal around the arms, I wanted to be a Hardy Boy too, I think.

Oh yeah, I bought the ball necklaces that they wore and I bought the pants that they wore. My sister would buy the red ones so I’d buy the orange ones I’d just have these crazy outfits but I wanted to be them, so I would create them in the video games and I would be a different mixture of them, and be my own version.

I was going to say, were you a Matt girl or a Jeff girl?

I was a Matt girl. It started out where my sister was so in love with Jeff, so I wanted just to spite her. I didn’t really notice them or care about them, but I was like, “No, Matt, he’s way better, he’s cuter!” Then I started becoming real fans of them, and really was obsessed with them, and I ended up really liking Matt, like over Jeff, but … yeah, I was a Matt girl. I was one of the few, I know Jeff was the more popular one with the ladies.

Do you remember what you named yourself in the game, did you have a cool wrestler name, like a favorite finishing move, anything like that? I always gave myself the Diamond Dust because I like Masato Tanaka. So I always had the Diamond Dust, I don’t know why.

The Diamond Dust? That’s a good one. Mine’s stupid. I would call myself Falcon.

Oh, nice.

I thought it was a cool name, I kind of thought it was a unisex name, like it’s kind of girly but it’s not. I don’t know, I was such a loser. (laughs)

I guess you probably had a lot of high-flying moves if you were the Falcon.

Yeah, yeah. I could fly just like the Hardy Boyz.

I know from UpUpDownDown that you were a PlayStation kid ,and I know you like Crash Bandicoot. Did you have a favorite PlayStation game? Because I was always a Here Comes the Pain fan. I think that’s probably the best one from that era.

Oh. No, I never played that one, it was just all Crash Bandicoot and then, what was it called? There was a dancing game, Bust-A-Groove? I don’t know if you ever played that?

Mm-hmm, I was terrible at it. Those rhythm games I’m miserable at.

Oh, okay. Yeah, I was so good at that game. I played it recently, though, like a month ago, because I re-bought it. And I’m terrible at it. I talked a big game and I played with my friends and I was terrible. You know how you have to push the button on every fourth beat, so it’s like … [demonstrates], and I was just so off, and it was really bad.

But I love that game. It was that one, Crash Bandicoot, and Croc. I loved Twisted Metal. Yeah, there was a few of them.

How did you feel about the fan outcry last year when you guys didn’t make it into the game? How’d you feel about people’s responses to that? Because I know I was real mad.

(laughs) It was cool that they actually cared and wanted us in, and you know what I thought was the coolest thing was, they weren’t asking for any one of us individually. It was all four of us together and I wasn’t even in WWE yet, so the fact that they were still including me in that kind of group and wanting us all there together, they were calling us the Four Horsemen, they wanted us all. It’s cool for all four of us as a group to have that support. Now, maybe the wait, the anticipation kind of made the fans just go out and buy this, pre-order this game first thing, this year.

You were the last one of that group called up. How was that? How was that adjustment for you? Because everybody else got sort of dumped into that Stephanie McMahon, “this is the revolution,” and you were just kind of killing it down at NXT, and you don’t get included. How did that feel?

Yeah, it was fine. [pause] At first-

Because you’re doing it up big now, so it doesn’t matter now.

But I remember the night that they debuted, and sitting on my couch at home and I couldn’t … I was so emotional, I couldn’t be more proud and happy for them because it was just, it wasn’t the fact that I wasn’t there, or with them. I was really upset that I wasn’t there backstage for them. I feel we all kind of helped each other get to a level where we were and even myself at that point. I was at the top of my game and ready to have this big match with Sasha, so I felt fine with where I was in my career. I just hated that I wasn’t there for them.

But I think we all helped ourselves get to that level and they all sent me nice text messages just to …. It felt like they appreciated me, and knew that I kind of helped them get there. I was kind of wishing that my debut happened a little bit sooner than it did at that point, but now in hindsight, when I think about it, I’m very grateful that I had the extra year with NXT. Because I think that’s where I grew the most, being able to work with younger talent and people like Asuka, and Nia Jax, just different kinds of competition. And I think if I didn’t have that year, then I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.

That’s really cool. I know you guys were just in South America, right?

Yeah. We just got back last night.

What’s it like going from wrestling just in front of that Full Sail crowd where you pretty much know everybody in the building, to wrestling in front of tens of thousands of people all around the world? What’s that been like?

Man, it’s so cool. It’s really surprising, actually because being the newest member on the roster, I feel like nobody’s going to know who I am when I step into these buildings especially somewhere like South America. But they’re huge NXT fans there, so they knew exactly who I was. They had my shirts, there were some signs, so I felt so welcome. That’s normally my fear, coming out on Raw or anything, is that no one’s really going to know who I am yet, because I’m still so new.

Aw, everybody loves you Bayley, come on.

No, but I think it surprises me all the time because I know how big NXT is because I’ve seen it grow, and seen where it’s going and all, everything that it’s done. But I think I don’t realize how big of an audience it really, really has, because everybody everywhere around the world knows NXT.

Are you really excited for the absolute landslide of Bayley Halloween costumes you’re about to get? You know so many people are going to be you for Halloween this year.

Yeah, I’m so excited. They’re my favorite, I swear. I was getting from grown men to little babies to kids, and I’m excited because now I have a bigger audience so we’ll see what happens this year.

Have you been keeping up with the SmackDown women’s division?

Oh yeah, totally. I watch it every Tuesday night live. I’ve got to see my girl Carmella and Becky. It’s just been incredible. Part of me really is jealous of … I think I just want everybody to … Part of me wants to wrestle everybody on that side, but then I love everyone on this side. So I’m missing out, but then I’m having a great time anyway. They’re just doing an amazing job. When they had that five … was it five-way? I think, or the six-way or whatever it was. They had such an incredible match. It was really cool to see how much, how good they’re doing.

Yeah, it’s really great to see the female talent prospering to the point where there are so many women on different shows who, you’re just like, “Aw man, I wish I could see that match.” Because right now, I would kill for a Bayley/Ember Moon match. And we’re not going to get that for a while, at least.

Yeah (laughs). I don’t even think I was in any matches with her. I don’t think I had any at all. I might have teamed with her once, on a live show or something. But I was kind of hoping, I was telling people who was doing the shows, please let me have a match with her. But no, it wasn’t the right time, so once she gets here, I’ll be waiting.

So since you’re known for hugging, my good friend Bill Hanstock wanted me to ask you who the worst hugger on the roster is. We decided that Big Show would probably be the best, because you would be sort of child-sized, and he would make you feel like a dad was hugging you. Who’s the best and the worst hugger that you’ve hugged so far?

Let’s see …

Assuming that even a bad hug is pretty good.

You know, there are some good hugs, but actually Xavier Woods is a great hugger, because he really holds you in, you know? He really cares. So sincere, so tight. It’s not one of those quick hugs, or the side hugs, it’s a real hug. So he’s my favorite hugger, I would say, on the roster.

The worst one probably has to be, I’m going to say Lana, because-

Lana’s not much of a hugger?

She’s a side hugger, she just, yeah, she gives you one of those little arm hugs that, she doesn’t really want to do it, and it’s like a cold hug. I should just leave her alone at this point.

Yeah, I would imagine Lana would be a very cold hugger. I guess that makes perfect sense.

Yeah.

But at the same time, Rusev seems like he’d be a great hugger. So it seems like maybe that’s a bad team.

I haven’t tried yet, so we’ll see.

I’m thinking about just the way that you came from NXT and you became almost like a cult hero. I was at the San Jose NXT show. That first San Jose NXT show, and I saw, and I was part of it, the reaction that you got, and it felt like the world’s biggest celebrity had just walked into the building, and now you get to be on TV every week–

Well, that was my hometown!

Well, sure, I know. But you deserved it, I mean it wasn’t just that it was your hometown. A lot of people wrestle in hometowns. When Wesley Blake comes back to Texas, people aren’t like, “Yeah, Wesley Blake is the coolest person of all time!” But Bayley got that. No shade to Wesley Blake, he’s a real live cowboy, but you know.

Yeah. Well, thank you.

You’ve got a WrestleMania coming up and that’ll be your WrestleMania debut, presumably. Are you going to bring 100 inflatable tube men? What have you got planned?

Well, yeah. I’m hoping. I’ll tell you my WrestleMania entrance dream.

Oh, let’s hear it.

I would love to have just 100 inflatables everywhere and kind of zig-zag through them. You know those fun houses or those little slides and stuff that you play on as a kid? If it’s something like that where they can get me darting through all of them.

Oh, wow.

That would be really cool. But one of my biggest dreams is to have Paramore play my song at WrestleMania.

Yes!

Yeah. I don’t want to say that’ll happen at my first one, but someday I would love for that to actually come true. We’ll see.

Well, I am a huge Hayley Williams fan. I happened to be wearing a wrestling shirt when I met her the first time, so I got to talk to her for 10 minutes about wrestling, which was my dream come true. So I will personally do anything I can to help make that happen.

Please.

We’ll make that happen. You’ll be zig-zagging through a fun house of inflatable tube men while Hayley Williams sings your song.

Oh my gosh, that would be incredible. Please message her and tell her that I need to meet her. She’s tweeted me twice and that’s been like the greatest day ever. She’s my favorite.

You haven’t met her?

No!

How have you not met her? She likes wrestling and you’re a huge Paramore fan, and you’re Bayley.

I know, but I’m never around! I don’t know, we just haven’t crossed paths. Yeah. Let’s make it happen. Every time I get on this media stuff I try to slip her name in there so she can get annoyed and just be like, all right, let’s meet already.

WWE

So what do you think the chances are we ever get [Bayley superfan] Izzy in a game? Because we need Izzy for your entrance, right?

Oh, wow. I think there’s a great chance of that actually happening. Maybe not an entrance but I think we can get her some VIP thing for WrestleMania or something. Maybe get her backstage or, let’s see. I don’t know, there’s definitely going to be something someday. I think as a fan she’s earned it.

YouTube

Sunday’s Roadblock: End Of The Line pay-per-view featured the third straight pay-per-view where Sasha Banks lost the Raw Women’s Championship to Charlotte Flair in her first title defense. Now she’s working an injury angle and, if Monday’s episode of Raw is to be believed, she’ll be moving on to a storyline with Nia Jax, while Bayley will be the next challenger for the title.

On Monday night’s post-Raw edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer elaborated on why the focus will move away from Sasha, and why the hot-potato “history-making” championship swaps took place over the past couple of months. Surprise! It’s because they were a holding pattern for the real feud Vince McMahon wants to do: Charlotte vs. Bayley.

“They were going to do Charlotte [vs.] Bayley before, and they decided to postpone it, because they want the angle to climax at WrestleMania. It’s kind of like, why start the angle before January? [The feeling is to not] start the angle at the weak pay-per-views, get it on the big ones. However it’s laid out, that’s the deal.

“The feeling is that Bayley was more over than Sasha Banks as a babyface, and Vince, as we’ve mentioned before, was not high on Sasha Banks in some ways, so [there were no plans for] long-term championship things [for Sasha]. So the idea was that Charlotte’s the better heel, and the one that’s really built the division — and really, she has. When it comes to that, the money program is between Charlotte and Bayley.”

And in case you were thinking that sounded just a little bit too reasonable, Meltzer also said it was Vince who laid out that really ill-advised Sasha tapout at Roadblock that sent the Iron Man Match against Charlotte into overtime … despite objections from pretty much everyone else in the room.

“Everyone knew that that ‘two seconds left’ tapout was stupid. [They did it] because the key people didn’t know [it was stupid].

“This is the deal: Vince McMahon has this idea that this great ending of this match — they didn’t figure they were in Pittsburgh and that no one was going to care and that the match was going to drag, and people were not going to be making any noise. So he was thinking it was going to be this really exciting thing, and Sasha was about to win and retain her championship. … The idea was, Vince thought [the crowd was going to be counting along], ‘TEN! NINE!’ and Vince thought the whole building was going to just be going crazy, which didn’t happen. And then she was going to tap at two, to deflate the entire crowd.

“He thought it was going to be like the greatest moment, when she then tapped out two seconds before everybody knew she was going to retain the championship. Everyone else [backstage] was like, ‘No! If she’s gonna do it, do it earlier, so they’re tied, and they’re both going for near falls for the last [stretch].'”

Some say Vince McMahon started the women’s revolution!

This, of course, is far from the first time that we’ve heard Vince isn’t high on Sasha, which are rumors and reports that have been around ever since she won her first championship. So take this latest report from Meltzer with a grain of salt if you like. Plans change all the time. And one imagines that, despite the lack of depth in the Raw women’s division, there are other options to have made all this highly-publicized history over the past few months if he really doesn’t care for Sasha all that much.

So basically: who knows! But it’s still pretty disheartening to hear if you’re a Sasha Banks fan.

It’s 2017, and the world of pro wrestling is rife with possibilities. We’re already in the thick of free agent season, and the Road to WrestleMania is about to kick off in earnest with the Royal Rumble. Last year, we got first-ever world title reigns from Finn Bálor and Kevin Owens, and AJ Styles became the biggest deal in WWE. Not too shabby.

So who’s going to break out and have a massive year in 2017? A new video from WWE’s YouTube account offers the company’s own suggestions, and it’s an interesting mix of established Superstars and people on the verge. Their picks: Bayley, Brock Lesnar, Nikki Bella, Bray Wyatt, Tye Dillinger, and Jack Gallagher.

It’s extremely cool that WWE is showing some love to Tye Dillinger like this, and it’s pretty clear that they know what they have on their hands with Jack Gallagher, as even The New Day was trying to leech some of his spectacular heat on Monday night’s episode of Raw. In fact, the only Superstar in the batch that really gives me pause about this video is the inclusion of Lesnar, because, like, where can Lesnar possibly go from here? Okay, I guess he could go back to being the spectacular, motivated ass-kicker he was before 2016, but I’ll settle for a Lesnar that doesn’t just completely suck, like we got last year.

Personally, I think the wrestlers who are going to have massive years in WWE this year are Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt, Cedric Alexander, and … oh, let’s say Ember Moon.

Who do you think is going to either break out or be a huge story in 2017? Let us know in the comments!

WWE Network

Recently, The Rock stopped by WWE Raw. Not to appear on television, but to film scenes for a movie he’s executive producing (and to give CM Punk a phone call). He caught up with a lot of old friends, and interacted with other wrestlers for the first time. He also gave us a prime bit of perspective when it comes to Universal Champion Kevin Owens.

Over the weekend, the Rock took to Instagram to post some mark photos he took with some of his favorite WWE performers, and to gush and gush about how much he loves them and how far they’ll all go (in his estimation).

He began with Bayley, talking about the respect he has for her, especially considering how much harder the wrestling life is for a woman. He also offered some very helpful advice on how to deal with his old nemesis (and Bayley’s mentor), Triple H.

He then moved on to Samoa Joe, a man whose entire career he says he’s followed. He said he’s confident that we will one day refer to Joe as WWE world champ. It’s certainly hard to get a higher endorsement than that from a figure as notable as the Rock.

Hard, unless you’re Charlotte Flair, who Dwayne says has “greatest of all time” potential. Dang, Rock. Why don’t you hand out a compliment sometime, you stingy jerk?

And of course, we could have expected all along that Rock would have some words of praise for Enzo Amore, a man who might as well have been crafted from Attitude Era Rock’s own rib.

Sadly, Rock seems to have inadvertenty tagged him and Enzo as a cup of haters. Or maybe Enzo’s shirt is doing that. Is the Enzo and Cass “cuppa haters” shirt meant to infer the reader of the shirt is the aforementioned cuppa haters? I think I need to go lie down. Good job cutting it into a belly shirt though, Enzo. You don’t want to be caught wearing a shirt that just comes standard.

Anyway, it’s good to know that one of the most popular and successful wrestlers of all time believes that the future of WWE is filled with immensely talented performers. Now about that three-hour Raw running time …

YouTube

WWE fans waited forever for Bayley to make her main roster WWE debut. Her time on the main roster may not have been … exactly what everyone wanted so far, but she’s still heading into WrestleMania 33 as the Raw Women’s Champion. And as you might expect, that’s a huge deal to her. It’s her first WrestleMania, so emotions are running high.

When Bayley spoke to the Kingston Whig-Standard, she was asked about performing at WrestleMania for the first time ever this year.

“I’m very nervous,” she admitted about the Mania debut. “I’m nervous to impress people. I’m nervous to make sure that I can hold onto my title, I’m nervous to impress everyone in the back to make sure that this isn’t my last WrestleMania,” she added, only half joking. “But it’s such a good, nervous energy. I’ve always taught myself whenever I have big matches, I’ll just use Takeovers for example, whenever I had a Takeover match, right before I went out, I was just a mess … so nervous. I’d tell myself, if you can’t do this, how are you going to do WrestleMania? That’s kind of how I got through every match. And every match was OK and I was fine. I’ve been waiting my whole career for this match and now is the time to prove to myself I was meant to be here.”

Bayley is used to stealing the show on big weekends — look no further than her Match of the Year candidate at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend two years ago — but she’s never been on a stage this big before, so it makes sense that she feels a ton of pressure. Luckily, her opponents Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks HAVE been there before, and they had the best match of WrestleMania 32. So Bayley may not have THAT much to worry about.

YouTube

Bayley’s time on the WWE main roster since being called up has been a real mixed bag. Mostly a mixed bag of butts, though. Pretty much every aspect of the character that fans fell so in love with in NXT has been wiped away, and at the moment, Bayley is sort of hanging around the periphery of the women’s division on Raw, possibly with an eye to trying things again after a cooling-off period. That’s probably best for all involved at this point.

Another thing that would be good for all involved is to try moving her to Smackdown Live, but that ship has probably sailed.

Bayley stopped by Steve Austin’s podcast this week. (The clean version of the podcast, of course, because Bayley.) She talked about the positives and negatives of moving from NXT to the main roster. Thankfully, she was way more tactful than “well, they wrote bad things for me.” (Transcript via Wrestling Inc.)

“Me and Sasha [Banks] talk about that all the time, just like being backstage with all the politics and all those things behind it, and even coming up from NXT. It can either be a smooth ride and easy depending on what the company is looking for, or who you are or whatever, or it can be where you are in NXT for a long time and finally get there and have a big debut and then have a rough start too. It’s so different but I guess it has its pros and cons from back then until now.

” … Sasha Banks and I, it’s still new to us being together all the time, but we talk about friends and family but we also like to complain to each other and vent to each other about everything. She’s one of those people that you can do that with but I can just let it all out, same with her. Or, we can just be huge freaking marks together and talk about how this is the coolest thing ever being able to do this.”

We hope that Bayley will eventually get back on the right track and become the perfect, noble hero that we all want her to be. We know the fans are largely still behind her, but she’s capable of so much more. At least she still has her tube men!

YouTube

On Monday night’s episode of Raw, former Raw Women’s Champion Bayley defeated Nia Jax by countout. The match was hardly memorable, and was another iteration of Bayley fending off Jax prior to her scheduled championship match against Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam. But it appears the bout might have been more eventful than we realized.

A big portion of the match involved Bayley selling a shoulder injury. Now it appears that injury might be legitimate, and her SummerSlam match might hang in the balance. WWE released this video on Tuesday of Bayley being evaluated and tearing up while talking about her shoulder injury after Raw.

And according to WWE.com, she will have to wait a week for swelling to subside before her injury can be fully evaluated and a prognosis given.

The former Raw Women’s Champion was evaluated by medical personnel, but the official diagnosis was inconclusive due to the amount of swelling involved. Bayley has been told to rest the shoulder until next week, at which point doctors are hopeful that the swelling will have sufficiently gone down so that she may be reevaluated and a firm verdict can be reached.

[ … ]

Dr. Chris Amann told WWE.com, “We’ve determined the injury is shoulder-related, and she will be going under further diagnostic testing later this week to determine the extent of the injury and also establish a timetable for recovery.”

Much like when WWE gave a much longer timeline for recovery after Braun Strowman’s surgery, wrestling fans would be forgiven for taking this news with a grain of salt. Prior to this WWE.com report coming out, however, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio had a hunch this might be a legit injury. (Transcript via Cageside Seats.)

“Maybe Bayley is just like a tremendous worker and she does a great job selling, but I think she separated her shoulder in this match … Nia was just throwing her to the outside and Bayley landed right on her shoulder and went outside and started selling it, or was really hurt. And then later, Nia gets her up in a double chicken wing, and just drops her right on her shoulder, and [ … ] Bayley rolled outside and just sat there for like 30, 45 seconds. And the referee’s talking to her, he’s fiddling with the gimmick on his belt where he sends word to the back … I mean maybe she’s just really great and this is a storyline, but I’ve separated my shoulder by falling down and landing on the side of it in a match, and I bought this, I’ll just say that. I don’t know if that’s what really happened, but I bought it.”

Storyline-wise, this could be a means to an end of getting either Sasha Banks or Nia Jax back into the mix for that SummerSlam title match. But prior to this injury news, it seemed pretty locked in that Bliss vs. Bayley was the Raw side of the women’s title matches. We’ll wait for more news on this injury and keep you posted.

YouTube

Following her match last week against Nia Jax, word came down that WWE’s Bayley had been injured on Raw. The severity of the injury was not immediately known, but right from the outset, both WWE.com and independent reports warned that her Raw Women’s Championship match at SummerSlam against champion Alexa Bliss might be in danger.

Bayley was not able to be evaluated until this week, when the swelling in her shoulder went down, so we were just waiting throughout the week and weekend for the other shoe to drop.

Well, that shoe finally dropped on Monday, and it was a shoe that had a separated shoulder in it.

Yes, this separated shoulder will keep Bayley out of action through at least SummerSlam, and she will not be able to compete in a match for the Raw Women’s Championship at the second-biggest event of the year. Bayley will be at Raw tonight to address the crowd, and I’m just going to guess a tear or two will likely be shed when she appears. From both her and from the fans.

To determine a new No. 1 contender for Bliss’ championship, Monday’s episode of Raw will feature two Triple Threat matches. The winners of those two matches will face off next week, with the winner going on to face Bliss at SummerSlam. So a big preemptive congratulations to Sasha Banks and Nia Jax, I suppose. Still, with six non-Bayley, non-Bliss women competing, that means Emma gets another match, and maybe even Alicia Fox as well! Gotta try to look on the bright side here, people.

We certainly hope Bayley gets better soon. Hang in there, Bayley! We still think you’re great!

YouTube

Bayley has had a pretty rough go of things since moving to the WWE main roster. Sure, she’s held the Raw Women’s Championship and had a WrestleMania moment, but she’s still seen her beloved NXT character be undermined by some of the worst segments in recent memory. Oh yeah, and she got injured right after earning a title match at SummerSlam, the second-biggest WWE event of the year. That’s bad, too!

Bayley’s shoulder injury — which she suffered in a match on Raw against Nia Jax a couple of weeks ago — was bad enough to put her out of action until after SummerSlam, but she’s still in New York City helping make the media rounds during SummerSlam week. In an interview with PWInsider, she gave an update on her injury and health status, and as you might expect from Bayley, she’s looking at the positive side of all of it.

“I just started physical therapy,” said Bayley. “So, for right now, I’ve never had an injury before that’s kept me out before, so I’m kind of taking it day to day. I’m not really sure how long [she will be out of action] … if it’s a couple of months or if it’s a few months of what’s it going to be right now. But, it’s separated, it’s a grade-two separation. It’s like the AC joint and the ligaments and all that stuff, so it’s not easy [ … ]

“Just within the past couple of weeks, I think it’s been two weeks now, I’ve actually been able to move it a little bit and the swelling has gone down a lot. So, the motion is coming back a little bit more, but it’s more about getting the strength and being able to lift my arm in front of me. Like I can’t do my own hair and it’s really hard to do certain things, but I’m just trying to get back as soon as possible, but at a safe pace as well.”

So the long and short of it is that she has a serious shoulder separation, and it doesn’t look like surgery is on the table at the moment, but Bayley is putting her comeback in terms of months, not weeks. That’s a real bummer and a big setback, but it’s entirely absence may make the heart grow fonder when it comes to Bayley and WWE fans.

We wish Bayley all the best and a speedy recovery.

WWEBeckyLynch on Instagram/ItsMeBayley on Instagram

The women of NXT arguably work harder than anybody else on the show, but that butt-busting has unfortunately resulted in a string of injuries lately. As we reported earlier, it’s rumored that Sasha Banks is dealing with nagging shoulder issues, and we now know Becky Lynch and Bayley are laid up with injuries of their own.

Lynch is dealing with a sprained hip flexor. According to her, she tried to work through the injury, but that only aggravated things, so she’ll have to take a few weeks off. If I had to guess, I’d say this is a repetitive strain injury from too much lass-kicking.

Meanwhile, Bayley recently broke her hand. She uses that hand for hugging! Bayley also planned to work through the injury, but it was recently decided to give her time off, as well. Instead, she’s been showing up to NXT live shows and letting fans sign her cast because Bayley’s the best.

Thankfully, none of these injuries are too severe, and getting hurt is part of the job, but still, OH NO, BAYLEY AND BECKY! Hopefully this string of bad luck is behind us, these ladies heal up quick and the NXT women’s division gets back on track soon.

via Wrestling Inc. here & here

WWE

Last Monday night on Raw, WWE gave us a rare moment of real change, when Stephanie McMahon called up Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch all at once, bringing the NXT women’s revolution to the main roster. It was a significant moment for a lot of reasons, and the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer went into depth about how it came about.

Apparently there was a lot of debate about how exactly to bring up the NXT women. One of the original plans, was to bring the NXT division up en masse and have them destroy and replace most of the current Divas division. Eventually the decision was made to integrate the NXT women into the current system, but there was a lot of indecision about who to bring up. At times, the plan was to bring up four women (Charlotte, Becky, Sasha and Bayley) and at other times the plan was for only two (Charlotte and Becky). Ultimately they took the middle road and brought up three, leaving Bayley behind. Poor Bayley.

WWE is said to be looking closely at UFC’s success with Ronda Rousey as inspiration for the future of women’s wrestling in WWE. The Rousey formula is basically to portray her as unfettered badass in the octagon, and a sex symbol in outside stuff like magazines, movies and talk show appearances. You may start to see WWE slowly going in that direction, with women’s wrestling being treated more seriously on WWE’s main programming, and the sexiness and drama being reserved for Total Divas and other side projects.

So, the big question – will WWE actually stick to their guns with this new direction? Probably, at least for the short-to-medium term. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are reportedly very behind increasing the prominence of female performers in the company, so the NXT ladies will be given a real chance, but of course Vince still dangles his Sword of Damocles over any new WWE directive.

What are your thoughts on the future of the Divas division? Do you think it has a chance? Will they (hopefully) stop calling them Divas? How would you ensure the NXT women’s success?

via Wrestling Observer

WWE

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And now, the Best and Worst of WWE NXT for July 22, 2015.

WWE NXT

Worst: The Demon Creepy Greg

1. Creepy Greg’s face looks like a potato. Seriously, look at a potato and then look at Greg’s face.

2. I absolutely do not understand WWE’s fascination with having interviewers present, but framing it so they’re as insignificant as possible. I know we’re not supposed to look at Tom Phillips or Creepy Greg as WWE Superstars or whatever, but they’re part of the crew. They’re part of the team. Why have them squat in the background behind a guy with their arm wrapped around him, holding a microphone? Why tell the person being interviewed to not look at the camera OR the interviewer? Basically what we have now are these weird Navi from Ocarina of Time people yelling HEY, LISTEN and then swirling offscreen. Why not just do those close-up interviews where a person asks a question from behind the camera? At least then you’ve got an excuse for the wrestler to not look into the camera, and there’s an illusion that he or she’s looking up and to the right at someone else.

In an unrelated note, Finn Bálor as a humble, demure, Irish NXT Champion who is occasionally possessed by an unbeatable Asian demon is great. He’s been most of that for a while, but it’s fun to bring up.

Best: Eva Marie’s Jacket, Entrance And Effort

Just wanted to knock out a few of these before we talk about the match.

Eva Marie’s got a Ric Flair robe — well, it’s more of an AJ Styles as Ric Flair robe — and her entrance is lights that turn everything red. That’s beautiful. I loved her original NXT entrance where they literally put her on a pedestal, but maybe that was a little cerebral.

It’s also important to point out that Eva’s trying very hard, and that that alone deserves acclaim. It’s similar to what happened with the Bella Twins … WWE fans had become convinced that they couldn’t wrestle (thanks in part to WWE’s previous, ages-old tendency to promote women as novelties and not athletes), so they developed distinct personalities and learned some moves and worked hard to get better. Also like the Bellas, appreciating a person’s work ethic and effort does not necessarily mean their work has been successful, and if Brie Bella’s been busting her ass for two years and is better but still objectively kinda garbage in the ring, we’d be doing her a disservice to say “no, it’s fine, she’s great.”

So, uh-

Worst: Eva Marie’s Everything Else, Unfortunately

Eva’s better. She’s much better than she was in the Bayley match, but she’s just … not there. There’s nothing going on in her head when she’s in the ring. She’s technically fine with what she’s doing, but you can look at her facial expressions and see her rewinding the tape to remember the spots. Sometimes she just trots up and does them independent of the story the match is telling, and you get moments like Cassie squatting there in a headlock with her arms out, waiting for Eva to stop taunting and do the shiranui.

The good news is that Eva’s actual wrestling ability doesn’t matter. It’ll probably never matter. She could show up wrestling like Manami Toyota and it’d still just be about the live crowd picking sides. The Internet picking sides, whatever. You’ve either gotta say “she’s good now and you’re all just smarks,” or “she’s terrible and will never get any better and this is a waste of our time.” It’s “let’s go Cena” or “Cena sucks.” There’s little room for, “Cena’s objectively one of the best performers in company history but there’s a lot of legitimately frustrating stuff about him, made worse by his position and influence.” Similarly, there isn’t much to pick sides about when the answers seems to be, “she’s trying hard, but eh?”

The wrestling doesn’t matter, though. The ability to polarize an audience like that is a rare skill, whether it’s based on preconceived notions and sad shit you didn’t have much to do with or not. Eva can show up now and send a crowd into a frenzy, and all she’s gotta do is hold an armbar for like 2 1/2 minutes too long.

I’m ready for Cassie and Jessie to stop being jobbers and be the next generation of NXT ladies to get hyped about, though.

WWE Network

Best?: Samoa Joe’s New Music

Good: Samoa Joe’s got a new entrance theme. No more Toejam & Earl placeholder music!

Bad: It sounds like the music they play in old cartoons when fat or dopey people are walking. To put it in a context people in this century will understand,

Joe wrestles Mike Rallis, and it’s the best he’s looked since his debut. It’s still Samoa Joe’s Greatest Hits, but he hits with a sense of urgency finally, and he doesn’t end the match looking like a wet seal. The odd thing is that he’s still not doing anything that matters.

Meanwhile, Baron Corbin is squashing a guy who looks like an off-brand Ninja Turtles figure in less than 10 seconds. If Corbin’s not doing anything important and Joe’s not doing anything important and they’re both squashing jobbers … they’re going to feud, right? So far, that’s Corbin’s only story. He’s an unstoppable force, and he hates other people trying to be it too. It’s what happened with Bull Dempsey, it’s what happened with Rhyno, and now it’s what’s happening with Joe. It’s not a coincidence that Joe’s next match is against Rhyno, right?

I hope it ends with Rhyno doing another one of those, “YEAH, THAT MATCH GOT ME HARD, LET’S GRAB SOME COFFEE OR WHATEVER AND WRESTLE AGAIN SOON” followups.

WWE Network

Best: Demma

Speaking of NXT’s rampant backstage homoeroticism, Emma and Dana Brooke have finally developed that “will they or won’t they” vibe that’s been going on with the men since Blake & Murphy won the tag titles. You know what I’m talking about. It’s fine and I honestly enjoy it and think it’s funny, but every interaction between two dudes lately has felt like a Tinder date. Corbin and Rhyno, Chad Gable going all Talented Mr. Ripley on Jason Jordan, etc.

Devin Taylor tells Emma and Dana Brooke that Bayley’s going to “do more than hug” them, and they decide to mock her by hugging each other. Dana kinda goes in with her arm up and they’re both making weird eye contact, and ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED, we’ve finally got some homoeroticism with the women. Up until now, NXT’s been this weird social experiment where the norms were flipped … on Raw or whatever, men are these noble gladiators and women are catty, jealous sex monsters. On NXT, the women are the noble gladiators, and the men are catty jealous sex monsters.

Long story short, I’m shipping Emma and Dana Brooke now. I mean, if I can ever take a break from shipping William Regal and Tyler Breeze.

Best: Bayley Vs. Emma

Yes, please.

Bayley’s back, and if we can keep her like this, she’s perfect. The thing about Bayley is that she’s had a lot (a lot) of character development, but she’s always maintained that strange undercurrent of being a lost child. She always kinda cuts promos like she’s wandered away from her mom in the mall and is trying to tell a security guard what happened. That’s endearing, but it’s kept her from truly fitting in with that elite Charlotte/Sasha class.

Here, we don’t get any of that. There’s no “aw shucks what am I doing” stuff in the ring, no Emma taking advantage of her innocence and naiveté, just Bayley as an athletic, straight-forward babyface looking for pro graps revenge. It’s nothing severe, but the story’s great … Emma and Dana keep screwing her up because of the Damned Numbers Game, but eventually Dana slips up and gets caught. She gets tossed (with some amazing responses, because Dana’s character work is at WrestleMania while her in-ring work’s still taking bumps at the Performance Center). That clears up Bayley to take Emma to the woodshed, and she wins with a Belly-to-Bayley.

I’m excited for this Bayley. This is the one we can work with on a bigger stage without fear that they’ll pervert what’s great about her. That’s the new plan: finish up Bayley’s character arc on NXT, then send her up to Raw as a normal person. We’ll always have the sweet OG version we loved, and we’ll be proud of her when she’s wearing light up shoes or whatever and calling people Catty Little Cats.

WWE Network

Worst: Dasha

Remember last October when Devin Taylor disappeared for a while, Veronica Lane wasn’t working out and Renee was busy on the main roster? NXT briefly introduced a new backstage interviewer who was such a theater kid and couldn’t stop making exaggerated faces? That’s Dasha. She’s back, I guess, because I assume Devin got patted on the head by Dana and had to step out back for a while and punch a dumpster. She’s an attractive lady and objectively a better TV interviewer than Devin, but man, those goober faces are still there. Dana starts to pat her on the head but doesn’t, and Dasha turns to the camera like she’s Screech Powers and just accidentally revealed a secret about Zack.

This is my normal reaction to new backstage people, though. With the exception of Creepy Greg, I hate them at first, get used to them being around and get upset when they’re gone. It’s why I’m such a Devin Taylor obsessive now. Maybe I’m just afraid of change.

Hey, remember when NXT briefly had that weird old Asian guy backstage? What was that about?

Best: NXT Contract Signings

I just wrote a thing in the Raw report about how contract signings shouldn’t exclusively end in violence, but … yeah, I’m pretty into Kevin Owens being such a miserable, disappointed sack of shit that he shoves a table into a kind-hearted little guy and punches William Regal in the face. It didn’t feel like a booking decision, it felt like Owens being so confused and consumed with self-doubt that he’s lashing out at everyone. It’s the same vibe he had when he first won the NXT Championship. Owens as the worst person in the world is my favorite, and if this doesn’t end in an Owens/Regal match that sends him forever packing, it’ll be NXT’s biggest-ever missed opportunity.

The apology on WWE.com is just as good:

Also fun: the Full Sail crowd being increasingly upset when NXT runs important events in other places. They’re starting to realize that they’re gonna lose the important matches to Tokyo or Brooklyn, and that eventually they’ll lose them all. NXT will be gone and on tour forever, and Full Sail will just be a place we went to see that weird Hulu wrestling show nobody watched.

Via WWE Network

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And now, the Best and Worst of WWE NXT for August 5, 2015.

Best: Bayley Wins The Big One

In the Best and Worst of Raw column I’ve written a lot about how great the Divas Revolution has been, but how it’s missing a personal connection. On NXT, the women’s division didn’t get popular because they had good matches … it got popular because we were given a chance to learn about and connect with characters before they had matches. That way we have something to care about, and are given a reason to like what’s happening on the shows in a way deeper than, “that’s good.” Good matches happen all the time. Good matches featuring characters we love, with important consequences that are contextual and relevant to the show? Not as often as you’d think.

On Raw, we’ve got a lot of women we’ve grown to care about through NXT — Paige and Naomi, but more directly Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch — having good matches. They’re important, too, because they’re trying to build a foundation of expectation for the WWE Universe, and re-train millions of people to see women’s wrestling as part of a wrestling show after decades of it being a novelty cool-down. It’s not a piss break anymore, and your favorite hacky columnist isn’t supposed to say he’s gonna go make a sandwich. It’s good for the sake of being good, which it has to be. What we haven’t gotten is a chance to know ANYBODY, or understand why anyone’s wrestling these matches. They’ve been slotted into Laff-a-lympics teams by Stephanie McMahon to “end the dominance of Team Bella,” but there’s not an end game in sight. If they beat the Bellas a bunch, what happens? If the Divas Championship changes hands, do we keep having team matches? Is there a points system I’m missing? Raw crowds don’t know Charlotte as a redeemed heel bad-ass who wants justice but doesn’t take sh*t, they don’t know Becky Lynch as this world-traveled veteran looking to find her identity and earn the respect of her peers on her own merit, and they don’t know Sasha Banks as the emotionally fragile savant who has always been good enough to sit on top, but only recently started to believe it. They know Charlotte as Ric Flair’s daughter, Becky as the redhead and Sasha as the black one. That’s the disconnect between NXT and Raw.

The good news is that we still have NXT. We’ve seen Bayley grow from a dorky nobody who loves hugs to a legitimate, top-tier competitor. She’s still Bayley — she hasn’t compromised what makes her her, but she’s putting it aside for a minute to be good at her job — and she’s finally ready to rise up and be the best. She’s got a #1 contender match coming up against Becky Lynch to prove herself and maybe an NXT TakeOver Women’s Championship match against Sasha Banks in Brooklyn, but first she has to tackle a goal that might personally be bigger than both: defeating Charlotte.

Bayley and Charlotte have a long history. When Bayley needed a friend, newbie gymnast Charlotte was there. When Summer Rae and Sasha Banks gave Charlotte a more obvious route to success, Charlotte slapped Bayley in the face and took it. Bayley never got her revenge, because Bayley doesn’t really do revenge. Natalya showed up to stick up for her, but Natalya vs. Charlotte ended with them hugging. Bayley didn’t get revenge or hugs. As Sasha Banks started to figure it out and set her sights on the Women’s Championship, Bayley was the test fodder. When Becky was going from a goofy Irish lady to a mean-hearted rocker (or whatever she was trying to do), Bayley got jumped and injured. When it was time for the NXT Women’s Division to show up on Raw, Bayley broke her hand and couldn’t go. Charlotte is suddenly the standard-bearer for women’s wrestling on the biggest promotion in the world’s biggest stages, and the poor geek she slapped is still down here trying to prove herself with the rejects and new kids.

That’s why this is so important. If Bayley’s going to ever be the NXT Women’s Champion, she has to prove she can beat Charlotte … and if she wants to ever beat Charlotte in NXT, she’s gotta do it now. These women aren’t going to be around much longer. Now Bayley’s suddenly positioned against all three — Bayley vs. the Divas Revolution — to show that she won’t be forgotten. Innocent, precious Bayley is now the link between generations of NXT Women, and that’s a family line desperately in need of preservation.

On Raw, this would be happening so Michael Cole could get a Divas-related hashtag trending for a few minutes.

I’m adding too much of my personal sh*t to it, I guess, but this flies under the radar for most people as one of the most emotionally relevant NXT matches I’ve seen. Izzy in the front row in Bayley cosplay, wiping tears from her eyes, tells the story. Bayley’s finally able to rise up and meet Charlotte on Charlotte’s level, and wrestles a better, smarter match than she has in the past. She anticipates Charlotte’s big moves and counters them, whether it’s rolling to the side to keep her from bridging into the Figure-8 or throwing that Belly-to-Bayley out of the corner. It’s her time, and it’s now or never.

The ending is important, too. Bayley wins, but she’s already up the ramp by the time Charlotte’s recovered. Charlotte’s smiling and looking for one of those Divas Respect Hugs, but Bayley’s already on the stage. It’s not time for hugs right now. She’s still got something to prove.

Via WWE Network

Best: William Regal

Regal adds so much to NXT, and I forget to mention it sometimes. He’s the Yin to Dario Cueto’s Yang.

In one segment, he works Bayley through the realization that she deserves credit for all her hard work and determination, and puts her in the #1 contender match against Becky Lynch. In another, he gives the Vaudevillains a rematch against Blake & Murphy at NXT TakeOver as an apology/reward for them getting cheated by Alexa Bliss but not beating her up or whatever. Later, he shows up to give Tyler Breeze the best opponent he can find. That’s what I love about Regal … heel or face, good or bad, he’s always working in the best interest of the show and the fans. He’s the babyface interpretation of “best for business.” He’ll keep Kevin Owens on the show because he’s good for business, but will openly hate his guts.

Actually …

Via WWE Network

Best: KEVIN OWENS NO MORE!

God, I love a wrestling show that makes sense.

Michael Cole interviews Kevin Owens, and Owens brings up his biggest problem: he wants fair treatment, but can’t stop punching William Regal in the face. He apologized, though, and thinks any questioning of that apology is an attack on him. This is how a modern heel should work: they should be the worst person in the world, and feel justified and “good” in being it. Or, you know, they should be ridiculously and unforgivably evil. Anything in the middle just feels insincere.

Anyway, Owens heard Regal say he hopes Finn beats his ass at TakeOver and points out that Regal only said it when his back was turned and he was leaving. He openly wonders if Regal’s going to orchestrate a “Montreal Screwjob” — they’re in Brooklyn, but it’s on a “Montreal boy” — and suggests the championship match should be a LADDER MATCH to prevent referee malfeasance. How great is that? They’re adding a stipulation and explaining why, instead of just having Owens attack Finn with a ladder one week and saying, “WHOOPS, NOW IT’S A LADDER MATCH.”

Baron Corbin Pinned Another Guy

And the beat goes on.

Best: The First Men To Walk On The Moon Were The Apollo Crews

Please tell me Alex Riley named him because he reminded him of Apollo Creed and Terry Crews.

I’m excited for Uhaa to finally debut, and I hope his TakeOver opponent is Solomon Crowe. Crowe should ease nicely into CJ Parker’s “I’m never getting called up, so I might as well try to have good matches with the people who have futures” spot. I wouldn’t have spoiled the fact that Apollo Crews is this muscular powerhouse who can do standing moonsaults and sh*t weeks before his debut instead of just letting him blow peoples’ minds in real-time, but it probably won’t matter.

Let’s figure this out now. When he gets called up, does he become APOLLO or CREWS?

Best: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Flyin’ Tyler

Tyler Breeze squashes one of the most blessed men in independent wrestling — Bayley’s real-life boyfriend Aaron Solow — and DEMANDS COMPETITION. He should’ve written William Regal’s name on a wooden board and broken it over his knee. Regal shows up and is all, “LOL, you’ve got a match against ONE OF THE LEGIT GREATEST OF ALL TIME, deuces.”

So yeah, as WWE social media spoiled seconds after it happened on the tapings, Breezus will face New Japan Pro Wrestling legend Jushin “Thunder” Liger at NXT TakeOver. If you aren’t familiar with Liger’s work, he’s been traveling, winning championships and setting trends around the world since 1984. He invented the shooting star press, revolutionized junior heavyweight wrestling in the United States and has starred in movies about how awesome and ridiculous his character is. Also, that’s not spandex and a mask: it’s a containment unit for a violent Japanese demon. Jushin Liger is a super hero who uses the controlled power of demons to defend Japan. He’s wrestling a male model. Pro wrestling is awesome.

Of course, Liger is 50 years old, so he’s not gonna do anything mind-blowing in Brooklyn. But he’s Jushin f*cking Thunder f*cking Liger, and if you have a problem with ANYTHING he does, you can completely and thoroughly f*ck yourself.

If you only watch NXT and need context for how cool and important Liger is, here’s baby Kevin Owens taking a mark photo in his shoulderpads.

WWE Network

Worst: Finn Bálor Used Metronome. It’s Super Effective!

I love you, Finn, but man, this was the most boring interview ever. Finn’s voice is soft anyway, so when he’s making concerned lizard faces and whisper-talking to Byron Saxton it’s hard to handle. It’s like an NBA post-game interview. All he says is stuff like, “if he can talk the talk, he can walk the walk” and “I’m not going to underestimate my opponent” and “we’ll have to wait and see.”

As a totally kayfabe reaction, I want Owens to call Finn out on not being able to beat him without the Demon. I want SOMEBODY to do that. To just be like, hey, if you’re such a noble and wonderful champion, maybe wrestle me without drawing all over yourself.

WWE Network

Worst: Watching These Guys Gives Me Hype-1 Diabetes

Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley have new gear, and it helps them easily defeat the team that beat Enzo and Big Cass last week. With the Vaudevillains getting the shot at Blake & Murphy at TakeOver, maybe the Hype Bros will face the Realest Guys In The Room in the battle of Who Can Be The Most New York?

WWE Network

Best: Bull Dempsey

For the second week in a row, NXT’s Worst Guy has become my favorite person on the show.

On last week’s episode, Bull Dempsey decided it was time to get “Bull-Fit.” It’s a joke, you see. It’s a complex one, so try to stay with me. He’s sh*tty, so it sounds like “bullsh*t.” It mostly involved him making sweatbands magically appear and lying down on flights of steps while people yelled at him about being fat.

This week, Bull decides he’s going to take it seriously. He watches the Bull-Fit video and shakes his head, and decides to actually try for real. That’s such an amazing second step in this story. WWE loves to say “this guy’s a joke” and stay with it until they leave, but Bull went from “LOL fat guy” to “fat guy who has decided to make his life better” in like a month. They’re taking an opportunity to actually tell a constructive, inspiring story with the guy. Who the hell saw THAT coming?

Bull tries a little, but f*cks up and decides to give up, but it turns out he’s made a bunch of new friends who are also trying hard to better themselves, and they give him the strength to go on. It’s SO GOOD. Bull starts doing better, and his Rocky training montage ends with him flipping a giant tire with the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP. BULL DEMPSEY, MY MAN.

I had no idea that a wrestler with an inferiority complex and an eating disorder was something I needed, but damn, seeing yourself onscreen sometimes feels good.

Best: Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno

In the best match he’s had since signing with WWE, Samoa Joe defeats Rhyno. It’s still a very 2007 kind of match to be happening on NXT in 2015, but it serves its purpose. Its purpose is to get Jeff Jarrett over, right?

In all seriousness, now that Samoa Joe’s defeated Baron Corbin’s accountabilibuddy, he’ll no doubt have to face Corbin himself. How hard will I have to concentrate to NOT see Corbin as Matt Morgan? TUNE IN ON AUGUST 22 TO FIND OUT.

YouTube

King of Swamp Style

It’s safe to say that the cast of WWE Tough Enough is realizing that it’s all downhill from here. Gone are the extraneous competitors — it’s down to top-caliber athletes and/or fan favorites now. With only six competitors remaining, who will step up to the plate? All that, plus a visit from WWE United States Champion John Cena, on this recap of Episode 8, “There’s No ‘I’ in Team.”

It’s Not Delivery, It’s Jericho

Directly after Chelsea’s elimination, the recruits head back to their barracks only to find Tough Enough host Chris Jericho waiting for them, bearing the gift of pizza. Giorgia is rattled that she came so close to being sent home, wondering why she’s not connecting with the WWE Universe. Bear in mind, she was the picture of perfection up until Week 5, when she went Team Amanda and basically ensured that Sara would end up as the most likable woman on the show. If you’re wondering where you went wrong, how do you not fill in that blank? Make a radical change, and it usually has radical consequences. That’s not a hard conclusion to come to, right? I don’t know, maybe the judges are saving the Cause And Effect challenge for the final week. Meanwhile, someone is finally having the important conversation about the nature of the competition. In case you’re just joining us, star athletes and actual wrestlers like Patrick Clark have been eliminated by the voting public just because they ended up being the least amiable recruit in the bottom three on a given week. Amanda has a problem with this, and she’s not wrong. ZZ disagrees, saying that emotional connection to the audience is vital, and he’s not wrong either. So here we are, in eight weeks into a 10-week program, and we’re only now discovering the problems of manufacturing a sports entertainer via reality show. And while we’re on that subject, I think I figured out how to fix the Tough Enough voting. Basically, they’ve been doing it upside-down. If they go ahead with another season, I think they should flip the process thus:

1. When votes are opened, fans vote via social media or the app for their bottom three. Everybody casts three votes, one for each of their least favorite competitors.
2. Using these votes, the least popular competitors are sent to the week’s elimination round.
3. The three judges then decide (as normal) if they want to use a save, then deliberate and cast their votes for who should go home. The final elimination vote does not have to be unanimous.

So yeah, I fixed Tough Enough for you. Moving on!

Jericho asks the cast about their favorite matches. After hearing their answers, he points out that none of them would be possible without the capacity for in-ring psychology and storytelling. Then he does shots with them. Interestingly enough, this turns out to be something of a challenge on its own, because we find Tanner hung the hell over the next morning. Just from the look on his face, it seemed like one of those hangovers where you start having flashbacks to wars for which you weren’t even alive. Basically, the hangover I had on my 25th birthday. (This paragraph was brought to you by Maker’s Mark 46.)

YouTube

Bada Boom, Greenest Guys In The Room

In the vein of in-ring storytelling, the recruits are sent to the ring to fine-tune their moves with some added personality. Sara gets called out for her ever-present smile, which isn’t a mark of her not taking things seriously, but rather just the polar opposite of Resting Bitch Face. Granted, it looks a little odd, but it’s not the worst problem to have. She just needs to put some nuance into it. Not even Bayley smiles all of the time, as we see above. From there, the cast is told to pair up and put together a short match. The coaches (as well as Chris Jericho) are really hands-on during this process, and it’s probably the most nurturing we’ve seen them thus far. The twist is that each match will take place in front of the NXT roster, which leads to some pretty interesting moments. ZZ gets a TRUFFLE SHUFFLE (clap clap clap-clap-clap) chant during his match with Josh, which goes pretty well for the both of them. Amanda and Sara put in a decent performance, but Booker T gets on Sara’s case again for her smile. Tanner overachieves with some slimy heel work during his match with Giorgia, but in the end, Josh has the best performance of the day.

I think my favorite part of the episode is the decidedly meta portion where Giorgia and Amanda are looking over the tweets they’ve been receiving. Tough Enough has been billing itself as “24/7 reality” and “the most interactive show on TV,” so it would have been weird if they glossed over this element. First of all, if you’re going to send anything to these two on social media, be constructive. Just tweet them a link to a Meiko Satomura match or something, that’s enough of a mic drop as it stands. Let’s totally ignore their not-always-accurate Regina George mindset of “If they’re talking about us, we must be doing something right” and instead focus on another harsh reality. Say they both get signed to WWE contracts at some point. They probably think it’s kind of cute right now that their phones are blowing up with every passing second, but if this somehow becomes their life, they need to prepare themselves for A LOT more of this. Pro wrestling in the social-media age has given us many weird things, with the weirdest probably being an unfiltered channel for anonymous D-bags to shout unkind, short-sighted, terrible things at celebrities with little to no chance of repercussions. Warhol said we’d all be famous for 15 minutes, but he never knew we could spend all 15 on some kind of perverse Most Wanted list.

I’m starting to see why I got so many of my college papers back with “WATCH THE WORD COUNT” written on them.

YouTube

This is an album cover waiting to happen.

…And His Name Is John Cena!

With that, it’s time for the eliminations at Full Sail. John Cena shows up with his shiny new nose to commend the recruits on putting themselves on such a public platform as they develop, and then promptly leaves. Listen, the man’s got weightlifting videos to put on Twitter, he has a very tight schedule. Miz sends Tanner to the bottom three for his lack of charisma, while Daniel Bryan picks Giorgia and Paige elects her old standby, Sara. Daniel Bryan elects not to use his save, and with just 22 percent of the vote, Giorgia is eliminated. Just like that, we’re headed into the penultimate episode next week.

Week 8 MVP: Josh. I look at the Yeti and I see someone who’s got a shot at longevity in the WWE. ZZ and Tanner could quite possibly fill roles, but Josh looks like the star player right now. Just tone down the alpha-male crap, and whatever you do, do not become the WCW Yeti.
Week 8 Jobber: Amanda. I said she was going to be here last week, did I stutter? We already have one Dana Brooke, we don’t need another.
Week 8 Dark Horse: Tanner. When the field is down to five, you don’t really have any longshots, but he’s up against Josh’s ability and ZZ’s personality. He’s got a lot to work against, but I think he has the tools.

And as always, we’ve got an exclusive interview headed your way later today. Check back for Giorgia’s thoughts on the Tough Enough experience!

Vimeo

Remember when WWE buried the news of some new Network content in their second-quarter financial report? We’ve already seen Table for 3 pop up with a bittersweet Roddy Piper episode, but I’m starting to think WWE didn’t show their full hand as far as new content goes. There’s no word on whether this is supposed to be public knowledge or not, but by way of Vimeo, we now have a pilot episode for something called NXT Kids. What is it? Take a look for yourself!

There are certainly parallels here to Saturday Morning Slam, WWE’s previous venture into more youth-oriented programming. Basically, this is a half-hour version of NXT with a lot more focus on the preteen members of the WWE Universe. Corey Graves is joined on commentary by two actual children! How do you get that gig? If there’s some random elementary school in Orlando with the world’s best internship program, my life has been a waste and I’m calling a do-over. As far as the wrestling goes, the action is pretty decent. Bayley takes on Jessie McKay, and Kalisto goes one-on-one with Tye Dillinger, who was not yet a perfect ten at the time of filming. It’s all pretty harmless, you’re not going to see any twenty-minute Sasha Banks matches if they end up picking this up on the Network.

We know this legit due to the fact that this was originally found on the Vimeo page of Christian Silva, who’s been working with WWE’s video department for a while now. There’s a bunch of other WWE content on his page, including a WWE 2K16 video that might be hinting at the game’s new Showcase story. In any event, whether they end up scrapping NXT Kids or keeping it, it’s an interesting find. And by the way, shout-out to one of those kids on commentary for correctly identifying that NXT referee Drake Wuertz would straight-up murder you in a fight.

Via WWE Network

SPOILER ALERT FOR NXT TAKEOVER: BROOKLYN, OBVIOUSLY

If you’re a regular reader of the Best and Worst of NXT, you know that our favorite Full Sail NXT regular is Izzy, the kid who comes to shows dressed as her favorite wrestler, Bayley.

Bayley stepped into the ring with NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks for the biggest match of her life on Saturday night … only it wasn’t at Full Sail University in Florida, it was in Brooklyn, in the sold-out Barclays Center. That meant Izzy wouldn’t be in the crowd, and Bayley’s biggest fan wouldn’t be in the front row.

Izzy’s family is awesome, though, so they made sure to record her reaction to the finish. Spoiler alert, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks was one of the best matches of the year, and one of the most emotional moments in NXT history. Also a spoiler alert, this clip will make your heart grow three sizes.

If Izzy and her family couldn’t be at the Barclays Center for the match, let’s hope they’re in the front row again when Bayley returns to Full Sail with the championship. Wrestling can matter, and it can be the most amazing thing in the world. Congratulations, Bayley. You too, Izzy.

Edit: Here’s a slightly longer video. Tears again, not gonna lie.

Via WWE Network

By now, we’ve all watched the incredible and emotional match between Bayley and Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship. If you haven’t, we put the video of one of the biggest spots below, so click away now — and for Pete’s sake, go watch it!

Being there live, and feeling the intensity of the crowd, and just how invested they were in, let’s face it, the real main-event of the night, was something that I’m still finding difficult to put into words. That said, nobody there could deny that these two were giving it everything they had, and some spots seemed… a little more dangerous than they probably looked on TV.

Well, a fan-captured Instagram video of one of the biggest spots in the match has everyone realizing that, and subsequently freaking the eff out.

A lot of people were mad that Sasha didn’t play as big of a factor in the women’s match the next night at SummerSlam, with her seeing very little in-ring engagement before her team was eliminated, leaving Team PCB and Team Bella to duke it out. Sasha is one of the, if not the, most popular Divas in all of WWE right now, and even that rude as hell Brooklyn Raw crowd wanted to see her more than anyone else. Now that this video of Sasha nailing her head during Bayley’s inverted frankensteiner is making the rounds, people are starting to realize that maybe it wasn’t a creative decision to keep her in the background, and off of network TV:

There’s no official word on whether or not Banks is injured, or just a little sore and shook up, but this is the internet, so of course there’s rampant speculation. Either way, we just hope the Boss is okay. Neck injuries are terrifying, and she’s pretty much the best, so as soon as she can get back to feeling great and tapping out Divas left and right, the better it is for everyone.

Without being hyperbolic, Bayley’s run up to winning the NXT Women’s Championship is everything that makes pro wrestling worth loving. Sometimes wrestling makes it very difficult for you to want to participate in being an active fan, especially when it comes to women’s wrestling, but every once in a while something really special happens, and it reminds you why putting up with it is worth it.

Wrestling fans take such extreme, polarizing stances on things that it’s often hard to figure out how on earth you can be a fan of the same thing they are, and feel so drastically different about it than they do. While yes, pro wrestling itself is the thing we have in common, the one thing that can be said of anyone in wrestling – in or out of the ring – is that we’re all chasing the same thing: that moment.

That moment is different for everyone, but if you love wrestling, you know it well. It’s the moment where everything else in the world ceases to exist, and you’re completely and utterly swept up in what’s happening. It’s when the critical or jokey or dismissive part of your brain shuts off, and you entirely forget that suspension of disbelief is even a thing. It’s watching the Sendai Girls vs. Team ROH. It’s walking out in front of 15,000 people and having every single one of them behind you. It’s training and struggling and fighting, and then finally winning something that makes every single struggle and fight worth it.

We all love Bayley for a million different reasons, but the important thing about her winning the NXT Women’s Championship is that we were given a moment. Right now we’re told by the No. 1 female wrestler in the company that wins and losses don’t matter, but Bayley’s journey from nervous fangirl to throwing poison ranas in a sold-out Barclay’s Center is the thing that proves that wrong the most.

wwe network

When you give women a story, and a complex, layered, human character for people to love or loathe, you’re giving them reasons to exist, and giving a purpose to everything they do in the ring. Bayley gives us something to care about, and someone for little girls to look up to. The four women embracing in the ring gives us grown up women something to celebrate and be proud of in an industry that has spent decades telling us that we don’t matter, and we don’t deserve to matter.

Reliving everything that Bayley’s done up until that moment should make you feel everything. It should make you feel proud of someone who put their heart and soul into everything finally getting proof that it’s worth it. It should make you feel hopeful that one day – even if it’s not soon enough – things can change for women in wrestling. It should make you angry at the state of the Divas division, and every person who thinks the answer to the Divas revolution is to build up one type of woman by being dismissive and cruel to another.

But most of all, it should make you love pro wrestling more than anything else in the world, even if it’s just for a moment.

WWE Network

The upcoming WWE 2K16 boasts over 120 playable characters, the largest number in franchise history. That roster features two Steve Austins, two Stings, two Stephanie McMahons, three Undertakers and two versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator. A batch of NXT stars are playable as well, from NXT Champion Finn Bálor to Tyler Breeze, Hideo Itami and tag team champions The Vaudevillains.

If you’re wondering where the NXT Divas are on that list, you aren’t alone. Current NXT Women’s Champion Bayley wasn’t announced as part of the roster, and neither were her “Four Horsewomen” peers Charlotte, Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks, currently competing on WWE’s main roster as tentpoles in the Divas Revolution. “It’s fine,” you might’ve said to yourself. “They’re probably saving them for a Four Horsewomen DLC pack.”

According to 2K themselves, that’s not going to happen. Including Bayley, Charlotte, Becky and Sasha in a game that features both Colonel Mustafa AND General Adnan “simply did not work out for various reasons,” and they won’t even be included in the game’s DLC. Uh …

With our final roster reveal this past Monday, it was awesome seeing the excitement for The New Day, Enzo and Cass, Mikey Whipwreck, and more. But it was clear that some in the community are frustrated by the lack of the newer Divas added to the main WWE roster recently.

We pushed as hard as we could to include Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Bayley in WWE 2K16, but it simply did not work out for various reasons. While we are not divulging full details on WWE 2K16’s post-launch plans just yet, we can confirm that the Four Horsewomen will not be available as DLC.

We are proud to have and built the largest WWE roster to date featuring the most Divas ever. The WWE 2K16 disc includes all of the Divas on the main roster at the time we locked it in (13 playable in total).

We all agree the Divas Revolution is great for business and look forward to celebrating the Divas even more in future WWE 2K titles.

Be sure to remember that statement when you’re simming Eva Marie vs. Cameron.

WWE Promotional Image

In case you missed it, Bayley defeating Sasha Banks to win the NXT Women’s Championship in front of a white-hot Barclay’s Center was about as emotional as wrestling can get, and will make you feel every feeling you’ve got in your body. Sasha Banks now has her rematch at the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Respect special, and if you think you’ve gotten away without having to surrender any more of your emotions to these two before then, oh boy, you are the most wrong.

One of the reasons people have latched on so hard to Bayley and Sasha is that their passion for what they do is so evident at every moment, inside or out of the ring. Whether you subscribe to the the current idea being pushed by WWE of what makes a female performer deserve your adulation and success or not, you can’t deny that Sasha and Bayley were made to do this, and made to be stars. In these two tweets, they reveal just how long they’ve wanted this:

Given the afterthought that has traditionally been women’s wrestling in WWE, it’s amazing to think how inspired both of these performers were at such a young age. It’s even more amazing to think of exactly how many young girls they, in turn, will inspire to love and appreciate wrestling, and hopefully want to be a part of it themselves. You can listen to people give their hot takes on the Divas Revolution, and why it’s working and why it’s not, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is how it affects these girls. They’re the real heart of the Divas Revolution.

https://instagram.com/p/7Vlg4BHOq4/

WWE Network

The Four Horsewomen are leading the charge in the so-called ‘Divas Revolution,’ a movement that humanizes female performers (a thing that shouldn’t ever be in question, realistically) and tries to equalize them as talented, legitimate wrestlers. Though the attempts on WWE’s part are stumbling, but ultimately well-meaning (you would hope), 2K apparently didn’t get the memo.

A few weeks ago, 2K confirmed that while it would have two iterations of The Terminator, it had no plans to put Bayley, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, or Charlotte into the game, nor would they be released as DLCs. These women have been LYNCHPINS [get it? Because Becky… pins… wrestling… jokes… shut up] of NXT, yet the Vaudevillains get a fully animated entrance, and the women who helped put NXT on the map and establish its women’s division as a place with unparalleled character work and great wrestling in WWE get… weak excuses and shrug emojis.

To wit: Here’s a developer with 2K helpfully explaining why it’s just not possible for them to be in the game, despite them all having previously been scanned for gameplay:

When we travel to do scanning sessions we scan everyone that we can get into our scan booth. WWE Superstars and Divas are very busy so we take every opportunity to scan them regardless of whether or not we are using the scans for the upcoming game. We want to have as many scanned as possible because the scan is the starting point for us adding someone to the game.

It is true that it only takes around 5-10 minutes to scan the SS and Divas but that is step 1 in a long process. After they are scanned it takes our team about 2 months to complete modeling work from start to finish. The kicker is that the model is only part of the work required to add a SS or Diva into the game. Entrances, moves, taunts, attire, entrance attire, music and roster images all need to get developed. In addition, we need to record commentary for each SS and Diva which is a large undertaking all on its own. So, as you can see, scanning a SS or Diva is the least amount of work involved in getting someone into the game.

Oh man, this is almost as weak as when Disney executives insisted that women were just too hard to animate because of their emotions. I’m sorry, I super don’t but it. You’re going to tell me that every male NXT wrestler created for the game was more vitally important than anyone in the women’s division at the time, and now it’s just too much work to make up for their mistake?

Alright, well, remember that when you’re busy entering your new “Stone Cold, but this time he has a hat” DLC into a Royal Rumble with three Undertakers, Zack Ryder, and a naked Arnold Schwarzenegger.

WWE Network

When you hear the world “revolution,” you don’t necessarily think of the huggable, endlessly cheery Bayley, and yet, the current NXT Women’s Champion finds herself at the forefront of the women’s wrestling upheaval currently gripping WWE. In a way, the fact that such a positive female figure can now rise to the top in WWE is/should be what the Divas Revolution is all about. Bayley marches to her own beat, while also being a living embodiment of the changing role of female performers in WWE, which makes for a fascinating subject to talk to.

With her big 30-minute Iron Man match with Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Respect looming, Bayley sat down for an extensive interview with Rolling Stone, covering everything from the future of the NXT Women’s Division, to her thoughts on the term “diva” and everything in between. On the burdens of being NXT Women’s Champion…

“I feel like this is a very important part of my career. With the top three girls gone, and me being the champion, I’ve never been the person in the locker room who’s been here the longest – it was always Sasha and Charlotte. And now that I’m literally the leader in the locker room, and the champion, it’s a huge opportunity for me to help girls while I have the chance. It’s really important; you can be the best wrestler in the world, and make the most money, but if you’re not a good person in the back, that says a lot about you. I’ve never wanted to be that person, because I’ve had so much help along the way and I want to continue that. I want everyone to be comfortable in the locker room and the ring, and be hungry to make this division even bigger than it already is.”

Where does Bayley see the NXT Women’s Division going now that many of its top stars have been called up?

“I see that it has a million possibilities to get so much better. When Paige and Emma went onto the main roster, everyone was like, ‘Well, what’s going to happen to NXT now?’ And then Charlotte happened, and Sasha and Becky and myself. We took it to a different level, and everybody took notice. Now that they’re gone, people expect a drop-off, like ‘Man, now there’s just Bayley down there.’ But there’s so many people that they have no idea about, because I get to train with these girls every day. You see Carmella or Dana Brooke or Alexa Bliss on TV, and they’re working so hard, they know that it’s time for them to step it up. And then Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, they’re going to blow up because they’re so passionate and great wrestlers. And I don’t even have to say anything about Asuka, because she’s amazing. It’s a really exciting time for the division, and it’s just going to keep getting better.”

Speaking of the future, who does Bayley want to face next, assuming she makes it past Sasha?

“There’s so many. Nia Jax, I’ve worked house shows with her, and she always gets such a great reaction. She’s so unique, and she’s going to be a good thing for NXT as a whole. It would be exciting to be able to do something with her, and Asuka as well. I was on Shimmer with her. I never got to have a match with her, but watching her matches with Sara Del Rey, or working with a few Japanese girls, to get a little taste of that style, I’d like to get into that to grow as a wrestler. And this might sound bad, but I really want to work with Eva Marie, just because it seems like that’s what people want. My fans don’t like her, so I don’t want them to be like, ‘Oh, why do you want to work with her?’ But the reason is because she’s a different competitor and I think we’d have an interesting dynamic. I get a lot of tweets about Eva, and I can’t blame the fans, because all they really know is what they see on Total Divas, and they base their cheers on that, I guess.”

Finally, while on subject of Total Divas, what does Bayley think of the main roster women being called “Divas?”

“Well, I’m obviously part of the Divas thing now, working here. I don’t really see the difference. Sometimes when someone uses the term ‘Diva,’ or you see it on TV or in a movie, it’s like, ‘Oh, she’s just being a Diva,’ which sounds really bad and really prissy. But I think that’s just a title here. So I think it gets a bad rap from TV and movies, but I just use ‘Women’s Wrestling’ because that’s what I grew up on, that’s what drove me to get to this point and that’s what I want to push. And, technically, I am the NXT Women’s Champion, so until I’m the Divas Champion, I’m going to keep using that.

But hey, all that said, what if they were to rename the main roster belt the WWE Women’s Championship?

“I would love that.”

Rolling Stone‘s interview with Bayley is huge, and all sorts of other subjects are breached, including her thoughts on not being called up with the rest of the Four Horsewomen, her childhood heroes and a ton more. I definitely recommend you check out the whole thing by clicking the link below.

via Rolling Stone

WWE Network

Let’s get the block quote out of the way so I can talk about this stupidity from Forbes:

Women crying and hugging after great matches has become an increasingly uncomfortable staple at NXT Takeover events.

The overwhelming emotion is understanding for such a milestone moment, of a women’s match main-eventing the equivalent of a pay-per-view, but unfortunately it’s becoming redundant if not demeaning.

The title of the article is “WWE’s Future Is Gender-Neutral And Filled With Tears” and the premise, according to the author’s own Twitter page, is, “The revolution won’t be here until women stop crying after big matches.” If you don’t feel like reading anything else I have to say about this, here’s the thesis: That’s a dumbass article.

I’m not sure what I should have expected, though. The author, Alfred Konuwa, has a byline that says, “I write about men in tights and the money they make for men in suits,” so we already have an issue of erasure as he doesn’t even consider the idea that women have been in tights making tons of money in wrestling. And that Stephanie McMahon and Linda McMahon have been two of the most powerful people in wrestling history. And Dixie Carter is also the head of a wrestling promotion of her own (though, to be fair, I’m not sure if anyone is making money for her). So, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when Konuwa spent a thousand or so words talking about how women crying after pivotal NXT matches is somehow setting women’s wrestling back.

In case you didn’t notice, this article made me angry.

Sasha Banks and Bayley cried at the end of their two classic matches that happened over the last two months. Stephanie McMahon cried. Charlotte and Becky Lynch cried after the first match in Brooklyn. You know who else cried? The WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. William Regal’s face was soaked at the end of the sequel. Also, like, every guy on Twitter who watched the match.

Sasha and Bayley didn’t cry after their matches because they’re women. They cried because the matches were emotionally taxing roller coasters. I honestly can’t think of many more perfectly executed emotionally resonant feuds and payoffs as Bayley vs. Sasha. The feud played off years of backstory and characters we genuinely care about. Of course the finale is going to be emotional, regardless of it’s a man or woman watching. If you didn’t feel emotional toward the end of their matches, then I’m not quite sure if you have a working pulse.

The Forbes article is just a callous disregard of the complexity of women’s emotions. Instead of trying to figure out why the women are crying after matches, the author simply said “women, amiright” and went about his business. This is the same mentality that allows men to treat women like utter sh*t, then go, “Women are just emotional,” whenever they react to being treated terribly.

And the idea that women are crying after every big match is just ridiculous. Sasha and Bayley cried after their matches. Sasha and Charlotte cried after their final NXT match. And Becky cried after she lost to Sasha. That’s four matches out of the dozens of NXT matches we’ve seen this year. Before then, none of the women had cried in matches in a very long time. So saying that women keep crying after big matches is false and only brings the author’s own really horrible ideas of women into his perception of events.

Then, of course, there’s the fact that men have cried in plenty of big matches. WrestleMania XX ended with WWE’s two champions openly sobbing into each other’s arms. Miz walked to the ring holding back tears before his WrestleMania main-event. Edge cried before his first title defense in his hometown. Ric Flair (who has cried through most of his career) and Shawn Michaels cried for the last 10 minutes of their WrestleMania match. And, again, Seth Rollins cried watching two women wrestle.

Emotional moments are part of wrestling. They’re what makes the genre great. If you see women reacting to genuinely great, captivating events and think that they’re just “being women,” then maybe you’re the problem, not them.

Vimeo

Back in August, a pilot for something called “NXT Kids” was leaked, supposedly by a WWE production worker. The half-hour pilot featured NXT matches with children accompanying Corey Graves on commentary, kids interviewing NXT performers, and, of course, a whole lot of Bayley.

Now, according to this casting call published by Backstage.com, WWE appears to be moving forward with this kids-oriented program:

PRODUCTION DESCRIPTION:
WWE NXT is casting a pilot for a new wrestling show aimed at kids.

REHEARSAL AND PRODUCTION DATES & LOCATIONS:
Production will be taking place monthly on Thursday nights at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL.

SEEKING TALENT:
Males & Females, ages 7-14, All Ethnicities

ROLE DESCRIPTION:
Announcers & Interviewers: (Supporting) with high energy. Must be personable, lively, quick on their feet and a good talker. Kids should have an understanding/familiarity with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment programming. Kids will be acting as announcers/backstage interviewers/presenters.

I guess WWE realized they could get the same amount of work out of multiple children as they could from one Devin Taylor. What’s next, two toddlers stacked in a business suit instead of Michael Cole? Actually… actually no, that would probably be great.

The casting notice expires November 8, 2015, so we’ve got a ways to go before we see half an hour of kids programming pop up on the network. If WWE can successfully and intelligently play to this segment of their audience, and give us a hybrid of everything we loved about Slam City, Saturday Morning Slam, and NXT, it’ll be a hit.

WWE

As we recently reported, it seems as though WWE might be moving ahead with NXT Kids, a half-hour show that would look at current NXT events through a munchkin-friendly prism. WWE has gone so far as to send out a casting call, looking for “high energy, personable, lively, quick on their feet” kids ages 7 – 14 to appear the show.

Well, I hope none of the kids who try out are hoping to take top billing, because WWE already has a NXT Kids star in mind. According to the Wrestling Observer, NXT Kids is being looked at as a star vehicle for everybody’s favorite Bayley mega-fan, Izzy. Even if Izzy doesn’t end up being a big part of the show, the NXT Kids concept is apparently inspired by her, and WWE is hoping to foster more fans like Izzy through the show.

For those who haven’t been following Izzy’s odyssey, she started out as just a wide-eyed kid who’d show up at every NXT show in Bayley gear, but more recently she’s become a real contributing force to the show. In a some people’s minds, one of the main reasons Bayley vs. Sasha at NXT Takeover: Respect worked so well was because Izzy was there, reacting with unrestrained little kid emotion to every blow.

Could Izzy becoming an official WWE superstar ruin a good thing? Quite possibly. Should we be worried about a kid not out of elementary school being ushered into the world of professional wrestling? Totally. That said, guys, let’s put this in perspective — WWE might be making a new Saturday Morning Slam inspired by Bayley and Izzy. This is going to be the best.

(Via Wrestling Observer)

One of the most intriguing and anticipated shows coming up on WWE Network is Breaking Ground, WWE’s attempt at recreating ESPN’s excellent WWE Behind the Curtain documentary that focused on NXT up-and-comers like Xavier Woods, Adam Rose and Corey Graves. Breaking Ground will once again take viewers behind the scenes, focusing on NXT stars like Apollo Crews and Bayley, but this time around, ESPN isn’t involved, and WWE has made some, uh, interesting creative choices with the new series.

Today in a press-release, WWE announced that Breaking Ground, a show about the trials and tribulations of young pro wrestlers, will be narrated by 84-year-old actor William Shatner. Ex-cell-ent? Shatner commented on WWE beaming him up to the voice-over booth…

“Ever since I tossed the legendary Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler out of the ring, I’ve been enamored with WWE. My love affair continues with the new show, Breaking Ground.”

Bleh, I have no interest in hearing about William Shatner’s love affairs. That said, I’d be totally okay with Shatner’s involvement in Breaking Ground so long as we get at least one scene of The Shat giving Eva Marie acting lessons.

Breaking Ground is produced by infamous WWE shadow master Kevin Dunn and 3 Ball Entertainment, the company behind high-quality reality-based entertainment such as Bar Rescue, LA Hair, My Cat From Hell and the Kitten Bowl (although apparently not the Puppy Bowl). Hoo boy. The first episode of Breaking Ground will debut for free on YouTube and Facebook on Sunday, October 25. The show will debut on the WWE Network on Monday, October 26 after Raw, and all subsequent episodes will be Network-exclusive.

Paramount

CREEEEEEEEEEEWS!

WWE

In an interview with Independent, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley explained that while she’d love to join her fellow “Four Horsewomen” Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks on WWE’s main roster, she’s not rushing to make it happen.

Here’s a piece of what she had to say:

“I definitely want to be a part of it but I’m not in any rush right now. NXT is so huge and we’re already doing something very special here, so if I was on the main roster right now I’d feel that I was missing out with what’s going on in NXT.

“We have Asuka, Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Carmella and all these girls who are just waiting to change the division even more than it already has. They’re going to take it to a different level so selfishly I still want to be part of that.

“I’m glad I still get to be here and experience it with them but ultimately I want to join Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch in WWE. What they’re doing right now is amazing and I know how much it means to them. I’m super proud of them and everything they’re going through to change women’s wrestling.”

That sounds a lot better than, “Have you seen what happens to the women when they get called up? Have you look at Charlotte’s face during a promo lately? That is DARKNESS. Why would I pass up an opportunity to wrestle Asuka in a beloved 20-minute match of importance to go ham it up for 90 seconds as the world’s most basic version of myself on Raw and fed ass-first into a distraction rollup? I got lucky. I can hang out here for a while and be the respected veteran, and I’ll still have that big money and world travel guaranteed when I’m done having fun and performing the specific kind of art that made me want to be a wrestler in the first place. Worst case scenario, I’ll wait until they’re done insisting on the Divas Revolution, they’ve brought back the Women’s Championship and thrown the butterfly belt in the garbage. Maybe Brie Bella will be retired by then. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

In all seriousness, I think I speak for everyone when we say, “we’re not in a hurry to have you on Raw either, Bayley, keep doing what you’re doing, and maybe tell the Mayor of Full Sail to cut it out with the Hey We Want Some Bayleys.”

WWE Network

Calling 2015 anything short of a breakout year for NXT would be a pretty grave understatement. We had the first-ever Iron Man match between female competitors, Jushin “Thunder” Liger showed up for a night, and a pair of blue pants took the world by storm. Realizing what kind of momentum they have on their hands, WWE recently opened up a fan vote to decide NXT’s most outstanding competitors. The votes have been tallied, and the winners were revealed on last night’s broadcast. Take a look and see if your favorites came out on top.

Tag Team of the Year: Enzo and Cass. Kind of an obvious choice, when you think about it. The Vaudevillains were the only real competition on the list if we’re leaving it up to a popular vote. I emphasize the “on the list” part because, as I recall, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable weren’t even nominees. Maybe they wrote up the list of nominees in June or something.

Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley. Actually, Asuka being on the list of nominees here disproves my previous theory, so I have absolutely no clue why JJ and Chad got left out. Getting back to the matter at hand, though, Bayley is the only correct choice here.

Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor. With Sami Zayn shelved for much of the year, this was Finn’s category to win. In fact, depending on who you ask, he might be getting too powerful. If he’s got some friends on the way from Japan, I imagine that could be a pretty fun aspect of his character to play with.

NXT Takeover of the Year: Brooklyn. Let’s not stop at the NXT banner, because Takeover Brooklyn might have been the best wrestling event WWE put on all year. A large part of SummerSlam the following night felt embarrassing due the huge shadow this show cast. Not bad for developmental, right? That brings us to…

Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (NXT Women’s Championship, Takeover Brooklyn). Speaking personally, this match is right up there with Michaels/Undertaker from 2009 in the category of matches that give me the chills every time I watch. Occasionally, wrestling is just the dumbest thing ever, and Bayley vs. Sasha is such a necessary reminder of how great it can be when it’s all done correctly. Much like Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, this is a rivalry that should continue forever.

Overall Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor. Oddly enough, I believed that Sami Zayn had the best shot at this, regardless of injury. Finn had an awesome year, but I feel like the Overall award would go to the guy with NXT ingrained deepest into his DNA. Sami Zayn is NXT, but Finn definitely had the stats to back this win up.

Solid winners all around, but I feel like it’s kind of a meager list of categories compared to something like the Slammys, which has so many Superfluous Trophies Presented By Orbit Chewing Gum or Whatever that they have to announce most of the winners exclusively online. I think they could stand to add these categories:

Best Finisher of the Year: Between the Coup de Grâce, the Asuka Lock, and the Bayley-to-Belly, there are plenty of great choices. I’m sticking with that new powerbomb that Apollo Crews has been doing. Is he calling it “Crews Control?” I really hope he is.

Debut of the Year: A large part of the fun of NXT is waiting for the big signings to show up, so why not give that its own award? I mean, it would go straight to the New Japan guys, but it’s the thought that counts.

Best Talker of the Year: Along with the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, a great way to continue honoring the American Dream’s contributions to NXT would be establishing an award to celebrate someone who has Dusty’s gift of gab. HOT TAKE: Once Enzo and Sami Zayn hit the main roster, I’m thinking Alexa Bliss would have a shot at this one.

As we reported yesterday, Finn Balor suffered an undisclosed ankle injury over the weekend. Naturally, everyone is SAD and morale is a bit down across the board in the WWE. What better to cheer us up than the debut of Finn Bayley?

Yes, Bayley surprised everyone and gave the crowd her rendition of Finn’s entrance and it will make your heart grown three sizes. I propose that whenever someone is injured, Bayley just shows up and replaces them, at least for their intros. Just let her do Cena, Cesaro, Orton, and everyone else. It’d be more entertaining than being reminded of how depressing the roster is right now.

As a bonus, real Finn joined in for hugs for Bayley’s theme song. This is why NXT is magical.

WWE

Out of all the heated debates that pro wrestling is at the center of, no one can deny the plain and simple fact that everyone loves Sami Zayn. If you say otherwise, we’ll all sit back and wait patiently for you to log your dumb lying face off of the internet forever because mmmmmohmygod, stop effing lying.

No one is impervious to Zayn’s doofy Canadian charms, not even fickle Valentine Finn Bálor. First, Bálor seemed all for Team Báley:

But oh, that capricious Irishman wasn’t done:

While it seems the NXT Champion has a lot of love to give, we all know where this is going. How could it go anywhere else? Sami Zayn is the internet’s boyfriend, and #1 Desirable Valentine with a bullet (club):

Oh? Still not convinced? Hrm, I thought you had logged off like we said you should earlier. Alright, well, because you still seem to be sticking around, how about this? Not even wildly popular internationally acclaimed cartoon television shows can resist Zayn’s checkerboard-clad charisma:

Hear that? That’s the sound of a thousand Bob’s Burger’s/NXT crossover high school AU fanfics coming to life. So see, unless your name is Kevin Owens — who is inextricably tied to Zayn forever regardless of how much he claims to hate him — you really don’t have a leg to stand on.

Yup. Wrestling’s Internet boyfriend forever.

Now, who do we talk to so that all future Zayn, Bayley, and Bálor 8x10s look like this?

NXT finished up its most recent tour on Saturday night in Albany, and as someone who was in attendance, I can confirm that it was a great time.

The main event of the evening saw Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe team up to face off against Austin Aries and NXT Champion Finn Balor, and although Balor appeared to be a little banged up still from his ankle injury (or maybe he was just selling really well, I don’t want to pretend like I know for sure) he managed to finish the match and send the fans home happy.

After the match, though, was the best moment of the night. You’ve likely seen the video of NXT Women’s Champion Bayley absolutely nailing Finn’s entrance at a show a few weeks ago. Now, it was Balor’s time to return the favor.

Balor cut a promo introducing Aries to the fans and thanking some of his NXT brethren like Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore, and Colin Cassady for making the brand what it is today. But Balor said there was one person he had to thank above all, and after teasing the crowd for a bit, that person turned out to be Bayley. Or more specifically, himself cosplaying as Bayley.

Complete with the “I’m a Hugger” shirt, streamers, and even the giant inflatable, arm-flailing tube men, Balor proved once again that he is the best by doing the complete entrance of the women’s champ all the way down to the details like hugging children and hi-fiving the crowd.   To top it all off, he closed out the promo by saying “Balor 316 says I just hugged your ass!”

I know they may have significant others, but there really needs to be some way for these two to make adorable, genetically superior wrestling babies together.

If you weren’t already shipping the NXT and NXT Women’s Champions, good Lord, you will be now.

First, Bayley dressed up as Finn Bálor and did his entrance to make him feel better about hurting his ankle. Then Finn returned the favor, dressing up as Bayley and doing her entrance. That alone was probably enough to get the duo on Cute Overload, but now here they are dancing at a live event and pulling off a big Dirty Dancing finish. An awkward girl who loves hugs and an awkward boy who likes hanging by himself and playing with LEGO. One can power up to beat every great female competitor in the promotion. The other occasionally becomes a demon. I don’t want to say OTP, but have two WWE characters ever been MORE meant for each other?

I’m going to watch this a few times and try not to start a Tumblr specifically devoted to their friendship.

Now Watch: Nature Boy Ric Flair’s Most Hilarious Moments That’ll Make You Woo

Via WWENXT

You may have noticed that WrestleMania tends to go overboard with theme songs. There are five official themes this year, and at that point you have an EP which should probably be handed to anyone coming through the doors of the AT&T Stadium. Still, it’s WrestleMania, and going overboard is kind of how WWE does things for the Showcase of the Immortals. Taking a page from its main-roster counterpart, NXT Takeover: Dallas is also going with multiple theme songs this year, but there’s a bit of a twist: It sounds like NXT stars were directly involved in picking the songs. Here’s what NXT commentator Corey Graves had to say in Alternative Press.

“It’s undeniable that NXT has evolved into the hottest brand in sports entertainment at the moment. Our Superstars and Women’s Division from around the globe continue to raise the bar,” says Corey Graves, WWE commentator and AP contributor. “It’s only appropriate to have a soundtrack of artists that are defying genres and bringing the attitude and energy that defines NXT as we head into Takeover: Dallas.”

Let’s take a look at what we’re working with. First up, NXT Champion Finn Balor selected “Devil Inside Me” by Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes. Nice to see that he’s taking the super-literal approach to his character.

Next up, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley picked “Mayhem” by Halestorm. If we can take a quick aside here, I really wish more of Into the Wild Life had sounded like this track.

And finally, Enzo Amore went with the ridiculously Southern “Fiddle Me This” by his buddy Yelawolf.

I know next to nothing about Yelawolf, other than the fact that “Catfish Billy” is the theme for one of the most intimidating indy wrestlers I know. Which of these three is your favorite?

We have a new NXT Women’s Champion. Asuka joined Chad Gable and Jason Jordan as people who won their first NXT titles on Friday night, as she choked out Bayley and ended her reign on top of the women’s division. Whether they have a rematch somewhere down the line or Bayley is heading to the main roster remains to be seen, but for now, we get to watch Asuka kick her way through the rest of NXT’s women’s division as its champion.

WWE Promotional Images

As you may have heard, former WWE Champion Roman Reigns was recently suspended for 30 days for a violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. Reigns has had plenty of career ups and downs, but surely this is his lowest point to date. Reigns has been relieved of the title he won at WrestleMania, and suddenly his future as The Guy, or even a long-term main eventer, is in serious doubt.

Then again, in pro wrestling setbacks are sometimes blessings in disguise, and history is full of stars who not only overcame obstacles, but used them to launch their careers to even greater heights. Here’s a few wrestlers who managed to reverse failure into success…

Ric Flair Breaks His Back in a Plane Crash

WWE Promotional Image

On a fateful October day in 1975, the Cessna Ric Flair and four other wrestlers were flying in crashed at the Wilmington, North Carolina airport after running out of gas. While Flair didn’t get the worst of it (the pilot died), his back was broken in three places. It was an injury most wrestlers would never return from. Flair was back in the ring by February 1976.

Why It Led to Good Things

Before his life-changing plane crash, Ric Flair looked like this…

WWE

Not only was he basically Paul Blart, Pro Wrestler, but he worked a completely different style. Young Flair was a hard-nosed brawler, but his injuries forced him to take on a more cerebral, entertaining style. Along with the change in the ring, came a change in personality – if Flair couldn’t win the crowd over with brawling and bumps any more, he’d get them with his mic skills. Without a very literal fall from 15,000 feet, Flair would never have risen again as the Nature Boy.

A Young Hulk Hogan is Fired By WWF

WWE

When did Hulk Hogan debut in WWF? In 1984, when he beat the Iron Sheik for the title and kicked off Hulkamania, right? Nope! Hogan’s first run with the company came in 1979 and 80, during which he played a flashy heel and feuded with Bob Backlund and André the Giant. That’s right, WrestleMania III was not, in fact, their first meeting. Wrestling is a lie.

Unfortunately for Hogan, his first WWF stint didn’t end amicably. Hogan went off and took the part of Thunderlips in Rocky III without clearing it with Vince McMahon Sr., and the old man was every bit as controlling as his son is. Hulk was promptly sh*tcanned and sent scurrying back to the lower-tier AWA.

Why It Led to Good Things

In 1983 Vince McMahon Jr. wrestled control of WWF away from dear old dad, and needed a face for his new nationally televised product. If Hogan had stuck around in 1980, it probably wouldn’t have been him, since the younger Vince wanted a clean break from pretty much everything his father did. As it turned out, Hulk’s exile in the AWA meant Vince Jr. could bring him back fresh, reimagining him as a red-and-yellow, vitamin-popping beast that would turn the industry upside down.

The Rock Bombs as the Blue Chipper

WWE Network

In 1996 Dwayne Johnson debuted in WWF as Rocky Maivia, a happy-go-lucky good guy who strutted on down to the ring wearing some sort of nightgown made of blue streamers. He was a can’t miss prospect! A blue chipper! Jim Ross reminded us of this every 10 seconds when he was on screen! And the fans hated him. Not the snarky, half-ironic hate Roman Reigns gets – this was the pure, uncut stuff. “Die, Rocky, die!” rang out in arenas across the country.

Why It Led to Good Things

Somehow WWE has never figured this out, but nobody really wants to see a privileged athlete sail to predestined success. The audience roundly rejecting Rocky Maivia led to him turning heel as a member of the Nation of Domination, and there he began to draw on his own personality to create a character totally unlike anything the WWF had seen before. Embracing failure and using it as an opportunity to grow transformed Dwayne Johnson into The Rock. Hopefully a certain Rock cousin is taking notes.

Steve Austin is Dumped by WCW

"Beyond the Ring" Stone Cold Steve Austin via WWE Network

In the early ’90s, “Stunning” Steve Austin began turn heads for his work in WCW. Austin won the US Championship from Ricky Steamboat, and the WCW tag belts as one half of the Hollywood Blondes with Brian Pillman, but eventually some guy named Eric Bischoff took the reigns and declared the Texan “unmarketable.” Austin was summarily fired (by FedEx no less) and his career looked to be in trouble before it had barely begun.

Why It Led to Good Things

WCW Steve Austin was a good wrestler, but he didn’t have any particular edge. Austin needed to get angry, and he had absolutely no problem doing that after being served his pink slip. Austin had a brief stint in a fledgling ECW, where he cut a series of legendary, kayfabe-busting promos against WCW management, which caught the attention of WWF. Initially Vince McMahon and company weren’t quite sure what to do with Austin, but soon enough he began to channel more of that anger forged in WCW, and Stone Cold was born.

Shawn Michaels Retires Early

WWE Network

Coming into 1998, Shawn Michaels had it all. He was WWE Champion, his longtime rival Bret Hart was off to WCW following the Montreal Screwjob, and he was leader of D-Generation X, the hottest new faction in wrestling. The fun would come to an end at the Royal Rumble, when Michaels took an unfortunate bump in a casket match, badly herniating two discs in his back. After losing the title at WrestleMania XIV, Michaels retired, seemingly for good.

Why It Led to Good Things

While Michaels looked to be on top of the world in 1997 and 98, he was a mess behind the scenes. He was addicted to painkillers and other less-legal substances and making enemies everywhere he went. His temporary retirement allowed him to turn over a new leaf and kick his addictions, and when he returned in 2002, he was better than ever. The HBK of 1998 would have burnt out in a year or two even if he hadn’t injured his back. Instead, because of his forced time off, he got to have another near-decade of classic matches and moments.

Daniel Bryan Loses the World Title in 18 Seconds

WWE Network

In late-2011, Daniel Bryan unexpectedly broke through WWE’s glass ceiling, winning the World Heavyweight Title and launching a memorable run as an egomaniacal bad boyfriend to AJ Lee. Unfortunately, Bryan’s hot streak seemingly wasn’t to last, as he dropped his title to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28 in humiliating fashion, losing to a single Brogue Kick in a mere 18 seconds. WWE’s message was loud and clear – Bryan’s run on top was a fluke and a joke, and now it was over.

Why It Led to Good Things

The WWE audience didn’t agree. Before WrestleMania 28, Daniel Bryan had his share of fans, but he was still somewhat of a cult figure. After the obvious injustice of WrestleMania 28 things changed. On the Raw after WrestleMania, traditionally the biggest WWE television show of the year, fans constantly interrupted “more important” stars to chant for Daniel Bryan, a guy who wasn’t even on the show. And from that point on, fans never really stopped cheering for Bryan. WWE’s “clever” little 18-second put down of a guy they didn’t see as a true star turned him into one for real.

Bayley is Excluded from the Divas Revolution

WWE Network

In mid-2015 Stephanie McMahon declared, with much pomp and circumstance, that the Divas Revolution had begun. Along with the announcement came the main roster debut of top NXT female talents Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and…wait, where was Bayley? Was WWE really leaving the most beloved and (arguably) promising of the Four Horsewomen in NXT? Apparently so, and fans were understandably worried.

Why It Led to Good Things

In the end, being left out of the cool kids’ main roster party ended up being the best thing for Bayley. Frankly, WWE’s new Women’s Division has been a bit of a schmozz, with talented ladies being trampled and overlooked left and right. It’s been almost a year, and Sasha Banks is just now, maybe, being given her chance to shine. Meanwhile, Bayley has continued to hone her ability as one of the main stars of NXT, putting on great matches, and creating a more main roster-ready character. If Bayley had debuted last year, she would have been lost in the shuffle. Now when she gets called up, whenever that might be, it’s going to be a big deal.

WWE Lowballs AJ Styles

WWE Network

In late 2013 AJ Styles left TNA after being the backbone of the company for nearly a decade. Now a free agent, Styles entered negotiations with WWE, who reportedly offered the five-time world champ (okay, it was the TNA World Championship, but still) an insultingly paltry contract. Word is, it was in the neighborhood of $60,000 per year, around a fifth of what he made in much smaller-scale TNA. 15 years of busting his ass at a high level all around the world, and WWE offered him less than he’d make as a Walmart manager. That’s the kind of blow that’d make some people want to hang up their boots.

Why It Led to Good Things

Not AJ Styles though – Styles started working for New Japan Pro Wrestling full-time, became the leader of the Bullet Club and grew from being a very good wrestler, to a truly elite worker. WWE officials, who seem to have a bit of a crush on NJPW these days, quickly began to see Styles in a new light. Only three years after metaphorically slapping the guy in the face, WWE brought Styles in as an instant main eventer for nearly 10 times the pay he was offered in 2013 (his new contract is reportedly worth $500,000). The waiting is the hardest part, but sometimes it’s worth it.

And that, my friends, is how you fail your way to prosperity. Any good examples I missed? Do you think Roman Reigns has a shot at transforming his recent troubles into a career turnaround? Head on down and let’s make this comments section a success.

During the red carpet arrivals for the ESPY awards last week, we were lucky enough to get a few minutes to catch up with the one and only Mark Henry. The world’s strongest man was his usual charming-as-hell self and opened up to us about how hot it was, as well as some more pertinent things.

Most revealing was Henry claiming that he’s done working a full-time schedule as a wrestler. “No! I’m old, man,” he said, despite my fervent protestations. Of course, my insistence that he looked younger than Big Show led to an unsolicited, unprompted hug, meaning I can now officially die a happy man.

Henry also talked to us about who he believes will be the next major star coming out of NXT: none other than former women’s champ and humongous fan favorite Bayley. Yes, although Bayley managed to go undrafted during Tuesday night’s SmackDown, she still has huge supporters both inside and outside of the wrestling business.

And of course, we asked Mark about his sandwich meat preferences, movies that make him cry and whether he prefers cake or pie. Because here at With Spandex, we all believe in getting down to the heart of the matter. That’s our promise to you.

When Bayley — arguably the most beloved NXT Superstar of all time — didn’t get selected as one of the six NXT picks in last week’s WWE Draft, there was a lot of fan grumbling. Bayley appears to be on a collision course with current Women’s Champion Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Back II Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend in August, so it seemed unlikely that Bayley would be on WWE television until after that event. That all changed on Sunday night during the Battleground pay-per-view, when Bayley made her surprise debut, much to the sheer delight of the Washington, D.C. crowd.

Bayley was revealed as Sasha Banks’ Battleground partner for her tag team match against WWE Women’s Champion Charotte and Dana Brooke, which was the first match on the main Battleground PPV. Banks had teased that she had found the “perfect partner,” and who better than her longtime arch rival and fellow member of the vaunted NXT “Four Horsewomen,” Bayley?

Fans should temper their excitement, however — always something that wrestling fans have a totally easy time doing — because With Spandex sources believe this surprise appearance is a one-off for the time being. Bayley’s full-time call-up will arrive at a later date. My best guess — based on absolutely nothing other than how wrestling generally works — is that it will happen at some point after SummerSlam weekend.

For now, just enjoy the fact that Bayley is officially an in-canon WWE main roster thing. WACKY WAVING ARM INFLATABLE TUBE MEN ON PAY-PER-VIEW!

WWE Network

Everyone’s favorite NXT Superstar, Bayley, made her long- (long, long, long-) anticipated debut on Sunday night at Battleground, despite not being selected in last week’s WWE Draft. On a recent episode of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, Bayley (whose real name is Pamela Martinez and who wrestled on the independent circuit as Davina Rose before signing with WWE) explained how she came to have her current ring name.

Amusingly enough, she absolutely did not want the name at first, but the higher-ups forced her hand. Still, she managed to make one little change that has made a whole world of difference. (Transcript courtesy of the wonderful people at Cageside Seats.)

“I gave like a list of names that I wanted to use and I tried using my indie name and they wouldn’t let me use it. I was kind of thinking of … what’s that word that it could be used as a male or female name? Yeah, so, I was trying to pick names like that. … But I was throwing out names like Bobby or Jordan, something like that because I was like ‘I don’t want it to be super girly, like I don’t want to be Patricia or something.’ I don’t know if that’s girly but I was thinking of it, (like) Jennifer. Bailey was one of them and that was like the last one I wanted. I did not want that name.

“They gave me three choices and I forget what the other one was but one of them was Davia, which is not Davina, and I was like ‘are you guys missing the ‘n’ or … ?’ They’re like ‘no, Davia.’ I’m like ‘that’s not even a name.’ … I was like ‘man, I guess I’ll just go with Bayley.’ … It was with a ‘i’ and I was like ‘okay, I’ll choose this… because I was ready to send in another list of names because I was just not happy, I’m like ‘okay, if I choose this one I have to spell it B-A-Y because I’m from the bay area’ and I thought I was so cool. Yeah, it has to mean something to me. So then I went with that and now I love it.”

The fact that she wanted the name “Davina” and they countered with the name “Davia” is pretty hilariously in keeping with everything fans always suspect about how WWE works. But just take a minute to think about whether you’d love her better or worse if her name was “Bobby.”

At the bare minimum, there would be a 400 percent increase in you doing Hank Hill impressions while watching wrestling (on average).

One of the most exciting moments at WWE Battleground, for both the fans in the arena and at home, was when beloved NXT Superstar Bayley made her main roster debut as Sasha Banks’ surprise tag team partner in her matchup with Charlotte and Dana Brooke. She certainly got one of the biggest pops of the night, and helped mollify a lot of fans who were annoyed when she wasn’t part of WWE’s brand extension draft. However, fans better have enjoyed it while it lasted, because Bayley herself has confirmed it was a one-time thing.

During the match, JBL was quick to mention that Bayley’s appearance at Battleground did not mean she was on the main roster going forward. In a post-victory interview with Banks and Bayley, Bayley herself said that this was a special occasion, and that her main goal was regaining the NXT women’s title. We will have to wait to see some inflatable tube men on Raw or Smackdown.

While all the devoted Bayley fans may be disappointed, they can always watch her on NXT, and she will surely join the main roster in the near future. After that huge response she got at Battleground, WWE would have to be run by slack-jawed yokels to not realize the power of Bayley.

(Via WWE)

Youtube

There have been several stories of UFC star Ronda Rousey possibly saying goodbye to UFC and heading to work for World Wrestling Entertainment one day. Rousey made an appearance at WWE’s WrestleMania 31 event in 2015 in a memorable segment where she stood by her friend The Rock while also giving Triple H a hiptoss and scaring Stephanie McMahon. There were rumors that she may actually wrestle at the next WrestleMania, but that didn’t happen.

Rousey became a wrestling fan thanks to a group of friends that nicknamed themselves the “Four Horsewomen” after pro wrestling’s famous Four Horsemen group led by Ric Flair. Rousey’s friends are all former MMA fighters including Shayna Baszler, who is doing very well in WWE’s Mae Young Classic tournament, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, who is engaged to WWE NXT Roderick Strong. The couple has a son together.

Rousey got more attention from WWE of late because she went to the Mae Young Classic tapings to support Baszler. Early last month, it was reported that Rousey had started training to wrestle in California at a school run by WWE’s Brian Kendrick. Jessamyn Duke has also started wrestling training in California.

During the Mae Young Classic tournament on WWE Network, Rousey has been shown on camera with her friends during the event. The WWE trio of Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Becky Lynch have also been shown in the crowd as well. Sasha Banks wasn’t there because she was on a promotional tour of Asia at the time of the MYC tapings, which was poor planning on WWE’s part since her present would have helped. The foursome of Charlotte, Bayley, Becky and Sasha have been called WWE’s Four Horsewomen in the past although they have yet to team up on WWE television.

To add to this potentially intriguing storyline, WWE filmed this segment with Rousey, Shafir and Duke talking about how excited they were for Baszler when Charlotte, Becky and Bayley showed up to confront them. You can watch what happens below.

Rousey said: “You name the time, you name the place.” The WWE girls didn’t respond directly to it, but they seemed interested.

What could this mean? A potential match seems likely and I think Survivor Series in November is the right time for it. It may be too soon because Rousey still has a deal with UFC, but UFC President Dana White said over a month ago that she is probably going to retire from UFC, so there’s no reason for UFC to hold her back if she wants to wrestle for WWE.

It may seem like a minor thing, but Rousey getting in the faces of the WWE girls does further this story along. Keep watching the Mae Young Classic for more and it will likely continue on WWE’s main shows as well.

WWE

It’s no secret at all that WWE Superstar Bayley is a lifelong wrestling fan. It’s pretty much what her entire pro wrestling character is predicated upon. There are loads of pictures of her with her wrestling heroes when she was a kid or a teen, and pretty much every day of her life as a WWE star is a dream come true for her. Heck, she even told us she was such a huge Hardy Boyz fan that she made herself the third Hardy Boy in video games as a kid.

But thanks to the wondrous WWE Network, we have something far more interesting available to us: the ability to see Bayley as a fan in the crowd way back in 2004, when Bayley was just 14 years old and had front row seats when Raw rolled into San Jose. The observation was first made on Twitter by a fan who happened to glimpse her during the May 10, 2004 show.

The fan tweeted this discovery to Bayley herself, who then confirmed that, yes, this is the genuine article.

(For the record, this is what Matt Hardy and Lita looked like on that 2004 episode of Raw, and this may make you feel even older than seeing teen Bayley.)

WWE Network

We did our own snooping of the episode, and sure enough, here she is in the crowd, clutching a point-and-shoot camera in one hand and reaching out in vain for a Eugene high-five with the other:

WWE Network

This is really incredible. Thank you to the eagle-eyed fan who first saw this and brought it to our attention. If you’d like to hop in the wayback machine and watch the episode for yourself, just click here. Warning: Kane was very abduct-y at this point in time. And Matt Hardy’s shiny pajamas under strobe lights aren’t safe for anybody.

WWE has debuted a new YouTube series that looks like it’s going to be a whole lot of fun. It’s called Superstar Superfan, and it’s hosted by Peter Rosenberg, who finally has a chance to show off that Bobby Heenan-style satin jacket that he had custom made. The series will be about WWE Superstars who were diehard, obsessed wrestling fans long before they did this for a living.

The subject of the first episode, naturally, is Bayley, whose entire gimmick and character is based on the fact that she’s a lifelong full-bore wrestling geek. In fact, you can even go on WWE Network and spot her in the front row of an episode of Raw from 2004.

Bayley tells a lot of fun stories in the above video, but none are better than a doomed teenage romance that ended when her boyfriend got jealous of her infatuation with Matt Hardy.

Anyone who has ever read an interview with Bayley probably knows that the Hardy Boyz and Lita were her primary obsession when she was a teen. She even told us about how she would make herself the third Hardy Boy in WWE video games back in the day. So please enjoy her tale of a meeting with Matt Hardy at age 15, and how it caused a foolish boy to dump her. (Thanks to Cageside Seats for the transcript.)

“I was 15 here. This was 2005, and it was my first time meeting him. And I’ve told this story to a few people, but … really embarrassing.

“I had a boyfriend at this time, that I met in like summer school. And then this [Matt Hardy photo] happened, and I swear that’s all I could talk about. ‘He did this, and then he did this in his match, and he gave me a hug, look at all these pictures.’ I was posting it all over like MySpace and stuff. I literally think the reason this guy broke up with me is because I couldn’t stop talking about this. I don’t know if he was jealous or if he was just like, ‘This chick is weird.’ Maybe a combo of both.

“But Matt Hardy ended my relationship. So, whatever man.”

Teenage boys are dumb, man. But thank goodness for Bayley never being ashamed to tell her tales of geekdom.

We very much look forward to the Kevin Owens episode of Superstar Superfan, and hope he’ll finally tell the truth about that Y2J pose in his bedroom. The Festival of Friendship left scars, sure, but maybe those can still be healed one day.

YouTube

If you were making some kind of power ranking to determine the biggest stars in WWE NXT history, Bayley has to be somewhere near the top of that list.

Bayley made her main roster debut during the summer of 2016 after spending years in NXT, where she was featured in groundbreaking matches against the likes of Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair. She was hailed as one of NXT’s revolutionary Four Horsewomen, but her character — however you would describe what that character actually is — hasn’t resonated with the mainstream WWE audience thus far.

Bayley wouldn’t be the first NXT Superstar to flop on the main stage. We’ve seen a lot of successful NXT Superstars take on the same challenges Bayley has faced. Despite the obvious pattern here, Bayley reached levels of success in NXT that many haven’t, which makes WWE’s inability to make her character work considerably more perplexing than the likes of say, Adam Rose.

Unfortunately for Bayley and her fellow side-pony-sporting fans, if one report is to be believed, WWE doesn’t believe that she can be a major star for the company moving forward. During a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer claimed that WWE has “already given up” on Bayley.

Transcript courtesy of Wrestling News Source:

“They have already given up on her. And they’ve given up on her a long long time ago. When they’re gonna protect Mickie James over you — when Mickie James was brought in to be a filler to lose on the roster — that just tells you. The dice has been cast with her already.”

If there is any silver lining here, it’s that WWE has a history of “giving up” on Superstars, only to have those same Superstars figure it out eventually. Look no further than former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, or even better, former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. In a lot of ways, Mahal’s recent success gives hope to everyone. If WWE can have its faith restored in a rock-band jobber, they can have their faith restored in one of the most beloved Superstars in NXT history.

(Check out our must-listen McMahonsplaining podcast with WWE superstar Braun Strowman. Subscribe on iTunes or Google.)

Last month, USA Network presented its annual WWE Week, which included Tribute to the Troops and the channel’s First Time Ever airing of NXT. Last week, Nickelodeon obstacle course game show Paradise Run had its very own WWE Week, which included Jimmy Uso suplexing a crash test dummy, Kalisto frustrating children, and a lot of extremely forced wordplay. In this article, With Spandex brings you the highlights of a week of pro wrestlers doing wacky challenges for charity.

But First: Context

The premise of Paradise Run is that teams of kids race to complete a series of challenges at the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii. It’s like a version of The Challenge combined with Wipeout that’s appropriate for child competitors, set at a ritzy resort. The premise of their WWE Week is that the “Superstars of the WWE team up with their biggest super-fans,” but these kids clearly have no idea who these athletic adults are.

Bayley, the Usos, Apollo Crews, Naomi (who I expected to clean up, given her previous game show obstacle course experience), and Kalisto compete to win donations to the Boys and Girls Club of America. The children on the winning team get a four-day tropical vacation, and the second and third place kids get prizes too, because Nickelodeon supports the participation trophy snowflakization of the next generation. [Programming note required for jokes on the internet: that was intense sarcasm.]

Host Daniella Monet Looks Like The Lost Third Member Of The Iconic Duo

Nickelodeon

The fact that none of the kids pointed this out clearly proves none of them were really “WWE super-fans.”

At Least Kids Like The “Lucha” Chant

Nickelodeon

In his four appearances (the most of any wrestler) on Paradise Run, our former Cruiserweight Champion

• Tries to put safety goggles over his mask, breaks them (pictured above), declares “I am too lucha strong for this mask!,” and has to hold the safety goggles in front of his eyes during the ensuing challenge to avoid getting mud in his eyes. His team finishes last.
• Gets a lobster costume he’s wearing hopelessly stuck in a net, causing his team to finish last.
• Takes so long to learn dance moves for a bird-themed dance challenge that his partner looks like she might cry. And then they finish last.

Nickelodeon

There are multiple cuts to commercial that use Kalisto botches as cliffhangers. Tragic. The Sin Cara curse has Final Destination-ed to Kalisto at long last, it seems.

The Return Of Pure Babyface Bayley

Nickelodeon

WWE, don’t you dare give up on this wonderful woman! Bayley is NXT-era delightful for the entirety of her Paradise Run episode. Right after she and her partner Toa introduce themselves, he says “I think I need a hug!” and she gives him the most beautiful hug I’ve ever seen. I could feel the warmth of it through my screen. We should replace fossil fuels with Bayley hugs.

Toa looks like he has the most fun of any kid on any of these episodes. When they win, Bayley says, “He’s the best; he led me through it!” and he sincerely insists, “She’s the best!” You’re goddamn right, Toa. She looks genuinely thrilled for him to win a vacation, too. I miss the old Bayley.

The Return Of The Babyface Usos

Nickelodeon

you really need two people for this, uce

Jimmy and Jey Uso have to be extremely family friendly on this show, so they can’t do any of the things that have made people love them for the past year or so. They can’t scream about imprisoning children, so the only catchphrase they have left is the “OOOO-SOOOOS!” chant. They don’t work out before their first appearance how they would each use the chant, so they both use it the exact same way: introducing themselves as “[first name] OOOO-SOOOO!” and then doing the chant again with their teammate, who leaves way too long of a gap between “uce” and “oh.” Each twin appears on three episodes, and neither figures out how make this not awkward. Jimmy’s partner Giullia on Wednesday’s episode, doesn’t even say the “s” sound. Come on, Giullia.

But as hard as they try to repress their true jerk jock/Uso Penitentiary selves, their heel trash talk tendencies creep in as the week goes on. Friday’s episode features Jey yelling, “It’s over! It’s over!” at the other teams after finishing first in a challenge, and going on to win the whole episode.

Fatu Family Feud

Nickelodeon

As you know if you’ve watching certain episodes of Up Up Down Down, the Usos and Naomi can get extremely competitive with each other. All three were on the first episode of Paradise Run‘s WWE Week, and Naomi and Jey sabotage each other right off the bat. The contrast of shoot-dads Jimmy and Jey being super nice and helpful to the kids they’re teamed up with, then yelling trash talk at each other in their talking head segments is pretty wonderful.

“All Of Our Wrestlers Are Related”

Nickelodeon

At the beginning of that first episode, our iconic host has to quickly explain that, yes, these two men are in fact identical twins, and also Jimmy and Naomi are married. It’s the super-abridged version of that one subcategory of conversation you sometimes have when you watch wrestling with people who don’t keep up with it, and also five minutes out of every interview ever with any of the Samoans from the WWE ( including Samoa Joe, because he has to explain how he’s not a part of it, and also including Tamina.)

The relationship dynamics are fun and easy to pick up on in that first episode, but don’t really get explained when these three show up in different combinations later in the week. The weirdest bit of exposition is when Jey, on Friday’s episode, says, “Naomi, I know you’re my sister-in-law, but today my family is Team Makani!” which presumes that kids either 1) faithfully watch every episode of Paradise Run, which is not a serialized show, and remember the previous contestants, 2) watch WWE and know about wrestler’s personal lives, or 3) watch Total Divas. If this is the first episode of this show a kid has watched this week, this sentence comes out of nowhere. If a kid only watched the previous night’s episode, which was Naomi vs. Jimmy vs. Kalisto, this informs them that Jimmy has an identical twin. It’s a weird vibe.

Daniella Said The Contestants Would Meet Their Parents At The Finish Line And For A Second I Thought Rikishi Was Going To Be On This Show, But Then They Cut To The Parents And It Was Obviously Just The Parents Of The Child Contestants

I felt very dumb.

Bella Is The Titus Worldwide Of Apollo Crews’ Paradise Run Career

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In most of these teams’ talking head interviews, the kids do some exposition, and the wrestlers talk G-rated smack. With Apollo Crews’ team, the dynamic is reversed. He smiles, and his partner Bella, 12, spits hot fire. If the Titus Worldwide thing doesn’t work out, they should bring Bella in as Apollo’s manager.

Every Parent’s Mind Goes Somewhere Sexual During The Punchline Challenge

A section of the race called the Punchline Challenge includes each team telling jokes to a captive audience of mostly grown-ups at the hotel pool. The wrestler delivers the set-up, the kid the punchline. Jey Uso gets the first half of this joke:

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Which gets this reaction from the adults, who clearly think it must be something sexual, but that can’t be right, because this is a Nickelodeon obstacle course game show:

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The punchline:

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Ohhhhhhh.

Lowlight: That’s The Best Joke Of The Week By Far

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Vince would think this show is hilarious.

And Finally: Nobody Was Ready For Jimmy Uso

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So it turns out in addition to being WWE’s current iron man, Jimmy Uso is amazing at Hawaii/vacation-themed challenge courses. He appears on three episodes of Paradise Run, and his team wins each time. You can tell he’s trying to bat 1.000 during the third one, too. He has to stop for a second after leaving his kid in the dust as he runs at full adult speed to the finish line. He also takes a crash test dummy to Suplex City, if we assume Suplex City is the lost city of Atlantis.

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