Live Notes, Photos, and Video of NXT at the Arnold Classic
For the first time, the NXT brand broke down the walls of Full Sail University, taking the talent to Columbus, Ohio, as a feature at the annual Arnold Classic. The crowd was rowdy, and Triple H started the evening by introducing NXT to Columbus. He even made a gesture of touching his arm as a sign of having goosebumps, due to the reaction of the crowd at the LC Pavilion.
The night started off with Hideo Itami and Finn Balor defeating the Vaudevillians. The match was very solid, with both teams receiving a good reaction. There is no question that Finn Balor is a star everywhere he steps foot. His entrance was a sight to see, and I kept thinking about how amazing it would be if done at WrestleMania.
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Hometown Diva Alexa Bliss defeated NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks via countout to make the crowd happy.
So I thought.
Interestingly enough, there were a surprising number of boos toward Bliss when she won, even being a Columbus native. Throughout the match, there were the normal "Sasha's ratchet!" and "No she isn't!" chants, but Banks played to them very well, continuing to prove that her being a champion is a good move.
After being one of the most popular people on the NXT roster during his reign of pinning people in 10 seconds, it appears as if Baron Corbin is not well-received by the fans anymore.
I believe the turning point was during the No. 1 contender's tournament when he faced Adrian Neville. His feud with Bull Dempsey was helpful in building his babyface character, but his match with Neville seemed to be the pivotal moment in turning the reaction around. Tyson Kidd was heavily cheered by the crowd, and Corbin—on the other hand—was not.
Personally, I think Corbin is a star in the making and has a ton of potential in the coming years. He was pigeonholed by defeating his opponents in seconds, but now since that has ended, he is being thrown away from the crowd like yesterday's news.
I am sure that he will rebound from the lack of crowd support, as his character would do well as both a face or a heel. The world needs another mystical character like the Undertaker, and Corbin could certainly fill in with that type of character.
Wesley Blake vs. Big Cass was promising, mainly because Enzo and Cass finally get their well-deserved spot in the forefront of the tag team picture. They are the most charismatic tag team in all of WWE, and it reminds me of a more hip version of the New Age Outlaws.
Blake defeated Cass via rollup with interference, but it was a good way to add an extra layer to their feud. Enzo and Cass were very over with the crowd, and the "Dupstep Duo" of Blake and Murphy received boos but had little reaction.
The match between Ryback and Big Show was not as bad as the reports portray it to be. He did a great job working the crowd, and had many people at the palm of the heelish hands. In fact, the match was not that bad either. Ryback received a good reaction from crowd, and the "Feed Me More!" chants were typical and an effective way to end the match and celebrate the Ryback victory.
Nothing much coming out of the Tyler Breeze vs. Kalisto match, other than it was a pretty solid bout. Many "Breeze is gorgeous!" chants throughout the match, and Breeze received a good reaction from the crowd as he does in Florida.
Very good match between Charlotte and Bayley, as expected. Before the match, Ric Flair cut a promo talking about how he cannot say anything about Ohio anymore, since the Buckeyes won the NCAA College Football National Championship.
Both competitors were very over with the crowd, and it did not appear as if there were a clear-cut favorite. Charlotte executed a pretty good-looking Natural Selection from the ropes to end the match.
Surprisingly, Alex Riley did not receive resounding support during his match with Kevin Owens. There were a number of people clapping during his entrance, but there were also a noticeable amount of boos.
Of course, Owens received one of the biggest ovations from the crowd, and "Kill Owens Kill" chants were deafening. Finn Balor came out to a big pop when he made the save after Owens attacked Riley after the match.
The promo that Sami Zayn cut was very heart-felt and emotionally driven. He mentioned how years ago he was wallowing in the developmental, but now he is part of the future with NXT. He received one of the biggest pops of the evening.
The match between Adrian Neville and Cesaro was absolutely phenomenal. The action was back and forth, and both of them were heavily cheered. The giant swing was teased once, but Neville was able to counter it. When the swing was executed on the second attempt, the crowd went bananas.
One of the best spots of the night was when Cesaro performed two European uppercuts on Neville when he was on the ropes, allowing him to perform his Neutralizer finisher.
Overall, it was a great experience, and I am sure that WWE will strongly consider Columbus for future tapings on the WWE Network.
Chris Featherstone is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and WeAreWrestling.net, and a writer for PWMania.com. Follow @cravewrestling on Twitter and Crave Wrestling on Facebook. All pictures were taken by John Donahue of Crave Wrestling. Follow @jdoncbus.
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