Pictures from NXT television taping, October 11, 2012

Jimmy Uso

NXT

Jinder Mahal

Paige vs. Alicia Fox

Full Sail Live 

Mike Dalton

Michael McGillicuttyy

Richie Steamboat

Trent Baretta

Seth Rollins, Michaei Cole, and Jinder Mahal

Tyson Kidd vs. Damien Sandow

Layla

Dean Ambrose

Big E. Langston

Corey Graves

Oliver Grey vs. Corey Graves

Jimmy  and Jey Uso

Jinder Mahal with Bo Dallas in the Camel Clutch

Xavier Woods

Darren Young & Titus O'Neil 

Corey Graves

Jimmy Uso vs, Titus O'Neil

Tyson Kidd vs. Damien Sandow

Tyson Kidd vs. Damien Sandow

Dean Ambrose

Jimmy Uso

Jim Ross

Johnny Curtis

Myself and Darren Young

These are pictures I took while attending a television taping of NXT at Full Sail University on October 11, 2012. It was one of the most amazing wrestling events I have ever attended. The smaller venue adds a personal touch with amazing energy. I look forward to my next visit in February.
There were some very good matches. Kassius Ohno vs Richie Steamboat was stellar and solid. Best match between 2 strictly NXT roster members.It seems that there matches are constantly amazing. Some other talent I found and destined for big things were, Emma, Mike Dalton, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns. Reigns blew me way with his calculated wrestling technique, ring presence and looks. He's gonna make a huge impact on the WWE for years to come.

The Shield: NXT's latest breakout stars

  During the Survivor seies PPV,  NXT stars Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins, made a huge impact on the WWE Universe. They made their main roster debut very memorable by attacking the undefeated powerhouse Ryback. Their vow was to rally against injustice in the WWE.

   Due to Punk's legitimate knee injury and surgery, they have been moved to the main event of the next PPV, Table's Ladders and Chairs held this month. They are paired against the current tag team champions  Daniel Bryan and Kane along with Ryback.
   Reigns is the least experienced, but who I truly feel will be the breakout star. He's a very good combination of technique, looks, athleticism, mic skills, and presence. I witnessed his TV debut first hand at  Full Sail in October and was blown away.

    Rollins is the current NXT champion and was known on the indy circuit as Tyler Black. He's a fan favorite and solid athlete.

   Ambrose had been on the indy circuit for years, as Jon Moxley, before coming to the FCW. I was impressed by his feud in the FCW with the veteran great, William Regal. It brought the best out both them. The match that is one of all time personal favorites. This marked Ambrose as a fierce competitor and showcased his talent.

   There are still serious questions about the real motives and leader of the group. Will the stable be successful?  Will their tremendous fast push into the main event status straight from NXT be a good thing or too much for them to handle? Regardless these 3 stars are all worthy of the push. I am eager to see the evolution of the stable along with the storyline unfolding. They are a breath of fresh air to the very stale state the WWE has been in of late.

October 6, 2012

The change from FCW to NXT

There was talk about  the future of WWE developmental territory, FCW, after the announcement that it would no longer be taped in Tampa. It was speculated that it would be moved to Connecticut near WWE headquarters. The rumors were put to rest when WWE formally announced that they were moving their NXT tapings to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The FCW talent would be used and the name would eventually be changed to WWE NXT.

WWE NXT was originally shown in America  on the SyFy network as a replacement for the ECW brand. Halfway through the third season it was taken off television and made as a web based production that was taped on Tuesdays previous to Smackdown.  According to James Caldwell of PWTorch  “Moving NXT away from the Smackdown tapings will allow the developmental wrestlers to perform in a more intimate setting in front of a crowd mainly consisting of college students would be expected to actually react to the wrestlers. Also, WWE management will be able to focus more on the tapings when not scrambling to put the finishing touches on Smackdown”.

There has been mixed reviews about this merger/change. FCW did have a deep rich history, but as with everything there comes a time for change. It is a huge opportunity for students at Full Sail as an internship. It’s a win for all involved. The students gain experience and the WWE cuts production costs with the help of the interns. It is held in a new revamped venue and format. Proceeds from the tapings go into a scholarship for students. It is an amazing partnership for all involved. Triple H stated in the Miami Herald,  “We did some events here. We turned them into TV. We got the idea to do the show here. The show took off. We didn’t want to have no value for tickets, so we started charging a little for tickets. Then it was like, ‘You know what. Let’s take that money and give it back to the school. Let’s make a scholarship fund and give it to the students.’” How amazing is that? I love it.

Personally, I am ecstatic about this change. As a student of Full Sail, in the Sports Management Master's program, have this opportunity to add this internship to my resume. I will get to work with one of the most versatile and diverse groups of individuals in the entertainment industry. Upon my acceptance in the program, I had hopes of working within some aspect of professional wrestling. This change of venue had not been announced at that time. Weeks after my acceptance, opportunity fell right on my lap, and I am going to embrace it fully. NXT is the future of the industry on so many levels. I get to grow as a professional in the industry as the talent does also. It an awesome dynamic.  Through this blog I hope to shed light on my experiences, showcase the talent of NXT, and news about it.

All photography featured on this blog is my own work. Please do use anything from the blog without my consent.