Back on March 28th, I blogged about Kevin Owens’ utter domination of Alex Riley in my “Strife of Riley, part 6” article.
At the end of that match, Finn Balor came to Riley’s rescue, preventing the big bad wolf from having his way with the helpless Goldilocks, i.e. Alex Riley. This set up a nice feud between Owens and Balor.
On the very next episode of NXT, Owens and Balor already got down to business in the ring. I like the way NXT doesn’t make us wait for it!
They don’t tease us for weeks and build heat slowly like they’re gently stoking the fire with little bits of kindling. They just pour the gasoline on the flame right away and let the enemies go at it.
Obviously, I don’t think I need to tell you that Balor looks spectacular, all ripped and enticing in his little black trunks. And obviously, we see plenty of high-quality technical moves from Balor including this perfect Armbar.
Owens uses his mass to Bum-Rush poor Balor right out of the ring. The Baby-Face lands hard on the floor (don’t they always?) and rolls around suffering for a while for the visual pleasure of the fans at ringside.
The purpose of this match — I’m sure both men understand — is all about the agony of Balor. Sure enough, Owens soon gains the advantage thanks to his crushing Fat Man’s Offense. He Senton-Drops his bulk down on Balor’s ribs a few times, Cannon-Balls his fat ass into Balor’s face (propped against the corner buckles) and just walks on Balor, standing on him with all that weight! Can anybody defeat this sadistic bully?
Did my enthusiasm for last week’s Alex Riley squash inspire the match-makers to set up Balor for similar torture? Don’t get me wrong — I love what I see here, but I’m sure they realize I am an easy mark for the one-sided, Punish-the-Pretty-Boy type of matches (and so are many male wrestling fans apparently.)
When Kevin Owens — formerly known as Kevin Steen — joined the NXT roster, he was given the last name “Owens.” I think they just wanted a tough, deadly, frightening character with the initials “K O” for Knock Out.
Note how Owens proudly wears the initials “K.O.” on his t-shirt to imply he is going to Knock Out his competition. (The way Balor is helplessly suffering, he may be well on his way.
They had tried previously to promote Kassius Ohno with the “KO” gimmick, but that didn’t work out so now Kevin Owens is branded as the new bad-ass with the KO initials.
Finn Balor is so wonderfully indestructible, so willing to take bumps and endure outrageous abuse, that many opponents break out their most dangerous, deadly moves when wrestling Balor. Check out this devastating Suplex off the top ropes!
I haven’t mentioned yet one of the most entertaining aspects of this match — the repeated Headlocks by Owens. I think they must’ve read my article last week in praise of Alex Riley’s beautiful expressions of Headlock Agony, because three or four times in this match, we are treated to similar O-Faces by handsome young Finn Balor!
After diving out of the ring, Balor lands awkwardly and clutches his knee. Owens smells blood in the water and begins to target that damaged leg. We get to enjoy the classic psychology of the High-Flyer Grounded By His Leg Injury.
My only complaint is that I would’ve preferred seeing Balor’s knee injured in about the first six seconds of the bout so I could enjoy his Leg Selling the entire match. But better late than never — and Balor (as usual) sells his ab-flexing agony wonderfully.
Owens violently slams his shirtless opponent down to the mat to drive the remainder of his fight out of him. He hooks the leg and pins the pretty-boy for the victory. Once again, the fans are frustrated (and maybe a bit aroused) by this bully’s domination and unbeatability.
NXT continues to provide great pro wrestling action with spectacular competitors delivering exciting in-ring narratives. I find it ironic that the promotion composed of beginners and trainees actually delivers more exciting action than the Big Leagues. (I guess the up-and-comers are hungrier.)
Doesn’t it tell you something that I rushed to watch this latest version of NXT knowing that the Owens-on-Balor torture would be a visual delight, and I still haven’t gotten around to watching WrestleMania 31 even though it’s just sitting there in my WWE Network inbox waiting for me…