NXT Level #347 - Rise of the Spartan
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
I enjoyed Uncovered tonight. I’ve loved the Foley character in reading through the last few shows. Knowing that his mom is keeping a secret about his father is really intriguing to me. It makes my brain wondering what the “bad” is that’s referred to. I’m also curious of her visitor and what his true purpose is. I love segments that leave you wondering WTH.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
- Who visited Mrs. Foley?
- What are the secrets about Foley’s father?
- Who went after Cade and Narcissa?
My other question will be addressed below. 😀
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
I honestly was not expecting an appearance in the show, so I’m greatly appreciative to be added at the last minute. I really liked the tease earlier in the night and the reveal that Raven was lurking from above. That is right on the money for what I envisioned. Great job to the person who wrote the session. As I mentioned above, I also like the intrigue of who may be watching Raven. It’s going to be a good ride, me thinks!
Great Show Overall! Congrats to the winners, especially Brian. Also great job to the match writers and creative team. Everything was well done!
POP OF THE NIGHT:
ONE GIANT LEAP - Woooof. I wondered what'd happen between The Kingdom and boy did we get our answers. The Yellow Python lives but at the cost of all his friends. Three brutal ways to die. I'm glad he survived but where does he go from here? The Black Panther has now murdered his entire 'family'. Python is on a trajectory towards something wild, I can feel it.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Who visited Mrs Foley?
- What is the secret about Foley's pop?
- Will Redgrave accept Attano's match offer?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
With all these new handlers joining OSW over the past few weeks, Rise of the Spartan was a great advert for how amazing this place is. The level of work that must go into a show like Rise cannot be understated. Videos, graphics, matches, segments and the time dedicated to reading all that live is a serious commitment of effort.
Week after week, month after month and year after year, OSW produces. This live show didn't have the impact storyline wise that live shows normally do but I feel like that was on purpose. We've seen a contrast recently between big shows happening without being live and vice versa. I like it. Having said that, that opening segment was pretty fucking massive.
I also need to shoutout to an intriguing situation between Tombstone and Muerte. I like the direction so far and can't wait to see where it goes.
POP OF THE NIGHT:
One Giant Leap. I was going to put something about this in Burning Questions, but realize that the question is secondary to the overall impact of the segment. Loved seeing the ways that the Kingdom folks fought to allow at least one of them to survive. It was a great team moment. And what is the impact of this all going to be on the Yellow Python. He was the kid, the rookie. Now, he may be the only one. I think there's a great story to tell here going forward.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Love the debuting folks segments, how are they going to slot in on the roster?
What will the Pool Boys idea of retaliation look like?
Who is observing Raven?
Jasper Redgrave took Tombstone to the limit once, seems relatively unconcerned with Harold Attano's mutilation of his "friend," and is now the Sparta Cup winner. Is it time for the Artist to ascend to the top of the mountain?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
CJ Thorpe - He cut his finger off? Hot damn. My boy better find a way to get free, or he's going to end up a regular Theon Greyjoy. I found Attano and Thorpe's interplay to be very interesting in terms of how it approaches family. Attano is obviously right in his assessment of Redgrave, but Thorpe's beliefs otherwise completely fit with what he knows of the situation.
Gemini - No appearance from Gemini this week.
And I can't go without mentioning a massive thanks to Deaner for hosting the live stream. It was supposed to be mine, but I had surgery on the first (gallbladder removal, I'm doing well now). Brilliant work from him, and a hell of a one-two punch of this show and the Classic the week before. It can never be overstated how above and beyond he always goes.
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
One Giant Leap
Holy moly, that was one blimmen intense way of starting the show. Talk about putting the strong foot forward.
We launched instantly into the most brutal moment in TYP's life. I think in all of this, the moment the water started falling and that knowing nod between The Blue Shark and White Bear.
What a moment. What emotion.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
Firstly, what is going to come of all of the debuting characters? I love seeing new people come in, new characters to explore. Can't wait to see them develop.
Why is Raven watching the crowd from the rafters? Who is watching Raven? What the hell is going on there?!
Redgrave has momentum with this win, but Tombstone has been a force nobody can get past. What will Redgrave have to do, what lengths will he have to go to in order to take Tombstone further than he did before?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
Oh boy... This will be Hella fun.
Tombstone and Muerte, with EMMs unique perspective looking to continue adding depth to the saga of Tombstone, the search for his true identity and the ferrying of his own soul.
I'm really intrigued by this, can't wait!
POP OF THE NIGHT: Just As Evil
I loved this ending segment here. We got to see a bit of the lengths that Harold Attano is willing to go to get this match with Redgrave. But, is he barking up the wrong tree? I don't think CJ will listen to Attano's reasoning now that he's lopping off fingers here.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Who visited Mrs. Foley?
Where is CJ Thorpe, and will Jasper go looking for him?
Who's watching Raven watching the fans watching the action? (lots of watching happening here)
HAVE YOUR SAY:
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
..........WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Very happy to have won the Sparta Cup over so many game faces. I loved the feel of the night. The one night tournament made it rather intense for me when Jasper was up, and honestly I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole night.
FUCKING Zac.. GREAT job on the matches, bud. That Cade vs Redgrave match was fucking intense.
Attano closed the night on a huge cliffhanger, leaving us to wonder, how will Redgrave respond? Will he go looking for CJ? Will he find him? Or will he leave him to Attano's care?
POP OF THE NIGHT:
I think it has to be One Giant Leap because despite his failure to save the remaining members of the Kingdom I think this segment was undoubtedly the biggest for Python to date. He showed he was smart, determined, and enduring despite EVERYTHING going on around him. As a segment it had you rooting for him going into the Sparta Cup for sure.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Is that really Thorpe's finger? And if so, what will Cade think about this?
Who visited Mrs. Foley?
Just who is Raven? It appears the commentary know. Also, who's observing him?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
It's interesting to see us going back to Narcissa's words to cade all those months ago and I wonder what the payoff will be or if it's just a line calling back to that segment. Also who attacked the both of them with smoke? We could assume it was Colt seeing as he was also in the segment header, and if it was I need to know just what he got his hands on.
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
Gotta utter the same sentiment as above and a few others, One Giant Leap was absolutely a phenomenal opener. Nail bitingly tense, heartbreaking and almost a little hopeful at the end. TYP may have lost in the semis but fuck did he look like an absolute pure hero here, risking his life to try and save his Kingdom buddies and whoever did this if it was the Black Panther or someone else, they best watch out cause the followup should be a brilliant one of the Python looking for justice.
Oh and the music addition *chefs fucking kiss*
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
Who visited Mrs Foley and who is or was Mr Foley?
Who smokebombed Narcissa and Cade if not Nox?
Where are the new guys going to slot in? Hoax is clearly going after Finkle but what about Raven? Who was watching his ass in the rafters?
Is Attano actually cutting pieces of Thorpe or is this just mindgames against the Artist?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
Loving the Pool Boys getting together for a feud here and them going after the Uprising was an inevitability. Intriguing setup to next week with Uprising vs. Arcadia as it was and very curious to see what the retaliation from the Pool Boys ends up becoming.
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
One Giant Leap
This was drama stack on drama! The action was off the chart and carried off from the harrowing end of Bad Company! It really did a lot for the hero image of TYP and it's put a good spotlight on him. I cannot wait to see where this story goes from here with everything picking up the way that it has.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
Who stopped by to see Mrs. Foley? What's her husband's secret?
Are there any Kingdom survivors? Can Python Capture the Panther?
Who is Raven?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
Harold:
I have to say, I loved the logic that Harold is using with CJ and the fact that he's almost using him as a lure to either pull in Redgrave or show CJ that he means nothing to the serial killer. I'm really enjoying Harold being able to be the badass fixer that he is. I cannot wait to see what he does from here with Pandemonium around the corner and how everything builds to that.
Nox:
I loved the idea of Nox using Lionel's congregation as his lab rats. He truly is an uncaring bastard and since he's taken out Luther Grim, Nox seems to be going from strength to bloody strength becoming increasingly more twisted with each passing week. I cannot wait to see how this continues to build and how much more villainous he can get.
POP OF THE NIGHT:
I'm giving this to One Giant Leap. What looked like a suicide attempt was actually a last ditch effort to save his friends from their seemingly inevitable fates. While they all died at the end, the heroics that everyone displayed were incredible I especially liked how The Blue Shark and White Bear, despite being at death's door, were able to fill the room with water in order for Yellow Python and Red Falcon to land safely and not splatter all over the ground. Thought that was a cool moment that was worth highlighting. A fun segment that, despite the Snake not saving anyone, made him look like a badass hero.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
What truth of Felix's father is the Puppetmaster about to discover? In the pieces we've seen of him, Papa Foley was an asshole that abused the shit out his son and wife. If there's something we need to know about him, like him being on the roster, we'll need to find out sooner than later.
What is the price that EMM wants Tombstone to pay for exchange for his memories back? Is the Ferryman seriously considering the offer, or is he giving the Mariachi a chance to run away before he absolutely destroys him?
Why the hell was Raven watching everything unfold from the rafters? Who's the stranger that's observing him observe the action? It's kind of a shock to have that be a character's debut, but whoever is in a program with him will be fun to see.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Not a lot to say here. Blaze got wrecked by Python and got his shit checked in by the Uprising, which makes me think I'm going to be facing myself at Attitude. I have to wonder what Doom's plan was before it hit the fan, though. Were they plotting to attack Apokalypsis before they find the fifth member like the Uprising did? I can't help but wonder what that entails.