NXT – May 10, 2017: Four Out of Five
NXT
Date: May 10, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness
With ten days to go until Takeover: Chicago, it’s time to crown a new #1 contender to the NXT Title. Tonight we have Hideo Itami facing Roderick Strong for the shot at Bobby Roode in Chicago. While this should seems like a foregone conclusion, Strong was built up quite well in the back to back video packages and looks good coming into the match. Let’s get to it.
The opening video looks at Strong vs. Itami, which is all that needs to be focused on.
Opening sequence.
Aleister Black vs. Cesaro Bononi
The jobber is massive at probably 6’6 with a good look. A kick to the chest drops him with ease though and Black has a seat. More kicks set up a knee to the back and Black Mass puts Bononi away at 1:29. Great pop for the finish.
We look back at last week’s battle royal with Asuka interfering and injuring Ember Moon. For the first time, Moon is officially ruled out, meaning it’s going to be a triple threat.
Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate for the UK Title is also confirmed for Takeover.
Video on Dunne.
Video on Ruby Riot, including her growing up in Indiana. She has a lot of tattoos and they all tell a story. The end of the story: Ruby Riot on Women’s Champion. No one has ever seen anyone like her and she’s here to break the mold of the women’s division. Does anyone NOT break that mold?
Earlier today we had a sitdown interview with Nikki Cross but she couldn’t sit still and refused to let a microphone be set up. She finally just grabbed the thing and said three, two, one action. Then she started messing with the boom mic while talking about Ruby. She wants to fight right now and wants her title too. This was rather disturbing in a good way.
Drew McIntyre is ready to take the NXT Title. Wesley Blake of all people comes in to say he deserves the shot. That seems to set up a match.
The Velveteen Dream is coming.
Here’s DIY for a chat. They never had a fair rematch for the titles so it’s high time they got their shot at the Authors of Pain. This brings out…..Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli? Really? They say the line starts behind them but DIY says Sabbatelli and Moss just crossed the line. The fight is on with DIY easily clearing the ring but here’s a referee.
DIY vs. Riddick Moss/Tino Sabbatelli
Moss knees Ciampa down to start and it’s off to Tino for a beating in the corner. The heels take turns stomping away until Sabbatelli grabs a chinlock. Ciampa throws him away though and the hot tag brings in Gargano to clean house. A kick to the head takes Moss down and the slingshot spear gets a rather delayed two (seemed like a slightly blown save). Gargano hits a dive to the floor and the Meet in the Middle ends Moss at 5:03.
Rating: C-. This was just a step above a squash with DIY looking like the polished team that they really are. Well done on bringing in Sabbatelli and Moss like this. They’re way too young to win a match like this but they have to be brought to the main show again somehow and this was as good as anything else.
Post match Regal makes DIY vs. the Authors (who come out for the announcement) in a ladder match.
Kassius Ohno says he fell down against Bobby Roode and now he’s in a bigger building. You take down a skyscraper brick by brick but here’s Andrade Cien Almas to call Ohno a perro. NO! DON’T TRY TO BE LIKE ALBERTO! Ohno reads him the riot act about squandering his opportunities and a match is made for next week.
Video on Tyler Bate.
Strong says this match is why he’s here. His music starts playing so he has to leave.
Itami respects Strong but tonight, Roderick is going to go to sleep.
Roderick Strong vs. Hideo Itami
The winner gets the shot at Roode at Takeover. Feeling out process to start with Itami working on an early headlock. The threat of a big kick sends Strong outside and we take a break. Back with Itami forearming him in the head and grabbing a chinlock that doesn’t go anywhere. Strong gets in a shot to the ribs though and the first backbreaker gets two.
Strong starts in on the shoulder and another backbreaker gets the same. It’s off to a bodyscissors with Strong cranking on the shoulder even more until they fall outside. Strong doesn’t waste any time by tossing Itami back first onto the apron. Back from a second break with a double clothesline putting both guys down. Itami gets his tornado DDT onto the top rope and a top rope boot gets two.
Strong is right back with an Angle Slam for two (SWEET! I can’t stand that chant.) of his own but takes too long going up, allowing Itami to grab a super Falcon Arrow for a very near fall. The slugout actually goes to Strong but Itami gets all fired up and hits some running kicks in the corner to knock Strong senseless. The GTS sends Itami to Chicago at 22:59.
Rating: B+. I’m not sure what the point was in having Strong built up over the last two weeks to have him lose here but it was in a heck of a match. These guys beat the heck out of each other with Itami taking it to a level that Strong couldn’t reach to finally put him away. Itami winning was the pretty obvious conclusion after the issues with Roode and the match should be really solid.
Itami helps Strong to his feet to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. This show set up a lot of Takeover and that’s a good thing with so little time beforehand. At the moment we have four matches announced with a fifth likely being set up next week (a four way between Strong, Black, Ohno and McIntyre for the #1 contendership would be a good option). They did a lot of advancing this week and that’s where NXT shines, making this a good show.
Results
Aleister Black b. Cesaro Bononi – Black Mass
DIY b. Riddick Moss/Tino Sabbatelli – Meet in the Middle to Moss
Hideo Itami b. Roderick Strong – GTS
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Where the heck is No Way José? Hurt? Repackaging?
Excited to see where all this is heading. I feel like we’re waiting for something big to happen, and I hope this TakeOver sets it off.
You would think that Roderick is next in line for a big time push with a long term story. I could see him going through a midcard feud( Eric Young trying to prey on him because of his backstory maybe? Not a ton of heels in NXT at the moment) then he moves on to a number one contender match at a Takeover and finally is the guy to take the belt off Roode at the November or January Takeover.
TBH I’m genuinely interested in what NXT is gonna do with it’s men’s singles division more than I have been in a long time. They have finally built back the depth they had when Owens, Balor, Joe, and Zayn were all active. I’m not sure this McIntyre, Strong, Ohno, Black group of babyface has that first group’s upside but they are just as capable of having great matches and chasing a classic front runner heel like Bobby Roode. Plus WWE has its eyes on some summer time acquisitions( Kyle O’Riley and Adam Cole as long as they can steer clear of the tampering lawsuit from ROH) and maybe more in the winter depending on contracts.