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
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
NXT – April 12, 2017: Feel the Power of the New Guys
NXT Date: April 12, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips, Percy Watson
We’re finally back to normal as NXT returns home. We’re also just over a month away from Takeover: Chicago, meaning things need to get set up in a hurry. The big story tonight is the return of Drew McIntyre, who hasn’t been in WWE for several years and has done a lot of growing up in that time. Let’s get to it.
There’s a new theme song and of course it’s rap based because Heaven forbid we have a rock theme on any of these shows.
Aleister Black vs. Corey Hollis
Hollis is ready to go while Black stands with his arms behind his back….until Black Mass is good for the pin at 30 seconds.
We look at Tye Dillinger debuting on Smackdown.
Tye is thrilled at being on Smackdown but there’s unfinished business around here. Earlier today he talked to William Regal and gets to face Eric Young in a steel cage next week.
DIY vs. Dylan Miley/Michael Blaze
Miley is a big guy with a great look for the late 80s. Ciampa can’t take him down with a headlock as Miley just lifts him into the air. Gargano tries the slingshot but gets caught in a very delayed vertical suplex. It’s off to Blaze who gets kicked in the head, followed by a running chop in the corner. A running knee knocks Miley off the apron and Meet in the Middle finishes Blaze at 2:59. Miley is going to get somewhere based off this performance as he’s built like a tank and looks like a monster.
Miley destroys Blaze post match. Oh yeah he’ll be pushed soon.
We look back at Asuka defeating Ember Moon at Takeover.
After the loss, Ember Moon walked through the empty arena, talking about how this was supposed to be her moment and destiny. Revenge is sworn.
Ruby Riot vs. Kimberley Frankele
That would be Kimber Lee of course. Kimberly takes her into the corner to start but gets armdragged down. Cue Nikki Cross for a distraction, allowing Kimberly to get in a backbreaker. Riot fights back with a series of knees and a Pele kick to the face for the pin at 2:21.
Video on the Authors of Pain.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are at the Performance Center and yell at Aliyah and Liv Morgan. A fight ensues with Kay being knocked into a water tub.
Oney Lorcan vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre’s music has a bagpipe entrance. I’d assume that’s going to be changed one day as it’s really not working for him. Drew, who looks huge compared to Oney, drives him into the corner and throws him down with a belly to belly. Back in and Oney scores with some running uppercuts to send Drew outside for a running flip dive. A top rope dive is pulled out of the air and Drew slams him into the apron.
We take a break and come back with McIntyre throwing him off another suplex and scoring with a hard headbutt. Lorcan breaks up a superplex but gets caught in a choke throw. Back up and Lorcan just unloads with strikes to the head, only to get caught in a very hard reverse Alabama Slam. The Claymore (running jumping boot to the face, not named here) ends Oney at 8:50.
Rating: B. I’m scared to rate it any lower in case they hit me that hard. This was one of the hardest hitting matches I can remember in a very long time that didn’t involve Shinsuke Nakamura. McIntyre looked like a brawler but that size difference was bordering on comical as he towered over Lorcan, though Oney was slugging right back. Really fun match here and a good way to show that Drew can slug it out with anyone.
Post match Drew says he has all the raw talent in the world and can put the Smackdown on anyone but he only wants to be right here.
Here’s Shinsuke Nakamura for his big farewell. He came here a year ago and wanted to become the best in the world. One year later he calls NXT his home. Over that year, he’s learned a lot of things from a lot of people, including the fans. He’s learned that the people around here are crazy for things like singing his song. That strikes up the band as Nakamura calls NXT the fans’ style. He will always be NXT because we are NXT. Nakamura does his dancing poses as the locker room comes out to the stage to send him off. Even Finn Balor appears to close out the show.
Overall Rating: B-. This is another odd show as it was all about showcasing new talent instead of really moving things forward. That was a goal accomplished tonight as McIntyre got to look good, along with Ruby Riot, Black and Miley (especially him) doing the same. This show helped to start restocking the shelves, though there’s a long way to go to really have that all set up.
Results
Aleister Black b. Corey Hollis – Black Mass
DIY b. Dylan Miley/Michael Blaze – Meet in the Middle to Blaze
Ruby Riot b. Kimberly Frankele – Pele kick to the face
Drew McIntyre b. Oney Lorcan – Claymore
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Takeover: Orlando Date: April 1, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 14,975
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips, Percy Watson
It’s time for the big one again as NXT gets to run a major show from its home city. Wrestlemania is in Orlando this year and that means we get a special Takeover right down the road from Full Sail University. The main event is Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura II for the NXT Title in what might be Nakamura’s farewell. Let’s get to it.
I was in the arena for this show so it’s going to be my second look at it.
We open with a HHH voiceover talking about how this is our night to make history. Tonight we show the world that we are NXT and we are home.
The opening video looks at NXT over the years (or at least NXT from Full Sail), which really does include some amazing moments and stars getting their starts. This turns into a video on Roode vs. Nakamura, which is a fight over Roode fighting for himself and Nakamura fighting for the fans. The Women’s Title gets a quick look as well.
Sanity vs. Tye Dillinger/No Way Jose/Roderick Strong/Ruby Riot
Sanity all has black paint around their eyes, making them look like Deadpool. Actually hang on a second as Sanity jumped No Way Jose at Axxess and has put him out of action. We have a replacement though.
Sanity vs. Tye Dillinger/Roderick Strong/Ruby Riot/Kassius Ohno
The good ones hit the ring at a run and the brawl is on in a hurry. The women officially start things off with Cross throwing Riot across the ring by the hair. I still have no idea how that doesn’t make anyone scream. Ruby sends Cross into the corner so it’s off to Wolfe, meaning Ohno has to come in. That earns Wolfe and Young a big right hand each with Kassius easily taking over. At Takeover. Kind of makes sense no?
Young offers a distraction though and Wolfe takes over like the cheater he is. Another big elbow cuts off the heel control though and it’s off to Strong for some speed. Roderick does his running leapfrog (one of my favorites) and backbreakers Wolfe before kicking Dain in the head. I do love how face teams always stay on the apron and let their buddy fight everyone off at once. It’s just not polite otherwise you see. Dain runs him over though as the SHAVE YOUR BACKS chant start up.
Roderick’s comeback is cut off by a running dropkick and it’s off to Young for some choking. A top rope elbow draws Tye in for the save and there go the TEN chants. Eric misses a charge in the corner though and NOW it’s off to Tye with the hot tag. House is cleaned as everything breaks down, including Tye hitting a high crossbody on Wolfe, straight into a dive on Young for a sweet sequence.
Wolfe makes the save so Ohno loads up a dive but Wolfe moves just in time. Not that it matters as Ohno manages to bail by landing hands first on the apron and flipping onto his feet outside. Cross breaks up Ruby’s dive and the closest thing you’ll get to an NXT catfight breaks out.
That leaves Tye vs. Eric with Dillinger cleaning house, including a superkick for a close two on Dain. Onno BLASTS Wolfe with a forearm and Strong Sick Kicks Young to the floor. Roderick vs. Dain looks to give us a rather interesting showdown but the women jump on their backs. Tye loads up the Tyebreaker on Dain but Wolfe makes a save, setting up the Ulster Plantation (One Winged Angel) for the pin on Dillinger at 12:21.
Rating: B. This was a really good choice for an opener and could have been a classic if Tye had gotten the pin and FINALLY won something but instead let’s have him job again. You have to imagine a big showdown with Dillinger facing Young once and for all, but if he loses, I have no idea what’s left for him in NXT. At some point you have to actually win something and Tye hasn’t quite pulled that off yet. Also, Ohno was the only real option here. He’s been featured too much on NXT TV lately and he had to get a spot on here, especially with a great tease of something with Sanity going forward.
Edge and Beth Phoenix are here.
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Aleister Black
No real story here other than it’s Black’s debut and he needed an opponent. Black’s entrance (which I couldn’t see from the upper deck) is straight out of Nosferatu as he rises up from what looks like a casket and onto the stage. Black slingshots over the ropes and lands in a sitting meditation style position, which is almost guaranteed to become a signature pose.
They trade armbars and headscissor escapes to start until Black misses a swinging kick, leaving Almas to pose at him. Back up and Black kicks him to the floor for a dive, only to moonsault back into the mediation pose. Back in and Almas takes him into the corner for a stomping and one heck of a slap. A missile dropkick gets two for Almas and it’s time to start in on the arm.
Nigel isn’t sure on this as Black mainly uses kicks but figures it might just be overconfidence. Almost immediately thereafter, Black starts firing off the kicks to send Almas outside for a huge middle rope moonsault. Back in and Almas grabs a cross armbreaker over the ropes, followed by something like the Rings of Saturn (I’m glad that’s becoming more popular).
Black ducks the running knees in the corner and they trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown. A moonsault kick to Black’s head sets up a snap German suplex for two so Black starts snapping off kicks. Black Mass (a spinning kick to the head) knocks Almas silly at 9:35.
Rating: B-. This was fine without much of a story other than Almas getting cocky, as is his nature. I wasn’t wild on him at first but this was a solid debut performance. The meditation pose is going to be a winner for him, especially once we get to know him a little bit better. I also like the Black Mass as sometimes you just need to kick someone in the head.
Also of note, I wasn’t really able to pay much attention to the finish live as the fans in section 220 decided they were more important than the rest of the show. This included declaring their section’s greatness, chanting TWENTY after each near fall (“1-2-TWENTY!” Get it?) and calling the other sections around them S-A-W-F-T. You can imagine how this went and you can hear the other sections telling them to shut up during the ending.
We recap the Tag Team Title match, which is almost guaranteed to be the best match on the card. DIY and the Revival tore the house down for the better part of six months but the Authors of Pain took the belts from DIY, setting up a three way feud. This meant a triple threat elimination tag, which for once made perfect sense.
Tag Team Titles: Revival vs. DIY vs. Authors of Pain
The Authors are defending but before the match, William Regal presents some snazzy new title belts (the Women and NXT Titles will get new belts as well), possibly due to the Women’s Title being involved in Paige’s sex tape. Revival and DIY stare each other down before they both turn to face the Authors, drawing the first major pop of many. Rezar is sent into the barricade so DIY grabs a table, even though this shouldn’t be No DQ (I believe a DQ would count as an elimination).
Akam goes into the steps and the four challengers stare each other down, setting up the showdown that the fans really wanted to see. Nigel is beside himself as the champs are recovering while the other four fight each other. We settle down to a regular match until Akam tags himself in for a double clothesline.
Ciampa’s high crossbody is caught but he kicks Rezar in the head, only to have Revival back down the steps instead of taking a tag. That’s smart in this kind of a match, which shouldn’t be surprising given how intelligent those two come off most of the time. With the referee distracted, Dawson sneaks in for a DDT on Akam to give Ciampa two. Dawson comes in legally but takes a shot to the ribs. This time it’s DIY dropping to the floor because they’re just that smart.
Gargano tags himself in and gets two off the slingshot spear before kicking Dawson in the head. Johnny adds a slingshot DDT and the fans are WAY into this, just as you would expect them to be. The champs catch a dive so Ciampa tries a suicide dive of his own, only to have the Authors THROW GARGANO THROUGH THE AIR to break it up. Things slow down with Akam working on Gargano’s ribs, including throwing him up into a torture rack. Johnny finally sends Rezar into an uppercut from Dawson, allowing the hot tag off to Ciampa.
It’s time for a series of strikes into a pair of German suplexes on Rezar, followed by the running knee for two. With Rezar reeling, Gargano tries a powerbomb from the apron through the table but can’t put him down. Ciampa’s help isn’t enough so Revival punches Rezar in the jaw, setting up the double powerbomb through the table for the big crash and an even bigger cheer as the giant is in trouble. That leaves Akam on his own…and all four surround him.
Since he’s a monster though, he actually drops all of them on his own because screw it. A chop block brings Akam down though and Dawson slaps on the reverse Figure Four. Gargano thinks about breaking it up but adds his version of the Crossface for the double submission. The partners grab Rezar so he shoves them into Akam and company for the save, drawing a loud round of booing. A series of strikes drop Rezar and it’s Dawson/Gargano hitting DIY’s double strike. Naturally this means Ciampa and Wilder give Akam a Shatter Machine, sending the fans even further into orbit with the champs going outside.
The fight is on and Ellering cheers both teams on in a perfectly logical (yet still amusing) moment. Gargano and Wilder hit stereo dives on the champs and Ciampa goes up top, only to have Dawson SUPERPLEX HIM ONT THE BIG PILE OF PEOPLE, putting all six down at once. Dawson goes after Gargano (Nigel: “NO! This is a mistake!” It turns out that he’s right as the Authors get back in for the Last Chapter and the elimination on Ciampa at 18:54. You could feel the energy going out of the crowd at that point and it never recovered for the rest of the match (or show for that matter).
The fans chant DELETE (because they’re such big fans that they forgot the Hardys were 40 minutes away at Ring of Honor) but have to settle for Revival, who are now the most over team in the world. A German suplex/top rope elbow gets two on Rezar but Akam kicks Dawson in the face. Almost stereo powerbombs earn the champs a NO ONE LIKES YOU chant as this is getting brutal. Rezar spears Wilder into the barricade while Akam sends Dawson into the corner. The Super Collider retains the titles at 23:43.
Rating: A-. Give this a more popular and less deflating ending and it’s the Match of the Year so far. Those first seventeen minutes or so were as smart and well thought out that I’ve seen in years but as soon as the Authors turned into Super Cena, everything went flying out the window. In theory this means DIY and Revival are heading to the main roster (this is being written after Revival debuted on Raw) and if that’s the case, this is the logical move. If DIY sticks around though, I have no idea what they’re thinking.
The NXT fans want to see DIY vs. Revival in their awesome matches and the Authors are as far removed from that as they could possibly be (not saying they’re bad, but that they’re not what the fans want). It makes them look unbeatable though and that means the team that takes them down will be even more awesome than anyone could imagine. It’s a great match but the ending really brings it back to earth.
We recap the Women’s Title match. Asuka is sitting by a pool and says the division rises and sets with her. She’s said she’ll keep the title forever but Ember Moon is undefeated as well. Asuka might be a more complete wrestler than Moon but she has the biggest weapon in NXT (close enough) in the Eclipse. That’s the whole idea: if Ember can hit that one big move, nothing Asuka can do matters. The video goes on a good bit longer than it needs to, which is a pretty common problem in WWE.
Women’s Title: Ember Moon vs. Asuka
Ember is challenging and has some of the best theme music in NXT at the moment. No special entrance for Asuka but I believe she has new gear. After the Big Match Intros, Regal presents the new title which looks like a cross between a UFC belt and the old X-Division Title. I really liked the first one but come on: it had to change eventually.
They lock up and go to the mat to start with neither being able to get any kind of an advantage. Stereo dropkicks go nowhere and it’s time for a standoff. Asuka offers a handshake but pulls her hand back instead, showing quite a bit of confidence (fair enough). Shoulders go nowhere as they’re doing a great job of portraying both of them as equal. The flying hip attack only sees Ember nip up….and make a not funny face in her way of saying bring it. Yeah that looked dumb.
Another hip attack sends Ember outside and it’s time to really take over with some spinning elbows to the head. A third hip attack drops Ember and Asuka fires off kicks to the chest. The Asuka Lock is broken up and Ember blasts her in the jaw to send the champ outside. They’re doing a really good job here of having Ember hang with Asuka until one big shot cuts her off all over again.
Case in point, Ember kicks her in the head but takes a Shining Wizard for two. The Asuka Lock goes on (To very little reaction for some reason. Even live this didn’t feel important.) with Asuka on Ember’s back, allowing Ember to drop backwards for the break. A good looking superkick drops Asuka and even more kicks have her reeling. Ember’s springboard is broken up though and a German suplex gives Asuka two.
Asuka loses a slugout and gets capture suplexed for two more. Ember loads up the Eclipse and throws Asuka off the top….only to have Asuka shove the referee into the ropes for the heel turn. Somehow that’s not a DQ (I need to read that WWE Book of Rules) and Asuka kicks her in the head to retain at 12:12.
Rating: B. Commentary really helped this one a lot as Nigel was selling the heck out of the idea that Asuka had met her match. That’s the story here and it worked really well: Asuka couldn’t beat Ember using her standard stuff and was in real danger from the Eclipse so she cheated to win instead. I’m fine with Ember losing as she never got to hit the Eclipse (so there’s your rematch) and you have Ruby Riot, Kimber Lee and Nikki Cross ready to challenge too.
In your big surprise of the night, DREW MCINTYRE is in the crowd. That’s the best news I could hear as McIntyre was all over Wrestlemania weekend and I’ve wondered why he isn’t WWE Champion like, now for example. I’m very happy with this and it couldn’t have been much of a better choice.
We recap Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode. As mentioned earlier, it’s basically Roode being out for himself and Nakamura being out for the fans.
NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
Nakamura is challenging and does his entrance behind a translucent screen where you can see his shadow. That feels very Michael Jackson-esque for some reason. The fans of course sing Nakamura’s song (despite it not having any words) and it’s yet another awesome entrance. Granted they also sing Roode’s song as Roode spins around on a pedestal, accompanied by two pianos (TAKE THAT REBY!). Regal brings out the new belt, which looks almost identical to the Women’s Title.
We’re ready to go, but first this reason why I can’t stand Twitter. Phillips: “These fans are on their feet and they’re ready for this hashtag NXT Championship match!” Roode goes straight for the knees as the fans like both these guys. A headlock doesn’t get the champ very far so Nakamura lays him on the ropes for the head on Roode’s chest spot. Roode laughs off the bring it but gets caught up in the rapid fire strikes to bring him down.
Nakamura drops a knee and sends him into the corner for Good Vibrations. Roode gets in a dropkick and knocks Shinsuke off the apron and into the barricade for a crash. Nakamura seems to have hurt his shoulder but Roode opts to just stomp him down in the corner. Being the cocky jerk that he is, Roode stops for the GLORIOUS pose but still manages to chop Nakamura in the corner.
We hit the nerve hold for a long stretch (softening up the neck for the DDT) before Nakamura gets in a kick to the head for a breather. It’s time to start in with the knees, including one in the corner and one on the apron. Roode comes right back with a heck of a clothesline and a chop block to start in on the knee again. The knee is wrapped around the post and we hit a bad looking Figure Four. Nakamura turns it over to, sending Roode straight to the ropes so he can get right back to the knee.
Another hold is countered into a cross armbreaker but Roode gets to the ropes again. Nakamura fires off strikes in the corner but knees the buckle by mistake. That earns Roode a series of kicks from the good leg so he grabs a Backstabber to put both guys down. They slug it out with Nakamura kneeing his way out of a suplex and dropping another knee for two. Kinshasa sends Roode bailing to the floor but he kicks the ropes to hit Nakamura low.
The Glorious DDT connects for two and again Nigel is right there to sell the heck out of it. Roode goes to get the bell but gets kicked in the head, followed by the exploder. Kinshasa is countered into one heck of a spinebuster for two and Nakamura is done. Back up and Roode drives him into the corner for a tornado DDT into the Glorious DDT to retain at 28:14.
Rating: B+. This was….long. The first match had far better drama with the story around the knee while this was just more long than anything else. That’s not to say it’s a bad match but I did like the first one earlier. The key here though is Roode winning clean without ever really doing anything all that complicated to counter Nakamura’s insane offense. Roode is a very basic wrestler but he does everything so proficiently that it’s hard to beat him. It’s a very good match and pretty clearly Nakamura’s swan song, but not as good as the predecessor.
After the show ended, Nakamura got the big sendoff with his music playing and taking a bow to all parts of the arena. See you Tuesday.
Overall Rating: A-. This show has one problem: it’s going to be compared to Takeover: Dallas. Last year’s show was one of the best of all time while this was just a really good one. There’s absolutely nothing bad on here but the lack of title changes hurt things. This show felt like a big goodbye instead of NXT showcasing itself, which is one of the problems that a developmental territory is going to have. It’s an outstanding show though and definitely worth watching, only being held back by what happened last year.
Results
Sanity b. Tye Dillinger/Kassius Ohno/Roderick Strong/Ruby Riot – Ulster Plantation to Dillinger
Aleister Black b. Andrade Cien Almas – Black Mass
Authors of Pain b. The Revival and DIY – Last Chapter to Dawson
Asuka b. Ember Moon – Kick to the head
Bobby Roode b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Glorious DDT
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Last year, NXT held its first Takeover event during Wrestlemania weekend with the instant classic “Takeover: Dallas”. The show stole the spotlight over Wrestlemania weekend and was pretty easily the best show of the four days, possibly even the year. Now it’s time for round two and as luck would have it, NXT is in their own backyard, making this almost like a cross between a major house show and one of their biggest pay per views of the year. You don’t hear something like that very often so let’s get to it.
Sanity vs. Tye Dillinger/Roderick Strong/No Way Jose/Ruby Riot
We’ll start with the most recently added match as Sanity makes a rare appearance at full strength against the combined forces of Tye Dillinger/No Way Jose/Roderick Strong/Ruby Riot. This has been simmering for months now and as usual, it’s a pretty simple idea. Sanity has gone after Dillinger and it was time to even the numbers up a bit as Dillinger was tired of all the beatings. His team came together over the next few weeks and now we have a full on match between the eight of them.
Very simply put, if Dillinger doesn’t get the fall here (it doesn’t matter who it’s over but Young would be preferable), I have no idea what they’re thinking. The fans are dying to explode for Dillinger and what better place is there than this Takeover? Sanity isn’t the most interesting team in the world aside from having a really cool look. While they need the win, I think they can bounce back better. Dillinger has lost so many times already that I’m not sure how many more times he can bounce back from losing on the big stage. I really hope they don’t screw this up as they’re running out of time to capitalize on Dillinger’s popularity.
Aleister Black vs. Andrade Cien Almas
We’ll move on to a pretty big debut with Black making his first in-ring appearance in NXT. He already had a match at the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament under his Tommy End moniker but this week is the first time we’ll see his new gimmick. Almas has been on a roll lately with the heel character really starting to hit its stride. His match with Oney Lorcan last week was a major highlight and helped set him up for this match against Black.
That being said, this is another match where the winner should be obvious. NXT isn’t going to put Black out there in his debut and have him lose so Almas has next to no chance. That being said, you could have made the same case last year about Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and that turned out fine. I’m hoping that Black can go in the ring well enough to match his great vignettes though that’s what got Almas in trouble for his debut. But yeah, Black wins here and does so handily.
Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Ember Moon
Asuka won the Women’s Title about a year ago in Dallas and hasn’t looked back since. She’s completely steamrolled over everyone she’s faced and it’s almost impossible to imagine her losing a match. That’s where the story has worked so well. It’s pretty much been acknowledged that Ember Moon can’t hang with Asuka all the way through a match but what she can do is hit the Eclipse, which has been built up as the most dangerous weapon the division has ever seen. It’s almost reminiscent of Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels as all Austin had to do was catch Michaels once and it would be over. The question is can Moon get that far.
As logical as it would be to have Asuka lose here and go on to the main roster soon after, I’m really not sure that happens anymore. NXT has done a nearly flawless job of making Asuka feel unbeatable and that’s still the feeling I have here. Moon should be the favorite and the place will go nuts if the Eclipse gives her the title, but I’m actually going with Asuka in my regular prediction almost guaranteed to be wrong. Moon is the best candidate to dethrone Asuka but I actually don’t think she does.
Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Revival vs. Authors of Pain
I’m very rarely a fan of triple threats but this is a case where the story has been built precisely in this direction, which makes it more than acceptable. Revival and DIY had some incredible matches against each other last year but now they’ve run into a wall with the champions, who run over everything in their path. Having the other teams band together to fight the Authors is interesting and could make for a very good story to the elimination tag, especially if one of the other teams gets to conquer them in the end.
I’ll go with the Authors retaining here as DIY could easily be brought up to the Cruiserweight division while the Revival seem like perfect additions to the main roster tag divisions. The Authors are perfect choices to keep the titles until a new team is put together to slay them. I don’t know who could fight DIY save for maybe Sanity, which doesn’t seem like the most interesting thing in the world. We’ll go with the titles being retained, which would make the most long terms sense.
NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
We’ll wrap it up with a rematch as Nakamura, this time on two good knees, tries to get the NXT Title back from Roode, who took it from him in a great match back at “Takeover: San Antonio.” This time around Nakamura knows not to underestimate him, which could make for an interesting change of pace. Roode has looked great since winning the title while Nakamura has spent most of the time rehabbing his injured knee.
I think I’ll go with the champions making a clean sweep as, much like the Revival, there’s no need to put the title back on Nakamura. He’s held it twice already and is more than ready to move up to the main stage. Just let Roode move on and feud with someone new (Dillinger for example) before losing the title at “Takeover: Brooklyn III”. The match will be fun, though I’m curious as to how they could have Nakamura lose to Roode again without some sort of shenanigans, which you don’t get too often in NXT.
Overall, the show looks good but not great. As is almost always the case, it’s going to come down to the performances, which have a tendency to be outstanding. Let the wrestlers do their thing in a logical manner and everything will be fine. The crowd is going to carry a lot of this and that’s what arguably matters most at any given NXT show. Last year set a very high bar but I believe NXT can actually pull something like this off again.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
NXT Date: March 29, 2017
Location: University Area CDC Gymnasium, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips
It’s the final show before Takeover: Orlando and that means most of the card is set, though you can probably guarantee one more match that we’ll get to later. The show has been starting to look better in recent weeks though I’m not entirely sold yet. Tonight we’ll have a Loser Leaves NXT match between Kassius Ohno and Elias Samson so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Akam vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Dash Wilder
Preview for Saturday’s triple threat for the Tag Team Titles. Akam goes after Wilder so Johnny jumps on the big man’s back, because that’s always worked so well over the years. Double teaming works a bit better though as Dawson dropkicks him to the floor before turning on Gargano almost immediately. Akam gets back in but he has to snarl at Scott Dawson for some attempted interference as we take a break.
Back with the Revival nowhere to be seen (apparently they just left instead of merely backing away before the break), leaving Akam to put Gargano in a torture rack. Johnny escapes and slugs away to limited avail before the slingshot spear is good for two. Unfortunately he decides to look away for a second and turns back into a boot to the face.
Johnny comes right back with three straight superkicks but Ra’zar pulls Gargano out at two. That earns Ciampa a beating on the floor and Johnny’s slingshot DDT is caught in mid-air. One heck of a powerbomb plants Gargano but here’s Dawson to grab Akam’s leg. Naturally that means Wilder can slide back in and steal the pin on Gargano at 10:11.
Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t anything spectacular here but I love the booking. The Revival is smart enough to not try and go head to head with the Authors, as well as knowing better than to stay out there and waste energy before the title match. I can always go with smart wrestling and it worked very well here.
Video on Aleister Black vs. Andrade Cien Almas.
Heavy Machinery vs. Jonathan Ordegen/Mike Marshall
That would be Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight as your standard big guy tag team, though they’re not huge enough to make them immobile blobs. Tucker and I think Jonathan start things off and we’re already in a bearhug. Otis tags himself in so Tucker throws Ordegen into another bearhug for a cool spot. Now it’s Marshall being pulled in for a double shoulder and a double chest bump to send the jobbers outside.
Ordegen offers a distraction so Marshall can get in a shot from behind on Knight, which pretty much wraps up the team’s offense. Otis comes back in and cleans house with clotheslines and elbows, including one to put Jonathan back outside. Dozovic picks up Marshall for a slam but doesn’t put him down, allowing Tucker to crash into Mike’s back. Otis picks Knight up and slams him down onto Marshall for the pin at 3:37.
Rating: C+. I had a lot of fun with this one and Heavy Machinery worked well together out there. I’m not sure how far they can go but they’re certainly good for stuff like this. They fought the Authors of Pain at a house show in January and it was rather entertaining so they can definitely hang with the bigger names.
We go to William Regal’s office for the contract signing between Asuka and Ember Moon. Asuka snickers at Ember’s name but Ember says Asuka has let the success go to her head. Ember signs and Asuka does the same with Moon saying she’s been ready for a long time. Regal says good luck and we’re done in maybe two minutes.
Long video on Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The video presents a battle for the future of NXT with Roode being out for himself while Nakamura does what the fans want. That’s about as basic of a heel vs. face feud as you’re going to get and that’s just fine.
Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain think DIY’s fairy tale ends soon and the Revival just wants to be them.
Sanity vs. Ruby Riot/No Way Jose/Tye Dillinger/Roderick Strong is confirmed for Takeover.
Kassius Ohno vs. Elias Samson
Loser leaves NXT. They trade rollups to start before taking turns on the arm. Ohno gets the better of it, though sadly that means we have to look at his rather disturbing looking thighs. A backsplash gets two on Samson but they head to the apron where Ohno is sent into the post for a big crash onto the steps.
Back from a break with Samson working on the injured back with some kicks and knees. He switches gears with a Crossface though and Ohno has to roll over three times before making the ropes. Ohno blasts him in the jaw with some hard strikes, including a jumping knee to the face. A big boot gets two but a neckbreaker is countered into a backslide for two. Samson’s swinging neckbreaker gets the same, only to have Ohno blast him with the discus forearm to get rid of Samson at 12:47.
Rating: C. The only word I can think of is eh. Ohno has never really done it for me in NXT and that continues here. The match was fine but absolutely nothing I’ll remember in about an hour. It doesn’t help that the story felt slapped together for the sake of getting Samson on to the main roster (I have no idea why as it’s not like he’s been a huge deal in NXT) and giving Ohno a win. That being said, while it accomplished those goals, it certainly wasn’t exciting in the least.
Samson is dragged away by security but agrees to go quietly if he’s given his guitar back. Ohno offers to hand it back before stomping on it instead. So to recap: Samson is a drifter who FINALLY found a home in NXT and is being forced to leave. On top of that, his most prized possession is destroyed in front of his eyes by the person who forced him out of NXT. Why am I supposed to boo him again?
One last Takeover promo wraps up the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This is a good example of a shot where the wrestling wasn’t the point. Tonight helped build towards Takeover: Orlando with every match getting some focus and another match added to the card. It’s a perfectly fine show and it accomplished everything it needed to do. This was fine for a go home show, though the main event still felt forced in, which isn’t a good thing.
Results
Dash Wilder b. Johnny Gargano and Akam – Powerbomb to Gargano
Heavy Machinery b. Jonathan Ordegen/Mike Marshall – Dozovic slammed Knight onto Marshall
Kassius Ohno b. Elias Samson – Discus forearm
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
NXT Date: March 15, 2017
Location: University Area CDC Gymnasium, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel Mcguinness, Tom Phillips
It’s title time and that means we’re going to know who is heading to the main event of Takeover: Orlando. Tonight Bobby Roode puts the NXT Title on the line against Kassius Ohno with the winner facing Shinsuke Nakamura for the title at the big show. This has some serious potential so let’s get to it.
We get a quick look at the title match.
Opening sequence.
Ealy Brothers vs. Authors of Pain
Non-title and a result of last week’s beatdown of the Ealy Twins. Uriel tries his luck on Ra’zar and gets headbutted down with ease. The Super Collider sets up the Last Chapter for the pin on Uriel at 2:23.
Post match Paul Ellering says his men are close to creating a dynasty and aren’t scared of the Revival. Cue DIY to say they don’t know what Ellering means half the time but they know they can beat the Authors of Pain. This brings out the Revival to say they’re the best team in the world and want a rematch too. Now it’s William Regal coming out to make a triple threat elimination match for the titles at Takeover.
Heavy Machinery, a tag team comprised of Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight, is coming. I saw them at a house show earlier this year and they were pretty good.
Video on Asuka’s dominance of the women’s division. She’s ready to crush Ember Moon at Takeover.
Macey Estrella vs. Nikki Cross
Estrella is sent face first into the mat to start and Cross hits six (yes six) straight swinging fisherman’s neckbreakers for the pin at 2:29. The idea was that Cross didn’t care how much she was hurting Estrella.
Post match Tye Dillinger and No Way Jose go after Sanity but get beaten down again.
Alistair Black video.
We look back at Billie Kay’s injury last week.
We go to the Performance Center to check on Kay but see Andrade Cien Almas going after Hoho Lun. Oney Lorcan intervened and kept Lun safe.
Lorcan says he saw Lun getting bullied last week and if Almas wants to do that, try bullying him. They have a match next week.
Next week will also have a six man tag between Roderick Strong/No Way Jose/Tye Dillinger vs. Sanity.
Ohno says he’s ready to make up for past failures.
Roode is ready to send Ohno packing.
NXT Title: Kassius Ohno vs. Bobby Roode
Ohno is challenging and wrestling in a shirt, likely to hide his not great physique. Roode is knocked to the floor to start and struck hard in the face back inside. Some chops and a clothesline put Roode on the floor and we take a break. Back with Roode in control, as is so often the case after a break. Roode slowly stomps and chokes away before hitting a hard clothesline in the corner.
More right hands have Ohno rocked as Roode isn’t exactly showing an in-depth offense here. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Ohno fights up with his strikes, only to be sent over the corner and out to the floor in a big crash. Back from a second break with Roode cranking on both arms and putting a knee in Ohno’s spine.
The Glorious DDT is countered into a release vertical suplex and Ohno gets in a sliding dropkick to the head. A spinning big boot to the jaw gets two for Ohno but Roode gets the same off a Backstabber. Ohno goes up and hits Diamond Dust of all things (flipping Stunner, one of my favorites) for no cover.
Instead Roode gets up and snaps off a spinebuster for two. Roode loads up the DDT again but Ohno just blasts him with the big forearm, sending Roode outside again. Back in and Ohno drops a big backsplash for two but Roode sends him throat first into the top rope. The Glorious DDT retains the title at 22:22.
Rating: B. This started slow but turned into a good match by the end. I’m not sure if Ohno is going to be a big star down here but there’s nothing wrong with being the guy you put with someone to get a solid performance. Roode vs. Nakamura II is going to be a lot of fun if they build off the previous version, though I’d bet on Roode retaining at this point.
Overall Rating: B+. This was all about the one match and the rest of the show did enough to help set up both Takeover and next week’s TV show. They accomplished a lot in just an hour and I’m more interested in seeing Takeover than I was before. The main event worked well and things are picking up when they need to. It’s like the old days but with weaker stars.
Results
Authors of Pain b. Ealy Brothers – Last Chapter to Uriel
Nikki Cross b. Macey Estrella – Swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker
Bobby Roode b. Kassius Ohno – Glorious DDT
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
NXT Date: March 1, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Tom Phillips
It’s the final night of the taping cycle and we’ve got a big title match to send us out. This time around it’s the Authors of Pain defending the Tag Team Titles against the former champions DIY. These teams had a surprisingly good match back at Takeover: San Antonio so maybe they can pull it off again here. Let’s get to it.
Preview for tonight’s show, including Asuka defending the Women’s Title against Peyton Royce.
Opening sequence.
Sean Maluta vs. Patrick Clark
Clark is your latest “flamboyant” wrestler so Maluta punches him in the face during his opening…..shall we say prancing. Maluta gets two off a Shining Wizard but Clark gets all ticked off and hammers away in the corner. A suplex sets up a chinlock and of course Maluta makes a quick comeback. Clark will have none of that though and hits a bad looking Fameasser for the pin at 2:40. The fans didn’t seem impressed though Clark has a really athletic and lanky body which could be used in a better gimmick.
Sanity wants Tye Dillinger to accept his fate and stop drowning in his own choices. Instead of dragging his friends down with him, Tye needs to face Eric Young on his own. Nikki Cross says if he doesn’t, the whole world will burn.
Women’s Title: Peyton Royce vs. Asuka
Royce won a triple threat last week to earn her shot. Feeling out process to start with Nigel talking about other great female Japanese wrestlers (and managing to plug the Network at the same time). A shoulder just fires Asuka up and she forearms Peyton down. Both of them miss big kicks and it’s a standoff.
Back to back hip attacks put Peyton on the floor but she sends Asuka into the steps as we take a break. We come back with Asuka fighting out of a chinlock (as is customary) so Royce starts working on the arm that went into the post. A standing armbar only seems to tick the champ off and a suplex drops Peyton.
Asuka starts striking away but hurts the arm again. Instead it’s a Shining Wizard for two on Royce but a spinning kick to the face gets the same on Asuka. That goes nowhere though as Asuka kicks the heck out of Peyton and spins her down into the Asuka Lock to retain the title at 11:20.
Rating: C+. They did a very good job here of making Asuka look vulnerable. One of the biggest problems is finding a realistic opponent for her and this was as good as it was going to get with either Royce or Billie Kay. Asuka wasn’t in the greatest danger here but she also didn’t squash Peyton, which made for a much better match.
Post match Billie Kay comes in for the double team but Ember Moon makes the save. Asuka holds up the title and Ember stares her down. There’s Takeover.
We look back at Takeover: San Antonio where Shinsuke Nakamura’s knee was injured. Kassius Ohno checked on him in the back.
Here the end of last week’s episode with Kassius Ohno saving No Way Jose from Bobby Roode and getting in a fight with Ohno clearing house.
William Regal makes Roode vs. Ohno for the title in two weeks.
Paul Ellering gives the Authors of Pain a pep talk.
Wolfgang is coming.
Shinsuke Nakamura is back next week.
Tag Team Titles: Authors of Pain vs. DIY
DIY is challenging. Akum stares Ciampa down to start but Tommaso isn’t the slightest bit intimidated. The double spear through the ropes drops Akum and some double clotheslines put the champs on the floor. Ciampa tries a dive through the ropes but gets sent hard into the post to put him right back down.
Back in and Ciampa gets caught in the wrong corner and runs into a backbreaker for two. Ciampa chops and slaps the heck out of Akum but gets caught in an assisted backbreaker to put him down again. The one sided beating takes us to a break with Ciampa in trouble. Back with Tommaso avoiding a charge and making the hot tag off to Gargano so things can speed up. A suicide dive drops Akum and a springboard moonsault does the same to Razar.
The double strike to the corner drops Akum for two and Ciampa grabs his flip over armbar. Razar makes the save and sends Gargano to the floor. Ciampa gets in a kick though and Gargano comes back in for a double powerbomb out of the corner. Razar saves his partner from the running double strike (which really needs a name) but it’s time for the stereo armbars. Cue the Revival for the DQ at 13:25.
Rating: B. These matches are giving me a Sting vs. Vader vibe where the smaller guys do whatever they can to take down the monsters but then they get hit really, really hard. The ending was the right call as all three of them deserve to be in the title hunt and there’s a chance that the title match will be outstanding. The Authors are a good choice here for the sake of mixing things up and that makes for a good dynamic.
Back to back Shatter Machines let the Revival stand tall to end the show. I can’t stand them (triple threats, not the Revival) but this better set up a triple threat tag match for the titles at Takeover.
Overall Rating: B. Fifty minutes go by and we seem to have two title matches set up for Takeover. In two or three weeks we’ll likely have the NXT Title match and you can probably pencil in either Young vs. Dillinger or a big tag match as well. This show flew by and gave us some good wrestling as a bonus while setting up the big card. Good stuff all around, as usual.
Results
Patrick Clark b. Sean Maluta – Fameasser
Asuka b. Peyton Royce – Asuka Lock
DIY b. Authors of Pain via DQ when Revival interfered
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
NXT Date: February 15, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson
We’ve got two big matches for tonight with a title on the line. First up it’s the Aussie women Billie Kay and Peyton Royce teaming up to face Liv Morgan and a mystery partner. We’ll cap it off with Tyler Bate making his first defense of the WWE UK Title against the debuting Trent Seven. Let’s get to it.
Quick look at Bate vs. Seven.
Opening sequence.
Authors of Pain vs. Garrison Spears/Lance Anoa’i
Non-title and Lance is Samu’s son. It’s total domination with stereo Death Valley Drivers putting the jobbers into the corner. The Final Chapter ends Spears at 1:20.
The jobbers get a Super Collider post match.
Video on Tyler Bate.
Billie Kay/Peyton Royce vs. Liv Morgan/Ember Moon
Kind of an obvious pick. Moon spins away from Billie to start and the Aussie is already looking shaken. Billie is smart enough to twist away and get in a kick to the ribs, only to get tossed down with a suplex. The hot tag brings in Morgan to a very limited reaction (that’s hard to do in NXT) for the house cleaning. An STO gets two on Peyton as everything breaks down. Moon gets sent outside and Billie knees Morgan in the side of the head for the pin at 3:18.
Rating: C-. I’m still confused by Morgan as they seem to want her to be the new big star of the division but keep having her do jobs in the bigger matches like this one. It’s also interesting that they didn’t have Moon get the pin here as it’s pretty clear that she’s going to be the next challenger for Asuka’s title and she wasn’t exactly the star of the match here.
We look back at Sanity telling Tye Dillinger that he belongs to the team and then beating him down later in the night. No Way Jose and Roderick Strong made the save.
Strong and Jose don’t like bullies and respect Dillinger enough to give him a hand.
Here’s DIY with something to say. They realized their dream in Toronto but that dream became a nightmare in San Antonio. They’ve never fought anyone like the Authors of Pain but they saw doubt in their eyes. No matter how much they’re beaten down they’ll never quit fighting so it’s time for a rematch. Cue Paul Ellering to say the match can take place in two weeks. DIY doesn’t want to wait but here’s the Revival to beat them down, only to have the Authors chase them off.
Video on Trent Seven.
Video on Kassius Ohno, who returns soon.
General Manager William Regal announces a #1 contenders triple threat match for next week between Peyton Royce, Ember Moon and Liv Morgan.
UK Title: Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven
Bate is defending. They start slowly with both guys having a clean break and offering a twirl of the others mustache. Bate bounces off the much bigger Seven until Trent runs him over with a much harder version. Nigel starts talking about cricket and gets in a few jabs at Watson (not that difficult) as the slow beating continues while taking us to a break.
Back with Trent getting two off a backslide and Bate giving us that great scared face in the corner. Tyler finally gets going and knocks Trent outside for a good looking dive over the top. Back in and the Seven Stars Lariat is broken up so Tyler grabs the airplane spin. Since it’s just an airplane spin though, Trent pops up and gets in a powerbomb for two. A half crab (not a great one though) has Bate in trouble but the hold doesn’t last that long.
It’s time for rights and left (Bop and Bam if you haven’t been formally introduced) but Seven just blasts him with the Seven Star Lariat for two. You know, if it hardly ever finishes anyone, it’s not really a finisher. Trent takes his sweet time going up and gets caught in a super exploder suplex for two. Bate gets all fired up and hits the rolling kick to the head, followed by the Tyler Driver ’97 for the pin at 15:39.
Rating: B. I’m not really feeling Seven yet but I’m digging the heck out of Bate the more I see him. The fact that the guy is just nineteen years old is mind blowing as the guy looks like he’s been doing this for years, despite also looking like he’s about fourteen years old. These matches don’t really have stories but they’re knocking the heck out of the work, which is all they can really do at this point.
They shake hands post match.
Overall Rating: B-. Kind of a middle of the road show this week as we’re still getting ready for the bigger stories but it was still entertaining enough. The show breezed by and that makes for a very easy fifty minute show, especially with a strong main event. They also made sure to announce stuff for the future, which is still one of their greatest strengths. It’s never “what does someone have in store” but rather “this is what you’re going to get”. That’s a very key difference and incredibly important.
Results
Authors of Pain b. Garrison Spears/Lance Anoa’i – Final Chapter to Spears
Peyton Royce/Billie Kay b. Ember Moon/Liv Morgan – Knee to Morgan’s head
Tyler Bate b. Trent Seven – Tyler Driver ’97
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Takeover: San Antonio Date: January 28, 2017
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Percy Watson, Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
For the first time that I can remember, NXT actually has its work cut out to make one of these shows work. The card just isn’t all that strong this time around and it shows badly. The main event here is Shinsuke Nakamura defending the NXT Title against Bobby Roode, which really could go either way. Let’s get to it.
The opening video looks at all five matches tonight with a theme of change.
Tye Dillinger vs. Eric Young
During Sanity’s entrance, the camera starts on Alexander Wolfe and pans over to the other members but goes one to far and pans over to air. Young gives Dillinger one last chance to join the team but gets left hands to the jaw for his efforts. A trip to the floor goes nowhere and Dillinger chops away again before whipping Eric outside one more time.
Eric finally sends him outside so Killian Dane (Big Damo) can get in a crossbody to really take over. Back in and Eric’s top rope elbow hits Tye in the back before sending him outside again. A neckbreaker gets two on Tye but he dropkicks Young out of the air to put both guys down.
Back up and Tye grabs him by the beard to really start his comeback. Young runs up to the top so Tye charges up into a belly to belly superplex for two, which means crowd reaction shots have come to NXT. Cue Wolfe to the apron so Tye gives him a Tyebreaker, followed by a superkick to Dane. Another Tyebreaker hits Young but Wolfe puts his foot on the ropes. Tye goes after Sanity once too often and gets caught in the wheelbarrow neckbreaker for the pin at 10:56.
Rating: B-. Good match here but the crowd is going to go INSANE when Tye finally wins a big match. He keeps getting closer and there’s enough interference here to warrant a rematch or another big match of some sort. If they don’t have him get that big win in Orlando over Wrestlemania weekend, I have no idea what to tell them.
Samoa Joe is here.
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Roderick Strong
Strong eliminated Almas in a four way for the #1 contendership so it’s time for payback. Almas does his pose in the ropes to start before kicking at the arms. A cross armbreaker has Strong in trouble and a running kick to the head makes it even worse. This has been ALL Almas so far but he misses a moonsault and gets caught in an Angle Slam. Back up and they slowly chop it out before switching over to elbows, followed by a hard kick to send Strong into the corner.
Strong kicks him in the face again but gets pulled down into something like Rings of Saturn, sending Roderick’s foot onto the ropes for a break. Almas gets caught on top and Strong drops him onto the turnbuckle with a backbreaker for two. Andrade gets in the double knees in the corner, only to have Strong get out of the hammerlock DDT. Another knee to the face sets up the Sick Kick for the pin on Almas at 11:44.
Rating: C+. Again, not bad here and it’s one of Almas’ better matches. I’m starting to get more into him but he came in so flat that it’s really hard to care about him no matter what he does. The heel character is working far better though and having good matches will get him noticed faster than anything else. Strong getting the win is a good idea as he hasn’t really established himself too well yet.
Video on Shawn Michaels winning the 1995 Royal Rumble.
Michael P.S. Hayes is here.
We recap DIY vs. the Authors of Pain. Akam and Razar, managed by Paul Ellering, won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to become #1 contenders and now it’s DIY trying to fight off the monsters to retain their newly won titles.
Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Authors of Pain
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are defending and unfortunately the Authors take off their jackets, meaning the name tags go away. Razar takes Ciampa into the corner and shouts at him a lot, drawing a PSYCHO KILLER chant from the crowd. Gargano tries the spear through the ropes and is casually swatted away. Everything breaks down and the champs just can’t do anything with rights and lefts.
Some running knees work a bit better though and the monsters are knocked to the floor for a suicide dive and running knee from the apron. Back in and Akam casually slams Gargano over the top and the beating is on. It’s off to an over the shoulder backbreaker until Johnny slips down into an enziguri…..which has no effect whatsoever.
Gargano finally slips away and makes the hot tag off to Ciampa so house can be cleaned as well as possible. Some German suplexes take the Authors down and Paul Ellering is losing it on the floor. The referee tells Ciampa “six minutes left” as he chops away at Akam, who takes Ciampa’s head off for two. The champs get two of their own off a double spear but Johnny gets knocked to the floor again, leaving Ciampa to get caught in a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two.
Johnny is back in to break up the Last Chapter and it’s off to the double arm submission. Akam powers out of Johnny’s crossface though and slams Gargano onto Tommaso to break the other hold. That’s a really effective spot as the champs took their best shot and couldn’t stop the raw power. They slug it out from their knees but the double strike is countered into the Authors’ double powerbomb. The Last Chapter on Ciampa give us new champions at 14:27.
Rating: B. I’m kind of surprised here but at the same time not exactly. Coming in I didn’t think this would happen but now that it has, it makes the most sense. That being said, I was very, very pleasantly surprised here as I was expecting a big drop off and got the best match the Authors have ever had. It’s a good match though and that’s all you could ask for out of these guys.
Here’s Seth Rollins to take over the ring and call out HHH, who he knows is here because HHH runs NXT. HHH comes out but walks to the back, sending security out instead. Rollins is taken out and the fans aren’t happy.
We recap the Women’s Title match. Asuka is unstoppable but has been dealing with the combined forces of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. Nikki Cross has gotten in on things too and Asuka wants to fight all of them at once.
Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Nikki Cross vs. Peyton Royce vs. Billie Kay
Asuka is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Billie and Peyton look terrified and bail out to the floor shortly after the bell. With Asuka and Cross circling each other, the Aussies come back in for little success before being tossed back out. Asuka German suplexes both of them at the same time and it’s back to Asuka vs. Cross.
Nikki ducks Asuka’s big kick and takes the champ to the floor for an elevated neckbreaker off the apron. Cross hits a big dive but the Aussies beat Nikki up the aisle while Asuka is down at ringside. Is there a reason they’re not running back to the ring so one can get a fast pin on the other?
They actually take Cross to the announcers’ area and double suplex her through a table in a rare big spot. Back to the ring with the Aussies double teaming Asuka instead of just doing something a bit less complicated, like LAYING DOWN FOR EACH OTHER. Billie kicks Asuka into a Widow’s Peak for two but the champ shrugs it off and kicks them both down to pin Peyton at 10:02.
Rating: C-. Did I fast forward the last five minutes here? It felt like the last part of the match was missing as Asuka was in the first real trouble of her title reign and then retained the title about fifteen seconds later. Asuka retaining is fine but this needed a few more minutes to really sell her being in trouble.
Nikki raises her head and smiles at Asuka as the champ leaves.
Tyler Bate is here.
We recap the NXT Title match. Shinsuke Nakamura got the title back after winning the feud against Samoa Joe. Bobby Roode won a four way elimination match to become #1 contender and wants to make the title GLORIOUS.
NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
Roode is challenging and comes to the ring with eight rather attractive women in matching dresses. Nakamura rides to the ring on a platform for a rather unique entrance of his own. The fans sing Nakamura’s song after the bell for a pretty intimidating atmosphere. They hit the mat to start with Nakamura getting caught in a headlock, only to send Roode off and tell him to bring it on.
Roode switches to the basics with an elbow to the jaw followed by a wristlock. Good Vibrations is broken up so Roode blasts him in the jaw to send Bobby outside. Roode is right back though and sends him into the steps, which seems to jar the champ’s neck. Back in and Bobby goes right after the neck until Nakamura comes back with the strikes. Good Vibrations works this time as the pace picks up a bit.
Roode blocks the inverted exploder as he’s had counters for almost everything so far. The running knee in the corner hits Roode’s ribs and now the exploder works just fine. Nakamura loads up Kinshasa but Roode is out on the mat. It’s playing possum though and Bobby gets two off a rollup. A backstabber gets the same and that perfect spinebuster gives Roode yet another near fall.
Roode’s superplex is broken up and Nakamura scores with a middle rope kick to the chest. Kinshasa is blocked and Roode grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes for two more. Nakamura starts no selling the chops and wants some more. The hard strikes come back and it’s off to a triangle choke of all things. Roode reverses into something like a powerbomb which is countered into a sunset flip for two.
A sliding knee gives Nakamura the same so he goes to the middle rope for a jumping knee but both guys crash down to the floor. The champ’s knee is banged up though and Nakamura goes down after hitting Kinshasa. Roode is out and the referee brings the trainer in to check on the knee. Nakamura says he can go and Roode is sitting up in the corner.
Back in and Roode grabs the Glorious DDT for a very, very close two. Bobby slaps on a half crab and punches at the knee for extra damage before dragging it back to the middle of the ring. Cue Matt Bloom (Albert, the head NXT Coach) as Nakamura tries to reverse into another triangle. The knee gives out though and a second Glorious DDT gives 27:09.
Rating: A-. Much, much better match than I was expecting here though I’m not entirely sure where we go from here. I don’t exactly see Roode vs. Nakamura II with Nakamura winning his third title as the best Takeover: Orlando main event but who else is there? Ohno? Dillinger? We can figure that out later though because this was a heck of a match as Roode stayed simple and was smart enough to take down the unpredictable and wild Nakamura.
Graves is THRILLED to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. And somehow, that’s probably the worst Takeover ever. The show was a completely fine two hours and twenty minutes with the Women’s Title being the worst match and still totally watchable. The talent drain has really hurt NXT and the two house shows instead of regular TV didn’t do this one any favors. Still though, it’s certainly a good show but when the bar is set that high, something like this is bound to happen.
Results
Eric Young b. Tye Dillinger – Wheelbarrow neckbreaker
Roderick Strong b. Andrade Cien Almas – Sick Kick
Authors of Pain b. DIY – Last Chapter to Ciampa
Asuka b. Billie Kay, Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross – Kick to Royce’s head
Bobby Roode b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Glorious DDT
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It’s that time again as NXT will be taking over another Saturday night before we get to one of the Big Four pay per views. Unfortunately this show hasn’t had the best build in the world and a lot of that is due to a combination of the talent being taken up to the main roster and the two weeks spent on international shows that could have been used on the build towards the matches. Today we’re going to look at the build towards “Takeover: San Antonio” and see if it looks better on paper than it’s looked on “NXT” TV.
Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger
This feud has served two purposes: showing that Dillinger has a reason to still be in NXT and giving Sanity’s leader his first major feud. The stable has the potential to be something special and Dillinger’s TEN gimmick is getting over like almost nothing has in a very long time. The fans just want to cheer for the guy and he’s more than made up for it in the ring. He’s no Sami Zayn or anyone near that level but he’s doing enough to make it work.
That being said, there’s no reason for Young to lose here. I could easily see Dillinger moving up to the main roster for the Royal Rumble alone while Sanity with Young at the helm could dominate NXT for a good while going forward. Young wins here as he’s the only logical option along with deserving it (that was much easier to say that it should have been).
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Roderick Strong
I always forget that Strong is even in NXT as he just hasn’t done all that much yet. Almas is in a similar place as he’s barely established himself in the promotion. His in ring stuff hasn’t done much to impress me and I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to care about him (though his heel work has been better than his face run). Strong is entertaining though and I’ve always been a fan of the guy.
I’m actually going to go with Strong in what could be considered an upset. Strong is a talented guy and can go with anyone in the ring but neither guy really has a strong personality. Both of them need something to do but I’d rather see Strong knock that smile off of Almas’ face than anything else and that’s enough to give him the nod here. I have next to no confidence in it but I’ll go with Strong.
Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Authors of Pain
Now this is where things get a little hazy. DIY is on a roll at this point and is one of the best teams I’ve seen in a long time. However, the Authors of Pain have been treated as nearly unstoppable monsters and the logical move would be to see them steamroll the champions for the titles. At the same time though, I can’t imagine DIY losing the belts that they spent so much time winning.
I see this one going along the lines of Sting vs. Vader in 1992: the Authors of Pain destroy the champs and then get disqualified or counted out for going a bit too hard. DIY will probably drop the belts to them later on but I don’t think it happens just yet. They did too much great stuff against the Revival to lose them to a team like the Authors of Pain, at least this early on.
Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Peyton Royce vs. Billie Kay vs. Nikki Cross
This one depends on where you think the title is going after the match as we get closer to the big Wrestlemania weekend show. Asuka has been running through the division for almost a year now and the only real idea is to have the three challengers in one match instead of lining them up one at a time.
That being said, I still think Asuka runs through them all with a fall on one of the Aussies. There’s no reason to have her go over Cross yet but I could easily see the big showdown between Asuka and Ember Moon at the big show in Orlando. They could throw in a big curve ball and have the Aussies basically be the NXT version of Laycool but again, I just don’t see it happening. Asuka retains.
NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
The more I think about this match, the more confused I really am about the whole thing. NXT has managed to book a match where it’s hard to imagine either of them actually losing here. Roode has been built up as the big star but Nakamura is Nakamura, as in someone who requires a small cannon to finally put down. On paper this should be a squash it’s hard to not buy into Roode’s schtick.
At the end of the day though, I think it’s going to be Nakamura retaining the title and setting up a showdown with……well I have no idea actually (Kassius Ohno maybe?) but I don’t think Roode wins here. He’s the kind of guy who could get his heat back in the span of about five minutes so Nakamura goes over here after a match which far exceeds expectations.
I think I’ve talked myself into being excited over this show. If there’s a single promotion that can make me believe they can pull off what feels like a lackluster card, NXT is the one. I’m not sure it’s going to work but I’m more than willing to give the show a chance. If they can get most of the matches right and hit the ground running heading into Orlando, everything will be fine.
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