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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: April 5, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 14,975
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Tom Phillips

This is the FINAL show from Wrestlemania week as this week’s episode consists of the dark matches from before Takeover: Orlando. You can expect a lot of recaps and quick comments from most of the people on Saturday’s show, meaning this is kind of a breather before we get going again. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck and looking down at the hard cameras to my very slight right with the Titantron on my left.

A long recap of Takeover gets us going, of course.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat about Takeover, which hadn’t happened as they talk.

Peyton Royce vs. Aliyah

Nigel has a rather creepy sounding crush on Peyton and Billie Kay. Peyton sends her face first into the mat to start and looks over to Billie for approval. Aliyah takes Peyton down so Billie grabs her hands, starting a tug of war. Back up and Peyton pulls Aliyah’s arms while bending backwards over the ropes for an impressive looking hold. Aliyah comes back with a few Japanese armdrags, only to get kneed in the face. A fisherman’s suplex ends Aliyah at 2:50. Royce looked good but Aliyah still needs a lot of polish.

Quick look at Takeover’s eight person tag.

Quick look at the Women’s Title match.

Asuka asks who is left for her. This sounded much more heelish than her usual.

Quick look at Aleister Black’s debut. Andrade Cien Almas was as a club just a few hours after the loss. The announcers make this sound like a big problem for him.

Heavy Machinery vs. Bollywood Boyz

This was taped first and I actually missed it as the taping started before the scheduled time on the tickets. I hope it’s just due to the size of the arena but the Boyz come out to SILENCE. They’ve also turned heel and now don’t care what people think of them because they’re doing it their way. Harv and Tucker start things off and an early jumping bearhug has Harv in trouble.

Otis comes in so Tucker throws Harv from one bearhug into another. Gurv comes in and tries to dance at Otis, earning himself a double splash from the big guys. The Boyz take Otis into the corner until a double suplex cuts off anything they had going. The hot tag brings Tucker back in and Otis lifts Harv up for a slam with Tucker diving onto his partner’s back for added weight. Whatever is left of Harv is pinned at 3:20.

Rating: C. I know they’re not great and that they don’t have a long shelf life but I’m having a lot of fun with Heavy Machinery. They’re not trying to be anything more than what they are: two big guys doing big guy offense but in a very entertaining way. That finisher looks good and they’ve kept the matches short so nothing is overexposed. It’s just a good performance of a simple idea, which is a great way to get an act over.

Oney Lorcan isn’t worried about facing a mystery opponent.

Quick look at the Tag Team Title match.

Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain are ready for whatever is next.

Long look at the NXT Title match. This runs nearly four minutes.

Quick look at Shinsuke Nakamura’s NXT debut.

Bobby Roode says he did what he promised to do. The Glorious Era will continue.

We get a listen to the FOURTH official theme song of Takeover. The show was two and a half hours long and had as many official songs as Wrestlemania.

Video on Drew McIntyre returning. McIntyre says he’s won everywhere and now he’s coming here to do the same. He’ll debut next week.

Oney Lorcan vs. ???

Lorcan has a mystery opponent and it’s……EL VAGABUNDO, a masked man (with a big beard sticking out) who happens to have a guitar. He says he has a song for us and is instantly the coolest thing the crowd has ever seen. The VAGABUNDO chants start off as Nigel says he’s heard a lot of great things about the newcomer. He’s even got a question for us: WHO WANTS TO WALK WITH EL VAGABUNDO?

The “SI” chants break out and he just happens to have a song for us. Lorcan grabs the guitar and says he knows Vagabundo is the Drifter. Fans: “NO! NO! NO!” Lorcan wants him to drift away but gets stomped down in the corner before the opening bell. Oney is quickly sent to the floor and we take a break with Vagabundo having to adjust his mask.

Back with Vagabundo sending him into the corner for a running clothesline as Nigel talks about the prestige of a luchador’s mask. Lorcan fights back with about seven straight running hip attacks in the corner (earning himself some boos ala WarZone and Attitude for the N64). Vagabundo tries a slam but loses his mask, somehow revealing Elias Samson (Nigel: “I KNEW IT!”). Lorcan gets a running Blockbuster for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. This was a lot of fun with the joke being out of the Juan Cena playbook. The fans ate it up and Lorcan somehow came off as a heel in the whole thing. I really hope this continues as the Drifter character was a big waste of time but him doing anything he could to stay in NXT is a great idea.

Post match Samson says he belongs here but a female security guard cranks on his arm and forces him out.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not entirely sure how to grade this one as the show ran 51 minutes (counting commercials) and there was only about nine minutes of televised wrestling, almost none of which had any long term value. The matches were fun though and the recaps were a great way to catch people up on Takeover. There’s only so much you can do with NXT’s taping schedule so this was about all you could expect.

Results

Peyton Royce b. Aliyah – Fisherman’s suplex

Heavy Machinery b. Bollywood Boyz – Double World’s Strongest Slam to Harv

Oney Lorcan b. El Vagabundo – Running Blockbuster

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

205 Live
Date: April 4, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

One more Orlando show to wrap up the week. We’re in an interesting place with the cruiserweights as Neville retained the title over Austin Aries, leaving us with no #1 contender and no one not named Aries is even in his league. Tonight we have a four way for the #1 contendership, which could see Aries get another shot or someone new get in there. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show with the hard cameras on my left and the Titantron almost straight in front of me.

Long package on Aries vs. Neville.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat for a bit.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

Rematch from last week. Kendrick comes out to talk about lesson #10. Fans: “TEN! TEN! TEN!” The chants change Brian’s mind about the crowd, who he had pegged as a bunch of goofballs. The lesson is all about psychological supremacy, though I’m distracted by the most obnoxious sign ever in the front row: “The person behind me can’t see.”

That’s one you see at a lot of shows and it makes my head shake harder every time. I mean….you’re going to a big show, you spend a lot of money on tickets, and you actually take the time to make a sign for the sole purpose of ruining someone else’s night? You paid your money so now you need to make sure that other people wasted theirs? That’s completely pathetic and something that can’t be defended. Grow up man.

Kendrick bails to the floor at the bell but Tozawa still beats him to the punch to take over. The backsplash gets two but Kendrick is ready for the fake out punch and grabs a rollup for two. Not that it matters as Tozawa kicks him in the face to take over again. A bad old fashioned thumb to the eye sets up a leg lariat for two on Tozawa. Kendrick can’t get the Captain’s Hook so he settles for a reverse chinlock instead.

Back up and Tozawa grabs a hurricanrana before knocking Kendrick to the floor. Kendrick claims a poke to the eye but the referee says it was a forearm. Naturally he’s goldbricking so Tozawa dives at him instead, only to tweak his knee. This time it’s Tozawa goldbricking though and Brian gets rolled up for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to extend the feud (some might even call it fine) but I’m really not sure how much longer they can carry this out without a big change of pace. Kendrick has grown on me a good bit in this story and it’s making Tozawa look better as well, especially since he finally won a match.

Tozawa says that was lesson #1.

Oney Lorcan vs. Rich Swann

Lorcan is an NXT callup but he’s billed as a replacement for an injured Noam Dar, meaning this might be a one off appearance. Oney charges at Swann at the bell and scores with a series of running uppercuts. It’s off to an abdominal stretch as Swann looks overwhelmed to start. A bodyscissors keeps Swann in trouble for a bit until he escapes for a kick to the head.

Lorcan catches him up top but can’t hit a half and half superplex as Swann backflips out. A running Alabama Slam into the corner gives Oney two but Swann scores with some clotheslines for a breather. Swann kicks him down a few more times and adds the Phoenix splash for the win at 6:42.

Rating: C+. If Lorcan didn’t have a full callup coming in, there’s a good chance he earned a spot with this performance. He beat the heck out of Swann here and that’s one of the best things that he could possibly have done. Sometimes you just need to showcase yourself and Lorcan did so very well here.

Post match Swann says he’s been the one sending the gifts to Alicia Fox. That’s how you move a story forward in a hurry. Phillips brings up the possibility that Swann is lying.

Drew Gulak stops Mustafa Ali in the back and suggests competing a bit more conservatively in the four way. Ali doesn’t want to hear this but Gulak says change is coming so be on the right side of history.

Some of the WWE UK Title tournament are here, including Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne (big pop) and of course Tyler Bate, who gets his own entrance. There’s going to be a weekly UK show on the Network in the near future.

Here’s Neville for a chat before the main event. No one is on the Neville Level and it feels nice to be proven right. Neville can’t believe people think he ripped at Aries’ repaired orbital socket out of desperation. That’s nonsense. He did it because Aries deserved it. Neville thanks us for never believing in him because it’s made him royalty. He’ll be at ringside for the four way, or as he calls it, four more lambs to the slaughter.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jack Gallagher vs. TJ Perkins vs. Austin Aries

Ali and Gallagher are knocked to the floor to start, leaving Aries and Nese to work on an arm each. Perkins’ corkscrew dive takes Ali down again but it’s already time for the Mary Poppins spot. Thankfully Aries breaks it up and dropkicks Jack to the floor. All four take turns coming back in and get a few shots here and there until Gallagher does his headstand in the corner to stop a charging Mustafa.

Perkins comes back in with the kneebar on Jack but Aries makes the save with a Last Chancery. Ali goes after the eye though, leaving Gallagher to grab a reverse DDT on Perkins. Aries grabs one at the same time on Gallagher, leaving Ali to roll in with the neckbreaker to take all three down at the same time. Back up and Ali gets crotched on top, setting up Gallagher and Aries for a double superplex. Aries isn’t done though as he dives onto Ali and Perkins, allowing Gallagher to get in the Mary Poppins spot.

Back in and Perkins takes a wicked tornado DDT from Mustafa with Aries making the save. Aries loads Ali up for what looked to be a superplex but stepped aside so Gallagher can nail his running corner dropkick, sending Ali crashing outside. Perkins and Gallagher slug it out until Perkins takes the headbutt. Gallagher falls to the floor though, leaving Aries to hit the Fivearm to put Perkins away at 11:24.

Rating: B. It was fun, albeit a bit messy. These guys beat each other up though and Ali’s bump near the end was a good looking crash. Aries is the only logical move here as he’s the only person near Neville’s level. We’ve seen the other three already and none of them were anything of note. There’s a good reason to believe Aries can pull it off in a second match and it should be fun to see.

One quick live note: you could tell the fans were burned out by the time the main event started. One fan in the section next to me went on a HILARIOUS string of insults against Perkins, shouting every few seconds about how terrible he was and how he needed to stay out of the ring. I don’t know if it was just due to being tired from the week or something similar but the sections around him were in stitches. Then he went a bit too far and knew it.

Fan: “ROMAN REIGNS IS A BETTER WRESTLER THAN TJ PERKINS!”

Everyone else: “NO! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!”

Fan: “I APOLOGIZE! I PROMISE TO FADE AWAY AND CLASSIFY MYSELF AS OBSOLETE!”

Anyway, trash talk ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was one of the best episodes of the show to date but you could tell the crowd was just done by the end. After Wrestlemania, Raw and anything else you did in the previous days, there was no way anyone was going to give this show their full attention. Some of the fans did leave before the show but other than a few seats in front of me, you really couldn’t see any major pockets of suddenly empty seats. Good show, but a bad spot on the schedule.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: March 22, 2017
Location: University Area CDC Gymnasium, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips

The main roster isn’t the only place where we’re getting ready for a major show. There are only two episodes of NXT left before Takeover: Orlando and that means we need to hammer out the rest of the card. While the three title matches are set, you need a lot more than that to make a full show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Tye Dillinger/No Way Jose/Roderick Strong vs. Sanity.

Opening sequence.

Oney Lorcan vs. Andrade Cien Almas

This is over Lorcan standing up to Almas for bullying Hoho Lun last week. Lorcan shoves him down to start and Almas takes an early break on the floor. Back in and Almas loses a strike off, sending him right back outside. A chase goes badly for Almas too as he can’t get anything going so far.

Finally he’s able to send Lorcan head first into the corner before a running slap to the face makes Oney even madder. Lorcan pops back up and knocks him to the floor, only to dive off the steps and into a slam. We come back from a break with Lorcan going hard into the buckle so Andrade can do that cocky grin of his. We hit the chinlock to trigger Lorcan’s comeback, which includes a rather hard clothesline. A running Blockbuster is good for two but the half and half suplex is easily blocked.

One heck of a running European uppercut sends Almas outside and a big flip dive takes him down again. Four straight running charges in the corner set up the half and half for a VERY close two, which is pretty much going to do it for Oney’s chances. Almas avoids a dive off the top and cartwheels into a kick to the back of the head, followed by a clothesline to turn Oney inside out for two. The announcers are selling the heck out of these shots and the kickouts. The running double knees in the corner knock Lorcan silly though and the hammerlock DDT puts him away at 13:52.

Rating: B+. I was late to the party on Almas but he’s REALLY grown on me in recent weeks and I’m starting to see the star power that everyone said he had. Maybe it’s the change in look or the hard heel turn but I’m really digging him of late and this match made him look like a star instead of a goon with a smile. Check this one out and keep Lorcan in mind as well since he more than carried his part of the match.

DIY has gone around the world and they’re ready to show that all they need is a chance. They got one here in NXT and didn’t get along with the Revival from the day they got here. That led them to Takeover: Toronto and the greatest night of their lives but here comes the Authors of Pain to cue their dreams off again. DIY is a state of mind though and it’s all about everyone who has been there for them over the years. They’ll have their moment. This was a really solid promo from people you don’t expect to hear them from.

Alistir Black video.

We look back at Ember Moon Eclipsing Billie Kay onto the injured list (if that was a work, Kay is a better actress than I thought).

Asuka vs. Priscilla Zumiga

Non-title. There’s a good chance I heard the jobber’s name but I’m pretty sure she’s better known as Angel Rose. The bell rings and Asuka asks for a mic. She says this is for Ember Moon and takes Priscilla’s head off with a kick. Zumiga makes the mistake of hitting Asuka and gets kicked in the head again. That’s only good for two though as Asuka pulls up before the three. More hard strikes (Watson: “She might be trying to send a message to Moon!” Phillips: “You think?”) set up the Asuka Lock for the submission at 2:56.

Post match Asuka screams in Japanese before saying “no Eclipse”. They’re doing a great job of selling the idea that Ember has one big shot but otherwise she probably can’t hang with Asuka. That makes sense and is a great way to get the title off Asuka if she’s moving up.

The Revival says their name isn’t just a slogan. They’ve studied the best and of course they’re better than the best, including Arn and Tully, the Midnight Express and the Hart Foundation. They might not do a bunch of flips but they’re going to wind up on top of all their opponents. In Orlando, it’s their fate to become the greatest team of all time and that’s what they’re going to do.

Next week it’s Akum vs. Wilder vs. Gargano to preview the triple threat title match.

Long video on Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The idea is that it started last year when Nakamura made his debut and Roode showed up in the crowd, which was supposed to take the focus away from the in-ring action (not really but it’s fine for a plot point). Then Roode built himself up and surprised the champ by going after his knee. Nakamura went surfing and is ready for his rematch because he knows how to handle Roode.

No Way Jose, Tye Dillinger and Roderick Strong are ready for Sanity because they have a fair numbers game for once.

Heavy Machinery is coming next week.

Last week, Kassius Ohno said he didn’t expect to start off his second NXT run with a loss. Cue Elias Samson to sing about Ohno never being a champion and doesn’t belong here. Ohno doesn’t take kindly to this and Samson leaves.

Almas is ready to face Black in his debut at Takeover.

Sanity vs. No Way Jose/Tye Dillinger/Roderick Strong

Sanity is pulled outside to start and the brawl is on until Dillinger works on Wolfe’s knee with a series of stomps. Wolfe and Dain are sent outside for a big dive from Strong and we take a break. Back with Jose catching Wolfe in a side slam and stopping Young with a raised elbow in the corner. Dain finally takes over on Jose and the double teaming begins, only to have Jose roll over and make the hot tag to Strong. They’re certainly moving here. Everything breaks down though and the match is thrown out at 11:03.

Rating: C. Nice brawl here but you had to expect this one to go on to Takeover. This story has been well done since the beginning and the thrown together trio more than held their own against Sanity. I’m actually not sure who wins in the blowoff match and that’s a very good thing to have coming up.

The brawl keeps going after the bell with Dillinger stomping on Young until Nikki Cross jumps on his back. Cue the debuting Heidi Lovelace (not named on screen but the fans call her Ruby, as in her NXT name Ruby Riot) to take care of Cross, allowing the three guys to take out Dain to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Now that’s more like it! This was exactly the kind of strong push that NXT needed as we head towards Takeover, which was kind of lacking on the way there. All four announced matches got some time tonight (including Black vs. Almas, the latter of whom had a great match to build him up for the loss) and you can pencil in the eight person tag as well. Really solid stuff tonight and I want to see Takeover.

Results

Andrade Cien Almas b. Oney Lorcan – Hammerlock DDT

Asuka b. Priscilla Zumiga – Asuka Lock

Sanity vs. Tye Dillinger/Roderick Strong/No Way Jose went to a double DQ when all six brawled

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: February 1, 2017
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Percy Watson, Tom Phillips

We’re on the road to Wrestlemania, which means we’re heading back to Orlando on the way to….well Orlando actually, but at least we should have some good action on the way there. The big story at the moment is Bobby Roode becoming the new NXT Champion by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura in a very solid match. Let’s get to it.

We open with a Takeover package, as you would probably expect.

Opening sequence.

Ember Moon vs. Aliyah

Moon doesn’t waste time and grabs something like an abdominal stretch to start. A middle rope moonsault gets two on Aliyah but she gets in a headscissors for two. Ember shoves her away though and hits a quick Eclipse for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D+. It’s hard to imagine anyone other getting the shot against Asuka at the next Takeover. No one else has been build up in the slightest, save for maybe Nikki Cross who has already gotten his shot. I could go for Moon freaking Asuka out with the gimmick and then the Eclipse and it’s not like there’s a better option out there.

We look back at Eric Young beating Tye Dillinger.

Eric says Tye made the wrong choice.

Dillinger can’t believe he was in the Royal Rumble.

Video on the four way Women’s Title match.

Asuka says that was tough and calls Ember a fool for calling her out. If Ember wants the next shot though, ok then.

Ember wants to dethrone the Empress and then Asuka will know who she is.

Tyler Bate vs. Oney Lorcan

Non-title. It’s a test of strength to start until Bate dropkicks him down with a bit more force than you would expect. Lorcan rolls him into the corner for a bump on the head and it’s time to hammer away. A few elbows to the head have Bate in trouble but he grabs the airplane spin to a VERY strong reaction, only made even better when he rallies through the dizziness. That’s a simple spot and he knows how to work the crowd well with it. Bate elbows him again and the Tyler Driver 97 wraps Lorcan up at 5:11.

Rating: C. Bate is someone very wise beyond his years as he’s always surprising me in the ring. The guy goes out there and does his thing every time, which is all he’s supposed to do. For a nineteen year old he wrestles like he’s been doing this for ten years and that’s amazingly impressive.

Roderick Strong wants the NXT Title and his win on Saturday was step #1.

Package on the Tag Team Title change.

Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain say they’re the new law in the tag division.

Video on Roode winning the NXT Title. HHH checked on Nakamura after the loss and Kassius Ohno told him it was a good job.

Roode says his era has begun. His celebration is next week.

This is Corey Graves’ last show, meaning he gets a highlight package as a sendoff.

No Way Jose vs. Elias Samson

Elias gives Graves a sarcastic wave goodbye in a nice touch. Jose cuts off Samson’s song and Graves is suddenly a huge Jose fan. Samson dropkicks him at the bell but Jose gets in a slam and starts to get fired up. A baseball slide sets up an ax handle off the apron and it’s off to a break. Back with Jose getting crotched on the top and pounded down in the corner. We hit a chinlock with Samson getting pulled around by the hair, only to throw him into the corner. Jose hammers away and hits the Pop-Up right hand for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here but at least Samson won and Graves’ happiness anytime Samson got hurt was great. I get why he can’t stand Samson and it makes Graves more of a tweener who leans heel (ala Jesse Ventura) instead of a full on Bobby Heenan style heel. Hopefully Jose moves on to a better story from here.

Overall Rating: C-. This was your usual breather show with almost all highlights from Takeover and almost nothing interesting otherwise. There’s not much you can do without the start of a fresh taping cycle and with less than two months before Takeover, they need to speed things up as soon as next week starts. Thankfully NXT is more than capable of pulling that off so I don’t have a lot of worry.

Results

Ember Moon b. Aliyah – Eclipse

Tyler Bate b. Oney Lorcan – Tiger Driver 97

No Way Jose b. Elias Samson – Pop Up right hand

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NXT
Date: December 28, 2016
Location: Edion Arena, Osaka, Japan
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

It’s a special week in NXT as we’re closing out the year with a house show taped over in Japan earlier this month. The main event is Shinsuke Nakamura challenging Samoa Joe for the title in a match we saw a few weeks back. This is also a two hour show, meaning the matches won’t have to be as clipped. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick video on Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura.

Opening sequence.

Oney Lorcan vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Almas wears a mask during his entrance and has no interest in a pre-match handshake. We hear about Almas defeating Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Title a few years back which is almost unthinkable given their statuses in NXT. Almas’ headlock doesn’t go anywhere so he does the lay on the ropes spot before getting caught in a Lorcan headlock. We talk about the crowd being more silent than usual as as Almas takes him down into a chinlock.

Back up and Lorcan hits a running corner clothesline before popping in a few shots to the face. Something like a standing backflip into a reverse DDT (I believe Tetsuya Naito uses the same) gets two on Lorcan but he comes right back with an inverted exploder. Almas sends him into the corner again with the running double knees getting two despite a foot on the ropes. The hammerlock DDT is broken up and Lorcan takes him to the top for a German superplex (with Almas flipping over in the air) and the pin at 10:06.

Rating: C. It’s a decent match of two lower level guys hitting each other a lot but that’s not the most interesting thing in the world. Above that though, this is making me wonder why this is a full two hour show. I really didn’t need to see this match getting ten minutes though there are worse ways to spend a Wednesday night.

Aliyah/Liv Morgan vs. Peyton Royce/Billie Kay

Billie gives Liv a quick fireman’s carry to start as Corey goes into his usual anti-New Jersey rant. Morgan grabs a sunset flip and rolls Kay around the ring for a few two counts but both of them seem a bit dizzy. Aliyah comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner for some very long legged choking.

The Australians work on Aliyah’s back and keep pulling her away from the hot tag. We hit the chinlock for a bit as the beating continues. Liv gets knocked off the apron, which Graves refers to as an insurance policy. Aliyah finally flips out of a double suplex and brings Morgan back in to clean house with a bulldog. An STO gets two on Billie but a blind tag allows Peyton to send Liv face first into Billie’s knee for the pin at 8:29.

Rating: D+. This was far less interesting than it should have been and a lot of that was due to the length. It felt like they were stretching the match out to fill in time, which isn’t what you want to do on a show that already feels longer than it should be. I can appreciate the idea of trying to build up Kay and Royce as the top heels in the division but I’m having a really hard time buying either of them as a threat to Asuka.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Akira Tozawa/Tajiri

DIY is defending and this time we get the handshake. Gargano and Tozawa start things off and this time the fans are a bit more into it. The fans seem split as both guys miss big kicks and bring in their respective partners. Tajiri sprays some mist as Graves questions his fandom with DIY in the ring.

The feeling out process continues with the mist having fallen on Tajiri’s back. Ciampa wins a battle of the shoulder blocks but a headlock into a headscissor sequence takes us back to a stalemate. They’re almost completely even in the first five minutes. Ciampa starts in on Tozawa’s arm but gets taken down for some Tajiri kicks to put the champions in trouble for the first time.

Back from a break with Ciampa telling Tozawa to kick him harder. They take turns sticking their chests out for chops until Tozawa hits him behind the ear to take over. A gutbuster puts Ciampa down but he breaks up a tag to Tajiri as the formula changes a bit. Tozawa kicks him before bringing Tajiri back in for the REAL kicks to the chest. Everything breaks down and Tozawa hits some suicide dives to put the champs in trouble. It doesn’t last long though as Gargano hits the spear through the ropes for a close two.

The Tarantula sets up a missed Buzzsaw Kick before it’s back to Tozawa for a forearm slugout. Ciampa comes back in for the rolling German suplexes, only to get caught in a snap German suplex from Tozawa. That’s enough for Ciampa who kicks the heck out of Tozawa and hits Project Ciampa for two with Tajiri breaking it up. A blind tag brings Gargano back in for the running knee/superkick combination for the pin on Tozawa at 21:04.

Rating: B. Now that’s a bit more like it. They went a bit long but this was FAR better than anything else on the show so far. Tozawa is really impressive and Tajiri still has it despite being in his mid-40s. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to as DIY can do no wrong at the moment. I’m not sure that’s going to extend to the Authors of Pain though and that scares me.

DIY bows to the challengers post match.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Asuka

Asuka is defending and we’re in her hometown. Jax shrugs off the strikes to start and headbutts the champ into the corner. That earns her an Octopus Hold followed by a guillotine with the announcers bringing up Jax’s issues with that hold. Asuka gets thrown into the corner and we take an early break.

Back with Jax tossing Asuka around even more with a release slam getting two. A sidewalk slam gets the same and another comeback is cut off in a hurry, quieting the crowd all over again. Nia drops her with a clothesline as the announcers talk about how bringing the NXT Women’s Title to Raw would be a huge deal for Jax’s career.

As odd as it sounds, they’re absolutely right as the title is probably more valuable than the Smackdown Women’s Title and just a few steps behind the Raw counterpart. Some kicks set up a kneebar on Nia but she stands up for the easy break. A hip attack knocks Nia off the apron but Asuka is easily thrown into the apron to put her in trouble again.

The big leg sends Asuka outside again and the announcers aren’t sure if Nia is familiar enough with the rules. I get what they’re going for but she knows that you have to get a pin in the ring. She’s not Kamala guys. Back in and Asuka unloads on her with the strike, followed by a cross armbreaker. Asuka jumps on Nia’s back for a sleeper but gets countered into a hard powerbomb for two. Back up and Asuka actually gets her up for a German suplex, followed by one heck of a kick to the jaw to retain the title at 18:52.

Rating: B-. This was a cross between Nia vs. Asuka I and either Nia vs. Bayley match, which means it’s pretty entertaining stuff. The idea of Asuka having to be pushed to the limit was a good story though at some point Nia needs to find something other than being too confident and getting beaten as a result.

We’re in Melbourne next week and hopefully it’s not another two hour show.

NXT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is challenging. They trade some kicks to the legs to start and Nakamura does his arm waving bit to mess with Joe’s head. That’s enough for Joe to take a breather on the floor and we take a break. Back with Joe taking it outside and chopping Nakamura to his knees. The corner enziguri drops Nakamura again and it’s time to go after the knees. A spinwheel kick to the leg sets up a leglock and Nakamura is in trouble.

Joe grabs a kneebar for a bit until Nakamura makes the ropes, setting up a big kick to the champ’s head. The running knee to the ribs in the corner gets two, followed by Joe’s big boot getting the same. We take another break and come back with Joe holding the STF, which is transitioned into the Crossface. Nakamura finally gets to the ropes but can’t hook a cross armbreaker. He can however get a triangle choke, sending Joe’s legs into the rope for a break of his own.

It’s too early for Kinshasa though as Joe powerslams him out of the air for two. Joe can’t hook the Muscle Buster so he switches to the Koquina Clutch, only to settle for a hard German suplex instead. An enziguri sends Nakamura outside but he gets out of the Rock Bottom onto the steps that put him out of action for so long earlier this year. The running knee to the back of the neck drops Joe but he’s too big for Nakamura to hold up in a fireman’s carry. That’s fine with Nakamura as he hits the middle rope knee, followed by Kinshasa for the pin and the title at 26:28.

Rating: B+. This was a lot better than the version shown before, which only gave us 10:45 of the match. Nakamura fighting back to win in his home country was the right way to end the show and it felt like a big deal on a big stage. Joe should be ready to head up to the main roster as there’s nothing left for him to do in NXT.

A lot of posing ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The problem here is the length. This easily could have been trimmed down by half an hour or so (edit some of the matches or just cut off the first two) and it would have been much better as a result. It really felt unnecessary to last this long and not much was gained as a result. I’m not going to think of this show again and that’s not something I like thinking on a long NXT show. Totally watchable show but trim it down to make it that much better.

Results

Oney Lorcan b. Andrade Cien Almas – German superplex

Billie Kay/Peyton Royce b. Liv Morgan/Aliyah – Bulldog onto Kay’s knee

DIY b. Akira Tozawa/Tajiri – Running knee/superkick combination

Asuka b. Nia Jax – Kick to the head

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Samoa Joe – Kinshasa

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NXT
Date: December 14, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

It’s another interesting night as we have the four matches to set up the fatal fourway match to determine a #1 contender to the NXT Title. Other than that though we’re heading down to Australia to see what should be the final match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe for the NXT Title. As a bonus, it’s inside a steel cage. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at the Nakamura vs. Joe rivalry with both title changes to set up tonight’s final match.

The cage is lowered and we’re starting in a big way.

NXT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

From Melbourne, Australia. Nakamura is defending and it’s pinfall/submission/escape. The champ takes him down by the leg and wins an early strike exchange. A knee drop sets up Good Vibrations in the corner but Joe comes back by sending him into the cage. Back from an early break with Nakamura in even more trouble until a spinning kick to the head drops Joe.

Kinshasa is countered with a powerslam and it’s off to a standing Koquina Clutch. Shinsuke flips back to escape and the sliding knee to the head has Joe reeling. It’s too early to escape though and Joe loads up the super MuscleBuster, which is countered into a powerbomb to keep Joe down. Nakamura has the chance to walk out but opts for Kinshasa instead. A second Kinshasa retains the title at 12:56.

Rating: B-. I’m sure the full match was a lot more entertaining than this but it was a good way to wrap things up between them. There’s really no reason to keep Joe off the main roster at this point so just let him go on up like he should have done already. There wasn’t much doubt in this one and there’s nothing wrong with that.

We look back at Peyton Royce and Billie Kay walking out on Daria Barenato a few weeks back.

The Aussies laugh at Daria until she comes up to demand a fight with one of them next week.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Tye Dillinger vs. Eric Young

Still no Sawyer Fulton with Sanity. Young goes right after him to start but gets clotheslined down for his efforts. Left hands in the corner (ten of them of course) have Eric in even more trouble. The Tyebreaker is loaded up but Nikki Cross comes in for the DQ at 1:20.

Tye fights off Sanity until Damo comes in to lay him out.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: No Way Jose vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Jose grabs a headlock to start before slapping on an airplane spin to take us back in time while still having some fun. The announcers try to get Gravy over as a nickname for Corey as Jose knocks Almas down a few more times. A pop up right hand gets two but Almas kicks him in the face and hits his arm trap DDT for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: D+. I’m still not getting the appeal of Almas but I’m getting the appeal of Jose. A guy his size with that much charisma should be a guarantee for a spot in this company but I’d like to see them do something with him instead of just having him float around. Almas still doesn’t do much for me but having him as a heel is instantly an improvement.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Roderick Strong vs. Elias Samson

Before the match Samson sings a song I can’t quite understand. Samson kicks him in the ribs to start as we hear about Strong’s abilities with a backbreaker. It’s already off to the Tree of Woe for some upside down choking followed by a chinlock. Strong comes right back with a running dropkick followed by a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The Sick Kick ends Samson at 3:17.

Rating: C-. No time for anything here but Samson is in need of a partner of some sort. He’s really not enough in the ring to make anything of himself but the guitar playing character is more than enough to go somewhere. Strong is a case of what you see being what you get though I had almost forgotten he was even part of the roster. To be fair though he’s the kind of guy you can give a quick push and make something of him without too much effort.

Billie Kay vs. Daria Barenato next week.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Oney Lorcan vs. Bobby Roode

Guess who the fans are behind here. They trade arm work to start with Roode taking him to the mat and riding Oney a bit, much to the crowd’s delight. Roode stops to pose so Lorcan gives him a running uppercut to the jaw. We actually get an ONEY chant until Roode knocks him off the top and onto the ropes. Oney gets two off a backslide and starts speeding things up with a running elbow in the corner. A running Blockbuster gets two but the regular version misses and Roode grabs a spinebuster. The inverted DDT sends Roode to the fourway at 7:16.

Rating: C-. Well duh. You have to assume Roode is getting the title shot in San Antonio and that’s best for everyone involved. Lorcan is fine for a jobber to the stars but there’s only so much you can do with a name like Oney. Graves made this even better by losing his mind about Roode on commentary, which is exactly what someone like him should be doing.

The fourway is Roode vs. Dillinger vs. Almas vs. Strong.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show with one goal and while it accomplished that, it wasn’t the most interesting in the world. The wrestling either didn’t have time to go anywhere or wasn’t all that great in the first place. Roode should be a lock to win next week and I like the idea of him winning a few matches to get there. Not a bad show here but one you really should just read the results for instead of watching in full.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Samoa Joe – Kinshasa

Tye Dillinger b. Eric Young via DQ when Nikki Cross interfered

Andrade Cien Almas b. No Way Jose – Arm trap DDT

Roderick Strong b. Elias Samson – Sick Kick

Bobby Roode b. Oney Lorcan – Inverted DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Smackdown
Date: November 15, 2016
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, David Otunga, John Bradshaw Layfield, Tom Phillips

It’s the 900^th episode and also the final show before Sunday’s Survivor Series. That means there’s a lot of potential for hijinks and shenanigans tonight, which could mean for a very entertaining show. If nothing else maybe they can do something other than having wacky partners who can’t get along four times in one night. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick montage of great Smackdown moments before previewing tonight’s show. It’s always cool to see the older days and WWE knows how to pull those things off very well.

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon come out and welcome us to the show, mainly focusing on the big events before introducing the first match.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

Miz is challenging and the winner gets to defend against Sami Zayn on Sunday. After the Big Match Intros, Mauro starts in with the standard talking points about how awesome the Intercontinental Title is. Miz gets him to the ground to start but can’t hit either finisher before we take an early break.

Back with both guys down before Miz hits the Reality Check for two. It’s time to start in on the knees until Miz gets sent leg first into the buckle to give the champ a breather. The big elbow gets two for Ziggler and he grabs the sleeper, sending Miz straight to the ropes. The Fameasser (without much contact of course) gets two for Ziggler and we take a second break.

We come back again with Miz mocking Bryan’s YES pose before starting with the YES Kicks. A running knee to the face sets up the Skull Crushing Finale with Mauro falling victim to the “WELL THAT HAS TO BE IT” syndrome, guaranteeing that Ziggler kicks out at two. The Zig Zag gets the same result for the champ (because WWE doesn’t know many ways to do big matches) but here’s the Spirit Squad for the distraction to set up the Figure Four. Ziggler makes the ropes and grabs a small package, only to have Maryse shove it over so Miz can get the title back at 17:53.

Rating: B. This wasn’t quite as good as the No Mercy match but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining. I’m a bit sick of the Spirit Squad interfering every single time as they really don’t have much else to do with Ziggler at this point. The same finish could have been done without them but I’ve seen worse ideas. At least Miz won and should be able to have a better match as a result.

We look back at the end of last night’s show.

Clip of Steve Austin destroying the DX Express back in 2000.

Alexa Bliss presents her case for a rematch against Becky Lynch to Bryan, who gives it to her but won’t give her a date. Cue Natalya with that freaking whistle but her inspirational message sends Bliss storming off.

Kalisto vs. Oney Lorcan

Lorcan is from NXT and goes right after Kalisto with a knee to the head. A suplex gets two as JBL tries to convince us that Lorcan is similar to Brian Kendrick. The Salida Del Sol gives Kalisto the pin at 1:14.

Undertaker picks up his hat.

Clip of Rock vs. HHH from the first episode.

Quick montage of Rock’s appearances on Smackdown.

The Smackdown tag team Survivor Series team is ready for Sunday. Heath Slater and Rhyno have brought in a motivational speaker: KING BOOKAH! Before he can read a proclamation, Breezango comes in to give Booker a ticket for his fashion sense. This turns him into Booker T. to yell at Breezango and hit the catchphrase. An ALL HAIL KING BOOKER chant breaks out. This was perfect for a quick cameo.

Clip of John Cena debuting against Kurt Angle in 2002.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

Feeling out process to start with Carmella doing You Can’t See Me. A snap suplex puts Carmella down and Nikki mostly botches a dropkick which barely grazes Carmella in the ribs. Carmella comes right back by slamming Nikki neck first onto the floor before ramming her face in for good measure.

Back in and Carmella grabs a chinlock, which actually makes sense for once. We hit the hair pulling but Carmella stops to dance for no apparent reason. The Bronco Buster misses….and here’s Charlotte through the crowd to have a seat as we take a break. Back with a Disaster Kick sending Carmella outside and the big shout off between Bella and Charlotte. The brawl is on and it’s a no contest at 11:34.

Rating: C. I really don’t know why Nikki vs. Charlotte is supposed to be some big deal when we saw it about a year ago and it wasn’t anything special. I know Nikki is the star of the Smackdown women’s division but at least give us something a little more fresh. Either that or just put the title on Nikki already so we can hear how inspiring it is.

Team Raw comes in for the beatdown (including Bayley, which is pretty out of character for her) and Carmella joins in. Team Smackdown runs out for the save with Carmella celebrating with them, which is just stupid on all counts.

Renee Young previews Goldberg vs. Lesnar, which means she introduces a video package on the match.

Headbangers/Ascension/Spirit Squad/Vaudevillains vs. Usos/Hype Bros/Breezango/American Alpha

The official Smackdown team take turns on Mikey to start but Jimmy tags himself in, much to Jordan’s annoyance. Gotch comes in and gets the same treatment as the fans want Slater. Well they have him, albeit on the floor as extra support. Rawley, in Zubaz pants, gets two off a running seated senton and it’s off to Ryder vs. Viktor. Everyone heads to the floor and we take a break during the big shouting match.

Back with Ryder fighting out of the corner and making the hot tag off to Gable for some house cleaning. Everything breaks down with one team coming in to take out the next until only the Usos are left for a big double dive to take out about ten people. A slightly botched Grand Amplitude ends Thrasher at 10:40.

Rating: D+. There’s only so much you can do in a match like this where no one is going to get any significant time and the whole thing is going to be a mess. It was fun enough though and they were smart to leave this at four teams each instead of adding the extra four people. Sunday’s version should be fun with a little more drama and a chance for people to shine a bit more.

It’s time for the Cutting Edge with the Smackdown team as special guests. Edge’s hair has grown out a bit and he has a good sized beard, making him look a bit like Mick Foley. After a break, Edge talks about bleeding blue and brings out the team as a group. Edge shakes Ellsworth’s hand because James has been such an inspiration for him. Ellsworth is stunned but manages to ask for a Five Second Pose. That’s not cool with the champ though because it should be him getting the attention instead of James.

Instead, Edge asks Orton what’s up with joining the Wyatt Family. Bray says the Randy that Edge once knew is dead because this Sunday, the world will see a more dangerous viper. Shane takes the mic and says they only have to get along for one night but AJ starts ripping into Ambrose. This turns into a promo for TLC but here’s Undertaker to cut them off.

Undertaker actually praises Shane and tips his hat to him before saying he’s here for two reasons. Wrestlemania will no longer define who he is because he’s back to take souls and dig holes. Survivor Series was where he was born and Smackdown has always been his home. He says there’s no reason for Smackdown to fail but if they do, they’ll have reason to fear the Deadman. Raw will Rest in Peace….and that’s it.

Overall Rating: C. Undertaker’s speech is continuing on the Network right? I mean, he came out and praised the Smackdown team and that’s about it. That’s really not something you would expect Undertaker to do and it felt out of place for him. At least Shane gets to stay on the team though and that’s what matters for some reason.

This show wasn’t great but it’s miles ahead of Raw. Above all else it actually mixed things up a little bit and didn’t drag all night long. They even made a new match for Sunday and built on some stuff that wasn’t just about the three matches. Character logic issues aside, this was a perfectly fine go home show and that’s all it needed to be.

As for a big anniversary show…..yeah this was fine. They aired a few clips and then cut them off in the middle, as is so often the case with WWE. Booker’s cameo was fine and it made sense to have Edge and Undertaker show up at the end as they were the biggest Smackdown exclusive stars. They were kind of handcuffed with a major pay per view to set up and that’s understandable.

Results

Miz b. Dolph Ziggler – Small package

Kalisto b. Oney Lorcan – Salida Del Sol

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella went to a no contest when Nikki started brawling with Charlotte

Usos/Hype Bros/American Alpha/Breezango b. Headbangers/Ascension/Vaudevillains/Spirit Squad – Grand Amplitude to Thrasher

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NXT
Date: September 21, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

Last week’s show saw Samoa Joe completely snap and destroy NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, who was stretchered out of the arena as a result. That leaves no one to stop the rampaging monster, who is still scheduled to challenge Nakamura for the title down the line. Let’s get to it.

We get a long recap of Joe attacking Nakamura last week.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Samoa Joe with a piece of paper. Joe felt it was necessary for him to come out here and address last week’s altercation. Due to his actions, the NXT Champion is in a bad way. Joe has a copy of the official medical report, which lists off Nakamura’s multiple injuries, capped off by a grade two separated shoulder. Surgery is not required but he’s going to be out for six to twelve weeks.

Joe isn’t a patient man so he wants William Regal out here right now to make him the rightful champion. Regal comes out and says the report isn’t correct though he isn’t sure what Joe has it. He’s been talking to Nakamura but Regal is going to deal with the problem Joe started. That’s not cool with Joe, who gets in Regal’s face and says Regal can solve this or the entire roster is going to look like Nakamura.

We look at Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander from the Cruiserweight Classic in their match of the year candidate that earned Alexander a job.

Alexander says it took him seven years on the independent circuit to get here but that’s just the start. Not much to this one but the cruiserweights aren’t often going to get over on their talking.

Liv Morgan wants Asuka and the Women’s Title. Asuka comes in and says we can find out if Liv is ready. Morgan really shouldn’t be talking that often.

Oney Lorcan vs. Austin Aries

Aries rides him to the mat and grabs a headlock without looking like he’s put in much effort. Back up and Oney jumps over a charge and clotheslines Aries into a headlock of his own. Aries comes back with something like a belly to back suplex over the top and out to the floor for a crash.

We come back from a break with Aries dropping a middle rope elbow to the back for two. Oney fires off his hard strikes, including some chops in the corner as the announcers keep pushing his offense as ugly but effective. A charge misses though and Lorcan crashes out to the floor again. Oney comes right back with more running uppercuts, only to miss his middle rope sunset flip. Aries hits the discus forearm and wraps Oney up with the Last Chancery at 11:29.

Rating: B-. Lorcan has a horrible name and not the best looking offense but he’s being treated like someone with some value instead of just another jobber. NXT really needs some fresh blood in the midcard and Lorcan could mean something someday. One of the important things about NXT is that they don’t cripple talent that might mean something someday and it’s going to do them some good down the line.

Post match Aries says he’d call Hideo Itami out but everyone knows he wouldn’t show up. Cue Itami but of course Aries runs because he wants it on his terms.

Video on a monster named Dan Matha who debuts in two weeks.

After their win at the Cruiserweight Classic last week, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were jumped by the Revival. The champs got beaten up though and ran off.

Aliyah vs. Billie Kay

Aliyah starts fast by sending Billie into the corner for a running crossbody to the ribs. Billie’s arm is wrapped around the ropes and a slingshot legdrop gets two. Back up and a torture rack with an arm trap of all things has Aliyah in trouble but she comes right back with a running seated Blockbuster for two. The big boot gets Billie out of trouble though and knocks Aliyah off at 3:17.

Rating: C-. This was fine and there’s some potential in Aliyah, who showed a lot of fire. She’s in really bad need of ring time though and it wasn’t the best showing in the world. Billie is working well as a heel just by looking the part and that big boot could become a dangerous enough weapon. I mean, it worked for Test.

Mandy Rose thinks Ember Moon looks like a cross between the Hunger Games and Little Red Riding Hood.

Andrade Cien Almas vs. Cedric Alexander

Almas comes out in just a vest and with far less flair and energy than before. We hear about Stephanie McMahon bringing the cruiserweights to Raw as Almas grabs a headscissors to start. The fans are behind Cedric as a very fast pinfall reversal sequence gives us some near falls. They fight over a wristlock but both guys flip out to give us a standoff. Almas does his posing in the ropes and catches Cedric with a slingshot dropkick and a running corkscrew dive to take us to a break.

Back with Cedric fighting out of a chinlock and scoring with a Tajiri handspring into an enziguri. Alexander adds the big flip dive over the top but Almas comes back with elbows to the jaw (Fan: “HEY! STOP DOING THAT!”) and a powerbomb for two. Almas knocks him off the top for the moonsault into the standing moonsault and Cedric’s kickout stuns him. The double running knees miss and a Lumbar Check is enough to pin Almas at 11:47.

Rating: B-. Alexander is definitely being treated like something special and with good reason. He’s not going to regularly blow your mind but he does a lot of things well enough to put together a good match. Almas acting more like a heel and getting more aggressive is the right call and changing his look is an even better idea.

They shake hands and hug to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a different kind of show from NXT as they shifted the focus to the midcard for a week. I’m not entirely sold on having the cruiserweights appear on NXT all the time as NXT has more than enough to go around as it is but once in a while won’t hurt anything. This show was more about setting things up for down the road and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when one of those things will be Nakamura returning to blow the roof off the place.

Results

Austin Aries b. Oney Lorcan – Last Chancery

Billie Kay b. Aliyah – Big boot

Cedric Alexander b. Andrade Cien Almas – Lumbar Check

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NXT
Date: June 22, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

It’s a rare situation where we’re coming off a Takeover and already have another announced. In theory we have our first match set as Shinsuke Nakamura challenged Finn Balor to a match though a promo on Raw suggested that the match would be taking place tonight. For the life of me I can’t imagine NXT hot shotting a match like that so maybe it was just badly worded. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Nakamura challenging Balor last week.

Opening sequence.

Tye Dillinger vs. Oney Lorcan

And I thought Andrade Cien Almas was a bad name. Lorcan is the latest name for Biff Bushick, who takes Tye down to the mat by the leg. We hit a headlock takeover which earns Lorcan a ten. I mean it was from himself but at least he was trying. Back up and Lorcan flips over Tye and blasts him with a running uppercut for no count as Tye was under the ropes.

It seems to fire Dillinger up though as he fires Oney into the corner and starts in on some clotheslines. Oney nails a huge clothesline and another uppercut but runs into a superkick for two. That’s good for a perfect ten but Lorcan shoves him out out of the corner and hits a running Blockbuster for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C+. They were beating the heck out of each other here but what are they doing with Dillinger? There’s a strong chance that they’re tearing him down to build him back up again though wins and losses mean something in NXT and you can only do the Sami/Bayley road to redemption so many times. Oney looked good but that name is just horrible.

Austin Aries is ready to keep going forward when No Way Jose of all people comes up to say you just say NO to adversity. That’s quite the fall for Aries or quite the upgrade for Jose. Or maybe either.

We look at Bayley’s leg injury.

Bayley is back tonight.

No Way Jose vs. Josh Woods

Jose dances out of a waistlock to start and hiptosses Woods down for two. Woods takes him down for a chinlock but walks into a double chop, followed by the swinging full nelson slam to keep Jose undefeated at 1:57.

Post match Austin Aries comes out to say Jose isn’t defined by wins or losses. Aries was defeated at Takeover but he doesn’t blame his bruised ribs. What Aries has learned from Jose is that wrestling is about having fun and he actually dances with Jose as Graves fights the urge to join in. Jose goes over to the announcers’ table and the dancing continues until Aries finally lays Jose out with a forearm to the jaw. Aries puts on the Last Chancery on the ramp with Jose slowly blacking out. If nothing else it’s nice to have Aries go full on heel.

Earlier today, General Manager William Regal makes Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for three weeks from tonight. Murphy of all people comes in to interrupt and gets Nakamura for later tonight as a punishment.

The announcers talk about Aries attacking Jose.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Bayley

You can actually see the fans rise to their feet when Bayley’s music comes on. Bayley dances to her the fans singing before suplexing Purrazzo early on. The charge in the corner misses though and Purrazzo hits a running knee lift. Bayley shrugs off some rams into the buckle and hits a back elbow to the jaw. Bayley to Belly ends Purrazzo at 2:46.

Carmella says she wants to be Women’s Champion when Alexa Bliss comes in to say Carmella is nothing without Enzo and Cass. She left Blake and Murphy because she was the star of the team. Carmella gets in her face and dares Alexa to get in her way of the title. I can’t believe it but I’m getting into Carmella as a scrappy heroine.

Video on Samoa Joe.

Long video (as in the better part of four minutes) on Nia Jax vs. Asuka.

Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan grabs a headlock to start but is easily shoved away and pounded about the head and shoulders. Liv’s forearms to the head have no effect and it’s off to a very loose cobra clutch. An ankle scissors sends Nia into the buckle and a dropkick staggers her a bit. Not that it matters as Nia hits a great looking powerbomb for the pin at 2:11. That’s a WAY better finisher for her than the legdrop. Morgan was squashed here but she showed some really good fire which could get her somewhere.

Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss next week.

Buddy Murphy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

It’s kind of interesting that they put Nakamura out there almost every week. No one else gets this much exposure around here but they’ve done a great job of having him save the King of Strong Style stuff for the big matches and just let him have fun in matches like this one. Nakamura kicks him away to start and grabs a headlock before doing that head against Murphy’s chest.

Murphy misses a clothesline and Shinsuke tells him to bring it, setting up Good Vibrations. A counter sends Nakamura into the buckles and he just smiles at Buddy. It’s time for the hard kicks (“KING OF STRONG STYLE!”) and the running knee to the ribs makes it even worse. The reverse exploder sets up Kinshasa for the pin on Murphy at 4:35.

Rating: C-. Just a squash here to close things out but it’s always cool to see Nakamura flip that switch that makes you realize pain is imminent. Murphy is a good choice for a jobber to the stars as he’s a former champion, which actually means something around here. I’m not sure what Blake is going to do because having them in the same vein would be a waste of time. Balor vs. Nakamura should be awesome, albeit a bit predictable.

Overall Rating: C+. This was back to the NXT formula as they used some simple matches to set up the bigger stuff for the upcoming weeks. We have a firm date for Balor vs. Nakamura and a few other feuds set up down the line. It’s not a great show but that’s not what these things are supposed to be. Sometimes you just need an hour of TV that builds towards the big shows and that’s where NXT excels.

Results

Oney Lorcan b. Tye Dillinger – Running Blockbuster

No Way Jose b. Josh Woods – Swinging full nelson slam

Bayley b. Deonna Purrazzo – Bayley to Belly

Nia Jax b. Liv Morgan – Powerbomb

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Buddy Murphy – Kinshasa

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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