It’s the go home show for Takeover II next week and we now have a main event set. This week we’re likely going to be setting the stage for the fatal fourway next week with Adrian Neville defending against Tyler Breeze, Sami Zayn and Tyson Kidd. We also have the finals of the #1 contenders tag team tournament. Let’s get to it.

Before the opening sequence we hear about the card tonight, which will see the tournament finals and all four men in the fourway in singles matches.

Opening sequence.

Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

Non-title. Charlotte takes her down with a headlock but Bliss goes to the middle rope for an armdrag followed by a headscissors. That’s enough for Charlotte as she chokes Bliss on the middle rope to take over. Bliss rolls through a powerbomb into a sunset flip for two but walks into Bow Down to the Queen for the pin at 2:22.

Bayley comes out post match and says it’s time Charlotte took her seriously, because she’s seriously taking the title at Takeover. She offers a handshake but Charlotte shoves her instead. Charlotte walks over to her and gets caught in a bad looking Belly to Bayley.

Breeze says he’ll win the title because he looks better than everyone else.

Kenta debuts next week and will be wrestling under that name.

Sin Cara and Kalisto say they have a great opportunity tonight and have the heart to beat the Ascension.

Tye Dillinger vs. Tyler Breeze

Dillinger jumps over Tyler in the corner to start and runs him over with a shoulder. Breeze gets all aggressive and stomps Tye down in the corner before putting on a front facelock. Back up and the Beauty Show is good for the pin at 2:40.

Kidd says he’ll win the title because he’s been around the world and is cocky and arrogant, but he’s earned the right to be.

Enzo and Big Cass at a beauty salon and goes in to see a friend of his to get some hair removal cream (I hope it’s Freebird brand) for the hair vs. hair match against Sylvester LeFort next week. A very effeminate man comes in and freaks them out so they get in an argument over who should test the cream. They spill it on a dog and the stylist freaks out as they look in shock and say the cream really works.

Tyson Kidd vs. Adam Rose

There are far too many people here with names that start with Ty. Kidd takes him into the corner for some knees to start. Rose comes back with elbows to the face, only to walk into a suplex. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Rose fights up with forearms and elbows to the jaw. Kidd dropkicks the knee out and puts on the Sharpshooter for the submission at 4:11.

Rating: D+. This was a glorified squash and Kidd looked good throughout. The fourway next week is going to be awesome and this was a good step to get us to that match. Rose is done at this point save for comedy and that’s all he was ever going to become. Then again, it’s not like any of this matters on the main show as NXT is in its own world.

Sami Zayn says he wants to beat Neville because Adrian is the champion.

The Vaudevillains, in black and white of course, promise that they’ll win the tournament. Aiden insists that Gotch can move mountains and Simon adds a hearty EXCELSIOR!

Sami Zayn vs. Marcus Louis

They trade wristlocks to start until Marcus gets him down into a chinlock. Sami finally fights up with a kick to the ribs and a clothesline followed by a nice dropkick. He easily takes Louis down and puts on the Koji Clutch for the tap at 2:59.

Enzo and Big Cass run out and try to use the cream on LeFort’s hair but Sylvester escapes.

Adrian Neville knows he doesn’t have to be pinned or submit to lose the title and he loves the challenge.

CJ Parker vs. Adrian Neville

Non-title again. Renee accuses Parker of using REGULAR gasoline recently. Neville spins around to start and takes Parker to the mat with a headlock. Parker fights back up with a spinwheel kick for two but misses a top rope splash. Adrian scores with some kicks of his own and the Red Arrow is good for the pin at 3:21.

Rating: C-. Neville has been a really good champion so far but I have no idea if he holds onto the belt next week. That’s the best thing you could ask for going into a big match as it really could go wither way. I love that Parker is now a lowly jobber as the fans absolutely could not stand him and he didn’t have the skill to stay at the level he was on.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Vaudevillains vs. Sin Cara/Kalisto

The Vaudevillains beat Bull Dempsey/Mojo Rawley and Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady to advance while Kalisto/Sin Cara defeated Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy and Adam Rose/Sami Zayn to get here. Kalisto spins English around to start and Aiden is quickly frustrated. It’s quickly off to Sin Cara vs. Gotch with the masked man being dropped ribs first onto the top rope and out to the floor.

English comes back in to hammer away in the corner, only to walk into a cross body. A double tag brings in Kalisto for a headscissors to Gotch. Something like the La Mistica faceplant gets two and everything breaks down. Cara dives over the top rope to take out English, sending him head first into the stge. Gotch catches Kalisto’s cross body but walks into the Salida Del Sol, followed by the Swanton from Sin Cara to give them the title shot at 5:50.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it did exactly what it was supposed to do. I don’t think anyone expected a different outcome and that’s the right way to go. The luchadors are on a roll heading into the title match next week and there’s a chance the titles could finally change. Basic power vs. speed match here but it was fine.

Ascension comes out for a staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was one of the best go home shows I can remember in a very long time. Almost every Takeover match got some time and it set up the fourway perfectly. I can’t wait for the show now and based on the house show reports, the fourway has the potential to be a classic. Throw in the fact that all three titles could easily change hands and Enzo vs. LeFort could be a very solid comedy match and Takeover II is shaping up great.

Results
Charlotte b. Alexa Bliss – Bow Down to the Queen
Tyler Breeze b. Tye Dillinger – Beauty Show
Tyson Kidd b. Adam Rose – Sharpshooter
Sami Zayn b. Marcus Louis – Koji Clutch
Adrian Neville b. CJ Parker – Red Arrow
Sin Cara/Kalisto b. Vaudevillains – Swanton bomb to Gotch

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We’ve got something to look forward to now with Takeover II just a few weeks away. All of the titles will be on the line but the champions need some challengers. As for tonight, the main story is the debut of the new General Manager to replace JBL who left for undisclosed reasons. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Ascension vs. ???/???

If the jobbers have names they weren’t mentioned. Fans: “LET’S GO JOBBERS!” Konor runs over Jobber #1 with a shoulder before Viktor launches #2 in over the top rope. Fall of Man ends #2 at 1:06.

Post match Ascension says the tournament ends next week and they’ll find their latest victims. Konor says they will rise.

The new General Manager is……WILLIAM REGAL! He says he’s been here since the beginning and as his first action, he’s going to name the main event of Takeover II. First up though, he’d like Adrian Neville to come down to the ring. Neville congratulates him on his new job and asks who’s next. Fans: “GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG!” Regal is about to announce the opponent but Tyson Kidd (in a Mike Tyson hoodie) interrupts.

He accepts the title shot but before Regal can confirm it, here’s Tyler Breeze to interrupt as well. Breeze: “Are you serious? This uggo? Everyone deserves a title shot before him. EVEN HIS WIFE!” This brings out Sami Zayn to say that he deserves the shot above Kidd and Breeze. Neville wants to face all of them because this is NXT. Regal approves and we have a main event.

After a break, Regal makes Zayn/Neville vs. Kidd/Breeze for tonight.

Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

We immediately get the best chant ever: “BAYLEY’S GONNA HUG YOU!” Sasha sends her into the buckle to start and drops Bayley with a knee to the ribs. We hit the chinlock and get yet another awesome chant of “LET’S GO BAYLEY! CENA SUCKS!” Back up and Sasha chokes away in the corner, only to walk into the Belly to Bayley for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t much but it’s hard to not like Bayley. She’s got this sweet innocence about her and it’s like watching an eight year old in an adult’s body. The awesome belly to belly helps as well as it makes her almost like Eugene: she’s so happy to be here but can be deadly when she gets the chance.

Bayley says she’s like kitten stuck on a branch that tells you to hang in there. She’s going to turn her dream into a reality and win the Women’s Title at Takeover. This brings out Charlotte to say that she would laugh at a kitten stuck on a branch. She tells Bayley to stick to hugs because she’s going to destroy her at Takeover. Bayley doesn’t want a hug (Fans: GASP!) because she’s going to take the championship. Charlotte leaves and says she warned her.

Bull Dempsey vs. Angelo Dawkins

Dawkins is still a nerd. Dempsey takes him into the corner to start and drops a bunch of elbows for two. Some knees to the ribs have Dawkins in trouble as this is totally one sided. Dawkins gets in some jobber offense before the Bulldozer gets the pin at 2:50.

The Legionnaires laugh about shaving Enzo’s beard and speak a lot of French.

Tyson Kidd/Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville

Neville and Breeze get things going with the champion grabbing the arm for early control. Adrian and Sami start cranking on the arm until Sami stays in for a wristlock. Neville uses Sami’s back for a corkscrew splash and the heels bail to the floor. Kidd comes back in but it’s Breeze superkicking Neville as we take a break. Back with Kidd getting covered for two before Kidd puts on a chinlock.

Breeze comes in again and stomps on the champion before putting on a chinlock of his own. Kidd gets the tag but Neville dropkicks the knee out, setting up the hot tag to Sami. Everything breaks down and Zayn cross bodies both opponents down at the same time. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Breeze but Kidd fights out of the Blue Thunder Bomb and gets two off a DDT.

Sami suplexes Breeze into the buckle and crawls over to Adrian for the slightly cooler tag. A dropkick followed by a standing shooting star gets two on Breeze. There’s a kick to the gorgeous head but Breeze breaks up the Red Arrow. Sami accidentally kicks Neville off the top but the heels argue over who comes in. The Blue Thunder Bomb plants Breeze and Kidd pins Neville at 9:58.

Rating: B-. Oh man the fourway is going to be awesome. Sami could still pull off the big win but any of the other three are solid options as well. They’ve built Neville up enough so that the pin on him is going to mean something. This was a good tag match with the ending setting up a few more stories for the main event of the big show. Good stuff.

Sami gives Kidd the Helluva Kick post match and holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is the kind of show that NXT has been needing for a long time. It was the kind of fun that I’ve been missing from this promotion and it made me want to see the Takeover show more than ever. The main event is going to rock and Bayley winning the title could be amazing. Really fun show this week that flew by.

Results
Ascension b. ???/??? – Fall of Man
Bayley b. Sasha Banks – Belly to Bayley
Bull Dempsey b. Angelo Dawkins – Bulldozer
Tyson Kidd/Tyler Breeze b. Adrian Neville/Sami Zayn – Kidd pinned Neville after a kick from Zayn

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The show has changed timeslots for the first time ever and is now airing at 4pm EST on Thursdays. Things picked up for the first time in a good while last week with an awesome Tyler Breeze vs. Adrian Neville title match, ruined by Tyson Kidd interfering. Sami Zayn made the save and in theory it’s time for a big tag match. Let’s get to it.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament Semi-Finals: Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady vs. Vaudevillains

Cass throws English around to start and nails him with a big boot to the jaw. Off to Simon vs. Enzo with Amore nailing some fast punches to the ribs for two. Cass throws Amore into the corner to crash into Gotch but Simon catches Enzo’s cross body and That’s A Wrap sends the Vaudevillains to the finals at 1:47. That was really quick.

The Legionnaires attack Cass post match and shave half of Amore’s beard.

Here’s HHH to make an announcement. He talks about how important NXT is to the WWE Network and thinks it’s time for NXT to take over again. On September 11, it’s Takeover II, airing live with all three titles on the line. In addition, there will be a new NXT General Manager named next week.

We look back at Kidd costing Breeze his title match last week.

Breeze is ticked off at Tyson Kidd and says Tyson Kidd is going to find out why Prince Pretty is more than just a pretty face.

Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Breeze

Breeze is much more aggressive this week and goes off on Tyson in the corner. Kidd comes back with forearms and a hard kick to the back. A suplex into a neckbreaker puts Tyler down and there’s a hard dropkick to the side of the head. Breeze gets to the ropes to avoid the Sharpshooter and bails to the floor, walking out for the countout at 1:46.

Breeze says he’s fine with walking out because his attention is on the title match at Takeover.

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch

Non-title. Becky has no green in her attire anymore. Charlotte takes her down into a front facelock but Becky takes her down by the leg. They stay on the mat with Becky getting a few rollups for two each but Charlotte kicks the redhead into the corner. Charlotte hooks the figure four neck lock for a bit before getting two by just shoving Lynch to the mat. Back up and Lynch nails some clotheslines but walks into a kind of t-bone suplex. Bow Down to the Queen gets the pin at 4:10.

Rating: C-. Not much of a match here for the most part with Lynch not looking all that comfortable on the mat but trying her best. Charlotte continues to look good in the ring and has a good finisher to go with the attitude. That puts her way ahead of a lot of female wrestlers so she’s got the first major steps down.

Amore and Cass come out and make Star Wars references while challenging the Legionnaires to a hair vs. hair match. If they don’t accept, they must be S-A-W-F-T!

We look back at Bull Dempsey beating up Mojo Rawley.

Mojo Rawley vs. Steve Cutler

Mojo takes him into the corner to start and gets two off a shoulder block. Cutler is sent into the corner and crushed by a few splashes. Hyperdrive gets the pin for Mojo at 1:34. This is what he should have been doing for since he debuted.

Post match Rawley says he’s still standing here and can take everything Bull can throw at him.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament Semi-Finals: Sami Zayn/Adam Rose vs. Sin Cara/Kalisto

Rose and Kalisto get things going and we’re already prancing. They trade wristlocks until Adam tags in Sami to a very nice ovation. Sin Cara comes in and they hit the mat with Sin grabbing a headscissors. Cara quickly sends Sami out to the floor and the luchadores tease dives as we go to a break. Back with Kalisto headlocking Rose for two. Adam powers up and tags in Sami as things speed up. Kalisto avoids a clothesline, lands on his fingers and crawls across the ring without using his feet.

Sami is rightfully freaked out and it’s off to Cara for a kick to the chest. A hiptoss gets two on Zayn and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Sami nails a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two of his own. Rose comes in again and puts on a chinlock of his own. Kalisto gets the tag and walks into a powerbomb for two. It’s quickly back to Cara who cleans house and nails a Tajiri elbow for two on Rose. Everything breaks down and Cara dives out onto Sami. Rose gets all fired up but walks into the sitout Sliced Bread #2, followed by Cara’s Swanton Bomb for the pin at 10:10 shown.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash with the luchadores running circles around Rose and Zayn. This is the kind of win that they need to establish themselves as a big tag team. Sami not taking the pin was a good idea and he didn’t look horrible throughout the match. Nothing all that interesting but it sets up a good match in the finals.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not wild on the matches ending so fast but they kept this show moving. A lot of stuff has been set up for the coming weeks and we finally have something to build to at Takeover II. The three title matches and presumably a hair vs. hair match should make for a good card with a few other surprises through in. Good but not great show this week.

Results
Vaudevillains b. Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore – That’s A Wrap to Amore
Tyson Kidd b. Tyler Breeze via countout
Charlotte b. Becky Lynch – Bow Down to the Queen
Mojo Rawley b. Steve Cutler – Hyperdrive
Sin Cara/Kalisto b. Sami Zayn/Adam Rose – Swanton Bomb to Rose

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Things really need to pick up around here soon. I can’t believe I’m saying that but it’s the absolute truth right now. The lack of anything to build towards is hurting things, as we’re just spinning in circles instead of actually setting up a show or a match. Last week Breeze implied that he was cashing in soon but I didn’t hear a date. Let’s get to it.

Clip from Takeover of Tyler Breeze beating Sami Zayn to become #1 contender and Tyler taunting NXT Champion Adrian Neville ever since.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Mojo Rawley/Bull Dempsey vs. Vaudevillains

Big ovation for the Vaudevillains. Mojo cranks on English’s head to start but Aiden comes back with an uppercut for two. Off to a hammerlock from English, including a bow down into a tag to Gotch. Simon puts on a hammerlock of his own and does Hindu Squats to crank on the arm. Dempsey comes in and pounds Gotch to the mat but it’s quickly back to Mojo as he tags himself back in. This doesn’t go well for the makeshift team as Gotch catches him in a rolling fireman’s carry, followed by a middle rope Swanton Bomb from English for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D+. That was far shorter than I was expecting. I’m glad they pulled the plug on the makeshift team before it went on forever, given that this was the obvious ending. Mojo has fallen through the floor in NXT and to be fair I can’t say I disagree with the way his push has gone. Ever since that beating from Rusev it was almost impossible for him to get back up.

Post match Bull destroys Mojo, drawing a big THANK YOU BULL chant.

Sasha Banks doesn’t like Bayley thinking she’ll be the next Women’s Champion. Bayley says Sasha doesn’t get a hug tonight.

Breeze is cashing in tonight. They didn’t do a great job of making that clear last week.

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

#1 contenders match. They trade headlocks to start with Sasha taking over with a knee to the ribs for two. Bayley takes her down with some rollups for the same as they trade near falls. They stay on the mat with Bayley grabbing a headlock, only to have Sasha fight up and nail a dropkick. Back up and Bayley gets aggressive, sending Sasha out to the floor for a breather.

We take a break and come back with Sasha getting two before putting on a chinlock. She stretches Bayley across the knees before ramming her face first into the mat. Back to a double arm choke on Bayley but the happy one fights up and nails some forearms, only to get her throat snapped across the top rope. A slap to the face looks to set up Belly to Bayley but Sasha counters into a Backstabber. Sasha puts on a Crossface but cranks on it too much, allowing Bayley to roll on top for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C-. The match was pretty dull stuff but Bayley got to be a bit more aggressive which is a nice change of pace for her. Bayley vs. Charlotte will be a better option than Sasha getting the shot as you can only do Charlotte vs. BFFs for so long until it gets really old in a hurry.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Kalisto/Sin Cara vs. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy

Cara and Blake get things going for some fast paced running before it’s off to the partners for some hard shots from Kalisto. Cara launches Kalisto into a backsplash onto Murphy for two. Murphy is sent to the floor and Blake gets taken down by a top rope cross body from Cara. A dropkick from Kalisto sends Murphy into a Cara powerbomb. Sin takes out Blake and Kalisto hits a standing sitout sliced bread #2 for the pin at 2:42. This was a fast paced squash and the masked guys looked really good.

The Legionnaires don’t like Enzo and Big Cass making the semifinals and speak a lot of French.

NXT Title: Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze

Adrian is defending and takes Tyler down to the mat to start. Some kicks to the ribs have Breeze in early trouble but he sends Adrian out to the floor in a big crash. Tyson Kidd comes out to commentary as Neville gets back in. We take a break and come back with Breeze still in control and Kidd not saying a word. Breeze puts on a front facelock before sending Neville out to the floor again.

A whip into the steps gets two for the challenger and it’s back to the front facelock. Adrian finally shoves him off to escape and hammers away in the corner. There’s a running boot to the face and a standing shooting star for two. Neville goes to the corner but dives into a dropkick to change momentum again. Breeze misses a charge into the corner and gets superkicked for a very close near fall. Both guys are spent but Breeze is able to break up the Red Arrow.

A sunset bomb plants Tyler but he rolls away before the Red Arrow can be launched. Breeze comes back with an INSANE tornado DDT to plant Neville for two. Neville counters a German suplex into one of his own for two more and both guys are down. Breeze rolls outside and takes a big suicide dive, which finally draws Kidd out to the ring. Fans: “NO! NO! NO!” Neville blasts him in the face with a superkick before Tyson can do anything. He kicks Breeze in the head as well and goes up for the Red Arrow, only to have Tyson break it up for the DQ at 14:46.

Rating: B. This was getting really good in the middle but took a breather and toned down a bit near the end. It seemed like a way to set up another match and that might be the best possible option. Breeze wasn’t the best option to take the title but he’s FAR better in the ring than anyone would have given him credit for.

Breeze goes after Kidd but eventually they team up on Neville. Sami Zayn runs in for the save and checks on Neville to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was much better than what they had been doing in recent weeks but it’s still not as good as the show had been for weeks now. You can see the fourway coming from here but that’s not the worst idea in the world given how insane a match between these four could be. Good show here and a lot of stuff is set for the future, which is NXT’s specialty.

Results
Vaudevillains b. Mojo Rawley/Bull Dempsey – Middle rope Swanton Bomb to Rawley
Bayley b. Sasha Banks – Rollup
Sin Cara/Kalisto b. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy – Standing sitout sliced bread #2 to Murphy
Adrian Neville b. Tyler Breeze via DQ when Tyson Kidd interfered

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Things have been oddly dull in NXT lately but we’ve got a #1 contenders tournament starting up tonight whichs hould liven things up a bit. If nothing else there’s going to be a new set of challengers for the Ascension, which is exactly what the division needs. We might even get some Vaudevillains tonight. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Tournament First Round: Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan vs. Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore

HUGE pop for Enzo and Cass. Dillinger grabs a wristlock on Cass to start and is quickly sent to the corner by the throat. Cass: “How YOU doin?” Jordan comes in with a belly to back suplex for two and the pretty boys take over on Big Cass. We hit a reverse chinlock from Jordan as the fans are wanting Enzo.

Cass gets caught in a top wristlock from Tye but Cass blocks a stomp. The hot tag brings in Amore who gets his head superkicked into the third row. Tye doesn’t cover for some reason though and brings Jordan back in. Cass dives into the corner to block a charge aimed at at Enzo, followed by a big boot to Jordan’s face, giving Enzo the pin at 5:23.

Rating: D+. Did the pretty boys turn heel and no one told me? They certainly were wrestling like heels in this one and it really didn’t work for them. Cass and Amore are a solid oddball tag team though and Cass is finding his niche as the guy who gets the hot tag and cleans house.

We see the tournament brackets.

Amore/Cassady

Mojo Rawley/Bull Dempsey
Vaudevillains

Sami Zayn/???
Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Sin Cara/Kalisto
Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy

Sami Zayn is in the back and says his assigned tag partner isn’t medically cleared (no name is given) when Gabriel and Kidd come in to remind him of the time Kidd walked out on Sami in a tag match against Ascension. Zayn offers to beat them both tonight when Adam Rose comes up and offers to be Sami’s partner. The fact that Sami is wearing an Axl Rose shirt is purely a coincidence I’m sure. Sami sucks Rose’s lollipop.

CJ Parker vs. Xavier Woods

Parker says that the signs he carries are a social movement. Woods is in his traditional clothes and hasn’t put on the white suit yet. It’s a brawl to start and a clothesline puts Parker on the floor. Back in and Parker avoids a charge, sending Woods shoulder first into the post. We come back from a quick break with Parker getting two off a senton backsplash.

A running double knee in the corner sets up a top rope ax handle for two on Woods. We hit the chinlock on Xavier but he blocks a second backsplash with some knees. Woods comes back with some strikes and a high cross body. A running low Downward Spiral gets two on Parker and the Honor Roll clothesline gets the same.

Woods goes to the top rope and walks down a bit before diving four fifths of the way across the ring for a splash. Parker was so far across the ring that he could have put his foot on the opposite ropes. For some reason that only gets two and Parker comes back with a kind of Death Valley Driver for the pin at 8:12.

Rating: C+. I can’t believe it but there are a few things to talk about here. First and foremost, why would you have Woods bust out a big move like that and have it only get two? It looked awesome but instead the match ends a few seconds later. Second, why did the announcers keep calling it an elbow? This isn’t one that you can really call anything other than a splash but Riley insisted it was an elbow. The match was good, but at the end of the day I have no interest in either of these guys.

Tyler Breeze is going to cash in his title shot against Adrian Neville. No date is specified but this sounded like an announcement.

Bayley vs. Eva Marie

Eva comes out on a podium like a sculpture. Makes sense for her. Cue the You Can’t Wrestle chants as they circle each other to start. We get the far better “BAYLEY’S GONNA HUG YOU” chant a few seconds later as Bayley takes Eva down to the mat and rides her for a bit before they roll around for some cradles. Eva gets two off a snap suplex but Bayley takes her down and hammers away. A running elbow in the corner sets up the Belly To Bayley for the pin on Eva at 3:18.

Rating: D. Eva looks good in the outfits but it’s clear that she isn’t anything in the ring. Like, she’s making Nikki Bella look like a master right now. To be fair though, ring time is the only thing that’s going to help her at this point so even a quick match like this one is going to help her.

Tag Team Tournament First Round: Sami Zayn/Adam Rose vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Even the announcers dance during Rose’s entrance in a funny bit. Kidd grabs a headlock on Sami to start but Zayn comes back with some very fast armdrags. Rose comes in for a staredown with Kidd and a little spank to Tyson. Kidd heads outside for a meeting with Gabriel, earning Justin a spank of his own. Things finally get serious as Rose gets beaten down in the corner.

Gabriel kicks him in the back for two but Rose comes back with a spinebuster for a near fall of his own. Kidd helps put Rose in the Tree of Woe for a stomping and we take a break. Back with Kidd holding a chinlock on Rose and tagging in Justin to stomp away. The double teaming continues, including a low dropkick from Gabriel for two.

A belly to back suplex gets the same but Kidd’s springboard elbow drop hits knees. I still think that would do more damage to Rose than Tyson but whatever. The hot tag brings in Sami to clean house, including the big flip dive to take out both villains. Rose goes up and hits a flip dive of his own. Back in and the Helluva Kick nails Gabriel for the pin at 9:48.

Rating: C-. That was….long. It was a lot of Rose getting beaten on before we hit the tag to Sami for the interesting part. Zayn really needs to get back to the underdog blood feuds that made him so popular here in NXT, but that might be where they’re going with him in the tournament.

Overall Rating: D+. What the heck has happened to NXT? They went from the can’t miss show of the week to a pretty dull hour of TV. Having so much time between the big shows is killing it as Breeze has been #1 contender for ten weeks now and we still haven’t heard a date for his title shot. The matches were mostly decent but the stories just aren’t doing it for me as it’s basically Neville waiting for Breeze and Ascension beating up everyone in sight while laughing at the pathetic challengers. This show needs a shot in the arm, but all the stars they have waiting to debut could be the answer they need.

Results
Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore b. Jason Jordan/Tye Dillinger – Amore pinned Jordan after a big boot from Cassady
CJ Parker b. Xavier Woods – Death Valley Driver
Bayley b. Eva Marie – Belly To Bayley
Adam Rose/Sami Zayn b. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel – Helluva Kick to Gabriel

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We have a new big bad coming out of last week as Tyson Kidd allowed his wife to be shoved off the apron in order to finally get a big win in NXT. Kidd thriving is another problem for NXT Champion Adrian Neville to deal with as he now has Kidd and Gabriel coming after him as well as #1 contender Tyler Breeze looming. Let’s get to it.

Opening video.

Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady

English cranks on Amore’s arm to start while shouting a little song. Enzo drags him over to the corner for the tag to Big Cass, who gets to pound on Gotch’s back. This brings out the Legionnaires, and since it’s a WWE product, Colin can’t handle seeing people in the same arena gets gets rolled up for the pin at 2:25.

The Ascension wants more competition.

We recap the breakup of the BFF’s and Summer earning a shot at Charlotte. The match is next week.

CJ Parker vs. Xavier Woods

Woods cranks on the arm to start as the announcers talk about Parker’s attempts to better the world. A headscissors puts Parker down but CJ whips him face first into the ropes for a unique reversal. Byron Saxton compares Parker to Oprah and Ronald Reagan, earning disdain from his fellow announcers. Parker puts on a chinlock but Woods quickly fights out with chops. Woods comes back with a DDT off the ropes for two but he misses a charge in the corner and gets rolled up with Parker grabbing the ropes for the pin at 2:00.

Sami Zayn says we’re seeing the real Tyson Kidd who is really insecure over his wife’s success. This jealousy is just making Kidd look bad.

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks

Bliss takes over with some forearms to start but gets taken down into a cravate. It doesn’t last long though as Bliss fights up, only to miss a flip out of the corner. Banks takes her down with a backstabber and flips Alexa over for a crossface without the arm trap for the submission at 2:52.

Tyler Breeze is asked when he’ll be facing that uggo Adrian Neville. He talks about everyone rushing nowadays and how he won’t be rushing to face Adrian after his hand modeling injury. The contract is being drawn up, but until then, here’s his music video again.

We recap Tyson Kidd being evil last week.

Kidd says there’s nothing to his actions and he isn’t jealous of his wife.

Adam Rose vs. Jason Jordan

Jordan says his partner Tye Dillinger is injured but was last seen partying with the Rosebuds. Rose dances around and takes him down with a headlock. Jordan fights up and nails a clothesline to take over before slapping on a chinlock. Rose will have none of that and hits the CHOO CHOO Bronco Buster followed by the Party Foul for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: D+. The match was nothing more than a treat for the live crowd. Rose is great in a small atmosphere like this but he’s going to need a lot more to make it on the main roster. That’s the problem with a character like him: he’s really good at promos and vignettes, but the in ring stuff just isn’t there.

Kalisto says he and El Local parted ways but the Vaudevillains interrupt. They mock the masked man but he promises to find a new partner to face them next week. The Vaudevillains contemplate this with a hearty chin rub.

Tyson Kidd vs. Sami Zayn

Tyson hides in the corner to start before heading to the floor for more stalling. Back in and Tyson slides right back to the floor after minimal contact. Kidd gets in again and is sent to the corner for the Helluva Kick but he bails to the floor again. Kidd sends him to the floor and hits a nice dive off the apron to put both guys down on the ramp as we take a break. Back with Kidd putting on a chinlock before putting Sami in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick to the face.

Sami fights back with elbows to the face and a dropkick to send Kidd outside. The slingshot moonsault puts Tyson down again and Zayn is all fired up. Back inside and the top rope cross body gets two on Kidd but the Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a German suplex for two. Kidd’s top rope elbow hits knee though and the Blue Thunder Bomb connects for two. The Blockbuster gets two on Sami and he gets caught in the Sharpshooter. Kidd gets it full on in the middle but Zayn is still able to crawl over to the ropes. Tyson goes up but dives into the Koji Clutch for the submission at 10:50 shown of 14:20.

Rating: B-. Did you expect anything but a good match from these two? It’s so strange to see Sami getting back to back wins and have him on a winning streak but it’s nice to see. Kidd’s heel turn is good but he needs to get a big win out of it at some point. Thankfully it wasn’t at Sami’s expense again.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was good but the rest of the show was almost all too short to rate. NXT is on another roll at this point and getting better every week. The main event scene is solid and it seems like Breeze’s title shot is coming down the road. They’re making that a huge deal and it’s likely main eventing the next big show.

Results
Vaudevillains b. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady – Rollup to Cassady
CJ Parker b. Xavier Woods – Rollup while holding the ropes
Sasha Banks b. Alexa Bliss – Crossface
Adam Rose b. Jason Jordan – Party Foul
Sami Zayn b. Tyson Kidd – Koji Clutch

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This is another show that has been built up for a few weeks and there’s a good chance we get the payoff tonight. Coming off last week, we should be coming up on Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel. The match isn’t going to be a masterpiece or anything, but it’s going to be a well done match with a lot of high flying entertainment. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.
Bayley vs. Summer Rae

The winner gets a shot against Charlotte at some point in the future. Summer sends her into the corner to start but Bayley takes her down with a drop toehold and puts on an armbar. Bayley spins around on Summer’s back and Rae bails to the floor. Back in quickly and Summer nails a kick to Bayley’s ribs for one. Summer pulls on the arms with her feet on Bayley’s shoulders as Charlotte is watching from the back.

The referee breaks up a hair pull and Bayley flips Summer over, only to have her head rammed into the mat. Bayley comes back with a suplex, drawing a BAYLEY’S GONNA HUG YOU chant from the crowd. A spear and suplex get two on Rae but she kicks Bayley in the face for two of her own. Bayley comes back with a top rope elbow to the jaw but Summer counters the Belly to Bayley into the Summer Crush (standing legdrop) for the pin at 5:23.

Rating: C-. Nothing special here but Summer vs. Charlotte is going to be a solid match that belongs on a big stage. Summer isn’t great in the rings but she looks good and has the attitude that a Diva needs. Bayley needs to stay in NXT as long as she can so WWE can’t ruin her on the main roster.

Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville are banged up but they’re coming for Gabriel and Kidd.

Justin Gabriel is with Tyson Kidd and says he’s not going to be a loser anymore. He started in NXT and now somehow he’s back. There’s talent here, but it’s not on his level. Tyson was right and it took one more loss to prove him right. Sometimes in life, you have to break some rules.

Tyler Breeze has entered the building.

Sin Cara vs. Wesley Blake

Some quick rollups get two on Blake and a clothesline sends him to the floor, setting up a suicide dive. Back in and Blake takes him down by the arm for two before hooking an armbar. Cara comes up with a jawbreaker followed by a springboard headbutt. A springboard cross body gets two and a kick to the head sets up the Swanton Bomb for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: C-. Just a squash here but Sin Cara looked fine. He could use a few nice wins down in NXT, even though it isn’t going to mean much for him in WWE. The original Sin Cara’s run was just so bad that even the new performer can’t do much with the character anymore. Still though, not bad.

Tyson Kidd and Natalya get in an argument over his recent actions. He tells Natalya to not come to the ring with him tonight.

Summer thinks she and Sasha should stay friends but Banks doesn’t seem interested.

CJ Parker calls out Xavier Woods to talk about what happened last week. Parker apologizes but Woods doesn’t seem to accept. CJ offers peace before laying Woods out from behind.

The Vaudevillains talk about becoming the next Tag Team Champions and share an awesome laugh.

Video on the Ascension for the fans that are watching on the free preview.

Bull Dempsey vs. Angelo Dawkins

A quick armbar takes Dawkins down and he makes the mistake of trying a sunset flip. The much bigger Dempsey sits on his chest and hammers away with headbutts and elbow drops. Dempsey chokes a lot and shrugs off a quick comeback attempt, setting up the Bulldozer powerslam for the pin at 2:55.

Dempsey says he isn’t quitting until he’s NXT Champion.

Zayn and Neville are ready.

Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Natalya is here with Kidd despite the argument earlier. Kidd and Neville get things going as the announcers plug the Network. Off to Sami who cranks on the arm before it’s back to the champion for more of the same. Zayn drops to the mat and Neville gets on his back for a corkscrew splash. Albert: “Rich can I try that off your back?” Renee: “I’ll give you a dollar if you do!” Neville hits a middle rope cross body for two before it’s off to Zayn for some chops. Justin offers a distraction and Tyson sends Zayn to the floor as we take a break.

Back almost immediately with Gabriel putting on a double chicken wing. That goes nowhere so Sami gets tied in the Tree of Woe, only to have Justin nail him from the apron. A double kick to the head gets two on Zayn and Tyson puts on a front facelock. Sami is in trouble but finally throws Kidd off and dives over for the hot tag. A standing moonsault gets two on Gabriel and a sitout powerbomb gets the same.

Adrian levels Kidd for two and the fans want Nattie. Justin’s distraction prevents the Red Arrow and Kidd knocks Adrian off the ropes for the springboard elbow and two. Sami sends Justin outside but makes a blind tag, setting up a big high cross body for two as Adrian dives onto Gabriel. I thought that was it. Tyson grabs Sami’s face but gets backdropped to the floor. Sami is left alone for the BIG flip dive to take out all three other guys. Kidd claims a knee injury but it’s a fake. Sami punches him in the jaw but it knocks Natalya to the floor as well. Tyson fakes going to check on her and grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: B. Take four guys and let them fly around the ring for eleven minutes and freak the crowd out. It’s an idea that has worked since professional wrestling began and it’s always going to work. The match was the usual solid stuff and Kidd looks like the most evil guy in all of NXT. Well done.

Kidd leaves with Gabriel.

Overall Rating: B. If the idea tonight was to get people to want to buy the Network to see NXT, they did a great job. You got some WWE names, some good matches, angle advancement, and a sense of “why am I not watching this?”. That’s the point of a show like this and it worked like a charm. Good stuff and a good regular episode too.

Results
Charlotte b. Bayley – Summer Crush
Sin Cara b. Wesley Blake – Swanton Bomb
Bull Dempsey b. Angelo Dawkins – Bulldozer
Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel b. Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville – Rollup to Zayn

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Last week’s show saw some new names rise up on the NXT roster with the Vaudevillians providing as much entertaining as you could ask for from a single act. Other than that we’re getting ready for some new stories to get going this week, which usually makes for a good show. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Colin Cassady vs. Sylvester LeFort

Big Cass says that Pepe Le Pew is about to get dissed. First he’s going to get disfigured, then he’s going to get dismissed. LeFort continues to look better than half of the roster and can talk better than most of them as well. Big Cass starts in a hurry and it’s the East River Crossing and the Empire Elbow for the in at 55 seconds.

Adrian Neville says it was an honor to beat Rob Van Dam. Tyler Breeze comes in and says he’s impressed that Neville could focus that well with Breeze just twenty feet away. It must be killing Neville not knowing when Tyler is cashing in his title shot. “Just like your uggo face is killing me.” Neville offers to give Breeze a title shot tonight but Breeze claims a finger injury during a hand modeling session.

Video on Bull Dempsey, the last of a dying breed and the last real man in professional wrestling.

Charlotte/Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch/Bayley

Bayley says Becky is her BFF: Bayley Friend Forever. Sasha and Bayley get things going with Bayley taking her down by the arm. Off to Becky, drawing a great Irish accent from Regal. Charlotte comes in and gets caught in an armbar before Bayley comes in to work over the arm as well. A double suplex drops Charlotte and a double clothesline does the same to Sasha as we take a break.

Back with Bayley getting sent into the apron before Charlotte works her over in the ring. The BFFs double team Bayley in the corner and Charlotte gets two off a knee drop. Sasha works on a chinlock before it’s back to the champ for a choke in the corner. Bayley finally kicks Sasha into Charlotte and Becky gets the hot tag. A series of legdrops get two on Sasha and everything breaks down. Bayley is sent to the floor and Charlotte comes in legally for Bow Down to the Queen on Becky for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C. Basic formula match here and there’s nothing wrong with that. The BFFs aren’t likely to be around much longer as Charlotte doesn’t need Sasha at this point. Sasha isn’t holding her down but there’s just no need for her. Becky was much like over the top Irish here and that’s a good thing for her.

Bayley shoves Sasha to the floor to prevent an attack on Becky.

Justin Gabriel is ready for Sami Zayn tonight when Tyson Kidd comes in. Tyson tries to get him to turn to the dark side but Gabriel says Tyson is wrong, and he’ll prove it tonight.

Sasha yells at Charlotte for not having her back after the match. Charlotte says the team is done because she’s the champion. Sasha implies that she’s coming for the belt.

CJ Parker vs. Steve Cutler

Parker’s sign now has the word Woods crossed out. He runs over Cutler to start and says that Steve is ruining the world, just like all of them. Parker hammers away and hits a side kick for the pin at 1:30.

Parker rants about Xavier Woods being so educated but doing nothing on the main roster. If he had Woods’ chances, he’d win titles and change the world along the way.

We get a sitdown interview with Tyson Kidd who says he wasn’t in a mood to do the fallout show at Takeover and left before he said something stupid. He didn’t know Natayla was there and didn’t blow her off on purpose. Interviewer Renee Young asks what was up with freaking out on Natayla for telling the referee that Neville had his foot on the ropes. He went nuts during the match and is glad Natalya calmed him down. Tyson goes on in a calm manner about not wanting to win the titles that way but walks off when Renee asks about possible marital problems.

Summer Rae vs. Bayley next week for the #1 contendership.

Sami Zayn vs. Justin Gabriel

Tyson Kidd is at ringside, drawing a Nattie’s Husband chant. They trade wristlocks to start as Regal thinks Kidd and Natayla are having issues. Justin wrenches on the arm to escape a chinlock. Sami cranks on one of his own but Justin makes it to the ropes. They’re still in first gear here. Gabriel runs him over with a clothesline for the first hard move of the match. He hammers away at Sami’s head and we take a break.

Back with Gabriel getting two off a kick to the head and putting on a double arm crank. Gabriel gets another two and seems to be getting frustrated. He hammers at Sami’s head but Zayn fights back with dropkicks and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The Helluva Kick misses though and Justin hits a middle rope kick to the chest for two. Sami blocks a German suplex but gets caught in an over the shoulder backbreaker for two. A huge moonsault gets two and Justin can’t believe this. He loads up the 450 but Sami rolls out of the way. A downward spiral into a Koji Clutch makes Justin tap at 13:00.

Rating: B-. My goodness it’s nice to see Sami get a win for a change. It’s not a great match or against a top level opponent but Sami did his underdog thing and then came back to get the win. That’s a nice change for him and the best thing is he hasn’t lose his heat with all the losing.

Tyson jumps Sami post match and Justin turns heel and joins in. Adrian Neville comes in for the save and I’m sure we’ve got a tag match coming up.

Overall Rating: B. The main event scene has gone from nothing to awesome in a single hour. We have the tag match coming up which could spin off into some more matches and Tyler Breeze looming over the whole thing. This was a really solid episode for storytelling and we had a solid main event to cap it off. As usual, NXT knows how to run a wrestling show.

Results
Colin Cassady b. Sylvester LeFort – Empire Elbow
Charlotte/Sasha Banks b. Bayley/Becky Lynch – Bow Down to the Queen to Lynch
CJ Parker b. Steve Cutler – Side kick
Sami Zayn b. Justin Gabriel – Koji Clutch

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