NXT
Date: December 7, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Percy Watson

This is another interesting show as it’s a combination of the regular taping and the NXT Title match from Osaka, Japan with Shinsuke Nakamura challenging Samoa Joe for the title. It’s also nearly time to start getting ready for Takeover: San Antonio, which is only about six weeks away. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick video hyping up the title match.

Opening sequence.

Here’s DIY to get things going with the new champs coming in through the crowd to celebrate. It takes some time for the cheering to die down but Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain cut them off before anything can be said. Ellering talks about how awesome they are until the Revival cuts them out with the fans singing their song. Revival gets to ringside and says the Authors only won because Revival was out of the tournament. The Authors come down to shove Revival around with Ellering saying they’re coming for the titles. I’m thinking a rematch is in order to set up the Authors’ opponent and that’s just good.

We’re getting a new commentators and it’s…..Percy Watson? Yes that Percy Watson. As in the guy you haven’t thought of since he was released. I have no idea why he’s here or what need he’s filling but he’s certainly here.

No Way Jose/Rich Swann vs. Sanity

Sanity confirms their heel status by cutting the pre-match dance off. It’s Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young for the team here. There’s no Sawyer Fulton here and Eric stomps on Fulton’s jacket in some symbolism. Swann and Jose go fast to start by knocking Wolfe out to the floor.

Unfortunately the announcers have to go out of their way to get Watson in on commentary and it doesn’t feel very natural. Swann gets taken into the Sanity corner and it’s time for an early break. Back with Swann taking a Bret Hart chest bump in the corner and getting caught in a dragon sleeper from the middle rope. That’s not bad.

Wolfe comes in for his version of dancing and a neck crank to keep things slow. A double clothesline gives Swann a breather and of course equals out several minutes of offense. Jose comes in off the hot tag and gives Young a TKO for two. A big corkscrew dive sends Swann into Wolfe but here’s a huge man to send Jose into the steps. The announcers acknowledge him as Damo (formerly Big Damo) as he stares Wolfe down. Back inside, Young’s wheelbarrow into a neckbreaker ends Jose at 10:35.

Rating: C. The match was nothing special but Damo debut as a potential new member of the team makes a lot of sense. He looks like a monster (please have him put on a singlet or a shirt) and would fit in really well with the group. Not a good match or anything but I’m digging Sanity more every week.

Sanity looks at Damo, who leaves on his own.

William Regal makes Revival vs. DIY for the titles on January 11 (that’s a long way off for NXT). Tye Dillinger comes in to suggest he should leave NXT after losing to Samoa Joe. Regal cuts him off and offers him a spot in a tournament to crown a new #1 contender. There will be four singles matches with the winners facing off in a four way match for the title shot in San Antonio.

Eric Young has nothing to say about Damo but Nikki Cross runs into Asuka and stares at the title. Asuka gives her the evil smile. I could go for this.

Ember Moon vs. Kimber Lee

Lee is a former Chikara Grand Champion. Moon wastes no time in starting in with the kicks but charges into a side suplex for two. A hurricanrana gets Ember out of trouble and the Eclipse ends Lee at 3:03.

Rating: D+. I still can’t get over how awesome the Eclipse looks. The timing she has to have to pull off a move like that is just amazing and I’ve never seen her come close to missing. Lee got in some offense here and I wouldn’t mind seeing her signed up to appear more in NXT.

Here are the matches for the #1 contenders tournament:

Tye Dillinger

Eric Young

Elias Samson

Roderick Strong

Oney Lorcan

Bobby Roode

Andrade Cien Almas

No Way Jose

NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending and is quickly kicked into the corner for Good Vibrations. A poke to the eye gets the champ out of trouble and we take a break. Back with Nakamura in an STF which is turned into a Crossface which is turned into a rope grab. A German suplex looks to set up Kinshasa but Joe snaps off a powerslam for two instead.

Nakamura gets out of the Muscle Buster, only to get caught in the Koquina Clutch. It’s the standing version though (I believe we call that a sleeper) and Joe releases for a string of suplexes instead. Joe kicks him out to the floor and loads up the Rock Bottom onto the steps. That earns him a bunch of strikes to the back and neck as Nakamura takes over for a change. Back in and Nakamura can’t keep him up in a fireman’s carry. Instead he goes to the middle rope so the middle rope knee to the head can set up Kinshasa for the pin and the title at 10:45 shown.

Rating: B. This was the usual good, hard hitting brawl from these two though I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the last big match, unless we see the Australia cage match. There’s not much left for Joe in NXT at this point so odds are he’s either in the Rumble or debuts before then. Good match of course and it’s cool that we got to see it.

We’ll actually see the cage match next week on NXT.

Overall Rating: B-. This was fine for a special show and next week feels like it’s going to be the same thing. It’s kind of weird that this didn’t feel like anything all that interesting but, as usual, NXT got a lot done here. We had two debuts (I’m still wondering why Watson is here), a title match set up, another title match after that set up, a title feud teased and a title change.

Results

Sanity b. No Way Jose/Rich Swann – Wheelbarrow neckbreaker to Jose

Ember Moon b. Kimber Lee – Eclipse

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Samoa Joe – Kinshasa

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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NXT
Date: November 30, 2016
Location: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

Now this should be interesting as this show was taped on the same night as last week’s Smackdown, meaning they’re in a big arena instead of the tiny Full Sail. I’m always curious to see how things translate when they go somewhere else, especially when it’s not an NXT crowd. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Asuka vs. Nicole Matthews

Non-title. Matthews is a regular in Shimmer and her early shots to Asuka’s head just seem to annoy the champ. That means the beating is on in a hurry with Asuka firing off the kicks. Some YES Kicks look to set up a big kick but Matthews swings away even more. A Fujiwara Armbar is the prelude to the Asuka Lock for the submission at 2:17.

We look at Sanity attacking Rich Swann last week with No Way Jose making the save. Jose vs. Eric Young later tonight.

Samoa Joe doesn’t care that he’s facing Shinsuke Nakamura in Osaka, Japan on December 3 because he’s the best. Tye Dillinger comes up to say he’d like to test that theory and a match is made for tonight.

Eric Young vs. No Way Jose

Jose takes him straight down but Eric bails to the floor. A good shot knocks Eric off the apron and into the rest of Sanity as we take a break. Back with Alexander Wolfe grabbing Jose’s leg so Young can take over. A dragon sleeper with Young standing on the middle rope has Jose in even more trouble before Young cranks on the neck even more. Jose makes his quick comeback but Sanity offers another distraction so Young can hit his wheelbarrow suplex into a neckbreaker for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C. This was more of a way to let Sanity get its first win and Young looked good enough out there. It’s amazing how much easier Young is to sit through when I don’t have to hear him talk about how great he is. Jose didn’t get squashed and there’s a good chance we’ll see a tag match next.

Sanity mauls Jose again post match.

Asuka wants competition but there’s no one left.

Samoa Joe vs. Tye Dillinger

Non-title. Dillinger starts fast and knocks Joe outside as we take a very early break. Back with Dillinger firing off left hands in the corner but it’s way too early for the Tyebreaker. Joe crushes the knee to take over, setting up a kneebar to make Tye dive for the ropes. That gets an NXT chant as Joe unloads with right hands in the corner.

Tye’s knee is wrapped around the ropes and Joe walks around as we take another break. Back again with Joe putting on a neck crank to set up Tye’s comeback. The Tyebreaker still doesn’t work so Tye superkicks him in the chest for two instead. Joe’s release Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the powerbomb into the Boston Crab into the Koquina Clutch to knock Tye out at 20:15.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be but I’ve seen much worse. Tye had no chance of winning here but the fans were into him. At some point he needs to actually win something though and having him lose both big matches in Canada didn’t help him. His match with Roode did a lot for him and this certainly didn’t crush him but Joe won handily here.

Dillinger gets the big ovation from the crowd.

Overall Rating: C+. This was just a filler show as we get ready for the new taping cycle back at Full Sail. The wrestling was fine and they set up a few things to bridge us to the next tapings. Joe vs. Nakamura in Osaka could change a lot of things but it should be interesting to see if it’s done there or if they go on to San Antonio. Fine show here but nothing memorable.

Results

Asuka b. Nicole Matthews – Asuka Lock

Eric Young b. No Way Jose – Wheelbarrow neckbreaker

Samoa Joe b. Tye Dillinger – Koquina Clutch

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NXT
Date: November 23, 2016
Location: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

This is a special episode as we’re past Takeover: Toronto and since there hasn’t been time for a full taping, this show was filmed before Saturday’s show, meaning this is again in a huge arena. Things changed a lot in Toronto as two titles changed hands, including the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

We open with the long recap of Saturday’s show.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. Kona Reeves

My goodness Swann gets an amazing reaction, easily stronger than anything the cruiserweights have gotten on Raw so far. Kona is aggressive to start and gets two off a pop up Samoan drop. Swann gets whipped hard into the corner and Reeves stops for a big, evil grin. He’s certainly got the facials down. The offense doesn’t last long though as Rich comes right back with a running kick to the face and the standing 450….but here’s Sanity for the no contest at 4:30, nearly a minute and a half of which was the team’s entrance.

Rating: D+. The match doesn’t matter because this is all about Swann’s entrance. You really can see how much better the cruiserweights are received at a show like this where they might be treated as a featured attraction instead of some people who happen to appear on the show. It gives me some hope for 205 Live, but if they do the show after Smackdown is taped, the show is dead in the water.

Swann fights back but gets taken down by the numbers as a big EY chant breaks out. Eric Young says this generation is going to be remembered because Sanity is going to take. It’s amazing how much easier it is to deal with Young when he doesn’t talk much.

Post break, No Way Jose is out to check on his partner and calls out Young for a fight right now. The rest of the team surrounds the ring and the brawl is on with no referee or bell. A right hand has Young in trouble and the rest of Sanity comes in for the beatdown.

Video on the finals of the Dusty Classic.

The Authors of Pain are ready for Chapter Three, which will be explained in time.

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay recruit Daria Berenato for the six woman tag. They’re ready to make the world prettier when Daria rearranges some faces.

Video on Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger.

Tye says he might have taken a step back with the loss but the people still supported him so he’ll be back.

Long video on DIY vs. Revival. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura was the clubhouse leader for match of the year but it’s going to be a very, very close race. I’m not sure which is in the lead at the moment but it’s a tossup at worst.

DIY says this win is an answer to every time they’ve been told no.

Video on Asuka vs. Mickie James.

Mickie is in tears over how amazing that was and calls Asuka incredible.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura wants a rematch as soon as possible.

Liv Morgan/Aliyah/Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce/Billie Kay/Daria Berenato

Aliyah is the hometown girl and Berenato is the tough boxer/fighter. Billie and Liv start things off and an early headscissors takes Kay down. Aliyah comes in and Corey wants to know what’s up with people listing their area code. I’m with Graves for a change. Daria comes in and takes Aliyah down as we take an early break. Back with Aliyah still in trouble until an enziguri gets her out of trouble. Moon comes in off the hot tag and cleans house as everything breaks down. Billie kicks Moon in the face but the Aussies tell Daria to take care of the rest. As soon as Daria turns around, the Eclipse wraps things up at 8:41.

Rating: C-. This was fine and it’s very clear that Morgan is just a way to get the Aussies and Moon over as bigger deals, which is really all you can expect from her. The match was fine enough and that Eclipse is going to be the big weapon to give Asuka a run for her money. This was fine for a filler show main event and that’s all it was.

BREAKING NEWS: Nakamura vs. Joe for the title in two weeks from Osaka, Japan.

Overall Rating: D+. These are always hard to grade as nothing on here mattered but it wasn’t disguised as anything important. This was just a filler show until we get to the next tapings and that’s perfectly fine. I had a good enough time with it and the show flew by with all the recap videos. Joe vs. Nakamura III should be a blast and even if Nakamura doesn’t get the title back there, you can almost guarantee one more match in San Antonio. That’s enough to be thankful for so Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Results

Rich Swann vs. Kona Reeves went to a no contest when Sanity interfered

Liv Morgan/Aliyah/Ember Moon b. Peyton Royce/Billie Kay/Daria Berenato – Eclipse to Berenato

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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NXT
Date: November 9, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re about a week and a half away from Takeover: Toronto and that means we’re in the final drive to the big show. There’s a good chance we’re going to see the semifinals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tonight but on top of that we’ll be seeing the contract signing for the NXT Title match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We go to the Performance Center to preview the two tournament matches tonight.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: DIY vs. Authors of Pain

From Los Angeles. Ciampa and Akum start things off with Tommaso being thrown all over the place. Gargano comes in and gets the same treatment as everything breaks down. DIY cleans house with strikes to the face and a double clothesline as the Authors are knocked outside. A suicide dive doesn’t work for Gargano so Ciampa tries one of his own, only to have the Authors throw Johnny at Tommaso for a big crash as we take a break.

Back with Gargano in more trouble as Akum sends him head first into the buckle, leaving Johnny looking like he’s on another planet. An over the shoulder backbreaker makes things worse until Gargano grabs a DDT. The hot tag brings in Ciampa to clean house a bit and a German suplex sends Razar flying.

Razar is right back in though and gives Ciampa a Samoan drop while hitting a fall away slam on Gargano at the same time. Those are two full size men being thrown at the same time. THAT’S NOT NORMAL. DIY gets in their double strike but Ellering offers the distraction. It’s quite the distraction too as the Revival is able to sneak out from underneath the ring to lay out Gargano, leaving Ciampa to take the Last Chapter for the pin at 13:25.

Rating: B-. NXT never lets me down. I was worried that they were going to have one of these teams lose clean but since this is a promotion that makes sense, there was Revival to keep things from getting too over the top. The match was entertaining as well and it’s going to be DIY vs. Revival somewhere down the line, which is all they need to do.

Tye Dillinger is ticked off and wants to take out Bobby Roode in Dusty’s memory.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: TM61 vs. Sanity

From Los Angeles again. Sanity jumps Thorn and Miller from behind to start and we take a break with TM61 in trouble before the opening bell. Back with Miller nowhere in sight as Thorn takes a beating from both monsters. Alexander does some weird dance before rubbing his forearm in Thorn’s face. Miller finally gets on the apron, only to be knocked right back to the floor. An errant uppercut takes out Wolfe though and the hot tag brings Miller in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Eric Young goes after Miller, only to have Thorn hit a quick dropkick into a rollup on Wolfe to advance at 6:42.

Rating: C. TM61 still has some work to do but I’m starting to get into them as a team. The problem is they’re having to compete with the Revival and DIY, who have turned this into an art form and are replacing American Alpha, who might have been even better. You could have penciled TM61 in as soon as the Authors won and there’s nothing wrong with that.

William Regal makes DIY vs. Revival for the Tag Team Titles in a 2/3 falls match at Takeover. I love that one of NXT’s biggest gimmick matches is to have more wrestling instead of some weapon or contraption.

Roode will prove that Dillinger is a perfect loser.

Ember Moon vs. Rachel Evers

That would be the former Rachel Ellering and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that she was trained by Lance Storm (real name Lance Evers). Ember offers a freaky smile to start and gets two off a rollup. Something like a nip up into a hurricanrana puts Evers down again, only to have her duck a springboard crossbody. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Ember pops up and clotheslines the heck out of Rachel. The Eclipse wraps Evers up at 3:13.

Rating: D+. Just a step above a squash here as Ember is definitely being groomed as the next challenger for Asuka, which is the best option NXT has. She’s just weird enough to throw Asuka off her game and that Eclipse is one of the best looking finishers I’ve seen in a long time. Good performance here, as is almost always the case for Moon.

Regal brings out Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe for the contract signing. The ring is full of security but Joe goes back to the entrance and sets up his own table and chair on the stage. Joe doesn’t think Regal is concerned with his safety so business will be conducted from up here.

Nakamura is some kind of rabid animal but Joe is the kind of man that can come to that ring and have him stretchered out at any time. Joe orders Regal to bring him the contract and the boss actually does so, allowing Joe to sign. The disgusted Regal brings the contract back to Nakamura, who beats up the security. One of the guards is powerbombed through the table and the contract is signed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m getting a bit tired of the tournament as we’ve done almost nothing but work on it for the last two weeks. NXT is usually a lot better at spacing something like that out but next week is the go home show, meaning we’re only going to get the big build to Toronto plus a few matches. I certainly wasn’t bored here but I saw all four of these teams last week, meaning this wasn’t the most interesting show in the world.

Results

Authors of Pain b. DIY – Last Chapter to Ciampa

TM61 b. Sanity – Rollup to Wolfe

Ember Moon b. Rachel Evers – Eclipse

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NXT
Date: November 2, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

We’re down to three shows before heading north to Toronto and that means it’s time to start hammering out the rest of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The quarterfinals begin tonight and we’ll need to get down to the finals in the next three weeks. Some of the matches have been taped at house shows so it might be time to take a field trip. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We’re going straight to San Jose, California for the first quarterfinal match.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Roderick Strong/Austin Aries vs. TM61

So here’s the thing: Austin Aries has a fractured orbital bone and is unable to compete so Austin suggests we have a singles match to determine who advances (assuming that’s not made really obvious by the stipulations). Regal comes out to say that’s cool with him and TM61 agrees.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Roderick Strong vs. Shane Thorn

At least I don’t have to remember which is which. Shane does a very complicated spin out of a wristlock before kicking Strong in the face. A standing moonsault gets two but Strong’s first backbreaker puts Thorn down on the top turnbuckle as we take a break. Back with Thorn hitting a good looking dropkick to put both guys down. We hit an Australian uppercut train until another backbreaker gives Strong two. He really can hit those things from everywhere and he makes them look different enough to keep it fresh.

Strong tries a superplex but gets knocked down for Alberto Del Rio’s top rope double stomp (Fans: “SI SI SI!”). A Falcon Arrow gets two on Strong, followed by a sitout powerbomb to bring Aries up to the apron. Strong kicks Miller down but walks into a small package to send TM61 to the final four at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was just about all it needed to be with Thorn sending the team on, as you kind of had to know they would given Aries’ injury. Strong continues to look good and this is more of a storyline loss than anything else. TM61 making a strong run in this tournament would do a lot for them as they haven’t really set themselves apart yet so this could be their big moment.

Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura will sign the contract next week.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: DIY vs. Revival

Non-title. Actually hang on a second as Scott Dawson is on crutches. Dawson has hurt everything in his knee and it would cripple a normal man (Dawson: “Like you two.”) but a little rest will make a man like him just fine. Therefore, the Revival is sitting this one out and DIY can have a pass to the next round. I like this much better than A, wasting another edition of a great series and B, having either team lose a match. No match.

Gargano and Ciampa are ready for whoever they face next.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Rich Swann/No Way Jose vs. Authors of Pain

Back to San Jose. Akum and Jose start things off with No Way being driven straight into the corner. Some dancing sends the bull charging through the ropes and a big right hand actually staggers him a bit. Swann comes in for an assisted hurricanrana which really just annoys Akum. Instead it’s off to Razar but Swann keeps the speed up with a dropkick to stagger him. For some reason Rich decides to dive onto both Authors at the same time but it takes Jose diving onto all three to put them down.

Back in and the beating begins with Akum throwing Rich into the corner for a running splash from Razar. Paul Ellering even gets in a little choking of his own on the bottom rope like the good old school manager he is. A spinning kick to Razar’s face gives Rich a breather and an enziguri to Akum allows the hot tag to Jose (BIG pop for that). A TKO drops Akum for two but Razar sends Swann into the steps. The lack of a partner means Jose gets caught in the Last Chapter for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. The more I see of the Authors, the more I like them. They don’t need to be anything more than a pair of big guys who can beat the heck out of people. More importantly though, they get in just enough trouble to make you believe they could be in danger before taking someone’s head off. That leaves the opening of the right team being able to outlast them and then beat them, which makes them more interesting.

Video on Mickie James.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Sanity vs. TJ Perkins vs. Kota Ibushi

Wolfe and Ibushi start things off with a headlock slowing Kota down so much that it’s off to TJ for the always broken up first kneebar. Fulton comes in and gets kneebarred as well with Wolfe’s save not working. Back from a break with the crusierweights starting up their dives until TJ gets pulled out of the air. A slam sends him onto Wolfe’s knees and it’s off to the chinlock.

That’s switched up to a bearhug to keep Perkins in trouble for a big longer. A shot to the face allows the tag to Kota and it’s time for the kicks. The Gold Star Bomb gets two on Wolfe but Eric Young and Nikki Cross get the referee’s attention. A suplex/powerslam combo puts Kota away at 12:15.

Rating: C-. This didn’t do much for me but I’m starting to dig Sanity a lot more than I ever expected to. Kota wasn’t likely going to get very far in this thing due to his lack of a contract but at least the Full Sail fans got a nice treat by seeing him live. I like the idea of regular teams going forward though and that’s what we have for the semifinals.

The final four:

Sanity

TM61

DIY

Authors of Pain

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was fine here and they moved through an entire round of the tournament in one night with some smart booking decisions. The rest of Toronto’s card is mostly set so it’s ok to dedicate a full show to one concept like this. I’m looking forward to the final four and that’s a big step forward for a tournament that hadn’t taken much shape yet.

Results

Shane Thorn b. Roderick Strong – Small package

Authors of Pain b. Rich Swann/No Way Jose – Last Chapter to Jose

Sanity b. Kota Ibushi/TJ Perkins – Suplex/powerslam combination to Ibushi

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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NXT
Date: October 19, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re getting closer to the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and it’s also the start of a fresh taping cycle. The other interesting story is the return of Shinsuke Nakamura to go after Samoa Joe. It’s fairly obvious that they’ll be facing each other again in Toronto. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at Nakamura being laid out about a month ago but coming back last week to go after Samoa Joe.

Opening sequence.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Rich Swann/No Way Jose vs. Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

It should be interesting to see this work so much better here than it would on Raw. Rich and Drew start things off as the fans aren’t sure which good guy to cheer for. It’s time for some fast flipping to start with Rich bouncing over Drew and handing it off to Jose for the big guy dancing. Nese comes in and eats a big flapjack (that sounds good) for two. Some quick kicks put Jose down for two but it’s back to Rich for some kicks to the chest. They head outside and it’s Nese superkicking (of course) Swann as we take a break.

Back with Gulak and Swann clotheslining each other for a double knockdown. That means a double tag off to Jose and Nese with the dancing one turning Tony inside out off a clothesline. Gulak gets thrown into the air and punched right in the jaw (better than most Superman Punches) for two with Nese making the save. The full nelson slam ends Gulak at 10:40.

Rating: C+. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jose is WAY too talented for this dancing party guy gimmick. He looked even more like a star than usual here as he was towering over the other three and was able to show off with the power game. It really is amazing how much more interesting the cruiserweights are when they’re in front of a crowd that actually wants to see them.

Rich and Jose are ready for the Authors of Pain, who better not look past them. Dancing ensues.

Quick discussion of Hideo Itami’s injury, meaning he’s out of the tournament.

We look back at Glorious Ten splitting up.

Tye Dillinger has requested and been granted a match against Bobby Roode in Toronto.

Austin Aries would rather talk about potassium instead of his surprise partner. The tournament isn’t for everyone, such as Hideo Itami. Hideo is out because an MRI revealed he doesn’t have a spine.

Bobby Roode vs. Sean Maluta

Maluta actually grabs a rollup for an early two but Roode takes his head off with a clothesline. A hard whip into the corner makes it worse for Sean, followed by a spinebuster to break up his comeback. An implant DDT ends Sean at 3:07.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here, which is a good role for some of the lower level cruiserweights. We’ve seen what they can do in the tournament so these wins are more impressive than the ones you see over the run of the mill jobbers. Maluta has a good look and can be pushed if the need ever arrives, just like so many of the other people NXT has been using lately.

Roode laughs off Dillinger’s complaints because Tye was the one who begged Roode to team up for the Dusty Classic. All Roode wanted to do was bring Tye up to a GLORIOUS level. After a line about Klingons, Tye comes out and clears the ring. The fans, who went nuts over Roode’s entrance, give Tye a huge TEN chant.

Liv Morgan is in the back when Peyton Royce and Billie Kay jump her from behind. Morgan is dragged out to the stage and laid out again, leaving Kay and Royce to brag about how this is their division.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Austin Aries/??? vs. Tucker Knight/Otis Dozovic

Aries’ mystery partner is……the debuting Roderick Strong, who teamed with Aries to win the ROH Tag Team Titles as part of Generation Next. The announcers put Strong over hard, mentioning his matches against people like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens. Otis throws Aries around to start before it’s off to Tucker for some hard chops to Strong.

Everything breaks down and Aries has to break up a Vader Bomb from Otis. Aries and Strong start trying to chop down the massive Dozovic but he pretty easily suplexes them both at the same time. The hot tag brings in Knight for a double splash in the corner but he misses a charge and falls outside. Back in and the Sick Kick knocks Knight silly for the pin (ignore the shoulder being up at one) at 6:15.

Rating: B-. It’s strange to see the smaller, faster guys as the heels but this was a better match than I was expecting. Dozovic and Knight are two big power guys and I’m always entertained by seeing guys their size chopped down. Aries/Strong vs. TM61 should be a lot of fun, which is the cool part about tournaments like this one.

Andrade Cien Almas attacked Cedric Alexander over a lack of respect. Now it’s time to take the respect for himself.

Nikki Cross vs. Danielle Kamella

Cross is just as crazy as she used to be and throws Danielle with a suplex. After biting and scratching herself, Nikki ends this with a fisherman’s neckbreaker at 1:20. Total squash.

Nikki keeps beating on Danielle so the referee reverses the decision.

Here’s Shinsuke Nakamura with a message for Samoa Joe. Nakamura confirms the rematch with Samoa Joe in Toronto because he’ll beat Joe with no mercy. This brings out Patrick Clark, who wants the title shot for himself. Instead he gets a kick to the head, only to have Joe come out for the big staredown. Joe stays on the ramp while Clark eats Kinshasa to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I had a really good time here as they covered almost everything that’s likely to be taking place at Takeover: Toronto in less than an hour. We had good tag wrestling, a debut, story advancement and a hot ending. In other words, things you rarely get on Raw and/or Smackdown and in even less time. NXT knows how to turn on the jets whenever they need to and that’s exactly what they’ve done again here.

Results

No Way Jose/Rich Swann b. Tony Nese/Drew Gulak – Full nelson slam to Gulak

Bobby Roode b. Sean Maluta – Implant DDT

Austin Aries/Roderick Strong b. Tucker Knight/Otis Dozovic – Sick Kick to Otis

Danielle Kamella b. Nikki Cross via referee’s decision

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY6766K#nav-subnav

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

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

NXT
Date: October 12, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

We’re still in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic but more importantly we’re seeing more in the Samoa Joe path of rage as he tries to get his NXT Title back. In the next few weeks we should also be seeing more matches announced for the upcoming Takeover: Toronto special. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Sanity vs. Glorious Ten

Before Sanity comes out, we have Roode and Dillinger exchanging cheers from the crowd. Sanity are four people in masks and leather jackets who receive a rather impressed reaction. Two of them take off their masks to reveal Sawyer Fulton and Alexander Wolfe, both of whom attack Dillinger while Roode stays on the floor. The double teaming continues with Roode walking away just over a minute and a half in to make this a handicap match. A powerslam/suplex combo put Dillinger away at 1:59.

The smallest member of Sanity (a woman named Nikki Cross) beats on Dillinger until the leader gives Dillinger a wheelbarrow suplex into a neckbreaker. The leader is…..Eric Young. Granted the Canadian flag patch on his jacket was a bit of a hint.

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce laugh off the idea of fighting Liv Morgan because she has no friends.

Roode blames Dillinger for what happened because Roode isn’t a tag wrestler.

Liv Morgan vs. Billie Kay

Morgan starts with a dropkick and backslide for two before a gutbuster gets two for Billie. The torture rack with an arm trap makes it even worse for Morgan until an STO gets her out of trouble. Not that it matters though as Royce trips Morgan, allowing Billie to hit the big boot for the pin at 3:30.

Rating: D+. Neither of these two are worth much at the moment but NXT has indeed managed to start turning them into something more than random talent. Maybe they’re going to build Morgan up someday but at the moment she’s glorified cannon fodder for the heels of the division.

We look back at Andrade Cien Almas turning on Cedric Alexander last week.

Almas yelled in Spanish after last week’s show.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: TM61 vs. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss

Moss (formerly known as Mike Rawlis) and Sabbatelli compete against each other so often that they figured they might as well team up. Miller starts with Moss and it’s TM61 taking over early on. Thorn comes in with a slingshot senton until Tino low bridges him out to the floor. Back from a break with Tino coming in for some forearms to the chest as the crowd is split on him.

Sabbatelli starts cranking on an armbar and we get some muscular posing. Moss gets in some trash talking but walks into a jawbreaker. The hot tag brings in Miller to clean house as everything breaks down. Sabbatelli’s interference doesn’t work and it’s Thunder Valley for the pin on Tino at 12:02.

Rating: C. Sabbatelli is an interesting case as he looks great and has the athletic background from being in the NFL but he definitely needs ring time and experience. Moss was a more intense version of the guy we’ve seen for a long time now. TM61 is slowly growing on me but I haven’t seen that great performance from them yet.

Buddy Murphy vs. Wesley Blake

Murphy has had a run of bad luck such as travel issues and having his furniture sold for not paying the bill on his storage unit. They stare at each other to start as the fans are more into Blake than Murphy. Buddy nips to his feet and both guys try big kicks at the same time. Blake is knocked out to the floor so Murphy hits a big running flip dive to take over. Fan: “MAMA MIA!” Cue Samoa Joe to jump Murphy for the DQ at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but Murphy continues to look very good in the smaller sample sizes. He’s got a somewhat better look and is much better than Blake in the ring but for some reason they won’t just let these two split up. Joe coming in is probably the best outcome though as I don’t know how long these two could hold a crowd.

Joe says time is up so Regal needs to bring him Shinsuke Nakamura or his title. After a break, here’s Nakamura with a quickly removed neckbrace. The fight is on and security is suddenly the most hated team in the building. Their attempt to break up the fight goes nowhere and it continues on the ramp with Nakamura kicking Joe low.

Nakamura is dragged backstage but comes right back, only to be taken back again and again. Joe walks away on his own while Nakamura fights security. The distracted Nakamura is blindsided by Joe but nails Kinshasa inside to end the show. That’s more emotion than I’ve ever seen from Nakamura and it added another gear to his awesomeness.

Overall Rating: B. It’s back to what makes NXT great as we had a show dedicated to moving things forward this week. We now have half of the second round set for the Dusty Classic, the reveal of Sanity and Nakamura returning for the showdown with Joe. This felt like a show designed to make you want to see more in the future and it worked very well in that regard. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and the storytelling more than makes up for it.

Results

Sanity b. Glorious Ten – Powerslam/suplex combo to Dillinger

Billie Kay b. Liv Morgan – Big boot

TM61 b. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss – Thunder Valley to Sabbatelli

Buddy Murphy b. Wesley Blake via DQ when Samoa Joe interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY6766K#nav-subnav

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

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