The main story coming out of last week is we’re going to get Kidd vs. Neville II after Adrian successfully defended the title at Takeover. Other than that last week was pretty much just a placeholder show until we get to the next big show around here. Even last week’s relatively meaningless show was fine though and that’s a nice thing to say about a promotion. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video of Tyson Kidd failing to win the NXT Title and thinking of himself as Natalya’s husband rather than a superstar. Then he lost and wouldn’t shake Adrian’s hand, only to request and receive a rematch last week.

Opening sequence.

Bayley/Paige/Emma vs. BFF’s

Charlotte takes Emma into the corner to start but gets shouldered in the ribs and caught in a sunset flip for two. Back up and Emma slaps the champion in the face so Charlotte drags her back into the corner for a tag off to Banks. Summer looks annoyed at not getting the tag. Charlotte is back in less than fifteen seconds later but Sasha trips up Emma to slam her face first into the apron. Emma is in trouble and we take an early break.

Back with Summer holding Emma in a chinlock before mocking the Emma Dance. Charlotte comes in again with a figure four neck lock to keep Emma in trouble. Another tag brings in Sasha who gets rolled up for two but Emma still can’t make the tag. The BFF’s make some switches in the corner sans tags as Renee seems to like Summer’s legs. All three keep taking their shots on Emma as this has been totally one sided so far.

Sasha hooks a chinlock but Emma is quickly up and avoiding a charge into the corner. The hot tag finally brings in Bayley to clean house, including a belly to belly for two on Charlotte. Everything breaks down and Charlotte gets two off a bridging rollup on Bayley. Summer accidentally distracts Charlotte though, allowing Bayley to grab a rollup for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. This was fine but I’m surprised Paige didn’t get in there to clean house a bit. Bayley getting the pin sets her up as the next challenger while also advancing the feud between the BFF’s. I love it when booking is able to cover that many things at the same time and it’s hard to do for some reason anymore.

A masked man was signed to a contract earlier in the week. He Bolieves he’ll make a great impression. JBL seems to know something is up.

The BFF’s are freaking out in the back when Alexa Bliss comes up and asks for a match with Charlotte. The champ tells her to go away which Bliss interprets as a yes.

Colin Cassady vs. Sylvester LeFort

Cassady throws him around to start but LeFort goes after the knee to take over. The fans chant USA and Colin comes back with some loud shots to the ribs. Cassady nails Sylvester again and hits the S-A-W-F-T boot and the East River Crossing gets the pin at 2:26.

Natalya says she can be out there with Tyson tonight but Kidd thinks it’s about him instead of her. The wife isn’t pleased.

Aiden English is singing about how no one knows the trouble he’s seen when a guy with a mustache comes up and offers to shake his hand. The guy won’t talk, walks off screen, does something that amazes Aiden, and comes back with a piece of the set over his shoulder. Ok then.

Sami Zayn vs. Mr. NXT

He’s the masked man from earlier and it’s clearly Bo Dallas, down to the entrance and running around the ring. Apparently he’s a Mexican gold medalist in wrestling. Sami rolls his eyes at this but gets caught in a headlock. Mr. NXT celebrates and draws a dueling YOU CAN’T FOOL US/YES HE CAN chant. Some armdrags drop the masked man and now Sami celebrates a bit. Mr. NXT comes back with elbows and says he is NOT Bo Dallas. The Bodog is countered and Sami rips the mask off to reveal Bo. Fans: BO LEAVE! The Helluva Kick gets the pin for Sami at 4:06.

Rating: C. Comedy match and there’s nothing wrong with that. Bo is great at wanting back in NXT because it’s his life and it’s totally different from his run on Raw and Smackdown. It’s also nice to see Sami get a win over a big name instead of coming so close and then losing at the last minute.

NXT Title: Tyson Kidd vs. Adrian Neville

Tyson is challenging and we get big match intros. Feeling out process to start with both guys gaining and losing quick control. Tyson grabs a top wristlock before taking him down to the mat for a hammerlock. Neville speeds things up and backdrops Tyson to the floor for a big crash. There’s the flip dive from the champion for two back inside and now it’s Neville cranking on an armbar.

We take a break and come back with Tyson holding a chinlock and drawing a NATTIE’S HUSBAND chant. Neville fights up but is quickly backdropped for two and it’s back to the chinlock. Back up again with Neville getting kicked in the ribs, only to come back with an enziguri. Adrian goes to the apron but gets kicked in the head as well, allowing Tyson to hit a top rope flip legdrop with Adrian in the ropes for three, but Adrian’s foot is in the ropes, as pointed out by Natalya (looking stunning all dolled up here).

Kidd ties him up in the Tree of Woe for some knees to the ribs and a running dropkick to the face. The Sharpshooter goes on but Neville crawls to the ropes. Kidd gets kicked in the head but still manages to break up the Red Arrow. The Blockbuster gets two so Kidd drops a top rope elbow for another near fall. Kidd is very frustrated so he goes outside and gets a chair. Natalya takes it away, allowing Neville to kick his head off and hit the Red Arrow to retain at 14:35.

Rating: B. This was a totally different kind of match than they had at Takeover and it still worked very well. This was much more about Kidd going to further and further extremes to win the title and getting caught when he went too far. Very good match here and it told a totally different story.

Natalya consoles her husband to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Set up stories one week, pay them off the next week. That’s wrestling storytelling at its finest and that’s all you need to do a lot of the time. The fact that the wrestling was good on top of all that makes things even better. The Bo Dallas stuff was funny as usual and the whole show just worked. Totally fun hour of wrestling TV.

Results
Bayley/Paige/Emma b. BFF’s – Rollup to Charlotte
Colin Cassady b. Sylvester LeFort – East River Crossing
Sami Zayn b. Mr. NXT – Helluva Kick
Adrian Neville b. Tyson Kidd – Red Arrow

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We’re starting a new cycle tonight after Takeover blew the doors off the place last week. There aren’t a ton of stories coming out of the show but the main thing was Tyson Kidd refusing to shake Adrian Neville’s hand after his loss in the NXT Title match. Kidd as a heel is an interesting idea and might lead to either a rematch with Neville or a match with Sami Zayn. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show.

Opening sequence.

Tyler Breeze has entered the building.

Mojo Rawley vs. Aiden English

Aiden sings about Mojo failing America last week. Mojo shoves him into the corner to start but English kicks him down and gets two off a running neckbreaker. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Mojo rolls out of it and kicks English in the face to take over. A Rear View takes English down and Hyperdrive gets the pin at 2:50. Nothing to see here.

We look at the Takeover post show from last week with Paul Heyman needling him a bit about the loss. Kidd seems very upset.

Natalya supports her husband.

Some Special Olympians are here.

Bayley vs. Charlotte

Non-title. The fans are entirely behind Bayley as Charlotte takes her down into a headlock. Back up and Bayley grabs an armdrag followed by another coming off the middle rope. She rolls over Charlotte on the mat in an overdone bit, only to have Charlotte nail her in the back with some hard knees for two. Charlotte tries to do the same amateur roll and looks more inept than comedic.

Off to the figure four headscissors by the champion before Bayley comes back with some weak right hands. Sasha Banks takes a right hand as well but Charlotte gets in a few shots of her own. Cue the returning Summer Rae to hug Sasha but the distraction isn’t enough to distract Charlotte as she nails Bow Down to the Queen for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C-. Not much of a match here but it was much more about the angle than anything else. I’m glad we’re actually getting some closure to the BFFs as Summer getting promoted just kind of killed the thing dead, but now we can get a blowoff match in the future to get rid of Summer for good.

The BFFs reunite and triple team Bayley until Paige and Emma make the save.

Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger talk about names.

Video on the Ascension being all dominant.

Jason Jordan/Tye Dillinger vs. Phillip Ghouljar/Stuart Cumberland

Regal loves the name Ghouljar. Fans: “LET’S GO JOBBERS!” Dillinger chops away at Cumberland to start and the chops rip the skin off his chest. Off to Ghouljar as the fans chant Charlie Haas at Dillinger. Jordan comes in and puts on a front facelock before the pretty boys drop some knees. The jobbers actually take Dillinger into the corner for a bit but he comes back with chops to Ghouljar. A not very hot tag brings in Jordan and it’s a superkick from Tye into a Jordan Slam (Angle Slam) for the pin on Cumberland at 5:50.

Rating: D+. The pretty boys are fine for a thrown together team but they still need some more wins before they fight the Ascension. They’ll be good challengers and maybe even the team that takes the belts, but more importantly they’re an actual team that can face the Ascension instead of a bunch of jobbers.

CJ Parker is in the front row with a pro-forest sign.

Summer Rae brags about her accomplishments to the BFFs.

Here’s Tyler Breeze to introduce his music video and make fun of Sami Zayn (Seth Rogen’s uglier brother) for his loss last week.

The video is just Breeze singing, but it’s dedicated to all his fans….even the uggos.

We recap Bo Dallas being thrown out of NXT two weeks ago. This gets a big song about Bo never giving up. Dallas freaking out about the fans not leaving after his loss is funny stuff.

Justin Gabriel vs. Adrian Neville

No DQ and non-title. Justin’s armbar to start goes nowhere so they run the ropes a bit with Gabriel taking over with a hurricanrana. Gabriel suckers Neville in and clotheslines him to the floor, only to have the champion clothesline him right back. A running cannonball off the apron puts Justin down and we take a break with Adrian holding an armbar.

Back with Justin hitting a running forearm in the corner followed by a floatover suplex into a double arm stretch. Neville quickly fights back and gets two off a middle rope dropkick. Justin comes back with a nice rollup for two before elbowing the champion down with ease. Adrian’s springboard is dropkicked out of the air and Justin is bleeding a bit above the eye. The 450 is rolled through and Adrian hits a running dropkick in the corner, setting up the Red Arrow for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Take two high fliers and let them go nuts out there. To be fair they didn’t really have time to get as insane as they did last week, but this was still fine for the most part. It’s kind of amazing how fast Gabriel fell, as you would think that 450 would have kept him on the main roster longer than it did.

Tyson Kidd comes out for the showdown post match. He apologizes for what he did and promises to beat Adrian next time. Tyson wants one more shot and Adrian accepts the challenge, but emphasizes that it’s the last time. Nothing physical happens to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was kind of an episode to catch their breath and set up some future stuff. Jordan and Dillinger are fine for the kind of team they’re trying to be and we have a rematch set up for the title, in addition to Tyler Breeze lurking. It’s not a great show, but there was bound to be a letdown after how awesome things were last week. Good but not excellent here.

Results
Mojo Rawley b. Aiden English– Hyperdrive
Charlotte b. Bayley – Bow Down to the Queen
Jason Jordan/Tye Dillinger b. Phillip Ghouljar/Stuart Cumberland
Adrian Neville b. Justin Gabriel – Red Arrow

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It’s the second two hour live NXT special tonight and the card looks solid. The main event is Adrian Neville defending the NXT Title against Tyson Kidd after Kidd won a triple threat a few weeks ago. Other than that we’ve got the other two titles on the line as well, with Ascension defending against Kalisto/El Local and Charlotte vs. Natalya for the vacant Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is about change, with NXT taking over the world. A Takeover you might say.

Adam Rose leads his party from outside, all the way into the arena for his match. Awesome entrance.

Adam Rose vs. Camacho

Rose is feeling rather playful as he jumps into Camacho’s arms, only to be slammed down to the mat in a hard landing. A nice butterfly suplex gets two on Adam and we hit the chinlock. The fans sing the song to get Rose back to his feet because this is the most awesome crowd in wrestling. Rose escapes and starts Hulking Up but a hard boot to the face puts him down for two. Another chinlock slows things down as the fans chant PARTY TIME. Camacho drops a leg for two but Rose fights back with left hands and a big spinebuster. A Bronco Buster sets up the Party Foul to pin Camacho at 5:10.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a great match but it was the perfect way to open up a big show. Rose is very similar to Godfather, as the matches aren’t all that impressive but he’s going to get a crowd over no matter what he’s doing. That’s a very valuable thing to have and something that should keep Rose on the main roster for a long time.

Video on Zayn vs. Camacho from Arrival and what it meant to Zayn. Sami says Tyler Breeze is a bit different kind of opponent.

Tyler Breeze has entered the building. Regal: “My night is made!”

Tag Team Titles: Kalisto/El Local vs. Ascension

Ascension is defending and their challengers have only wrestled together a few times. The champions go after the masked men to start but stereo headscissors put them on the floor. Local and Kalisto load up stereo suicide dives but charge into uppercuts to knock them back into the ring. Viktor starts by throwing Kalisto around before it’s quickly off to Konnor for a big elbow drop. A double chicken wing has Kalisto in even more trouble.

Back to Viktor who rips at Kalisto’s mask before putting him in the Tree of Woe for kicks from Konnor. They head outside to keep up the destruction but Kalisto kicks Konnor in the face and rams Viktor face first into the apron. It’s not enough for a hot tag though as Ascension takes him into the corner. Kalisto FINALLY dives over to make the tag and Local speeds things up. A middle rope moonsault gets two as everything breaks down. Viktor just ENDS Local with a running clothesline though, setting up Fall of Man for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: D+. The hot tag was a bit of an improvement but this was more of the same from Ascension. At the end of the day, they’re desperately in need of competition unless they’re brought up to the main roster to take the belts from the Usos soon. Either that or the new pretty boy team will knock them off, which isn’t the worst idea in the world.

Video on Tyler Breeze.

Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze

#1 contenders match. Breeze has new music, completely with paparazzi sounds. Tyler cranks on the wrist to start but gets taken down by a top wristlock. Zayn snaps off three very fast armdrags to take over and hooks an armbar. Back up and Sami goes to the corner, only for Tyler to grab his leg and whip Zayn all the way down to the floor. Breeze stomps away in the corner before hitting a nice bulldog into the middle buckle. Tyler’s hair is down, I believe for the first time ever in NXT.

We hit a front facelock on Sami but he finally fights up and throws Breeze off. I love the subtle things Sami does like have to try three times before shoving Tyler away. It’s a great way to build up sympathy and get the crowd behind you. Breeze heads outside so Zayn hits a huge slingshot moonsault to take him down. Back in and a high cross body gets two on Tyler followed by a wicked Blue Thunder Bomb for the same.

A frustrated Sami goes up top but has to roll through a cross body, only to charge into a kick to the ribs and a DDT for two. Tyler comes back by pulling Sami from the mat out of the corner into a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Breeze goes nuts in the corner with right hands but Sami comes back with an exploder suplex to send him into the buckles. They slug it out with some very intense BOO/YAY chants.

Sami stops himself before running into the referee and gets rolled up for two. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a series of standing switches before Tyler superkicks Sami’s head off but Zayn kicks out AGAIN. The fans are literally standing and cheering for this. Both guys are spent but it’s Breeze in control. Sami blocks an Irish whip and tries an arm trap powerbomb but the fall down in a sloppy looking sequence. That’s fine with Zayn though as he loads up a fisherman’s buster but flips Breeze forward into a powerbomb for two.

Breeze bails to the floor, allowing Sami to hit a gorgeous flip dive. The landing looked very rough though as Sami’s leg smacked Breeze in the head and knocked it into the steel ramp. Back in and Sami tries the Helluva Kick but Breeze’s head goes down, causing a low blow to Sami. Zayn falls backwards and the Beauty Shot gives Breeze the pin at 15:55.

Rating: A-. That botched sequence near the end is one of the only things holding this back. Sami is more than ready for WWE by this point but at some point he needs to get a major win in NXT. I’m fine with them not making him champion, but there’s a good chance this gets a rematch due to the ending. Breeze’s best match ever by about 10,000 miles as well.

Here are Lana and Rusev with something to say. Lana says Rusev has spread his power to Raw and Smackdown but now he’s back here receive adulation. This brings out Mojo Rawley with an American flag to stand up to this horrid villain. Rawley says in America, we don’t get hyped. WE STAY HYPED! Mojo hits the ring….and gets his head kicked into the fourth row. Rusev hammers away and Accolades Rawley in about 20 seconds. Rusev still isn’t done though as he puts on the Accolade on the ramp.

Video on Charlotte vs. Natalya, which will see both famous relatives in the corners.

Kris Kristofferson is here.

Before the match, here’s Paige to say how good it is to be home. She thanks the fans for their help in making her Divas Champion because she couldn’t do it without them. Paige is also proud to be the first NXT Women’s Champion but tonight is about a new champion. Whoever that is has to have strength, character and grace because she’s the key to the future. Holding the Women’s Title is the key to the Divas Title, so enjoy the rest of the show.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Natalya

This is a tournament final for the vacant championship. Charlotte has a remixed Ric Flair theme song and it’s really not working. After some big match intros, we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start as the legends play cheerleaders. Natalya takes her down by the arm but gets caught in a headscissors. Back up and Natalya grabs the headlock as well. That goes nowhere either so they fight over wristlocks until Charlotte grabs an armbar.

Natalya does the Owen Hart roll out and grabs a leg lock to take over. Back up again and Natalya takes her right back down with another leg tie. Charlotte reaches around to grab a chinlock which goes into a front facelock. They hit the ropes for a bit with Natalya countering a wheelbarrow slam into a cradle for two. Natalya grabs a body scissors but Charlotte rolls to the ropes to avoid a cross armbreaker.

Charlotte gets tired of submission stuff and slaps Natalya in the face. A BIG chop puts Natalya down and Ric loses his mind going WOO. Natalya tries a sleeper but gets caught in an over the shoulder Stunner for two. Charlotte slams the Canadian’s face into the mat over and over before choking in the corner a bit. Off to a figure four headlock complete with Madison Rayne’s face ram into the mat.

Back up and it’s off to an abdominal stretch on Natalya, albeit not a very good one. Natalya reverses into a much better one and even grabs Charlotte’s leg for good measure. Charlotte rolls out and hits a low dropkick for two. Natalya fights back with power and a low dropkick of her own, followed by a whip into the corner for a Flair Flip. They head outside with Charlotte whipping Natalya off the apron by the leg. Back in and Charlotte goes up, only to miss a moonsault.

A discus lariat gets two for Natalya and the Sharpshooter goes on, but Charlotte rolls out and puts on the Figure Four. Natalya somehow reverses the pressure without turning the hold over and Charlotte crawls to the apron. She falls to the floor with the hold still on and both girls are in trouble. Natalya is sent knee first into the steps and it’s back inside for a bad Sharpshooter (complete with a glare at Bret) but Natalya rolls through, only to be kicked away from the Sharpshooter. Charlotte hits Bow Down To The Queen out of nowhere for the pin and the title at 16:55.

Rating: B+. Who would have thought THIS would be awesome? Charlotte has somehow become awesome in like two months and more than held her own out there. It was hard to imagine Natalya winning here but it was still an absolutely awesome match between two wrestlers who happen to be girls.

They shake hands post match, as do Ric and Bret for a nice moment.

Video on Neville’s rise to the top of NXT and his match with Kidd tonight.

Cesaro and Christian are here.

Kidd and Natalya are ready.

NXT Title: Tyson Kidd vs. Adrian Neville

Neville is defending. Big match intros are done and we’re ready to go. They shake hands and talk trash to each other until Tyson takes him down with a headlock. Adrian spins up and Tyson shoves him down to annoy the champion. Back up and this time it’s Adrian taking Kidd down and into the ropes for another staredown. The champion grabs an armbar (Fans: “ARMBAR! ARMBAR!”) but Kidd is quickly up and things get faster. Neville flips over to escape a backdrop but Kidd does the same, leading to another staredown. This time though Kidd blasts him in the face and kicks away, giving us a mid match heel turn.

Kidd puts him into the Tree of Woe before lifting him up for a kick to the back. A running dropkick has Adrian in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Neville fights up but Kidd sends him to the floor and hits a big flip dive for two back inside. Adrian is back up again and they hit cross bodies at the same time to put both guys down. Now they trade kicks to the ribs but Adrian hits a sliding kick to the head to take over. Now it’s Kidd put in the Tree of Woe for the same kind of kicks that he threw earlier.

A running delayed dropkick knocks Kidd senseless but it’s only good for two and the champion is getting frustrated. Kidd comes back with a pair of kicks to the head but Adrian kicks out at two. Tyson goes up but Neville blocks the Blockbuster with a forearm to the jaw. Adrian’s superplex is countered into a powerbomb but Adrian flips out and hits a sitout powerbomb for two.

Adrian loads up what looked to be a Lionsault press but Kidd runs at the ropes for a middle rope Russian legsweep for a close two. Kidd dives into knees but gets rolled up for another near fall. The champion tries a suplex but they both fall over the top rope and crash to the floor. Both guys slide in to beat the count and they’re spent.

Kidd loads up the Sharpshooter but leans forward to put on the Dungeon Lock (instead of turning over he grabs Adrian’s arm and leans back for a choke with a leg lock). Adrian is in the ropes, so Kidd ties him up in those ropes for a top rope flip legdrop and two. Kidd loads up the Blockbuster but Adrian counters into a gorgeous top rope hurricanrana. Kidd is almost out cold and the Red Arrow is enough to keep the title in England at 20:00.

Rating: A-. Take two guys and let them fly around the ring for a long time. Again, Kidd winning wasn’t likely at all but that doesn’t mean he can’t go out there and tear the house down like he just did. Neville is getting a huge star rub, even though he doesn’t seem to be the longest term solution as champion.

Kidd very slowly gets up but won’t shake hands.

Overall Rating: A. This was an AWESOME show with three incredible matches out of five with the other two not being bad at all. NXT continues to be the most outstanding wrestling promotion going right now with nothing but great matches and shows almost every week. It’s amazing how this doesn’t translate all that well up to WWE though, as the scripting of everything stops so much of the momentum that NXT has due to people just going out there and tearing the house down. Excellent show, just like Arrival.

Results
Adam Rose b. Camacho – Party Foul
Ascension b. El Local/Kalisto – Fall of Man to Local
Tyler Breeze b. Sami Zayn – Beauty Shot
Charlotte b. Natalya – Bow Down to the Queen
Adrian Neville b. Tyson Kidd – Red Arrow
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We’re two weeks away from Takeover and the main story coming into tonight is finding a challenger for Adrian Neville’s NXT Title. Last week, Tyson Kidd, Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn tied in a battle royal, setting up a triple threat for the show this week. My guess is the two losers will face off at Takedown as well. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the battle royal and the three winners.

Roar of the Crowd.

Ascension vs. Buddy Murphy/Elias Samson

Non-title. The announcers talk about the tag team initiative, meaning a lot of new teams will be formed. Again, NXT has a problem and they do something to solve it. Murphy gets things going and the beating is on in a hurry. Samson never even makes it into the ring as a series of clotheslines, forearms and stomps set up the Fall of Man to Murphy for the pin at 1:30.

Post match Ascension says bring them someone new to destroy. This brings out El Local and Kalisto to make a challenge for Takeover. A LUCHA chant starts up and Ascension seems to like the idea.

Sami Zayn says this is his chance to redeem himself and get one step closer to the NXT Title. It won’t be easy but he’ll do whatever it takes to reach his goal.

NXT Womens Title Tournament Semifinals: Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

Charlotte gets caught in a quick rollup for two but comes back with a clothesline for a pair of two counts. We hit a modified abdominal stretch from Charlotte but Bliss counters into another rollup for two. Charlotte slams her face first into the mat and it’s back to the stretch, only to have Bliss reverse into a sunset flip for another near fall. Bliss is bent over Charlotte’s knee for a few moments before Bow Down To The Queen (the flipping facebuster) is good for the pin at 5:00.

Result: Charlotte b. Alexa Bliss – Bow Down To The Queen (5:00)

Tyler Breeze is ready to win because he’s fighting two ugly Canadians.

Mojo Rawley vs. Aiden English

English sings about how proper he is before Rawley throws him around after the bell. He hits a few football tackles to put the proper one down and English looks shaken up. Rawley chases him into the ropes but gets caught coming in, allowing English to take over. Ascension vs. Kalisto/El Local is official for Takedown. A DDT gets two on Mojo and we hit a quickly broken chinlock. Mojo fights up and hits some splashes in the corner, setting up Hyperdrive for the pin at 3:32.

Result: Mojo Rawley b. Aiden English – Hyperdrive (3:32)

Tyson Kidd wants to win here to make himself a bigger deal in NXT.  He’s the leader of the pack in NXT and will be its champion.

Big Cass vs. Angelo Dawkins

It’s a new name for Cassidy this week. Cass hammers Dawkins into the corner as CJ Parker comes out to ringside with a recycling sign. It doesn’t matter much as Cass stays on offense as we’re firmly in squash territory here. A big slam gets two but Dawkins gets an elbow up in the corner. Dawkins hits a nice dropkick but gets caught by a knee to the jaw. The S-A-W-F-T Forearm sets up a spinning Rock Bottom (East River Crossing) for the pin on Angelo at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Total squash here but man alive I hope Parker doesn’t get another feud anytime soon. Cass is a guy with some talent but he needs a wingman like Enzo to keep things interesting. The name change helps as Colin isn’t exactly the most intimidating name in the world.

Bo Dallas shows JBL a stack of letters from fans who say he should get another title shot. The fans on his hotline think he should get another as well. JBL thinks it should be a gamble though. How about this: if Dallas wins his next match, he gets a title shot. If he loses, he’s gone from NXT forever. JBL gives him FIVE guesses who the opponent is.

Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd

Winner gets the shot at Neville in two weeks. The fans chant for Yoshi Tatsu of all people but settle down for the bell. Kidd takes over to start and hits a running kick to both heads. Sami and Breeze send Tyson to the floor before brawling in the corner. Tyson is back in now but has to break up a cover on Sami after the Beauty Shot as we take a break.

Back with Sami on the floor and Kidd charging into Breeze’s boot in the corner. Kidd is quickly back up but Breeze is in the ropes to avoid the Sharpshooter. The fans want Yoshi but get Tyler stopping a dive with a forearm to the head. Sami dives on Breeze instead and gets two off a high cross body to Kidd. Breeze escapes the Blue Thunder Bomb but the second attempt works a bit better for two.

Sami takes a lot of time in the middle of the ring for some reason before grabbing Breeze for an exploder suplex. Kidd grabs Sami for a German suplex at the same time and all three are down. Breeze falls to the floor so the good guys can slug it out. Kidd slaps on the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring but Breeze makes the save. Breeze gets suplexed into the corner for two for Kidd. Sami can’t hit the tornado DDT on Tyler but Kidd’s Blockbuster attempt is broken up. The Helluva Kick takes Breeze down but Kidd throws Sami outside, setting up a top rope elbow to Breeze to send Tyson to Takeover at 11:33.

Rating: C+. There was a bit too much laying around but this was one of the matches that didn’t have a bad option. Kidd is a good choice for a title shot as he could take the title but will get at least a solid match no matter what. Breeze was in a bit over his head but he certainly wasn’t bad out there.

Sami is stunned as Kidd celebrates.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, NXT is capable of pulling a rabbit out of its hat without hurting the ears at all. This took care of a lot of the issues the show has been having lately, including giving us a tag team to fight Ascension. No they’re not all that established, but at least there’s someone instead of two jobbers. That and Bo Dallas should be written off TV to go to WWE full time. What more can you ask for?

Results
Ascension b. Buddy Murphy/Elias Samson – Fall of Man to Murphy
Charlotte b. Alexa Bliss – Bow Down To The Queen
Mojo Rawley b. Aiden English – Hyperdrive
Big Cass b. Angelo Dawkins – East River Crossing
Tyson Kidd b. Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze – Top rope elbow to Breeze

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We’re getting closer to the next live special which has been announced for the end of May. That makes me think we’re going to get done with Brodus challenging Adrian for the title soon as he feels like little more than a placeholder challenger. Other than that it’s hard to see what’s coming as NXT jumps around a lot. We should be getting Sami vs. Graves soon though. Let’s get to it.

We open with Paige in the back with both titles. She runs into NXT GM JBL though and he has to strip her of the NXT Women’s Title because of the schedule that comes with being Divas Champion. Paige protests but JBL has already set up a tournament for the title. He says hopefully someone will be able to step up and reach her level and that’s enough for her to hand the title over.

Opening sequence.

Alexander Rusev vs. Travis Tyler

Tyler hits a quick dropkick and is promptly run over with a clothesline. The knees to the back set up a fall away slam (looked more like a Samoan drop) and some hard elbows to the chest are good for two. Rusev hits his slam and wins with the Accolade in 1:35.

We go backstage as Adam Rose’s party brings him in for an interview. Rose thinks Camacho is boring and would love to fight him anytime. The party dances and shouts that they’re Rosebuds.

BFFs vs. Emma/Paige

Paige is a mystery partner and her entrance is cut for some reason. Emma runs over Sasha to start before it’s off to Charlotte who takes a monkey flip for two. A double suplex gets two more on Charlotte but she cranks on the ankle to take over. Paige throws Charlotte down by the hair and brings Emma in again but Charlotte flips out of another monkey flip. Sasha comes in off a blind tag and runs Emma down to take over.

Back to Charlotte for a figure four neck lock, complete with a forward roll to slam Emma down onto the mat. Emma avoids an elbow drop and it’s a double tag to Paige and Banks. The champ cleans house and hits a running dropkick until Charlotte takes out the knee. Everything breaks down and Charlotte hits her flipping faceplant for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: C-. Not a bad match here but I don’t get why you need Paige to get pinned when she’s already been stripped of the title. This would seem to point to Charlotte as the next champion. That’s fine in theory, but wouldn’t it make more sense to have her beat Paige with Sasha’s help if they’re ok with Paige getting pinned?

Tyson Kidd vs. Mason Ryan

The Better Than Batista chants begin as Mason shoves Kidd away with ease. Mason doesn’t seem to be a heel here. Kidd kicks away at the legs to little effect as Ryan slams him down. A legdrop gets two on Kidd but he takes out the knees again to take over. Off to a front facelock until Mason powers up and hits a Warrior press slam drop for two. Mason charges into a boot in the corner though and the Blockbuster gives Tyson the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C-. It’s just a power vs. speed match but Kidd is fun to watch and Mason did a decent enough job as a guy for Kidd to bounce off of. I’ve always liked the Blockbuster as a finisher and it’s a good move for a guy that can pull off a good flip like Kidd. This was more entertaining than I was expecting.

Tyson says this is his rebirth and says he’ll brawl when people want to fight and soar when people want to fly. NXT is the opportunity people have been wanting and he’s taking his shot.

Tyler Breeze vs. Angelo Dawkins

Dawkins looks like JTG but also has headphones and a backpack. He also dances a lot because that’s what wrestlers do anymore. Dawkins is a former amateur wrestling champion and takes Breeze down with a quick rollup for two but Breeze slaps on a chinlock to take over. Some right hands set up the Beauty Shot and Tyler gets the pin at 2:00.

We look at Brodus Clay jumping Adrian Neville in the back after their match last week and knocking out some of his teeth.

Corey Graves/Ascension vs. Usos/Sami Zayn

Jimmy uppercuts Viktor down to start before it’s off to Zayn vs. Graves. Corey circles around but tags off to Konnor instead of getting involved. It’s back to Graves almost immediately and the brawl is on again. Viktor sneaks back in off a blind tag and kicks Sami’s knee to take over. Sami drags him back into the corner though and Jey comes in with some chops.

A pair of elbows get two on Viktor and he makes the mistake of ramming their heads together. It sends the Usos into a dance sequence and a double right hand drops Viktor again. Sami comes back in with a top rope shot to the shoulder and it’s OLE time. Jey drops an elbow to the arm but allows the tag to Konnor who nails the flapjack as we take a break.

Back with Konnor running Jey over again and getting two off a hard elbow to the face. We hit the chinlock until Graves comes in with a gordbuster for two. Off to another chinlock into a front facelock with Graves driving Jey into the corner for a tag off to Viktor. Jey and Viktor trade chops with the power guy getting the better of it for two. Back to the chinlock for a bit until Jey slams him down but Konnor breaks up the tag attempt. Jey finally escapes and brings in Jimmy to clean house as everything breaks down.

Jimmy kicks Graves in the face and Sami gets two off a top rope cross body. The running boot in the corner is countered but the Blue Thunder Bomb is good for two. A double clothesline puts the Ascension on the floor and there’s the boot in the corner to Graves. Sami and Jimmy dive on Ascension as Jey hits the Superfly Splash for the pin on Graves at 12:30 shown of 16:00.

Rating: B-. I liked this one quite a bit with Sami FINALLY getting a win that means something, even though he didn’t get the pin. I also like that they didn’t have the Ascension take the fall which leaves a door open for Ascension vs. Usos down the line. Good stuff here and hopefully this ends Sami vs. Corey.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a bigger show than it was with the main event being a highlight. We’re setting up Neville vs. Clay II, a tournament, a new guy looking good in Tyson Kidd and wrapping up Sami vs. Graves. That’s quite a good piece of work for under fifty three minutes, which is where NXT gets to shine. Fun and solid show this week that felt like the NXT of old.

Results
Alexander Rusev b. Travis Tyler – Accolade
BFFs b. Paige/Emma – Flipping faceplant to Paige
Tyson Kidd b. Mason Ryan – Blockbuster
Tyler Breeze b. Angelo Dawkins – Beauty Shot
Usos/Sami Zayn b. Corey Graves/Ascension – Superfly Splash to Graves

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Opening sequence.

Emma vs. Sasha Banks

Video on Mojo Rawley.

John Vandal/Jack Hurley vs. Ascension

Tyler Breeze has entered the building.

Xavier Woods vs. Brodus Clay

Brodus has new music and is all thuggish now, which fits him far better than the funk stuff. Xavier hits a quick dropkick to start and kicks Brodus down to the mat. Not that it matters as Brodus pops back up and hits a quick t-bone suplex to take over. Brodus even busts out an old school Heart Punch and another suplex for two. We hit the nerve hold for a few moments before Woods fights back with chops and kicks to the head. A Shining Wizard gets two for Xavier but Clay shrugs it off and drills Woods with a powerbomb (“BETTER THAN BATISTA!”, setting up a middle rope splash for the pin on Woods at 3:09.

Tyler Breeze vs. Yoshi Tatsu

Breeze is wearing Guatemalan Alpaca boots made by a hunchback hermit. He hammers away on Yoshi to start and kicks him in the back for an early two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Tyler takes his head off with a forearm. The Beauty Shot is good for the pin at 1:43.

Graves tells a story about an underdog going into the woods and getting caught in a bear trap. The wolves came out and devoured him, just like Corey will do to Zayn tonight.

Video on Paige.

Corey Graves vs. Sami Zayn

Sami is all shaken as he swings at air and Graves takes him back down into another chinlock. The referee checks on Sami before Graves pounds at his head even more. Off to chinlock #3 which the fans say they love. Zayn gets up again and grabs a rollup for two, only to get caught in a wheelbarrow facebuster. A backbreaker gets two for Graves but he charges into an exploder suplex into the corner.

Sami yells at the referee to end the show.

Results

Emma b. Sasha Banks – Emma Lock

Ascension b. John Vandal/Jack Hurley – Fall of Man to Vandal

Brodus Clay b. Xavier Woods – Middle rope splash

Tyler Breeze b. Yoshi Tatsu – Beauty Shot

Corey Graves b. Sami Zayn via referee stoppage\

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We open with a recap of Arrival where Neville won the NXT Title in a ladder match and Bo Dallas challenging for a rematch.

Opening sequence.

CJ Parker vs. Mojo Rawley

Parker freaks out post match.

We look back at Corey Graves attacking Sami Zayn last week and see Sami getting a concussion test.

Tyler Breeze vs. Xavier Woods

Woods looks ticked off coming to the ring. Feeling out process to start until Woods grabs a headlock and takes Breeze down with a headscissors. A catapult sends Breeze into the corner for two but he nails Woods with a forearm for two of his own. Woods gets all fired up but Tyler avoids the Honor Roll. He tries snake eyes on Tyler but Breeze escapes and hits the Beauty Shot for the pin at 3:53.

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Corey Graves

Corey tells Sami to stay down.

Natalya vs. Charlotte

NXT Title: Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville

Neville is defending. Bo tries some fast pins but Neville gets out, sending Dallas running to the corner. Dallas whips Neville across the ring but the champion flips forward and hits a middle rope dropkick. Bo heads outside but Neville takes him down with a BIG dive. Neville loads up another dive but gets shoved to the floor to give Bo an opening. A hard clothesline drops Neville again and Bo takes him inside for some knee drops.

Results

Mojo Rawley b. CJ Parker – Hyperdrive

Tyler Breeze b. Xavier Woods – Beauty Shot

Corey Graves b. Yoshi Tatsu – Lucky 13

Natalya b. Charlotte via DQ when Sasha Banks interfered

Adrian Neville b. Bo Dallas – Reverse 450

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Welcome Home.

Paul Heyman, Bret Hart and Diesel will be doing an NXT Kickoff show on the Network next week.

Ascension vs. Mike Lebosca/Casey Marion

Non-title. Viktor runs over Mike to start and gets two off a hard clothesline. Off to Konnor for a double powerbomb and the Fall of Man is good for the pin on Marion at 1:21.

Tyler Breeze is officially in the building.

Summer Rae vs. Emma

Tyler Breeze is NOT cool with Adrian Neville being the face of NXT.

Before the break we got an Elimination Chamber ad. When we come back, we get a video on Elimination Chamber. You can see the yellow and black turning red before your eyes.

Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze

Feeling out process to start until Breeze stomps him down in the corner and scores with a running dropkick. Before he follows up though, time for a quick picture. Neville comes back with kicks to the ribs and a ram into the buckle as Tensai talks about ladder matches, name dropping Jeff Hardy and the Dudley Boys. A running uppercut in the corner puts Breeze down but Neville walks around instead of covering. Breeze misses a dropkick and gets kicked to the floor, setting up a big dive as we take a break.

Results

Ascension b. Mike Lebosca/Casey Marion – Fall of Man to Marion

Emma b. Summer Rae – Emma Lock

Adrian Neville b. Tyler Breeze – Red Arrow

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Mike Cuellari/John Ikerino vs. Ascension

Corey Graves vs. Camacho

Cesaro says another match with Sami Zayn would be a waste of his time.

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Colin Cassady vs. Tyler Breeze

CJ Parker vs. The Miz

Regal: “Miz reminds me of Kermit without the talent.” Miz avoids a right hand and slaps Parker in the face to start. Parker scores with some chops but Miz clotheslines him down. Regal explains what chops do to you as Parker comes back with chops of his own. Phillips: “You know what you do when someone chops you. You chop them back!” Regal: “Really? I used to scream.” Miz hits a very nice dropkick to send Parker to the floor and a baseball slid puts Parker down again.

Sami Zayn wants Cesaro to say no to his face next week.

Danny Birch vs. Bo Dallas

Birch takes a knee into the ribs to start and an elbow to the head for good measure. Dallas keeps staring at Neville as he drives in even more elbows to the side of the head. Birch comes back with some right hands but Bo blasts him in the face to put him right back down. A double arm DDT is enough to pin Danny at 2:22.

Bo signs the contract and decks Neville, triggering a brawl to end the show. The fan were very oddly quiet during the brawl.

Results

Ascension b. Mike Cuellari/John Ikerino – Fall of Man to Ikerino

Corey Graves b. Camacho – Lucky 13

Tyler Breeze b. Colin Cassady – Beauty Shot

The Miz b. CJ Parker – Figure Four

Bo Dallas b. Danny Birch – Double arm DDT

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Welcome Home.

Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze

Fallout from the lumberjack match a month ago when Breeze cost Neville the title. Tyler grabs a headlock to start but Neville runs him over with a shoulder block to send Tyler to the floor. Neville teases a dive but backflips into the middle of the ring and waits on Breeze. Back in and Neville sends him face first into the buckle, drawing a NOT IN THE FACE chant. Instead Adrian kicks him in the chest, followed up by some loud chops. Neville heads to the apron but gets caught by a springboard dropkick as we take a break.

Back with Tyler holding Neville in a chinlock as Adrian fights up. Tyler takes him down again but stops for a quick photo op. Neville uses the breather to snap off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to get himself a breather. A spinning kick to the ribs sets up a running dropkick to the head for two as Breeze is in trouble. Neville loads up a springboard dropkick but Breeze dropkicks him out of the air for two of his own. Good stuff so far.

CJ Parker vs. Jason Jordan

Bo Dallas vs. Mojo Rawley

Kofi Kingston vs. Alexander Rusev

Back up and more shots to the ribs have Kofi in trouble but he sidesteps a charging Bulgarian and sends him to the floor. Kofi misses a baseball slide but scores with a clothesline off the steps as we take a break. We come back with Kofi having a chinlock broken up but managing to avoid a charge. Kofi pounds away in the corner but Rusev counters into a powerbomb for two. The fans chant FEED ME MORE at Rusev before changing over to GOLDBERG.

Rusev drops some elbows and headbutts before going back to the nerve hold. Now the fans start doing the wave as Kofi fights back with chops and a dropkick, only to have his cross body caught in midair. Rusev, still holding Kofi, drives knees into the ribs before trying a Samoan drop but Kofi rolls him up for two. Kingston avoids a charge in the corner and kicks Rusev in the face, but his top rope cross body is caught again, setting up the Samoan drop for two.

Kofi dodges another charge, though this time Rusev puts on the brakes because he actually learns during his matches. The SOS gets two and some hard kicks to the face have Rusev in more trouble. Rusev comes back with a clothesline but Kofi hits his jumping clothesline to take him down again. The Boom Drop connects and after a distraction from Lana, Trouble in Paradise is enough to pin Rusev at 12:09 shown of 15:39.

Results

Adrian Neville b. Tyler Breeze – Red Arrow

CJ Parker b. Jason Jordan – Third Eye

Bo Dallas b. Mojo Rawley – Rollup with a handful of trunks

Kofi Kingston b. Alexander Rusev – Trouble in Paradise

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