This week’s episode of AEW Rampage and next week’s episode of Dark: Elevation were taped before and after tonight’s Dynamite at the Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can see results of matches that were taped below.
9/10/21 Rampage results:
Andrade defeated PAC. Andrade turned on Chavo Guerrero after the match.
Sting and Darby Allin had a promo segment where they were attacked by Shawn Spears and Tully Blanchard.
Ruby Soho, Kris Statlander and Riho defeated AEW World Women’s Champion Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter and Rebel
Brian Pillman Jr. defeated “Platinum” Max Caster
9/13/21 Dark: Elevation results:
Emi Sakura defeated Queen Aminata
Frankie Kazarian defeated local talent
Hikaru Shida defeated Neveah
Penelope Ford (with The Bunny) defeated local talent
The Butcher & The Blade defeated The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd)
Jade Cargill defeated Shawna Reed
Tay Conti & Anna Jay defeated local talent
Daniel Garcia defeated Lee Moriarty. Tony Khan offered Lee Moriarty a contract afterwards.
Nyla Rosa defeated Skye Blue
AEW will hold Dynamite and tape Rampage next week at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The following are AEW Rampage spoilers for this week’s show, which will air on TNT this Friday. The show was taped after Dynamite, which took place at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This will be the first taped episode of Rampage.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetekounmpo made an appearance for the live crowd.
The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) defeated Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Tournament finals. The Lucha Bros will now face The Young Bucks in a Steel Cage match at All Out for the AEW World Tag Team titles.
The Bunny defeated Tay Conti. Penelope Ford came to ringside shortly before the finish and signaled an alliance between herself and The Bunny.
Impact World Champion Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian defeated AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Brandon Cutler. This was said to have a ton of comedy spots from Brandon Cutler.
Next week’s episode of Rampage will air live on TNT next Friday at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
NXT taped Monday night at the Capitol Wrestling Center for the show that will air on Tuesday. Additionally, two weeks’ worth of 205 Live was taped. PWInsider reported the following:
205 Live for August 27:
Grayson Waller defeated Andre Chase. Drake Maverick was on commentary for the opening match.
Ikemen Jiro defeated Trey Baxter. Jiro won after countering a springboard 450 splash with a small package.
September 3:
Amari Miller defeated Cora Jade.
Joe Gacy defeated Josh Briggs.
NXT for August 24:
Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes started the show with a celebration over Grimes’ victory at TakeOver 36.
Ridge Holland (with Pete Dunne) defeated Timothy Thatcher (with Tomasso Ciampa). Holland won the match following the Northern Grit. There was a brawl between all four men after the match. Oney Lorcan and a returning Danny Burch then came out to aid Dunne and Holland.
Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis announced that their wedding would take place on the September 14 edition of NXT.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin. Catanzaro and Carter won with a neckbreaker/450 splash combination.
Raquel Gonzalez cut a promo backstage, mentioning Kay Lee Ray. Frankie Monet, Robert Stone, and Jessi Kamea then appeared, talking about taking the NXT Women’s Championship away from Gonzalez.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Valentina Feroz.
New NXT Champion Samoa Joe entered the ring for a promo, talking about his victory at TakeOver. He wondered who his first challenger would be. Pete Dunne, LA Knight, and Kyle O’Reilly came out. Ridge Holland attacked O’Reilly, leading to a brawl. Ciampa came out to attack Dunne and Holland, with Joe and Ciampa staring down Dunne and Holland as they retreated.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones to win the NXT Breakout tournament. Hayes pinned Jones with a jacknife pin. Hayes was interviewed after the match and told William Regal that it was too soon to decide what title he wants to compete for, saying for now he wants to celebrate his victory.
In a backstage promo, Pete Dunne said Thatcher is now on the shelf and Ciampa is next.
Xyon Quinn defeated Boa (with Mei Ying). Boa was pinned after he was distracted by Mei Ying.
Backstage, Johnny Gargano tells William Regal he wants the wedding called off. LA Knight enters and all three start yelling at one another.
Malcolm Bivens cuts a promo with Roderick Strong in the background. Bivens says Strong is the uncrowned Cruiserweight champion and will hold an open challenge for next week’s show.
A match between Ridge Holland and Tomasso Ciampa was also announced for next week.
Legado del Fantasma defeated Hit Row in a six-man tag match. Santos Escobar pinned Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott. Towards the end of the match, B-Fab attacked Escobar while the referee was distracted. An unidentified woman came out and attacked B-Fab with a weapon.
Here are spoilers from today’s NXT UK tapings in Coventry, England:
– Dark Match: Ilja Dragunov defeated Ashton Smith
Dragunov pinned Smith with the Torpedo Moscow.
Johnny Saint started the tapings by announcing a WWE UK title match between WALTER and Pete Dunne for NXT TakeOver: New York.
– Tyler Bate defeated James Drake.
– Jordan Devlin defeated Dee Moloney.
Kassius Ohno came out and read a an apology off his phone to Ashton Smith, who he attacked at yesterday’s tapings.
– Rhea Ripley defeated Xia Brookside
After the match, Ripley cut a promo saying that she is the most dominant woman in all of NXT UK. The debuting Piper Niven (aka Viper) came out to dispute that as the two had a staredown.
– Mark Andrews and Noam Dar ended in a no contest
The referee held up the X sign and the match was stopped after a reverse rana. Dar looks like he injured his knee. Andrews was also stretchered out.
Pete Dunne and WALTER came out for a contract signing. Dunne says he wants the match as much as everyone in the building does.
– Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan defeated Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel.
– Kay Lee Ray defeated Isla Dawn.
– Joe Coffey defeated Trent Seven.
Coffey submitted Seven.
– Travis Banks defeated Kassius Ohno.
– Piper Niven defeated Killer Kelly
After the match, Rhea Ripley came out. Niven invited her to the ring, but Ripley didn’t oblige and left.
– Joseph Conners defeated Jack Starz.
Grizzled Young Veterans came out and acknowledged that Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams have a NXT UK team title shot in the future.
– Toni Storm defeated Jinny to retain the NXT UK women’s title
Storm pinned Jinny with the Storm Zero to retain the title.
Impact Wrestling closed their set of tapings with night two at Fronton Mexico in Mexico City on Saturday. Here’s what happened on night one if you missed it.
X-Division Champion Rich Swann defeated El Hijo del Vikingo in a non-title match
This was a great, must-see match and a great showing for Hijo del Vikingo, who got a big reaction from the crowd. Swann pinned Vikingo after a 450 Splash.
After the match, oVe came out to confront Swann. Sami Callihan talked about the history between he and Swann, saying that he was always there for him, more than his family, and so Swann owed everything he had achieved to him. Callihan offered Swann to join oVe, but he rejected the invitation.
There was no clear interference from either Grace or Yung, but the finish saw Grace take out Yung, distracting Allie who left her guard down for Hogan to roll her up for the win.
Trey Miguel (w/The Rascalz) defeated Rohit Raju (w/Raj Singh and Gama Singh)
This was an action packed match that got a good amount of time. Miguel got a better reception from the fans and won with a top rope meterora.
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie defeated Tessa Blanchard in a street fight to retain
These two women went out there looking to give it their all. The spots in the match were not particularly violent in nature, but looked brutal live. There was a big board in the ring that they were not able to break even after a second spear against it. The finish saw Valkyrie hit a double foot stomp from the top rope onto Blanchard, who laid on a table. The crowd reacted well to the weapon spots and were behind the champ.
Willie Mack defeated Ethan Page
In a short match, Mack pinned Page after a stunner.
Impact Champion Johnny Impact defeated Moose, Killer Kross, and Brian Cage in a four-way match to retain
This was another great must-see match with four big dudes going all out. The fnish saw Impact hit Starship Pain on Moose while Cage hit the Drill Claw on Kross, but Impact covered Moose a second earlier so he won the match. Cage and Impact faced off afterward.
Psycho Clown defeated Fallah Bahh
Like on Friday, the reaction to Psycho Clown wasn’t favorable. He won with La Magistral.
Sami Callihan defeated Puma King
King had a great reaction from the fans, while Callihan was a heat machine. Callihan pinned Puma King after a piledriver in a great match with a lot of time.
Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards defeated The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz)
The finish saw Drake hit the Gravy Train on Xavier after hitting him with Edwards’ kendo stick behind the referee’s back. After the match, Edwards complained to Drake about using the stick to win. Edwards brought out the stick to begin with, so I’m guessing he was just jealous someone else used it.
Lucha Brothers (Pentagon and Fenix) defeated LAX (w/Konnan) to become the new Impact World Tag Team Champions
The Lucha Bros got a big match entrance with Chinese dragon dancers. This was about as good as the Homecoming match, if not slightly better. The crowd was hot for the Lucha Bros, and when some fans started an ‘Impact Wrestling’ chant, the Cero Miedo chant would overtake it. The finish saw Pentagon pin Santana with the spike Fear Factor, while Fenix hit a Tope con Giro on Ortiz on the outside.
After the match, all four men embraced.
The show ended with all the babyfaces coming out to celebrate with the Lucha Brothers. They got an ‘Impact Wrestling’ chant going, and stayed for a while taking pictures with the fans and high-fiving all around.
Xplosion Tapings —
Fallah Bahh defeated Raj Singh (w/Gama Singh)
Bahh was really over with the crowd and pinned Raj after a Banzai Drop.
Jordynne Grace defeated Su Yung
Grace pinned Yung after a Pumphandle Half Nelson Driver.
Here are results from NXT UK’s second night of action in Plymouth.
Triple H came out and introduced NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint. They unveiled the new NXT UK tag team titles.
Mark Coffey and Wolfgang defeated Ashton Smith and Ligero
– Coffey pinned Smith.
Joseph Conners defeated Jack Starz.
Jinny defeated Xia Brookside.
James Drake and Zack Gibson cut a promo in the ring. The gist of it was wanting a shot at the NXT UK tag team titles.
Dave Mastiff defeated Eddie Dennis.
Jordan Devlin defeated Mike Hitchman.
Moustache Mountain defeated Tyson T-Bone and Saxon Huxley
– Trent Seven pinned Huxley.
Rhea Ripley defeated Isla Dawn to retain the NXT UK Women’s title.
Toni Storm defeated Charlie Morgan.
James Drake and Zack Gibson defeated Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews
– Gibson made Andrews submit after Fabian Aichner came in to interfere. Aichner continued to beat down on Andrews until Webster made the save.
Nina Samuels defeated Killer Kelly.
Joe Coffey defeated Travis Banks.
– After the match, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang ran in for the attack. Moustache Mountain came in and ended up turning into a six man tag, which may end up being a dark match.
Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and Travis Banks defeated Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang.
– Pete Dunne came out following a ref bump. HBK came out as the new referee and counted the pin.
After the match, all of the heels were laid out by HBK’s sweet chin music. Dunne made a speech as everyone posed together, closing out the show.
The NXT UK brand taped more episodes of their television show tonight in Plymouth, England. Here are the results:
– Eddie Ryan defeated Saxon Huxley in a dark match
Ryan scored the win following a roll up.
The Coffey Brothers, along with Wolfgang, cut a promo saying that NXT UK is their kingdom. Travis Banks came out to interrupt but was overpowered. Moustache Mountain came in for the save.
– Fabian Aichner defeated Mark Andrews
Fabian pinned Andrews after a spinning powerbomb.
– Isla Dawn defeated Nina Samuels.
– Eddie Dennis defeated Tucker
Dennis got the win after a modified sidewalk slam.
– Jordan Devlin defeated Morgan Webster.
– Joseph Connors defeated Dan Moloney.
– Dave Mastiff defeated Mike Hitchman
Mastiff got the win over Hitchman after a somersault into the turnbuckle.
– Ligero defeated Tyson T. Bone
Ligero won following a splash off the top rope.
– Rhea Ripley defeated Candy Floss
Ripley defeated Floss with a pump handle powerbomb.
– Travis Banks defeated Wolfgang
The Coffey brothers got involved during the match, but Moustache Mountain hit the ring to even the odds, allowing Banks to score the win over Wolfgang.
– Morgan Webster defeated Fabian Aichner
Webster reversed a roll up for the win.
– Isla Dawn defeated Killer Kelly.
After the match, Isla Dawn was interviewed and said she wanted a shot at Rhea Ripley’s NXT UK Women’s title. Ripley came out, and it seems like a future match will happen.
– James Drake and Zack Gibson defeated Kenny Williams and Amur Jordan.
Here are results from the second night of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament tapings at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England:
– Ligero defeated Wild Boar
– Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) defeated Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly to win the NXT tag team titles
Moustache Mountain won the titles after a stomp assisted burning hammer.
– Charlie Morgan defeated Killer Kelly
Morgan pinned Kelly after reversing a suplex into a small package.
– Noam Dar defeated Travis Banks, Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews to become the number one contender for the WWE UK title
UK GM Johnny Saint came out and made the match a fatal four way, adding Dar who is returning from a knee injury. Andrews hit Banks with a stundog then missed the shooting star press. Dar came in and pinned Banks with a leg lariat.
Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey ran in after the match and lay everyone out except Dar.
– Adam Cole defeated Wolfgang to retain the NXT North American title.
Cole pinned Wolfgang with a knee trembler to retain.
– Ricochet and Aleister Black defeated Velveteen Dream and EC3
Black pinned EC3 following Black Mass.
– Shayna Baszler defeated Toni Storm by countout to retain the NXT Women’s title
The two went to the outside, with Baszler winning by countout after choking Storm. Baszler returned to the ring after the match and laid out Storm with the Kirifuda clutch.
– Pete Dunne defeated Zack Gibson to retain the WWE UK title
Dunne retained the title after pinning Gibson with the Bitter End. This would mean the next UK title match is Pete Dunne vs. Noam Dar.
The show ended with Triple H cutting a promo saying this is the next chapter in UK professional wrestling, this is your brand and this is NXT.
Here are spoilers from tonight’s Raw tapings at the O2 Arena in London, England.
– Main Event: Mojo Rawley defeated Chad Gable.
Roman Reigns starts off Raw, cutting a promo on Jinder Mahal. Kurt Angle comes out and announces a Money in the Bank qualifying match pitting Mahal against Bobby Lashley and Elias in the main event. Reigns decides to go backstage and attacks Mahal, laying him out with a Superman punch before officials break it up.
– Seth Rollins defeated Kevin Owens to retain the Intercontinental title.
Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas, who are now officially known as the B-Team, asked Angle for a match for later tonight and got one.
– Axel & Dallas beat Breezango.
– Bobby Roode defeated Baron Corbin and No Way Jose in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
– Sasha Banks, Ember Moon and Natalya defeated the Riott Squad.
Natalya submitted Liv Morgan with the sharpshooter for the win.
– Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt defeated The Revival
Hardy pinned Dawson.
Sami Zayn came out to cut a promo. He said that he has invited Bobby Lashley’s sisters to Raw next week so that he could “expose him”.
– Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley and Mickie James in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
Roman Reigns finds Jinder Mahal backstage again and the two brawl once more.
– Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre defeated Finn Balor and Braun Strowman
Ziggler got the win when he crotched Balor on the top rope. After the match, Strowman laid out McIntyre through the Greatest Royal Rumble trophy.
It was announced that Kevin Owens would be taking the place of Jinder Mahal tonight after Reigns repeatedly attacked him, leaving Mahal unable to compete.
– Kevin Owens defeated Bobby Lashley and Elias to advance in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
Zayn interfered at the end of the match, preventing Lashley from scoring the win. Elias joins him and Owens in beating down Lashley until Roman Reigns makes the save, which turns into…
– Dark match: Bobby Lashley, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins defeated Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Elias
Reigns hit the spear on Owens for the win.
Both Raw and SmackDown will return to England in November with tapings in Manchester.
I’m here at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL for the Cruiserweight Classic quarterfinals.
Dark Match —
– Hideo Itami defeated Curtis Alexander
Enhancement talent Curtis (not Cedric) Alexander did a lot of comedy and they had a fun match. Hideo Itami clobbered him with a GTS for the win.
Cruiserweight Classic Taping —
Quarterfinal matches were announced as having a 30-minute time limit.
– Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Noam Dar to advance to the semifinals
Great match, started slow with a lot of grappling. Crowd was pro-Zack Sabre Jr. and got very into it during the second half of the match. Intense leg work by Noam Dar on ZSJ. They traded submissions and the crowd was going crazy by the end when Sabre had an arm submission locked in with added punches.
– Gran Metalik defeated Akira Tozawa to advance to the semifinals
Another great match, they exchanged chops and dives to get the place going. Huge top rope rana for a near fall by Gran Metalik and a delayed German suplex by Akira Tozawa for his own near fall. Crowd was going wild for the finish, which was a Falcon Arrow by Metalik
– Cedric Alexander defeated Oney Lorcan
This was seemingly a showcase match for Cedric Alexander to prepare for his Raw debut. Crowd wasn’t making noise early on even though the work was good. A handspring spin kick by Alexander got the people going. Oney Lorcan hit a huge uppercut.
Alexander finally hit the lumbar check for the win. Post-match, he looked in the camera and said “I ain’t going nowhere!”
– Drew Gulak & Tony Nese defeated Kenneth Johnson & Lince Dorado
Tony Nese hit a 450 on Kenneth Johnson in a showcase match for Nese and Drew Gulak.
– TJ Perkins defeated Rich Swann to advance to the semifinals
Yet another great match, they showed their athletic ability yet kept the pace slow early to allow the match to build. There were taunts and dance moves, Rich Swann dabbed on TJ Perkins — which lit the crowd up.
Swann sold a leg injury halfway through and it built to the finish where Swann tried everything he had, but could never get the pin fast enough due to his bad knee. TJP locked in his leg submission for the win. Crowd wasn’t happy with this finish since Swann was the favorite. The two embraced post-match to show how important this was.
– The Bollywood Boyz defeated Sean Maluta & Ariya Daivari
Cool down match to allow The Bollywood Boyz to finally team up together. Fast-paced action and everyone got their big moves in to showcase themselves. Two splashes by The Bollywood Boyz for the win.
– Kota Ibushi defeated Brian Kendrick to advance to the semifinals
Crowd was unsure what to do early on. Brian Kendrick used a neckbreaker on the exposed metal rod between the buckles, and Kota Ibushi was actually counted out. The place went nuts with anger. William Regal came out and said Kendrick used an illegal move and the match must be restarted.
Full Sail lit up and and the match started going into dangerous near falls, Kendrick hit a nasty Burning Hammer-looking move where Ibushi’s neck bent, crowd was furious with this. Kendrick kept going for the Bully Choke for near submissions. Ibushi hit a middle rope German suplex for a near fall and finally got a sit-out powerbomb for the win.
Post-match the two embraced, “Thank you Kendrick” and “Please sign Kendrick” chants until Daniel Bryan made his way down to hug Kendrick. A great moment to finish the round.
We are back on September 14th for the semifinals and to crown the winner of the CWC.
Daria Berenato won by submission with the Hell’s Gate.
TV Tapings —
– Tye Dillinger defeated Buddy Murphy
Long match, Buddy Murphy hit knees off the top to the shoulders of a standing Tye Dillinger for a near fall. Dillinger set up his exposed knee neckbreaker for the win.
– On-screen promo by Tommaso Ciampa talking about Johnny Gargano’s injuries at the hands of The Revival. He was then jumped by The Revival and run through the door leading to ringside, where they continued the beating and cut a promo about being top guys as they continued beating down Ciampa with Gargano nowhere to be found.
– Steve Cutler defeated Kenneth Crawford
Steve Cutler used a fisherman into a sit-out slam for the win.
– No Way Jose defeated Angelo Dawkins
No Way Jose hit a punch and clutch slam for the win.
– Liv Morgan defeated Aliyah
Liv Morgan got the pin with a spin kick.
– Shinsuke Nakamura in-ring promo about this being the era of strong style.
Athletic match with some dives. Good stuff from all four men. TM61 got the win with their double team spinebuster finish.
– Ember Moon defeated Leah Vaughn
Impressive display by Ember Moon. She hit the top rope stunner for the win.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Steve Cutler
Shinsuke Nakamura hit the Kinshasa for the win, fun enhancement match.
– Austin Aries defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
Great match, got a lot of time and they traded everything they do. Austin Aries had a flurry towards the ends with a corner dropkick as the key spot to set up the Horns of Aries for the submission win.
– Oney Lorcan defeated Tino Sabbatelli
Tino Sabbatelli’s debut here, he looked good and took all of Oney Lorcan’s high energy offense before tapping out to a single leg crab.
– Samoa Joe is out for a promo, he says he’s a man of his word and wants to see Nakamura face-to-face. He says he has a rematch clause and wants Nakamura to know that he will use it when he’s ready to. Nakamura agrees and they shake hands.
They each make their way to the ramp before Joe rushes back and puts a beating on Nakamura, finished off with a Rock Bottom on the ring steps to finish off the stretcher job.
– Liv Morgan defeated Rachael Ellering (who used a different last name)
Dragon sleeper for Morgan to score the submission. Post-match she says she wants the title and the crowd chanted “Asuka’s Gonna Kill You.”
– Hideo Itami defeated Drew Gulak
Crowd enjoyed this one, hard-hitting match with Hideo Itami hitting the GTS for the win.
– The Authors of Pain defeated two unnamed enhancement talents
Assisted clothesline double team finish by The Authors of Pain for the emphatic victory.
– Bobby Roode defeated No Way Jose
Superstar reaction for Bobby Roode with the crowd singing his theme music loudly. Good match, Roode won with a new finisher.
Big pop for Truth. Goldust hit his normal drop to the knees, punch to the face spot a couple of times. The heels worked over Truth until the hot tag to Goldust. Goldust with a spinning suplex for the win.
– Enzo and Cass def. The Ascension
Konnor is back after his 60-day break due to a wellness policy violation. Usual opener by Enzo and Cass, ripping the heels by asking them where their pads were and if their mommy was bringing them so they (Ascension) could go and play pee wee football after the match. Heels worked over Enzo until the hot tag to Cass. Enzo with a splash, assisted by Cass, ends the night for the Ascension returning from suspension.
– Baron Corbin def. Sin Cara
Corbin played football for the Arizona Cardinals but the fans did not know this as he was soundly booed. Fans tried to get behind Sin Cara with the “Lucha” chants as Sin Cara tried to attack the legs of Corbin with kicks. Corbin kept the action on the ground and finished Sin Cara with The End of Days.
– US Champion Rusev (with Lana) def. Zack Ryder
Lana had her hair down instead of the usual bun. Ryder and Rusev locked up and then went into a series of amateur wrestling moves. Eventually, Rusev overpowered Ryder and started stalking him around the ring dealing out punishment. Ryder, however, is like a college hoops team that is the ultimate underdog. They hang around long enough to throw a scare into the opponent. Rusev botched a climb up the ropes when he tried to knock Ryder down. Ryder had a couple of near falls teasing a title change and eventually fell to the Accolade.
Smackdown —
– Seth Rollins opened the show with a promo, talking about the three-way match* at Battleground.
He railed about no one outworking him and how unfair it was that he did not have the belt. He issued an open challenge to anyone in the back for the night’s main event. Challenge accepted by Sami Zayn. At first, Rollins scoffed at Zayn but then decided that Zayn was a perfect choice.
Both men were interrupted by the Lunatic Fringe as the new champion hit the ring. He called for the set people and the workers rushed the ring to set up an impromptu Ambrose Asylum complete with Mitch The Plant. Rollins was angered, but Zayn was excited. Ambrose played the part of a host behind the scenes asking if everyone was ready and if they needed anything like water. Rollins ad-libbed and said that he was parched before catching himself and telling Ambrose to shut up. Zayn goaded Rollins to fight immediately, and Rollins dropped the mic and left in a huff.
*All references to the title match at Battleground were for a three-way match, so the main event seems to be continuing with Reigns in it. None of the interviews acknowledged anything about Reigns.
– Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio
Good, hard hitting match between the two. Del Rio started fast and went after Cesaro’s arm. Cesaro sold the beating and eventually fought back with a string of uppercuts. Del Rio hit the Backstabber and went for the Tree of Woe stomp which Cesaro countered. Cesaro climbed up and jumped off the ropes which Del Rio countered into an attempted cross arm breaker. This was countered by Cesaro who hit Del Rio with a pump handle slam and abruptly ended the match. Cesaro climbed onto the announcer’s table and bowed to the crowd to a large pop.
– Sheamus beat Apollo Crews via countout
Rematch from MITB with Sheamus all over Crews at the beginning while the rookie looked timid. Eventually Crews fought back but did not hit many aerial spots other than a sunset flip off of the ring apron. Sheamus pulled the steel steps into a vertical position and kicked Crews into them for the countout victory.
– The Usos returned, and did an angle backstage with Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & A.J. Styles. This set up Styles vs. Jimmy.
– A.J. Styles pinned Jimmy Uso
Jey was ringside and played the role that Cena did on Monday, watching the back for signs of the club. AJ seemingly had a counter for Jimmy’s moves and mocked the Uso with his Phenomenal gesture. When it looked like Jimmy finally had caught AJ and had him in trouble, the Club came through the crowd to attack Jey. Jimmy jumped over the ropes and bowled the club over only to eat a Phenomenal Forearm onto the concrete floor. AJ rolled Jimmy back into the ring and hit another Phenomenal Forearm for good measure.
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day over The Vaudevillains
The heels worked over Kofi as Big E could only watch. Xavier Woods took the night off and just played the trombone. The heels worked together to isolate Kofi until he could make the hot tag to Big E. Big E preceded to suplex everyone many times and the heels could not even hide outside of the ring as Kofi stalked the outside and splashed anyone hanging around outside the ring. Big E with the pinfall. The celebration was cut short by a Wyatt family promo in which Bray promised to bring pain to the New Day and that they would fall.
– Dana Brooke beat Becky Lynch
This was over in about a minute after Charlotte interfered, allowing Dana to take advantage and pin Becky. Charlotte entered the ring to add injury to insult when Sasha Banks’ music hit to a huge pop. Sasha sauntered down to the ring in her inimitable fashion and removed her bling. It looked like Charlotte was going to engage but then she ducked out the ring and laughed at Banks. Brooke tried a sneak attack but was stopped by the Banks Statement.
– Seth Rollins pinned Sami Zayn with a pedigree
Rollins toyed with Zayn at first, slapping him, countering his moves, and resting on the turnbuckle while Zayn recuperated. Eventually Zayn started hitting his spots. The two went back and forth in an entertaining match. Zayn took a power bomb fling into the turnbuckle but hit Rollins with an “Undertakeresque” walk up the ropes into a hurrincanrana.
Both men had near falls. Rollins went for the pedigree but Zayn reversed it into a tornado ddt. Rollins bailed from the ring and Zayn did a flip over the ropes onto Rollins. Rollins staggered back into the ring and surprised Zayn with a pedigree as Zayn re-entered the ring.
Rollins gave Ambrose a cheap shot and Ambrose chased him through the ring. Ambrose laid out the belt in the ring motioning for Rollins to come back but Rollins stayed at the top of the ramp.
After the cameras stopped rolling…
Suddenly AJ’s music hit and the Club came out to the top of the ramp. AJ told Rollins that the Club was planning on hurting Ambrose and that he could join them if he (Rollins) wanted to. Rollins agreed and the four heels headed to the ring. Zayn rolled back into the ring to help Ambrose but they were quickly overwhelmed. The crowd was chanting for Cena but it was the Usos for the save. The faces cleared the heels out of the ring and Ambrose grabbed the mic and challenged the heels to an 8 man tag team match.
The Club w/ Seth Rollins vs. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, and the Usos.
This match was quick with the heels isolating Jey at the outset. A hot tag to Ambrose brought the house down as each man entered the match and hit his spots that he was known for. Eventually Anderson ate Dirty Deeds and was pinned. The faces stayed around and celebrated with fans. Ambrose stayed around for at least ten minutes signing autographs, taking selfies with fans and letting kids hold his belt.
The Miz and Sami Zayn were on commentary. There was a bunch of distraction and it allowed Owens to win with the dreaded distraction schoolboy pin.
– Dana Brooke beat Paige
Becky Lynch was on commentary for this match.
– Dolph Ziggler beat Sheamus
Baron Corbin came out after the match and cut a promo talking about his match on Sunday against Ziggler.
– Chris Jericho did an interview. They had the cage lowered. A guy who was dressed like one of the people helping lower the cage revealed himself to be Dean Ambrose. He attacked Jericho from behind, climbed up and got a Kendo stick and nailed Jericho a few times before Jericho ran out the cage door.
– The new Bob Backlund and Darren Young video aired.
– WWE Tag Champions The New Day & Big Cass beat Dudleys & Vaudevillains when Cass pinned Bubba with the East River Crossing.
– The Club came to the ring for the main event which was Roman Reigns vs. Luke Gallows. The Family came out.
– Roman Reigns NC Luke Gallows
Everyone got involved in the match. It ended up with the Usos brawling with Gallows and Karl Anderson. Styles and Reigns were in the ring with chairs but Styles hit Reigns with a Pele kick and laid him out with a chair shot, so he was the last guy standing as the show ended.
– The show opened with a Dean Ambrose promo. He said they were now even as Jericho took out his plant, and Ambrose took out the jacket; “an eye for an eye”. He said he would take away everything from Jericho like his ego. Jericho’s pyro goes off and arena lights go out. Lights come back on and Jericho is in the middle of the ring standing over a fallen Ambrose. Jericho then puts Ambrose in a straight jacket.
As Ambrose fights to get out and to his feet, Jericho pummels Ambrose with kicks and punches. Dean manages to get a few kicks in before taking a Codebreaker. Refs out to separate them. Jericho gets in the last shot before leaving the ring. He jumps on the announce table, grabs the mic, and says his gift to all of us is “The Gift of Jericho”. He continues to stand atop the table soaking up the boos.
– Rusev is shown backstage slamming the lids shut on several rolling cases screaming as Lana follows behind.
Rusev w/ Lana submitted Sin Cara w/ Kalisto with the Accolade
– Renee interview with Emma. She asked Emma who Dana Brooke is. Dana cut her off and said she’s a fitness champion. She then ran down Becky Lynch.
Dana Brooke w/ Emma b Becky Lynch
– Backstage promo with The Club. AJ tells Anderson and Gallows to take out The Usos tonight.
– New Day in ring promo. They recapped The Vaudevillains interfering on Raw, and said they put their noses in their BootyOOOOOOOOs, that the Vaudevillains “Kanye West’d” them, and interfered when the situation had nothing to do with them. It’s a dated reference but it’s ok because The Vaudevillains are from the 1830s. Out come Vaudevillains who said they are real men from a bygone era. English begins singing Xavier’s WWE Tag Team Champions line. Gotch states the sun will set on The New Day at Extreme Rules and the night belongs to The Vaudevillains.
– Aiden English b Kofi Kingston
– Backstage promo with The Family. Roman Reigns told The Usos that if AJ shows his face, he will be out there ASAP.
– The Usos b Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows via DQ when Gallows hit an Uso with a chair on the outside. Roman Reigns has managed to turn 50% of the audience against The Usos as there were dueling chants of “Let’s Go Usos/Usos Suck”.
– We got a “Life Lessons with Coach Backlund” segment based on managing time. Bob wants Darren Young to use his watch, calendar, mail, and desktop. Young said he had all that on his phone which upset Bob.
– The Gorgeous Truth b GoldDango. After the match, Tyler Breeze and Fandango turned on their partners and put the boots to Truth and Goldust.
– We got a Shining Stars vignette. They arrive next Monday on Raw.
– We got a Renee interview with Charlotte and Ric Flair. Charlotte said what happened on Monday was a travesty, and how dare the McMahons treat him that way. Ric said he’s the dirtiest player in the game & taught Charlotte everything she knew.
– Kevin Owens & The Miz w/ Maryse b Cesaro & Sami Zayn when Owens pinned Cesaro after a frog splash.
I was live at Full Sail University in Winter Park FL, alongside the usual sellout crowd of 450 in attendance for NXT TV.
Dark Match –
Manny Andrade beat Angelo Dawkins
Dawkins made his way to the ring first, stirring it up and jawjacking with no one in particular. Huge star reaction for Andrade, wearing his vato style fedora and pants with suspenders over his normal gear. Fast paced match for the most part, Manny teased one dive, then reset himself as a teaser, then on the center so he could face hard camera he did the Tranquilo lounging on the middle ropes to taunt Dawkins. The finish saw the running double knees while Angelo was set in the corner for Manny to pick up the win.
5/4/16 —
Dasha Fuentes welcomes us to the show and then we have a Samoa Joe in ring promo. He says his title win was inevitable and he did exactly what he said he would. Before Joe could continue, he was interrupted by the debuting Eric Young, wearing street clothes. He says that Joe knows him and what he’s about, and points to the title on Joe’s shoulder adding I collect those. Joe then leaves but says Young doesn’t belong in his ring and the next time he sees him in it, he will beat his ass.
Nia Jax beat Tessa Blanchard
What you’d expect as they are building Jax up for Asuka. She won after hitting a huge leg drop center of the ring for the win directed at the hard camera.
Austin Aries beat Tye Dillinger
Good reactions for both men, and this is the best match Aries has had thus far in NXT as well. Dillinger seemed a little taken aback by how strong of a reaction he had as there were dueling chants for both while they had a very good match. Dillinger hit the Goto style knee to the back that AJ Styles has been using lately for a convincing near fall. Tye then lowered the knee pad to attempt his usual finisher but Aries caught him with the rolling back elbow for the win.
Fuentes informs us that Mr. Regal has made Eric Young vs. Samoa Joe as tonight’s main event.
The Revival beat The Hype Bros
The Revival did an excellent job of controlling the ring and were able to get the win while not cheating, but still causing a distraction to their advantage. These two clearly study their classic tag team wrestling. Shatter machine for the strong win to get them back on track.
No Way Jose beat Noah
Big reaction for No Way Jose in Full Sail as you’d expect; he’s a fun personality with a lot of charm. The chants included “No Way, No Way, No Way Joseee” to the tune of the Sami Zayn “Ole'” chants and his song’s style “No Way Jose” chants as well. Salsa dance style offense and solid work before the big baseball pitch wind up punch and then a full nelson slam for the win. Post match, No Way Jose was able to convince referee Drake Wuertz to dance with him to a huge cheer. Some fancy footwork by Drake.
NXT Champion Samoa Joe beat Eric Young
They got over ten minutes here in our main event, hard hitting action with these as you’d expect. Joe was able to outlast Young in their battle, hit the muscle buster and instead of going for the pin Joe locks in the clutch for the choke out victory. Joe then wouldn’t release the hold for a very long time until officials were able to get the two separated.
5/11/16 —
In ring promo segment with Finn Balor who got great reaction, “Thank You, Finn” chants. He says he’s going to address the elephant in the room, Samoa Joe. He reminds us all that he beat Joe twice before and both matches could have gone either way. Then, we got The Drifter walking out singing a song about Finn, no words were comprehendable due to the loudest booing since Eva Marie challenging Bayley a few months back. Absolutely drowned out by booing here.
Finn never even moved as Samson made his way in to the ring and once Samson was directly behind himm, Balor hit a Pele kick to a huge cheer. Finn then picks up the guitar and looks at the hard camera before throwing it towards the entrance way where Elias was after rolling out of the ring. Samson made the catch, saving his precious acoustic guitar. Very fun segment here as Finn was in no mood for The Drifter’s nonsense.
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha beat Corey Hollis and John Skyler
Great reaction including “You Deserve It” chants for the tag champs. There was excellent wrestling early by Chad Gable before the heels were able to use distractions and take advantage. They worked Gable over for a bit before the Jason Jordan hot tag, after running wild and bringing the straps down, The Revival made their way to the ramp to get a closer look at the champs, there would be no distraction though. Jordan even raised the straps back up so he could lower them again, hit a spear in the corner, tag in Gable for the Grand Amplitude assisted suplex for the win. The champs and former champs stared at each other before making their way to the back.
Shinsuke Nakamura beat Alex Riley
Huge ovation for Shinsuke Nakamura who got an absolute superstar pop as you’d expect. Riley tried to trade big shots with Nakamura and that didn’t end well, big running knee to midsection by Shinsuke while Riley was set over the top rope. Kinshasa for the win and a mighty YeaOh in the center of the ring as celebration.
Alexa Bliss beat Rachael Ellering
Good showing by SWA’s own Rachael Ellering here, Alexa Bliss worked her match and won it with the splash off the top rope.
Finn Balor beat Elias Samson
The best match I’ve seen from The Drifter, a lot of fun seeing him mix it up with the top stars lately as the crowd absolutely hates him. Finn had his shoulder taped still yet was working an extra vicious style, a lot of action in between Samson headlocks, big dropkick through the ropes by Finn, strong kicks and finally hits the 1916 DDT for the win as he sits on Elias Samson and stares in to the hard camera wanting this to be Samoa Joe.
Post match Finn continues his promo from earlier as he wants his rematch with Samoa Joe, as Joe comes out Mr. Regal runs to get between them, and standing on the ring apron with Finn still in the ring. Finn runs and dives over Mr. Regal on to Samoa Joe, then holds the NXT Championship in his hands before setting it on Joe who is laid out on the ground. William Regal then makes it official that at NXT Takeover June 8th we will in fact have NXT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor for the title.
5/18/16 —
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Adrien Reese
Dueling chants as both are fan favorites to the Florida NXT fans, Asuka has some who have turned on her after dethroning Bayley so there was a light mixed reaction. Not too much but noticable. Excellent work by these two, Reese is an incredible athlete and Asuka thrives on facing great talents. Reese went for a move off the top rope but Asuka caught her arm and transitioned it in to the Asuka Lock for the win.
Dasha Fuentes told us that Blake and Murphy would be facing Austin Aries and a partner of his choosing next, I’d expect this to be built up with backstage promos.
Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Blake and Murphy w/ Alexa Bliss
As expected, another huge superstar reaction for Nakamura. When he wrestles, everything seems like a blur because the crowd is so in to him. Aries did a lot of work with Blake and Murphy before Shinsuke got the tag and set up for the Kinshasa. Aries however had his hand out for the tag which Shinsuke did not give before hitting the move and scoring the pin. The referee raised Aries and Nakamura’s hands the victor yet Aries was still subtly talking to Nakamura as if he wanted that tag. Also after this match Alexa Bliss walked away angrily leaving her team, then Blake looked back at Murphy and left him as well. We may have seen the last of BAMF.
Carmella beat Peyton Royce
Carmella introduced herself as only she can and now she allows the crowd to finish her promo for her by raising the mic as everyone else says “Hottest Chick In The Ring” how you doin? Nice touch as she’s quite over. This is Peyton’s first singles match under her new Poison Ivy type persona, holding a flower, maneuvering herself through the ropes, very fluid motions. At one point Peyton hit two vertical suplexes and a third with a bridge for a near fall, Carmella then fired up for her comeback which is now a superkick, bronco buster, face first drop and her leglock submission for the win.
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano beat Danny Birch and Rob Rizin
Showcase match for Ciampa and Gargano, yet some very fun strong exchanges by Danny Birch who goes by Martin Stone on the indie scene these days, laying in strikes with the always ferocious Tommaso Ciampa. Finish was Gargano and Ciampa hitting double superkicks on Rizin who was on his knees in the center of the ring.
Nia Jax beat Bayley
This match went about fifteen minutes, Nia was destroying Bayley at every turn. We had enough hope spots to keep us believing that Bayley could get this win like she did in London yet that was not the case. Jax would stomp on the arm of Bayley, then Bayley would try to lock in the submission that beat Nia once before, Nia would then slam her down again, Bayley mustered up the strength to make it to the top yet it was Nia’s evening.
Towards the end of the match, Nia stomped on Bayley’s leg and after making it to her feet and fighting back some, Bayley then in the corner buckled her leg and collapsed for a moment before Jax was able to set her in the center of the ring, drop a big leg on the back of Bayley’s head, roll her over and score the convincing win. Post match the referee and two men in black shirts checked on Bayley, after a while they helped her to the back with her keeping all weight off her leg.
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha beat The Revival
This was a non title match yet Revival needed this one if they had any hope of getting the titles back. Excellent work as you’d expect, yet the crowd was clearly drained by Bayley losing and being helped to the back just prior to this match. Great wrestling by four of the best tag team workers we have seen in NXT, with a new finish for the team Alpha locked in stereo Ankle Locks for the double tap out submission on both men. This was a definitive victory by American Alpha who now await their next challengers.
This concludes three weeks of TV NXT will be back at Full Sail University on May 19th to get us to the June 8th NXT Takeover live special.
