Submitted by readers Gregory Dennis & Shawn Dunagan
– Before the show, ring announcer Andrea D’Marco updated the crowd that The Drifter recently lost to Kassius Ohno in a “Loser Leaves NXT” match and would not be here tonight.
– No Way Jose def. Kona Reeves
No Way Jose worked his tail off to get the crowd into it, but it was an uphill battle. About a third of the crowd responded to Jose out of appreciation for the effort. The rest of the crowd was flat. Jose won clean with his finisher and by the end, he had about half of the crowd warmed up.
– Liv Morgan def. Macey Estrella
This devolved into a clunky comedy match. After a few back-and-forth submission holds, Morgan won clean after a bulldog.
– Kassius Ohno def. Patrick Clark
Clark looks like a cross between Prince and Bootsy Collins. Ohno is originally from Dayton, Ohio (about 60 miles away) so he got a big pop and a “Welcome Back” chant. At Ohio State sporting events, it’s common for someone to yell “O-H” while the crowd follows with “I-O.” Here the someone would yell “O-H” and the crowd would respond with “Oh-No.” Unfortunately, this was the highlight of the match. Ohno won with an elbow to the side/back of the
neck.
– DIY had a promo video discussing the “O-H”, “I-O” chants.
– Despite being told earlier that The Drifter would not be there, out he came wearing an ill-fitting mask. Nobody cared. When he got to the ring, he asked, “Who wants to walk with..The Rambler?” He started singing a song about how Columbus sucks and the crowd should shut up. This did generate some heat from the crowd. Aleister Black’s music hit and the former Tommy End walked out to cut a pretty good promo. A beatdown ensued which turned into…
– Aleister Black def. The Rambler
Short match. Black had most of the offense and finished with a superkick and a pin. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but the super kick spun Sampson’s mask sideways, which was a nice touch. Black looked very good.
The crowd chanted “one more song,” so Sampson continued his ditty about how Columbus sucks and the crowd should shut up before drifting off to the back.
This was a very fun match, and noticably better level of wrestling than we’d seen up to this point. Young plays the role of the crazed lunatic exceptionally well. Ciampa & Gargano did suicide dives and flying knees to the outside despite very close quarters between the ring and a concrete wall. At one point, Ciampa actually botched a spot, but transitioned it immediately into a cool spot like a true vet. This was just an very entertaining pro wrestling match.
At one point, the referee ejected Wolfe from ringside for interfering. Shortly thereafter, Gargano got caught in SAnitY’s corner when Nikki Cross emerged from under the ring and holds Gargano’s arms in the corner while Dain recovered. Dain hit Gargano with a big crossbody into the pin.
As SAnitY celebrated in the ring, Cross demanded microphone and calls out Asuka. Asuka’s music hits and she comes out for what is announced as a title match.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka def. Nikki Cross to retain
Young and Big Dain stayed out and stalked ringside. This was a very good match as Asuka was so quick with her movements and athleticism. At one point, she hit Cross with a dropkick from the top. Cross did get in some offense and did a great job selling. Asuka got Cross in a rear naked choke and Cross tapped, but Young distracted the ref and didn’t see the tap. Asuka released Cross thinking she won. Young & Damo threatened to enter the ring when DIY raced out to clean house. Asuka hit Cross with a kick and pinned her in a very fun match.
After the match, Young and Asuka had a staredown in the ring. DIY distracted Young and with his back turned, Asuka fired up behind him. Young turned into a superkick from Asuka which Young sold brilliantly.
– Tye Dillinger & Shinsuke Nakamura def. NXT Champion Bobby Roode and Andrade Cien Almas
Almas came out to zero fan reaction, but when “Glorious” hit, the crowd came alive. The crowd ate up Roode’s slow entrance. Dillinger came out to a chorus of “ten” chants. Nakamura’s music hit and the place went nuts.
The match started with Almas vs. Dillinger and a lot of chain wrestling. Dillinger tagged Nakamura who immediately went on the offensive. As Almas was selling, Nakamura tried to goad Roode into the ring. Roode teased the crowd and then eventually tagged in. Roode & Nakamura circled the ring and then Roode tagged out without touching one another. Roode then laughed at the crowd, drawing heat.
Dillinger tagged back in and proceeded to get the hell beat out of him for a good 8-10 minutes. Roode and Almas traded off working on Dillinger’s left knee. Eventually, Dillinger escaped. Nakamura got the hot tag. After several near falls, Nakamura hit Almas with his finisher and got the pin.
Overall, it was a good show, but not great. The first half was clearly developmental and the second half was high quality.
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– Venue is a bar that hosts mid-level music acts. NXT has been here on a few occasions including its first show outside of Florida 3 years ago.
NXT was in Fort Pierce tonight with an attendance of 350 people.
– Buddy Murphy defeated Dan Matha
Murphy stacked Matha up with a roll-through pin and escaped before Matha could get a hold of him.
– Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss defeated Heavy Machinery
Moss dropped Tucker Knight neck-first on the ropes and held his feet allowing Sabbatelli to steal a pin.
– Adrian Jaoude defeated Kona Reeves
Jaoude got the victory by submission.
– Patrick Clark cut an in-ring promo. He got the “what?” treatment and “boring” chants. He put himself and the “Patrick Clark Experience” over.
– Ruby Riot defeated Daria Berenato
The former Heidi Lovelace won with her enzuigiri version of Eat Defeat.
– No Way Jose, Oney Lorcan & Kassius Ohno defeated SAnitY
The action was all over the place. The faces ran wild with corner splashes, then the heels took control until No Way Jose finally put away Alexander Wolfe with a pop-up wind-up punch.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford to retain their titles
The Authors were out-paced early by Dawkins and Ford, but in the end the challengers were no match for the power of the champions. AOP used their double team lariat finish for the win.
– Ember Moon defeated Mandy Rose
Rose got a lot of heat with a pre-match promo about how all the men want her and all the women want to be her. Moon got a great reaction to shut Rose up. Moon won with a side slam of sorts, not her usual Eclipse finish.
Roode avoided Nakamura early on, even begging for a tag, then circling Nakamura before tagging out and acting proud of himself. The heels worked over Dillinger’s knee most of the match, then Shinsuke finally took the hot tag and ran wild. He hit a Kinshasa on Almas for the win.
The Big News: Kassius Ohno re-debuted and got the upper hand on the glorious NXT Champion.
The Medium News: Pete Dunne beat Mark Andrews in a match that was even better than the Tyler Bate-Trent Seven match last week.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Peyton Royce won an opportunity for Asuka to kick her head off her shoulders.
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Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Ember Moon in a triple threat match to earn a championship opportunity
Liv Morgan cannot throw a good punch. She either needs to never throw another punch on television again or do what The Rock did and practice throwing hundreds of punches at the mirror until you get better.
Billie Kay ran interference for her girl and a distraction led to Royce throwing Moon into the ring steps. Moon tried to get back in at one point, so Royce ran after her to knock her off. Unfortunately the referee wandered in front of her, so Royce had to literally run around the referee to knock Moon off.
Royce beat on Morgan for most of the match. Morgan made her comeback and hit a bulldog, but Moon returned to break it up. We got a tower of doom spot, where Moon gave Royce a sunset flip powerbomb off the middle rope at the same time Royce gave Morgan a superplex. I have seen that spot mistimed so many times by people far less green, but these three pulled it off flawlessly.
Moon went for the Eclipse, but Kay ran in and Moon gave it to her instead. Morgan threw Moon outside the ring, but then got pinned by Royce after a knee and a Perfect Plex.
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We got a video package for Mark Andrews and then Pete Dunne, who will be wrestling tonight.
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Another video package aired for the re-debuting Kassius Ohno. After he got fired last time he went on a winning streak on TV. Also seeing Ohno makes me miss Richie Steamboat, as those two had a really good feud going on back when no one else watched NXT.
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Shinsuke Nakamura is training for his comeback.
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Pete Dunne defeated Mark Andrews
The fans popped for the appearance of Dunne, the only real heel in the UK tournament. The Bruiserweight is here to face the former TNA X Division star. Dunne took Andrews down and began bending his wrist backwards and his fingers in directions that fingers are not supposed to go.
Andrews threw Dunne outside and went for a moonsault off the apron, Dunne caught him but Andrews turned it into a hip toss. The fans appreciated it and chanted “Mandrews,”
which was his nickname in TNA and the UK (and the announcers did not acknowledge).
Andrews went for the moonsault a second time, but this time Dunne just stepped aside and punched Andrews in the face. Dunne stomped on Andrews’ fingers before dropping him with the Hex Plex on the ring apron (which is the hardest part of the ring).
Andrews made his comeback and went for a springboard move, but again Dunne punched him in the face and hit a Hex Plex inside the ring, however Andrews kicked out. Dunne went for the Bitter End twice, but Andrews got out of it first and hit a reverse hurricanrana the second time.
Dunne went for another Hex Plex, but Andrews turned it into a hurricanrana for a near fall, which got the fans chanting “This is awesome.”
The third try at the Bitter End led to a small package for a near fall. Andrews hit the Stundog Millionaire and went for a shooting star press, but Dunne got his knees up. Finally, Dunne hit the Bitter End on the fourth try and picked up the win!
Despite being a despicable heel, Dunne shook the hand of Andrews after. I thought this match was better than the critically acclaimed Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven match last week.
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Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were giggling backstage when the new NXT announcer alerted them that Royce will face Asuka next week for the title. Royce said she’d be champion now if not for that damn Nikki Cross. However she will win and take the title down under.
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Patrick Clark of Tough Enough fame will be wrestling next week.
Also the undefeated, undisputed NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain will defend against DIY
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The new NXT announcer stalked Tye Dillinger earlier today and asked about SAnitY. Dillinger said he now has backup in Roderick Strong and No Way Jose, so he invited SAnitY to try them again. Remember when they had a six-man tag a few weeks ago and SAnitY won? I guess we’re gonna have another one.
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NXT Champion Bobby Roode defeated No Way Jose
Roode continues to set records for how long he can take to walk to the ring, as tonight’s walk was easily longer than several matches on Raw this week. Heck, there were episodes of TNA Impact back in the Vince Russo era where Roode’s entrance tonight was longer than any match on those shows.
While I typed that Jose used dance as an offensive weapon until Roode got tired of his offbeat shenanigans and cut him off. It’s kind of weird that in the last segment Dillinger built up Jose as quality backup and here he is losing in the main event. With that said, Roode did his best to make Jose look like a contender. Roode came off the middle rope, but Jose hit his wind-up punch, however Roode fell out of the ring.
Jose threw Roode back in the ring, but when Jose came in after him, Roode came alive. He dropped Jose with the Glorious DDT for the pin.
Roode chop blocked Jose’s knee after the match and slapped on a single-legged crab. Jose tapped out, but Roode did not care. The referee waved his arms around, but Roode ignored that too. However, Kassius Ohno ran down to the delight of the fans!
Roode grabbed his title and ran away as Ohno stood tall. Roode asked him from the ramp who the hell he thought he was. Ohno said Roode knew who he was and said he was in NXT before and he has some unfinished business. He wants and needs the NXT Championship.
Roode said he was a fighting champion and teased getting into the ring for a title match right now. Ohno turned around to take off his jacket, so Roode chop blocked Ohno and attacked his knee.
Roode went for the single-legged crab, but Ohno kicked him off and beat down the NXT Champion. Ohno’s sneaker came off during this, so Ohno picked it up and threw it at Roode.
Roode ran off, knowing that his title reign just got more challenging. So that will do it for another exciting week of NXT. Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers.
NXT was at The Venue on the campus of the University of Central Florida for a TV taping tonight.
Dark Match —
– Ruby Riot (the former Heidi Lovelace) defeated Kimber Lee
Riot hit a step-up enzuigiri of sorts for the quick win.
TV Tapings —
– A video promo for SAnitY aired talking about Tye Dillinger.
– Elias Samson started playing a song but he was interrupted by Kassius Ohno. Ohno challenged him to a loser leaves NXT match tonight.
– Tye Dillinger vs. Eric Young never happened as SAnitY destroyed Roderick Strong on the ramp, then No Way Jose made an effort to make the save but he was destroyed by SAnitY as well.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated HoHo Lun
Almas picked up a fast win after hitting the keylock DDT.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Elias Samson in a loser leaves NXT match
The crowd was behind Ohno early in the match but The Drifter took control and slowed the pace. Ohno hit the Death By Elbow for the win and The Drifter was carried off by security. The fans chanted “You Deserve It” and Ohno broke Samson’s guitar to a big reaction.
– Ember Moon defeated Billie Kay (w/ Peyton Royce)
Moon pinned Kay after a top rope stunner. The move kept Kay down after the match. She looked shaken up and needed to be helped to her feet by trainers.
– The Revival vs. The Ealy Twins never happened as The Authors of Pain destroyed the twins and Revival bailed fast.
– Heavy Machinery defeated QT Marshall & Johnny Vandal
Otis Dozovic slammed Tucker Knight onto Vandal as the finish.
– Nikki Cross defeated Macey Estrella
Cross used multiple swinging neckbreakers before the pin. Dillinger and No Way Jose ran down to attack SAnitY but were no match and got laid out again.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Oney Lorcan
Great match. The crowd got into it for the finishing sequence, where Almas won with the keylock DDT.
Asuka took the mic and said this was Ember Moon’s fate. She proceeded to destroy Zuniga with kicks and the Asuka lock, taking her time while doing so. Asuka yelled in Japanese after the match.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated The Ealy Twins
The twins called out AOP before the match and then got destroyed. The Authors used a double powerbomb and the hold-up lariat for the finish. Paul Ellering cut a promo on The Revival after the match, which was interrupted by DIY and then The Revival.
William Regal came out and made the tag title match at NXT TakeOver: Orlando a triple threat elimination match.
– SAnitY vs. Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong & No Way Jose ended in a DQ
Nikki Cross was on Dillinger’s back when Ruby Riot made the save. The faces sent SAnitY packing.
– Dash Wilder defeated Johnny Gargano and Akam in a triple threat match
Scott Dawson held Akam’s feet, allowing Wilder to steal the pin on a downed Gargano.
– NXT Champion Bobby Roode defeated Kassius Ohno to retain his title
As expected, this was a good and long match. There were many deep two counts. Ohno removed his elbow pad and was going for the Death By Elbow but Roode sent him into the ropes and hit his DDT for the clean win.
– Shinsuke Nakamura defeated TJ Perkins
This was an entertaining match to get Nakamura back on TV. There were fun and games early with Nakamura dabbing on Perkins. TJP got the upper hand for most of the match after this, working Nakamura’s knee. Finally, Nakamura hit a Kinshasa for the win.
Possibly Dark Segment —
Bobby Roode came to the ring to trash talk about winning the title from Nakamura. He then said that he has friends, as Andrade “Cien” Almas ran in to rough up Nakamura. Finn Balor made the save and got physical, cleaning house to leave just Nakamura and Balor.
They talked about NXT. Balor claimed he is not cleared to wrestle but will be soon, then said he had to say something important, that Friday is Shinsuke Nakamura’s birthday! We all YeaOh’d with them and they did a Too Sweet to send everyone home happy.
Good reaction for Ohno, who did his best to make Clark look good. Eventually, Ohno made a comeback with a bunch of elbow strikes, then hit his rolling big boot for the win.
– Mandy Rose defeated Daria Berenato
Rose, who is from a couple hours downstate from here, did a pre-match promo heeling on Albany. Not much to the match. Berenato hit a spear, but Rose got her foot on the ropes, then rolled Berenato up and used the ropes for leverage to get the win.
– Steve Cutler defeated Oney Lorcan
Some good stuff from Lorcan, including a big running European uppercut that knocked Cutler to the floor, followed by a flip dive off the top rope. At some point, it looked like Cutler got busted up hardway.
Lorcan hit a bunch of running hip attacks in the corner, but Cutler countered one with a big clothesline, hit an underhook backbreaker for a near fall, and won with the Boston Crab.
– Aleister Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
A lot of the crowd didn’t seem to know much about Black, but the former Tommy End popped the crowd with some of his big spots, including a triangle moonsault to the outside. Almas’ heel charisma seems to resonate better live than it does on TV.
Almas hit a nice bridging German suplex for a near fall. After Black blocked the hammerlock DDT, Almas went for the double knees in the corner, but Black popped up and hit a jumping knee strike for the win.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon and Nikki Cross in a triple threat match to retain her title
Good reactions for all three women. Cross does a great job portraying her unhinged character, and Moon had a few impressive athletic moments. Moon was going for the corkscrew stunner on Asuka, but Cross came in and went for a superplex, only for Asuka to powerbomb both off the top rope, then hit a roundhouse kick on Cross to retain the title.
– SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe w/ Eric Young) defeated Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins
Ford and Dawkins were the surprise hit of the night, getting “Red Shoes” and “White Shoes” chants. Ford, in particular, looks like he might have some real potential. Some fun exchanges between Ford and Wolfe based around both mocking each other through dancing.
There were a couple sloppy spots, including Ford botching a running flip off of Dain in the corner, but things picked up before the finish, which came after a distraction from Young and a combo powerslam/running boot by SAnitY for the win.
SAnitY beat down Ford and Dawkins after the match. Young got on the mic and said there wasn’t a man, woman, or child in the building that could beat him, bringing out Tye Dillinger to the biggest reaction of the night so far and lots of “10” chants. SAnitY jumped Dillinger three-on-one, but Ford and Dawkins evened the odds and ran off Dain and Wolfe, leading to the next match.
– Tye Dillinger defeated Eric Young
Very good match. It had some “10” based comedy early. Young took control with a lot of neckbreaker variations. Young got a near fall after a top rope elbow drop, then went outside and grabbed a chair, but Dillinger cut him off with a superkick and followed up with the Tye Breaker for the pin.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & DIY defeated NXT Champion Bobby Roode & NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain
Nakamura and Roode were both massively over, with the crowd singing along to their entrance themes. Big response for DIY as well. The match had a lot of Roode avoiding getting into the ring with Nakamura early.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa got in some good double team offense on the Authors early, before the heels cut them off and went to work on Ciampa. They teased the hot tag to Gargano, but the ref was distracted and Gargano got booted off the apron.
Nakamura finally got the tag and ran wild, hitting most of his signature spots on Roode. Gargano recovered and hit his slingshot spear from the apron, and Nakamura got the win with the Kinshasa on one of the Authors.
Nakamura cut a brief post-match promo thanking the crowd, then posed with Gargano and Ciampa, including a triple “YeaOh!” Nakamura took his bow at the top of the ramp, and DIY spent a long time interacting with the ringside crowd and taking a ton of pictures.
A quick starting match. Cutler came out and was introduced from New Jersey, which got a pop from the crowd. However, he whispered something into the announcer’s ear and she corrected it to “Orlando, Florida” for some easy heat.
Cutler cut a promo on the crowd but was interrupted by Black. The match could not have been longer than three minutes and was a victory for Black.
– Ember Moon defeated Daria Berenato
Berenato was introduced from New Jersey as well but was presented as more of a babyface. Moon won with the stunner from the top rope.
– Eric Young (w/ Nikki Cross) defeated Oney Lorcan
There was a “Let her wrestle” chant for Cross early. A lot of the match early was on the outside, leading to many “10” chants from the crowd. Eventually it got to a point where Young started doing the 10 to Lorcan as he was outside. Cross was ejected for interfering. Young hit his wheelbarrow neckbreaker for the win.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated DIY to retain their titles
The match started with DIY hitting some dives to the outside that got the crowd going. After this, The Authors of Pain got the heat on Johnny Gargano. The hot tag included a German suplex by Tommaso Ciampa on one of the Authors of Pain which was very impressive. The Authors both took out Ciampa with a double team slam for the win.
– Tye Dillinger defeated Patrick Clark
Clark came out with a Tom Brady jersey under his puffy shirt. He then cut a promo about how great Tom Brady is and how great the number 12 is and the crowd chanted “10” over him. Dillinger came out for easily the biggest pop thus far.
This was mostly a comedy match with Dillinger taking the Brady jersey off of Clark by force and another spot where Dillinger spit water in Clark’s face. There were several spots where the crowd had the opportunity to chant 10, while Clark attempted to get the crowd to chant 12. Dillinger pinned Clark with the Tye Breaker.
– SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe) defeated Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford
Ford did some dancing early and physique-wise he looks great. Ford did a lot of flips in the ring but eventually got crushed by Dain. Ford did a nice flip out of a German suplex, definitely outshining Dawkins. Dawkins and Ford hit a tag team clothesline for a near fall, but SAnitY eventually got the win.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Mandy Rose to retain her title
Asuka mocked Rose early by doing a dance. Rose got the heat but no one bought into it at all. Rose did do an impressive delayed vertical suplex on Asuka which got the crowd into it. Asuka did a striking sequence and then missed a Rainmaker but turned it into a superkick on the rebound, then kicked Rose again for the pin.
Nakamura and Almas started. Nakamura got heat on Almas early and then taunted Roode. Roode tagged in for a big pop as he and Nakamura faced off, then Roode immediately tagged out to a chorus of boos.
Ohno tagged in and got a big “Hero” chant. Ohno was in the ring for about 80 percent of the match. Ohno and Almas worked great together, including a spot where Almas did his laying in the ropes into a big boot from Ohno to the outside. Both Ohno and Almas would hot tag in their partners for Nakamura to run wild on Roode. Both Roode and Nakamura reversed each other’s finishers.
Roode tagged in Almas and they attempted to double team Nakamura, but Nakamura reversed it and Ohno clotheslined Roode from behind. Nakamura hit a Kinshasa on Almas for the win. Likely the best match on the show. The babyfaces then celebrated and sent the crowd home happy.
Reports submitted by readers Michael Nolan, Danny West, and Kee Min
Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, and Tye Dillinger were serving hot chocolate out in front of the venue on a frigid night. The venue is an old theater. It was a really unique place to see a wrestling show with the ring on the stage.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Patrick Clark
– Daria Berenato defeated Mandy Rose
– Oney Lorcan defeated Steve Cutler
Lorcan won by submission.
– Aleister Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
This was a fun match. Black was over with the crowd and won with a spinning heel kick.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon and Nikki Cross in a triple threat match to retain her title
Asuka pinned Cross after a kick to the head to get the win. Asuka and Moon were very over.
– SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe) defeated Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford
Ford stood out and was one of the most over guys of the night. The crowd chanted about his red shoes for the rest of the show. This led to SAnitY attacking Dawkins and Ford. Eric Young had a huge amount of heat. Tye Dillinger came out to take on SAnitY, which led to a match with Eric Young.
– Tye Dillinger defeated Eric Young
Dillinger won with the Tye Breaker.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & DIY defeated NXT Champion Bobby Roode & NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain
Nakamura won the match for his team after hitting the Kinshasa on Rezar.
The Big News: Bobby Roode had his Glorious Celebration after winning the NXT Championship at TakeOver.
The Medium News: SAnitY went 2-0, winning the tag team opener and the six-man main event.
The Little Beaver-sized News: The Revival challenged The Authors of Pain for NXT TakeOver: Orlando.
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Nigel McGuinness has officially taken over for Corey Graves. Plus they have already updated the opening video package to include footage from TakeOver.
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SAnitY defeated The Bollywood Boyz
The fans cheered for Harv and Gurv Sihra, but they also recognized they were the lambs being led to slaughter. Alexander Wolfe and the very hairy Killian Dain were the representatives of SAnitY. Harv and Gurv both got run over by Dain. Neither had any luck on their own nor when they tried to double team.
Dain used a Wasteland on Gurv and then powerbombed Harv on top of his brother before he finished off The Bollywood Boyz with the One Winged Angel. Wolfe never tagged in and never needed to.
Nikki Cross bellowed to bring her Asuka after the match and then slammed her head into the turnbuckles. Eric Young cut a promo about how he humbled Tye Dillinger and is telling Dillinger he belongs with SAnitY.
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Liv Morgan defeated Billie Kay
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce’s ring entrance was absurdly long and Liv Morgan had to stand there and watch. Morgan kicked out of Eat Defeat a minute in. She made her comeback and won with a roll-up when she knocked Kay into Royce, who had jumped up on the apron.
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Tye Dillinger was staring off into the distance backstage and said that he was not humbled by SAnitY and will also not be joining them. Dillinger was about to talk about being in the Royal Rumble when SAnitY attacked him! They beat on Dillinger all the way to the ring when Roderick Strong and No Way Jose ran in for the save.
The three of them teamed up to send SAnitY fleeing for the back.
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William Regal was backstage and announced Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven for the WWE UK Championship next week.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce stormed into the office and demanded a match against Liv Morgan. They wanted a handicap match, but when Mr. Regal made a tag team match (allowing Morgan to team with anyone) they began laughing saying Morgan has no friends.
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The Revival defeated Heavy Machinery
Heavy Machinery is Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic, and they have officially re-debuted on TV. They originally wrestled together during the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic after being a regular team on the NXT house show circuit.
Knight and Dozovic towered over The Revival. At one point Knight had Dash Wilder up with a bearhug and then literally threw him into the arms of Dozovic, who had his own bearhug.
The former two-time champs got the heat on Dozovic. Knight got the hot tag and ran wild on The Revival. Knight went to tag out, but Wilder pulled Dozovic off the apron. Knight chased Wilder all around the ring, but when he rolled back in, Scott Dawson kicked him in the gut and pinned him with a DDT.
The Revival cut a promo, reminding people that they are the greatest tag team in NXT. They stated that they were the Tag Team of The Year, which led to a few fans chanting that they deserve it. Revival said DIY never deserved to be Tag Team Champions, which was proven when they got demolished by The Authors of Pain. They said they have carried the tag team division and said that at NXT TakeOver: Orlando, they will make the AOP a footnote.
Before they could leave, out came the new NXT Tag Team Champions, The Authors of Pain. Revival ducked out of the ring, pantomiming that they won’t wrestle until money and the championships are on the line.
As AOP backed up the aisle, The Revival ran in from out of nowhere, attacking Akam and Rezar from behind! They knocked Akam off the ramp, kicked Rezar a few times, and then ran away.
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SAnitY vs. Dillinger, Strong & Jose was made for tonight’s main event.
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To prepare for his title defense against Trent Seven next week, we got a video package for Tyler Bate.
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It was time for the Glorious Celebration! For the first time since becoming the NXT Champion, Bobby Roode has arrived in Full Sail University. Roode must have watched Billie Kay and Peyton Royce’s entrance from earlier as he decided to somehow take even longer walking to the ring.
I just wanted to mention, as a quick trivia note, when the current NXT debuted in June 2012 and crowned their first champion, the TNA Champion was Bobby Roode.
Roode said he is not the guy to walk around and say that he told you so, but then began laughing, saying he is totally that guy. From the moment he stepped into an NXT ring, he told everybody that he was on a completely different level. Night after night, TakeOver after TakeOver, he proved just that.
Roode said Shinsuke Nakamura dominated Japan for a decade (he stopped to tell people what a decade was) and then he came to NXT and defeated every person he got in the ring with…except Roode. Nakamura hit him with everything he had, including the Kinshasa, and despite that he still didn’t get the job done.
He said winning the title was the single greatest moment in NXT history because now they have a real champion. He did a little bit of a Ric Flair strut and said it is no longer “We are NXT,” it is Bobby Roode’s NXT. He finished by saying this NXT is simply glorious.
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Next up we got a Trent Seven video package, discussing Mustache Mountain and showing highlights of the UK title tournament.
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SAnitY defeated Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong & No Way Jose
SAnitY was in the opener and the main event this week. After each babyface had made their individual entrances, they attacked SAnitY on the ramp.
Jose and Wolfe grabbed each other’s hair and beard, but Jose got the better of their interaction. Young tagged in and Jose again got the better of EY. Finally Dain tagged in and got sustained offense on Dillinger while screaming at the other babyfaces.
Dain tagged out, which allowed Dillinger to make the hot tag to Strong. Strong heaved Wolfe into the air for a backbreaker. Strong went for a Sick Kick on Young, but Dain tripped Strong. Dillinger hit the Tye Breaker on Young but, behind the referee’s back, Nikki Cross gave Dillinger a hurricarana over the top rope.
While that was going on, Dain ran over Strong and Young pinned him, giving SAnitY the win.
So that does it for this week. Thank you all for reading and until next week remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
WWE kicks off Royal Rumble weekend in San Antonio tonight with NXT TakeOver taking place at the Freeman Coliseum.
The show will be headlined by what is sure to be a spectacle before the match even begins, with Shinsuke Nakamura facing off against Bobby Roode. Nakamura will defend his NXT Championship against Roode after Roode won a fatal four-way match on TV to earn the title shot.
NXT’s other titles will be on the line as well. After winning last year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, The Authors of Pain will get their title shot against DIY. And the Women’s Championship will be up for grabs as Asuka defends her belt against Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match.
Tonight’s show will also see the TakeOver debuts of Roderick Strong and Eric Young. Strong will face Andrade “Cien” Almas, while SAnitY’s leader takes on Tye Dillinger.
Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.
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Pre-Show Notes:
– Corey Graves stepped down as an NXT announcer and will be replaced by Nigel McGuinness
NXT Awards:
Breakout Stars Of The Year: Peyton Royce & Billie Kay
NXT Match Of The Year: DIY vs The Revival from NXT TakeOver: Toronto
Tag Team Of The Year: The Revival
Female Competitor Of The Year: Asuka (which was stolen by Peyton Royce and Billie Kay)
Male Competitor Of The Year: Shinsuke Nakamura
Overall Competitor Of The Year: Shinsuke Nakamura
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Tom Phillips, Percy Watson and Corey Graves are calling the action. I guess Nigel takes over on Wednesday.
Eric Young def. Tye Dillinger
Young won with the Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker after Dillinger laid out the rest of SAnitY.
Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dane were at ringside and interfered throughout the match. This was a hot opener with the fans super into Dillinger, who looked good once again. They told the story that Young trained Dillinger, but at the time, that was a different Young. Dillinger began his comeback with the Tongan Death Grip of all things and later hit a belly-to-belly suplex off the top rope.
Dillinger laid Wolfe out with the Tye Breaker and gave Dane a superkick before hitting Young with another Tye Breaker, but Wolfe put EY’s foot on the ropes. Dillinger hit a dive onto SAnitY leading directly to the finish.
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Samoa Joe was seen sitting ringside.
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Roderick Strong def. Andrade “Cien” Almas
Strong won with the Sick Kick by reversing out of the Hammerlock DDT in a match that exceeded expectations.
Almas kept going for his big moves, but only hit the running double knees in the corner on the third try. Previously, he had missed another Hammerlock DDT attempt and Strong had rolled out of the way of the Double Moonsault.
Strong hit a pair of backbreakers including one where he caught Almas’ foot and yanked him in the air and then dropped Cien across the top turnbuckle.
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Michael Hayes was shown sitting at ringside.
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The Authors of Pain def. NXT Tag Team Champions DIY to win the titles
Authors of Pain became the 12th NXT Tag Team Champions, winning an excellent match with The Last Chapter.
Gargano and Ciampa did a really good job carrying the AOP to their best match ever. DIY flew all over the ring, both in selling and while on offense. Ciampa and Gargano hit one hot move after another on the big men and the monsters sold big for the first time ever.
Ciampa did a running knee off the apron where he jumped right over the cameraman in a cool visual. The AOP got the heat when they knocked Gargano off the apron and he crashed onto the guardrail in a move reminiscent of what Bret Hart used to do.
Before the finish, the champs got on the double submission that they used on The Revival in Toronto. However, Rezar picked up Gargano and bodyslammed him on top of Ciampa, who had an armbar on Akam.
After taking dozens of punches, the AOP fought out, hit the Super Collider, and hit the Last Chapter to win the match and the belts. The fans booed loudly when they sensed the finish was coming.
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Seth Rollins appeared from out of the crowd and announced he was taking over the show. He demanded HHH come out. He stated that this is where he started, he knew Hunter was here, and would not leave until he came out.
HHH came out and while we thought we might finally get the confrontation that has been teased since August, he sent security down instead. Rollins destroyed four of them, but got taken down by seven. So for future reference, seven is the optimum number of security guards to take down wrestlers.
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NXT Women’s Champion Asuka def. Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross in a four-way to retain
Asuka pinned Royce after a series of kicks to both Kay and Royce’s heads. This was not in the same league as other TakeOver women’s title matches, but it was quite enjoyable, all things considered.
Billie and Peyton both kept getting laid out by Asuka, but kept coming back for further beatings. The highlight was Asuka giving both of them a German Suplex at the same time. Cross and Asuka squared off evenly, but Billie and Peyton would run in at what they thought was a perfect time to break things up.
Cross and Asuka worked pretty well together. Cross had Asuka up for a draping DDT on the apron, but instead used a draping Roll Of The Dice before using a diving crossbody from the top rope to the floor on Kay and Royce.
Kay and Royce took over, dragged Cross away from the ring, and suplexed her through a table conveniently set up next to the announcers’ table. This took Cross out of the match.
The mean girls then literally ran back to the ring and went after Asuka. Asuka blocked the Royce bulldog to Kay’s knee, but Royce got a near fall with a Widow’s Peak. Royce freaked out and that led to the finish.
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Triple H will be on Facebook Live after the show.
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WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate was sitting at ringside and it didn’t seem like a lot of people knew who he was with a fan mocking his waving at everyone. He was part of the pre-show activities.
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Bobby Roode def. Shinsuke Nakamura to win the NXT Championship
Roode was accompanied to the ring by eight models in dresses that matched his robe. Meanwhile, Nakamura glided to the ring on a platform.
Roode became the 12th NXT Champion, pinning an injured Nakamura after a second Glorious Impaler DDT. The story was Nakamura had the match won with a Kinshasa, but he had hurt his knee earlier and couldn’t make the cover.
Roode had teased winning several times, but Nakamura had several dramatic kickouts. The early part of the match was slow with Roode and Nakamura setting the stage for a hot finish.
At one point, Nakamura was sitting on the top rope when he went for a kick, but Roode caught his foot and threw him off the top rope to the floor. Nakamura missed his corner knee strike on the first attempt, but hit it the second time, as well as the inverted Exploder Suplex.
Nakamura went for the Kinshasa, but Roode was laying on the mat, feigning unconsciousness. Roode got a schoolboy with a handful of tights and then hit a Spinebuster for a pair of two-counts. Nakamura went for a Kinshasa the second time, but Roode got his boots up and would have won the title with a roll up, but the referee saw his feet on the ropes for leverage.
Nakamura took offense to this attempted cheating and kicked Roode like there was no tomorrow. Nakamura locked on a triangle choke, but Roode got out of it.
In the big spot, Nakamura went to the second rope, but Roode rolled to the apron. Nakamura stepped to the outside of the ropes and hit a Kinshasa on the apron. On the way down is where they sold that Nakamura injured his knee.
The doctor was called into the ring to check on the injury as Roode recovered. Nakamura pleaded to the doctor that he had heart and wished to continue. Roode used a Half Crab that Nakamura turned into a Triangle Choke before the finish.
Matt Bloom (Albert/Tensai/Jason Albert, referred to as Bloom) came out as “Acting NXT GM” since Mr. Regal was ill, but he didn’t play into the finish.
This was a very good match and capped off a TakeOver that exceeded the low expectations going in.
NXT returns on Saturday with their first domestic live special since August of 2016. The card, as always, is full of big names with big reputations — but can it live up to the standards of previous TakeOvers?
With the weakest card, on paper, in some time it would take an enormous amount of quality wrestling for the show to reach the lofty heights of the other TakeOvers.
The women’s division, Asuka aside, is still trying to find its footing in the post-Bayley era, with no other established singles star (but hey, thankfully there is no Liv Morgan on the show). At the same time the men’s singles scene is equally thin, maybe as thin as it’s ever been.
With not a lot of great builds leading into the show, the stakes don’t feel as high as they normally do, but NXT has surprised in the past, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they did it again. Let’s rundown the card and see if i can avoid just filling every match capsule with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Roderick Strong vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
The likely opening match, while having no substantial build of any kind, has a legitimate chance of being the match of the night. Your mileage may vary on Roddy, and that’s fine — not everyone should like the same wrestlers! But there aren’t many dudes who can chain a series of moves together like he does.
When Roddy gets rolling, he is as smooth and effortless as anyone. But he’s just so…bland? Babyface Roddy is about as exciting as Wonder Bread and bologna with just a hint of yellow mustard. The same is true with Almas. They debuted him as a face, with no personality, and the thought process had to be like: “Yeah this guy is handsome and good he’s going to be fine.” That’s not really how it works.
This speaks to the larger problem WWE has, and that is their inability to create any of their own babyfaces. The last successful, true babyface was Daniel Bryan, and he was more of a product of his own transcendent ability in the ring, and his powerful connection with the fans. Short of him, the company has proven that they just simply can’t do it.
They had the opportunity when Seth Rollins came back, but for reasons they had him come back as a heel and THEN turned him, which neutered all the momentum and goodwill he had as the returning hero. The hero, ironically, that would have gone up against Roman Reigns, the hand-picked “Guy” moving forward.
People need to relate to the faces, and become invested in their successes and failures. At the core of it, they want to see just a bit of themselves in the wrestlers they root for, but for that to happen, there needs to be human characteristics. Right now there are none. This is basically two create-a-wrestlers putting on a match.
All that said, both these guys are pretty great at wrestling, so I’m going to completely contradict everything I just wrote and say this is actually the match I’m looking forward to the most.
Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger
Speaking of the match I’m looking forward to the most? This match, this match is not it. I’m very cool with Eric Young in NXT as the leader of SAnitY, especially if it serves as a launching pad for Nikki Cross and the latest Final Fantasy mini-boss-named Killian Dain. He’s a great talker who is perfectly capable of delivering in the ring. He’s fine, what he’s doing is fine, this is all fine.
Tye Dillinger though? It’s long past time to make a decision about Tye Dillinger. Dude is 35 years old and finally has a gimmick, not necessarily a character, that got over. It’s pretty impressive, considering he got the number 10 over. Chris Jericho getting a list over is wonderful and perfect, but there’s something to be said for getting an actual number over.
The only bad thing is that it reeks of an NXT gimmick, and not one that would last on the main roster. Jericho got the list over because he’s Jericho, and he has been doing this forever. Dillinger doesn’t have the long-standing credibility, which begs the question — what do you do with him?
If they want to toss him at the #10 spot at the Royal Rumble and see what happens, I’m here for that. It would be a lot of fun and great for him, but what happens after? Is there mileage in a story where Dillinger fully realizes this is his last chance? Possibly, but how much? It’s guys like Tye who are negatively impacted by WWE’s aggressive talent acquisition, because there is always something new, something better that comes along.
Because of that, it makes it really hard to get excited about this match as anything more than a time filler.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nikki Cross vs. Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce
One of the more interesting exercises is coming up with a believable way Asuka can lose a match while she’s in NXT.
No wrestler has been booked as strongly, made to look more like an unstoppable force than she is. This presents a unique problem and, at the same time, a benefit. Much like any “monster” type booking, creating a situation where you think they can believably lose is pretty much impossible. That’s why the handling of Asuka has been as close to perfect as it can be.
They brought in Mickie James to compete against her the last TakeOver, the one before that it was the NXT swan song version of Bayley. Before that it was Nia Jax, the stereotypical “monster.” That is two incredibly strong wrestlers, and Nia Jax, that you could talk yourself into having a chance against her.
The best part? If they lost, who cares? Mickie James was, at the time in for a one-off, and Bayley and Nia were on the main roster fairly soon after. The losses didn’t hurt them, it just built up the credibility of Asuka, positioning her as someone who can beat any type of opponent.
This four-way match is, similarly, pitch perfect. Not only did Asuka demand this match, it’s a great way to take the title off of her should they need to while giving Nikki Cross and the Aussie Mean Girls a chance to shine. Asuka can lose this match without getting pinned or even being involved in the finish, which would set up the next phase of her time in NXT should they go that way.
Cross might not be ready to be near the top of the division yet, but that time isn’t far away. Between her, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Ember Moon, and some of the newer signees — it’s not a huge leap to imagine an excellent women’s division coming together rather quickly.
That said, Asuka can’t really be dropping the belt here. If they have her drop it, it should be to Ember Moon during WrestleMania weekend. It simultaneously makes a new star, putting a pure face at the top of the women’s division, and lets Asuka go run through whichever brand she feels like on the main roster.
NXT Tag Team Champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Authors of Pain (Rezar & Akam) w/ Paul Ellering
The best non-Revival tag team in NXT gets the chance to show what they can do against a tag team that is not two Top Guys. I don’t mean this as a slight to DIY, who have been incredible in just about every match they’ve had in NXT, but it’s more to raise the question as to whether or not they can carry The Authors of Pain to a good match.
Objectively, Paul Ellering’s boys don’t have the body of work that tells us what they’re capable of. They certainly look the part of a WWE tag team — big and strong, great power moves, and B-movie villain names. Their best match was against TM61 at the last TakeOver, and that was largely based on Shane Thorne trying to become a god damn star in one night.
It’s not a stretch to say that DIY is the best representative of two “name” indie guys coming in and having their skills enhanced by the Performance Center. There aren’t many guys who do the face-in-peril better than Johnny Wrestling right now, and Ciampa fills the role of the hot tag/heavy hitter perfectly. For two guys who were thrown together for the first Dusty Classic, they certainly have become one of the better tag teams in all of wrestling.
Their success brings up an interesting point about the Performance Center as a whole. With the rate it’s expanding and the amount of people either getting signed or are rumored to get signed, it’s worth wondering if they would ever consider a second “developmental” brand. NXT isn’t that anymore. Dillinger and The Authors of Pain are the only true developmental talents on this card. Everyone else was, to some degree, an experienced performer coming into NXT.
If WWE is serious about putting down roots not just into the UK, but all over the world, there would be far, far, too much talent to thrive at NXT in its current form. The next 6-12 months should be telling for the future of NXT as a brand and how it expands moving forward.
As for this match, it still remains to be seen if AOP can have any type of long match with, well, anyone. DIY is certainly a team that can carry them to one, provided they are up to the task. Face teams don’t usually have long title runs in NXT, but with TM61 becoming TM1 after Thorne’s injury, are there really any other face teams left?
NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT has very rarely performed up to that level. Has he been very good? Of course he has. Has he been spectacular? That is certainly up for debate.
His debut match against Sami Zayn was, in the eyes of some, the match of the year — a distinction that would get no argument from me. It’s no secret that he raises his game to match both the size and scale of the stage and quality of his opponent. His series of matches with Samoa Joe were all good, but were any of them as good as they could have been? Did any of them match the hype and live up to the “dream match” distinction they were presented as? I would argue that they didn’t.
Short of his match with Zayn, have we really seen a Nakamura wrestling at full capacity? If we haven’t to this point, it’s hard to imagine this is the match that brings it out. Bobby Roode is really, really good, but Samoa Joe in his current fully leveled up form, was/is just flat out better — if Nak handled him, why wouldn’t he handle Roode just as well? This match won’t be bad, that is almost a literal impossibility, but can it be great?
As “someone who writes about wrestling on the internet” I’m contractually obligated to wonder about Nakamura’s future in NXT. He has absolutely hit his ceiling there, heck he hit his ceiling the first time his music hit. I know he is there to carry the brand and be a drawing attraction, but NXT has established itself as a success no matter what. They will continue to evolve and be fine without him. But for a main roster that relies heavily on part-timers and 50 year olds, wouldn’t a veritable icon that drips charisma slide nicely into the main event picture?
With a card that isn’t as interesting as others, is this a time where HHH pulls out a surprise debut? Tommy End already “debuted” during the UK championship, which shows how highly they think of him, so maybe he shows up? The lack of fanfare surrounding this TakeOver makes you wonder if something more is planned.
Image: @WWENXT. Report submitted by reader Nick Heidecker.
– No Way Jose defeated Elias Samson with a pop-up punch.
The Drifter came out first and ran down Houston. He sang his version of “Wanted Dead or Alive” and got booed like crazy. Jose was over with most of the crowd.
– SAnitY defeated Cedric Alexander & Heavy Machinery after Eric Young hit a wheelbarrow neckbreaker on Tucker Knight.
SAnitY’s entrance is very cool live. They didn’t get many boos as everyone loves EY. The match was decent with some big man spots between Otis Dozovic and Damo. Otis is surprisingly short.
– Roderick Strong defeated Wesley Blake after hitting a Sick Kick.
Not much to the match. Blake tried to get cheap heat by running down Houston. Roddy wasn’t very over here, but he did fine in the match.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated The Revival to retain their titles with Johnny Gargano submitting Scott Dawson.
The Authors of Pain jumped DIY before the match and attacked Gargano’s arm/shoulder. He sold it all match. Dash Wilder got a roll-up pin on Gargano, but the ref reversed the decision because Dawson was the legal man.
Another typical great match between these teams. It was easily the best match of the night. Authors of Pain came out again after the match, but DIY was ready, so they backed down.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match to retain her title after submitting Kay with the Asuka Lock.
Very sloppy match. They have a lot to work on before Saturday.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Akira Tozawa with a hammerlock DDT.
Great match that was back and forth. Almas is more over now that he is a heel than he ever was as a face.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Tye Dillinger defeated Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode after Nakamura hit a Kinshasa on Joe.
Great, fun main event where everyone shined. Lots of Royal Rumble chants and posing afterward.
The Big News: Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode signed the contract for their NXT Championship match at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.
The Medium News: Tye Dillinger refused an invite to join SAnitY, so Damo laid him out and joined SAnitY instead.
The Little Beaver-sized News: TM61 scored an upset on The Revival…and then got their butts kicked for their trouble.
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Nikki Cross defeated Kennedy Lewis
We started things off with SAnitY in action, as Nikki Cross, went one-on-one with Kennedy Lewis. In 10 days, at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Cross will be part of a fatal four-way match against Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and the champ herself, Asuka.
Lewis is a taller woman than Cross, but Cross took her down quickly and often. Lewis looked like she would rather be anywhere else during the entrance of SAnitY. I believe her only offense was a weak punch to the stomach and Cross picked up the win with a spinning neckbreaker.
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No Way Jose was backstage and said that in 2017 he is going to have a fiesta in and out of the ring. Kona Reeves (the former Noah Kekoa and Noah Potjes) walked up and took offense to Jose not defending him two months ago when SAnitY beat him up. Jose said to meet him in the ring later and they could either have fun or fight.
I should point out that this was not followed up on at all in this show. They never got in the ring nor was it announced for a future show.
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The Revival cut a promo saying that in 2016 they had greatest year of any tag team in the history of wrestling and 2017 will be the same. They said the title match at TakeOver should be a triple threat.
TM61 walked up and told them they need to fight and work their way up the ladder. Revival told them to shut up, calling them the bottom feeders of NXT. They said they’re going to cripple TM61 tonight.
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Roderick Strong defeated Steve Cutler
Cutler got his own theme music and titantron for the first time. Sure, his tron is nothing but his name, but that’s better than nothing.
They spent the match building up the simmering rivalry between Strong and Andrade “Cien” Almas. While this match was about Strong, Cutler did look good here. No one in the crowd bought any of his pin attempts, but he still looked good nonetheless.
Strong made his comeback, hitting a running knee in the corner and a Sick Kick for the pin.
Strong was interviewed after the match, saying he didn’t care what Almas had to say. The reason he is here is the NXT Championship.
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Ember Moon was staring angrily at the camera and attempted to say she wanted a Women’s title match, but Liv Morgan walked up and said she’s come a long way since she lost to Asuka in 28 seconds. Morgan challenged Moon to a match, which she accepted.
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Out came Tye Dillinger to bemoan his lack of success. The fans began doing dueling chants of “Royal Rumble” and “Number 10.” He acknowledged it and then moved on, wondering aloud if he still belongs on NXT and if he is still the Perfect 10.
The fans seemed to approve, chanting 10. Dillinger said the fans, Mr. Regal, and the people watching at home believe in him and he was this close to winning the number one contender’s match.
Before he could continue, it was time for SAnitY to reign. Eric Young said Dillinger could have it all, as long as he picks the right friends, implying he needs to join SAnitY. Alexander Wolfe came to the ring, carrying a jacket for Dillinger.
Dillinger took it from him and threw it out of the ring. Young picked it up and said the right decision can sometimes feel wrong and the right choice can be unclear. Young said 2017 could be everything Dillinger would want, all he has to do is choose to make it perfect by joining SAnitY and handed Dillinger the jacket again.
Young dropped the nice guy act and ordered Dillinger to join. Dillinger dropped the jacket to the ground again. Young attacked, but Dillinger beat up both Young and Wolfe…until he was destroyed by Damo! Damo laid out the Perfect 10 with a One Winged Angel and officially became the newest member of SAnitY.
After commercial, Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger was made official for NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.
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TM61 defeated The Revival
TM61 ran mild at the start until Scott Dawson chopped down Shane Thorne with a chop block to the knee. The fans did not seem terribly excited by this match, especially since it was taped the same night as last week’s Revival vs. DIY match.
A series of blind tags saw Revival hit the Shatter Machine on Thorne, but Nick Miller had tagged in and ran wild until being cut off with a spinebuster. Dawson went for a Texas cloverleaf on Miller, but got rolled up for the upset win!
Revival laid TM61 out after the match, including giving Miller a Shatter Machine and Thorne was given the Demolition Decapitation before they stomped on Thorne’s knee with a jump from the middle rope.
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Strong vs. Almas was officially announced for NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, while Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan was announced for next week.
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From there we got into the ring for the first contract signing of the year. Mr. Regal was here to oversee the contract signing between Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at TakeOver.
If nothing else this is a battle between two of the best themes in NXT, as the fans sing along to both.
Roode said this will not go the same as NXT’s prior contract signings, as there will not be any physicality here because this is a money match and he won’t let it be ruined. Roode said he followed Nakamura’s career in Japan, but didn’t find him worth his while.
Roode brought up TakeOver: Dallas, saying the fans went crazy that night and Nakamura had an incredible match. He mentioned Nakamura beating Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, but mentioned he never beat Bobby Roode. Nakamura is the King of Strong Style, but the fact is he has no style. He has half a hair cut, looks like he belongs in Thriller, and does a dumb dance.
Nakamura said Roode won’t change NXT as long as he’s champion. Roode called Japan the “Land of Zero Talent,” calling himself the biggest draw and the It Factor of sports entertainment. Roode said the fans were trading in their pathetic lifestyles to be more like Roode and Roode’s agenda will finally be complete when he takes the NXT title at TakeOver.
Roode signed the contract and tried to say the title would be glorious, but Nakamura cut him off and said that even though Roode is one of the best, he will not take the title at TakeOver. Nakamura signed the contract and vowed to take Roode’s head off in San Antonio. Nakamura finished by saying it would be glorious, which pissed Roode off.
The show ended with a stare down. That does it for this week. I hope everyone has a wonderful seven days and until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
Dar was able to get some pretty good heat early on in this cruiserweight showcase match by shutting Metalik down and saying “No lucha.” After getting beat up most of the match, Metalik made his comeback and won with a Metalik Driver.
– Ember Moon defeated Mandy Rose
Early on Rose rolled to the outside, prompting Moon to call her a chicken which caused chicken chants throughout the match. Moon won with the top rope stunner.
– A video of DIY was shown, where they talked about why they liked Kentucky.
– The Authors of Pain defeated Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight)
AOP got an alright reaction but there wasn’t much of anything at first for Heavy Machinery. Dozovic really got himself over with the crowd in this match and looked pretty impressive. After he got a hot tag and ran wild for a bit, AOP hit their finish on him and pinned him. Heavy Machinery got a standing ovation on their way to the back.
– Elias Samson defeated Oney Lorcan
The Drifter came out to a mixed but mostly negative reaction. He then sang a song about why Kentucky was bad and the mixed reaction turned quite sour quickly. Oney Lorcan interrupted him to a pretty good pop, and then grabbed a mic and said “Drifter, you suck.”
They had an okay match in which the highlight was when The Drifter went outside while Lorcan was down and grabbed his guitar and began to play another song. Lorcan interrupted with an uppercut and took the guitar in the ring, then threatened to smash it. Not too long after he regained control of his guitar, The Drifter hit his finish and pinned Lorcan.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay to retain her title
The crowd was super hot for Asuka. She dominated early until Kay interfered, giving Royce the upper hand. After getting beat up for a bit due to more interference, Asuka made her comeback and took down both and won with an Asuka Lock.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain) to retain their titles
DIY got a great reaction and the crowd was behind them solidly the whole time. Tommaso Ciampa had the upper hand on Wolfe early on, until Wolfe was able to tag in Dain who quickly took control.
SAnitY took turns beating up Ciampa for a while with help from Nikki Cross who was at ringside with Eric Young. Eventually, Johnny Gargano got the tag and ran wild on Wolfe. Cross tried to interfere again but was ejected. Dain tried to stop Gargano but was tripped outside. DIY hit their finish on Wolfe and pinned him.
– Eric Young defeated Patrick Clark
Young sent Dain and Wolfe to the back to “watch him lead by example.” He said no one in the back could even last 20 seconds with him, which prompted Clark to come out. He came out to a very cold reaction; I don’t think people really knew him very well.
This was an okay match, with EY dominating most of it. Clark went for his comeback and went up top for a move when the rest of SAnitY ran down and pushed him off the top rope. EY hit the wheelbarrow neckbreaker for the win.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Roderick Strong defeated Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode
Joe came out first to a pretty big babyface style reaction. Next was Roode with an even better babyface reaction. Strong came out next and got what was definitely the weakest reaction of all the guys in the main event. Nakamura came out last and got the best reaction of the night by far.
Strong and Joe started off the match but Joe quickly tagged in Roode. He got the upped hand initially on Roddy and the crowd was dying for Nakamura. Strong and Nakamura teased the tag for a while before it was finally made.
Nakamura and Roode really played up to the crowd when they were in the ring with each other. Neither guy really did much but the crowd went crazy for everything both guys did. Roode eventually tagged Joe back in and Nakamura tagged in Strong. After Joe beat him up for a while, Roddy finally tagged Nakamura back in. Nakamura eventually hit a Kinshasa on Joe for the win.
Image: @OldNatlCentre. Report submitted by reader Charley Vail.
– Gran Metalik defeated Noam Dar
This was branded with the 205 Live logo and colors on the screen. Metalik went over Dar with the Metalik Driver. Overall, this was a fun cruiserweight match and the babyface finisher got a good pop.
– SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Big Damo) w/ Nikki Cross defeated Oney Lorcan & Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight)
SAnitY got an entrance pop. Heavy Machinery used good teamwork moves that allowed them to throw their weight around. Both sides ignored the ref’s warning and ran in causing chaos. Young hit Lorcan with his finisher for the pinfall.
– Ember Moon defeated Mandy Rose
Moon hit Rose with the flipping stunner off the top rope for the win.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated The Authors of Pain to retain their titles
DIY won with their double team finisher. They were extremely over with the midwest crowd.
– Elias Samson defeated Patrick Clark
The Drifter got the most heat of anyone on the card. He sang a song about how bad Indianapolis is.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Billie Kay w/ Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross to retain her title
This match had the most storytelling elements in it. From an acting perspective, everyone did really well, though the in-ring execution was poor at times.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Roderick Strong defeated Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode
This was the best match of the night. I felt bad for Strong as his entrance fell short compared to the other three. Everyone was cheered heavily on entrances. Roode and Nakamura spent the most time sizing each other up and Samoa Joe was working really well in the ring. Nakamura hit Joe with the Kinshasa to get the win.
– Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins defeated Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi
Standing shooting star press by Ford for the pin.
NXT TV tapings —
– They showed Peyton Royce and Billie Kay attacking Asuka in the parking lot before the show started.
– Billie Kay & Peyton Royce defeated Sarah Bridges & Macey Estrella
The Aussies had a lot of heat with the live crowd. They won with a double team finish on Bridges with Royce dropping her on Kay’s knee.
– Asuka ran down after the match while being held back by security to attack Kay and Royce but was roughed up until Nikki Cross made the save. After clearing the ring, Cross attacked Asuka herself.
– Elias Samson defeated Jonathan Cruz
Fans booed Drifter all match until he won with his finish.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Oney Lorcan
Almas got a decisive win with his leg sweep DDT.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated The Revival to retain their titles
Great match with some excellent near falls and a hot finish. DIY won with the double running knee/kick to both men. The Authors of Pain jumped DIY from behind after the match and left them laying.
– Nikki Cross (w/ SAnitY) defeated Kennadi Brink
– Roderick Strong defeated Steve Cutler
Sick Kick by Strong for the win. Post-match, he said he doesn’t care what Almas says (they’re seemingly building to a match between the two) as his goal is the NXT title.
– Tye Dillinger came out to talk about his future. The crowd chanted “Royal Rumble” and “Number 10.” He was then interrupted by SAnitY who had a jacket for him and wanted him to join.
Dillinger dropped it and put the “10” hands in Eric Young’s face, which started a brawl. Big Damo, who was not with SAnitY thus far in the taping, came through the crowd and destroyed Dillinger.
– Ember Moon defeated Liv Morgan
Stunner off the top by Moon. They shook hands after but Morgan appeared to be disappointed.
– Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode had a contract signing for their match at TakeOver: San Antonio. Good stuff here. The crowd was into both men and reacted to all their statements.
– Aliyah defeated Mandy Rose by submission.
– No Way Jose defeated Kona Reeves
Jose used his half nelson slam for the victory. The Drifter then showed up to massive heat. Jose sang “Just Drift Away” to the tune of his own song and Drifter left angrily.
– Eric Young (w/ Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross) defeated Chris Atkins
Young would say “10” when landing strikes as he wants to face Dillinger. Young won with a wheelbarrow neckbreaker.
– TM61 defeated The Revival
Nick Miller won with a roll-up, then The Revival destroyed him. They left Shane Thorne laying with a Shatter Machine and he was tended to by doctors.
– William Regal announced a fatal four-way NXT Women’s Championship match at TakeOver: San Antonio with Asuka defending against Kay, Royce, and Cross. He said that, despite his better judgment, he wants to hear from all four women in the match.
This turned into a wild brawl with Kay and Royce fighting Asuka and Cross before the Aussies backed off, allowing Asuka and Cross to fight. Cross jumped off the top to the outside, taking out Asuka and a swarm of security as Kay and Royce looked on in shock.
Possibly dark match main event —
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Tajiri defeated Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode
Nakamura pinned Joe with the Kinshasa.
– Chris Hero returned to NXT after the match. The titantron referred to him by his old NXT name of Kassius Ohno. He entered the ring and looked at Nakamura before leaving.
