The finish came when Murphy hit a big running suplex. Sabbatelli and Moss roughed up Murphy after the match until Hideo Itami made the save and put Moss down with a GTS. He then hit Murphy with one as well.
– Tian Bing defeated Kona Reeves
Bing won with a big kick.
– Aleister Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
This was a great match. It was evenly matched until the end when Black hit a hard kick and scored the pin.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain vs. SAnitY vs. Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins vs. Heavy Machinery ended in a no contest
The champs and SAnitY were the last two teams in this elimination match after Ford & Dawkins and Heavy Machinery had been defeated. They brawled and a locker room worth of security tried to break it up.
– There was an in-ring interview with Jeet Rama. Vic Joseph spoke with him about being a new dad and a world-class Indian wrestler. The Highway Man appeared and played us a song very similar to an Elias Samson song. He got in a scuffle with Rama until Rama sent him packing.
– Ruby Riot defeated Mandy Rose
Riot hit an up-kick to win what was a good match.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & Kassius Ohno defeated NXT Champion Bobby Roode & Patrick Clark
This was an entertaining match, with all types of action along with Clark’s comedy. Nakamura hit a Kinshasa on Clark for the win and then celebrated with a Shinsuke stuffed bear from a crowd member to send everyone home happy.
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.
*********
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.
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.
– Mandy Rose defeated Heidi Lovelace (going by her name Dori Prange)
Rose hit the Angel’s Wings slam for the win.
NXT TV taping spoilers —
SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe) defeated The Bollywood Boyz
Dain destroyed them for the victory.
– Liv Morgan defeated Billie Kay
Morgan bumped Peyton Royce off the apron and rolled up Kay to win.
– SAnitY brawled with Tye Dillinger out of the side door to the ring before Roderick Strong and No Way Jose made the save.
– The Revival defeated Heavy Machinery
Scott Dawson hit a DDT on Tucker Knight for the finish. Revival then said they want the tag titles back. The Authors of Pain came out and Revival bailed before coming back for a sneak attack to put AOP down on the ramp, then ran off again.
– Bobby Roode came out to tell us that he told us so. This was a very good promo putting himself over as the champion.
– SAnitY defeated Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose & Roderick Strong
There was a wild brawl to start the match and action all over the place. Nikki Cross actually pulled Dillinger out of the ring with a rana, allowing Dain to hit a running crossbody on Strong for the win.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated two enhancement talents in a squash match.
– Billie Kay & Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan & Ember Moon
Kay held Morgan in a wheelbarrow position while Royce hit a running knee.
– DIY came out for a promo, but The Revival jumped them from behind and then AOP made their way to the ring to destroy them all.
– WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate defeated Trent Seven to retain his title
This was a physical match, with slugging and even a dive to the outside by Bate. Bate did his airplane spin and Seven used submissions. Bate won with his Tiger Driver.
Incredible match. The crowd chanted “this is awesome” many times and gave it a standing ovation. This was the best match at Full Sail since the Cruiserweight Classic
– Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Ember Moon for the right to become the number one contender for Asuka’s title.
– Pete Dunne defeated Mark Andrews
Great match. Andrews missed a shooting star press when Dunne got his knees up. Dunne later hit his pumphandle face slam for the victory.
– Bobby Roode defeated No Way Jose
This had a lot of entertainment from Jose until Roode cut him off and took control. They worked a long match that Roode won with his DDT. Kassius Ohno returned to NXT after the match and said he wants what Roode has. They had a scuffle and Ohno sent Roode over the top and told him to get out of his ring.
– Patrick Clark defeated Sean Maluta
– There was seemingly a re-tape of the segment with Ohno and Roode as they brawled in the ring again.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce to retain her title
Royce actually had the advantage early and held Asuka down with holds and pulled her hair. Asuka got the submission with the Asuka Lock. Royce and Kay roughed up Asuka after the match until Ember Moon made the save. After they cleared house, Asuka and Moon had a staredown.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated DIY by DQ to retain their titles
The Authors kept control most of the match and they built to a Johnny Gargano hot tag. He ran wild and hit dives and big moves until getting cut off. AOP went for a superplex but Tommaso Ciampa turned it in to a powerbomb for a near fall. Revival hit the ring for the DQ and even hit a Shatter Machine on an Author before leaving. The crowd loved The Revival tonight.
Chris Hero returned to NXT as Kassius Ohno last week after a little over three years away from WWE developmental. All that happened in between is that he became arguably the best professional wrestler in the world.
It’s not that Hero didn’t enter developmental in 2012 as an excellent performer. He was a genuine independent wrestling star even then, having worked for Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and seemingly everywhere else across the globe. He had developed as an elite in-ring talent by utilizing a unique style that was shaped by those experiences and his knowledge of pro wrestling history.
But Hero reenters WWE better than he has ever been because of how he has further dedicated himself in the ring since being released. And he does so after having had more outstanding matches than anyone else did in 2016.
A lot of that is because of opportunity. By not getting locked down with any one company, Hero was given the opportunity to work almost anywhere he wanted against such different opponents. He worked across the United States indie scene while finding homes in its most popular promotions. He went overseas and toured Europe while being just as welcomed in their top companies.
That led to Hero working more diverse matches than anyone else did last year. He elevated every EVOLVE card that he was on while giving many of his peers their best match of the year. He was Timothy Thatcher’s opponent in his best title defense of the year, along with being involved in the promotion’s best tag match of 2016 as he teamed with regular partner Tommy End against frequent rival Zack Sabre Jr. and Sami Callihan.
Hero’s two matches against “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams brought out the best in Williams, and his trilogy with Matt Riddle helped cement the former UFC fighter as the clear top star in EVOLVE as it enters a new era.
Hero teamed with End against Pentagon Jr. and Fenix in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla over Battle of Los Angeles weekend, with the contrasting styles of the teams (even though Hero did show that he’s adept at lucha in the match) producing one of the best tag matches of the year.
Across the pond, Hero had stellar matches in PROGRESS with Marty Scurll and Mark Andrews, along with another great match with Scurll in Revolution Pro Wrestling. Hero’s involvement with RevPro led to him getting to wrestle in two dream matches at their co-promoted shows with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He faced off against Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata on the two shows, with the Ishii match especially showing that Hero is the best in the world at his bruising, strike-heavy style.
And that brief list doesn’t even come close to doing justice to the year that Hero had. He was the top star on the indies and made every show that he was on — regardless of size — feel like a big deal.
Other capable indie workers will be given the chance to step up as we get deeper into 2017, but no one person will be able to fill Hero’s spot. No one else has the combination of longevity, knowledge, and experience working so many different styles that Hero has.
But the indie scene’s loss will be NXT’s gain. And NXT has never needed Hero more than they do right now.
As NXT has strived to become a brand, it feels like it has lost an identity. The need to fill moderately sized buildings on the road and the reliance on stars who have already made their names on bigger stages elsewhere has made NXT feel less like the distinct product that it used to be.
Of course, NXT has always relied on already established talent. It’s never going to be a promotion that solely features developing wrestlers. Finn Balor was a ready-made star when he stepped foot into developmental. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were stars in ROH, PWG, and many other promotions before coming to WWE. But those three wrestlers fit into the product that NXT was trying to produce far more seamlessly than Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and Bobby Roode have. They were talents obviously motivated for the opportunity ahead of them and out to prove themselves.
Established stars will always be needed in NXT. They’ll help sell tickets, draw viewers to the WWE Network, and work with younger talents. But Nakamura, Joe, and Roode as the top male stars seems to have fundamentally changed what NXT is.
Nakamura has seen far bigger stages than Full Sail University. And he was a legitimate top star in NJPW in a way that Balor never was. He’s 36 years old with a lifetime of pro wrestling wear and tear on his body. Even in NJPW, he got by on charisma and only gave everything he had when it mattered most. He’s had a couple of standout matches since signing with WWE, but it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s picked his spots up to this point.
Joe and Roode are even older with just as much mileage on their bodies. And both former TNA stars have already experienced what it’s like to work on television.
Some of the identity that NXT lost was inevitable. They’ve understandably been unable to adequately replace Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch. And with WWE now a legitimate place to watch high-end women’s wrestling, NXT has lost a lot of what made it special.
SmackDown has also made NXT’s place in the weekly WWE product less clear. NXT used to exist as a shorter and easier to watch alternative to Raw that had logical booking and storytelling that built to their big shows, but SmackDown has done all of that better than NXT has since the brand split.
Adding another star well into his 30s shouldn’t feel like something that will rejuvenate the brand, but Chris Hero has proved in his three-plus years outside of the company that no one is more motivated than he is to consistently put on great wrestling matches. He also comes back to NXT with something to prove after previously being released.
Whether Hero ultimately has main roster success remains to be seen. There are obvious obstacles that stand in his way, with his physique always going to be a talking point. But he was released when he was near the best shape of his life and comes back to the company with officials obviously knowing what he looks like.
Hero is getting an unlikely second shot at wrestling for the biggest company and on the biggest stage possible. If he does eventually find success in WWE, it will be because of how he dedicated himself to becoming maybe the best in-ring wrestler in the world during his time away.
The approximate attendance tonight was 350 people.
– The show opened with an in-ring interview with Dory Funk Jr., who thanked Matt Bloom and NXT before SANITY’s music hit. Before they could make it to the ring, Wesley Blake slid in to hold them off which gave enough time for Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic to also join in. That led to a six-man tag.
Some good stuff here. There was a hoss fight between Dozovic and Damo, each member of the face team did bear hugs on Eric Young, and finally a big top rope splash by Blake got the victory.
– Gran Metalik defeated Ariya Daivari
A Metalik Driver got the win.
– Kona Reeves defeated Mustafa Ali
Ali missed a 450 and Reeves stole the pin with his feet on the ropes.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Angelo Dawkins
This was a strong match. Dawkins took most of the match before Ohno fired up and put him down with an elbow.
Good action here with Asuka catching Royce in the Asuka Lock for the submission.
– Aleister Black (formerly known as Tommy End) defeated Elias Samson
The crowd was all over The Drifter tonight with booing and chants. Black hit a flying knee for the win.
– Roderick Strong & Tye Dillinger defeated The Revival
Absolutely incredible crowd reaction. This was the loudest chanting in Florida that I’ve ever experienced. “You’re a chicken” chants almost sent The Revival out the door as they took the mic and proclaimed “Top Guys out.”
Strong and Dillinger chased them down. They brawled around ringside and finally got it in the ring a good 15 minutes into the match. Revival used all the tricks in the book to take advantage of Strong to lead to a Dillinger hot tag. He ran wild and won it with the Tye Breaker as Strong hit a backbreaker to send everyone home happy.
Tonight’s attendance was approximately 300 people.
– Montez Ford w/ Angelo Dawkins defeated Patrick Clark
Good match. The crowd was into it and all over Clark. Ford hit a standing shooting star press for the win.
– Daria Berenato & Mandy Rose defeated Liv Morgan & Aliyah
Berenato hit a spinebuster on Morgan to get the victory.
– Tye Dillinger tried to cut an in-ring promo but was interrupted by Wesley Blake. Blake proceeded to call everyone “garbage,” even individuals in the crowd. He called everyone garbage over and over. Dillinger then put Blake down with a superkick and left the mic on him gently before leaving to a big pop.
– Tian Bing defeated Akira Tozawa
This was stiff, with hard kicks by Bing and hard chops by Tozawa. It was starting to get rolling but Tozawa took a rough bump and Bing proceeded to thrust kick him instantly to pin him and get out of there.
– Steve Cutler defeated Cezar Bononi
Physical match. Cutler got the win with a big stomp off the ropes.
– Oney Lorcan & Jack Gallagher defeated Tony Nese & Noam Dar
I believe this was the NXT Florida debut of Tony Nese, and this match was a lot of fun. All the Gallagher comedy spots and the physical Lorcan spots worked well. Gallagher hit the running dropkick in the corner to get the win for his team. The crowd loved this one.
– Billie Kay defeated Macey Estrella with a big boot.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
Huge pop for the former Chris Hero. This was a great match that was TV worthy in every way. There was athletic stuff, hard hitting stuff, counters, near falls, and finally Ohno bashed Almas with the neckbreaker to set up the elbow smash to the back of the head to win it.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated SANITY
Fun main event match. Everyone worked well and we had some strong interactions between Big Damo and Nakamura. Nakamura hit the Kinshasa on Alexander Wolfe to send everyone home happy.
