Tag: Nakamura

NXT TakeOver Brooklyn preview: NXT’s stars ready to tear the house down

Posted on by Mike DellaCamera

NXT returns to Brooklyn this Saturday for ‘NXT TakeOver Brooklyn II: The One With The Terrible Chain Graphic’ (trademark: me). Poor graphic decisions aside, this is an absolutely stacked card. Every NXT title is on the line, it could be the last match in NXT for Bayley, Bobby Roode makes his in-ring debut, and Ember Moon has her official NXT debut. Combine those things with an always wound up Brooklyn crowd, and there is the definite potential for this to go down as one of the best NXT TakeOvers from top to bottom.

Here’s a look at the card.

Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay

The vignettes leading to Moon’s debut have been, well, they’ve been something. Your mileage may vary on the pseudo-supernatural vibe they have going on, but it’s something different and certainly worth seeing through. There are plenty of jokes about the quality of names NXT has been generating lately (Sup, Oney Lorcan?), but EMBER MOON has to be something that was left on the cutting room floor of Mortal Kombat names. Maybe she is Kitana and Mileena’s long lost cousin or something.

What the wrestler formerly known as Athena does have going for her is that she can really, really work and has an incredible finishing move (the O-face) that the Brooklyn crowd will absolutely explode for. Going back to MK, I wonder what kind bizarre Fatality-type name it will get. While ‘From The Ashes’ or ‘The Final Eclipse’ are up there, my fingers are crossed for ‘The Full Moon’. That’s not going to happen, but it sure is nice to dream.

For Kaye, she actually looks like, and dresses similarly, to Kitana. Everything really is lining up for my WWE/Mortal Kombat crossover I’ve been working on so tirelessly including writing this section before Kaye was officially announced as her opponent.

No Way Jose vs. Austin Aries

NXT’s resident fruit aficionado might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s done a good job of getting himself over as a face and drawing more out of his character. Leading up to his program with ‘The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived’, Jose was just a happy dancing guy who sometimes did baseball moves. This is also known as the most NXT gimmick of all time.

If you look at the NXT talent that found early success on the main roster, their characters were, and this is almost silly to say when writing about pro wrestling, grounded in reality. Sami Zayn, scrappy, resilient, underdog who never gives up….and is really good at wrestling. Kevin Owens, mouthy, self entitled, man who fights for his family…and is really good at wrestling. Rusev is a bit more than the stereotypical foreign heel in that he really loves his wife, fights to defend her honor (which is somehow ‘bad’)…and is really good at wrestling. Tyler Breeze is really good at wrestling, but his gimmick did him absolutely no favors.

It’s been proven that some of the stuff they try in NXT will just die on the vine up on the main roster. I guess time will tell with Jose, but nothing about this gimmick or this program screams main roster success to me.

For what it’s worth, doesn’t it feel like Roode and Aries should switch opponents this weekend? No Way Jose gets enough positive reactions that he could overcome the love that Roode surely will get, and Aries can generate enough heat on himself to help Almas get over. Anyway, as it currently stands, this match doesn’t really move the needle, and it’s fair to wonder where both these guys go coming out of this TakeOver.

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Bobby Roode

This has the potential to be a bit awkward. There is almost no chance that Roode gets a negative reaction in this match (at least to start), and that, as far as I can tell, is the exact opposite of what WWE wants to happen. A large part of that is because Almas’ character is just so bland: bologna-on-Wonder-Bread-with-a-touch-of-yellow-mustard-bland. Up to this point his character can be boiled down to ‘super handsome dude who sometimes wears weird suspenders’. He has received little to no reaction since his debut, which is a real shame because the former La Sombra has all the talent in the world necessary to succeed.

On the other hand, Roode debuted and had a character within 10 minutes. He walked to the ring, cut a promo, and immediately established his character, his desires, and his motivation for being in NXT. This doesn’t even mention his theme song, which by itself is more over than 80% of the roster. This whole match, that incidentally has had no build, raises quite a few questions. Does Roode really lose his TakeOver debut match? Does Almas really go over, and does he get no reaction from the crowd? Do they really think his hammerlock DDT finisher is a real thing? Most importantly, are any of us ready for the GLORIOUS nature of Bobby Roode in NXT?

NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa

Has The Revival had a bad match since they became prominent players on NXT? I would argue that they haven’t, and quietly become one of the best parts of NXT. They are the ultimate foils for the babyface teams like American Alpha, Enzo and Cass, as well as their TakeOver opponents Gargano and Ciampa. The Revival is exactly what they claim to be: old school, hard-hitting tag team wrestlers. They are also perfect and wonderful and this should make you treasure them like the pitch-perfect wrestlers they are.

What makes this match so great is that Gargano and Ciampa are also wonderful, but not quite as perfect. One team is going to hit the other team really hard, the other team is ALSO going to hit the other team really hard, with just a few more leg slaps. This is good! This is fine! This is great! The best part about a tag match is when the teams do different things well, but are trying to get to the same place. The Revival will try and wear you out, slow the match down, and ultimately take you out.

Gargano and Ciampa will try to chain moves and strikes together as fast as possible, and ultimately knock you out. This will be the biggest showcase for Gargano/Ciampa as a team as they both had their official ‘coming out’ moment with their match against each other during the first round of the CWC.

With The Authors of Pain and TM61, NXT’s tag division is getting fairly deep, and that doesn’t even include a possible reunion of the #DirtyHeels (Roode/Aries). This could be a good spot for a title change, because it sure feels like SmackDown could use a team like The Revival considering that its’ tag division is American Alpha, and a bunch of teams that aren’t American Alpha.

Look at who participated in the 12-man match from Tuesday that weren’t AA: The Usos, The Hype Bros, The Vaudevillians, Breezango, and the Ascension. That…doesn’t exactly scream excitement. If they really want to have a second set of belts for the blue brand, the quality of teams needs to really improve. Give me an extended feud between AA and The Revival on national television. I don’t need any amount of Hype in my life, in any capacity, ever.

NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Bayley

Unpopular Internet opinion: I don’t love Bayley, I’m not even sure if I like her at this point. I fundamentally understand what makes her work, what makes her so captivating, and why so many people love her. I really do. A large part of why I feel this way is because she has just been in NXT for so, so long, and has done everything she possibly could there. Part of what makes wrestling so great is getting to see characters evolve and improve. Bayley did that and now it’s time for her to do it somewhere that’s not Full Sail. If this is her swan song, what better place than Brooklyn — the place where she and Sasha Banks blew the roof off the building a year ago — for her to go out?

And oh boy, is she going to go out with a bang. There really has never been someone like Asuka in the WWE. The women they usually book as these near-unbeatable monsters are more physically imposing (re: Nia Jax, Kharma) than Asuka. Asuka doesn’t inspire fear because of her size; she inspires fear because of who she is. There is a reason that, in a previous life, she earned the nickname ‘Most Dangerous’.

WWE is in a weird and surreal place where two of their best performers are not only Japanese wrestlers who can cut a ‘promo’ with their faces and actions, but are completely running with it. When is the last time a foreign wrestler, let alone a female Asian wrestler, was presented in the dominant way Asuka is? She and Nakamura are two shining examples of WWE getting away from trying to fit every wrestler into the ‘superstar’ shaped hole that they tried to do for so many years.

This match should, with almost no doubt, be excellent. These two told a great story WrestleMania weekend in Dallas, and are in just as good a position to do the same this Saturday. Hopefully, The Empress of Tomorrow can give Bayley her final (and much deserved) hug in NXT…in the form of an Asuka Lock.

NXT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Hyperbole aside, this match has the potential to be one of the best matches in NXT history. All of Nakamura’s matches are complete spectacles and feel like a special event, not at all unlike a Brock Lesnar match at this point. Much like a Lesnar match doesn’t need a traditional build, neither do Nakamura’s as each match feels like a dream match. Credit goes to WWE by letting Nakamura just be Nakamura and allowing his innate, strange, weird, bizarre, incredible, and utterly captivating charisma just ooze through the screen.

His presence makes everything, and everyone, around him feel bigger. The man is just a master professional wrestler, full stop. He is a genuine top-tier, world-class talent, and, honestly, has no business spending any more time in NXT.

If this feels like someone singing the praises of Nakamura as opposed to a match preview, you’re partially right. But it would be an absolute travesty not to talk about how incredible Samoa Joe has been over the past year in NXT. Kevin Owens recently said that NXT wouldn’t be where it is without Finn Balor, and by and large, he’s correct. But Joe has made the title mean more, and feel more important over the course of his short reign, compared to what Finn did over his far more lengthy tenure.

Where Finn’s matches, and by no means is this intended to be a slight, could sometimes feel like build-ups to a reveal of ‘the Demon King’ with the title just kind of serving as a prop, Joe’s feel different. They have the feel of a man motivated to prove that he is the best, that he deserves what he’s earned — and will do anything to keep it. A motivated Joe on a big stage against one of the best big stage performers of the past 5-10 years? This has all the makings of an absolute classic.

With all that said, Joe retains but not cleanly, right? Nakamura needs to be on the main roster as soon as possible, leaving Joe to be the NXT monster that they haven’t had in some time.

NXT New Orleans, LA, live results: Nakamura & Andrade Almas vs. Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Lionel Williams from the New Orleans Convention Center

– No Way Jose def. Riddick Moss

Decent opener. Crowd didn’t care about Moss until he got on the mic and told “Baton Rouge” to stop booing him. Jose won with a baseball punch and full nelson slam.

– Ember Moon def. Daria Berenato

Match was a lot of ground and pound, since Daria has a MMA fighter gimmick. Crowd lost their mind at the finish where Ember won with a spinning stunner off the top rope. It sounds absurd, but it looks awesome live.

– Oney Lorcan def. Murphy

Murphy’s new music is just the theme song from the old Comedy Central show “Kroll Show”. Very fun match. Oney kept putting on headlocks, and the crowd popped more for it as the match went on. Oney won when Murphy tapped out to a headlock which got a huge reaction.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka def. Billie Kay

Match was decent, but nowhere near Asuka’s best. No one was into Billie Kay. Couple guys were chanting for Bayley, who was working an NXT show in Florida tonight. Asuka won with a big kick.

– NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival def. Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa 

Match of the night by far. Crowd was huge into Gargano and Ciampa. They had the crowd believing that the titles would switch. After a few nearfalls, Dash pinned Gargano with a rollup with the tights.

– Austin Aries def Mojo Rawley

Crowd was dead for this one. Mojo eventually got them to say that Aries wasn’t hype. Aries won with the Last Chancery.

– Shinsuke Nakamura & Andrade Almas vs. NXT Champion Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode

Huge pops for both Nakamura and Joe. Andrade lost the hat, which is a bit of an upgrade. Good match. Nakamura won with a Kinshasa on Roode.

NXT Ocala, FL, live results: Nakamura vs. Murphy; Dory Funk Jr. makes an appearance

Posted on by F4W Staff

Results courtesy of @RobbyDeese

An estimated crowd of 300 inside of a tent here in Ocala, FL.

– Rich Swann defeated HoHo Lun with a triple jump front flip.

– Riddick Moss defeated Hugo Knox with the Rude Awakening. 

– Dory Funk Jr. came out for an interview but was interrupted by Mandy Rose. Bayley then came out, gave Rose a Bayley-to-Belly, and hugged Funk.

– Hideo Itami defeated Patrick Clark with a running knee strike,Clark had a bloody nose after match.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon with the Asuka Lock to retain her title, Asuka hugged and shook hands with fans after the match.

– No Way Jose defeated Tino Sabbatelli with a Cobra Clutch Slam.

– TM61 defeated Niko Bogojevic & Tucker Knight when Nick Miller hit a diving cross body from the top rope.

– Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Buddy Murphy with the Kinshasa.

NXT Louisville, KY, live results: Finn Balor teases main roster debut

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by John Smith & Dan Alegria from the Broadbent Arena 

Arena seats about 6,600, but was half tarped off. Floor and lower bowl were full with maybe 2,000 in attendance.

– No Way Jose defeated Hugo Knox

Jose opens the show to get the crowd going, and gets his usual chants and cheers. Knox cuts a heel promo on some ringside fans, and kept good heel heat throughout the match. Match went a little longer than expected with Knox getting a lot of offense in. Jose wins clean with a full nelson slam.

– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Wesley Blake

Blake came out with new music and new gear, and was introduced as Wesley “Beautiful Blonde” Blake. Almas got a good pop from the Louisville crowd. “Where is Murphy?” chants directed at Blake. Blake gets out of the ring and cuts a promo saying he doesn’t need Murphy and Alexa. Very fun match with Almas flying everywhere really got the crowd going. Blake showed off some power moves, but Almas wins clean with the running knees into a weird looking DDT. 

– Bayley defeated Alexa Bliss

Huge reactions for both. Bayley had a lot of fun with the crowd, leading “Yes!” chants and hugging random people who ran down to ringside. Wrestling was good, but the entertainment value of the match was really high. Bayley wins clean with Bayley to Belly. Alexa attacked her after the match to get some loud boos.

– Hideo Itami defeated Angelo Dawkins

Nobody cared about Dawkins, but Itami got a huge reaction as very few people here expected him to be here. The match started with some comedy between Dawkins and Hideo. Once they got serious, we got good back and forth work. Dawkins got in more offense than Hideo but there was a lot of rest holds. Hideo made a comeback and won clean with the running knee strike.

– NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival defeated American Alpha to retain their titles

This was an outstanding back and forth tag title match with lots of near falls. Crowd was a little down after intermission but came alive for the introductions. Gable and Dash start. Gable being Gable early on, putting on a technical wrestling clinic. Tags by both teams. Jordan and Dawson exchange offense before Jordan takes over. Alpha gets tag team offense in, sending Revival out of the ring. Alpha with a lot of tags, working over Dawson before he makes the tag and Dash. Lots of back and forth work and a lot of tags continue. If I described it, this report would be 5000 words. Absolutely fantastic tag match. Alpha hits their finisher, but Dash puts Dawson’s foot on the rope. In the confusion, Dawson rolls up Gable with the tights for the pin..

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Billie Kay

Women’s championship on the line. Big reaction for Asuka, no reaction for Billie Kay. Lots of “Asukas gonna kill you” chants. Billie Kay got a lot of offense in, probably more than Asuka. Long match, felt like was around 15 minutes. Billie isn’t great, but she looks like she has a ton of potential. After a weird roll through, Asuka gets the win with the Asuka Lock.

– Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, American Alpha, & Bayley defeated NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival, & Alexa Bliss

The match was originally billed as Joe & Roode vs. Nakamura & Balor. Balor entered last with Joe (heavily taped elbow) and Roode attacking Nakamura during his entrance. When Balor tried to get in, the Revival came in to attack Balor and Nakamura. This led to American Alpha joining the fray. Eventually, Alexa Bliss made her way down to the ring to berate Nakamura, which resulted in Bayley coming down. This led to a 10-person tag.

Balor, Nakamura, American Alpha & Bayley vs. Roode, Joe, The Revival & Bliss

Match was clearly set up to let everyone have a fun match to go home on. Lots of back and forth, everyone getting their spots in. Bayley hit Roode with the Bayley to Belley leading to Nakamura nailing him with the Kinshasa for the win.

After, Balor’s team group hugged and did the too sweet symbol and Nakamura’s pose. Balor took the mic and stated, “He could feel a bit of a ‘draft’ in the room” and that everyone in the NXT locker room aspires to join the main roster. The show ended with Balor and Bayley embracing on the stage and Balor bowing to the crowd.

WWE NXT results: Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Posted on by Arya Witner

The Big News: Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Finn Balor in a ****+ main event.

The Medium News: Rhyno challenged NXT champion Samoa Joe to a match, which was made for next week.

The Little Beaver Sized News: Greg Hamilton may be the best ring announcer in WWE.

The show began with NXT champion Samoa Joe coming to the ring. This is Joe’s first appearance live at Full Sail since NXT Takeover: The End when he defeated Finn Balor in a steel cage. If you’re wondering why Joe hasn’t been on television since, join the club.

The first thing Joe told us was that he is here to watch Balor vs. Nakamura, as are so many people at home and everyone in the arena. He feels the implications of the match are disrespectful to him because the winner of the main event automatically thinks they get a title shot. This is pure fantasy, Joe told us.

Joe said he brought strong style to the US and if Nakamura tries him, he will leave him broken, and if anyone wants to do anything on NXT they have to go through him.

This brought out Rhyno, of all people. Rhyno returned last week to destroy three people in a tag team match and then wandered around Full Sail University in his gear.

Rhyno said he is going to go right through Joe. The champion laughed and walked away, saying that he will beat Rhyno up on his time.

*********

Next week will be Bayley vs. Nia Jax for the third time. Also, American Alpha will face the Authors of Pain, and Samoa Joe will be matched against Rhyno.

*********

On a side note, does anyone else hate how the commercial for the Scott Hall DVD starts with “At eight-years old I was addicted” before, after almost a dramatic pause, he says “to wrestling”?

*********

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Finn Balor

This was set up like a pay-per-view main event, complete with a pre-match video package and main event ring introductions. The crowd was already flipping out before the bell even rang.

They killed so much time that the bell didn’t even ring until 8:27, so for history’s sake you should know this didn’t go as long as Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe in March (the other “one match show” episode this year).

The match started slow, with Balor getting the better of it. Balor pushed Nakamura against the ropes and gave him the Bullet Club/DX/Clique Too Sweet hand sign, causing the fans to pop and Nakamura to strike him very hard.

Coming back from our first commercial break, Nakamura shot Balor into the corner and then began running at him, however Balor came out of the corner with a low dropkick, injuring the knee of Nakamura.

Balor went for a Mexican surfboard, but Nakamura wouldn’t give up his arms, so Balor leapt in the air and smashed Nakamura’s knees off the canvas.

Balor used a number of submissions, including an ankle hook and a weird knee hold that looked like a leg scissors. The first near fall of the match was almost 20 minutes in, Balor hit a reverse 1916 (Bloody Sunday DDT), and the fans went crazy when Nakamura kicked out.

Nakamura fought back with a running kick and Balor then kicked out of a Kinshasa to the back of the head.

Balor hit a double knee to the chest and as both men fell, somehow Balor also hit a double foot stomp, but that wasn’t enough for the pin. Nakamura rolled out of the way of a Coup de Grace, hit a knee strike from the middle rope, and picked up the win with the Kinshasa.

That was an epic match and will be remembered for a very long time.

The two gladiators shook hands after the match, fist pounded, and bowed as the fans gave them a standing ovation.

WWE Tokyo, Japan, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho vs. Seth Rollins; Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Robin Clarke from Sumo Hall

– Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler with the End of Days.

– Titus O’Neil beat Curtis Axel after three backbreakers and the Clash of The Titus.

– WWE Tag Team Champons The New Day beat The Vaudevillians to retain the tag titles after a foot stomp from the top rope.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka submitted Becky Lynch with the Asuka lock to retain.

– John Cena & Usos beat The Club (AJ Styles/Gallows/Anderson). Cena got the pin. Post match, Cena cut a promo and allowed the Club to stay in the ring so they could get some recognition for their time in Japan.

– WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte submitted Natalya with the Figure 8 to retain.

– Shinsuka Nakamura pinned Kevin Owens after hitting the Kinshasa

– WWE Champion Dean Ambrose won a three way over Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins, pinning Jericho after hitting Dirty Deeds.

WWE Tokyo, Japan, live results: Nakamura vs. Chris Jericho, AJ Styles vs. John Cena

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted anonymously from Tokyo’s Sumo Hall

– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) beat The Vaudevillains, Usos, and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to retain

This was an elimination match.  Jimmy Uso pinned Gotch with a superkick in the first elimination, Anderson pinned Jimmy after the Magic Killer in the
second elimination, and Kingston pinned Anderson to win the match.

– Dolph Ziggler pinned Curtis Axel after a superkick

– Baron Corbin pinned Titus O’Neil with the End of Days

– A.J. Styles did an interview and vowed to destroy John Cena in their match.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Natalya to retain after submitting her with the Asuka lock.

– A.J. Styles pinned John Cena in 17:47

Styles went for a Pele kick but hit the refeee. Cena put Styles in the STF and he tapped out. Anderson & Gallows ran in and Cena beat them both down.  Styles then hit Cena with the Styles clash. Anderson & Gallows & Styles were beating on Cena when the Usos came in for the save.

– WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte submitted Becky Lynch with the Figure Eight to retain

– Shinsuke Nakamura beat Chris Jericho with the Kinshasa

– WWE Champion Dean Ambrose beat Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins when he pinned Owens after hitting Dirty Deeds in a three-way to retain

WWE Honolulu, HI: Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens; Ambrose vs. Styles vs. Jericho vs. Rollins

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted from Derek

– Show opens with KA and Gallows video, bashing the Usos. 

Curtis Axel vs Titus O Neil

Axel bails from ring twice. Axel runs wild for a bit, Titus counters does his power spot. Titus wins via pop up power bomb. 

Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler

Crowd really into Ziggler. Corbin rolls out. After about 3 minutes of this, Ziggler attacks Corbin on the outside and rolls him in to get the match going. Corbin knees Ziggler for him to get the advantage for now. Ziggler counters Corbin does his comeback and neckbrealer into a 2 count. Ziggler tries for a clothesline and gets countered, Corbin for a 2 count. Ziggler hits famouser for a near fall. Corbin tries for End of Days, Ziggler hits super kick, crowd popped for that.  Ziggler goes to the top, Corbin hits the ropes and End of Days for the win. 

Gallows & Karl Anderson vs The Usos 

As expected heavy Polynesian crowd, so the Usos got a very big pop. Usos get on offense, clothesline both KA and Gallows outside. Gallows hits one of the Usos against the ring post, almost gets counted out. The other Uso gets the hot tag, runs wild on KA. Usos win via a splash on Anderson.

NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Natalya

Starting off with Nattie and Asuka doing Mat wrestling. Very shoots style match so far, crowd seems confused. Asuka does the hip thingy twice, Nattie gets on the outside does a Suplex on the floor. Nattie with the surfboard. Asuka hits a dropkick and they are both down. Nattie went for the sharpshooter, Asuka counters into Anklelock. Asuka hits her Asuka combination then gets Nattie into the Asuka lock for the win. After working a MMA hybrid match for the first few minutes, crowd got back into it when they went back into the wrestling,

WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs The Vaudevillians

Aiden English playing heel to start off. Woods cuts him off, hurricanrana for a near fall. English gets the tag in, Big E gets in as well. Big E does some dancing, crowd is into that. English gets a tag in beats down on woods. Big E gets the hit tag and starts belly to belly suplexing both guys. Vaudevillains hit the whirling dervish for a 2 count. Big E gets in and him and Xavier hit an assisted Big Ending for the win.

WWE Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs Charlotte

Crowd kinda split to start off, or that they like to woo… Starting off slow. Charlotte does the flair bump over the ropes and takes a powder to the outside. Charlotte kicks on the inside to take control. Charlotte in control for a while, Becky nits a electric chair counter into the turnbuckle. Becky firing back up, T bone Suplex for a near fall. Becky tries the Disarmer, Charlotte counters with the armbar power bomb spot. Charlotte misses a moonsault, Becky gets the Disarmer Charlotte has the rope break. Charlotte gets the figure 8 for the win.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kevin Owens

Owens beats down Nakamura right from the beginning. About half the crowd knows who Nakamura is. Owens mocks Nakamura’s corner stomp thingy. Crowd starts doing dueling Nakamura/Kevin Owens chants. Owens going to chinlock city. Owens taking the majority of the match until Shinsuke hits a counter wheel kick. Nakamura gets his corner kick in followed by the top of the rope knees. Owens hits a super kick for the near fall. Owens does a superplex from the top rope and crowd finally wakes up. Owens tries for a Senton, Shinsuke gets his knees up and hits a counter Knee for a near fall. Owens tries for the powerbomb, Shinsuke hits the Tiger Suplex and Kinshasa for the win. 

WWE Champion Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho vs Seth Rollins

Jericho cuts promo on the crowd. Crowd calls Jericho a mahu, he thinks it’s great. Rollins gets a nice pop, Ambrose got a great pop. Crowd wants Jericho to take scarf off, but he refuses. Crowd chants Mahu at him. AJ and Ambrose start off the match, AJ takes a powder, Jericho comes in. Kinda standard 4 way layout. Everyone starts ganging up on Ambrose.  Jericho tried to steal pin, Ambrose goes out. Other 3 are fighting, then Rollins and Styles take out Jericho. AJ takes out Rollins and Jericho gets back in, tries for the walls of Jericho and missed. AJ cuts him off, AJ hits forearm to Jericho, Rollins hits suicide dive, Ambrose gets a top rope Elbow to all of them.

They all go for the super-duper plex. Crowd starts chanting “this is awesome” Jericho misses codebreaker, Ambrose tries for the Nigel clothesline, Jericho connects with the Codebreaker for a nearfall. Rollins comes back in hits AJ for falcon arrow for a two count. AJ gets the calf crusher on Seth and Jericho gets walls onto Dean for a double submission spot. Rollins hits Pedigree on Jericho, Ambrose hits the Nigel clothesline on Seth and Ambrose does dirty deeds on AJ for the clean pin. 

WWE Orlando, FL, live results: Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor & Bayley hit the big time

Posted on by JJ Williams

I’m here at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, for a WWE house show featuring some of NXT’s top talents.

– The Usos beat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Superfly splash on Karl Anderson for the win.

– Pre taped promo by Samoa Joe and Austin Aries to hype the tag match vs Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura later in the night.

– Baron Corbin beat Zack Ryder

End of Days by Corbin for the win.

– Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Austin Aries and NXT Champion Samoa Joe

Very good action as one would expect. Also, great reactions for Shinsuke and Finn.The finish saw everything break down and Finn hit the coup de grace on Aries for the win. Post match Too Sweets and stereo “YeaOh!”s to celebrate.

– Jack Swagger beat Viktor

Crowd was very into Swagger tonight with USA chants. They got excited for the Patriot Lock when he picked up the win.

– Pre-taped promo with Seth Rollins hyping his title match for later tonight.

– Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio

Physical match that went outside of the ring to brawl. Plenty of uppercuts by Cesaro and even a short swing. Del Rio tried to set up for his corner stomp but missed, and Cesaro was able to hit The Neutralizer for the win.

– Sasha Banks, Summer Rae & Bayley beat Eva Marie, Dana Brooke & Natalya

Huge ovation for Bayley as the surprise third woman. Plenty of “We Want Sasha” chants, “Hey, We Want Some Bayley”, and big heat on Eva Marie as well. Bank Statement on Eva for the submission win.

– The Shining Stars beat The Prime Time Players

The PTP are reunited! Long match but both teams were over with the live crowd and did some cool spots which included Titus throwing the stars around. Primo rolled up Darren Young and had the tights to steal the win.

– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose beat Seth Rollins

Great match as they delivered in the main event. Two attempted Pedigrees, trash talk, and heel stalling tactics from Rollins who took the title and proclaimed himself the rightful world heavyweight champion. This match got great reactions and the crowd was into every nearfall and double down. Towards the finish, Seth missed a frog splash and both slowly made their way to their feet, trading punches for the boo / yay reaction.

Seth went for the Pedigree, yet Dean countered and hit the Dirty Deeds to get the win. Place erupted and Ambrose celebrated his hard fought victory. Match of the night.

NXT Largo FL, live results: Shinsuke Nakamura & American Alpha team up!

Posted on by JJ Williams

Image c/o @WWENXT – Results c/o @snkxwwe. Estimated attendance of 300.

– Mojo Rawley pinned Josh Woods

– Steve Cutler submitted Kishan Raftaar

– TM61 pinned Angelo Dawkins and Patrick Clark

– Hugo Knox pinned Tino Sabbatelli

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka, Carmella, and Bayley beat Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss, and Mandy Rose when the champ submitted Mandy

– Andrade cien Almas pinned Oney Lorcan

– In ring promo by Noah

– Ember Moon (the former Athena) pinned Daria

– Shinsuke Nakamura, and American Alpha beat Tye Dillinger and The Authors Of Pain when Gable submitted one of the Authors with the ankle lock.

NXT Plymouth, England, live results: Nakamura & Finn Balor vs. Austin Aries & Samoa Joe

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Submitted by Philip Mansell & Chris Stewart

– Hugo Knox b Wesley Blake

Knox was pretty over, really green but athletic. He won with a split-legged moonsault.

– Alexander Wolfe b Angelo Dawkins

Fulton was ejected for interference, but came back down for the finish. He distracted the ref, allowing Wolfe to rake the eyes and score the pinfall. More D’Lo chants for Dawkins, but he took it with good humour and did the old D’Lo head shake as he left the ring.

– Bayley and Carmella b Alexa Bliss and Peyton Royce

Good match that got better as it went on and Bayley was involved more. Baymella win after Bayley to Belly. 

– Bobby Roode b No Way Jose

Roode wins with a spinebuster. Good pop for him after the fans realised who it was. Jose was pretty over, but the fans much preferred Roode. Big near fall towards the end with Jose hitting Roode with the discus punch for a believable near fall. 

– Andrade Almas b Tye Dillinger

Dillinger got a huge reaction from the crowd with sustained “10” chants. There seemed to be more signs and talk about him than anyone else. He cut a promo to turn the crowd against him, but the people were so into his gimmick they continued to cheer. Not much of a reaction for Andrade (although he did get some “Cien” chants towards the end). Very solid match. Crowd loved the moonsault spot to end the match.

– American Alpha b NXT Champions The Revival by DQ

These teams are just great and work so well with each other – an abridged version of the latest TakeOver match, so naturally very good. Both teams have impeccable timing. Crowd really bought the titles changing hands after Alpha hit the Grand Amplitude, but the ref was pulled out for the DQ. Alpha really know how to work the crowd.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka b Nia Jax to retain

Jax had decent heat for her entrance, and Asuka was really over. Asuka hit the buzzsaw kick to the win in a decent match that was almost identical to their TakeOver encounter. Asuka got a decent reaction, quite a few “Asuka’s gonna kill you chants”. Very similar to the Takeover match – they did a fantastic spot with Asuka putting a standing guillotine on Jax who turned it into a stalling suplex for a near fall.

– Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura b Austin Aries and NXT Champion Samoa Joe

A fantastic main event with the crowd completely into it. Chants for all four men who seemed to relish the atmosphere. Joe responded to crowd taunts brilliantly. Finn got the hot tag before Nakamura hit the Kinshasha on Aries and Finn hit the Coup de Grace for the win. Balor thanked the fans, calling them the heart of the NXT universe.

Brilliant event overall – a crowd that was clearly incredibly happy to get NXT action. 

NXT Bournemouth, England, live results: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe; Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Martin Mathers from the Bournemouth International Centre

– No Way Jose b Angelo Dawson by pinfall

Angelo had to field D’Lo Brown chants all the way through.

– Bayley & Carmella b Nia Jax & Alexa Bliss by pinfall 

– Tye Dillinger b Hugo Knox by pinfall

The entire E block section was covered in 10 signs.

– Andrade Almas b Austin Aries by pinfall

Aries cut a heel promo, but the crowd wouldn’t stop cheering him.

– Shinsuke Nakamura b Bobby Roode by pinfall

Roode’s generic music confused everyone. Nakamura’s reaction blew the roof off.

– NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival b American Alpha by pinfall to retain

Crowd loved AA, Gable especially.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka b Peyton Royce by submission to retain

Lots of “Asuka’s gonna kill you!” chants

– Finn Balor b NXT Champion Samoa Joe by disqualification

Crowd was feisty. Plenty of great atmosphere mixed with a few idiots shouting inappropriate stuff. Overall, it was a strong crowd though.

NXT Liverpool, England, live results: Finn Balor & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe & Austin Aries

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by James Ryder

A lot of the upper section was empty. Pre-show, Dasha interviewed some fans asking who they wanted to see tonight. Also, there was a pre-show vote to see a past NXT match: Rollins vs. Mahal, Neville vs. Zayn or Bayley vs. Banks. The latter won the vote so they showed highlights of the match.

Hugo Knox vs Wesley Blake

Fairly basic match. Crowd started chanting in the middle of the match but wasn’t into either superstar much. Knox won with a split leg moonsault on the second attempt after messing up the first one.

Alexander Wolfe & Sawyer Fulton vs. American Alpha

Loud pop when American Alpha’s music hit and a loud chant for American Alpha before the match had even started.  Crowd chanted “Jordan give us a wave”. Crowd booed him when he didn’t but when Gable did a takedown in the ring, he waved to a big pop.  After early back and forth action, Gable is worked on until he makes the hot tag to Jordan to a loud pop.

Match then ends quickly after two belly to belly suplexes and two German suplexes. AA wins with the double ankle lock spot and a double tap out.  Post match, The Revival come out and cut a promo putting over the TakeOver title match from last week. They offer AA a tag title match, then change their mind and walk off before running to the ring to attack. AA then hit Grand Amplitude on Dash and count to 3 for a good pop.

Bobby Roode vs. No Way Jose

Roode comes out to generic music which confused the crowd until he walked out and the crowd popped for him. Good reaction for Jose. Crowd was into him. Comedy spots early in the match then mid match, Jose’s music plays and they both dance before Roode attacks Jose.  Jose in control for a short while until Roode makes a comeback and wins with the Double A spinebuster.

Nikki Glencross & Peyton Royce vs.  Carmella and Bayley

Good reaction for Carmella who cut her usual pre match promo. Bayley came out to loud pop, loudest so far. Crowd sang to her then sang Happy Birthday to her.  Peyton and Nikki work over Bayley until she makes the hot tag to Carmella.  Peyton tries to kick Carmella but hits Nikki instead.  Carmella tags in Bayley who pins nikki with the Bayley to Belly for the win.

Tye Dillinger vs. Andrade Almas

Dillinger out to a loud pop and loud 10 chant. He cut a pre-match promo and revealed he was wearing a football shirt belonging to a rival team to a loud chorus of boos. Early part of the match saw the 2 of them play the crowd with the football shirt with Almas making Dillinger stamp on it.  Fairly basic match with the odd high spot.  Almas wins with the running double knees to Dillinger in the corner.

NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

Good reaction for Asuka, but little reaction for Alexa & Nia. Good back and forth action.  Alexa was impressive in the match. Asuka makes a comeback after a few near falls and hits Alexa with a jumping knee and makes her submit to the Asuka Lock for the win.

Finn Balor & Shinuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries & NXT Champion Samoa Joe

Good pop for Balor but really loud for Nakamura with the crowd singing his theme song during his entrance and after his music had stopped.  Another good reaction for Joe as well.  Good back and forth action with Balor getting the hot tag to Nakamura.  The finish comes when Balor kicks Aries as he attempts a suicide dive followed by Nakamura hitting Aries with the Kinshasa followed by Balor hitting him with the Coup de Gras for the 3.

Post match, Balor cuts a promo on Liverpool and puts over Robbie Brookside, saying how he welcomed him to the Performance Centre and helped so many NXT stars and helped NXT as a whole. Balor and Nakamura then pose for the crowd to complete a good show.

NXT Dublin, Ireland, live results: Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode; Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Robert O’Sullivan

– Tye Dillinger v Hugo Knox 

Local crowd promo before match. Great reaction to Tye. Mid promo, it turned into cheap heel ‘your sports team sucks’ promo, but crowd still loved him. Knox wins with split legged moonsault. Knox looked very green, but is massive with a great look and moves incredibly well.

– Wesley Blake v Andrade Cien Almas

Blake’s ring gear is a weird combination of Bayley and Ultimate Warrior. Crowd more into mocking Blake than the actual match, though liked Andrade’s flashy offence. Andrade wins with double knees in the corner.

– Goldberg video game ad plays on the screen. Fans notice that Drake Younger is the referee.

– Sawyer Fulton & Alexander Wolfe v American Alpha

Mad Max style gimmick for the former. Couldn’t believe it was actually Fulton. Alpha are massively over, with the ‘no limit’ & ‘angle theme’ chants before the bell. Chad Gable may be the best pro wrestler I have ever seen. Just so quick,
so smooth in his movements. Seemed even quicker on this house show than he did on television. USA Chant for Alpha in Dublin. That’s how over they were. Alpha win with Grand Amplitude.

The Revival run in afterwards, cut a promo, tease a title match then go to leave. Dash Wilder tries to ambush Alpha, is caught, get him in double ankle lock (each man had an ankle). Heels run to the back.

– No Way Jose v Austin Aries

Aries; ribs still taped. Crowd split on who to like. Aries was as good as he has been in the last few years, seems to have settled into NXT finally. Brief dance off spot to Jose’s music, Aries interrupts & ambushes Jose but gets massive cheers and ‘Thank you Aries’ chants. Any attempts to turn the crowd fail. Aries in control most of the match. Jose does his closing sequence (baseball swings, bulldog etc) for a near fall. No Way Jose wins with schoolboy roll up after Aries missed his discus elbow finish.

– Ad for Mania 33 on the big screen. Described Orlando as a “magical place where anything can happen”. Seemed weird they would play that promo so close to the shooting.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka v Peyton Royce

Asuka’s gonna kill you chant. Back and forth match. Asuka does her hip attack then pose sequence early. Peyton still a little rough but has improved immensely. Asuka is much better against someone her own size. Asuka wins with crossface chicken wing. 

– Bobby Roode v Shinsuke Nakamura 

Roode had generic theme & Titantron still. Great reaction for Roode, and there’s no other way to put this, lose their sh*t for Nakamura. ‘Holy sh*t’ and ‘this is awesome’ chants for the entrance alone. F*ck TNA chants. Crowd behind Roode as well, but Nakamura clearly the favourite. Beer Money chants throughout the match. Near fall with the spinebuster from Roode. Dublin crowd are normally appreciative but dead, but not here. Red hot throughout.
Nakamura wins with the Kinshasa.

– Alexa Bliss & Nia Jax v Bayley & Carmella

I never have seen grown men fight so fiercely over pink wristbands in my life. Great chicken fight spot to start off. Great heel facials from Alexa. Same headlock & guillotine spots on Nia as in all of her matches. Bayley wins with Bayley-to-Bayley on Jax.

– NXT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor

Crowd red hot with chants for Finn. Joe hated with a passion. Back and forth match, everything looked great. Muscle Buster blocked, 1916/Bloody Sunday blocked. Joe gets Balor in his choke finish, Finn powers out. Balor closing sequence (sling blade, dropkick etc). Misses the double footstomp, and as he rolls through Joe grabs him & rolls him up for the win. Finn thanked the crowd for all their support.

Notes:

– Nakamura sold out almost immediately. Balor merch sold second to him, though they obviously had a lot of stock.

– Nakamura had the biggest reaction of the night. Some people around me were in tears during his entrance. Balor had a massive reaction
as well, and it was more sustained than Shinsukes, but Nakamura had the better reaction out of the gate.

NXT Belfast, Ireland, live results: Nakamura & Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe & Austin Aries; Bobby Roode

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Matt Sterling from The SSE Arena

– Hugo Knox b Alexander Wolfe w/Sawyer Fulton

Knox is a former soccer player from England who looked decent but needs work. Tremendous body. Crowd chanted for Bailey during the match – didn’t care much about the in-ring action here.

– No Way Jose b Wesley Blake

Jose is super over. He got the crowd to do a Mexican wave after he won, and danced with the referee.

– Bayley & Carmella b Nikki Storm & Peyton Royce

Sloppy match. Bit disappointing from the NXT women. Lots of botched spots. Bayley was the best in-ring trying to cope with three girls who need a lot of work.

– Bobby Roode b Angelo Dawkins

Bobby played the heel, lots of stalling & running away from Angelo. Crowd did the stupid spot where they chant a different number than the referee. Longest match on the show so far. Roode won with a spinebuster — a finish that came out of nowhere.

– NXT Tag Champions The Revival b American Alpha to retain

The Revival worked over Gable for a long time. When Jordan finally tagged in, it was easily the biggest reaction for a hot tag I’ve seen live. All four of these guys have so much talent. Dawson got the pin after knocking Gable into an exposed turnbuckle.

Intermission

– Andrade Almas b Tye Dillinger

Great, fast paced match. Great showing for the former La Sombra.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka b Nia Jax & Alexa Bliss to retain

This felt like this had the potential to be great but it was sloppy at times. Seems like they weren’t on the same page. Asuka made Alexa tap with the Asuka lock.

– Shinsuke Nakamura & Finn Balor b NXT Champion Samoa Joe & Austin Aries

This was quite the spectacle to see so much talent in the ring at once, especially at a house show in Ireland. Match of the night. Balor got worked over for a while until the hot tag to Shinsuke. Place went nuts. Shinsuke pinned Aries with the Kinshasa. After the match, Finn and Nakamura did each other’s poses.

Overall, this was an excellent show with great wrestling and a good environment. Arena was taped off – around half the attendance of a WWE show.