One half of The Revival will be out of action for the next several weeks after suffering an injury.
WWE.com announced today that Dash Wilder fractured his jaw at an NXT house show over the weekend. Wilder last wrestled when he teamed with Scott Dawson against Shinsuke Nakamura & Hideo Itami in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Friday night.
The Revival also showed up later that night after the Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger main event to aid Dillinger and Nakamura against Roode and The Authors of Pain, though Wilder suffered the injury in the tag match earlier.
There was an angle on the Saturday NXT show in Concord, North Carolina where The Revival had to decide which member would be Roode’s partner against Nakamura & Dillinger in the main event, with Wilder being held out due to his injury. Dawson sided with the babyfaces after that match before there was a farewell to The Revival, Nakamura, and Dillinger as they take their places on the main roster.
WWE’s post about Wilder’s injury noted that he’ll have to get his jaw wired and that he should be back in approximately eight weeks.
The Revival made their main roster debut on the Raw after WrestleMania earlier this month. They defeated The New Day two weeks in a row and were being positioned as one of the top teams in the show’s tag team division.
Pro Wrestling Sheet first reported news of Wilder’s injury earlier today.
Image: @EddieOrengoWWE. Report submitted by reader Travis Mickey.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Kona Reeves
This was a short opener, with Reeves getting most of the heat with slow offense before a flurry of big strikes and a roaring elbow from Ohno for the win.
Reeves refused to leave the ring after unless someone made him. Dan Matha then came out with no titantron and delivered a chokeslam across his knee as the crowd wondered who he even was.
– There was a segment where The Revival came out of Bobby Roode’s locker room and debated which member would be Roode’s teammate in the main event.
– Ruby Riot & Kimber Lee defeated Mandy Rose & Daria Berenato
This got a decent amount of time but was pretty sloppy. Riot pinned Berenato after her Pele kick finisher.
– Aleister Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
They had a solid back and forth match. Black won with his spin kick finisher.
– Hideo Itami defeated Patrick Clark
Clark generated heat by asking for no kicks, no mat wrestling, and then offering to sumo wrestle instead. It was a short, fun match that Itami won with a GTS. He posed with Clark’s headband after.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated DIY to retain their titles
The champs got the better of DIY in the end after having a great match.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon to retain her title
Asuka retained after a ref bump spot and reversing a top rope crossbody. They had a stiff match with a lot of back and forth action.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & Tye Dillinger defeated NXT Champion Bobby Roode & Scott Dawson
The match started with a lot of comedy moments based on the “10” chants, hugging tag partners (and the ref after a lengthy “hug the ref” chant), and Dash Wilder stealing the ring bell. Roode and Dawson did good heel work with Dawson being pinned after a Kinshasa.
Roode berated Dawson after the match and trash talked Dawson’s family in the front row. Dawson went to attack him, but Roode escaped only to be thrown back in by Nakamura and Dillinger. Dawson and Dillinger each gave Roode a stunner and Shinsuke hit a Kinshasa.
The locker room (sans Andrade “Cien” Almas and Aleister Black) came out to applaud The Revival, Dillinger, and Nakamura as this was scheduled to be their last house show with NXT. Dillinger got on the mic and thanked the crowd for chanting “10” and helping him make it to SmackDown.
Nakamura thanked the crowd for supporting him over the past year. Wilder gave a brief speech before letting Dawson close it out by playing up his Carolina roots. He ended his speech with “Top Guys out,” before leading the crowd in some “Friends in Low Places” karaoke and giving Roode a second stunner to end the show.
Reports submitted by readers Doug Forbes and Joseph Wyatt
– Kassius Ohno defeated Kona Reeves
Reeves got heat by hiding from Ohno for a large portion of the match. The match was nothing spectacular, but it was a fun opener to set the tone and Ohno won with some big strikes.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Dan Matha
Matha is huge and Almas mostly played face in this. The crowd was probably least active during this match. Almas won with the hammerlock DDT after hitting his double knees in the corner.
– A video was shown with The Authors of Pain leaving Bobby Roode’s dressing room.
– Ruby Riot & Ember Moon defeated Kimber Lee & Mandy Rose
This was a great, well worked tag match. Riot and Lee looked as good as during their indie days. Rose actually held her own. Moon got the pin with the flipping stunner.
– Aleister Black defeated Patrick Clark
Clark got heat by calling the town other local places. Black looked great and won quickly after hitting a springboard moonsault and Black Mass.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & Hideo Itami defeated The Revival
The response for The Revival was loud. The response for Nakamura was louder. They had a fun match, with good comedy spots and great action. The crowd got to see everything but the Shatter Machine.
Itami hit a GTS on Dash Wilder before Nakamura hit the Kinshasa on Scott Dawson. The Revival pretended to come back for a handshake, but then moved their hands and left. The crowd was singing or chanting for the entirety of this one.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defeated DIY to retain their titles
Paul Ellering wasn’t present for this. They had a strong match, with Johnny Gargano taking most of the beating. AoP threw them around a bit and won with the Last Chapter.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Daria Berenato to retain her title
This went longer than might be expected and Berenato got some stuff in. They did lots of submissions and counters. Asuka came out on top with a roundhouse kick.
– NXT Champion Bobby Roode defeated Tye Dillinger to retain his title
The crowd went insane for this and they both had cool entrances. There was a lot of comedy. Dillinger kicked out of a Glorious DDT, then hit a bare knee Tye Breaker. The Authors of Pain interrupted, leading to Roode hitting a second Glorious DDT for the win.
Nakamura came in for the save. The Revival then came in, with no one quite sure what they were doing. They teamed up with Dillinger to take care of AoP and surprise Roode. There was a fun bionic elbow by Dawson into a face plant from Roode. The show closed out with Dillinger, Nakamura, and The Revival cutting promos in the ring. They thanked the fans and each other.
Goodbye WrestleMania! Hello to another edition of My Favorite Wrestler (This Week). These are our favorite wrestlers from WrestleMania week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
When I first heard Nakamura signed with WWE early last year, I was apprehensive about how he’d do — after all, WWE is a place where 20 minute promos are a necessity for top guys. But after seeing his SmackDown debut, all those fears were put to rest.
He came out and quickly became one of the biggest babyfaces on the roster with an incredible entrance, complete with a live violin. The promos might still be a weakness for him, but if you’re as charismatic as he is, it might not be that big of a problem.
Keith Lee
By Alan Boon
Although I may be the only one to submit a piece about him for this week’s column, I know I’m not the only one to consider Keith Lee to be my favorite wrestler this week. Lee had a barnstorming WrestleMania week, appearing on six shows, all streamed live on FloSlam, and coming very close to stealing the show every time he stepped through the ropes.
Like many others, Lee first came to my attention when he and Shane Taylor took their Pretty Boy Killers team to Ring of Honor and, although they were never known by that name in that promotion, killed their fair share of pretty boys (and a few ugly ones, besides). Taking nothing away from the impressive Taylor, it was clear even then that Lee was the star of the team, and a chance to break apart from that tag tandem (although they are still teaming in WrestleCircus, among other places) is a fresh start for both.
Lee has grabbed that chance with both hands, signing a contract with WWN which still allows him to work for the other headline-grabbing indies, as well as take tours overseas. While I usually retain my slot in this column for a wrestler who has made an impact on the UK scene in the past week, Lee has only been over once — for PCW and Tidal last year — and I can’t wait to see him in a British ring in the near future.
His theme song may declare him “the man of the hour,” but if he continues his current 2017 he’ll be the man of the year, leading the pack of those who are competing to replace Chris Hero as the indie scene’s MVP. Get in on the first floor, if not the ground.
The Revival
By Paul Fontaine
I’m going with a tag team as my favorite for this week and, of course, it’s The Revival. Their three-way NXT Tag Team Championship match against DIY and The Authors of Pain at TakeOver: Orlando was the best tag match in WWE since Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder faced DIY in Toronto last year.
The three-way was far better than it had any right to be and I give the lion’s share of the credit to The Revival. It looks to be their swan song in NXT as they earned a spot on Raw the night after WrestleMania. They looked really good in their debut there as well with a win over former champs The New Day.
Brock Lesnar
By Mike DellaCamera
I wanted to put Goldberg as my favorite wrestler this week, just because he’s finally gone and I don’t have to watch everyone’s favorite dad concuss himself and get tired walking to the ring.
Instead I’ll go with his WrestleMania opponent, Brock Lesnar. This is the version of Brock that works best, and the one that WWE needs. The version where he is the unconquerable champion, the absolute dominant force on the flagship show. He gives the Universal title weight, and makes it more important.
Having someone beat him for the belt makes it feel like a true accomplishment, and immediately puts them over for, well, forever. Granted it’s just going to be Roman Reigns, who, for what it’s worth, is very good at this wrestling thing — the Monday night crowd can go take a hike and get out of my life. But yeah, if you want to make someone, having them beat Brock is the way to do it.
Daisuke Sekimoto
By Alan4L
After watching his Strong Heavyweight title loss to Hideki Suzuki which aired this week on Samurai TV, I’m once again reminded why Daisuke Sekimoto is not just my favorite wrestler this week, but just my favorite wrestler full stop.
It’s been that way since 2009, really. Daisuke is what pro wrestling is all about for me, and he’s the standard bearer for what a pro wrestler should represent. The storytelling of his match with Suzuki which played off their March 5th time limit draw was exceptional. They took a Big Japan crowd which is normally conditioned to either death matches or bruising heavyweight slugfests, and had them in a frenzy for an old style title match built around mat work and psychology.
Sekimoto is a master. He’s the pro wrestling son of Kenta Kobashi and Bret Hart. The perfect wrestler.
Mauro Ranallo
By Zach Dominello
My favorite wrestler this week isn’t actually a wrestler (My column, my rules. Deal with it). It’s Mauro Ranallo, whose story, which I’ve been following in the last couple of issues of the Observer, hit me kind of hard.
As has been reported, the reason Ranallo has been absent from his announcing duties on SmackDown is because of depression. An issue Ranallo has been openly dealing with for a long time. What really got me though was the cause of Ranallo’s latest bout with the illness, which is said to at least in part be bullying at the hands of fellow announcer JBL.
Now, I may just be a little overly sensitive at the moment because I watched every episode of “13 Reasons Why” on Netflix over the past few days, or perhaps it’s my paternal instincts kicking in, but when I read this story, I just got so mad.
Recently, I’ve been struggling morally with being a fan of WWE. Between buying a position in Trump’s administration, the Jimmy Snuka tribute, the long history of its treatment of talent, and now this: allegedly bullying a man with a serious illness. Is this a company I really want to support with my money? Is seeing some of my favorite wrestlers in the world perform worth supporting such a morally dubious promotion?
But this isn’t really the place to get into my moral struggles. For now, my thoughts go out to Mauro Ranallo, whom I hope to see back in action soon and most importantly, healthy again.
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, known collectively as The Revival, made their debut on the Raw after WrestleMania tonight, accepting an open challenge issued by The New Day. They defeated them, pinning Xavier Woods with the Shatter Machine before laying out Kofi Kingston after the match.
The Revival were last seen at NXT TakeOver: Orlando this past Saturday night in a losing effort against The Authors of Pain and DIY in a triple threat elimination match for the NXT tag team titles. After losing the match, it figured that they would be making their way to the main roster at some point soon.
Dawson and Wilder started teaming together in 2014 at NXT live events, going under the name The Mechanics. After a year of being used as enhancement talent on television, they were given a push, eventually winning the NXT Tag Team Championship in November of that year.
They held the belts twice before losing them for a final time to DIY at NXT TakeOver: Toronto last November.
What does Matt & Jeff Hardy’s return mean for WWE and the act that was formerly the hottest on the independent scene the past few months? Here’s eight post-WrestleMania thoughts.
1) It’s Nice To Have A WrestleMania Surprise
I remember back in 2012 when news leaked that Brock Lesnar was in Florida in preparation for re-entry into the WWE Universe. And yet, when the show that everyone had paid for (yes, those were the days) finished, the big surprise was yet to happen. Instead, it was saved for the next night on Raw.
This has become a pattern when the big developments of the weekend are saved for the television show after the supposed highlight of the promotion’s year. So, the WWE not saving the return of Jeff and Matt Hardy for Raw was a welcome deviation from the norm.
2) The Hardy Boyz Are Lunatics
This was their second ladder match in as many days. In a sane world, no wrestler would do more than one in a year. Good on them for making sure to put over the Young Bucks before they signed with WWE, but wow, what a physical way to spend a weekend.
3) This Needs To Be A Clean Slate
None of the teams the Hardys defeated should long stay in the division, so thoroughly have they be defined down as second-rate acts. Cass would be better as a singles act with Enzo as his manager, Cesaro and Sheamus both need to go down to NXT to rehab their rep as singles acts, and The Club needs to (finally) become the henchmen of either AJ Styles or Finn Balor.
Even if none of that happens, if the Hardys spend the next few months defending against joke acts, the buzz from their return will be wasted. Just as those who fight monsters become monsters, those who wrestle midcarders become midcarders.
4) Place Your Bets On The Revival Going To Raw
NXT TakeOver made it clear that The Revival were about to go to the main roster, and the assumption was that they would go to SmackDown to breathe life into that brand’s tag team division. However, the Hardys’ victory makes it far more likely they end up on Raw. The Hardys would surely have asked for reassurance that they’d be in a creatively satisfying environment, and being immediately matched with Dash and Dawson would be an obvious act of reassurance for the promotion to make.
Given that the Hardys began as a ersatz Rock’n’Roll Express, they would perfectly slot into The Revival’s formula.
5) SmackDown Would Have Been A Better Fit
It’s hard to see how the Hardy Boyz break out of the midcard considering how focused Raw is on The Authority, Roman Reigns, and Lesnar. One cannot help but wonder whether two men who in any other non-Japanese promotion would be genuine headliners as a tag team may be lost in the shuffle due to Vince McMahon’s disinterest in tag teams.
One also cannot help but wonder whether they’d have more long-term success on SmackDown due to the brand having to carry less of the heavy lifting for the WWE’s major storylines and its beng (alas only) one step removed from McMahon’s idiosyncrasies.
6) Should They Have Returned As A Tag Team?
It’s easy to forget, but Jeff Hardy is one of the few superstars in the post-Attitude Era that was successfully pushed to the point where he legitimately became a money-drawing headliner. Given the promotion’s lack of headliners, it’s hard not to wonder whether it’s a waste to put such a popular superstar in what they see as a mid-card division. Jeff could easily headline PPV events as a singles star, and even in the Network Era, it’s hard to see the Hardyz doing that as a team.
Likewise, Matt is one of the most inventive minds in the business. His tastes are not the same as mine, but I appreciate that he’s thinking outside the box. Reprising the daredevil tag team babyface act he outgrew in 2002 seems like a poor use of his creativity. Maybe he would have been better as a single in NXT, a setting that would have given him the freedom to continue to push the boundaries of pro wrestling storytelling. NXT could certainly use somebody of his stature on their roster.
Of course, WWE could always build a main event tag team division around them, but then again, I could win the lottery.
7) Back in Bland
Matt still has the skunk-esque dash of grey hair but otherwise, what we got at WrestleMania was the classic Hardy Boyz. The problem, of course, is that after so many years, the standard demanded of tag teams has risen, and their bodies have degraded. Robbed of their outlandish Broken Characters, they may not be able to build on the momentum coming out of their return.
8) Indie-Disaster
It’s easy to obsess about whether WWE will make the most of the Hardy Boyz to ignore the promotions that did properly utilise them. Just this weekend, Ring of Honor drew 4000 fans off their fame, and either brother has successfully headlined independent shows as a single or together as a tag team.
Them leaving the independent scene robs the grassroots of a headliner act that can make their shows economically viable. If WWE keeps snatching headliners from the indies, they’re going to rip out the roots of the ecosystem from which their current superstars grew. The sad fact is that unless they overturn the McMahon family’s multi-generational disdain for tag team wrestling, the Hardyz could have done more good for the business on the indies than in WWE.
Will Cooling writes for Fighting Spirit Magazine, the UK’s biggest and best full-colour pro-wrestling and mixed martial arts newsstand magazine. This month, he interviews Travis Banks about what it takes to successfully manage the business side of the pro wrestling business. FSM is available in print from all good British and Irish newsagents, and the digital edition is avaiable worldwide.
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!
This was a good match. Black won with a flying knee. He was back to wearing his trunks after sporting combat shorts previously.
– Mandy Rose defeated Heidi Lovelace
Rose got the win with the Angel’s Wings slam.
– Brennan Williams defeated Kishan Raftaar with a side slam.
– Liv Morgan cut a promo in the ring about Daria Berenato. Morgan called Berenato a “lousy Ronda Rousey.” She said that Berenato “wasn’t tough enough for Tough Enough.”
– The Revival defeated Heavy Machinery, Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford, and SAnitY in a fatal four-way elimination match
Great work by everyone here. It was a long match that got plenty of time. The Revival ran all their distractions and did double team work.
Revival and SAnitY were the last two teams. Scott Dawson hit a superplex on Alexander Wolfe. Nikki Cross tried to get involved but was almost knocked off the apron, which gave enough time for Dash Wilder to make it in for the Shatter Machine.
– Elias Samson defeated Oney Lorcan
The Drifter played a song for us about how awful Fort Pierce is before the match. Lorcan was jumped before the bell rang and Drifter kept the advantage most of the way. Lorcan later took Samson’s guitar and teased breaking it to a huge reaction. Lorcan tossed the guitar and rolled up Samson for two. Samson then hit a spinning neckbreaker for the win.
– Daria Berenato defeated Macey Estrella
Before the match, Berenato responded to Liv Morgan’s promo from earlier, mentioning Hooters, and that the next time she saw her it was on. Berenato got the victory with a spinebuster.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY & Tye Dillinger defeated The Authors of Pain & Wesley Blake
The crowd went crazy for Dillinger as the third man. DIY had “10” signs of their own to join in the fun. The audience chanted “Royal Rumble” at Dillinger and “ DITye” for the team.
Dillinger hit the Tye Breaker on Wesley Blake to win the match for his team. They celebrated and Dillinger bowed to the crowd, then shook hands with his partners before leaving.
NXT was in Jacksonville, Florida last night in front of approximately 300 people.
– Ember Moon and Aliyah tied in a women’s battle royal
The other entrants were Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Daria Berenato, Sarah Bridges, Mandy Rose, Heidi Lovelace, Liv Morgan, Macey Estrella, and the debuting Victoria Gonzalez — a 6-foot-1 former Texas independent wrestler who auditioned for the most recent Tough Enough.
The finish was to set up another match later in the show as Cross, who was eliminated, returned to toss both Aliyah and Ember Moon over at the same time.
– Aleister Black defeated Wesley Blake
Flying knee by Black to win a good match. Black is now wearing combat shorts, which is a new look for him.
– Steve Cutler defeated Cezar Bononi
Cutler hit a second rope stomp to get the win.
– Oney Lorcan defeated Kona Reeves
This was another good match. Lorcan won with the running blockbuster.
The crowd is loving Ford and Dawkins lately on the Florida loop. This was an entertaining and athletic match.
– Roderick Strong defeated Patrick Clark
Sick Kick by Strong for the win.
– Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss cut a promo in the ring where the crowd booed them down after being insulted. They got a lot of heat.
– Ember Moon defeated Aliyah
Moon hit her top rope stunner for the victory. Aliyah has been improving quite a bit lately.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Heavy Machinery defeated Elias Samson & The Revival
This had all of the entertainment and work you’d expect from these men in a main event. Heavy Machinery played along with Nakamura’s lead. Revival used all their tactics and The Drifter was despised, of course.
Nakamura hit a Kinshasa on Samson for the official win while Machinery also had Revival pinned at the same time. The winners celebrated to send the crowd home happy with a YeaOh.
– Daria Berenato defeated Macey Estrella with a spinebuster.
– Tozawa defeated Kona Reeves after hitting a delayed German suplex to win a good match.
– Babatunde defeated Chris Atkins
Two huge men were facing each other here. Babatunde won it with a splash in the center of the ring.
– Cedric Alexander did an interview in the ring. He said he’s done with Alicia Fox and Noam Dar, that they deserve each other, and right now he wants to prove he’s the best cruiserweight in the world by winning the title.
– Tony Nese defeated Mustafa Ali
Nese was the aggressive heel here and won with a powerslam.
– Jack Gallagher defeated Buddy Murphy
Good matchup here. It was the entertaining Gallagher style against the angry Murphy. In a different finish than usual, Gallagher used an armbar for the submission.
– Aliyah & Liv Morgan defeated Heidi Lovelace & Kimber Lee
This was Kimber Lee’s debut as a member of the NXT roster. Everyone looked good here. It was a fast-paced match with good work in the ring. Lovelace and Lee worked over Morgan as heels and prevented the tag through the match. Aliyah ran wild and hit a tornado DDT on Lee for the win.
– Wesley Blake defeated Dan Matha
Matha took most of the match before going for a big lariat and being rolled up for the pin.
– The Revival defeated Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford
This was an entertaining match with all types of one up-manship with the two teams taunting each other. Revival won it with a Shatter Machine but got sent packing after trying to cheap shot Ford and Dawkins after the bell.
– New NXT host and commentator Vic Joseph made his NXT debut in the ring before the show started.
– Jack Gallagher defeated Kona Reeves
Running corner dropkick by Gallagher for the victory.
– Tian Bing defeated Wesley Blake
Bing won with a thrust kick.
– Daria Berenato defeated Liv Morgan
Berenato got the win with a spinebuster.
– Steve Cutler defeated Adrian Jaoude
Cutler won with a stomp off the middle rope. He talked about being a hero after the match, which led to Kassius Ohno coming out and laying out Cutler with an elbow.
– Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins defeated Mustafa Ali & Ariya Daivari
Good match that had a lot of action. Ford has been one of the most spectacular athletes down here lately.
– Lana defeated Macey Estrella
The crowd absolutely loved Lana, who was dancing and having fun herself. She won with her fisherwoman spinebuster.
– Tozawa (billed as just that) defeated Tony Nese
Very good match here. Tozawa did multiple dives to the outside and finally hit a slow bridging German suplex for the win.
– The Revival defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
More live event excellence by the Top Guys here. Revival stole the pin and celebrated their win before getting in a scuffle with Sabbatelli and Moss, who hit their double team Gory Bomb Hart Attack on Dash Wilder to send everyone home happy.
The Big News: Mr. Regal made DIY vs. The Authors of Pain official for NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.
The Medium News: DIY defeated The Revival in an excellent main event.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Asuka got beat up by Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross.
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We kicked off the show with footage from earlier today with Billie Kay and Peyton Royce attacking Asuka outside the arena, slamming her into a nearby van, and pouring water on her.
Billie Kay & Peyton Royce defeated Macy Evans & Sarah Bridges
The ladies got done beating up Asuka and entered the arena for their match here. This was a showcase for the heel duo. Evans got beat up all over the ring, but was able to make the tag to Bridges. Bridges looked good for a minute, but got cut off and pinned after Royce hit a bulldog onto Kay’s knee.
Kay and Royce again made a challenge to Asuka after the match. They said her title belonged to them and they are the most dominant force in the division.
Both ladies suddenly looked on in surprise as Asuka dragged herself to the ring. Kay and Royce put the boots to her until she was saved by Nikki Cross, of all people. Cross sent them packing, but then gave Asuka a middle rope dropkick! Asuka may have some competition.
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Backstage, Nikki Cross declared that she will take the NXT Women’s Championship. Damo was seen watching SAnitY from afar.
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Elias Samson defeated Jonathan Cruz
Cruz got a couple roll-ups for a near fall, but other than that he spent this match getting destroyed. The Drifter tried to pull Cruz through the ring post, and when that didn’t work he gave him a running knee to the head.
Samson picked up the win with the Roll of the Dice.
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Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Oney Lorcan
This is a rematch from Osaka, where Lorcan defeated Almas. Almas did not take this match seriously until Lorcan hit him with a dropkick while Almas was relaxing on the ropes. Lorcan hit a blockbuster outside the ring before Almas took over inside of it. Almas almost won with a dropkick to the face and turned the kick out into an armbreaker.
Lorcan made his comeback, missed the running blockbuster in the ring, but hit a running Alabama slam into the turnbuckles. However, Almas picked up the win with a low dropkick and a hammerlock DDT.
Almas cut a promo after the match saying 2017 will be his year and screamed at the crowd to shut up.
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Tom Phillips sat down with NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura earlier today. Nakamura said the matches with Joe were tough, but he’s proud to still be champion. He said he liked Bobby Roode. Roode is good looking, he’s a good wrestler, but he’s not strong and he’s not going to be the NXT Champion.
The interview ended with Nakamura being handed Roode’s ticket stub from NXT TakeOver: Dallas.
It was announced that we we will have a contract signing for Nakamura vs. Roode on next week’s show.
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NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated The Revival to retain their titles
These two teams faced off at TakeOver: Brooklyn, with Revival winning and then DIY won the rematch in Toronto. If you include TV matches, DIY also won a match back in May and then won a match in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic by forfeit.
The Revival got the heat on Johnny Gargano, working over his knee in the same way they have in their prior two matches. Gargano fought. crawled, scratched, and got ever so close to the tag. Gargano seemed to finally have his moment, but when he dove for the tag, Scott Dawson came out of nowhere with a pounce!
Gargano was able to get to the ropes to break up a half crab. Dash Wilder mocked Gargano, so Johnny Wrestling hit an enzuigiri and made the hot tag. Tommaso Ciampa ran wild on both men, with the fans chanting “psycho killer.” Revival did make a brief comeback when Dawson hit a clothesline on Ciampa so hard that Ciampa’s kids felt it.
Ciampa got on the armbreaker, but Dawson threw Gargano into the pile. Revival went for the Shatter Machine, but Ciampa speared Dash and Dawson got a near fall with a roll-up. Gargano hit a suicide dive to Dawson while Ciampa hit a running knee off the apron to Dash.
After a series of reversals, Dawson got the nearest of near falls with a DDT to Ciampa. Finally, DIY won with the running knees to both men!
DIY has retained their titles, but is their luck up? In 17 days at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio they will face the winners of the Dusty Classic, the Authors of Pain.
Speaking of the number one contenders, Paul Ellering came out to distract the champs and the AOP ran through the crowd to attack Gargano and Ciampa! They hit the Super Collider and laid out DIY with multiple powerbombs.
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Before the show could end, Mr. Regal was in his office and announced (after originally announcing it a month ago) that DIY will defend against the Authors of Pain in San Antonio. Then he announced a contract signing for Roode vs. Nakamura next week, which we found out 20 minutes ago.
We did get some new information as Asuka broke down the door and demanded a title match against “all of them,” implying a fatal four-way at TakeOver.
That does it for this week. Thank you all for reading, and until next week remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
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.
Shane Thorne won with a roll-up at 7:21. Sabbatelli had good heat with the crowd in what was a basic tag match to start off the night. TM61 were cheered heavily due to being Australian.
– Patrick Clark defeated Wesley Blake
The crowd was quiet for most of the match. There were chants of “Tyler Breeze” at Blake due to his appearance. The crowd fired up towards the end and Clark won with the top rope elbow drop at 6:10.
– Ember Moon defeated Aliyah
This was a good, fun match. Neither worked the face/heel dynamic and both were getting chants. They worked really well together here and Moon won with the diving top rope stunner at 10:24.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated The Revival to retain their titles
The Revival got cheap heat before the match for faking the t-shirt throw into the crowd. A lot of playing to the crowd at the start of the match. Both teams took it pretty easy in this one, but it was still an enjoyable match. Johnny Gargano made Dash Wilder tap to the Gargano Escape to retain the titles at the 14:31 mark.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce to retain her title
Basic match. The crowd sung the Australian national anthem during the middle of the match. Asuka won with a kick while Royce was sitting up on the mat at 10:40.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Akira Tozawa
Really fun match, it was the match of the night for me. The crowd was chanting throughout the match. Tozawa was really over with the crowd and got a reaction for nearly everything he did. He did two suicide dives to Almas which was the best action of the night. Almas won with the hammerlock DDT at 13.02.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Tye Dillinger & Buddy Murphy defeated Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode & Elias Samson
The Drifter did his guitar stuff before the others came out. He started playing an ACDC song, then stopped and said that it sucked. Lots of comedy in this match with Murphy and Roode doing most of the work. Joe and Nakamura didn’t really do much, but it was a fun main event. Nakamura got the pinfall with the Kinshasa at 17:40.
Buddy Murphy went around the ring to take photos with the fans to end the show.
