Murphy won via pinfall in a fun house show match. He got one of the best reactions of his WWE career given that he’s from Australia.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Oney Lorcan
Almas won with the knees in the corner.
– Ember Moon defeated Billie Kay
Moon won with the top rope stunner. Kay played heel despite being from Australia.
– Elias Samson defeated Akira Tozawa
The Drifter came out and got more boos than anyone else on the show. He serenaded us with a song and was interrupted by Tozawa’s entrance. Drifter won with a powerbomb off the turnbuckle and with his feet on the ropes.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss to retain their titles
DIY won with their double team finish in a good match. They did a good job carrying Sabbatelli and Moss.
– William Regal came out to thank the fans. He mentioned how the past five years with NXT has been the most rewarding stage of his career.
– Bobby Roode defeated Tye Dillinger
Probably the best match on the show, it was very similar to their TakeOver match. Roode won with his finish. Both guys were very over with the crowd.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce to retain her title
Fun match. Asuka’s mannerisms in the ring are really something. Royce played heel as well (and was taunted by the crowd for being from Sydney). She did a good job in the role. Asuka won with her kick finish.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & TM61 defeated Samoa Joe & The Revival
Nakamura was super over. It was my first time seeming him live and his charisma is something special. TM61 got a reaction on a level far beyond any of the other Aussies, with this being their hometown and a pretty substantial portion of the crowd having seen them at the start of their career in Perth’s local indies.
Thorne entered wearing a West Coast Eagles jersey and Miller was wearing a Fremantle Dockers jersey (the two Australian Rules football clubs in Perth, who have a pretty fierce rivalry between them).
Nakamura won with the Kinshasa on Dash, while Thorne dove on Joe on the outside and Miller dove on Dawson. The three celebrated and then Nakamura went to the back and TM61 closed the show celebrating with the fans.
The NXT tag titles will be on the line in Toronto.
It was announced on tonight’s episode of NXT that The Revival would defend their titles against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in a two-out-of-three falls match at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. The teams had been set to meet in the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic before The Revival had to forfeit the match due to a storyline injury to Scott Dawson.
Gargano and Ciampa failed to advance in the Dusty Classic on tonight’s show with Paul Ellering and The Revival helping The Authors of Pain pick up the win in their semifinal match. Gargano and Ciampa previously faced The Revival for their titles earlier this year at TakeOver: Brooklyn in a match that received rave reviews.
The finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic were set on tonight’s show with TM61 advancing to face The Authors of Pain at TakeOver. William Regal said that Ellering would be suspended above the ring in a cage for the finals.
TakeOver: Toronto will take place on November 19th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto as part of three straight nights in the arena over Survivor Series weekend. The updated card for the show is:
NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defending against Samoa Joe
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Mickie James
NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival defending against DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) in a two-out-of-three falls match
Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger
TM61 vs. The Authors of Pain in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
The Big News: Andrade “Cien” Almas turned heel on Cedric Alexander after the duo lost their tag team main event.
The Medium News: The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kicked off with The Revival and The Authors of Pain picking up victories.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Samoa Joe destroyed the debuting Dan Matha and gave William Regal one week to give him Shinsuke Nakamura.
********
The Authors of Pain defeated The Bollywood Boyz in a first round Dusty Classic match
Straight out of the CWC, Harv and Gurv Sihra are here to go two-on-two with the undefeated Authors of Pain. This was not the night for the duo from India, but they did get a little bit of offense in along the way.
Akam and Rezar made short work of the former GFW Tag Team Champions, finishing them off with the combo side Russian leg sweep/lariat, which is called The Last Chapter.
In the next round, they will face the winner of No Way Jose & Rich Swann vs Tony Nese & Drew Gulak.
********
Rich Swann defeated Patrick Clark
Clark held up his side of the match and didn’t look totally out of place, but between the two of them it’s obvious the right person is on Raw right now. Swann hit a superkick and won after a handstand into a standing moonsault.
I love Rich Swann’s theme.
********
We saw video of Cedric Alexander vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas from a few weeks ago and how it now leads to them as teammates in the Dusty Classic against The Revival tonight.
********
Last week, Liv Morgan was getting checked on in the trainers room when Billie Kay and Peyton Royce walked up and made fun of her.
********
Peyton Royce w/Billie Kay defeated Danielle Kamela
NXT has put the two Australian women together here, as Royce and Kay are friends. Kamela was both a dancer and a cheerleader before trying out at the Performance Center. Kamela has a lower center of gravity, which made her fall hard when Royce kicked her in the face.
This was a very basic match. The fans got behind Kamela when she was being held in a chinlock, but this was not her night. Royce won with a knee to the side of the head and a fisherman suplex. Tom Phillips called it a northern lights suplex, and Corey Graves said Mauro Ranallo wouldn’t have screwed that up.
********
Bobby Roode & Tye Dillinger cut a promo backstage, with Roode not allowing Dillinger to talk at first and then doing his Glorious pose when Dillinger tried talking.
********
The debut of Dan Matha didn’t happen
Dan Matha actually doesn’t look nearly as ripped when walking to the ring as he did in video packages.
We were spared from seeing his debut by Samoa Joe running out and beating the crap out of Matha, much to the fans delight. At first all we saw were fans laughing and looking off to the side, then Joe came out and destroyed him.
Not that I was looking majorly forward to this debut, but it seems weird that they built it up for weeks just for him to be a guy taken out by Joe in 30 seconds.
Anyway, Joe cut the promo he has every week where he orders William Regal to give him Nakamura or the title, finally giving him one week to make a decision.
********
No Way Jose & Rich Swann cut a promo saying they became a team because the NXT Universe wanted them to be partners. They ended their promo by singing “Can you handle this? No way Jose.”
********
Sanity is coming next week. That’s good. Sometimes we all need help. Wait…wrong kind of Sanity.
********
NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival defeated Cedric Alexander & Andrade “Cien” Almas in a first round Dusty Classic match
Alexander and Almas worked well together, but The Revival are a really good team. It was last year in the Dusty Classic that they got the start of their push, making it to the semifinals before losing to Samoa Joe & Finn Balor.
Revival got the heat on Almas, specifically targeting his left shoulder. Dash and Dawson really have perfected that “80’s tag team” gimmick, but are not doing it in a gimmicky way, if that makes sense. They are a modern tag team that uses 80’s psychology in their matches.
Alexander got the hot tag and took out both men, and he probably would have fared better in a handicap match, as Almas was more of a hindrance than a help. At the end of the day, the champs picked up the win, pinning Alexander with a Shatter Machine.
The Revival will now face the winners of Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. HoHo Lun & Bin Wang in the next round. I don’t know if that match has been taped, but I think it’s safe to assume Gargano & Ciampa will be advancing.
Almas snapped after the match, turning heel by attacking Alexander! I guess he read what I wrote and decided to take it out on Alexander. Almas dropped Alexander face first on the ring steps before walking out to a chorus of boos.
That does it for this week. Next week Sanity debuts, Joe gets his answer from Mr. Regal, and the Dusty Classic continues. Until then remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
After WWE revealed the final teams for the second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on Tuesday, they released a bracket detailing the field on Wednesday afternoon.
Notably, Johnny Gargano & Tommasso Ciampa are possibly on a collision course to another match with NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival. The teams will face each other in the second round if they are victorious in their first round matchups.
The Revival will face the team of Cedric Alexander & Andrade “Cien” Almas in the first round, while Gargano & Ciampa will take on HoHo Lun and Bin Wang.
WWE generated headlines when they announced that Kota Ibushi would be returning for the tournament and teaming with Hideo Itami, and that team will battle Cruiserweight Classic competitors Lince Dorado & Mustafa Ali in the first round. If Ibushi & Itami advance, they will face either Bobby Roode & Tye Dillinger or SAnitY.
Austin Aries will team with a mystery partner, speculated to be the debuting Roderick Strong in Monday’s daily update, against Niko Bogojevic & Tucker Knight in the first round. If Aries and his partner advance, they will face the winner of TM61 vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss in the quarterfinals.
The tournament will take place over the next several weeks of NXT TV and will conclude at NXT TakeOver: Toronto on November 19th during Survivor Series weekend. The full bracket is available below:
Swann got the pin, but he seemed to be shaken up at the end of the match. He was talking to the trainer on the way back to the dressing room, and clutching at his stomach/side.
– Tye Dillinger defeated Tino Sabbatelli
– Ember Moon defeated Peyton Royce
– Austin Aries defeated Hideo Itami
Aries won after a low blow with the ref’s back turned. Itami hit the GTS after the match.
– Bobby Roode defeated No Way Jose
Both guys got dueling chants, crowd was into both men and seemed to be split 50/50.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Daria Berenato to retain her title
Berenato was doing her MMA fighter gimmick, with gloves and everything. Asuka got the win with the Asuka Lock.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & TM61 defeated Samoa Joe & NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival
Nakamura pinned Wilder after the Kinshasa. Fun six-man tag, definitely the best match of the night. After the match, Nakamura got on the mic and thanked the crowd for coming out.
The arena was mostly sold through, with some pockets of empty seats here and there. Crowd was hot all night, biggest pops were for Roode and his entrance music, Itami, Jose, Joe, and Nakamura.
Nakamura was crazy over with the crowd. Everyone got decent time to work and the matches were decent to good. Fun show.
The Big News: If there was ever an episode that proved it’s a new era of NXT — it was this one.
The Medium News: Shinsuke Nakamura returned to Full Sail University for the first time since winning the NXT title, with the crowd giving him an ovation worthy of a champion.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Steve Cutler is getting a push.
*********
Earlier today, a doctor informed both Samoa Joe and William Regal that Joe is not cleared to compete due to injuries he suffered at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. Joe stormed out of the office without saying a word.
*********
Tye Dillinger defeated Buddy Murphy
This was set up last week when Dillinger defeated Buddy Murphy’s former tag team partner, Wesley Blake. Murphy kept the annoying dubstep music even though he lost his girl and his tag partner.
The crowd chanted “one” at Murphy, before downgrading him and chanting “You’re a zero.” This match was much better than the Blake match, for one it was shorter, and for another, the crowd actually cared about more than just chanting.
Tye Dillinger won his second match in a row with the Tye Breaker.
*********
They showed video footage of Johnny Gargano tapping out at both TakeOver: Brooklyn and last week at the Cruiserweight Classic. This led to a backstage interview with Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa started talking when The Revival walked up, which led to a fight between Ciampa and the tag champs.
The fight spilled into the arena with The Revival throwing Ciampa over the announcer’s table and then beating him down to the ring. Ciampa tried to defend himself, but he couldn’t get much of anything since Dash Wilder was holding his arms behind his back while Scott Dawson beat on him.
Revival kicked Ciampa out of the ring, like garbage, before grabbing the microphone.
Dawson said everyone is a tough guy until they face reality, and The Revival is that reality. Gargano and Ciampa faced the top guys in NXT and it was a reality check.
Ciampa dragged himself back into the ring and creepily smiled at the champs before he got laid out with the Shatter Machine.
*********
Steve Cutler defeated Kenneth Crawford
I make a reference to Mike Adamle every time Cutler wrestlers, but from now on it’s all about his Lash LeRoux sideburns. Kenneth Crawford is not to be confused with former WWE developmental/Ascension member Kenneth Cameron, who went on to become Bram in TNA.
Do you remember when the WWF would start house shows with a match between two jobbers? Well, this is as close as we’ve gotten since, as neither man has ever won a match on NXT TV despite doing several jobs.
Crawford kept slipping every time he would be in a situation where he had to land on his feet. He definitely needs more experience, even though he had the most exciting move, with a running shooting star press.
Cutler won with a fisherman suplex-driver.
*********
Hideo Itami was backstage and said at TakeOver, it was a huge moment to kick Austin Aries in the head. He mocked Aries claiming to be injured, saying Aries is a baby and not a real man. If Aries is not a real man then he needs to stay out of Itami’s ring or he’ll make Aries go to sleep… again.
*********
Sanity is coming!
*********
No Way Jose defeated Angelo Dawkins
Someone in the front row was so excited for Jose’s entrance that he was caught on camera yawning. This was not Dawkins’ night to get one in the win column, as it was all about getting Jose a win coming out of Brooklyn.
No Way Jose won with his windup punch and Cobra Clutch Slam. And after the match, he literally ran into the crowd and danced with the people in the cheap seats.
*********
Andrade “Cien” Almas was attempting to do a promo when Aries walked up eating a banana. Aries said Itami busted his eardrum, and Almas got angry and yelled at him in Spanish. This eventually led to a challenge for next week. Aries backed away, saying he couldn’t hear Almas.
*********
Liv Morgan defeated Aliyah
Now that they have gutted the women’s division, it’s time for someone new to step up. Will one of these ladies be the next great women’s wrestler?
The most curious thing in this match was when 300 residents of the state of Florida began chanting for New Jersey. It was a match of two halves. For half of this match, it was fun, fine, and had absolutely nothing wrong with it. But it started to fall apart in the second half.
Aliyah slapped on a kimura and then combined that with a headscissors. It turns out her kimura is not nearly as good as Brock Lesnar’s, because Morgan got out of it with no problem whatsoever. Morgan won with a spin kick that didn’t quite connect.
*********
No Way Jose was happy about his win over Dawkins when Bobby Roode walked by, straightened his suit, and walked away.
*********
It was time for the main event segment! The brand new, reigning NXT Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura is in the house! The fans sang his theme song, which is hard to do when your song has no lyrics.
Sometimes I think these chants are more pre-determined than the matches. They seamlessly transitioned from chanting “Nakamura” to “You deserve it.”
Nakamura said when he was in Japan he wanted a new challenge, and the only place to challenge the best is here in NXT. He came here and faced the best, from Sami Zayn to Finn Balor to Samoa Joe. His neck hurts, his knee hurts, and his fingers are shaking, but despite that, he became NXT Champion.
He has held championships before, but this one means the most. He has great respect for Samoa Joe, but the Joe era is over. It’s now the era of strong style.
The show ended with Nakamura playing to the crowd, and no new challengers were teased.
What happens when Asuka returns next week? Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
Results and image courtesy of @katieloud, who estimates 350 in attendance
– Richard Swann defeated Steve Cutler
Both guys were super over, Steve Cutler got a ton of heat. He’s become a good heel. He did a lot of yelling at the fans while beating Rich Swann down. Swann picked up the win with a roll into a standing moonsault.
– Daria Berenato defeated Billie Kay via DQ
The match was pretty even until Mandy Rose came out and beat down Daria Berenato. Rose and Billie Kay went to double team Berenato, but Asuka made the surprise save in the pop of the night.
Asuka cut a quick promo and challenged Rose and Kay to a match against her and Berenato for the next time they’re in Jacksonville.
– Alexander Wolfe & Sawyer Fulton defeated Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi
The match was fun, it ended with Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton using a double team finisher and Wolfe getting the pin.
– Oney Lorcan defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
Andrade Almas played heel. He teased grabbing a chair a few times, but Oney Lorcan won on a roll-up. Referee Drake Wuertz stopped Almas from attacking him after the match.
– Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match
This was a really fun match, it ended with Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa doing side-by-side armbars on the tag champions. Gargano got Dash Wilder to tap out.
– Bobby Roode defeated Riddick Moss
Bobby Roode had one of the biggest reactions of the night. Riddick Moss played a good heel, and Roode was fantastic. Roode won with a rotating DDT/facebuster.
– New signee Macey Estrella came out for an interview and cut a promo about how she was there to join an amazing women’s division. She mentioned her past as a marine, saying she never gave up.
– Ember Moon defeated Nikki Glencross
Ember Moon picked up the win with the top rope stunner.
– Hideo Itami defeated Austin Aries
Great match, it ended with Hideo Itami getting the GTS on Austin Aries for the win.
The Big News: Shinsuke Nakamura taunted Samoa Joe and faked taking the champion’s nose while Joe was angrily trying to go through a dozen security guards to get to Nakamura.
The Medium News: Bayley and Asuka put pen to paper to make their NXT Women’s Championship match at TakeOver official.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Bobby Roode’s in-ring debut, a tag team title match, and No Way Jose vs. Austin Aries were made official for TakeOver.
*********
Moments before the show began, Bobby Roode walked into William Regal’s office. They shook hands and went their separate ways before Roode rubbed his hands together and said this would be great.
*********
On the other side of the credits, Mr. Regal was standing mid-ring to oversee a contract signing between NXT Women’s Champion Asuka and Bayley. Asuka defeated Bayley for the title in Dallas, and the rematch will test if Bayley can climb that mountain one more time.
Bayley brought up that she has faced every woman that has walked in the door for the last three-plus years and she was always the underdog until last year when she won the title in Brooklyn. She said if Brooklyn was a dream, Dallas was a nightmare.
She said she was not prepared for how tough Dallas would be, but she is prepared now. The Asuka mystique is gone for her, and she plans on beating Asuka in NXT’s return to Brooklyn for the belt.
Asuka said that she respects Bayley, but told her opponent she doesn’t have what it takes to win. Asuka extended her hand but Bayley would not shake it, instead telling her to sign the contract and be ready for the fight of her life.
After signing the contract, the two women went face-to-face, with Asuka holding the seven pounds of silver and purple aloft before walking away.
*********
The Authors of Pain defeated Nails & Ryzin
For those of us keeping count, The Authors of Pain go into this match with a 3-0 record in NXT, they’ve been on TV for 63 days, and still do not have names. At least this week their opponents have names, albeit last names only. Ryzin got pinned with the combination leg sweep/clothesline in less than a minute.
The Authors of Pain were about to beat up Nails some more when TM61 randomly ran in for the save before being killed to death in a confrontation that didn’t even last as long as the match.
*********
Shinsuke Nakamura told Cathy Kelley that he is not hard to find, but he’ll find Samoa Joe when he wants to.
*********
Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Angelo Dawkins
Andrade Almas is back for his third match and the crowd is still completely indifferent to him. Angelo Dawkins hasn’t been around in a while and is most fondly remembered for always wearing two headbands.
Dawkins did a 360 degree turn while splashing Almas in the corner, and despite being the heel, the fans were ever so slightly more into Dawkins. Almas won with a hammerlock DDT.
GLORIOUS! The greatest theme in NXT history prefaced Bobby Roode’s entrance into the arena. Roode came out and applauded for Almas, congratulating him on having the honor of facing Roode at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II.
Roode then mocked Almas by talking slowly because Almas didn’t understand English. He told Almas that no one in the arena will be paying to see him, they are paying to see Bobby Roode.
*********
Austin Aries was talking about oranges in Regal’s office, before saying NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II is not special because The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived doesn’t have a match. Regal mockingly agreed with him and booked him in a match with No Way Jose at the show.
*********
Billie Kay defeated Liv Morgan
Billie Kay is making a career off the time she did a three-minute job against Dana Brooke on SmackDown. Liv Morgan is back for the first time in a couple months, causing Corey Graves to flip out about New Jersey.
Both women looked good here but have a long way to go. Morgan is very enthusiastic, which can be good. Kay won her second match in a row with a big boot.
*********
Rich Swann, Noam Dar, and Jack Gallagher (the greatest wrestler ever) were shown at ringside. Graves and Tom Phillips talked about how the first round was still going on before they showed highlights of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, which was actually the last first round match.
This led to Gargano and Ciampa meeting with Regal. He put over their match last week before informing them they are challenging The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver.
Gargano and Ciampa vowed to become champions in Brooklyn.
*********
Ember Moon is debuting at TakeOver.
*********
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated Tucker Knight & Patrick Clark
One year ago, Gargano and Ciampa debuted in NXT during the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. And one year ago, Patrick Clark was on Tough Enough.
This was more competitive than most squash matches. Tucker Knight is a fast man for being close to 300 pounds and has potential. The number one contenders picked up the win with the double kick to Knight.
*********
Mojo Rawley was hyping himself up for the main event, saying he’s bringing the fight right to Samoa Joe.
*********
NXT Champion Samoa Joe defeated Mojo Rawley
Mojo Rawley is angry about being laid out by Samoa Joe last week, so he charged at Joe to start the match. They exchanged headbutts on the floor and both men no-sold it. For the first minute, this was the most intense (in a good way) I have ever seen Rawley.
Unfortunately for Rawley, the match went longer than one minute. Joe beat him down hard. Rawley hit a full nelson slam, but he was mostly at Joe’s mercy here. Joe screamed Nakamura’s name as he slapped on the Coquina Clutch for the submission win.
After the match, Joe put the clutch back on and screamed for Nakamura until his music played. Nakamura walked down the ramp, but a dozen security guards got between them to hold Joe back. Nakamura was content with taunting Joe while he tried to fight through security to get to the King of Strong Style.
Nakamura faked taking Joe’s nose and then slapped him in the head as the show went off the air.
We are just one week away from TakeOver, and until next week’s go-home show, thank you for reading and remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
On Wednesday night’s episode of NXT television, three matches were made official for NXT’s upcoming return to Brooklyn.
After making his first appearance on NXT TV last week, Bobby Roode will compete in his first televised match for the brand against Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II.
Roode had been shown on camera at the last two TakeOver specials and has extensively worked the NXT live event circuit, but TakeOver will be his first real chance to show what he can do inside of a WWE ring.
It was also made official that The Revival will defend their NXT Tag Team Championship against the team of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in Brooklyn. The two teams have been going at it for a while, with Gargano and Ciampa owning a victory over the champions from earlier this year.
And the show will see the TakeOver debut of No Way Jose as he takes on Austin Aries.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II will take place on August 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The updated card is:
NXT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a title match
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Bayley in a title match
Bobby Roode vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa in a title match
Submitted by Jason Hess from the Revention Music Center
NXT returned to Houston for the first time since September 2015 for another show at the Revention Music Center. Of the available seats, the only empty ones were the last row on the floor on each side.
– Mojo Rawley defeated Buddy Murphy with a lariat/clothesline in 6:26.
Mojo was over with the crowd and was good in the opening role.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Wesley Blake with a modified DDT in 7:50.
Blake had some “Chris Jericho” taunts thrown at him, and the match was alright. There were some rough transitions in the match, but Almas wowed the crowd more than once, receiving “Si” chants.
– Bayley & Carmella defeated Mandy Rose & Daria Berenato in 9:54.
Carmella did some pre-match promo work and got a “How You Doing” chant. Bayley got the “We want some Bayley” chant as well. Mandy’s promo was met with boos, and the match was on after the heels threatened to go back to the dressing room, only to be chased and brought back to the ring by the faces.
Great heat on Carmella with a good hot tag tease before Bayley finally got the tag. Bayley and Carmella hit their finishers for a double pin on the Tough Enough team.
– Hideo Itami defeated Austin Aries in 11:09.
The crowd was into both guys and this match was great. Itami teased the GTS before hitting a running knee for the win. Itami received “Welcome back” chants.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival defeated Johnny Gargano & Tommaso CIampa in 19:16 to retain their titles.
Chants included “Johnny Wrestling” and “This is awesome.” Most of the time, I feel that the “This is awesome” chant is overused, but for this match, the chant is justified. Dash and Dawson retained after cheating at the finish. Post-match saw the Houston crowd give a rousing ovation for Gargano and Ciampa.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Nia Jax in 10:38 to retain her title.
The crowd chanted “Asuka’s gonna kill you” at Jax. Both women worked really hard. Jax got a huge pop by doing a semi-People’s Elbow with a DX crotch chop thrown in, but she missed it. Asuka then won with a kick to the head.
– Finn Balor & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Bobby Roode & NXT Champion Samoa Joe in 17:18 when Balor pinned Roode after the Coup de Grace.
Nakamura got the reaction of the night, with Balor close behind. The crowd serenaded Finn with “Thank you Finn” chants, and the crowd sang Nakamura’s theme song.
This was a good match and the crowd was into everything they did. After the match was over, Bayley came out and put over Balor, Jax, Rawley, and Carmella as this was their last night in NXT.
Balor then put over the locker room, which by this point had come out into the aisle way to honor the four who were being called up to the main roster. Balor also put over Matt Bloom, and closed the show shaking hands and taking pictures with ringside fans.
If NXT comes to your town, make sure you are able to go. You won’t regret it.
Submitted by Ernest De La Garza from the Central Pavilion Arena
– Mojo Rawley defeated Wesley Blake
Blake got a good reaction as he is from San Antonio, but that quickly died as the crowd became firmly behind Rawley. Rawley got the win with a sick looking running haymaker.
– Bayley & Carmella defeated Daria Berenato & Mandy Rose
Bayley and Carmella won after Bayley hit the Bayley-to-Belly. Good match, and I was surprised by how good the heels were.
– Austin Aries defeated Tommaso Ciampa
This was a great match. The crowd chanted for No Way Jose and they both stopped to look at us, then Ciampa started doing No Way Jose’s dance. Aries got the win with his feet on the ropes. He was great playing his usual heel role. The crowd started to chant for Ciampa when it was over, as that was a hell of a match.
– Finn Balor & Hideo Itami defeated NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match
Balor got the biggest pop of the night to this point, but the Revival got a good reaction too. Another really good match. Balor won with the Coup de Grace. A big welcome back chant for Hideo broke out, followed by the crowd thanking Balor as he does his final matches in NXT. Balor bowed to the audience.
– Johnny Gargano defeated Buddy Murphy
Gargano is really over and he won with the crossface in another good match.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Nia Jax to retain her title
Asuka won with a kick to Jax’s face. Jax is improving a lot.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated NXT Champion Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode
Nakamura came out to the biggest pop of night, even surpassing Balor. He has great music and a great entrance. The match did not disappoint. Nakamura and Joe went at it with some stiff strikes. Nakamura hit the Kinshasa on Roode for the win.
Nakamura spoke some Spanish and thanked everyone for coming.
A great event, I’ve been coming to WWE events for over 30 years and this is in the top five. Everyone worked really hard.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to Drew Hall and Randall Black for also sending in results
– No Way Jose defeated Hugo Knox
Decent little opener, though a little on the long side. Crowd was pretty into the match, No Way Jose got the wave started on a couple of occasions.
– Angelo Dawkins defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas
Dawkins won with a sit-out powerbomb. Seriously. Hometown pop for Dawkins. Almas worked heel for about half the match once it became clear that fans were behind Dawkins. They teased a heel turn at the end for Almas, but he shook Dawkins’ hand and left so that he could celebrate.
– Bayley defeated Billie Kay
Match started off with Bayley wearing Kay’s lace shawl like a horse tail and then playing keep away with her velvet gloves. Lots of comedy early. Pretty good match once it got going. Crowd was hot for Bayley.
– Bobby Roode out to note the fat, ugly, Kentucky rednecks in the crowd. He is the superstar who will bring NXT mainstream acceptance. We will aspire to wear expensive suits and jewelry like him. Tonight starts the new era of NXT. His era will be glorious.
– Finn Balor defeated Bobby Roode
Balor won with Coup de Grace. Good match. Crowd was into both guys. “Thank you, Finn” and “See you Tuesday” chants after the match.
– Hideo Itami defeated Wesley Blake
Crowd loves Itami; apathy for Blake, despite new music, gear, and “Beautiful” moniker. Early on, “Beautiful” Blake grabs the mic and chides Hideo for not wrestling. He calls himself the most feared striker in NXT and talks up his jiu-jitsu. Total goofball heel work, trying to trade kicks with Itami and failing.
Crowd chants “Bayley wants her boots back.” Itami dominates and the crowd eats it up.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Alexa Bliss
Asuka won with the crossface chicken wing. Really good back and forth match, crowd was into the near falls and largely pro-Alexa.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & American Alpha defeated NXT Champion Samoa Joe & The Revival
Nakamura pinned Dash with a Kinshasa. Match started billed as an NXT Championship match, but Joe said he would never defend his title in a place like Northern Kentucky. The Revival jumped Nakamura from behind, but American Alpha makes the save.
Great house show match, lots of fun spots, including American Alpha and Nakamura doing a triple facewash. American Alpha worked over by the heels for most of the match, Nakamura finishes the match on a hot tag.
The Big News: Chaos reigned supreme in the tag team division with three teams vying for the titles, but The Authors Of Pain seem more content with destroying American Alpha than trying to capture gold.
The Medium News: Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura are friends…but have no problem ripping each other’s heads off in 2 weeks.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Gargano & Ciampa are now on a full fledged winning streak, having defeated The Hype Bros in the main event
Alexa Bliss pinned Carmella
NXT’s pixie-sized Diva is here to kick off the show this week against the most fabulous girl on the show. Alexa is so short…(How short is she?)…Alexa is so short that when she is standing on top of a fallen Carmella, she is still shorter than the referee.
This match was solid, yet unspectacular. They have both improved to the point that it is not embarrassing to see them on tv. The only rough spot was when Carmella was standing on the apron, Alexa reached over the top rope to throw Carmella down, which was difficult since Alexa is barely taller than the top rope.
Alexa threw a temper tantrum when she didn’t get a pin. My grandmother would have threatened to put her over her knee for that. Carmella used a kick to the head and a Bronco Buster, but still almost lost to a roll up. Finally, Alexa won with Twisted Bliss, which is the new name for the Sparkle Splash. That makes sense since she no longer dresses like a pixie cheerleader.
********
We got “exclusive comments” from Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura talked about how well he knows Finn Balor, and about how he supported Balor when he left Japan and watched him every week on NXT. He reiterated that he wants to become an NXT icon and in order to do that, he has to beat Balor. He vows to give us something sensational in two weeks.
********
Bayley cut a promo backstage saying it feels amazing to get back in the ring and get a win last week. She feels 100% and is ready to get her championship back. Alexa Bliss walked up and said she deserved the title shot more and if Bayley wants a title shot, she has to go through her.
********
Andrade Cien Almas defeated Noah Potjes
Noah Potjes had one previous match on NXT: a tag match last month where he was only called Noah and now, not only did he get a last name, but he got to walk down the ramp and get a ring introduction on tv!
Andrade looked good here, including a spot where Noah shot him off and ducked down, but when he came off the ropes, Almas hit a really nice dropkick to his fallen foe. Almas won with the running double knees in the corner.
********
Austin Aries said he is the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived and since the moment he walked into NXT, the fans should have felt privileged to see him compete. No Way Jose hasn’t done anything in his career and hasn’t beaten anyone, but the fans explode because he shakes his butt. He attacked Jose because of the fat, pasty, ugly fans and vowed that everything that happens now is our fault.
********
Finn Balor did his own backstage promo. He reiterated what Nakamura said earlier about them being friends. He came to NXT two years ago and never thought he’d see Nakamura again, but he got goosebumps when he found out his friend had signed with NXT. Balor said they may have faced each other in Japan, but this feels different, this feels special.
********
Next week: Bayley vs Alexa Bliss
********
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated Hype Bros
A month ago, Gargano & Ciampa won a match. Two weeks later, they won again, making it two in a row. If they beat the Hype Bros tonight, they will be on a winning streak. Their quest for a third straight win didn’t start well when Rawley literally caused Gargano to fly across the ring, crashing painfully to the mat.
Ryder tagged in and immediately got taken down and beaten on by Gargano and Ciampa. A wild free for all broke out, culminating with Rawley hitting a nice clothesline outside to Gargano. Mojo used a Pounce on Ciampa and they set up the Hype Ryder, but Gargano broke it up and took Mojo’s head off with a super kick.
After an exciting series of near-finishers and roll ups, Gargano & Ciampa got their elusive winning streak with the double kick to the head.
********
After the match, Ciampa and Gargano took the mic to announce they wanted a title shot at The Revival, who they defeated a month ago.
This brought out American Alpha, who were champions until just three weeks ago. Gable said they are not next in line, American Alpha is. Jason Jordan vowed revenge on The Authors Of Pain and they will show The Revival that they are the alphas of NXT. Is it sad I forgot all about The Authors Of Pain?
Out came The Revival, who told them that as champions, they drive the car and man the ship. They are calling the shots and feel neither team deserve title shots. They also said they dictate the terms.
This brought out William Regal, who pointed out that he dictated the terms. Mr. Regal did say Ciampa & Gargano deserve a title shot, but before that happens, it will be Revival vs American Alpha in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the titles next week.
The babyface teams shook hands and Gargano & Ciampa left. The Authors of Pain suddenly hit the ring and laid out Gable & Jordan. Gargano & Ciampa ran down and also got beat up. American Alpha made a comeback, leading to Jordan actually suplexing one of them, but ultimately both got laid out with the combination legsweep/clothesline. Paul Ellering came out on the ramp and beckoned his boys away as the show ended.
That does it for this week. Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
I’m at the Orlando National Guard Armory for NXT Live in front of approximately 300 people.
– Nia Jax and Mandy Rose beat Aliyah and Daria
The faces were able to work over Mandy, but once Nia got involved, her power was just too much. Tree Slam by Nia on Daria for the win.
– Josh Woods beat Kishan Raftaar
Kishan kept Josh grounded for most of this one until Woods was able to catch Raftaar with a grapevine ankle lock.
– In ring interview w/ Mikey Nicholls and Shane Veryzer. They proclaim that they are the best team on the planet and the world.
– Elias “The Drifter” Samson beat Cezar
Massive booos for Samson tonight, and he couldn’t even finish his song, drowned out by “You need lessons/your song sucks” chants. There were a few good hope spots by Cezar (including a standing rana), but The Drifter won it with his spinning neck breaker.
– Tino Sabbatelli beat Angelo Dawkins
Good showing by both men. Tino was the face tonight and had the crowd on his side. Some great rope running and leapfrogs, and Tino hit a cross body to finish off the sequence. Tino picked up the win with a running power slam.
– Patrick beat Dan Matha
Big power moves by Dan early on, throwing Patrick around. Roll through with a bridge for Patrick to score the win.
– Adrienne Reese beat Peyton Royce
Fast paced match. Adrienne was flying around the ring, Peyton taunted her flower and by ducking out of the ring. Adrienne used her off the top rope rotating stunner for the win.
– The Vaudevillains beat The Revival
Early grappling and mat work. Gotch worked with both Dash and Scott before Aiden tagged in to pick up the pace. Revival used dastardly tactics to take the ref and get the advantage at all turns. Heat segment working over English before Gotch could make the hot tag and run wild. Great sequence with an attempt at the Vauds finish yet Revival pulled Gotch out, some roll up attempts, and finally they hit their Whirling Dervish for the win.
On tonight’s episode of NXT on WWE Network, it was announced that NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) will defend their titles against Enzo Amore & Big Cass on Saturday, March 12th at the Roadblock Network show from Toronto, Canada.
The match had been rumored for a few weeks, and would be the main roster major show debut for both teams. (Enzo and Cass have been appearing on WWE house shows recently.)
The two teams have wrestled numerous times and done a number of angles with the latest being a parking lot attack by Dash & Dawson that aired last week on NXT television. Dash and Dawson have held the titles since October when they beat the Vaudevillians to become the company’s eighth tag team champions.
The Roadblock show will be headlined by WWE Champion HHH vs. Dean Ambrose, and will be the company’s final major show before Wrestlemania weekend which also features a big Friday night NXT Takeover show in Dallas, TX.
